environment:
As we come again to the changing of the Church year, we reflect once more on
the state of God's creation. We think about the past and repent for all that
we have done or failed to do for the earth's care; we look to the future and
pray for wisdom to guide us in all that we think or do.
These last twelve months have been a time of great uncertainty for the whole
world. The financial systems that so many people trusted to bring them the
good things of life, have brought instead fear, uncertainty and poverty. Our
globalised economy has meant that everyone - even the poorest who are far
removed from the dealings of big business - has been affected.
The present crisis offers an opportunity for us to deal with the problems in
a different way, because the methods that created these problems cannot
provide their best solution. We need to bring love into all our dealings,
the love that inspires courage and compassion. Human progress is not just
the accumulation of wealth and the thoughtless consumption of the earth's
resources. The way that the present crisis has been dealt with has revealed
the values of the few who are shaping the destiny of our society; of those
who can find vast sums of money to support the financial system that has
betrayed them, but are not willing to allot even the least portion of that
money to remedy the piteous state the creation has been reduced to because
of these very values, or for feeding the hungry of the world, or for
securing safe drinking water for the thirsty, who are also victims of those
values. On the face of every hungry child is written a question for us, and
we
must not turn away to avoid the answer. Why has this happened? Is it a
problem of human inability or of human will?
We have rendered the Market the centre of our interest, our activities and,
finally, of our life, forgetting that this choice of ours will affect the
lives of future generations, limiting the number of their choices that would
probably be more oriented towards the well-being of man as well as the
creation. Our human economy, which has made us consumers, is failing. The
divine economy, which has made us in the image of the loving Creator, calls
us to love and care for all creation. The image we have of ourselves is
reflected in the way we treat the creation. If we believe that we are no
more than consumers, then we shall seek fulfilment in consuming the whole
earth; but if we believe we are made in the image of God, we shall act with
care and compassion, striving to become what we are created to be.
Let us pray for God's blessing on the United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen in December, so that the industrially developed
countries may co-operate with developing countries in reducing harmful
polluting emissions, that there may exist the will to raise and manage
wisely the funds required for the necessary measures, and that all may work
together to ensure that our children enjoy the goods of the earth that we
leave behind for them. There must be justice and love in all aspects of
economic activity; profit; and especially short-term profit; cannot and
should not be the sole motive of our actions.
Let us all renew our commitment to work together and bring about the changes
we pray for, to reject everything that is harming the creation, to alter the
way we think and thus drastically to alter the way we live.
September 1st, 2009 A.D.
Your beloved brother in Christ and
fervent supplicant before God,
+ BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople
6 comments:
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IN THE NAME OF THE SELF – EXISTANT
SEMPITERNAL OF NECESSARY EXISTENCE THE ALMIGHTY
IGNATIUS PATRIARCH OF THE HOLY SEA OF ANTIOCH AND ALL THE EAST
SUPREME HEAD OF THE UNIVERSAL SYRIAC ORTHODOX CHURCH
ZAKKA 1, IWAS
“The Sacrament of Priesthood”
The Apostle Paul wrote, saying:
“One does not take this honor upon himself; but he is called by God, just as
Aaron was.” (Hebrews 5:4)
We offer apostolic benediction and benevolent prayers to our brethren, his Beatitude
Mor Baselius Thomas 1, Catholicos of India, and their eminences the Metropolitans, our
spiritual children the Patriarchal Vicars, monks, priests, nuns, deacons and virtuous
deaconesses, and our blessed Syriac Orthodox people worldwide. May the divine
providence embrace them through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
and St. Peter the head of the Apostles, and the rest of the saints and martyrs. Amen.
Dearly beloved
We ask for your well being and extend to you our apostolic blessing and benevolent
prayers, and we say:
The sacred sacrament of priesthood is a divine gift that God bestows upon
people whom He chose from among the faithful. He calls them and they answer His call
and dedicate their lives for His service and receive the legitimate canonical ordination
through the work and power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, they obtain authority that
distinguishes them from the others regarding the service and the administration of the
church. (Mathew 10:1-15, Luke 10:1-12) according to the level of authority given to
them, and granting its holy sacraments to those who deserve them i.e. baptism,
confirmation, absolution of sins to repentants, isolating offenders and unrepentant
heretical criminals, performing prayer services, and guiding and shepherding the
faithful. (John 20:21, Acts 20, 1Peter 5)
Yes indeed, when the Lord Jesus was fulfilling His divine mission in flesh, He
chose twelve apostles and seventy disciples to be stewards to His mysteries
(1Corinthians 4:1). He called upon them to perform religious services and ecclesiastic
sacraments (Luke 6:13). In this regard, we read from the holy gospel of Luke, “When
morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also
designated apostles.” (Luke 6:13) “Then Jesus came to them and said,
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IN THE NAME OF THE SELF – EXISTANT
SEMPITERNAL OF NECESSARY EXISTENCE THE ALMIGHTY
designated apostles.” (Luke 6:13) “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in
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heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’”
(Mathew 28:18&19), “So Jesus said to them again, ‘peace be with you! As the Father
has sent Me, I also send you’, and when He had said this, He breathed on them and
said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23). According to our
father’s teachings, the Lord ordained His disciples as bishops when “He had led them
out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted His hands and blessed them. While He was
blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51) According
Nowadays, bishops are the successors of the apostles. They obtained their authority by
laying hands of their predecessors. (Acts 14:23). They chose priests in every church,
and this continues uninterrupted until present day.
