Another Look at Repentance - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

life and all the nuances of pastorallyserving our people.St. Gregory the Theologian Seminarywas such a unique phenomenon:Eastern Catholic students studying atan Orthodox educational institution.Not only that, but being able to takeadvantage of Harvard Divinity Schooland various Roman Catholic andProtestant educational institutions inthe greater Boston area. How did St.Gregory’s come about ?Fr. Charles: Up until 1974 St. Basil’sSeminary in Methuen had been overseeingthe preparation of many EasternCatholic candidates for the priesthood.In the Fall of 1974, four students forthe Melkite Church: Paul Frechette,Bill Sullivan, Brother AlexanderKelleher, and Patrick Maloney, wereliving in Milton and attending the BTI(Boston Theological Institute). Theywere informed by Fr Ross Frey that theBasillian Fathers no longer felt capableof overseeing this process. I was vocationdirector at the time so ArchbishopJoseph (Tawil) asked me toassume the responsibility.Thus St. Gregory’s wasborn. We had the possibilityof enrolling in the BTIeither through the JesuitTheological School atWeston or Holy CrossGreek Orthodox School ofTheology in Brookline. Ibrought the options toArchbishop Joseph and hedecided to go through HolyCross. The faculty thereagreed to this, especiallythe future Greek Orthodoxbishop, ArchimandriteMaximos Aghioroussis. He was abeloved and committed supporter ofthe unique arrangement. As a result, Iwas appointed a member of the facultyof Holy Cross so that our studentscould receive credit for our in-housecourses such as Melkite liturgics,canon law, and pastoral theology. Inthe fall of 1975 facilities were rented inCambridge near Harvard Yard. Thiswas the beginning of St. GregorySeminary. In the fall of 1976 with 10prospective seminarians, a house at233 Grant Avenue, in Newton Centre,was purchased. However, it was not tobe vacated until late October, and thestudents commuted daily from a housein Worcester to classes in Boston.“…God has always sent theright people to help whenthey were needed the most. Iwould do it all again withouta second thought. It isfor me a source of great joy.”The Grant Avenue house neededwork. Most of it was done by volunteersand the students themselves.Rooms were remodeled. The librarywas made into a Chapel, all this whiledoing the full daily round of divineservices, attending classes, taking turnswith the cooking, and taking care ofthe house. And on top of that the studentsdid very well in class.Being there in those early days, Iknow that there were some obstacles.There was the lack of vision on thepart of some. Often funding was slowin coming and I witnessed you personallypaying for groceries andfinancially helping students out ofyour own pocket. Was this discouragingat times?Fr. Charles: We had a great manyfriends and there was a real family spiritat the seminary. Priests and local parishionersvisited. Students from the Bostonarea dropped in. I remember the childrenof visiting families, especially those ofFr. Dragan, playing on the big staircase.(Fr. Dragan Filipovic was a SerbianOrthodox priest and a great friend of theseminary who even arranged to pay theseminarians for painting his little churchin Cumberland, RI.) It was an excitingtime filled with hope, family spirit, andsatisfaction.I have known you for over 30 years as aman of piety and deep fatherly love forall those given to your care. You havebeen a tremendous inspiration to me asa priest who has always served with joyin so many varied capacities. Whateversituation you touched was the better forit. Obviously your priesthood gives yougreat joy. You had to retire because ofhealth reasons. Did you find retirementdifficult? Was it anotherphase of your priestly ministry?Fr. Charles: I didn’t likeretirement. I still don’t.But there are things thatone has to accept. I do missbeing a pastor but sometimeswe have to hang upour boots rather than hurtthe parish. My health situationmade it difficult forme to continue doing whatI thought was necessaryfor the benefit of theparish. But on the otherhand, I still serve as a priest. I hearmore confessions than ever. I do morespiritual direction. There is alwayssome project or improvement that I canget involved in.If you could sum it all up, Abouna,what would you say?Fr. Charles: The one thing that sticksout throughout the years, is that God hasalways sent the right people to helpwhen they were needed the most. Iwould do it all again without a secondthought. It is for me a source of great joy.May God grant you many moreyears of priestly ministry.Vocations VocstionsSummer 2012 • S ophia 5

VocationsAn ongoing series on Vocations to the Deaconate and Priesthood by those serving in our Eparchy.archdeacon George Yany:St. Basil Church, Rhode islandAfter attending college, I enlistedfor four years in the U.S. Navyduring the Korean War. Afterserving my four years of duty, Ireturned home to my family, resumedmy church affiliation, got a job andthought all was OK. But I soon realizedthat I was not happy. I felt thatsomething was missing.I became restless and wanted to goout on my own. So I left my family andgot a job as a truck driver for Procter &Gamble and traveled all over the country.After two years, I decided to returnhome and try to settle down. I camehome, got married to a wonderfulwoman and started to raise a family.But still something was missing.I mentioned it to my wife, Violet,and she told me to speak to my spiritualadvisor, Father Justin Najmy, wholater became the first Bishop for theMelkites in the United States. At thetime, Rome had just reinstated theDiaconate. Father Najmy suggestedthat I visit St. Basil Seminary inMethuen and spend a few days there togather some information, advice, andrest and relaxation. After speaking withmy wife, we decided to give it a try.My whole life changed. I felt that Ifinally knew what was missing in mylife. God was calling me, unworthy asI am, to follow Him … and I tried toresist … to run away from the call. Ishared all this with my wife and sheencouraged me and wanted to getinvolved with my decision to pursuethis program. It was there that I met themost holy man I’ve ever met in mylife – our second Melkite Bishop,Joseph Tawil. He was like a father tome and he was going to be our teacherduring the whole program.I soon discovered that approximately21 candidates had applied. After morethan three years of study, our groupdwindled down to five candidates. I felthonored to be chosen by Bishop Tawil tobe the first married Catholic deacon tobe ordained in the USA. I will alwaysremember my teachers and brothers whostudied with me at St. Basil Seminary inMethuen and went on to become priests:Hieromonk Malachy McHugh, OFMCap., deceased, Andre St. Germaine,Basil Samra and Romanos Russo.I was the only one who refused thepriesthood because of my family commitments.My ordination took place onthe feast of St. Thomas on April 29,1973 at Holy Trinity Church, CentralFalls, because our Church had beendestroyed by fire. After my ordination,Bishop Gelineau, with the permission ofBishop Tawil, assigned me to help startand train Latin Rite Deacons for theCatholic Diocese of Providence. I wasalso appointed as “Deanery Consultant”for the Diocese of Providence. Afterthree years, in l976, Bishop Gelineauordained the first class of 21 deacons forthe Diocese of Providence.Again, I was asked by BishopGelineau, with the permission of ourthird Melkite Bishop, Ignatius Ghattas,to accept the position of CatholicPrison Chaplain at the Rhode IslandState Prison and remained in that (temporary?)position for 20 years.Our fourth Melkite Bishop, JohnElya, appointed me as the NationalDirector of NAMY and Notary for theMelkite Diocese of Newton (a positionI held for seven years). AlthoughI am still Pastoral Assistant of St.Basil Melkite Catholic Church, I alsoremain involved with the Deacons ofthe Roman Catholic Diocese ofProvidence, and serve as Chaplainof Sullivan Council Knights ofColumbus (as I have for 50 years),Chaplain of a Spanish Boy ScoutTroop in Central Falls, Prison InmateCounselor, Parish Director of ourM.Y.O. and our Religious EducationProgram, Marriage and Pre-CanaCounseling, etc. (Plus a husband tomy lovely wife, Violet, for 52 years, afather of five children [our sonMichael died at the age of 19], grandfatherof 11 grandchildren, and greatgrandfatherof two children.)I am grateful to God for all that Hehas given me and the wisdom andstrength in my ministry to His people,and to Father Joe, my Pastor, (who hasbeen like a brother to me) and for hislove and patience with me for morethan 40 years. †6 S ophia • Spring 2012

Congratulations to ArchimandriteEdward Kakaty, who celebratedhis 40th year of ordination to theHoly Priesthood.Fr. Ed was ordained on April 30 bythe laying-on-of-hands by ArchbishopJoseph Tawil at his home parish of St.Basil the Great in Utica, New York.A celebration of his anniversary washeld on May 6 at St. Ann Melkite Parishin Waterford, Connecticut, where Fr. Edhas served as pastor since 2002. HisGrace, Bishop Nicholas, presided fromthe throne and preached at the liturgicalcelebration. The liturgy was concelebratedby Fr. Paul Frechette. Assisting atthe liturgy were Archdeacon GeorgeYany and Deacon Bob Shalhoub. Thealtar servers were Chris Massad,Charley Lickwola, Joe Hage, Kenny andJoey Kakaty (Fr. Ed’s grand-nephewsfrom Saratoga, NY). Gerald Massad andGhassan Hage led the responses andDenise Brooks read the Epistle.Following the liturgy a sumptuous40th anniversary ofarchimandrite Edward Kakatyfeast was held in the beautiful parishhall, prepared by the parishioners andFr. Ed’s sister Janet Kakaty George ofUtica, who offered a toast/roast withFr. Ed’s nephew, Joe Kakaty ofSaratoga, NY. Wine was donated by Fr.Ed’s brother Ken. The deliciousdesserts were made by the ladies of theparish and a large cake was offered byFawzy Soliman. Over 140 peopleattended, including the First Selectmanof Waterford, Dan Stewart, and manyof Fr. Ed’s friends from the NewEngland and New Jersey areas. †Vocations Vocstionshieromonk philaretCelebrates 25 Years of priesthoodOn Sunday, June 10, Hieromonk Philaret Littlefield will bejoined by family, friends and parishioners in celebration of his25th anniversary of ordination to the holy priesthood.Father Philaret was ordained on June 14, 1987 at St. Joseph's Churchin Akron, OH by Archbishop Joseph Tawil. Besides serving as hegumenof the Monastery of Our Savior, he also served as pastor at HolyResurrection in Columbus, OH and Holy Trinity in Zanesville, OH.God Grant HimMany Years!Since 1995 he has been pastor at St. George parish in Milwaukee, WIand is currently Protopresbyter of the Great Lakes region of our eparchy.Prior to priestly ordination Father Philaret served in various capacitiesin the monastic community in Steubenville, and also taught inCatholic schools and adult education programs. His studies for thepriesthood included Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH, oureparchial diaconal program, and St. John Vianney Seminary, also inSteubenville. †Spring 2012 • S ophia 7

