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Volume 58 No. 8 November 2014 The Clergy SYMPOSIUM VOLUME 58 NO. 8 NOVEMBER 2014 editor’s letter contents COVER: THE CLERGY SYMPOSIUM Encounter God Through the People 3 EDITORIAL by Bishop JOHN of His Church and In Doing His Will 5 THE CLERGY SYMPOSIUM: PASTORAL THEOLOGY AND HEALING by The Very Rev. Joseph J. Allen, Th.D. hat does it take to keep the Church doors 10 BAPTISM AND EUCHARIST: SACRAMENTS OF HEALING open, or, probably more important, what by Paul Meyendorff W does it take to fulfill our Christian respon- 12 ANTIOCHIAN HOUSE OF STUDIES sibly? Keeping our doors open is not enough. We are SO MUCH MORE: REFLECTING THE UNCEASING WORSHIP OF THE to bring Christ to His world and offer this world back HEAVENLY HOSTS to God. Such a commission requires more than mini- by Daniel L. Marchant malist ways of thinking. It takes all of our hearts, all His Eminence the 14 ANTIOCHIAN HOUSE OF STUDIES of our minds, and all of our souls. Rather than asking OUR GOAL: KNOWING GOD Most Reverend what is the least we can get away with, we need to Metropolitan JOSEPH by Sub-deacon Jeremiah Vollman dream together about serving God and serving His The Right Reverend 16 ANTIOCHIAN HOUSE OF STUDIES Bishop ANTOUN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND people. We need to develop a clear vision of what PURITY OF HEART The Right Reverend by Ronnie Long bringing the world to God is all about. We need to ex- Bishop BASIL press God’s saving action in real time and in tangible, The Right Reverend 18 PATRIARCHAL VISIT AND ENTHRONEMENT Bishop THOMAS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS understandable and relational ways. This is what it The Right Reverend 20 ASSEMBLY OF CANONICAL ORTHODOX means to be in the Church, the Church which is apos- Bishop ALEXANDER BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES tolic and established by God for the life of the world. OF AMERICA The Right Reverend Bishop JOHN 24 UNITY IN ANTIOCH Researchers have reported that for the first time in by Economos Antony Gabriel The Right Reverend American history, there is no longer a correlation Bishop ANTHONY 26 ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN: NURTURING THE between church attendance and contributions to The Right Reverend SEEDS OF ORTHODOXY the church or support of it. Churches that are full Bishop NICHOLAS by Dianne O’Regan sometimes have smaller receipts than those with few Founded in Arabic as 28 COMING TO LOVE THE TRINITY Al Kalimat in 1905 by Garrett “Justin” Brannon people in the pews. What is behind such a finding is and faithful laity, God works, heals, witnesses and by Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny) a new understanding of membership. People who saves. Through real people gathered in His name and Founded in English as 29 ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE consider themselves members of a church may not worshiping in correct (Orthodox) ways, God reveals The WORD in 1957 29 DAILY DEVOTIONS by Metropolitan ANTONY (Bashir) translate their idea of church membership to church Himself and sanctifies our space, our time, our selves. 30 ORATORICAL FESTIVAL Editor in Chief The Rt. Rev. Bishop JOHN, D.Min. attendance, work in the church or support. While God is in His Church and His Church is in Him. God 32 COMMUNITIES IN ACTION Assistant Editor Christopher Humphrey, Ph.D. some members come to church but don’t contribute works through His Church. Editorial Board The Very Rev. Joseph J. Allen, Th.D. or support the church, others contribute, but absent Anthony Bashir, Ph.D. We cannot be Christian without the Church that chris- The Very Rev. Antony Gabriel, Th.M. themselves from worship. Church life has changed Letters to the editor are welcome and should include the author’s full name and mates and Christianizes us. As Christians, we do not Ronald Nicola dramatically in the last two decades. Understanding Najib E. Saliba, Ph.D. parish. Submissions for “Communities in Action” must be approved by the local act in isolation or follow our own will. Christians from pastor. Both may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. All submissions, in The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla, M.Div. of the nature of the church has changed. This is true hard copy, on disk or e-mailed, should be double-spaced for editing purposes. the time of the disciples submit themselves to God Design Director Donna Griffin Albert in the Orthodox Church as well. Church leadership and to each other, and are sent by the Church. This be- Member ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: would do well to understand what the members are ing sent and being responsible to the Church protects The Associated Church Press U.S.A. and Canada, $20.00 thinking and how they behave