Ὁμιλία Σεβ. Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀμερικῆς κ. Ἐλπιδοφόρου
Παναγιώτατε Δέσποτα!
Τὴν ἡμέρα τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πανσεβάστου Προκατόχου Σας Ἁγίου Ἀποστόλου Στάχυος, Ἐπισκόπου Βυζαντίου, ἔχουμε τὴν ἰδιαίτερη ἀγαλλίαση καὶ τὴν ὑψίστη εὐλογία νὰ προΐστασθε τῆς Θείας Εὐχαριστίας στὸν Καθεδρικὸ Ναὸ τῆς Ἱερᾶς μας Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς, κυκλούντων τὴν Ὑμετέραν προσκυνητὴν Κορυφὴν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Θυσιαστήριον τῶν μελῶν τῆς Τιμίας Συνοδείας Σας καθὼς καὶ τῶν μελῶν τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἐπαρχιακῆς ἡμῶν Συνόδου.
Σήμερα ὄντως ὁ Ναὸς αὐτὸς εἶναι Καθεδρικός, διότι ὁ κοσμῶν τὴν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει Οἰκουμενικὴ Καθέδρα κοσμεῖ καὶ αὐτόν, τὸν λαμπρύνει, τὸν τιμᾶ καὶ τὸν ἁγιάζει λειτουργικῶς. Σήμερα ἡ Θεία Λειτουργία ἔχει ἔκτακτη χάρη καὶ λαμπρότητα καὶ δόξα! Σήμερα θὰ τολμούσαμε νὰ ποῦμε ὅτι «ἐκάλυψεν ἡ νεφέλη τὴν Σκηνὴν τοῦ Μαρτυρίου, καὶ δόξης Κυρίου ἐπλήσθη ἡ Σκηνή»! (Ἐξοδ. 40, 34). Ἡ νεφέλη τῆς χάριτος τῶν Ἁγίων Ἀποστόλων Ἀνδρέου τοῦ Πρωτοκλήτου, ἱδρυτοῦ τῆς Μητρὸς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως καὶ Στάχυος τοῦ πρώτου Ἐπισκόπου αὐτῆς, τὴν ὁποία μᾶς ἐφέρατε Ἐσεῖς, Παναγιώτατε, ἀπὸ τὸ Σεπτὸ Κέντρο σὲ αὐτὴ τὴν ἱερὰ Σκηνὴ ὅπου συναχθήκαμε, τὸν ἱερὸ δηλαδὴ Ναὸ τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος, τὸν ὁποῖο ὕψωσε ἐδῶ στὴν κορυφαία μεγαλούπολη τοῦ Νέου Κόσμου, πρὸς δόξαν τοῦ ἐν Τριάδι προσκυνουμένου Ἑνὸς καὶ Μόνου Ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ εὐσέβεια, ἡ φιλοτιμία, ἡ θυσιαστικὴ γενναιοδωρία καὶ ἡ παραδειγματικὴ φιλογένεια τῶν πρωτοπόρων μεταναστῶν πατέρων μας.
Πάσχα ἔχουμε σήμερα, Παναγιώτατε! Πάσχα διπλό! Πάσχα λόγῳ τοῦ Ἀναστασίμου χαρακτῆρος τῆς Κυριακῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Πάσχα λόγῳ τῆς παρουσίας ἀνάμεσά μας τοῦ Πρώτου τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας καὶ Ὑπάτου τοῦ Γένους μας! Εὐλογημένη ἡ ἔλευση καὶ εὐλογημένη ἡ ἐν μέσῳ ἡμῶν σεβασμιοπόθητος σωματικὴ παρουσία Σας, Παναγιώτατε!
Ὡς εὖ παρέστητε! Εἰς τὰ ἴδια! Εἰς τὴν προσφιλῆ Ἐπαρχία τοῦ Θρόνου Σας! Εἰς τὰ τέκνα Σας! Τὰ διψῶντα νὰ χαροῦν τὸ φωτεινὸ πρόσωπό Σας, νὰ γευθοῦν ἐκ τοῦ πλησίον τὴν Πατρική Σας στοργή, νὰ ταμιεύσουν τὸ λόγο τῆς παρακλήσεως καὶ διδαχῆς Σας, νὰ ἀσπασθοῦν τὴν ἁγία δεξιὰ ποὺ ἐπὶ τριάντα ἤδη ὁλόκληρα χρόνια κρατεῖ μὲ στιβαρότητα, συχνὰ ἐν μέσῳ καταιγίδων, τὸ πηδάλιο τοῦ πλοίου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ νὰ δεχθοῦν τὴν πολύτιμη Πατριαρχική Σας εὐλογία!
