Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
On September 1, our Church begins a new ecclesiastical year. We are
given the opportunity to start anew. This sense of turning a page,
starting again, is a much needed opportunity for us and our parishes.
Most of us, I am certain, would like to have 2020 behind us. The
Coronavirus, the loss of connection to our parishes, the economic
struggles, the racial and political tensions, and now these devastating
wildfires, have touched every fiber of our lives. While the calendar for
at least the next few months will still read 2020, the new
ecclesiastical year can provide a sense of hope in the future.
As you know, September 1 is the Day of the Protection of the Natural
Environment in our Church. His All-Holiness, our Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, in his message for the day has written: “It is apparent
that the protection of the common good, of the integrity of the natural
environment, is the common responsibility of all inhabitants of the
earth. The contemporary categorical imperative for humankind is that we
live without destroying the environment.” As I prepared this message,
the fires are still raging in California, causing unimaginable damage
and loss. While the cause of the fires was lightning strikes, the
destruction should make us consider all aspects of our relationship with
the natural world around us. The choices we make for our individual
lives have consequences on the natural world, and often have only
accelerated its degradation. For a generation, His All-Holiness has
called us to reflect on those choices and find new ways of living in a
right relationship with the natural world.
The new ecclesiastical year coincides with a new year of ministry in
our parishes. Typically, all our programs would be in their first weeks.
This past spring, all our parishes responded creatively and quickly to
the stay-at-home guidelines, and many programs just stopped. Now as we
begin the New Year, we have had some time to re-imagine those programs
and prepare to resume them, but the circumstances require new methods.
In most cases, our ministries will be online, but in some places there
are possibilities for gathering safely in person, as we have seen with
the many outdoor Liturgies lately.
For these ministries to be effective, we must utilize every talent of
our people to the best of our ability. Saint Paul taught the
Corinthians that the Body of Christ has many members and all of them
were necessary, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. As
Saint Paul wrote, “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of
them, just as he wanted them to be.” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Your parish,
our Church, needs each of you to offer your talents to build up the
Church, especially at this time.
My beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, when we consider all
that we have endured these many months it is natural to feel a sense of
helplessness about the future. This is why we need our church and one
another. Our Faith sustains us as individuals, our Church binds us as a
people. We will be together again and that gathering will be an
opportunity for healing. This new ecclesiastical year is the first
glimpse into that day.
May God bless the crown of this new ecclesiastical year with His goodness and love! God bless you all!