Sacramental MysteriesMarryingin the Lordby Don GiorgioWhat does it mean that Christianmarriage is a sacramentalunion of one man and onewoman? Without claiming to deal herewith all the spirituality of marriage, orto develop its canonical aspects, I wouldlike to present a short reflection thatgets to the heart of the matter.Marriage is a basic reality of thehuman condition which bears man’sand woman’s identity, their destiny andthe sense of their existence. “In thebeginning God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God he createdhim; male and female he created them.And God blessed them and said tothem, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fillthe earth and subdue it’.” All thisimplies their relationship with God.Marriage is indeed the place of theexpression of love which is the goal ofall creation. We are told that God islove and that is why marriage belongsto what is definitive.The Yes of one man to one womanexceeds the passing of time. Marriage isa covenant between two persons, a manand a woman, symbolized by theexchange of the rings for every covenantdemands fidelity. To the eyes of commonconscience, marital union involvescomplementarity, irreversibility andindelibility. The very gift itself is given.The active gift is fruit of a passive gift.We receive at the same moment we giveand are given to the other.Marriage is a pedagogy of love in allits forms: conjugal love, parental love,filial love, fraternal love. Every manand woman belongs to a family cell:both of them leave the family of originto establish a new family. “Therefore aman leaves his father and his motherand clings to his wife, and they becomeone flesh.” The child, fruit of the parents’love, rests on their love in order tolove others in turn.Young people open themselves up tolove and later become husband andwife. They discover conjugal lovewhich involves all the spheres of theirpersonality: the physical, the affective,the spiritual and the psychological.Young man and young woman becomein turn father and mother, that is, a newform of responsible love must grow inthe care of their children. Then, asmature man and woman, they willtighten new forms of affective relationshipsnot only with their children butalso with their grand-children. We allknow how the unity of a family isessential to a sense of serene fulfillmentand how many dramas derivefrom conflicts within the family.Humanly speaking marriage is acovenant. In the divine design, marriagebelongs to the covenant of salvationwhich God wanted with humanity.This is why Jesus wanted marriage tobe a sacrament among Christians.“Christ elevated marriage to the dignityof sacrament,” the catechism tells us.That marriage is a sacrament tells usthat it has to do with men’s andwomen’s salvation and divine vocation.Marriage teaches us about our relationshipwith God and of our entrancein the family of God as adoptive children.The union of the spouses thatbecome one flesh has something to dowith the love of Christ, who becameflesh to join humanity and make aChurch of it. There is a nuptial aspectin the love God has towards us and inthe love we have for Him. This is whyit is natural to speak of marriage as asign and analogy of God's love withthe human. Marriage, pedagogy oflove on the human level, is also a chosenplace of God’s pedagogy for us anda discovery of the love we must havefor Him. For this reason it is a sacrament,and as such a sign and cause,corroborated by divine grace.According to the Fathers of theSecond Vatican Council (1962-1965),Christ, through the sacrament of marriage,encounters the Christian spouses.The palette of colors and shades ofhuman love alone is not sufficient toexpress all the wealth of God’s love forus and that of our calling to God’s love.This also allows us to understand thecouncil’s comparison of marriage andfamily life and the Trinity in its eternalexchange of love.Marriage’s sacramentality is thenoriginal because it is connected to ahuman reality already in existence andin relation with God the creator.Therefore, creation and salvation inChrist are combined. Christ’s graceperfects and strengthens the love of aman and a woman, making it complete.Christian spouses are strengthened andencircled by the gift of Christ. “It isfrom the same Author of nature andRedeemer of our nature, Christ ourLord, that marriage was elevated andconfirmed by His laws.” Matrimonialsacramentality means that the celebrationof the initial institution and the lifethat follows has simultaneously divinesignificance and efficacy of grace.Vatican II affirms that “to Christianspouses the sacrament of marriage signifiesand shares the mystery of unityand fecund love which exist betweenChrist and his Church.”Conjugal life is life ‘consecrated’ bythe sacrament. Christian marriageestablishes the family as a ‘miniaturechurch’ where faith and love prevail.The union of a man and a woman isthe heart of marriage and this uniondoes not depend merely upon the consentof the parties. It is founded in thewill of God and effected by an act ofGod through the sacrament of marriage.Its dimension is not merely temporalbut eschatological; its “body” is notmerely contractual, or even covenantal,but ecclesial, Christological andTrinitarian. †8 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

About 40 years ago, as divorcewas becoming commonplace,America began waking up tothe importance of fatherhood. Untilthen, the literature on child rearingwas almost exclusively mother-oriented.Fathers didn’t count for much.After all, Freud had pretty muchignored them, hadn't he?That changed with the 1974 publicationof psychologist FitzhughDodson’s How to Father. (Factoid:Dodson is credited with being the firstto turn the noun “parent” into a verbwith How to Parent, his 1970 bestseller.)Since then, it has becomeincreasingly apparent that whetherpresent or only sometimes presentor not present at all, fathers exertgreat influence on their children’slives, for better or worse.By now, nearly everyoneknows that kids in father-absenthomes are at risk for all mannerof difficulties, but the scopeof the problem is worthreviewing:According to the U.S.Census Bureau, 24 millionchildren – one inthree – live in fatherabsenthouseholds.Children in such homesare five times morelikely to be living inpoverty. The infantmortality rate for childrenborn to unwedmothers is nearlytwice that of childrenborn to married moms.Just having a father’sname on the birth certificate– even if he’snot living in the home –is associated with alower risk of dying inthe first year of life.Compared with kidswho live with theirdads, kids in fatherabsenthomes are morelikely to be injured inhome accidents. Theirmothers are more likely tobe depressed. They’re atFathers Important;Marriage Even More Sohigher risk for asthma. They’re muchmore likely eventually to abuse drugsand/or alcohol, become obese, andsmoke (their moms are more likely tosmoke too, even during their pregnancies).They’re more likely to be abusedphysically and/or sexually. They don’tdo as well in school and they’re muchmore likely to dropout. As teens,by John Rosemondthey’re more likely to become delinquent.By the time they are youngadults, they’re more likely to be in jail.As adults, they don’t earn as much.Girls who grow up in father-absenthomes are more likely, as teenagers,to become pregnant. In that case,they’re likely to be single motherswho raise their children in fatherabsenthomes, perpetuating and compoundingthe original problem. Andthe wheel keeps on turnin’.Name the problem and it’s almost acertainty that kids from father-absenthomes are significantly more at risk forit. Even though the above litany wasmeant to be mind-boggling, considerthat I had to be selective. Newspapersdon’t give me enough space to do morethan scratch the surface.But here’s something that’s notoften talked about: Children ofunmarried, cohabiting parentsare at higher risk for most ofthese same problems as well.That means the real problemisn’t so much the absence ofa father in the life of achild; it’s the absence of ahusband. More specifically,it’s the absence ofa marriage.That makes sense. Afterall, nothing contributesmore to a child’s sense ofwell-being than knowinghis parents are in a vibrant,committed relationship withone another. Under those circumstances,he doesn’t evenneed a lot of attention. Moreimportant is the fact that hisparents give a lot of attention toeach other.In light of this, I propose thatwe start calling the “father” problemfor what is really is: the marriage-absenthome. For a child togrow up with a father is good –but for a child to grow up with afather who is first and foremost ahusband is even better. †John Rosemond is a nationallysyndicatedcolumnist. This article wasorignally published April 19, 2012.SacramentsSummer 2012 • SOPHIA 9

Church DoctrineWhat is Catholic Social Teaching (Part 2)The Role of Government in Society and the Economyby Rev. Deacon Paul J. LeonarczykIn the first article of this series onCatholic social doctrine (SOPHIA,Spring 2012), we presented theteaching of Rerum novarum, Pope LeoXIII’s watershed encyclical, which hasbecome the benchmark for the Church’ssocial magisterium that now includesthe social encyclicals of the Popes of thelast 120 years and the teachings ofVatican II. So far, we learned that thefundamental principle that forms thefoundation for all Catholic social doctrineis “the sacred and inviolable” rightto the private ownership of property;thus, the Church promotes a just societyin which each member is able to ownenough property to satisfy his own needsand those of his household. We also sawthat the Church has always recognized a“social function” of ownership, namely,the duty to share with the needy afterone’s own needs are cared for.So, the question now arises: if onehas a right to own property, and if onealso has a moral duty to give fromone’s excess to those in need, then is itthe role of the State (government) totake the surplus wealth from the richand redistribute it to the poor? Today,this question seems daily to be in theforefront of our national media: fromthe violent protests of the “occupymovement” demanding redistributionof wealth from the “one percent” to the“ninety-nine percent,” to the campaignspeeches of politicians promising totax the rich to give to the poor, tothe “tea party” that claims governmentspending is out of control. Therefore, itis crucial for American Catholics toknow what the Church actually teachesabout these issues so they can bearwitness to this truth as citizens. So, letus examine the Church’s teaching onthe role of government.As fervently as the Church promotescharity to the poor and the dutyof the wealthy to assist the poor, equallyvehemently does the Church condemnsocialism and its offspring,Communism, and every other form oftotalitarianism that attempts to denyone’s natural right to own property.For, in the words of Rerum novarum,the duty to give to the poor out of one’ssurplus “is a duty, not of justice (savein extreme cases) but of Christiancharity – a duty not enforced by law.”In 1931, Pope Pius XI reiterated thisteaching with solemn clarity: “We makethis pronouncement: whether consideredas a doctrine, or an historical fact, or amovement, Socialism…cannot be reconciledwith the teachings of the CatholicChurch because its concept of societyitself is utterly foreign to Christiantruth…Society, as socialism conceives it,can…neither exist nor be thought ofwithout an obviously excessive use offorce…Religious socialism, Christiansocialism are contradictory terms; no onecan be at the same time a good Catholicand a true socialist” (Quadragesimo anno117, 120). As Pope Leo had insightfullynoted, socialism works on “the poorman’s envy of the rich,” and, as PopePaul VI observed in 1971 in the wake ofthe disastrous consequences of 20th centurysocialism, “most revolutionary ideologieslead only to a change of masters;once installed in power…these new masterssurround themselves with privileges,limit freedom, and allow other forms ofinjustice to become established”(Octogesima adveniens 45).The Principle of SubsidiarityNow, let us proceed to the crucial questionat hand: what is the proper role of thegovernment in building a free and justsociety? The Church bases its answer tothis momentous question on the Biblicalprinciple of the sacred dignity of the individualhuman being – the very foundationof Western civilization and democracy.Just as the sacred dignity of the humanperson requires the right to private propertyas the foundation of freedom and justice,so also human dignity requires thatsociety organize and govern itself basedupon the principle of subsidiarity toensure freedom and justice. Thus, theChurch’s teaching on the role of governmentis founded upon the principle ofsubsidiarity.“Subsidiarity is among the mostconstant and characteristic directivesof the Church’s social doctrine”(Compendium 185). As articulated byPius XI, the principle of subsidiaritystates: “Just as it is gravely wrong totake from individuals what they canaccomplish by their own initiative andindustry and give it to the community,so also it is an injustice and, at thesame time, a grave evil and disturbanceof right order for a greater and higherassociation to arrogate to itself functionsthat can be performed by lesserand subordinate social groups. Of itsvery nature, the true aim of all socialactivity should be to help members ofthe social group, but never destroy andabsorb them” (Quadragesimo Anno79). In other words, subsidiarity meansthat it is wrong for government to dofor a person what he can and should dofor himself, and that, when help isneeded, it be given in a way that promotespersonal responsibility.Reiterating this foundational principle,Pope Benedict XVI recently wrote:“the principle of subsidiarity is anexpression of inalienable human freedom.Subsidiarity is…a form of assistance…offeredwhen individuals orgroups are unable to accomplish somethingon their own, and it is alwaysdesigned to achieve their emancipation,because it fosters freedom and…responsibility. Subsidiarity is the mosteffective antidote against any form of anall-encompassing welfare state. Hence,the principle of subsidiarity is particularlywell-suited to managing globalization….inorder not to produce a dangerousuniversal power of a tyrannicalnature…” (Caritas in veritate 57).The FamilyIf subsidiarity guarantees the freedomof social groups, it is the family – thefirst and foremost social group and thevery foundation of society – to whichsubsidiarity applies par excellence.“No human law can abolish the naturaland original right of marriage, nor inany way limit the chief and principalpurpose of marriage ordained by God’sauthority from the beginning: ‘increaseand multiply’. Hence, we have the family,the ‘society’ of a man’s house…atrue society, and one older than anyState. Consequently, it has rights andduties peculiar to itself, which are quite10 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

