Bishop, presbyter,—do you want to stop being just a steward and dream of the honor of an apostle, teacher, prophet, then join the institute of catechumens (in the first year—that is, sit on the same bench with your parishioners (not parishioners yet!—but parishioners who will begin to become parishioners when you are all at the desks in the school of catechumens)). After finishing this school and receiving a diploma (a pledge of the Holy Spirit—anointment to these ministries (apostle, prophet, teacher)), then take up ministry (and not rule, calling yourself a ruler in madness) to the faithful to Christ and trusting-catechumens of the Church. That is, create from the parish the Eucharist-parish, build family (marital) relationships among the parishioners—this is the true ministry of the steward—the ministry of this great Sacrament of Sacraments—the Eucharist,—creating the best conditions (catholic communion of the faithful with each other) for receiving the Holy Spirit.
We will also tell the lawgivers-legalists, who are spying on our freedom in Christ, that we are not trying to abolish or diminish the episcopal or presbyteral ministry in the church! Without a steward, it is impossible—the school will collapse, and there can be no educational process of hypostatic being without the Eucharist-parish, for the proper ministry-organization of which the steward is responsible, caring for the ‘matter’ of this Sacrament of the Kingdom of God (the Eucharist)—the gathering of the faithful into the parish-liturgy and the bread and wine, as well as the order of the Lord’s Supper in the Kingdom of God! If the steward is a terrorist, a maniac, a fornicator, a criminal, and if it is impossible to replace the steward (prohibit the service of a bishop, presbyter), then, of course, it is undesirable to attend such a school (parish)—one should look for a school (parish) where the steward is more or less adequate and the students (parishioners) are also tolerant, and initiate the creative, wise, humble formation of a parish based on this parish!
We will repeat once again (it is a habit and not difficult for us, and for some, this act of ours is both useful and instructive) and tell (in the hope of reaching someone) the lawgivers-legalists, who are spying on our freedom in Christ, that we are not trying to abolish or diminish the episcopal or presbyteral ministry in the church! The task of our words is to prompt the correct understanding of these (hierarchical: bishop, presbyter) ministries in the church: how they originated (as a result of the flourishing of the church or a catastrophe?!) and for what they are in the church (their tasks-functions in the body of the church: organic-spiritual (in the Holy Spirit) or mechanical-fleshy (according to the flesh)), and what is their place in the hierarchy of church ministries! We will illustrate everything said above about stewards (the hierarchy in the church) with an example-analogy-metaphor taken from medicine, namely the application of plaster, splints on fractures, sewing up organ ruptures (for example, stitching a torn-off leg to the body—here splints, plaster, and threads are used for the mechanical connection of the leg to the body (creating the best conditions for restoring the organic unity of the leg with the body)) and at the same time show the necessity of the hierarchy for maintaining the vitality of the body of the church, as well as consider the conditions of its origin, significance, tasks, and vocation. We have already said all this above, and now we will duplicate the same on this example-metaphor-analogy. Church hierarchy (bishops, presbyters; various hierarchical structures: patriarchates, exarchates, metropolises, etc.) is plaster applied to the historical body of the church, which is intended to perform (mechanical) function of ensuring the unity (and communication) of the faithful, at least visibly, so that everyone sticks together! But plaster does not heal by itself, it is only an opportunity for healing, correctly applied it only creates conditions for healing (mechanically, externally holding the organs (for example, bones next to each other with plaster, splint; or tissues, skin, etc. with threads), which must become a single whole organically, as close as possible to each other—but this is only a possibility, and then organic, bodily processes of healing of organs should take place), and if there is no process of organic (from within each faithful, from the heart in the grace of the Holy Spirit) unity in Love and Truth, in the Holy Spirit, in the Eucharist, then there will be no salvation (healing, resurrection) (more precisely, the revelation of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Resurrection, which has already come, will be postponed). Unfortunately, this plaster—the hierarchy of stewards—began to be perceived on the body of the church incorrectly over time (not as a medicinal means, but as something natural, which has been from the womb of the mother—from Pentecost, as something organic, church-like, constituting the essence of the body of the church, without which it is impossible—the church without it is simply unthinkable!) and is being used not for its intended purpose (in most cases with the diametrically opposite purpose to that for which this institution of hierarchy was created—to destroy any manifestations of unity, primarily organic ones, to create the most unfavorable conditions for the emergence of unity, community-parish; the realization of the satanic principle: divide and rule! A priest can be a ruler only in the synagogue of Satan, not in the body, but in a heap of alienated, separated, isolated individuals), very often perceived as an ornament (priests and their attributes: mitres with diamonds, pectoral crosses with precious stones, vestments embroidered with gold and decorated with precious stones and metals, cassocks, mantles made of expensive fabrics, staffs made of ivory, gilded, shining church utensils, etc.). Unfortunately, this plaster (the hierarchy of stewards) has gradually begun to serve not for the healing—Spiritualization of the body of the church—the creation of parishes-Eucharists and ensuring the communion of parishes-Eucharists in the diocese-Eucharist (for which the senior steward—the bishop—is responsible), dioceses-Eucharists in the metropolis-Eucharist, and so on. The church hierarchy, instead of serving the sacrament of collegiality, catholicity of the Eucharist, overseeing the Orthodox celebration of the rite of this Sacrament, that is, taking care of creating parishes-Eucharists, dioceses-Eucharists, metropolises-Eucharists, began to rule over the people of God, mechanically governing the body, and not organically in the Sacrament of collegiality, Eucharist being led by the Holy Spirit. Over time, that plaster on the Body of the Church (on the historical edge) began to be considered the norm, an organic component of the Body of the Church, and the state of wearing plaster (mechanical unity under the despotism (lordship) of rulers-stewards-bishops-presbyters) began to be perceived as natural, normal catholic state of the church, which has been from the beginning—when the Church was ablaze and breathed with the Fire of Pentecost (that is, the members of the Church were led by the Holy Spirit, were Spirit-bearing)! The stewards-plasters (unspiritual! Elected and appointed by people, not by God—the Holy Spirit!?) began to call themselves clergy (spiritual persons), and the people of God—laity (pagans, spiritually inferior to the so-called clergy—the hierarchy of stewards). Everything turned upside down: the main thing is not the Body, which the plaster-hierarchy serves, but the stewards-plasters-rulers, who rule over the people of God!? What a delusion! What a substitution and degeneration of the church into religion! A cripple, who is paralyzed and lies motionless in plaster, like a corpse, says that he is normal and that better does not exist (in principle)—this is a sad sight!..