Two points in one letter from M.L., St Louis, U.S.A:-
What is the process for canonizing saints in the Orthodox Church, and is the word canonization the correct one? Actually strictly canonization only means including the saint in the approved canon of accepted saints, and so essentially there is nothing wrong with the term from an Orthodox point of view. However, in English, the term has connotations which are not Orthodox, because it is most commonly used of the Roman Catholic process of canonization. This, at least to the popular mind, has totally un-Orthodox connotations of “making saints.” I believe I am right in saying that the Roman Catholic Church itself would baulk at such an idea, and yet it is how the majority of their people see it. Indeed, before the Glorification of St Philaret of New York [then] two weeks ago, I heard on several occasions, people explaining that the Metropolitan was going to be “made a Saint.” [!!!] He was “made a Saint” not at a ceremony in Astoria, NYC, nor even by the earlier Synodical decision, but by his life and faith and by the grace of God. All that the Synod of ROCA did, and all that the beautiful services in Holy Trinity Church, Astoria, did, was to proclaim that fact. Many Orthodox Christians therefore rightly prefer the term “Glorification” instead of canonization. What happened in Astoria was that the Church on earth joined in the glorification of St Philaret, which he already enjoys in the Kingdom. In each of our Orthodox services, however humble or however few attend, we strive to join in the glorification of God which is continuously and eternally on-going in Heaven. God is glorified in His saints, and on this occasion for the first time on earth, the Church glorified God in His newly manifest (to us) saint, Philaret of New York, the New Confessor.
I believe that there are different processes in the various local (national) Orthodox Churches for the glorification of the Saints, but none of them has such a protracted and legalistic system as does the modern Roman Catholic Church. Usually, the glorification begins from the people themselves, who bear witness to the love of the Saint for them. Of course, there can be false attachments to certain people, especially those characters who are in someway “larger than life.” There can also arise veneration of persons who are not worthy of that veneration through delusion or cultish tendencies. Therefore, the Church usually reserves the right to consider the matter and to pronounce (to canonize). Sometimes this is done simply by the local Bishop, but more commonly nowadays by the Bishops of a local Church gathered in Synod. This is simply a safeguard against crazes and fads, or false hero-worship. It allows for a certain reflection and sobriety; it also frees the faithful from the fear of following their own whims. When now I venerate the icon of St Philaret, I have the assurance that I do so as a member of the Church, and not simply because I feel he is a Saint.
In fact many years ago, when Bishop Constantine was appointed to Britain, he noticed that, before his glorification, I had an icon print of St John of Shanghai, and he explained, quite rightly, that I should not. He did not dispute that St John was a saint, - he greatly revered him, - but he pointed out that until the Church declared his sanctity synodically (which of course has now been done) though we might pray to him in private, we should not start our own “public” veneration of him.
Why do monks and priests (and nuns actually) wear their hair long? There are several reasons for this, the strongest being that, that is the tradition that we have received. In the ancient Church there were various practices - the Latin crown of thorns tonsure was one; in some places and at certain times the monastics shaved their heads completely; the Celts had a special form of tonsure; the exact form of which is now a question to debate, but it was different from the general Western European usage and caused some dissent. There are several reasons given for our present usage (long untrimmed hair), and I will simply list them. I suspect that they each have some validity, although perhaps some have been given a retrospective interpretation. They are: a) that in so doing we imitate the Saviour; b) that even in the Old Testament the Nazarites, people specially dedicated to the Lord, allowed their hair to grow long - think of Sampson; c) that the Desert Fathers simply did not have the means to trim their hair and beards and so let them grow, and we are following them; d) that is doing so, we avoid vanity and an over-concern about our appearance - although this one can backfire, of course, - one can become vain about one’s luxurious locks! e) that we part our hair down the middle to proclaim the two Natures of Christ, Divine and human; and f) to demonstrate that the priests and the monastics are set aside from the world and are following a different course from the generality of mankind.
Nowadays one might also add another reason: Because the “mainstream Orthodox” are generally abandoning the practice of the clergy having long hair - one notices that even in “conservative” jurisdictions, like the Moscow Patriarchate, even the Bishops seem only to have “token” long hair, - the wearing of long hair by the Traditionalists has become, as it were, a symbol of their Traditionalism. Of course, one cannot assume that a man is a traditionalist simply because he has long hair and a beard, - the distinction is not that clear-cut. Some clergymen, even in quite modernist jurisdictions personally keep the traditional standard, and further there are not a few odd-balls about (!). Furthermore, some staunchly traditionalist clergymen do cut their hair and trim their beards, because they have to hold down secular jobs to support themselves and their families. But generally it indicates which side of the sadly growing divide one is on. (Being incorrigibly mean spirited, I noticed that among the former ROCA clergymen who embraced the rapprochement with Moscow in 2007, a number, who before had long hair and full beards, started to trim!).