independent of the State… The contention,then, that civil governmentshould at its option intrude into andexercise intimate control over the familyand the household is a great and perniciouserror…. Paternal authority canbe neither abolished nor absorbed bythe State…The socialists, therefore, insetting aside the parent and setting up aState supervision, act against naturaljustice, and destroy the structure of thehome” (Rerum novarum 12-14).“The priority of the family over societyand over the State must be affirmed.The family, then, does not exist for societyor the State, but society and the Stateexist for the family” (Compendium 213).“States are called to enact policies promotingthe centrality and integrity of thefamily founded on marriage between aman and a woman, the primary vital cellof society” (Caritas in veritate 44).ceed further, than is required for theremedy of the evil... Rights must bereligiously respected wherever theyexit, and it is the duty of the publicauthority to prevent and to punishinjury, and to protect everyone in thepossession of his own” (36, 37).“Political power…must have as itsaim the achievement of the commongood…to create, effectively and for thewell-being of all, the conditionsrequired for attaining man’s true andcomplete good, including his spiritualend…” (Octogesima adveniens 46).What is meant by the common good?“It is the good of ‘all of us’ made up ofindividuals, families and intermediategroups who together constitute society”(Caritas in veritate 7). “The principleof the common good stems fromthe dignity, unity, and equality of allpeople” (Compendium 164).of individuals” (Cent. annus, 44).“In modern times, this concept hasbeen opposed by totalitarianism, which,in its Marxist-Leninist form, maintainsthat some people…are exempt fromerror and can therefore arrogate tothemselves the exercise of absolutepower. It must be added that totalitarianismarises out of a denial of truth inthe objective sense. If there is no transcendenttruth…then there is no sureprinciple for guaranteeing just relationsbetween people… If one does notacknowledge transcendent truth, thenthe force of power takes over, and eachperson tends…to impose his own interestsor his own opinion, with no respectfor the rights of others….” (44)“The culture and praxis of totalitarianismalso involve a rejection of theChurch. The State or party which…setsitself above all values cannot tolerateChurch Doctrinea democracy without values easily turns intoopen or thinly disguised totalitarianismThe Role of GovernmentIf subsidiarity defines what the governmentshould not do, what, then, shouldit do? This brings us to the classic formulationof the role of governmentarticulated by Leo XIII and amplifiedby subsequent popes. “The foremostduty, therefore, of the rulers of the State[government] should be to make surethat the laws and institutions, the generalcharacter and administration of thecommonwealth, shall be such as ofthemselves to realize public well-beingand private prosperity... Now, a Statechiefly prospers and thrives throughmoral rule, well-regulated family life,respect for religion and justice, themoderation and fair imposing of publictaxes, the progress of arts and of trade,the abundant yield of the land – througheverything, in fact, which makes thecitizens better and happier… Asregards the State, the interests of all,whether high or low, are equal” (32-34). “Whenever the general interest ofany particular class suffers, or is threatenedwith harm, which can in no otherway be met or prevented, the publicauthority must step in and…within certainlimits, invoke the aid and authorityof the law…the principle being that thelaw must not undertake more, nor pro-Democracy and TotalitarianismTo commemorate the 100th anniversaryof Rerum novarum, Pope JohnPaul II wrote his most comprehensivesocial encyclical, Centesimus annus, inwhich he invited the world “to discoveranew the richness of the fundamentalprinciples” of Rerum novarum andproposed “an analysis of some eventsof recent history.” In light of the thenrecentfall of Communism in EasternEurope, John Paul’s particular analysisof the role of government has made animportant and eloquent contribution tothe Church’s social magisterium. Thecontinuing relevance of his wordsbecomes readily apparent as we considerthem in some detail.“Pope Leo XIII was aware of theneed for a sound theory of the State toensure the normal development ofman’s spiritual and temporal activities...For this reason…he presents theorganization of society according to thethree powers – legislative, executive,judicial [as in the U.S. Constitution]…Such an ordering reflects a realisticvision of man’s social nature, whichcalls for legislation capable of protectingthe freedom of all… This is the principleof the rule of law, in which the lawis sovereign, and not the arbitrary willthe affirmation of an objective criterionof good and evil beyond the will ofthose in power, since such a criterion…couldbe used to judge theiractions. This explains why totalitarianismattempts to destroy the Church, orat least to reduce her to submission,making her an instrument of its ownideological apparatus” (45).“The Church values the democraticsystem inasmuch as it ensures the participationof citizens in making politicalchoices, guarantees to the governedthe possibility both of electing andholding accountable those who governthem, and of replacing them throughpeaceful means when appropriate.Thus, she cannot encourage the formationof narrow ruling groups, whichusurp the power of the State for individualinterests or for ideologicalends.… Nowadays there is a tendencyto claim that agnosticism and skepticalrelativism are the philosophy and basicattitude which correspond to democraticforms of political life. Those who areconvinced that they know the truth andfirmly adhere to it are considered unreliablefrom a democratic point of view,since they do not accept that truthis…subject to variation according toContinued on page 12Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 11

Church DoctrineWhat is Catholic Social Teaching? Continued from page 11different political trends. It must beobserved…that if there is no ultimatetruth to guide and direct political activity,then ideas and convictions can easily bemanipulated for reasons of power. As historydemonstrates, a democracy withoutvalues easily turns into open or thinly disguisedtotalitarianism” (46). Pope PiusXI had also warned against this “graveand imminent evil: let all remember thatLiberalism is the father of this Socialismthat is pervading our morality and cultureand that Bolshevism will be its heir”(Quadragesimo anno 122). Thus, thepresent “dictatorship of relativism…whose ultimate standard consists solelyof one’s own ego and desires” is thehideous offspring of modern liberalismthat seeks the so-called “liberation”ofsociety and culture from transcendenttruth. But in doing so, liberalism fails torecognize that “God is the guarantor, notthe competitor, of our freedom”(Benedict XVI). “Separated from God aman is but a monster, in himself andtowards others; for the right ordering ofhuman society presupposes the rightordering of man’s conscience withGod…” (Mater et magistra 214).Capitalism, the Free Market,and Profit“Can it perhaps be said that, after thefailure of Communism, Capitalism isthe victorious social system, and thatcapitalism should be the goal of thecountries now making efforts to rebuildtheir economy and society? Is this themodel which ought to be proposed tothe countries of the Third World whichare searching for the path to true economicand civil progress? The answer isobviously complex. If by capitalism ismeant an economic system which recognizesthe fundamental and positiverole of business, the market, privateproperty and the resulting responsibilityfor the means of production, as well asfree human creativity in the economicsector, then the answer is certainly inthe affirmative, even though it wouldperhaps be more appropriate to speak ofa “business economy”, “market economy”,or simply a “free economy.” Butif by capitalism is meant a system inwhich freedom in the economic sectoris not circumscribed within a strongjudicial framework, which places it atthe service of human freedom…the coreof which is ethical and religious, thenthe reply is certainly negative. TheMarxist solution has failed, but the realitiesof marginalization and exploitationremain in the world, especially theThird World… Exploitation, at least inthe forms analyzed and described byKarl Marx, has been overcome inWestern society. However, alienationhas not been overcome…A person whois concerned solely or primarily withpossessing and enjoying, who is notlonger able to control his instincts andpassions, or to subordinate them by obedienceto the truth, cannot be free”(Cent. annus 41, 42).“The Church has no models to present;models that are real and truly effectivecan only arise within the frameworkof different historical situations, throughthe efforts of all those who responsiblyconfront concrete problems…These generalobservations also apply to the role ofthe State in the economic sector.” (Cent.annus 43, 48). “In the economic orderfirst place must be given to the personalinitiative of private citizens…” (Mater etmagistra 51). “The Church’s social doctrineconsiders the freedom of the personin economic matters a fundamental valueand an inalienable right to be promotedand defended. Everyone has the right toeconomic initiative…. Economic initiativeis an expression of human intelligenceand of the necessity of respondingto human needs in a creative and cooperativefashion. Creativity and cooperationare signs of the authentic concept ofbusiness competition: a ‘cumpetere,’ thatis, a seeking together of the most appropriatesolutions for responding…toneeds.” (Compendium 343, 336).“Experience shows us that thedenial of this right, or its limitation inthe name of an alleged ‘equality’ ofeveryone in society, diminishes, or inpractice absolutely destroys the spiritof initiative… In the place of creativeinitiative there appears passivity,dependence and submission to thebureaucratic apparatus, which… putseveryone in a position of almostabsolute dependence” (Sollicitudo reisocialis 15). “Where personal initiativeis lacking, political tyranny ensues”(Mater et magistra 57). “The State hasthe moral obligation to enforce strictlimitations only in cases of incompatibilitybetween the pursuit of commongood and the type of economic activityproposed or the way it is undertaken”(Comp. 336).“The free market is an institution ofsocial importance because of its capacityto guarantee effective results in theproduction of goods and services.Historically, it has shown itself able toinitiate and sustain economic developmentover long periods” (Comp. 347).“There are good reasons to holdthat…the free market is the most efficientinstrument for utilizing resourcesand effectively responding to needs….The Church's social doctrine appreciatesthe secure advantages that themechanisms of the free market offer,making it possible as they do to utilizeresources better and facilitating theexchange of products” (Cent. annus 34,40). “A truly competitive market is aneffective instrument for attainingimportant objectives of justice: moderatingthe excessive profits of individualbusinesses, responding to consumers'demands, bringing about a more efficientuse and conservation of resources,rewarding entrepreneurship and innovation,making information availableso that it is really possible to compareand purchase products in an atmosphereof healthy competition…. TheChurch’s social doctrine, while recognizingthe market as an irreplaceableinstrument for regulating…the economicsystem, points out the need for itto be firmly rooted in its ethical objectives”(Comp. 347, 349).“The social doctrine of the Churchrecognizes the proper role of profit asthe first indicator that a business isfunctioning well (Comp. 340). “When afirm makes a profit, this means thatproductive factors have been properlyemployed and corresponding humanneeds have been duly satisfied. Butprofitability is not the only indicator ofa firm’s condition. It is possible for thefinancial accounts to be in order, andyet for people – who make up the firm’smost valuable asset – to be humiliatedand their dignity offended…. Profit is aregulator of the life of a business, but itis not the only one; other human andmoral factors must also be consideredwhich, in the long term, are at leastequally important for the life of a business”(Cent. annus 34-35). “A business'objective must be met in economicterms and according to economic criteria,but the authentic values that bringabout the concrete development of theperson and society must not be neglected”(Comp. 338).Continued on page 2012 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

Author: Fr. Joseph Thomas BSOPaperbackPrice: $18.00 plus $3 for postage& handling;bulk discounts available.May be ordered from the author:Fr. Joseph Thomas BSOc/o St. Basil Seminary30 East StreetMethuen, MA 01844E-mail: irenaiosbso2002@cs.comIf If you have ever wanted toexperience God through theeyes of a priest then you willreally enjoy this book Its eclecticstyle is unique in its genre.To fully enjoy this work youmust read the Foreword beforereading the rest of the text. HereFr. Joe offers “a few helpful hintson the style and structure of thisbook.” He explains that “throughoutthis book, there are indentedsections with ragged right margins.They are usually more in-depthdevelopments of the point theauthor is making or humorousasides to illustrate them.” He notesthat “the book can be read by passingover them without any cost to the flow.” Here he alsoexplains his use of the term “Orthodox/Catholic.”Father Joe likes to illustrate the meaning of Scripture andthe Church’s faith through the prism of his Lebanese backgroundand culture. Having been ordained as a MaroniteCatholic priest and later joining the Melkite BasilianSalvatorian community, Fr. Joe draws from his rich experienceof living in both traditions. He liberally quotes – inbold type – from Scripture and the Syriac and Byzantineliturgies and Fathers to support his arguments.Some readers, however, may find it distracting when Fr.Joe makes detours into examples from his own personalexperiences. For some other readers this may concretize thepoints he is trying to make. Fr. Joe’s personal stories givemuch insight into the life of a priest who functions withinboth the Syro-Maronite and Melkite-Greek Catholic traditions.Yet, readers may find these stories superfluous to thetheological subjects presented.The book contains a glossary for words or terms thatmight not be familiar to the reader. There is a preface bySean Cardinal O’Malley, OFM, Cap. Archbishop of Boston.Truly, the book is a testimony of Fr. Joe’s faith and experienceof God working in his life. The introduction tells thestory of Fr. Joe’s spiritual anointing and how he came towrite this book.Book RecommendationIn the Grasp of the Loving GodOh, What Joy There Is In BelievingWho is God in whose image andunto whose likeness we have beencreated? And how is it that He ismindful of us? These questions areFr. Joe’s starting point. The theologyis authentically Eastern, drawn fromboth the Syriac and Greek traditions.The image of God as our divinespouse guides the reader to anunderstanding of the intimate lovethat God has for us. Delving intohow sin has affected our relationshipwith God, the author shows how sindehumanizes us. And how the powerof sin is overcome by God’s love, alove even more powerful than that ofparents for their children.Next the author relates how Godrestores us and brings us to divinelife once again. Like ArchbishopJoseph Raya of blessed memory hespeaks of the Father intimately andfamiliarly as “Daddy.”The example of the Prodigal Sonshows how we came to dwell in analien land and how our HeavenlyFather relates to his children whofind themselves there. Quoting St.Athanasios, who said, “God becameman that man might become God,”Fr Joe calls upon those who seek God to surrender themselvesfor the sake of the Kingdom of God.The chapter on the Holy Trinity presents the teaching ofthe Councils of the Church and explains why it is importantto understand them and what happens to our relationshipwith God if we fail to understand. What kind of God weencounter depends entirely on Orthodox doctrine.The author applies the theology of the Holy Trinity ascommunity to the Christian family. In our families weshould emulate the relationship of the Father, Son, and HolySpirit – a relationship of equality, not of superiority or inferiorityof persons, but with a diversity of ministries.The role of repentance is emphasized because only submissionto the will of God allows us to return to the Father.Following the Maronite theology of Great Lent, which isbased on the parable of the Prodigal Son, the author driveshome the point that three things are necessary to restore ourrelationship with God: a clear-as-crystal intention to returnto God, accepting responsibility for doing that which hascaused our separation, and finally, humility.The book ends with an invitation to come in and enjoy thebanquet. Why stand outside? Come and partake of the divinenature of God. †Reviewed by Archimandrite James BabcockA Book ReviewSummer 2012 • SOPHIA 13

