At the Patriarchal Chorostasia of the Doxology on the Occasion of the 18th Anniversary of His Enthronement as Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

Homily of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW

Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
Holy Metropolis of New Jersey
Annapolis, Maryland

November 2, 2009

* * *

Your Eminences Archbishop Demetrios of America and
Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey,
Your Eminences and Graces,
Reverend Clergy of the Holy Archdiocese of America,
Beloved Children in the Lord,

This evening we are brought together by the Holy Spirit in great joy and supreme love, as we celebrate with the community of Saints Constantine and Helen Church here in Annapolis, along with many faithful of the God-saved Metropolis of New Jersey.  It is with profound humility and paternal love that we share with you this day as the observance of the eighteenth anniversary of our enthronement as the successor of the First-Called Apostle Saint Andrew as Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch. 

There could be no more fitting venue for such an observance than here, in a temple dedicated to those Equals of the Apostles Saints Constantine and Helen; and here, in a land that lies beyond the boundaries of their ken.  For it was the vision of these holy rulers to see the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ spread to every corner of the Oikoumene, the inhabited world, and from there to parts uncharted or as yet unknown.  This church, this community, and this holy synaxis this evening, is the fulfillment of their most fervent prayers and aspirations. 

Moreover, your reception of our paternal visitation in all filial devotion and love is a proof beyond words of the truth of our title as “Ecumenical Patriarch.”  For you have received us, not merely as a dignitary or ecclesiastical “celebrity,” but in truth as a spiritual father and pastor.  We remember the words of Saint Paul (1 Cor. 4:15)—“For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers.”  So in truth we are also, we the heirs of the throne of Saint Andrew, unto you, as a father among our beloved children. 

And like Saint Paul we confess: “Besides everything else, we face daily the care of all the churches,” not only here in North and South America, but across the globe. For this reason the ancient and eternal Church in her wisdom long ago bestowed upon the throne of Saint Andrew the title of worldwide significance, “Ecumenical Patriarchate.”

It is, furthermore, all the more fitting that our patriarchal anniversary remembrance should be in this state of Maryland, founded as it was on the principle of religious liberty, founded as a colony of free men seeking the free exercise of their faith in the Triune God.   Our patriarchal mission these eighteen years has been likewise to champion the cause of human rights for all people, especially in matters of faith and conscience.

With this evening’s Vespers we begin the commemoration of Saint Acepsimas of Persia, a bishop and martyr of the fourth century.  Saint Acepsimas was martyred along with Joseph the presbyter and Aeithalas the deacon.  These ordained servants of Christ suffered many hideous tortures for their refusal to join the Persian king in his mindless worship of the sun.  The bones of their bodies were cruelly and systematically broken, whereafter they were shut up in a prison cell for three years to languish in pain and sickness, in hunger and thirst, until at last they sealed their testimony for Christ with their own blood. 

The persecutors taunted the saints with the question that is found in the mouth of every oppressor: “Can you not see what misfortunes your faith has brought upon you?”  The victim is blamed for his sufferings!  So it was in the minds of the chief priests and scribes who sought the crucifixion of Christ. So it was in the minds of those who persecuted the prophets and the apostles. So it is always for minds blinded by the darkness of this world, for whom the measure of a belief system is in its powers of coercion over one’s fellow man. 

So it was then, and so it is still today.  And thus our response even now must be the response of the holy martyrs, and before them of the holy Apostles, and before them of Christ Himself: we bless those who curse us, we pray for those who mistreat us, we love those who hate us and abuse us. 

In the fact of cruelty, we must extend compassion. 

In the face of irrationality, we must display sober-mindedness.

In the face of impiety and irreverence, we must demonstrate the fear of the Lord in every word and action before the eyes of men.

This is the way of Christ, the way of salvation and everlasting life.

As your spiritual father and pastor, we commend to you the example of your forefathers in the Orthodox Christian Faith.  May their memory be eternal!  Through patience in good works, strive to radiate the light of true wisdom and peace to all those around you, even as we hold forth the light of Faith in the ancient home of our Mother Church of Constantinople.  “Be followers of us, even as we also are of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). 

Even as the Holy Spirit gathered us together this evening, may He bring us together again in love in days to come, we pray.  To you here this evening and to all the faithful of the Archdiocese of America who have remained dear to our heart these past eighteen years, may the Lord grant many, many years of life and holiness in His service.  And may the God of peace sanctify you wholly, and preserve you blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

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