In this regard, the apostle Paul writes, “and the things you have heard me say in
the presence of many witnesses, entrust the reliable men who will also be qualified to
teach others.” (2Timothy 2:2)
In this regard, the apostle Paul writes, “and the things you have heard me say in
the presence of many witnesses, entrust the reliable men who will also be qualified to
teach others.” (2Timothy 2:2)
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In our church, we have three levels of priesthood clearly shown in the holy
gospel:
1 – Bishops, meaning the administrator, the general spiritual shepherd. It relates to the
leaders, higher and lower in authority and administrative relations. It consists of
three ranks: Patriarch, Metropolitan and Bishop.
2 – Priests, (Acts 14:23 & 1Titus 1:5) the monk-priest (Raban) and Archpriest
(Khuroyo) formerly ordained as bishop’s assistant in country sides. He is
nowadays the head-priest of a certain church or a certain Archdiocese. Then the
rank of priest who, in general, celebrates the holy sacraments and all spiritual
services except those assigned to bishops, such as: ordination of priests and
deacons, and appointments of church personnel in the Archdiocese.
It is worth noting that:
First: these three levels existed in the priesthood of the Old Testament, i.e. head-
priests, priests, and Levites and was modified in the New Testament.
Second: These three levels resemble the three levels of angels as mentioned by St.
Clemis of Alexandria who wrote: “the ranks of bishops, priests, and deacons
resemble the glory of the angels.”
Third: Below each level there are three ranks forming a total of nine heavenly ranks.
heavenly ranks.
3 – Deaconry or God’s service (Acts 6:6, 1Timothy 3:8-10): Its ranks are: the
evangelical deacon, the sub-deacon, also called deacon of epistles, the reader, and the
singer. The Archdeacon is the head of all the deacons in the Archdiocese.
The only servant of the sacrament of priesthood is the bishop who has the right
to lay hands on the candidate to be ordained (Acts 6:6; 13:2-3). The visible part of the
sacrament of priesthood is laying the hand of the bishop on the head of the candidate
and the special prayer whereby the bishop asks for the divine grace to dwell upon him
by the power of the Holy Spirit. The invisible part is the grace granted by God to the
ordained, along with the authority to bind and lose, teach, discipline, absolve and
consecrate.
The fruits of the sacrament of priesthood are: Preserving the ranks of priesthood
in the church, committing to the order, working in accordance with duties and privileges
of shepherds and flock, bestowing God’s blessings on believers, performing the Seven
sacraments of the church according to their clergy levels, teaching the truth of the noble
Christian faith, and adorn themselves with the esteemed virtues and setting themselves
as examples for the faithful, by speaking and working, so that the name of the Heavenly
Father will be glorified, honoring priestly ranks, loving their flock and working for the
salvation of their souls, “Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed
to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is
able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is
subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as
for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 5:1-3). Therefore, priests and bishops should care
about the salvation of the souls of believers, “Therefore, keep watch over yourselves
and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the
church of God which He bought with His own blood.” Christian faithful have to honor
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their priests and their shepherds because they are Christ’s servants and stewards to His
mysteries. (1Corinthians 4:1). In this regard, St. Paul writes, saying, “We urge you,
brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and
admonish you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12 & Hebrews 13:7). The Lord Jesus said to His
disciples, “He who receives you, receives Me” (Mathew 10:40), and “he who listens to
you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me.” (Luke 10:16). Therefore, in honor of
the Lord Jesus, we honor His servants.
On the occasion of the holy Great Lent, we ask the Lord to accept your fasting,
your prayers and your charity works, and make you worthy to celebrate His resurrection
with joy, happiness, and sound health, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, St. Peter the head of the apostles, and the rest of the martyrs and saints. HAPPY
EASTER
͔
Issued at our Patriarchal house in Damascus – Syria
On the Seventh day of February, in the year Two Thousand and Nine of our Lord,
Which is the 29th year of our Patriarchal Enthronement
Thank you for allowing the space to share the Patriarch's message. I like your blog space.
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