The Church in SyriaAppeal for Syriafrom His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios IIIProt. 141/2012D March 2012Dear friends,Ihave been witnessing the difficult situation of an ever-growingnumber of people in different localities, especially in theHoms district, in the Damascus suburbs and elsewhere.That is due to the tragic events that Syria has been experiencingover the last year (March 2011-March 2012). Manyhave had to leave their towns, villages, houses and estates.We have had refugees in Damascus, in our monasteries andin other localities.Moved by our pastoral responsibility and by the love ofChrist which compels us, we, with our brother in Christ, H. B.Ignatius IV (Hazim), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, haveformed an emergency committee to help our brothers and sistersin need, without distinction between Muslims and Christians.We began this activity as early as mid-February 2012. Wehave already distributed over two thousand parcels, each to thevalue of $50 worth of food, milk, blankets etc., according to need.The list of the names of families is growing by the day.Priests and lay-people give us these names. We are receivinglocal aid from both Christians and Muslims.Through this letter, we are appealing to your charity, tosupport our charity. Please note that I am currently on a triparound France, Great Britain, Germany, Strasbourg (theEuropean Parliament), the Vatican and Rome to meet theheads of Episcopal conferences and civil authorities, to pleadthe cause of dialogue, reconciliation and peace in the region,especially for Syria, which is currently the most affected.Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the receptionthat you will give to this appeal and for any donation thatyou may provide for the families who will be most gratefulto receive it.United with you in praying for peace and harmony inSyria and the whole Middle East,Yours sincerely in Christ JesusGregorios IIIPatriarch of Antioch and all the EastPlease send donations to the Finance Office of the Eparchy:Deacon Robert ShalhoubEparchy of Newton802 Rifle Camp RoadWoodland Park, NJ 07424Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III,“Unprecedented Barbarity: People Say, Enough”Damascus 10 May 2012“We were praying in the cathedral chapel when a strongexplosion shattered all the windows. The walls of the naveshuddered as if jolted by a sudden gust of wind; we thoughtit might be an earthquake.” H.B. Gregorios III Laham,Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the Eastis still incredulous, while describing to MISNA the momentsof terror that accompanied the double bombing of the Syriancapital this morning. The Cathedral of Bab Sharqi, at the endof the ‘Via Recta’ that leads to the Chapel of Ananias (aChristian martyr who enabled Saint Paul to recover hissight), is perhaps some two or three kilometres from the siteof the explosion which up to now, according to a provisionalestimate, has killed at least 55 and injured another 300.“The television showed images of a huge crater, cars andbuildings shattered, blood everywhere. The minibus bringingthe children to our school had come that way barely 10 minutesbefore. It is a miracle that they were not involved,”explains the cleric, President of the Assembly of the CatholicHierarchy in Syria, condemning “an act of cruelty withoutprecedent in Syria, which has shown the true face of the forcesat work behind this absurd propaganda war.” The Patriarch’svoice, shaking with emotion on the day of the worst attack inthe country’s recent history, is also raised against the worldthat “is not listening to the Syrian people’s cries of distress.”As in neighbouring Palestine, “even in this hithertountouched corner of the Holy Land, there now runs theblood of innocent people,” warns the Patriarch, noting that“for 63 years now, the Holy Land has been waiting forpeace, amid the silence and indifference of the world, whichso far has only proffered empty words.” The time has come“to have done with parodies of a two-faced policy, whosebroken promises and shameful interests burn like salt on theopen wounds of an entire region of the world,” emphasisesPatriarch Gregorios III, controversially wondering, “whatwould happen if, instead of in Syrian Damascus, an attacklike this had occurred in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?“The world cannot allow hatred and war to engulf the MiddleEast in a bottomless pit. It’s time to say enough is enough.” †Source: http://www.misna.org/en/church-and-mission/melkite-patriarch-laham-unprecedented-barbarity-the-world-must-say-enough-is-enough-10-05-2012-813.html14 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

The Assembly of the CatholicHierarchy in Syria held its regularspringtime meeting at Aleppo inthe headquarters of the MaroniteArchbishop on 25 April 2012, chairedby its President, Melkite Greek CatholicPatriarch Gregorios III. Also taking partwere Syrian Catholic Patriarch IgnatiusJoseph III (Younan), Archbishop MarioZenari, Papal Nuncio to Syria andCatholic bishops in Syria.The Fathers reviewed the situation inSyria in the light of current painfulevents. They discussed pastoral problemsrelating to the life and social mission ofthe Church in the harsh conditions experiencedby some regions of the country.They issued the following report:1. We stand shoulder to shoulder withour Syrian people, in seeking a dignifiedlife, national unity, solidarityamong all the various social, religiousand national constituentgroups; in pursuing the widespread,effective reform processthat has to be undertaken on theground, in political, social and culturalspheres and service, throughco-ordinating the efforts of allSyrians – government, parties,constructive opposition, specialists– in the framework of nationalunity and active participation innational dialogue (absolutely indispensablefor any reform and withoutwhich it would remain but avain hope), recognizing that this isthe best way to escape the cycle ofviolence and repression. The Statehas called for dialogue and weinvite all national parties at homeand abroad to build a new multipartydemocratic Syria. We alsoencourage everyone to participatefully in free and fair elections forthe National Assembly on 7 Maynext, to express the popular will.2. The Lord God himself began thedialogue with humanity throughdivine revelation in sacred scripture,calling them to share in life.Jesus Christ came on this earth“that they (men and women) mighthave life, and might have it moreFinal Report of the Assembly of theCatholic Hierarchy in SyriaMaronite Archbishopric of Aleppo 25 April 2012abundantly.” Therefore the Churchis likewise calling for reconciliationand dialogue between theState and all elements in the country,and for rebuilding trust, opennessto others and respect for differingpolitical, religious and intellectualaffiliations and opinions.3. Violence has gone beyond all limits.We can only appeal stronglyand emphatically to all people ofconscience to return to their sensesand abjure anything destructive ofhuman and national life. We stronglycondemn all kinds of violencefrom whatever quarter. We call forpeaceful civilians not to beembroiled in political strife, forpeople not to be intimidated andterrorised by kidnapping, massacre,extortion and home demolition,seizure of property and impositionof authority by force and oppression.We support the mission of UNenvoy Kofi Annan, especially in itshumanitarian aspect concerningwithdrawal of heavy weapons frominhabited areas. We advocatespeeding up the return of refugeesand displaced persons to theirhomes and compensating victims;re-establishing the rule of law andemploying every effort to resolvethe crisis; undertaking practicalgovernmental reforms and fightingcorruption, so as to ensure participationand equality of rights andduties for all citizens.4. We stand in solidarity with the painand suffering of all citizens,whether civilian or military, affectedby the events and the painfulcycle of violence in different partsof the country for the past thirteenmonths. It is natural for us to have inmind especially our Christian faithful,who have been obliged to leavetheir homes and towns or villages.Sometimes they have been used ashuman shields and their districts asbattlefields. We stand by them intheir plight and assure them that weshall do our best to extend a helpinghand to them, especially throughCaritas Syria and all our institutions,to try to meet their material,pastoral, health and social needs. Infact the Churches have alreadybegun their relief programmes. Wewant to thank most especially theHoly Father, Benedict XVI for hisfatherly gesture in contributingthrough Cor Unum to the victimsof the bloody events in our country.We also thank local individuals andinstitutions who have been supportingthis humanitarian serviceof the Church.5. We call for transparency of informationat local level, just as we requireinternational media to be objectiveand faithful in reporting events andnot distort the facts. We also appealto the international and Arab communityto support the effortsexpended for the peace process inSyria and the region as a whole.Finally we address our beloved fellowcitizensin Syria and especially ourChristian faithful, urging them to solidarity,mutual assistance and spiritualstrength, to come through the crisis,upheld by feelings of hope and trust inour people’s potential to find suitablesolutions for building a renewed Syria,by turning to love and brotherhood andmaking the discourse of reason heardabove the clash and rattle of arms. Wewish them, in the joy of the celebrationof the Resurrection of our Lord JesusChrist, to be strengthened by resurrectionin their hearts and for them to bewitnesses of this Resurrection. †The Church in SyriaSummer 2012 • SOPHIA 15

Prayer and MeditationAnother Look at Repentanceby Christopher B. WarnerDuring the third century it wasforbidden to go to confessionmore than once in one’s lifetime,penance was long, painful, andpublic, and there were numerous sinsthat were unforgivable. It took wisemen and saints to develop the sacramentof Repentance through thecenturies – in form and theology.Confession remains an essential sacramentin the life of the Church.When God created us in His image,He gave us reason and free will. Hegave us reason to know right fromwrong and He gave us free will so thatwe could freely choose to love Himand serve Him in this life and the next.God created us for himself but he createdus sons and daughters, not slaves.He desires personal relationship withus, his children. Because we are children,there is a natural maturationprocess that takes place during theshort span of human life on earth. Wegrow in maturity by cooperating (synergoi)with God’s grace.Yet we know from human experiencethat cooperation with God is oftenthwarted by the devil, with little resistancefrom us because we are feeble sinners.“Woe is me! For I am lost,” criedthe prophet Isaiah. Our wills are weakenedbecause of the fall of Adam.Through Adam’s disobedience we nowlive in a world that is diseased and decaying.Death is the common inheritance ofman because of sin. It is difficult to dogood and avoid evil because we have disordereddesires which distract us fromthe wholesome life for which God hasmade us. However, it is not impossible todo good. We did not utterly lose our freedomand God did not completely abandonhis creatures. On the contrary, Godhad a plan for our salvation. He loved usso much, he sent his only beloved Son sothat we might not perish but share eternallife with him in glory.Salvation history is an adventurestory about God preparing a people forthe coming of the great hero of theworld, the Messiah, the Son of God,“…and the Word became flesh!”(Jn1:14). The Incarnation is the pinnacleevent of history and the benchmarkof our faith. Many theologians believeit was God’s loving, eternal plan tosend his Son to be incarnate, even ifAdam and Eve had not sinned. If thiswas the case, then the Incarnation wasmagnified even more when it became amission of salvation as well as an act oflove. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrectionhe opened for us the way tothe Father. He established the path oftheosis by which we enter into and participatein the love of the Trinity and arerestored to the divine likeness for whichwe were created in the beginning.Through Christ, we are transfiguredinto glory and participate in the joy ofthe Resurrection, if we cooperate withGod in His saving act of redemption.He has crushed death by his death!Salvation is won, victory is ours, thegates of paradise are open, but theIncarnation demands a response: faith,repentance, love…and baptism. Theway to Christ is not esoteric but sacramentaland the sacramental organismof Christ on earth is the Church. Or asMetropolitan Kallistos (Timothy Ware)phrased it in The Orthodox Church,“The Church is the extension of theIncarnation, the place where theIncarnation perpetuates itself.”Christ is present to us through thesacraments of the Church. Throughbaptism, Christians die to sin and risetogether with Christ into newness oflife according to His New Covenant.Through the Eucharist, we become“partakers of divine nature” and sharein communion with Christ and all hissaints. Through Repentance, we findhealing and forgiveness when we sin –a fresh start on the path of theosis.The sacrament of Repentance is oneof the sacramental mysteries of theChurch. The Greeks call them mysteriesbecause we do not see the spiritualreality hidden beneath the physicaldimension of each sacrament. As St.John Chrysostom put it, “It is called amystery because what we believe isnot the same as what we see...” InConfession, the priest lays his hands onthe head of the penitent and speaks thewords of absolution, but it is Jesus whoforgives the sins. The priest/confessoris the “witness” of the sacrament. Likeall sacraments, Repentance is personal– the individual believer is reconciledwith God for the healing of his souland body. The primary agent of thesacraments is Christ who uses thehands and tongue of the priest to doHis good work on earth. In a way, theentire Christian life is a sacrament,because every act ought to be a participationin God’s life. The goodChristian cooperates with God, but aswe strive to obey the precepts andcommands of God, we may fall. Thesacrament of Repentance gives us theopportunity to be healed and forgiven –restored to fullness of life in Christ.Third Century Repentanceand EcclesiologyThe practice of Repentance has developedwith time. Jesus gave HisApostles the authority to forgive sins.Undeniably, the practice of the sacramentof Repentance dates back to thefirst century, yet, the form and theologyof the sacrament have developedwith time. For example, some of theearly Fathers of the Church believedsome serious sins were unforgivable.This sparked debate in the Church ofthe third century. Tertullian wrote thatidolatry, adultery, fornication, blasphemy,and apostasy are not forgivable.Origen and Hippolytus of Rome had asimilar list of unforgivable sins.Incidentally, the most controversial sinin this list was that of apostasy. Duringthe Christian persecutions of NorthAfrica, many Christians had either sacrificedto the pagan gods or bought acertificate (libelli) stating that theyhad. After the persecutions were over,several of these Christians sought reentryinto the Church. They had lostcourage when the time came to givewitness, but they still believed.In pastoral charity, most bishopsallowed these apostates to reenter after alengthy penance or just before death.Those who believed it was wrong toreadmit apostates, like Tertullian andOrigen, were a minority, but a passionate,vocal minority. Tertullian could notaccept this because his ecclesiology wasbased upon a false understanding of thepurity of the Church. Tertullian believedthat the purity of its members is whatmade the Church holy. St. Callistus ofRome (217-222) and St. Cyprian ofCarthage (249-258) were the voices oforthodoxy in this debate. In order tounderstand their theology ofRepentance (Callistus) and Church16 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