Τὰ συλλειτουργοῦντα μαζί Σας σήμερα, Παναγιώτατε, σεβάσμια Μέλη τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἐπαρχιακῆς μας Συνόδου αἰσθάνονται ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ εὐλογημένα, διότι δὲν προΐσταται αὐτῶν ὁ τοπικός τους Πρόεδρος, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Πρόεδρος τῶν Προέδρων, ὁ Πρῶτος τῶν Πρώτων, ὁ Ὑπερτιμότερος τῶν Ὑπερτίμων.
Ἐξ ὀνόματός τους διερμηνεύω τὰ πλημμυροῦντα τὶς καρδιές ὅλων μας αἰσθήματα θείας εὐφροσύνης καὶ πνευματικῆς πληρότητος καὶ εἰλικρινοῦς πρὸς τὴν Παναγιότητά Σας ἀφοσιώσεως καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνης.
Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Ἄρχοντες τοῦ Θρόνου, τὸ Τάγμα τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου, σεμνύνεται σήμερα μὲ τὴν παρουσία Σας, Παναγιώτατε, τῆς εὐσεβοῦς Πηγῆς τοῦ Γένους, καὶ συνεορτάζει μὲ ἰδιαίτερη χαρὰ καὶ ἐνθουσιασμό. Πολὺ περισσότερον μάλιστα διότι Ἐσεῖς πρόκειται νὰ προσθέσετε μετὰ ἀπὸ λίγο διὰ τῆς νενομισμένης χειροθεσίας 50 νέα Μέλη στὶς τάξεις τους. Οἱ Ἄρχοντές μας, Παναγιώτατε, Ἐσεῖς τὸ γνωρίζετε καλλίτερα ἀπὸ κάθε ἄλλο, εἶναι διακεκριμένοι παράγοντες τῆς Ὁμογενείας, πιστὰ καὶ ἀφοσιωμένα μέλη τῆς Ἱερᾶς μας Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς καὶ προσφέρουν ἀνεκτίμητη ὑποστήριξη καὶ βοήθεια, ἠθική, οἰκονομική, νομικὴ καὶ λοιπή, τόσο στὶς εὐλογημένες Κοινότητές μας καὶ τὴν Ἱερά μας Ἀρχιεπισκοπή, τὴ Θεολογική μας Σχολὴ τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ, τὰ Σχολεῖα καὶ λοιπὰ Ἱδρύματά μας, ὅσο καὶ στὸ Οἰκουμενικό μας Πατριαρχεῖο, τοῦ ὁποίου ἀφοσιωμένα τέκνα αἰσθάνονται καὶ εἶναι καὶ μὲ πολλὴ ὑπερηφάνεια τὸ ὑπογραμμίζουν σὲ κάθε εὐκαιρία. Εἶναι στῦλοι καὶ ἑδραιώματά μας σὲ κάθε θεοφιλῆ μας ἐνέργεια καὶ πρωτοβουλία Ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ καὶ Ἐθνικοῦ χαρακτῆρος, καὶ τιμοῦν τὸ Ἑλληνορθόδοξον ὄνομα στὴν πλουραλιστικὴ Ἀμερικανικὴ κοινωνία. Δῶστε τους, παρακαλοῦμε, ὁλοκάρδια τὴν εὐλογία Σας, ὥστε καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ «περισσεύειν μᾶλλον» εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν.
