Earlier in the week, Governor Newsom called for more restrictions within our State, restrictions which include faith-based organizations as well. Of course, this directive was frustrating as the Church has from its very beginning remained a place of solace, a place of hope and a place of healing. As early as the fourth century, it was the Church that gathered and then nurtured orphans. It was the Church that gathered and addressed the physical and spiritual needs of the sick (this was the impetus of the modern hospital).
I write this not to trivialize what is taking place in our world, but to remind each of you that Christians are not “of” the world. This doesn’t mean that we deny the recent spike in Covid-19 cases occurring in California. On the contrary, we acknowledge that some individuals have gotten careless whether it be in fellowship, in protests and riots or even simply, in their daily routines. Having just concluded a phone call with a dear friend who works in one of our local hospitals in which patients who are COVID positive has tripled, this is truly lamentable. We therefore continue to offer our prayers for those who are ailing of any disease or affliction as well as medical workers, researchers, and every other essential service. May God’s Grace be in abundance and sufficient for us all.
In an areligious society that boasts of religious pluralism and truth as being relative, it’s no wonder that religious services aren’t considered to be an essential service. Although I can’t speak for our sister parishes or other faith-based traditions, for the most part, we have made every effort to be responsible. We often meet or exceed the standards of this world, because our eyes are fixed not upon this world, but upon the Kingdom that is to come. “If” we love God, “if” we love humanity, “if” we love His Creation, then we hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard, and that is namely, God’s standard.
It is important for us to celebrate the services of the Church that are life-giving and essential for they can only take place in the Church. These services or Sacraments are the following, but not limited to:
Holy Baptism initiates a life in Christ. Holy Chrismation enlivens and animates a person with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Holy Marriage brings a man and woman together into a relationship that mirrors Christ and His Bride, the Church. Holy Unction brings healing and forgiveness to the faithful. Holy Confession affords healing of soul and body. Holy Eucharist - the Body and Blood of Christ - brings healing, remission of sins and we pray, salvation to those who receive. Holy Ordination, takes men, unworthy though they be, and gives them the Rites (not rights) to serve, to love, to provide counsel, to comfort, and to assist us all as we walk on the Royal Road to the Kingdom.
I purposely used the word “Holy” before each of these Mysteries in order to remind us that these Mysteries or Sacraments, are not of this world. These Sacraments are in fact of the Kingdom of Heaven. And if they are of the Kingdom of Heaven, then they are non-negotiable, for they have and they will always be the means by which God expresses His love for His people and brings about the healing of souls and bodies of His people as well. Simply put, the Sacraments and by extension, our time in services, spent in prayer is non-negotiable.
Please understand me: This is not a call to arms as some may suggest, rather it is a reminder that we as Christians are to remain steadfast to the tenets of our Faith, all the while, remaining flexible to the needs that present pandemic circumstances requires of us. (Always with the thought being: not going too far to the left, nor too far to the right, but staying in the center of the path.) We will therefore respect the State’s mandates by limiting the access inside of our sanctuary of our faithful and visitors to our chapel at this time. Instead, we will place seats out in our courtyard for the faithful to gather for Services. At the appropriate time, priests will come out through the opened doors in order to: bless, commune and/or anoint the faithful.
We will continue to:
Follow Our Guidelines - while our guidelines may seem burdensome or even unnecessary to some, they are in fact very reasonable, responsible and respective of others and are in sync with our greater Orthodox Christian community as well with regards on how to mitigate the risk for our faithful. Additionally, we presently follow the best practices as directed by the CDC for all Houses of Worship.
Ask you to review the symptoms of COVID-19, sanitize your hands before joining us for worship and asking you to refrain from coming if you or your family member has a fever. S
Utilize the ChurchCenter App. It is a convenient and practical tool for us to use so that parishioners may sign-up for services online and in advance. It is not used for tracking attendance. It’s also a way by which many of us can continue to actively support the ministries of our parish.
Live-stream our services and broadcast them to our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/saintanna so that more of our faithful will be able to virtually attend. Shortly after the service is prayed, the video is deleted, it is not archived.
If you are unable or uncomfortable coming to worship, please coordinate with Fr. Seraphim to set a time to pray at your home or at the parish. We will continue to meet our faithful wherever they might be, and from that place, we will walk closer with one another towards Christ together.
In closing, I thank you for your steadfast faith. I thank you for your love for Christ and His Church. I thank you for attempting to preserve the health of others through responsible and respectful measures. I thank you for supporting the work of the Church. And, I thank you for accommodating our changes that are in obedience to both the Kingdom and our State. May our efforts be well-pleasing to Him and unto the healing of our souls and bodies.