Pray for him and love him.

November 23, 2013

from the personal diary.

Axsios (he is worthy)

         Who would change the river's flow of my inner being? Whatever you have, give it away. The spring of love does not dry up with giving things away, but of keeping them for ourselves. The more you give, the more you have. Even if you have the most beautiful diamond in the world, it won't we worth anything if you can't show it to someone. It would be only a bright stone, staying in your room. Thus it is with love. Love is precious only if you share it. If you keep it far from others, being captured in yourself, it's going to lose its power. The diamond is becoming ineffectual and worthless.

Today, I have experienced something that was awesome, joyful, and at the same time instructive. First, I've decided not to hurry with writing it down, but to wait a bit, for it is not wise to come up with conclusions, or to form opinions of someone while in a state of excitement, because it could be spurious. If a person was impressed by someone, that impression will not quench, but it will continue to dwell in the heart while excitement cools.

          Saint Cyprian of Carthage writes the following: where a bishop is present, that is the fulness, the whole church. Today, I saw these words in deed. We have fulness constantly when we have a bishop present, but we just don't think of this. I thank God that I was present at today's ordination of Fr. John. I haven't seen such ordination before. The royal priesthood and holy nation. Wise are the words of the Bible. I don't remember the book of these words right now, but they passed through my thoughts. Anyway, now let me compose and describe what I saw today.

When Bulgarian and Macedonian guys will get together...

I have one spiritual brother, named Borislav, by nationality, Bulgarian, and by faith, of Christ. The two of us went yesterday to Buffalo to be present for the ordination of his former fellow seminarian, Fr. John. I hadn't known him before, but Borislav took me with him and yesterday I met Fr. John. Fr. John has a wonderful family: two kids whose souls are on fire to play. All little ones are my brothers!

The adorable Constantin

 The are adorable. Fr. John graduated from the hellenic seminary school Holy Cross in Boston, was ordained to the deaconate, and today he received the royal priesthood. Before this took place, something else happened which surprised me; the metropolitan of Detroit, Nicholas was there who is the ruling bishop of that area. I don't really know how I could describe him. Extraordinary person, extroverted, and always smiling... (The Divine Liturgy hadn't started yet) he came out of the altar, fully vested, and went to the flock and was taking to them. When the Liturgy began, after the reading of the Sunday's Gospel, he gave a sermon. It was a sermon that I haven't seen, neither heard before. Metropolitan Nicholas, didn't only speak, pulling out the words of his mind, but he came down where people were, and was walking from spot to spot. His attitude towards the laity was impressive. He would stand in front of you, would look into your eyes and speak. And not only that, but in the middle of his sermon, he asked for his bag with gifts from which he began to draw out gifs and distribute to the little ones. Initially, this scene puzzled me, and out of my human weakness, said to myself: “why does he preach like this? This is a little bit odd.” How low I fell with my way of thinking.

        -Why are you surprised? – I asked myself. This looks odd to you because you haven't seen a bishop stand in the middle of the church, preach to people and even distribute gifts.

Today, though him, God taught me what a real pastor is. Isn't it a bishop's responsibility to preach, just as the Apostles did? Therefore, when a new bishop is consecrated, his consecration takes place immediately after the Small Entrance. The bishop is a successor of the Apostles and his task is to preach, while the priest offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. When I write about this, I don't want to mislead anyone. The bishop also offers the Eucharistic sacrifice, but if we look at their obligations, these are their tasks. I remember, he spoke about Nativity of Christ where he said to the flock to think what is the actual meaning of that day. He, likewise, explained to his flock what hirotonia (ordination) of a priest means, and why does it happen right after the Great entrance. Among other things, he said a few interesting things about Fr. John who was on his way to receive this mystery of the priesthood. This is what the bishop said: Pray for him and love him. Love him as your brother, love him as your father, and ultimately, as your priest. His words were touching each heart of the people there. Further on, the bishop shared with everyone how impressed he was by Fr. John, of their conversation, where Fr. John told the bishop: Whatever I don't know, I am willing to learn. When I heard these words, it encouraged me to think and I came up with the following conclusion: when you become a cleric, you don't give conditions such as I don't want to go to that parish, how am I going to feed my family etc., but you leave it up to God. If you do so, then God through the bishop, looks over that particular priest and He gives him burdens he can bear on his shoulders, save himself and the flock.