Μὲ τὴν εὐκαιρία ἐκφράζω ὅλων μας τὴν χαρὰ καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνη μου γιὰ τὴν ἀπόφασή Σας, Παναγιώτατε, νὰ τιμήσετε τὸν ἀγαπητό μας Πρωτοσύγκελλο τῆς Ἱερᾶς Μητροπόλεως Νέας Ἰερσέης π. Χριστοφόρο Οἰκονομίδη, καθὼς καὶ τὸν καλῶς Προϊστάμενο τοῦ Καθεδρικοῦ μας Ναοῦ π. Νικόλαο Καρλοῦτσο. Ἡ πρὸς αὐτοὺς Πατριαρχικὴ ἀναγνώρισις καὶ τιμὴ ἀντανακλᾶ σὲ ὅλο τὸν εὐαγῆ ἱερὸ Κλῆρο τῆς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς μας. Αἰσθανόμεθα καὶ γι᾽ αὐτὸ εὐγνώμονες ἀπέναντί Σας. Ἔχουμε τὴν πληροφορία ὅτι καὶ γιὰ τὴν ἀκάματη Πρόεδρο τοῦ Ἐνοριακοῦ μας Συμβουλίου ἐρίτιμο κ. Στέλλα Παντελίδου ἡ πατρική Σας ἀγάπη ἔχει ἑτοιμάσει μία εὐχάριστη ἔκπληξη. Γιὰ ὅλα Σᾶς εὐχαριστοῦμε!
Περαίνων, ἀφοῦ Σᾶς εὐχηθῶ ἐκ μέρους ὅλων τῶν συμπροσευχομένων σήμερα μαζί μας καὶ ἐκ μέρους ὅλου τοῦ πληρώματος τῆς ἐν Ἀμερικῇ Ἱερᾶς Ἐκλογάδος θερμότατο τὸ Ὡς Εὖ Παρέστητε!, Σᾶς παρακαλῶ νὰ μᾶς στηρίξετε καὶ φωτίσετε μὲ τὸν ἐμπνευσμένο Πατριαρχικό Σας λόγο καὶ νὰ μᾶς ἐνισχύσετε μὲ τὴν ἀνεκτίμητη Πατριαρχική Σας εὐχὴ καὶ εὐλογία! Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς τὰ τέκνα Σας, Παναγιώτατε Πάτερ καὶ Δέσποτα!
Homily by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy
Your All-Holiness,
On this day, when we celebrate the Feast of Your venerable predecessor, the Holy Apostle Stachys, Bishop of Byzantium, we are especially delighted and supremely blessed that You preside over the Divine Eucharist at the Cathedral Church of our Sacred Archdiocese, surrounded at the sacred altar by the members of Your honorable entourage and the members of our Holy Eparchial Synod.
Today, this Church is truly a Cathedral inasmuch as he who adorns the Ecumenical Cathedral in Constantinople also adorns this temple — illuminating, honoring and sanctifying it liturgically! Today, the Divine Liturgy bears an extraordinary grace, brilliance and glory! Today, we might dare to say that “the cloud covers the tent of the meeting, and the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle!” (Ex. 40.34) Your All-Holiness, from the Venerable Center you have brought the cloud of grace from the Holy Apostles Andrew the First-Called and Founder of the Mother Church of Constantinople, as well as Stachys as its First Bishop, here to protect us and this sacred tabernacle where we are assembled — that is to say, to this Church of the Holy Trinity erected in this splendid and prominent city of the New World for the glory of the One and Only True God worshipped in Trinity by the devotion, integrity, sacrificial generosity and exemplary patriotism of our pioneer, immigrant forebears.
Your All-Holiness, we are celebrating Pascha today! In fact, it is a double Pascha! It is Pascha because of the resurrectional dimension of the Lord’s Day. But it is also Pascha because of the presence among us of the premier of Orthodoxy and the leader of our Genos! Blessed is Your arrival and blessed is Your presence in person here, Your All-Holiness!
You are most welcome! You are at home! You are in the beloved Eparchy of Your Throne! You are among Your children! We all thirst for the joy of Your radiant face, for the taste of Your Paternal affection, for the reception of Your comforting and edifying words, for the veneration of Your right hand — which for the last thirty years has upheld, with perseverance and often through turbulence, the rudder of the Church’s vessel — in order to receive Your precious Patriarchal blessing!
Your All-Holiness, the venerable members of our Holy Eparchial Synod concelebrating with You today feel that we are exceedingly blessed, because their Presiding Hierarch is not their local Archbishop, but the President of Presidents, the First among Firsts, the Most Honorable among the Very Honorable. On their behalf, I express the sentiments that inundate the hearts of us all with divine joy and spiritual fulness, as well as sincere devotion and gratitude toward Your All-Holiness.
