George, my bishop is a man of exceptional love devoted to the pastoral care of all. At the same time, he is unlikely to take any public lead role in opposistion to the current state of affaris in our Archdiocese.
The problem, of course, is not just Met. Philip but the manner in which all of us have enabled him and his inner circle to operate as they have for so long. Given his personality and experience, we put him in an untenable position that constantly reinforced the temptation to rule rather than serve. Now we are outraged that he succumbed to those temptation when we were perfectly happy to not have the responsibility?
The Local Synod is the body charged with assuring the accountablity of all the bishops. They are going to have to step-up as a body to be able to take any effective action. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to be united.
]]>Michael, your bishop is a saintly man. I think it is time for the Antiochian bishops in America to start behaving like a Holy Synod and right their ship. It’s not easy and it took the OCA three good years of agitation (thanks to Mark Stokoe) to do it, but we are much better off for it. You know what you need to do.
]]>George, rarely am I called too gracious. However, you may be right. As much as our dhimmi past and present is a real handicap, my real point is that we must free ourselves from the politics of the moment and the past and speak simply and directly the truth. Just as Mother Teresa did.
My parish has a fine young man who has become so unhappy over our failure to speak up that instead of joining us for worship on Sunday, he pickets outside demanding that we speak the truth to power about Islam and abortion particularly.
Men are excommunicated for asking questions that challenge a bishop while those that threaten physical and spiritual harm to others, who are covicted felons are allowed free reign. Only those without connections and money are disciplined. What is happening, or largely not happening in the Antiochian Archdiocese is far worse that what the EP is doing.
Surely, we have our men and women who are holy, its just that our bishops seem to have forgotten. In the absence of an official structure that supports and encourages the quest for holiness, we must challenge each other and allow others to challenge us in love, humility and mutual forgiveness. That is the essence of community, not calcified, power distracted hierarchy.
Fr. Seraphim Rose said quite frequently that is was more important to take on the mind of the Fathers than to read them and be able to quote them.
Holiness takes work and suffering as Mother Teresa pointed out. Mostly, I’m not willing to pay the price. To be able to sacrifice my own self-will purely out of love of God is a daunting task, but it is one we are all charged with.
The Advent of our Lord in human form shattered every pre-conceived notion we humans might have about our nature and our destiny. If we settle for the normal; the safe; the academic and the political we are not serving Him who gave us His life.
]]>You know, somebody should take the Holy comment by the EP and then juxtapose it on youtube with a video of Mrs. Clinton going nuts on abortion.
]]>1. lack of faith,
2. effeminate unctiousness
Amazingly powerful and moving piece! THANK YOU Andrew for sharing that with us. I had never seen that before. Wow, wow, wow!
]]>Also, Be sure to check out the article that describes what happened
Peggy Noonan: Still Small Voice
]]>Read the speech here: National Prayer Breakfast Speech Against Abortion – 1994.
]]>In the United States particularly, we then loose all traction as the state is always right. There is the large disconnect between our ‘leaders’ and the reality of the polity (both politically and ecclesiologically) in the U.S.
]]>No such saltiness here. Sad.
Tickling ears.
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