On Good Friday, April 6, 2012, theServant of God, John Caven fellasleep in the Lord. John servedfor more than 10 years as Chairman ofthe Diocesan Pastoral Council.John was born in Scotland andcame to America with his family at theage of five. They settled in Burbank,California, where John attended thelocal schools. In 1962, as the USA wasgetting more involved in the troublesin Vietnam, John joined the CaliforniaNational Guard with idea that hewould not be sent overseas.While working at Union Bank, hemet his future wife, Carol AnnGennawey. In 1965, they were the firstcouple to be married in the brand newSt. Anne Melkite Church in NorthHollywood. While the couple continuedtheir employment at Union Bank,John was stunned to learn that hisNational Guard unit had been activatedfor service in Vietnam.John’s unit was assigned to the villageof Xuan Loc, a very dangerousplace then controlled by the Viet Cong.Having survived his experience there,John returned home to resume his lifewith his wife and young daughterMemory Eternal – John CavenDiocesan Pastoral Chairmanby Archimandrite James Babcockoffered to assist local Melkite pastorswith their bookkeeping and tax payments.He was an invaluable resourcefor me during the past 23 years as Ihave served as Pastor at Holy Crossparish in Orange County, California.At the 1998 National MelkiteConvention in Boston, John was electedchairman of the Diocesan PastoralCouncil. During his stewardship, theDPC formulated a ConventionCommittee to oversee the NationalConvention. John and the DPC alsoworked tirelessly to implement the ChildProtection Program for the Eparchy.In addition to his great love for hiswife, John’s other great love was golf.He was thrilled to have the opportunityto return to his native Scotland a numberof years ago and play the “OldCourse” at St. Andrews where thegame of golf was invented. He loved itand talked about it for years after.Sometime around the early 1970’s Ihad the honor to meet John and Caroland get to know this vibrant couple. Itwas then that John and I discoveredthat we were in Vietnam at exactly thesame time and only 20 miles apart.Shortly before his passing, Carolcalled and said that John was in the hospital.I went and anointed him but wasunable to give him Holy Communionbecause he was on a ventilator.Following his recovery, several weekslater, during a visit by Bishop Nicholas,we drove to Burbank and His Grace gavehim the life-giving Body and Blood ofour Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christfor the final time. Soon thereafter Johnwas again hospitalized and again Carolcalled me to anoint him. The followingweek, on the Feast of the Crucifixion ofChrist, John heard the words “this dayyou will be with Me in Paradise.”Well done, John, good and faithful servant,steward, patriot, husband, father!Hear the voice of the Son of Man:“Come, oh blessed of My Father, inheritMemory Eternal“this day you will be with Me in Paradise”Melissa. At that time John met anewly-ordained priest who had justarrived at St. Anne. Fr. Nicholas Samraand John became life-long friends.John was among those chosen tojoin a study group on the formation ofa Parish Advisory Council, on whichhe then served for many years. Johnwas also among a group of people whowere determined to start their ownbank, and after much preparation FirstPacific Bank was born.Some years later, having grownweary of the banking business, Johnand Carol decided to start their ownaccounting business, which grew intoCaven & Associates Accounting andIncome Tax Service. With his bankingand accounting experience, Johnthe kingdom prepared for you from thefoundation of the world. For I was hungryand you gave me to eat, thirsty andyou gave me to drink, a stranger and youwelcomed me, naked and you clothed me,sick and you visited me, in prison and youcame to me.” (Matthew 25:34-36)John’s funeral was celebrated byBishop Nicholas and many clergy at St.Anne parish in North Hollywood where47 years earlier John and Carol weremarried. He is survived by his wifeCarol, his daughter Melissa, and hisgranddaughter Ashley.May the servant of God, John Caven,rest in a place of light, a place of peace,a place of happiness, where there is nopain, no grief, no sighing, but everlastinglife. May his memory be eternal. †Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 19

Eastern Church News

“The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands”(Psalm 19:1).Many of us who have beenraised in faithful familieshave been taught how to prayand have learned the fundamentals ofour faith at home or in the church. Atthe same time, for those of us who didnot have the opportunity to get theappropriate teaching and growth infaith, in numerous cases, the churchhas nourished our spiritual needs.Little by little we got acquainted withthe Holy Bible. For example, how theworld was created by God and how theSon of God was born from a virgin.Moreover, we learned that in His earthlylife Jesus performed many miraculoussigns. Above all, we came tobelieve and we experienced His miraculouswords that have touched our heartsand have given peace, joy, and hope togeneration after generation.In high school, or maybe in college,we were taught scientific studies andtheories, in diverse classes like biology,chemistry, astronomy, etc. Hence, wegradually became familiar with manycharacteristics of the physical world.We all know that there has been a lotof controversy about God’s creation ofthe world and the scientific explanationof the existing world. It is apparent thatthe theories and descriptions based on thescientific studies do not correspond withthe writings in the Holy Bible.For example, in the biblical creationnarrative we read that the world was createdin seven days. On the other hand,according to modern science all the matterand energy in the universe was compressedinto an extremely small volume,and about 14 billion years ago,exploded and began expanding in alldirections (the “Big Bang” theory).Also, for instance, almost five billionyears ago the Sun and planetsof the solar system started to formfrom dust and gas.We hear frequently that in scienceclasses some students asktheir teachers, “Do you believein God?” and if the answer is“Yes, I do,” they go on to ask,“Then how come you teach science?”Even some individuals with college educationsask these same questions.Now let us go back to the OldTestament and read the very first chapter,where it says: “God blessed them andsaid to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase innumber; fill the earth and subdue it. Ruleover the fish of the sea and the birds of theair and over every creature that moves onthe ground’” (Genesis 1:28). So, Godactually gave authority to humankind torule and discover the world.The records of human history showthat from early civilizations up to thepresent time the human understandingof science has been on a path of growth.From another perspective, we need tounderstand that the Bible, including thecreation account, was written accordingto the understanding of the era.It is important to remember that theBible is not a book that teaches scienceor records scientific events. Rather, thewriters of the Bible, inspired by theHoly Spirit, interpret the historicalevents, as well as individual lives, inconnection with their faith and God’splan of redemption.For instance, according to somescholars, the narrative of the sevendays of creation was written when theIsraelites were in exile, captured by theBabylonians, and was intended toremind them that God Almighty is theLord of creation and the whole universeis under His control and dominion.The message, therefore, is this: donot give up your faith in Him andobserve the Sabbath (the seventh day)in prayer and hope, because God willredeem you from captivity.Interestingly enough, when weexamine the scientists who have playeda significant role in discoveringFaith and Scienceby Fr. Tomy Tomikehunknown scientific phenomena, we seesome priests who have made criticalcontributions to the development of science.While practicing their ministry inthe Church, they pursued their interestin science, and succeeded in revealingnew domains of modern science.Out of many priests who were alsoscientists, let us briefly review the livesand works of some of them.Father Angelo Secchi was born June29, 1818, and ordained a priest in1847. He made contributions to manyareas of astronomy, and was one of thefirst astronomers who said the Sun is astar. His main area of study was astronomicalspectroscopy, which is thestudy of light and colors given off bydistant stars and galaxies.Father Gregor Mendel was born inJuly 17, 1822, in what is now called theCzech Republic. He is called the“father of modern genetics.” The Lawof Segregation and the Law ofIndependent Assortment are known asMendel’s Law of Inheritance.Monsignor George Lemaitre wasborn in July 17, 1894, in Belgium. Hewas ordained a priest in 1923.Monsignor Lemaitre was the first scientistto propose the theory of the expansionof the universe, which has beenmisattributed to Edwin Hubble. Twoyears before Hubble published an articleon this topic, Lemaitre made the firstestimation of what is called “the HubbleConstant.” He also proposed what isknown as the “Big Bang” theory.In many psalms the psalmist praisesthe Lord by referring to the naturalworld. And in mystical poetry writtenby many Christians, as well as non-Christians who were influenced byChristianity, we find verses that relatethe beauty and splendor of nature asreflections of God’s glory and as signsthat the natural world praises its creator.At every sunrise, let us start our dayby glorifying our God and Lordthrough prayer, and open our hearts tothe rays of the Holy Spirit, in order toilluminate our souls with peace and joy,and to enable us to reflect that light tothe hearts of others. †Fr Tomy Tomikeh is a Assyrian-Chaldean priestoriginally from Iran. He teaches math and scienceat Richmond High School in Orange, California.ReflectionSummer 2012 • SOPHIA 25

