What
We Have To Offer
September 1, 2006
In
a small town like Augusta, with an even smaller Catholic community, we could
ask what exactly can a Byzantine parish have to offer to the city and her
Catholic Christians? As we begin
another Church year (September 1 in the Eastern Church) and given this period
of transition for our parish, this question has taken on a new urgency. I think
the following may be some gifts we can offer.
First, our Orthodoxy, as in Eastern Orthodoxy. A superficial review of early Church history reveals that the Christians who followed the Emperor and his embracing of the Council of Chalcedon were referred to as “Melkites” [literally “the king’s men”]. That is, those who officially adhered to the Orthodox Faith, were Melkites. This remains our identity today. In the 1700’s, when a large portion of the Patriarchate of Antioch decided to formally be in union with the Bishop of Rome, the name “Melkite” remained over time with that party primarily because it was and still is believed that union with Rome and the Orthodox Faith are not mutually exclusive. In fact they were and are complimentary. The faction that remained separated from Rome, are known today as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch . Instead of the cultural captivity typical of many Orthodox Churches separated from Rome, the Melkites opted for a more Catholic and Orthodox way.
This
is our primary gift from God and what we offer as a gift to the people of
Augusta. We dare not reject, ignore or water down this wonderful patrimony,
this Divine Tradition. Every Catholic parish in the city has its gift, its
personality, and its vocation as full Catholic parishes. Our unique gift is to
remind the West that the One Church established by Christ breathes with two
lungs and that locally we are that other lung. Our witness to the separated
Eastern Churches is that we follow the Holy Tradition of the early Church and
even Her “minor” traditions without dilution or minimalization. We do this not because other practices are bad
or wrong but because of our faithfulness to our vocation AND because this is
what the Magisterium of the Catholic Church requires us to do, to be true to
our heritage!
There
are other gifts we offer that are just as great. We are a friendly parish, ready
to party at the drop of a hat. We know how to celebrate because our Byzantine
Faith sees the Holy Resurrection of the Lord and His victory over death as the
main interpreting principle of life. And in this vein we welcome people of all
faiths and traditions while firm in the vocation of our identity.
Because
we are a small parish, we get to know each other, the good, the bad and the
ugly. That means we are a family and we love each other warts and all.
We
are an intelligent parish with impressive academic and professional credentials
and many of our members are experts in their respective fields.
We
are a praying parish, with a profound and extensive cycle of daily and weekly
prayers.
We
are an artistic creative parish, with a unique iconography and a deep sense of
the beauty of truth.
We
are a compassionate and sensitive parish, feeling the pain and suffering of
people across the street as well as on the other side of the globe.
We
are fearless, often standing up in word and deed for unpopular causes and
stating unequivocally our commitment to Life to the powers-that-be regardless
of what flag, nationality, or culture they may represent.
We
have many other gifts to offer and some that we are still discovering but at
the heart of each one is the One Orthodox Faith. In fact, we could say that
each gift expressed is the Orthodox Way in which the parish and her individual
members struggle in this life to seek “the one thing needful” (St. Luke
10:41-42). All these gifts, fed by our prayer, fasting and alms-giving, is wrapped
in that mantle of love (agape) exhibited so well by the Most Holy Theotokos
when she said and lived her “Yes” to the Holy Spirit throughout her life.
Our
gifts, offered to this city is truly an offering in the sense that St. Ignatius
offered his life and blood as a witness to the Truth of the Resurrection.
Our
gifts are jewels given to us by God and we, in filial gratitude for His love,
give them to the world that they may see and understand and join us in selling
everything in order to purchase that pearl of great price (St. Matthew
13:45-46).
I
pray everyday that all of us will unite to embrace daily the pure Orthodox
Faith of our Fathers and Mothers before our family’s icon corner as well as in
the worship services of the parish. That we may all be firm and strong followers
of Christ the Eternal King, Melkites Catholic Christians all!
A
blessed new year,
Fr. Miguel Grave de
Peralta
Parish Administrator