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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,
Yet again, we begin our day with news of violence in our society – this in the wake of the terrible domestic acts of terrorism in New York City and New Jersey this past weekend.
As an Orthodox Christian College and School of Theology, it is important for us as a community to remember always that as icons of Jesus Christ, we are called to both imitate and emanate the love, respect and mercy of Our Lord and Savior to all men at all times.
At the Divine Liturgy tomorrow morning, I am asking that we remember especially the lives of those injured and reposed in these days, looking first to our own short-comings and extending forgiveness to those who continue to commit these unfortunate and horrible acts.
In the words of St. Gregory Palamas, “Let us be at peace with ourselves by subjecting our flesh to our spirit, choosing to conduct ourselves accordingly to our conscience, and having the inner world of our thoughts motivated by good order and purity. Thus we shall put an end to the civil conflict in our own midst. Let us be at peace with one another, ‘forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you’ (Col 3:13), and showing mercy to each other out of mutual love, just as Christ, solely for love for us, had mercy on us and for our sake came down to us.” (Homily 58, 15)
May God bless you and have mercy on us all!
Humbly, in Christ,
Rev. Christopher T. Metropulos
President
