On a new priest

This weekend my priest, having been recalled by his bishop, will be returning to his diocese. He baptized and chrismated our children, allowed me the great honor of being an untonsured reader, and became a part of our family with regular visits to our home and great kindness and affection to our children. Our family will miss him greatly. His temporary replacement is an import from Ukraine who will only be here through the summer months. Beyond that we have no idea whom we will get.

Our parish, when compared to other parishes in our archeparchy, has a steady stream of people entering the Church; one or two a month. To a Western Christian that number may seem astoundingly small, but to the average Eastern parishioner as a percentage this number is not insignificant. Add to this that when you look at the people on Sunday you will see Black, Hispanic, White, and occasionally Middle Eastern (I refrain from using the term Arab as I am not one who enjoys throwing lit matches into gunpowder kegs) you may get some idea of our evangelical mindset. The clergy reading this know (as do many veteran parishioners) that a good priest enables and guides his parish towards turning outward to the world instead of remaining isolationist and failling into xenophobia. I am reminded of the parable:

What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

It is by far easier to follow the "obligation" of simple attendance, but it is far more difficult to remember the call to bring others to the faith. Will we continue to make that difficult decision? I pray that we do and ask (for the first time on this blog if I am not mistaken) that you pray for our little parish.

May He shine His face upon us and be gracious in this difficult time.