Message from Metropolitan Alexios
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My Beloved Ones,
In this week’s Epistle, the Apostle Paul writes to the Romans, discussing the difference between those who have the Law of Moses, and those who do not. As old pagans, this discussion is very important to them
St. Paul begins by demonstrating how all are children of God, blessed for those who follow His ways. “Glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:10-11). St. Paul, as a follower of Christ understands that “…the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).
The Apostle understands that it is just as possible for a Gentile to do good, as it is for a follower of the Law to commit a sin. “When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts...” (Romans 2:14-15). This deep statement brings to mind Jesus’s warning to the lawyer who wished to test Him on what our Lord considered to be the Greatest Commandment in the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”” (Matthew 22:37-40). This final sentence, “…on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”, shows us that those pagans who had not observed the laws concerning the sacrifices, the dietary commands could still be counted as sons and daughters of God by holding fast to the principles of loving God and loving their neighbor. Everything else supported those two Greatest Commandments.
Our Lord did not come to overturn the Law by emphasizing the universality of these Commandments. For, as He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). St. Paul explains it perfectly when he says, “…it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13).
Christ, opened His arms to all of those who do the will of His Father, and showed the whole world that God does not merely belong to everyone, but that, as beings created in His image and likeness, everyone is capable of reflecting the image of the Creator, not through their beliefs, but by their actions.
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
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An Important Letter from His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios
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June 11, 2020
To the Reverend Clergy & Monastics of the Metropolis of Atlanta:
My beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I pray that this message finds you well, as our hearts continue to dwell with the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
While most of our churches have been open for what is almost two weeks (May 31st, 2020), many have not. As such, I encourage you to maintain safe social distancing measures, while adhering to the detailed safety guidelines of May 13th, as well as the supplemental guidelines of May 22nd. We have already seen the importance of these safety guidelines, as our Metropolis has received word of the first confirmed case come from within our jurisdiction. Therefore, these measures are vital if we are to continue to practice the sacramental life, while also being mindful of the health of our newly re-opened communities.
Of course, the Metropolis is mindful that local and state ordinances are subject to revision, based upon the number of cases. For example, in the state of Florida, it is now considered no longer necessary to wear a mask, even, while continuing to maintain six feet of distance. Should major changes in your state or local orders arise, such as the wearing of masks, the Metropolis still asks you to adhere to the above-mentioned guidelines of May 13th and May 22nd. At the end of the month of June, we will re-evaluate based upon the growth or reduction in cases.
Additionally, I am aware of the widespread response to an essay concerning changes to the distribution of Holy Communion written by the Rev. Dr. Alkiviadis Calivas, a noted professor of Liturgics. As I have written a response to Dr. Calivas’ thoughts and suggestions, I offer to share them with you here, so that you may understand my serious reservations with undertaking a discussion on a sacred topic that warrants great spiritual care and examination.
In such an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, we are seeing a great many opinions that are different from that which our Church has practiced for hundreds of years. Regardless of the motivation of these thoughts, I would like to also refer to you an article from our brother clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, as well as a beautiful article, by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou so that you, and all the faithful, may better understand the tradition of the common spoon, which is the way the Orthodox Church teaches.
My concern for the ability of our faithful to go to church and to receive the Holy Eucharist is critical. As a Bishop and a spiritual father, I have given my life to the Church since I was sixteen years old, and I share these articles, so that you might better understand my point of view.
In these unprecedented times, it is necessary for us to put aside our personal opinions, instead working together and supporting one another, so that we might better protect our brothers and sisters as they continue to receive spiritual food. Here, I speak not only of the laity, but especially of our clergymen, who—regardless of the circumstance, must consume what remains of the Lord’s most Precious Body and Blood. Therefore, the intention of this letter is not to intimidate, but rather to encourage and uplift all of you, my brothers and sisters, as we continue to fulfill the Lord’s Gospel.
Having celebrated the descent of the Holy Spirit, we know that, as St. Paul says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). May the illumination of the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts, helping us to support one another, as our Lord instructed us, I remain,
Yours with paternal love and blessings in the Lord,
+ A L E X I O S
Metropolitan of Atlanta
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COVID-19 Resources
New OCAMPR website
We’re particularly interested in supporting the professionals on the frontlines, many of whom are carrying additional risks and burdens. It is easy to be overworked and isolated specifically as the stresses and complexities of care-providing increase.
Visit our Support for Frontline Professionals page:
https://www.ocampr.org/support-for-frontline-healthcare-professionals.html Here you may sign up for prayer support, receive a daily quote and reflection, or share your work experiences. Please share these resources with anyone whom you think might benefit.
We know that these are unique times for all of us, and we also know that we have been invited to provide important care at this time. OCAMPR seeks to support each healthcare professional because we do not need to respond alone. If you have any questions, comments, or specific needs that OCAMPR can assist you with at this time, do not hesitate to reach out to us at ocamprinfo@gmail.com. We seek to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) at this time as we offer our skills and services in faith and in love.
