Again We Pray for Our Father Metropolitan Joseph
March 13, 2020
Beloved in Christ,
Greetings and blessings to all of you lot in the Name of our Nifty God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
During these holy days of Lent – this fourth dimension of fasting, prayer, and repentance – nosotros are preparing ourselves to commemorate the Life-giving and Saving Passion of our Lord and His Glorious 3rd-twenty-four hour period Resurrection. On the dark our Lord was betrayed, He gathered His disciples in the Upper Room to strengthen them in their Faith before the coming trials and tribulations. While speaking plainly most the suffering that was to have place, He said to them encouragingly: "In the world you have tribulation; merely be of good cheer, I take overcome the globe."
Our Lenten journey this yr has the added trial of the worldwide spread of a novel coronavirus. This virus has landed on the shores of our Due north American continent and begun its spread into various cities within the boundaries of our Archdiocese. Equally our Lord strengthened the courage of His disciples earlier His Passion, He is calling us to organized religion and backbone today. Nosotros are hearing the warnings that the spread of the illness volition quicken without more dramatic measures, and we need to say honestly that we could exist inbound into a fourth dimension of significant trial. As Orthodox Christians, nosotros should remind ourselves that in the globe we volition always have tribulation.
We must all make up one's mind what we will do with during this fourth dimension. Volition we panic and become paralyzed with fear? Or will we recall the words of our Lord that despite this fourth dimension of trial, we can take heart that He has indeed overcome the earth? Even in the confront of sickness and expiry, nosotros every bit Orthodox Christians are called to remember that the Tomb is empty, for our Christ has shattered the gates of death and opened Paradise to all. We celebrate the death of expiry and ask: "Oh, death where is thy sting? Oh, hades where is they victory?"
Having said that, I would like to offer a few words almost the seriousness of the threat we face. I take heard some of our clergy and faithful downplaying the threat by saying things that may be factually true but tin as well be misleading. Aye, the disease COVID-19 will only take mild symptoms in the vast majority of cases. Yep, the seasonal influenza has at this bespeak caused considerably more than deaths during this flu flavour than COVID-nineteen. Yeah, most Americans are still considered to accept low degree of hazard of contracting the coronavirus. However, the daunting problem we are facing is one of avoiding the spike in cases that could easily happen without taking serious precautions. As we have seen in other countries, the virus tin spread chop-chop, and if even a small percentage of people crave hospitalization, our hospitals will be overrun.
On the aforementioned night before His Passion, the Lord asked His disciples: "to love one some other as I accept loved you lot." Nosotros know that people who are older and take underlying health problems are the well-nigh susceptible to having a serious disease develop from COVID-19. We must remember that although the vast majority of us may have only a balmy illness if infected, our own careless spread of the virus could result in the unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths of many of our vulnerable brothers and sisters. Nosotros have to evidence our Christian love past cooperating with our ceremonious government to exercise what can be done to protect them.
We accept been in bear upon with epidemiologists and borough leaders to do our role in containing the spread of the virus. Last week, we sent directives to our clergy based on the communication we had received at the fourth dimension. We likewise cautioned that we were dealing with a rapidly evolving situation that will require usa to update the directive equally we receive new information and guidance.
Equally nosotros have heard many times now, all of us need to adopt extremely good hygiene practices – frequent hand washing, cleaning ofttimes-touched surfaces, sneezing and coughing into our elbows, and limiting hugs, kisses, and handshakes. The ill need to stay home and contact their healthcare providers if they evidence symptoms of COVID-19. The elderly and vulnerable need to severely limit their travel and exposure to crowded places. Anyone who can work from home is encouraged to do then. Our priests and parish councils were instructed to have necessary precautions to limit the spread of this virus in our parishes terminal week.
We are now entering a time where we will be asked more than and more past the civil authorities to engage in social distancing and cut down on unnecessary travel and events. Nosotros tin look that there will different levels of these requests in dissimilar areas of the country – depending on the severity of local outbreaks – and then nosotros volition respond as the situation dictates. In the spirit of love for our vulnerable neighbors and service to our communities, I am instructing our clergy and parishes to abide past the directives of their local civil government.
In this aforementioned spirit, nosotros will postpone all events and retreats on the deanery and diocesan level through the end of this month. Nosotros do not desire any unnecessary travel at this disquisitional juncture. In fact, nosotros have already postponed two Lenten retreats of the Dioceses of the East that were to take identify at the Antiochian Village in the coming weeks. Later on this Lord's day, we inquire that our parishes postpone any non-worship result that would join more than 100 people. We will leave it up to the discretion of the pastor, in consultation with the local bishop, to cancel Sunday School, coffee 60 minutes, potlucks, etc. due to the proximity of each parish to areas of outbreak and the advice of the local authorities.
To be clear, we will not stop the liturgical life of our parishes unless specifically ordered to do so by the local authorities. Nosotros need the prayer of the Church and the Holy Mysteries. As I instructed our clergy concluding week, Holy Communion is the Body and Claret of our Smashing God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is without any question or uncertainty the Medicine of Immortality, non a source of disease. The Church, over her two-thou-year history, has experienced countless plagues and has never wavered on this point, and we will not do so now.
Dear in Christ, I ask of all of united states of america to increase the fervency of our prayers to Almighty God. Our Lord also spoke on that fateful nighttime of the greatest dear nosotros tin can offer, the love of one who lays down his or her life for another. Our health intendance workers, beginning responders, and clergy will be asked to courageously put themselves in impairment's fashion to care for and minister to the sick, and they demand our prayers and back up. Nosotros must pray to God to grant wisdom and discernment to the civil government of our land. Nosotros must pray for the sick and their loved ones. We must use this holy flavor to repent and grow to love God and our neighbor more fully.
We are likely entering into a time of trial. We pray that the measures we are taking in conjunction with the ceremonious government will slow the spread of the virus in our communities. Nosotros pray that our Lord, the Physician and Healer of our souls and bodies, volition wait down on our world with mercy and compassion and chop-chop deliver us from this pestilence. Nosotros besides pray that He will grant to all of us faith and beloved, backbone and strength, wisdom and discernment to exercise our part – each and every one of u.s.a.. Nosotros have the assurance of our Organized religion, that in the end, our Lord has overcome the world.
With paternal dearest and prayers and for all of you, I remain,
Your Male parent in Christ,
+JOSEPH
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all Due north America
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SOURCE: Archdiocesan website
Source: https://stbarnabasoc.org/encyclical-of-his-eminence-metropolitan-joseph-regarding-covid-19/
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