A RemembranceA Melkite ProphetRemembering Archbishop Joseph Raya with Appreciationby Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.Agenuine prophet is not a predictorof the future, but a messengerof God. Such wasArchbishop Joseph M. Raya. Hisprophetic voice raised in Paterson andBirmingham in the USA, in Galilee,and in Canada, expressed the Gospelvision of love for all people. His commitmentto Christ caused him to speakwithout fear. At times the very peoplehe was trying to help turned againsthim. But he was dauntless.Born in Zahle, Lebanon, on August15, 1916, feast of Mary’s Dormition,he was nurtured by his family andteachers in the Melkite Byzantine tradition.After preparatory studies inParis, and seminary studies at St.Anne’s in Jerusalem, he was ordained apriest on July 20, 1941. Father Rayataught history and philosophy at St.Anne’s Minor Seminary in Zahle. Thenthe Melkite patriarch appointed himsuperintendent of Melkite schools inand near Cairo, Egypt, and later directorof the Patriarchal College there.Upon coming to the United States heserved at St. Ann Melkite Church inPaterson, New Jersey. While there he andJosé de Vinck collaborated to produce anappealing English translation of theByzantine Missal. Most likely his interestin the civil rights movement influencedhis transfer to St. George MelkiteChurch in Birmingham, Alabama.In the tense racial climate surroundingSt. George Parish he invited AfricanAmericans to his all-white church. Thiswas taboo in Birmingham. Father Rayabecame a friend of Martin Luther King,Jr., whose Baptist church was only afew blocks away. He even marched atthe side of King in various demonstrationsof the protest movement. On oneoccasion three men wearing whitehoods dragged Father Raya from hisrectory and beat him mercilessly. Thehooded thugs called him a nigger lover,and he shouted back, “Yes, I am a niggerlover, and I am a Ku Klux Klanlover too.” When they finished beatinghim they left him by the road and disappearedinto the night.His pastoral zeal and courage wererecognized by the Melkite Synod in1967, and he was selected as Archbishopof Akka, Haifa, Nazareth, and All ofGalilee. The following year he was consecratedand enthroned. After enteringwholeheartedly into this new challengeand becoming settled in Haifa,Archbishop Raya invited friends to visitGalilee and the Holy Land. The visitorsinvariably commented on his dedicationto Gospel values and brotherly love forpeople of all backgrounds. One of thosevisitors was Father John Catoir, a closefriend, author, and canon lawyer, whohad worked with him the in civil rightsmovement since Paterson days.Upon returning to the USA FatherCatoir wrote an article about his visitand shared his admiration for the newarchbishop. Here are some excerptsfrom that article with his impressions.“In a land permeated with a sense ofthe holy, the sad fact is that hatred isthriving between Arabs and Jews. Inthe midst of this hatred, one propheticvoice is speaking forthrightly to bothsides – Archbishop Joseph Raya.“Born in Lebanon, he was an Arabthrough and through, a man of extraordinarypower and authenticity. To understandhis influence one must realize thatArabs live in a patriarchal society.Among the Arabic-speaking citizens ofIsrael there are Christians, Moslems, andDruze. The majority of the ChristianArabs are Melkite Catholics.“The non-Christian Arabs have nocomparable patriarch, which puts them ata distinct disadvantage both politicallyand psychologically. Consequently theyturn to Archbishop Raya, the most importantArab in the country, as theirspokesman. What impressed me mostabout him was his absolute and total commitmentto the Gospel of Jesus Christ.“Upon his arrival he gave a speech ontelevision calling upon all the Arab peopleto put down their hatred for the Jewsand to follow the teaching of Christ bystriving for brotherhood with them.“In the next breath he challengedthe Israeli government to rectify theinjustices done to the Arab refugees, toreturn their lands, and to provide shelterfor the homeless among them“Each side was stung by hisreproach. Passions ride high in thiscountry of deadly enemies. Neither sidein Israel was pleased with his attitude.“It is one thing to make a speech andthen go into hiding, but ArchbishopRaya has been speaking continuallysince he arrived. I was with him in a tinyvillage where many Palestinianrefugees had migrated years before.They filled every corner of the availableshelter to the point of bursting. Thesepeople have been driven from theirland, and have been virtually homelesssince 1948, so they were in no mood fora brotherhood talk from anyone.“But the archbishop in his full regaliacommanded them to stop hating theJews, and to purge their hearts of hatredand contention. He said this would onlybreed more misery and suffering.“At the closing session of the Israeliparliament he scolded the Jewish officials,speaking in French, Arabic, andEnglish so that everyone would understand.He lamented the fact that theJews have done to the Arabs some of thevery things they themselves suffered intheir own history of persecution.“It was quite a thing to see a livingprophet in action, challenging theinflamed passion of ancient enemies26 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ‘Christis alive and well in Galilee.’”Father Catoir noted that ArchbishopRaya spoke without fear, and that attimes the very people he was trying tohelp turned against him. The archbishophad a prophetic gift. Father Catoir hadwitnessed a prophet up close and personalcalling for love and forgiveness ina land filled with hatred. The reactionshe fomented by his outspoken idealismeventually led to his persecution. Finallyhe had to resign his archbishopric inGalilee. In 1974 matters came to a headregarding justice for the Palestinians inhis area. Observed one of his admirers,“It is too complicated to explain, butRaya was on the side of the angels.”When he returned to North Americahe found permanent residence in thetranquil setting of Madonna House atCombermere, Ontario, in Canada.Catherine Doherty welcomed him as aunique presence embodying the visionof a Church that breathed with twolungs, the Byzantine tradition of the Eastand the Roman heritage of the West –two parts of the magnificent Body ofChrist. Archbishop Raya not only celebratedthe Byzantine liturgy forMadonna House, he lived and breathedit with his entire being. He seemed toexude a sense of God’s love and care.In 1983 his superiors asked him toundertake additional theological studies.This took him to several Melkiteseminaries and monasteries in differentcountries for research. The specialassignment enabled him to compose anentire theological curriculum in Arabicentitled Byzantine Theology, whichwas then used by students in Lebanon,Israel, Syria, and Egypt. A wide rangeof other books flowed from his pen inthis period.In those years he also served aspresident of a commission preparingfor the establishment of a Melkiteeparchy in the USA.A person of extraordinary freedomand spontaneity, Archbishop Josephstepped outside the usual conventionsof spirituality and inspired others withthe vision that God’s beauty is reflectedin every human countenance. Oneyoung adult admirer expressed it thisway: “He sees beyond the physicalreality. He sees the glorious potentialin every person. His love makes peoplefeel beautiful.”After a long illness ArchbishopJoseph died peacefully on June 10,2005. Shortly before his death hereceived an amazing telephone call. Oneof the three Klansmen who had beatenhim years earlier traced him to ask forgivenessfor what he had done inBirmingham. Of course he had forgivenall his assailants long before, but he reassuredthe caller that all was forgiven.Especially did Archbishop Josephteach all he encountered the importanceof joy and happiness for a childof God. He exploded with delightwhenever he met again anyone he hadnot seen for a long time. A smile washis hallmark.The faith, loyalty, and dedication ofthis intrepid prophet were inspirationalto all who knew him. May the departedservant of God Joseph M. Raya ofblessed memory always be rememberedfor his exuberance in communicatingGod’s love to everyone he met.A genuine Melkite hero! †Brother John Samaha is a member of theSociety of Mary, semi-retired and residing inCupertino, CA. He was born in San Franciscoto Lebanese Melkite immigrant parents.A RemembranceStatement fromThe Patriarchs of SyriaWe: Ignatius IV Hazim, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Mar IgnatiusZakka I Iwas, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Gregorios IIILaham, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandriaand Jerusalem, condemn the cowardly criminal act that took place in the Qazaz districtof Damascus on the morning of Thursday, 10 May 2012, and condemn all acts of terrorismthat have targeted different regions of the beloved Syrian land, claiming the lives ofmany innocent victims and wounding both civilians and military personnel, the children ofthis great nation.In view of this grievous loss, we pray to God to heal the wounds of Syria and Syrians, andto restore the children of the one homeland to one another in love, openness and reconciliation, tolerance,mutual assistance and wisdom, preferring always the interest of the country to any other interest,distancing themselves from violence in all its forms, aiming for the good of our beloved country andbuilding it again on the basis of civilized, humane, firm justice and good citizenship, co-existence andpeaceful freedom of expression; all that is related to serving the nation and citizens.With one mouth and one heart we raise our prayer to Almighty God to give rest to the souls of the homeland’smartyrs, comfort the hearts of the bereaved, preserve Syria and bring it to a haven of safety, peace,sovereignty and prosperity. In a spirit of pastoral responsibility we call on all the children of this country,both Muslims and Christians, to join us in prayer to Almighty God to protect Syrians from all danger andharm, trusting in the Lord’s saying to us: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”May the name of the Lord be forever blessed. Amen.Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 27

The LinkSociety ofPublicansby Dr. Frances ColieWith the conviction that onlyprayer can bring about andsustain the spiritual renewalof our communities, the Society ofPublicans was established in 1982,This prayer ministry takes its namefrom the parable of the Pharisee andthe Publican (Luke 18:9-14) in whichthe Publican, humble and dependent onthe Lord, is the example of true prayer.The Society is a fellowship of peoplein parishes throughout the eparchywho have committed themselves topray daily for the spiritual renewal ofour parishes and the entire eparchy.There are three levels of commitmentin the Society. In the first, peoplecommit themselves to pray daily forthe spiritual renewal of our Church.Each parish in the eparchy is assigneda particular day to be remembered inprayer – so that there are people allover the country praying for the needsof the parish(es) of the day.On the second level of commitment,we encourage Publicans to gather forcommunal prayer to intercede for theintentions of the Society as well as for thevarious needs of the people of the parish.In some parishes, the members meet forthe Divine Liturgy, the Paraclisis, or anIntercession Service, using one of theprayer services included in the PublicansPrayer Book (available from SophiaPress, www.melkite.org). In other placesthe group meets when necessary to prayfor a special intention. Still other parishesremember the prayer intentions of theSociety in their regularly scheduled serviceson Sundays or every day.On the third level of commitment,some society groups have formed telephoneprayer chains. By phone, email,newsletter or in person, a local coordinatorkeeps members informed ofintentions that are brought to him or herby people in the parish. The local coordinatormay organize group meetings,as circumstances permit, and enlist othersto pray daily for our Church and forthe intentions of the parish.Each experience in prayer beginswith an act of faith that God has alreadydone so much in loving us and in givingus His Son, Jesus. Conscious of this, it isfor us to relax in the Lord, resting entirelyupon Him. The Good News is thatGod truly loves us. We learn this only byexperiencing in sitting and listening tothe presence of Christ’s Spirit within us.As Eastern Catholics our focus inprayer is contemplative, stressingprayer more as a state of experientialexistence rather than a thing to be done.Prayer transfigures us, changes us. Allcatechesis, lessons, books, and sermonswill not change our lives; only the experienceof God will change us. In manyways we are strangers to the person wereally are! Everything in our spirituallife is about changing ourselves – notabout changing God – manipulatingGod or making God hear our petitions.We all live lives of contemplation.The question is, what do we contemplate?Is it riches, power, prestige,fame? Or do we contemplate the wondersof God, the glory of His creation,and the joys of the spiritual life? Whatwe contemplate will play a significantrole in the life we live. The contemplativeis simply a person who meets Godin an ever deepening openness to the“living Mystery” within him.In an American culture, we are especiallyprone to be doers and performers.Instead, we must learn to sit before Godand hear of His infinite love for us andHis whole creation. Then will we be ableto give our response as did Isaiah theProphet: “Here I am, send me.” (Is 6:9)In the parable of the Prodigal Sonthat embodies the spirit of our ministry,the lesson to be contemplated is that theolder son never really fell in love withthe father. He worked for him as a servantwould, demanding tit-for-tat. Thefather never could be a father to him,because the son would never let thelove of the father pour over him andchange him, change his value-structure.The younger son, however, crushed byhis sinfulness, and purified by his alienationand separation from his father, letthe father be his father. The father dideverything and rejoiced to do so.The desert experience teaches uswhat the Prodigal Son learned by beinga pilgrim, separated from the father’slove and home by his own doing, namely,the desire to be independent of hisfather’s love. But returning to thefather’s home, he becomes docile andsupple to the father’s slightest wish. Nolonger is he under the law of a tyrant,but he is liberated by an experience offorgiving love to return love for love.The prophet then sits in the celebratingjoyful love of the father and hears aboutthe great love the father has for him.Then that prophetic word moves usto our response. We move outward tobuild a like community of joy and lovethat we have experienced through thegratuitous love of our Father for Hischildren. Having been accepted in loveby God we have a sense of real identity.We can go out as God’s representativesto witness to this great divine love forall men and women. The existentialWord is being spoken in our daily lives.It is a continuation of the same propheticWord spoken in Scriptures and it livesin our hearts. The Existential Wordunfolds in every event of our lives as weexperience God’s great love in the smileof a child, the violence of a storm, thecalm serenity of a summer afternoon,and in the suffering of a dying person.We need not leave the world, but we areto be reconcilers, as Paul says, withChrist of the whole universe back to theFather. We will see the world throughdifferent eyes – we shall see our Churchcome alive and our parishes renewed aswe shall see them being transfiguredslowly by the inner life of God thatinhabits us and all people. †Note:If you are interested in the Society ofPublicans Prayer ministry – please contact theOffice of Educational Services, 201 417 3804or email doccolie@Yahoo.com28 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

