Posted on 07/03/2014 8:03:39 AM PDT by lightman
A Message from Metropolitan Joseph
Venerable Hierarchs, Brother Clergy, Esteemed Members of the Board of Trustees:
Christ is in our Midst!
It is with joy that we confirm the election of Archbishop Joseph by the Holy Synod of Antioch to be the new Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of New York and all North America.
His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph asked me to convey to all of you his love and prayers. He said that he stands ready to lead this Archdiocese with the support and assistance from each and every one of you, and looks forward to working together for the Glory of God.
He is on his way to San Francisco where he will preside over the Parish Life Conference of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West.
URGENT – The commemoration of Metropolitan Joseph should begin immediately at all divine services as follows:
Our father and Metropolitan Joseph and our bishop (name of your local bishop, whether he is present or not).
Yours in the Service of the Lord,
Fr. George Kevorkian
Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine inheritance.
Grant victory to Thy Church over her enemies,
and protect Thy people by Thy Holy Cross!
speechless
Why?
hoo boy ... where to begin ... I’ve never heard of, nor used the word ‘metropolitan’ as title for a man ... that’s the first thing that grabbed me. secondly, I found it unusual for a man recently exalted to ask someone else to convey a message FOR him lastly, you seem to be initiating a prayer ‘in the name of’ .. Our father and Metropolitan Joseph ... which to me is blasphemy. I am no Catholic, but I am a born again Baptist Christian (I added Baptist to give you a clue as to why I remarked what I did)
http://www.antiochian.org/archbishop-joseph-elected-metropolitan-all-north-america
Many Years to Metropolitan Joseph!!!!
It is one of over a dozen petitions in the Great Litany (or Great Ektenia).
The full petition reads:
For our father and Metropolitan Joseph, our Bishop Thomas, for the venerable Priesthood, the Diaconate in Christ, for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord....Lord, have mercy.
“hoo boy ... where to begin ... I’ve never heard of, nor used the word ‘metropolitan’ as title for a man ... that’s the first thing that grabbed me.”
Okay, so you don’t know much about the history of Christianity? It’s a very, very old title that is very commonly used among the Orthodox.
“secondly, I found it unusual for a man recently exalted to ask someone else to convey a message FOR him”
He has assistants and friends, and it would be better coming from a friend or assistant. So?
“lastly, you”
Me?
“seem to be initiating a prayer ‘in the name of’ .. Our father and Metropolitan Joseph ... which to me is blasphemy.”
You shouldn’t rely on your own understanding of this because you are clearly in the wrong in that understanding.
“I am no Catholic, but I am a born again Baptist Christian (I added Baptist to give you a clue as to why I remarked what I did)”
The Baptist part is not an essential part since there are educated Baptists who actually understand these things.
We Orthodox do not pray “in the name of” a Bishop—we pray FOR our Bishops—in the context of a set of prayers which include praying for all sorts of people and institutions—our America, for example.
For example, we pray for our Bishops in the Great Litany that begins the Divine Liturgy:
http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/great-litany
This is what a Metropolitan is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_bishop
Rather than berating our fellow Christian Freeper knarf, you should be gently explaining to him those points of Orthodox practice and history that he or she seems to lack.
And—as I am now doing—you should invite knarf to come to a Divine Liturgy at a nearby English-language Orthodox parish on a Sunday in July. “Taste and see”!!!!
Particularly in a parish in the Antiochian Archdiocese in which the visitors are welcomed with copious antiodoron!
AXIOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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