Yet, the Archons of the Throne, too, take pride in Your presence today, Your All-Holiness, inasmuch as You are the source of our Genos. And so, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle jointly celebrates with particular joy and enthusiasm, most especially because You are about to add another fifty members to their ranks through the conventional tonsure. Your All-Holiness, our Archons — as You know better than anyone else — are distinguished individuals of our Community, faithful and dedicated members of our Sacred Archdiocese, who offer invaluable support and assistance — moral, financial, legal and much more — both in our blessed Parishes but also to our Sacred Archdiocese, our Theological School of the Holy Cross, our parochial schools and other institutions, as well as to our Ecumenical Patriarchate, whose devout children they feel, they are, and very proudly claim to be at every given opportunity. They are our pillars and bedrock in every sacred task and initiative that we undertake in our religious and national goals, and they honor the Greek Orthodox name in the pluralistic American society. We ask You to grant them Your wholehearted blessing, so that they may henceforth achieve even greater things in every good deed.
On this occasion, Your All-Holiness, I express the joy and thanks of us all for Your decision to honor our beloved Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey, Fr. Christoforos Oikonomidis, as well as the good Presiding Priest of our Cathedral Church, Fr. Nikolas Karloutsos. This Patriarchal recognition and honor is a reflection upon all of the good Clergy of our Archdiocese. We feel grateful to You for this as well. We are also informed that Your paternal love has prepared a pleasant surprise for the esteemed and tireless President of our Parish Committee, Mrs. Stella Pantelidis, as well. We thank You for everything!
In conclusion, I would like to express to You — on behalf of all those praying with us today, and on behalf of all the faithful of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America — a wholehearted welcome! I ask that You strengthen and illumine us with Your inspired Patriarchal words in order to support us with Your invaluable Patriarchal prayer and blessing! Behold, Your All-Holiness, our Father and Master, we stand here as Your children!
Ὁμιλία τῆς Α. Θ. Παναγιότητος τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριάρχου κ. κ. Βαρθολομαίου κατά τήν Θείαν Λειτουργίαν ἐν τῷ Καθεδρικῷ Ναῷ τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος
Νέα Ὑόρκη, 31 Ὀκτωβρίου 2021
* * *
Θερμῶς σᾶς εὐχαριστοῦμεν, ἅγιε Ἀμερικῆς, διά τήν ὡραίαν προσφώνησιν, ἐκ προσώπου τῆς ἐνταῦθα σεβασμίας Ἱεραρχίας.
Ἐν περισσείᾳ χαρᾶς, συγκινήσεως καί κατανύξεως, συνηγμένοι ἐπί τό αὐτό εἰς τόν πάμφωτον Καθεδρικόν Ναόν τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος, ἐτελέσαμεν τήν ἀεί πανηγυρικήν Θείαν Λειτουργίαν, δοξολογοῦντες τόν Κύριον τῆς δόξης καί εὐχαριστοῦντες διά τά σωτήρια δωρήματα Αὐτοῦ πρός τήν Ἐκκλησίαν καί τό Γένος καί πρός ἕνα ἕκαστον ἐξ ἡμῶν. Ὅταν τελῆται ἡ Θεία Λειτουργία ἀνοίγουν οἱ οὐρανοί, τά πάντα πληροῦνται φωτός, πλημμυρίζουν ἀνάστασιν. Ὄντως, ἡ Ἐκκλησία ζῇ ἐν τῇ Θείᾳ Εὐχαριστίᾳ καί δι᾿ αὐτῆς. Ἡ λατρευτική καί ἡ πνευματική ζωή, ἡ ὀργάνωσις, ἡ κανονική δομή καί ἡ ποιμαντική τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, εἶναι ἐκφράσεις καί προεκτάσεις τῆς εὐχαριστιακῆς ταυτότητός της. Ἐν τῇ Θείᾳ Εὐχαριστίᾳ βιοῦται ὁλόκληρον τό μυστήριον τῆς Θείας Οἰκονομίας. Κατά τήν ὑπέροχον ρῆσιν τοῦ Ἁγίου Νικολάου Καβάσιλα: «Τήν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, εἴ τις ἰδεῖν δυνηθείη ... οὐδέν ἕτερον ἤ αὐτό μόνον τό Κυριακόν ὄψεται σῶμα» (Εἰς τήν Θείαν Λειτοργίαν, ΛΗ’, PG 150, 452 – 3). Ἐν τῇ ἐννοίᾳ ταύτῃ, ὁ π. Ἀλέξανδρος Σμέμαν ὀρθῶς ἔγραψεν, ὅτι «ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἱδρύθη διά νά τελῇ τήν Εὐχαριστίαν» (Ἡμερολόγιον 1973 – 1983, ἐκδ. Ἀκρίτας, Ἀθῆναι 2002, σ. 53).
