Christ “came not to heal the healthy, but the sick; not to save the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17)

As the world continues to battle COVID-19, we are ever grateful to the frontline workers – including medical professionals, emergency responders, and scientists – for their unwavering dedication to making the world a better place.

In light of the same, given our clergy and lay faithful are seeking archpastoral guidance regarding developments in medicine, such as COVID-19 vaccines and immunizations, we offer the following guidance:

Scripture encourages us to respect and protect the body as the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19). At the same time, it discourages us from either tempting or testing the Lord (Matt. 4:7). And as your spiritual shepherds, we affirm and assure you that it is neither wrong nor sinful to seek medical attention and advice. In fact, we welcome interventions that provide us more time for spiritual renewal and repentance.

We therefore encourage all of you – the clergy and lay faithful of our Church – to consult your physicians in order to determine the appropriate course of action for you, just as you do for surgeries, medications, and vaccinations, in cancer treatments and other ailments. Indeed, while your own bishop, priest, or spiritual father remains prepared to assist you with spiritual matters, your personal doctor will guide your individual medical decisions.

We trust that whatever course of action you and your doctor decide upon will also benefit the rest of the community. If we work together – in a spirit of sincere compassion and care for one another – we will soon be able to gather together as a full community in our churches once again.

We miss you very much and eagerly await the day when we can all exchange the kiss of peace in the Divine Liturgy!

Conveying our paternal blessings with love in the Lord,

Archbishop Elpidophoros, Chairman, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Metropolitan Joseph, Vice-Chairman, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Archbishop Michael, Treasurer, Orthodox Church in America

Metropolitan Gregory, Secretary, American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA

Bishop Irinej, Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South America

Metropolitan Nicolae, Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas

Metropolitan Joseph, Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia

Bishop Saba, Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America

Metropolitan Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of a three-week period prior to the commencement of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent, a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. It is also on this day that the Triodion is introduced, a liturgical book that contains the services from this Sunday, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), to Great and Holy Saturday.

“To be resurrected into a new life in Christ requires one also to suffer with Christ through crucifixion. This is precisely what the entire season of the Triodion, Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha mean to Orthodox Christians. The Triodion prepares us to undergo this annual renewal process of our life in Christ. It is four Sundays of spiritual preparation to undergo a more intense level of fasting and prayer during Great Lent which will serve as a means towards an end that will bear spiritual fruit.”  Read More

We want to share with you that our parish received a touching thank-you letter from Saint Vincent’s (Catholic Charities) for the Faith and Light holiday donation.

Your generosity has had a direct impact on the life of a family with 3 children!

To read the letter, click here

While Jesus had referred to the Canaanite woman as a dog, He said he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  I think if you ask those in the know to name one clear trait about sheep, it would be that they are just plain dumb, maybe one of the dumbest animals on earth with no common sense whatsoever. They need to be protected because they are so stupid – they need a shepherd.

One dog on the other hand can help shepherd an entire flock of sheep.   So while the disciples may have enjoyed Jesus calling the Canaanite woman a dog, in the end, the joke  is on them – they are the dumb sheep who need a shepherd to lead them, and this woman has just shepherded them into a new understanding of the world and of the Word of God. Read more here

CrossRoad is a ten-day academic summer institute that prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition in a deep and meaningful way. CrossRoad offers a space for young people to form authentic and lifelong friendships, ask hard questions, and explore their calling as an Orthodox Christian in the 21st century.

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