Bible confuses me!” Ihave heard this refrain many“Thetimes in my experience ofteaching Bible to high school studentsand adults. Unfortunately, the complexityof the Bible often discourages usfrom studying it seriously and in depth.And while we regularly encounter theword in the Divine Liturgy and prayerof the church, many treasures of scripture– pearls of great price – are overlookedbecause we sense that anyengagement with the Bible will be a difficulttask. If we are to mature in ourfaith and call to Christian discipleship,however, spending time with Scriptureis indispensible. Bible study can alsoserve to deeply enrich our prayer withthe word. Fortunately, the Catholic andOrthodox traditions have given us manytools to assist us in our efforts to understandthe Bible and apply its teaching toour modern circumstances. It might behelpful to keep the following points inmind as we reflect on Scripture.First, many people approach theBible as if it were a book with chapters.But the Bible is actually a library, a collectionof books. And as we know,libraries have different kinds of booksthat use a variety of literary genres - history,poetry, fiction, children’s books,etc. We know, for example, that HarryPotter is not the same kind of book as abiography of George Washington. Andwe don’t expect every book in thelibrary to be a chronological history.When it comes to the Bible, manyreaders, Americans especially, arepoorly equipped to recognize the differentliterary forms and contexts used bythe sacred authors. Unfortunately, thiscan lead us to miss some of the mostimportant points the texts are trying toconvey. For example, the OldTestament book of Jonah is not primarilya report about a man who was swallowedby a large fish. To focus on thispoint – how a man could survive insidea fish for three days – is to miss the lessonof the story, which is that God loveseven those whom we consider to be ourenemies and sometimes God asks us todo things we would rather not do.This brings us to a second importantobservation – biblical texts can be“true” even though they might not behistorically and scientifically accurate.The creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2convey rich truths about the world andhuman beings – i.e., creation is good,and human beings are created in theimage and likeness of God. Genesis alsoteaches us that we are given the task ofcaring for the earth and God’s creatures.These texts were not intended to be historical,scientific accounts of how theworld was created, nor was it theauthor’s intention to state categoricallythat God created the world in six days.Rather, those who wrote these storieswere concerned with deeper truthsabout the universe and our place in it.Genesis is not about how the world wascreated, but by whom it was created aswell as the Creator’s intentions. We cansee that these texts are “true” becausethey teach us about the creative powersand goodness of God as well as the dignityof all human beings, even thoughthe stories are not linear history.Third, it is helpful to keep in mind thatthe biblical stories were written in historicaland cultural contexts that were muchdifferent from 21st century America. If wefail to understand these contexts, we runthe risk of misinterpreting the text. Thebooks of the Bible are what scholars call“high context” documents. That meansthat the authors assume that the readerunderstands the historical, religious, andcultural references/values that are interwoveninto the text. In other words, thebiblical authors did not include footnotesbecause they did not feel the need toexplain anything. Modern western literature,on the other hand, is “low context”.Everything is explained. A good exampleof low context literature is a credit cardagreement – it has lots of footnotes!Untangling the Bibleby Brian B. PinterThe people who wrote the Gospels,for example, assumed that the readersare familiar with the characters and storiesof the Old Testament, Israelite history,the Jerusalem Temple cult of animalsacrifice, the tense relationship betweenIsraelites and Samaritans, as well asNear Eastern cultural mores and roles,among many other things. ConsiderMark 14:13 - how did Jesus know to tellhis disciples to look for a man carrying ajar of water as they searched for a placeto have their Passover meal? Simple – infirst century Palestine, men almostalways carried water in skins; womenuse jars. A man with a jar would havebeen easy to spot! More often then not,however, these interesting and often significantcontextual clues are lost on us,and as a result we are limited in howdeeply we can enter into what is beingportrayed in the scriptures.Professor Dale Martin, a NewTestament scholar at Yale University,has suggested that we view the Bible asa sacred space we enter, like a church ora cathedral. Once inside there are manythings to ponder – icons, stained glass,sacred books, etc. Our experience of thissacred space will be different dependingon whether we are alone or with thecommunity at prayer. The Bible is similar.It too is a sacred space we enter tohear the word of God. Our traditionoffers us many ways of experiencing thetreasures within, from the rich spiritualand allegorical interpretations of theChurch Fathers to the contextual methodsused in modern times. We areblessed to be heirs of such a legacy!The Bible is fascinating and spirituallynourishing. Its apparent complexityshould not discourage us frommaking the scriptures, both the Oldand New Testament, a regular part ofour lives. As the author of the Epistleto the Hebrews observed “Indeed, theword of God is living and effective,sharper than any two-edged sword,penetrating even between soul andspirit, joints and marrow, and able todiscern reflections and thoughts of theheart” (Hebrews 4:12). †Brian B. Pinter is a member of Christ the Saviorparish in Yonkers. He is also the director ofcampus ministry and a teacher of theology atRegis High School in New York City.ScriptureSummer 2012 • SOPHIA 29

News from Around the EparchyNot Only Our FutureBut Also Our PresentArchimandrite John AzarFor so long, we have heardexpressions related to the youththat express the thought that theyare the future. It seems as if we arelimiting their presence, their talents,their involvement until theymature...in the future.The reality, I feel, is that they aremore so our present...the time inwhich we live. All of us need toencourage, to welcome, to include, toprovide places for them. Parents, asfirst teachers, need to do more to motivatetheir young to initially be close totheir church. The adults are the parents, not the children. Thelatter should not be making decisions to leave the church atyoung ages. Children need continual guidance, direction,focus and a strong but gentle attachment to their parish. Theyoung need to view their parents as lovingly, closely anddeeply committed to the parish, not only on Sundays, butthroughout the various aspects of parish life and involvement.The youth need to hear their parents say good thingsabout the parish church.The parish, through its clergy and lay leaders, should bewelcoming the innocence, vitality, creativity and youthfulspirit of the younger generations. Whether they have theinclination, patience and understanding for working withyouth or not, the parish priests should attempt to always tryand foster a welcoming, healthy and inviting relationshipwith the youth. The priests should make it a point that theyspeak with the youth at every chance that they can. Theyouth need to see the spiritual father of the community asone who is approachable.Lay leaders in the parish community also need to step inand, together with the clergy, find avenues and possibilitiesfor the youth to feel at home and welcome in the parishes.Doing everything that one can to keep the youth close andinviting them to become involved in various aspects of parishlife should be on everyone’s agenda. Their feelings of comfortin their parish will be the welcome mat for them to continuefrom a young age to remain and move with and for the parish.We cannot wait until they “grow up” to find a place forthem. Places for them should be found now before it’s toolate and they look for other avenues from other sources thatare more welcoming and less limited. Christ has alreadyopened the Kingdom to the little ones, welcoming them tocome close to Him, and has warned us that unless webecome like them, we will not enter heaven. Let us not closethe doors that He Himself has opened. †Archimandrite John Azar is pastor of St. John Chrysostom Melkite Church inAtlanta, GA, and serves as Vocations Director for the Eparchy of Newton.30 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

On April 21, 2012, at St. John of the Desert, the 4thChildren’s Retreat took place and it was a frontrunner!Under the direction of Jocelyn Abyad, who did anoutstanding job, for several weeks if not months, preparing forit, this retreat turned out to be the crown of retreats and themost-attended children’s event since 2006.The retreat was attended by about forty children. Besideslearning about our Saints, Tradition and Spirituality they hada great time. The theme was “Calling on our Saints.”There were three stations the children had to attendthroughout the day where they learned about a specific Saint’slife, then they had a craft to do which related to that specificsaint. They painted crosses in one station, planted a specialherb in another, made their own icon and put together a puppetof St. George slaying the dragon. That was a lot of fun!After the final prayer in church they all gathered in the backparking lot where they had a carnival, once again centered onthe saints. All booths and games were relating to specific saints.Many volunteers and parents, from setting up to cleaning up,preparing lunch, making snacks, and everything else in between,dedicated their time to this great event. It was a great day! †Children’s RetreatSt. John of the Desert – Phoenix, AZNews from Around the EparchyArticle and Photos submitted by Kh. Simone BoutrosOn February28, 2012, Br.Neven IvanPeša took his firstProfession of vows atSt. Basil’s SeminaryChapel for theBasilian SalvatorianOrder located inMethuen, MA. It wasa crisp, cool, sunnyNew England day – a fitting day forsuch a glorious occasion.After completing a novitiate yearunder the direction and guidance ofNovice Master, Fr. Clement Yousef, Br.Neven was accepted by the SalvatorianCommunity to profess his first vows ashe continues to prepare to answer theLord’s call to serve in the Church as apriest. He professed his vows before Rt.Rev. Exarch Gabriel Ghanoum, RegionalSuperior of the Basilian SalvatorianOrder and representative of their FatherGeneral, John Faraj.Br. Neven's profession was attendedby three bishops, Sayidna NicholasSamra, Bishop of the Eparchy, SayidnaIbrahim Ibrahim, Eparchial Bishop ofBrother Neven Pe˘saMakes First Profession of VowsCanada, and Sayidna John Elya, BishopEmeritus of Newton, as well as by Fr.Philip Raczka, Rector of AnnunciationCathedral in West Roxbury.Br. Neven shared, “it was such aspecial a day. It meant so much to meto reach this milestone and to have myparents present to see me take myvows. They watched me grow in myvocation for the past several yearsstarting from my college days when Ifirst responded to my vocational call.”Br. Neven’s Local Superior, Fr. MartinHyatt, added, “the ceremony was movingand joyous. It was a fitting ending andnew beginning for Neven Ivan as he continueson the path toward priesthood. Wesee great potential in this young man.”When asked about the attendance ofnot one, but three Melkite Bishops at theceremony, Neven gratefully responded,“It was such a great honor. Never wouldI have expected such a privilege as tohave three hierarchs present for my firstprofession. Their presence was a tripleblessing for us all.”Neven’s mother, Božica, who hasbeen struggling with cancer, found away to make the four-hour drive fromNew York City in order to witness herson's first religious Profession. “Nomother could be prouder,” she said.Neven added, “Yes, my mom is a fighter.She may be sick, but she is strong.She always had faith in God and hasbeen a heroic role model for me.”Neven Ivan’s parents both hail fromCroatia and he asks for prayer for hismother’s health.When asked about his religiousname, Br. Neven Ivan explained, “it’s aSlavic version of the name John,specifically, after the Beloved Disciplewho has always been important to me.”Bishop Nicholas gave a beautifulhomily in which he spoke on the originsand richness of monastic life andhow monastic vows are a renewal ofbaptismal vows. He elaborated thatmonastic life began as a lay movementin the church which, over time, andover the centuries, developed analmost clerical character.After receiving the kiss of peace fromhis Salvatorian brothers and his family,Neven was joined by his religiousCommunity and family and friends fordinner in the community refectory. †Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 31

News from Around the EparchyOur Lady of Perpetual HelpRaises Money for Children in LebanonWorcester, MAOn Friday, March 20, 2012 OurLady of Perpetual Help Churchheld its 42nd Annual LentenCharity Supper for Orphans andChronically Ill Children in Lebanon.Bishop Nicholas J. Samra was the guestspeaker. He intrigued 150 attendeeswith his talk entitled “Our Churches ofAntioch: Opportunities & Challenges.”He also prayed Vespers for LazarusSaturday with the rest of the congregationin the church before the supper.Upon entering the supper hall, eachattendee found appetizers on the tables.They included vegetables cut upJulienne style, olives, hummus, babaghannouj, and pita bread. The maincourse was fresh baked cod with breadcrumbs, served with green beans intomato sauce and a wonderful ricepilaf. Wine was available for purchaseand dessert consisted of a yellowLenten dessert cake.Bishop Samra began his talk withsome history of the Melkite Church. Hementioned that the churches of concernhere are of Antioch, and that even yearsago, the Church was ecumenicallyminded. He pointed to the time whenthe Melkites were in union with Romeand the Orthodox Churches. Theyslowly separated when Roman missionariescame to the area and attractedsome of the existing Christians, therebyputting a strain on the original churchand causing a rift in relations.In 1995, there was an initiative toreunite the Melkites and Orthodox.Bishop Samra said that even thoughnothing solidified, the Melkites todaysee no problem with formally unitingwith the Orthodox, while simultaneouslybeing united to Rome. He encourageda new approach in our ecumenicalthinking and efforts. It’s not about whowill win over the other one, or aboutthrowing stones at each other. It’s aboutunderstanding differences.Bishop Samra pointed out some situationsof agreement already. For example,Melkites give Communion to anOrthodox when they willingly come forit. Although the Orthodox do not giveMelkites Communion, Melkites respecttheir practice. Another example relatesBishop Nicholas J. Samra and Deacon Elias at VespersGeorge Russell, a newly elected city councilman,presents the community with a gift tocommemorate the start of Eastern ChristianityAwareness Month in Worcester, MA.to marriage. Melkites say it is acceptablefor a Catholic-Orthodox couple tomarry in an Orthodox church. So thereis some overlap.Bishop Samra referred listeners totwo books. The first was The Courageto be Ourselves, Archbishop JosephTawil’s 1970 Christmas Pastoral Letter,in which the Archbishop says we mustgo back to our Orthodox roots. He suggeststhat this has to happen at thegrassroots level, not solely by the hierarchy.The two Churches need toexplore things in common and talkabout how we love one another, insteadof focusing only on what is not inagreement. The second book BishopNicholas mentioned was his ownSteward of the Mysteries, in which severalof his talks and presentations arecompiled to provide insight on Mary,the Mother of God, as the image of theChurch, ecumenism, Church growth,the holy mysteries, stewardship, andseveral other topics.At the end of the talk, Mayor JosephPetty’s Representative, George Russell, anewly elected city councilor, presentedthe bishop with a key to the city ofWorcester and a plaque commemoratingthis April as the first month of the city’seffort to increase awareness of EasternChristianity. The official label isAwareness of Eastern Christianity Month.For 42 years, this Lenten Supper tradition,this meal of charity, has beenorganized with the help of the greaterWorcester community, especially, butnot only, the Lebanese-Syrian community.It has had a profound effect of givinghope to children in orphanages anda chronic care facility in Lebanon. Thisyear, with 100 percent of each donationgoing directly to these facilities, OurLady of Perpetual Help raised $8500for them. †Kathleen Laplante submitted this article. She isa parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.32 SOPHIA • Summer 2012