May our God of mercy, compassion, and love, through the prayers of His Most Holy Mother, Sts. Kosmas and Damian, St. Luke the Physician, and all the Saints be with all of you in the Lenten Season.
in Christ,
OCAMPR Executive Board
Stewardship Calling in the era of COVID-19
I just wanted to make available to you a very extensive set of resources I offered on my last AFR podcast with a lot of specific suggestions for parishes to consider in 10 strategic areas as a result of COVID-19 as well as a lot of other online resources they could access.
The podcast was over 2 hours given all of the content and resources, and I have also provided two written transcripts, once of the entire show, and a second one that just featured all of the ideas in the 10 areas and resources. I also encouraged those people who can afford to do so to accept the Coronavirus Contribution Challenge by taking their government check they will receive and contributing it to their local church, ministry or charity.
The podcast is free and can be shared and used with no conditions or restrictions. The specific podcast “Spread The Word Not The Virus” can be accessed here: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/stewardshipcalling/spread_the_word_not_the_virus
The printed resources can be downloaded here https://stewardshipcalling.com/internet-radio/, by scrolling down to the April 1, 2020 program notes.
Feel free to use or share what you want on the Metropolis communications or wherever. Thanks again for all you do and stay safe.
Have a blessed day.
Bill Marianes
www.stewardshipcalling.com
Youth, Education and Hellenic Culture
For information on Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children, please click this link! Please remember that all parishes must comply and sign their parish contracts by December 1 to host any youth ministry programs or events on the parish level (Sunday School) or to participate on a District or Metropolis Level Events (Retreats, WYR & HDF).
May 4, 2020
To the faithful of the Metropolis of Atlanta:
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Having been found worthy to once again witness our Lord’s life-giving Resurrection, I pray that you and your families are healthy and safe during this holy season.
I come to you all today with an important announcement for the life of our Metropolis. Our Diakonia Retreat Center (DRC) is a special place where we all find God’s presence, and where our lives, both young and old, are transformed as we grow in our Orthodox faith. Though I know how much we look forward to the opportunities that our DRC gives to all of us, I regret to inform you that, due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the DRC shall remain closed until further notice.
This careful decision was agreed upon by the DRC Board, the Executive Committee of the DRC, and our clergy, who considered not only the directives given to us by our Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but also contemplated the different States orders from across our Metropolis, including that of the State of South Carolina. Of course, when the CDC and the State of South Carolina determine that it is safe to reopen such spaces, we shall comply with proper processes and procedures to ensure the safety of our faithful.
Following this, the closure of our beloved Retreat Center also means the cancellation of this year's St. Stephen's Summer Camp,which is a decision that was not made lightly.
I would like to speak now directly to our young people. Over the last months, you have seen so many changes to your life, that this decision to forego St. Stephen's is surely a disappointment. Even so, I hope you understand that this was done for the health and safety of yourselves, your families, and your peers. However, even with this precaution in place, know that your Metropolis will continue to minister to you. We are currently creating a variety of virtual opportunities that will allow you to come together with your fellow campers, counselors and clergy during summer 2020. Please continue to await further emails from the Youth Department as details are finalized.
Allow me to commend you all--grandparents, parents and children--for your continued patience and faithfulness as we navigate through these uncertain times. Continuing to pray for that day when we shall be able to gather together once more in our beloved Diakonia Retreat Center, I remain,
Paternally yours with love in the Risen Lord,
+ A L E X I O S
Metropolitan of Atlanta |
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April 24, 2020
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!
"Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted."
– Matthew 5:4
The American Red Cross states that, " Stress is a normal response to a challenging physical or emotional situation. It can come from an event that makes you feel frustrated, angry or nervous. It is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand. Toxic stress occurs when demands are out of balance with our resources for coping."Ask yourself something, are you stressed? The world is shut down, you have been in quarantine for over a month. You cannot go into work, school, your friend’s house or even church. You cannot enter a grocery store without the fear of getting a loved one sick, or becoming sick yourself. You might even be one of the heroes working in the medical field, a first responder, a member of a delivery service, a grocery store worker, or, in our world, our clergy. Church communities especially are looking to clergy for guidance, live streams and answers to difficult questions, as we all mourn the lives we had just months ago.The better question is, how are you handling your stress? Did you know that some people are better at handling stress than others? There is no right or wrong way to handle stress, which comes in all shapes and sizes. Stress does not have an age requirement, and it affects everyone’s physical and mental health. We need to bring a mental health conversation into our communities, and more importantly into our households. For the past few months, Metropolises across the Archdiocese have been researching resources to bring Mental Health awareness to our youth. We have found a great resource in the American Red Cross, whose class Mental Health First Aid, has now added models about COVID- 19. The class is currently FREE and is accessible by clicking the link here. Please remember, that your personal mental health is truly the most important aspect of daily life. If you can recognize your own thoughts and feelings, you will be better equipped to help others, especially during events such as the pandemic. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity, by also taking this class, and sharing this information with your local community.In His Service,Monica GjerdeYouth, Education & Hellenic Culture CoordinatorMetropolis of Atlanta
New Video from Trisagion Films
NEW RELEASE: “
St. Joseph the Hesychast and the Jesus Prayer” is the latest episode in our
“Chronicles of the Desert” series. In this episode, we learn about the saint’s earliest days on Mount Athos and the numerous ascetics he met in his search to find a spiritual father who could teach him the Jesus Prayer and watchfulness, or inner wakefulness. St. Joseph not only discovered the prayer of the heart, but eventually became a great teacher of noetic prayer. His wisdom and practical experience can be found in the collection of his letters,
Monastic Wisdom, one of the sources for this video. In it, he also recommends the classic book,
The Way of a Pilgrim as a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn about the prayer. This is of course best practiced under the guidance of a spiritual father and within the sacramental life of the church. But for those who pray with humility and sincere repentance, they will find themselves more open to the presence of God, as St. Joseph the Hesychast writes:
“God continuously sees you. Why don’t you see Him? Entreat Him and endure your temptations, and your eyes will open to see Him, and then together with Job you will cry out, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You. Wherefore I abhor myself, and reckon myself as dust and ashes.’”