      The hour of the ordination has come. Before that, the metropolitan did something that was previously unseen by me. The new candidate for the priesthood, deacon John facing the bishop, read his initiation, and the bishop listened to him, and afterwords he did not forget to ask if anyone is against the ordination. He asked everyone, beginning with the parish priest, his wife, the altar boys, the laity...even before he asked the laity, he asked me in front of everyone there with the following words:

• How long have you known Fr. John?
• Since yesterday – I replied to him.
• Do you have anything to say against his ordination?
• No.
• Do you agree that he is worth to receive the priesthood?
• Yes.
  
  

      I literally had known Fr. John only two days, and in order for the bishop to make sure that everyone agreed, asked those present there, as well (including Borislav-after metropolitan asked me, he told Borislav to come out of the altar, on the amvon and asked him the same question). How can someone not be touched by the bishops's actions and methods of doing it? From what I observed, today I saw how sublime this mystery is – the mystery of the priesthood of God. I've been admiring the bishop's wisdom!

The vow that the new candidate is giving to God and in front of people is great and terrible. Consequently, if the priest is not sober minded and watchful and does not love his flock, he could become a stumbling stone to them.

After having seen all of the bishops's examinations, I have watched the ordination of Fr. John with joy, because his initiation was pure and honest. Pure and honest from the bottom of the heart of Fr. John, and likewise from the laity because the said their “yes,” i.e. “axsios” (he is worthy).

        I have to acknowledge that by now I haven't seen such a friendly bishop. While we were receiving antidoran (bread), he himself called me to approach to him so that he could get to know me better, and he told me that he's been to Jordanville a few times in his student's days. I'll try to paraphrase his words:

• So you are studying in Jordanville.
• Yes, I do.
• When I was a student, I used to stop by in the monastery a few times, and I had good experiences. I'll tell you what happened: When I went there once, there was a monk, now I don't remember his name, who was kind to me. He opened the church for me, and even told me where the key is kept so that next time when I come, I can just take the key, open the door, go inside and pray. Whenever I stopped in Jordanville, I would go in the church, pray and I had a good feeling.
  
  
  

  

  His Eminence, Metropolitan of Detroit, Nicholas.

  
  

        By the way, on my farewell with metropolitan Nicholas, he hugged me and blessed me.

It was enough for me to be present at the today's liturgy where he served and through his actions and methods (and his deeds) and see and understand how much he takes care for the flock and for his clergy. O yes, there was another thing that happened and it was pleasant to be seen. While we were sitting in the hall and had lunch, the metropolitan took Fr. John with him and both along went from table to table so that Fr. John would greet the laity, ask them how are they doing etc. Fr. John was just ordained, and probably still shy because he didn't know people there, and therefore the bishop stood up from his table and fatherly placed his hand over Fr. John's shoulder and helped him to go and talk to people. You don't really see this very often (at least I haven't seen it).

      I could only describe Father John in one sentence with the following: Joy, heart full of light, warmth, love, thanksgiving...

The new-ordained, Fr. John.

        For us, who are currently striving and walking the path of becoming a part of the royal priesthood, God is unceasingly showing us how holy this office reveals , but also how much we have to be pure and blameless, so that one day we could be worthy to receive this great gift, because none is worthy among them that are bound with carnal lusts and pleasures to approach or to draw nigh, or to minister unto Thee, O King of Glory, for to serve Thee is a great and fearful thing even unto the heavenly hosts themselves.

                                                  Glory be to God for everything!