September 27, 2011
New York City: On the Feast Day of the Nativity of the Most Holy
Theotokos, Bishop Jerome led the Divine Services in the Synodal
Cathedral of the Sign
On
Tuesday the 20th and Wednesday the 21st of September, on the feast
of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, His Grace, Eastern
American Diocesan vicar Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, led the divine
services in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City. His
Grace was co-served by the cathedral’s senior priest, Archpriest
Andrei Sommer, Hieromonk Nestor (cleric of the Diocese of St.
Petersburg), and Synodal clerics Protodeacon Nicholas Mokhoff and
Deacon Nathan Mousselli.
Upon completion of the Liturgy, His Grace addressed the worshipers
with a sermon on the festal kontakion, in which he said:
"The barren woman giveth birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of
our life." Since the righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna
had, for the first 20 years of their married life, been unable to
have any children, this was a source of sadness for them, increased
by the harsh attitude of the priest who rejected Joachim’s
sacrifice, saying it would not be acceptable to God since Joachim
and his wife were childless. This moved the pious couple to more
fervent prayer than ever, and when Anna at last conceived a child,
this was a great source of joy for them. One might suspect that they
had hoped for a son, since in that age sons were considered the
heirs and bearers of the family line. But they could not have known
the degree of blessing that the Lord
was imparting through the birth of the Holy Virgin, and so far from
their line being forgotten, today the names of the righteous Joachim
and Anna are heard throughout the world at the dismissal of the
Divine Liturgy. We might wonder why the Lord let them first suffer,
without knowing what the future held, but God has a plan for each of
us, and knows our human weakness and our tendencies. If we were to
know in advance all the blessings in store for us in this life, we
might tend to pray less and take the blessings for granted, while if
we knew the grief that may await us, we could fall in spirit. As we
heard in the Gospel, "
Mary has chosen that good part," and "
blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it:" that is,
since we do not see the future as God does, we are to be directed by
the Word of God, which we receive both in the Scriptures and in the
Tradition handed down in the Church. Let us therefore choose the
Good Part, as did the parents of the Virgin, in their prayers and
acceptance of God’s plan for them.
Media
Office of the Eastern American Diocese