In the future, we plan to release a full length video about St. Joseph the Hesychast, which will include more about his co-struggler of close to forty years, Fr. Arsenios the Cave-Dweller. Of both it can be said that they followed the same words that Christ spoke to St. Arsenios the Great, “flee, be silent, pray always.”
If you enjoy our work, please consider contributing to our effort. We use donations to support our artists, upgrade equipment, and maintain our website and domain name. One option is the crowdfunding site Patreon, where your monthly donation will go a long way in helping us share the Orthodox faith with the world. You can also make donations via PayPal. Contact us directly if you would like to donate via other methods. We greatly appreciate any help you can give!
Family Life Ministry
A growing branch of Family Life Ministry and generously powered by Leadership 100, Engage Orthodoxy is a place for anyone to find Orthodox Christian Content curated by a thoughtful and intentional administrative team.
“Engage Orthodoxy” is not only the name of this new site, but it is also the name of a movement away from division and towards unity. Engage Orthodoxy is a movement towards community, involvement, Orthodox friendships, and relationships. EO seeks to bring the the faithful, the curious, the lost, and the searching TOWARDS their faith and Christ and in turn, towards each other. Engage Orthodoxy is a movement forward into the future of the faith. Join us as we move toward Christ, toward each other, and toward the church.
For more information, or to order “Woven: An Interactive Book for the Modern Teenage Girl on Orthodox Christianity” please visit, woveninhislove.org
We also share with you helpful links from the OCN and the Family Life Ministry of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)
All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar.
To see the full list of seminars in Florida and in our entire Metropolis for 2020 and beyond, and to register, please visit: https://atlmetropolis.org/pre-marital-seminars-journey-of-marriage
Registration is online. Materials costs are included in the registration.
The Strategic Plan
Have you gone to the atlstrategicplan.org website to find completed materials covering Stewardship or Outreach, Best Educational Materials or Youth Worker Training?
Now you can watch videos in each of these 4 areas to learn from the experts!
Workshops at the 2019 Metropolis Clergy-Laity Assembly in Jacksonville, Florida on these topics were videotaped to provide additional materials to help parishes in these areas.
The Stewardship Training video can be found here: https://atlstrategicplan.org/home/completed-goal-materials/9-1-comprehensive-stewardship-program
The Best Education Materials Training video can be found here: https://atlstrategicplan.org/home/completed-goal-materials/4-1-best-education-materials/
The Outreach, Evangelism, and Philanthropy Training video can be found here: https://atlstrategicplan.org/home/completed-goal-materials/7-1-outreach-evangelism-and-philanthropy
The Youth Worker Program Training Video can be found here: https://atlstrategicplan.org/home/completed-goal-materials/11-2-youth-worker-program/
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Take a look at the online portal.
Vist www.atlstrategicplan.org/portal to view a list of the completed goals.
M
The Spring 2020 edition of PRAXIS magazine is now fully available online. The topic of Orthodox Youth around the World was selected to honor the Christmas 2019 declaration of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that 2020 would be the “year of pastoral renewal and due concern for the youth.”
The Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s summer series, “Soak Up the Son: The Wonder of God’s Creation” began on Monday, June 15th. Soak Up the Son is a summer program designed for families. This 10 week seasonal series is offered as a reminder “to commit ourselves and one another and our whole lives to Christ our God.” New episodes will air every Monday at 12PM EST, on the GOA Center for Family Care website (family.goarch.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/centerforfamilycare). From there, the program can be modified to your liking, and according to your family dynamics.
On Saturday, June 13, 2020, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Office of Education honored graduates from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Schools with a virtual commencement. Hundreds of graduates from all the District Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Schools participated while families and friends watched via the Greek Education Facebook page.
The Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has produced an interview series entitled, “A Conversation on Racial Reconciliation,” with Archdeacon John Chryssavgis. This series, as well as an updated resource center, are in response to the events following the death of Mr. George Floyd.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a difficult time for people of all ages. Social distancing has led to feelings of loneliness. The virus itself has led to feelings of anxiety and fear. And these negative emotions will only be compounded in the weeks ahead as more cities and states reopen. Parents and ministry workers need support to keep the young people in their care healthy and connected.