The Grace of God Has Appeared to All

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Everyone who was here last weekend witnessed a wondrous and archetypal outpouring of God’s grace. When Metropolitan Hilarion laid hands on Father Christopher, he carried on the same timeless activity that is part of the grace of God rained down on our heavenly patrons, the Holy Apostles. The Lord said to them after His resurrection, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” The Metropolitan called down that same Holy Spirit on Father Christopher. This grace was called down on us as well. It’s the same grace that comes down on the Holy Gifts so that we can eat and drink of His Body and Blood.

We pray with the ordination service that all things be brought to perfection. We envision perfection, which vision is a gift of God to help show us the way forward in the Lord. He has granted that Father Christopher be made a helper, a great helper, on that way.

Whenever we pray “O Heavenly King” in our prayers, we pray for Him in His Holy Spirit to fill all things. While we have fulfillment of that prayer all the time when we open our eyes to see it, what happened last week and unfolds daily and hourly as a result makes fierily clear that “God is with us”, as says the prophet. From the ground of our hearts, we thank Him and bless Him; we worship Him.

Father George