Δέν εἶναι διόλου τυχαῖον ὅτι ἡ Ὀρθόδοξος Ἐκκλησία, ἡ εὐλογηθεῖσα ὑπό τοῦ ἀγαθοδότου Θεοῦ νά εἶναι κληρονόμος καί φύλαξ τῆς ἱερᾶς παρακαταθήκης τῶν Ἀποστόλων καί τῶν Πατέρων, τήν ὁποίαν συγκροτοῦν οἱ Ἅγιοι καί οἱ Μάρτυρες τῆς πίστεως, ἡ φωτοειδής λατρευτική ζωή, ἡ ἀδιάσπαστος ἑνότης τῆς πίστεως πρός τόν Θεόν καί τῆς ἀγάπης πρός τόν πλησίον, ἡ ψυχῇ τε καί σώματι ἀφιέρωσις καί ἀφοσίωσις εἰς τόν Θεόν καί ὁ ἔνθεος ζῆλος τοῦ ἱεροῦ κλήρου, οἱ ἀσκητικοί ἀγῶνες τῶν μοναχῶν καί τῶν μοναζουσῶν, ὁ σταυροαναστάσιμος βίος τοῦ χριστεπωνύμου πληρώματος τῆς «κοινωνίας τῆς θεώσεως», ἡ χριστοπρεπής διακονία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καί τοῦ κόσμου, ἡ ἐλπίς ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ἡ Ἐκκλησία μας, λέγομεν, εἶναι ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἡ ὁποία διέσωσε καί διετήρησε τήν Θείαν Εὐχαριστίαν εἰς τό κέντρον τῆς ζωῆς της.
Ἀνήκομεν εἰς τόν Χριστόν. Ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ τῷ σαρκωθέντι προαιωνίῳ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπεκαλύφθη ἡ ἀλήθεια διά τόν Θεόν καί τόν ἄνθρωπον, διά τήν προέλευσιν καί τόν προορισμόν του, διά τό ἦθος καί τόν πολιτισμόν του, διά τό νόημα τῆς ζωῆς καί τήν ταυτότητά του. Ὁ Χριστός εἶναι ὁ πυρήν τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου ἡμῶν Παραδόσεως. Εἶναι αὐτονόητον ὅτι, ὅταν ἀναφερώμεθα εἰς τήν Παράδοσιν, δέν στρεφόμεθα πρός τό παρελθόν, ἀλλά πρός τήν Ἀλήθειαν, ἡ ὁποία εἶναι παρουσία ζῶσα καί ζωοποιός ἐν τῇ ζωῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Αὐτήν τήν σωστικήν Ἀλήθειαν προσφέρει ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἰς τούς πιστούς, δίδει εἰς τήν ζωήν των κατεύθυνσιν, ἐμπνέει καί ἐνισχύει τάς δημιουργικάς δυνάμεις των, διά νά μαρτυροῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ περί τῆς πίστεως, τῆς ἀγάπης καί τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν ἐλπίδος, ἐν παντί «ἀφορῶντες εἰς τόν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγόν καί τελειωτήν Ἰησοῦν» (Ἑβρ. ιβ’, 2).
Ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τούτῳ, σᾶς συγχαίρομεν, τιμιώτατοι ἀδελφοί, διά τήν χριστοτερπῆ διακονίαν τοῦ θεανδρικοῦ σώματος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, διά τήν ἔνθεον μέριμναν καί τήν ποιμαντικήν εὐαισθησίαν πρός τό ἐμπιστευθέν ὑμῖν ὑπό τῆς Μητρός Ἐκκλησίας λογικόν ποίμνιον, ἐν σεμνότητι, ἐν συνέσει καί διακρίσει, ἐν πιστότητι πρός τήν πατρῴαν παρακαταθήκην καί ἐν διαλόγῳ μέ τά σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν, ἐν δυνάμει Θεοῦ καί ἀγάπῃ ἀνυποκρίτῳ, πάντοτε ἐν ἐπιγνώσει ἐνθέῳ μετά τοῦ σεπτοῦ ἐν Ἁγίοις Προκατόχου τῆς ἡμῶν Μετριότητος Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου, ὅτι «ψυχῆς ἀπώλεια μιᾶς, τοσαύτην ἔχει ζημίαν, ὅσην οὐδείς παραστῆσαι δύναται λόγος». (PG, 60, 40). Εἰς τήν κορυφήν τῆς κλίμακος τῶν ἀξιῶν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς διακονίας εὑρίσκεται ἡ ἱερότης τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου προσώπου, ὁ ἐπίγειος καί αἰώνιος προορισμός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ «ἠγαπημένου τοῦ Θεοῦ».
Μέ αὐτάς τάς σκέψεις, δεόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης, νά εὐλογῇ καί νά ἐνισχύῃ πάντας ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί καί τέκνα, μεταφέρομεν εἰς ὅλους σας τήν εὐλογίαν καί τάς εὐχάς τῆς Μητρός Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, τοῦ πανιέρου καί μαρτυρικοῦ Κέντρου τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας, ἔνθα ἐσφυρηλατήθη ἡ ἰδιοπροσωπία καί ὁ πολιτισμός τῶν Ὀρθοδόξων, καί ἐπικαλούμεθα ἐπί πάντας ὑμᾶς τήν χάριν καί τό ἔλεος τοῦ ἐν Τριάδι προσκυνουμένου Θεοῦ.
Εἰς τήν λειτουργικήν μας σύναξιν ἐντάσσονται σήμερον καί αἱ χειροθεσίαι τοῦ Ἀρχιμανδρίτου κυρίου Χριστοφόρου Οἰκονομίδου, Πρωτοσυγκέλλου τῆς Ἱερᾶς Μητροπόλεως Νέας Ἰερσέης, εἰς ἀναγνώρισιν τῆς προσφορᾶς του εἰς τήν Ἐκκλησίαν καί τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἔργου του, εἰς τό ὀφφίκιον τοῦ Ἀρχιμανδρίτου τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Θρόνου, καθώς καί 35 ἐπιλέκτων λαϊκῶν μελῶν τῆς ἐνταῦθα Ὁμογενείας εἰς τό ἀξίωμα τοῦ Ἄρχοντος Ὀφφικιαλίου τῆς Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας, ἐν τῷ πλαισίῳ τῶν προαγωγῶν τῆς τελευταίας διετίας.
Ἀπευθυνόμενοι πρός ἐσᾶς, Ἐντιμολογιώτατοι Ἄρχοντες, σημειοῦμεν ὅτι οἱ ἀρχοντικοί τίτλοι, τούς ὁποίους σᾶς ἀπονέμομεν καί θά φέρετε εἰς τό ἑξῆς, ἐκπροσωποῦν σπουδαῖα δημόσια καί ἐκκλησιαστικά λειτουργήματα καί ἀξιώματα εἰς τήν ἱστορίαν τῆς Ἀνατολικῆς Ρωμαϊκῆς Αὐτοκρατορίας καί τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου ἡμῶν Ἐκκλησίας, τά ὁποῖα προϋπέθετον μόρφωσιν, νομικάς γνώσεις, διπλωματίαν, γλωσσομάθειαν, ὑψηλήν εὐφυΐαν καί, πρό πάντων, ἀφοσίωσιν εἰς τήν ἱεράν ἀποστολήν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καί εἰς τά ὄσια καί ἱερά τοῦ Γένους.
