The Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council reminds us that the Church goes through history, facing not only external persecutions, but also internal dangers.
In the poignant reading from the Acts of the Apostles (20:16-18, 28-36), the Apostle Paul warns the Ephesian elders: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). Of course, he is not only talking about enemies outside the Church, but also about people who will come “from among you,” that is, from within it.
"Fierce wolves" become all those who place their selfishness above God's truth and the unity of the Church. When someone considers their personal opinion to be higher than the experience and conscience of the Church, then they cease to serve, and seek to impose themselves.
A typical example is the case of Arius, whose pride led him to change his faith, causing schism and confusion. That is why the First Ecumenical Council was convened in Nicaea, where the Fathers defended not their personal opinions, but the divinely revealed truth of Christ.
The Lord warned: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are robbers” (Matt. 7:15). The greatest wound in the Church is not always caused by weakness, but by selfishness disguised as jealousy, vigilance, or “defending the truth.” When a person does not seek God’s will, but rather personal justification, he becomes a cause of scandal and division.
St. John Chrysostom points out: “Nothing angers God so much as the division of the Church” (Homily to the Ephesians 11). In the same spirit, Basil the Great emphasizes: “The love of power and arrogance become the cause of heresies” (Epistle 210). The Fathers knew that heresy is not born only from erroneous thinking, but mainly from incurable ambition.
When a person completely trusts his own judgment and rejects the general opinion of the church, he easily turns his personal opinion into absolute truth. Pride blinds the mind and leads not only away from the Truth, but also away from love, which is the foundation of church life. Thus, instead of building up the body of believers, it becomes a cause of scandal, division, and spiritual confusion.
Even today, members of the Church—both clergy and laity—can become opponents of her work when they forget that the Church does not belong to them. The pastor who seeks power, fame, and imposition instead of sacrifice and service ceases to be an image of Christ, the “good shepherd” (John 10:11). Accordingly, the believer who considers his opinion superior to the conscience of the Church risks turning faith into a personal ideology.
The cure for all this lies in humility and in the church conscience. The Apostle Paul does not promote power, but tears, work and sacrificial love. True service is born of self-giving. Only when a person learns to say “not my will, but God’s will be done,” does he cease to be a wolf in the flock and become a true member of the Body of Christ.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Source: https://www.emakedonia.gr/oi-vareis-lykoi-kai-i-enotita-tis-ekklisias-810487