as a result. An under- Conciliar Press Foreign Countries, $26.00 us from self-delusion and egocentrism. We are all em- standing of how our Orthodox Church members are Ecumenical News International Single Copies, $3.00 powered and directed by Christ through His Church. Orthodox Press Service thinking and how they are influenced by those around The WORD (USPS626-260) is published monthly, except July and August, by the Every generation from the time of Christ has witnessed Editorial Office: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at 358 Mountain us will make us pastors better able to teach what is The WORD continuously and consistently to the Word of God who Road, PO Box 5238; periodicals postage paid at Englewood, New Jersey 07631- 2 Lydia’s Path true and wholesome. took on flesh, taught us, suffered for us and died a hor- Westborough, MA 01581-1841 5238 and at additional mailing offices. e-mail: [email protected] Postmaster send address changes to: The WORD, 358 Mountain Road, PO Box The Church provides us with opportunities to serve rible death for us. This He did, so that He could rise for Subscription Office: 5238, Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 God and the world that He created and calls home. us and open for us a way to live in Christ. ISSN 0043-7964 www.antiochian.org. 358 Mountain Road The Church is mystical, inasmuch as God Himself PO Box 5238 The Church gives us opportunities to meet God Canada Post Publication Agreement No. 40043404 Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 touches us and ministers to us through this body Return Canada address to: through worship, study and prayerful support. We American International Mail, STN A – BOX 697, Windsor ON N9A 6N4, Canada established by Him, a body that, like Christ, is both then share with the world on behalf of our Church our divine and human. Through human bishops, pastors, own witness to Christ, and then share God’s own com- 2 November 2014 The Word 3 EDITORIAL passion and mercy. God is discovered as He reveals Word of God. It is a Church that puts fl esh on God’s Himself to us in the Church and then rediscovered as love and shows God’s action in our lives. In submitting He reveals Himself to others through us. I am saying to God through our submission to each other, let us that we discover God again as He works through us. dedicate ourselves and each other to Christ. It is only He works through us when we serve Him through the in this submission that we can act in Christ both with- Church by caring and witnessing to others. out egotism and in reality. It is only in being sent by God through the visible signs that are our Patriarch, In a few weeks Patriarch JOHN X will come to New Metropolitan, bishops and pastors that we can be the York to install Metropolitan JOSEPH as Archbishop Church and claim our apostolic authority. of New York and Metropolitan of All North America. Patriarch JOHN X is the visible source of Christ’s Together, let us commit ourselves to Christ through our Patriarch The Clergy JOHN X and our We cannot be Christian without the Church that chrismates Metropolitan and Christianizes us. As Christians, we do not act in isolation JOSEPH so that we can encoun- or follow our own will. Christians from the time of the dis- ter God and do SYMPOSIUM ciples submit themselves to God and to each other, and are His will through His Church. Let Pastoral Theology and Healing sent by the Church. This being sent and being responsible to us serve North The Very Rev. Joseph J. Allen, Th.D. America within the Church protects us from self-delusion and egocentrism. Jesus Christ and The theme of this Symposium, “‘For the sick and the suffering …’: MEDICINE, THE- with integrity OLOGY, HEALING,” lies at the epicenter of Pastoral Theology. It involves various terms, Church as lived within the Patriarchate of Antioch and love. Let us share Christ with the countries of sometimes used interchangeably: pastoral care, pastoral ministry, pastoral praxis, from Ss. Peter and Paul until today. Likewise, Metro- North America in which we live and that we love. Let and so forth. Each of these terms – at least for the Orthodox Christian – is related to politan JOSEPH serves as our source and connection us witness to each other, sowing and reaping gener- the more global understanding of ministry and theology. to the Apostolic Church that we are today in North ously, not minimally. America. The Church is a Church that incarnates the Bishop JOHN inistry and theology, in turn, are Pastoral The- 1. The Use of Medical Language in the Life of the ology, and for us in Church leadership, who Church Mseek to be agents of healing in that ministry, We can begin by understanding the medical term so we must know in what kind of “healing” we partici- often used by the Church Fathers for the praxis (prac- pate.