Οἱ Ἄρχοντες ὀφφικιάλιοι προσέφερον πάμπολλα καί πολυτιμότατα εἰς τήν Ἐκκλησίαν καί τό Γένος, συνεχίζουν δέ καί σήμερον τήν διακονίαν των, ὠργανωμένοι εἰς δύο Ἀδελφότητας, εἰς τό Τάγμα τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου, εἰς τό ὁποῖον ἀνήκετε πλέον πάντες ὑμεῖς, καί εἰς τήν Ἀδελφότητα «Παναγία ἡ Παμμακάριστος», μέλη τῆς ὁποίας εἶναι οἱ ἐκτός τῶν Ἡνωμένων Πολιτειῶν Ἄρχοντες. Οἱ περίπου 1500 Ἄρχοντες ἀνά τήν οἰκουμένην συμβάλλουν ποικιλοτρόπως καί ἀποτελεσματικῶς εἰς τήν στήριξιν τοῦ πολυδιαστάτου καί θεαρέστου ἔργου τῆς Μητρός Ἐκκλησίας καί εἰς τήν προάσπισιν τῶν ἀπαραγράπτων δικαίων της, ὡς ἀποδεικνύει καί ἡ ὑπέρ αὐτῆς μεγάλη καί ἀξιέπαινος δραστηριότης τοῦ Τάγματος τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου ὑπό τήν δυναμικήν ἡγεσίαν τοῦ Ἄρχοντος Ἀκτουαρίου κ. Ἀντωνίου Λυμπεράκη.
Καί ἐσεῖς, Ἐντιμολογιώτατοι νέοι Ἄρχοντες, καθίστασθε ἀπό τήν στιγμήν αὐτήν φύλακες τῶν τιμίων παραδόσεων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καί τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἀξιῶν τοῦ Γένους. Συνδυάζετε ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ ὑμῶν, εὐσέβειαν καί εὐγένειαν, σεμνότητα καί δημιουργικότητα, ἐκκλησιαστικόν φρόνημα καί πνεῦμα προσφορᾶς, πιστότητα εἰς τήν Παράδοσιν καί σύγχρονον πνεῦμα, προσφέρετε πολλά εἰς τήν κοινωνίαν, τήν οἰκονομίαν, τήν ἐπιστήμην, τήν πρόοδον, τόν πολιτισμόν. Εἴμεθα βέβαιοι ὅτι ἡ προσγενομένη εἰς τό πρόσωπον ὑμῶν τιμή ἐκ μέρους τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου θά ἀπελευθερώσῃ νέας δυνάμεις μέσα σας, θά σᾶς ἐνισχύσῃ εἰς τήν ἐπιτέλεσιν καί νέων θεαρέστων ἔργων.
Ἐντιμολογιώτατοι Ἄρχοντες,
Ἡ Μήτηρ Ἐκκλησία σᾶς εὐλογεῖ. Σεμνύνεται δι᾿ ὑμᾶς, διά τήν κατά Χριστόν ἀναστροφήν σας, διά τήν καλήν μαρτυρίαν σας, διά τήν παρουσίαν καί τήν προσφοράν σας. Ὁ Πατριάρχης σας σᾶς ἐκτιμᾷ, σᾶς ἀγαπᾷ, προσεύχεται διά σᾶς καί τούς οἰκείους σας. Σᾶς παρακαλοῦμεν νά μεταδίδετε εἰς τά τέκνα σας, τήν νέαν γενεάν τῆς Ὁμογενείας μας, τήν ἀγάπην διά τήν Ἐκκλησίαν καί διά τόν τιμαλφέστατον πολιτισμόν τοῦ Γένους μας.
Σᾶς συγχαίρομεν καί πάλιν ὁλοκαρδίως. Ἄξιοι!
Homily by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew During the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Cathedral
New York City, October 31, 2021
* * *
We are deeply grateful to Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros for your gracious words on behalf of the venerable Hierarchy present here today.
With boundless joy, emotion and contrition, we are gathered together in this splendid Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, where we have celebrated the ever festive Divine Liturgy, offering glory to the Lord of glory and giving thanks for His saving gifts to our Church and Nation, as well as to each one of us. When we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, the heavens are opened, while everything is filled with light and flooded in resurrection. Indeed, the Church lives in and through the Divine Liturgy. Our liturgical and spiritual life, but also the organization, the canonical structure, and the pastoral care of the Church are expressions and extensions of its eucharistic identity. In the Holy Eucharist we experience the entire mystery of Divine Economy. As St. Nicholas Cabasilas says so eloquently, “If we could behold the Church of Christ . . . we would see nothing other than the Body of the Lord.” (On the Divine Liturgy 38, PG150.452–453) In this respect, the late Fr. Alexander Schmemann rightly stated in his Journal that “the Church was founded in order to perform the Eucharist.”