A Lenten Retreat:Being an Authentic Christianby Subdeacon Sami JajehNews from Around the EparchyDuring our journey through Great Lent, the parish ofSt. John Chrysostom in Atlanta, GA was blessed tohave Hieromonk Maximos from the ByzantineMonastery of the Holy Resurrection in Wisconsin come tovisit. More than two dozen parishioners gathered to participatein a spiritual retreat.The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to St.John Climacus, who is known for his book of spiritualguidance called The Ladder of Divine Ascent, whichshows monks (and us too!) the steps we must take toapproach God. So, it was fitting that we had Fr. Maximos,a monk, come and share his thoughts regarding what itmeans to be an authentic or single-hearted Christian, onewho is Christian both inside and out. Fr. Maximos sharedhow the three key steps to being a Christian are found inRomans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulations.Be constant in prayer.”The first step, being joyful, comes from our hope asChristians. In Christ, we have the power to be radicallytransformed or changed. Because our hope is in Christ andwe should remain always in Christ, our joy emanates fromChrist. Hope never departs us as long as we remain in Christ.The second step to being an authentic Christian is to bepatient in tribulations. Fr. Maximos reminded us that Christendured every human suffering (e.g., hunger, being tired,temptation from the devil, even death), but that He conquereddeath by submitting to it and letting His love andglory overwhelm it. Similarly, as Christians, we are to bepatient (humble) in our tribulations, as we submit to God’sbeing in charge of the situation. Being a Christian is not ashortcut out of suffering, but suffering is not the last word,for God is with us through it.The third step is to be constant in prayer. Fr. Maximosshared that the greatest evil we can face is separation fromGod. Therefore, constancy in prayer is a constant remembrancein God, to always be connected to Him. Fr. Maximosdiscussed the Greek word acedia, meaning a slackness ofsoul or weakening of the mind. Perhaps the best Englishword for us to explain the idea would be apathy. Acedia isthe destruction of joy and leads to spiritual apathy. Habitualprayer (including prayer in a community of believers) iscritical to remain focused and attached to God, so we arenot distracted.Parishioners were very inspired by Fr. Maximos’ talk, as itwas both enlightening and challenging. During the three-partseries of reflections, parishioners also enjoyed fellowshipand a Lenten lunch. The talk concluded with the HolyMystery of Confession. Parishioners also enjoyed the companyof Fr. Maximos on Sunday, as he celebrated the liturgywith Fr. John Azar and preached the Good News. †Sami Jajeh is Subdeacon at St. John Chrysostom Melkite Catholic Churchin Atlanta, GA.Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 33

NAMWDear Members and Friends,Serving the Eparchy of Newton for 25 years: 1986 – 2011It is with great sadness that we express our deepest sympathy to our Treasurer, Carol Caven, and her family, on the passingof her husband, John. He was a prominent figure in the Melkite community for many years. While his physical presence will bemissed by all, we have our happy memories of John Caven to keep him alive in our hearts. May his Memory be Eternal!The next major event for NAMW will be the Annual Meeting on Friday, July 6, at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, MI duringthe 2012 National Convention. The agenda will include an introduction to our new Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Michel Cheble,approval of proposed changes in the By-laws, update of membership data, parish contacts, sharing of ideas and the date for theordination of our seminarian, Deacon Musil Shehadeh. Other business matters will be included as the agenda is finalized.Since the deadline for this issue was right after the celebration of our feast day, there have not been any submissions yet fromvarious parishes to report. Please have someone drop us a brief note regarding how your parish spent the Sunday of the MyrrhBearers, the feast day of all women everywhere!In the last issue I asked for mothers, wives or children of our clergy to share their stories of how they felt when the sons, husbandsor fathers in their lives expressed interest in dedicating their lives to the priesthood. I received one response from MaryBaroody of Holy Transfiguration Parish, VA who shared her story of two sons. It is reprinted on the next page. Please take thetime to read it. Their story is inspiring. Thank you, Mary, for putting your feelings on paper. I hope others will now do the same.Rosemary Shabouk, President Margo Sayegh, Vice President Carol Caven, Treasurer Susan Elek, SecretaryBouk1@aol.com margo_sayegh@verizon.net carol@cavenassociates.com elek70@comcast.net718-748-1235 626-359-3976 818-843-3905 586-939-0650Prayer for Vocationsby Rt. Rev. Philip RaczkaO Eternal Father, You are the Lord of the Harvest who sent our Lord Jesus Christ to save us and theApostles to spread the good news of this salvation. Look now with mercy upon our Melkite Eparchy ofNewton and sustain our clergy in their vocation. Send us young men to serve the Church as priests anddeacons. Inspire others to serve your Church as monks and nuns and move the hearts of all of ourparishioners to serve their parishes in whatever way they are able. We praiseYou for all of Your blessingsnow and forever. Amen.Below is a chart of the membership dues received from our parishes as of Jan. 2012. Do not be alarmed by the numbers.These are the actual figures for the dues/donations since the names of those who are deceased and anyone whohas not paid for the past few years have been deleted from the totals. How is your parish doing? Let’s make 2012-2013even better…our seminarians are counting on us for support.CITY/STATE PARISH/MISSION JAN. 2012Phoenix, AZ St. John Of The Desert 1San Jose, CA St. Elias 1North Hollywood, CA St. Anne 21Sacramento, CA St. George 2Danbury, CT St. Ann 4Waterford, CT St. Ann 6Miami, FL St. Jude 59Augusta, GA St. Ignatius Of Antioch 7Boston, MA Annunciation Cathedral 2Lawrence, MA St. Joseph 3Worcester, MA Our Lady Of Perpetual Help 1CITY/STATE PARISH/MISSION JAN. 2012Warren, MI Our Lady Of Redemption 26Manchester, NH Our Lady Of The Cedars 1Woodland Park, NJ St. Ann 8Brooklyn, NY Church Of The Virgin Mary 21Utica, NY St. Basil 5Akron, OH St. Joseph 50Cleveland, OH St. Elias 1Scranton, PA St. Joseph 16Lincoln, RI St. Basil The Great 9McLean, VA Holy Transfiguration 43Misc. Clergy/No Parish 2TOTAL: 28634 S ophia • Spring 2012

PLEASE PRINT:To join or renew your membership in the National Association of Melkite Women,complete and mail this form with your Dues check for $10.00 made payable to NAMW to:Carol Caven, NAMW . 2030 N. Glenoaks Boulevard . Burbank, CA 91504NAME ________________________________________________________________________________________________NAMWADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________________________CITY, STATE, ZIP ________________________________________________________________________________________TELEPHONE ______________________________________ EMAIL ____________________________________________PARISH __________________________________________ Please Circle one: NEW MEMBER RENEWALRemember to keep our need for vocations in your prayers. Be an advocate, encourage our youth to participate in your parish.Calling All Mothers of ClergyIn order to research a new article about vocations, I am asking all mothers of our priests to tell me how you felt when yourson first told you he wanted to be a priest. How old was he? What was your reaction? Were you happy at first or did it takea while for you to accept his decision? What advice would you give mothers today? Do you have an anecdote about theday he left home? How was his first liturgy?Rev. Fathers, if your mothers need help translating their stories, please do so. If your mother has gone to her EternalReward, would you tell the story for her? This request could also include wives and children of married clergy and deacons.This decision must have changed your lives very much. All are welcome to respond. I look forward to hearing from you.Thank you for sharing.Please send me your story, you may inspire other mothers.Rosemary Shabouk . 36-86 Street . Brooklyn, NY 11209 or email me at bouk1@aol.comA Mother’s Letter:Although I am not yet the mother of a priest, my story is one of two vocations and how they came to be. I humbly submit itfor your consideration for your article on vocations. My sons’ paths to their vocations have been straight and purposeful. Itry to keep my own pride in check, but they are truly wonderful examples of what kind of men we need in the Melkite clergy.Many thanks for the opportunity to share this with you. In Christ, Mary Baroody.My family became members of Holy TransfigurationMelkite Church in 1972, shortly after the parishwas founded. Our son, David, was eight years oldat the time, a bright, boisterous and inquisitive child with agift for music, and the third of nine children. Our young pastor,Fr. Joseph Francavilla, loved all the children of our smallbut growing parish, and the children returned that love withgreat enthusiasm. Father had many friends among the youngpriests and seminarians of the church, so there were manyvisiting clergy and seminarians, whom the children alsogrew to know and love. David and his brothers becameacolytes, and grew in their love of the Melkite Church.By age 10, David was singing in the choir and learningthe liturgical music of the Melkite church. As a teenager, hewas active in NAMY, where he met his future wife, thelovely Cathy Marie Metta, at a Melkite convention. Overthe next 30 years, he completed high school and his undergraduatestudies, was tonsured as a reader in 1985 at age 21,married, had two wonderful children, built a successfulcareer, volunteered in the community, served as a reader,chaired the Parish Council, and acted as treasurer of thefood festival for many years. In 2000, he entered the DeaconFormation Program, and was ordained a deacon in 2003.Although Arabic was not spoken in our home, Father Davidhas learned much of the language. It is beautiful to hear himspeak it when he takes the Eucharist to shut-ins who arefrom the old country.A Story of VocationsAfter the repose in the Lord of our beloved ProtodeaconPaul Weyrich in 2010, Father David was made Protodeacon.Shortly thereafter, he began his advanced theological studies.During the same year, Father David’s brother, Andrew,entered the diaconate program.Andrew has been a parishioner at St. George MelkiteChurch in Birmingham, Alabama, since he entered collegethere in 1985. He married the warm and loving SharonElaine Ritchey, a member of the large Ritchey clan, and theyare the parents of four sons. Since his arrival in Birmingham27 years ago, Andrew has sung in the choir, taught religiouseducation, trained the acolytes, been a leader of the YouthGroup, and worked as a tireless coordinator of St. George’sannual food festival. He is loved by all.These two wonderful men who are my sons grew in theirvocations to the service of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christsince they were eight and five years old respectively. Ratherthan any sudden awareness of a vocation in either, I believethat for both it was a quiet growth in their love of Christ ourGod, through their lives dedicated to Him and spent workingand worshipping with other Melkite laity and clergy, anddoing what they did, and did so well. Should it be God’s willthat Father David become a priest and Seminarian Andrewbecome a deacon and perhaps priest, then it will indeed bedone. I thank God every day of my life that He has blessedme with these sons whose desire it is to serve Him. And Ipray for them the prayer that never fails, Thy will be done!Summer 2012 • SOPHIA 35

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