Metropolitan Alexios' Message
My Beloved Ones,
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!
Christ is Risen!
As we continue this Paschal season, our Church has dedicated this Sunday to the Myrrh Bearing Women. Consider, that after Christ’s betrayal, ten of the eleven remaining Disciples fled in fear. Of all those who followed Christ, the women did not turn away as they saw their Lord give up His spirit. This Sunday’s Epistle is appropriately written by the one faithful member of the Twelve and speaks to the joy the Myrrh-Bearers felt.
The First Letter of John begins by declaring the historical and spiritual reality that Christ is the Incarnate Word of God, who existed before the Creation of the world, and who lived and walked among men, before dying and rising from the grave. “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John: 1-4). As Christians, our joy can only be complete if we believe that we live in fellowship with the God-Man who conquered death.
In this Sunday’s Orthros Gospel, the Myrrh-Bearers receive the joyous news of the Resurrection, and rush to tell the Eleven. However, St. Luke tells us that, for the Disciples, “…these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). St John continues in his Epistle, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth...” (1 John: 5-6). The Disciples are still shocked, and their hearts are too full of despair and sadness to accept the Resurrection. Only when Peter runs to the Tomb and sees the linen clothes does he begin to believe, but only a little. Having betrayed His Lord only three days before, he must first ponder these things in his heart, and so “…he went home, amazed at what had happened” (Luke 24:12).
At the conclusion of this week’s liturgical Gospel, the ending is different. St. Mark tells us that the women “…went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (Mark 16:8). The beauty of this ending poses a question to us the reader. St. Mark allows us to stand in front of the empty Tomb: do we truly believe? Will we go to our homes and be silently amazed, or will we loudly proclaim that Christ is Risen, and that salvation has been given to the whole world? As St. John concludes his Epistle, “…if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John: 7).
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
Youth, Education and Hellenic Culture
St. Stephen's Summer Camp has a rich tradition, dating back to the 1980's, and is grounded on the principals of living a true Orthodox lifestyle. There are liturgical services twice a day, opportunities for reflection, team building activities, community living and meals, athletics, arts & crafts, and nightly social activities.
Summer 2022
Week 1: June 26 - July 2
Week 2: July 3 - July 9
Week 3: July 10 - July 16
Week 4: July 17 - July 23
Week 5: July 24 - July 30
Camper Registration will open Tuesday, April 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Camper Registration Cost is $450.00 per camper.
$200.00 deposit upon registration and the remainder will be due by June 15, 2022.
Amazon Wishlist
We have put together an Amazon Wish List of items to assist in making St. Stephen's Summer Camp the best week of the year. Please take a moment and see if you can help in any way. All items will be shipped directly to the Metropolis in Atlanta.
If you do give us a gift, please let us know who you are so we can Thank You! Click Here!
On Youth Safety Protocols
From Father George Tsahakis, Chancellor: On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and Monica Gjerde, our Metropolis Youth Coordinator, I commend you for working to achieve the ongoing safety and protection of our youth. Please review the following:
Login in to Armatus Administration to see your Parish Summary Now!*
https://armatus2.praesidiuminc.com/armatusUser/login
In closing, we understand this effort requires 100 percent compliance. The parish I serve, St. Christopher Church is 100 percent compliant with the above protocol. If your parish is at 100 percent, email me so I can add you to the listing for His Eminence's review. He is both supportive and has completed his background check, the 2-part Youth Safety and 1-part youth worker regulations online training. This is an ongoing responsibility for all our clergy and their youth workers... we support your efforts to guide your parish to 100 percent compliance. Thank you.
*If you misplaced your password, contact your Parish Youth Safety Admin to get it.
For information on Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children, please click https://atlmetropolis.org/policies-for-the-safety-of-youth-and-children!
Please remember that all parishes must comply and sign their parish contracts 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).
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 2022 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 seminars are currently being conducted by Zoom meeting.
New Release from Trisagion Films: Saint Ignatius the God-bearer
Today, we released the latest video in our series about the lives of Orthodox Saints. St. Ignatius the God-bearer is about the life and martyrdom of the third bishop of Antioch. St. Ignatius was a disciple of the St. John the Theologian and, according to Orthodox tradition, was the little boy that Jesus Christ sat in the midst of the disciples when He said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). St. Ignatius was also known as the "God-bearer" (Theophoros), because he bore God in His heart and prayed to Him unceasingly. He was also given this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. As bishop of Antioch, St. Ignatius led the church with courage during a difficult time of persecution. He strengthened the flock through his willingness to suffer for Christ. This comes through in the letters St. Ignatius wrote to various churches on his way to martyrdom. We hope you enjoy this video about his life and about the history of that era.
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