It is hardly coincidental that the Orthodox Church, which is blessed by God, the giver of all gifts, to be the heir and protector of the sacred deposit of the Apostles and Fathers, is constituted by the Saints and Martyrs of the faith, the effulgent liturgical life, the undivided unity of faith in God and love for neighbor, the devotion and dedication with both soul and body to God and the divine fervency of its pious clergy, the ascetic struggles of its monks and nuns, and the life of its faithful that simultaneously reflects the Crucifixion and Resurrection in a “communion of deification,” the Christ-like service to humankind and the world, the hope of eternal life: Our Church, we say, is the Church that has saved and preserved the Divine Eucharist at the very core of its life.
We belong to Christ. In Christ, the incarnate pre-eternal Word of God, was revealed the truth about God and man, the truth about our origin and destiny, our ethos and culture, our life’s meaning and our identity. Christ is the nucleus of our Orthodox Tradition. Nevertheless, it is clear that when we refer to Tradition, we do not turn to the past, but to the Truth, which is the living and life-giving presence in the life of the Church. Such is the saving Truth offered by the Church to its faithful by granting them direction for their lives, as well as inspiration and strength in their creative work, so that they may give witness to the world about their faith, love and the hope that is in them, always “in reference to the leader and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ” (Heb 12.2).
In this spirit, then, we congratulate you, venerable brothers, for your Christ-loving ministry in the Body of the Church, for your holy concern and spiritual sensitivity toward the rational flock entrusted to you by the Mother Church, which you serve with modesty, prudence and discernment, in faithfulness to the inherited deposit and in dialogue with the signs of the times, with divine strength and sincere love, always in full knowledge – in accordance with our holy predecessor, St. John Chrysostom – that “the loss of even a single soul is so detrimental that no word could ever describe.” (PG60.40) At the summit of the ladder of values in church ministry lies the sacredness of the human person, the earthly and heavenly destiny of human beings as “God’s beloved.”
With these thoughts, we pray that the God of love may bless and strengthen you all, brothers and children. We convey to all of you the blessing and prayers of the Mother Church of Constantinople, the all-sacred and martyric Center of Orthodoxy, where the identity and culture of the Orthodox people was molded. And we invoke upon all of you the grace and mercy of our God, who is worshipped in the Holy Trinity.
Our liturgical assembly today includes the elevation of Archimandrite Christophoros Oikonomides, Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey, in recognition of his service to the Church and his spiritual ministry, to the office of Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne, as well as of thirty-five distinguished lay members of our Community to the office of Archon of the Great Church in the framework of promotions determined over the last two years.
In addressing you, honorable Archons, we observe that the titles of archons conferred on you and henceforth borne by you, represent significant public and ecclesiastical ministries and offices in the history of the Eastern Roman Empire and our Orthodox Church. They presuppose education, legal knowledge, diplomacy, linguistic skills, high intelligence and, above all else, devotion to the sacred mission of the Church and our People’s sacred traditions.
Archons have always offered manyfold and invaluable contributions to the Church and our Nation, and they continue to this day their service, organized into two Brotherhoods – the Order of St. Andrew, to which you all now belong, and the Brotherhood of “Panagia Pammakaristos” comprising members outside of the United States. These around 1500 Archons throughout the world contribute in many ways and effectively to the support of the multidimensional and sacred work of the Mother Church, as well as to the defense of its inalienable rights, as demonstrated by the immense and admirable initiatives of the Order of St. Andrew under the dynamic leadership of Archon Actuarios Anthony Limberakis.
Honorable Archons, you too are from this moment appointed guardians of the sacred traditions of our Church and the noble values of our Nation. In your person, you combine piety and nobility, modesty and creativity, an ecclesiastical attitude and spirit of service, loyalty to Tradition and a spirit of modernity by offering so much to society, economy, science, progress and civilization. We are certain that this honor bestowed upon you today by the Ecumenical Patriarchate will release within you renewed energy to support fresh activities.
Honorable Archons,
The Mother Church blesses you. It is proud of you for this sacred association and good witness, for your presence and contribution. Your Patriarch appreciates you, loves you, prays for you and your families. We ask that you transmit to your children, the new generation of our Community, the love for the Church and for our our most precious civilization.
Once again, wholehearted congratulations. Axioi!
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου