Saturday, March 21, 2020
3rd Saturday of Lent – Memorial Saturday
Dear Parishioners and Friends
It is with great sadness that I write to say that for the time being we will have to cease holding services at St. Andrew’s. I am not sure exactly when we will be able to meet again and I certainly do not know what course the pandemic will take. This decision is not taken lightly or without the blessing of our beloved archpastor, Vladyka Michael. However, we will resume regular services as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. I really never, ever thought that this step would be necessary, but it appears now to be the case.
In lieu of attending services, many are advising that we watch live-streamed services on the Internet. I do not agree with this recommendation and I do not bless anyone to do so. Instead, we should do two things: first, we should grieve for the fact that, temporarily, we cannot meet for the Synaxis. If we fail to grieve for our separation and to experience this pain, that is because it means little to us to be deprived in this fashion. Second, we should maintain and strengthen our existing discipline of prayer in our homes before our icon corner. Here we are fortunate that our diocese and bishop have made so many resources available to us for holding reader’s services at home. And we should rely also on our prayerbook and the saying of the Jesus Prayer. Finally, in this article, Archimandrite Zacharias (Zacharou) of St. John the Baptist Monastery in Essex, England, explains exactly how this separation and time can be fruitfully utilized for our spiritual wellbeing. It would be a second tragedy (the coronavirus being the first) if we were to let this time be wasted by failing to employ it diligently for our spiritual growth. We may never have this opportunity again, so please be extremely careful with how you use this time.
Please be assured of my prayers for each of you and your families throughout this most trying situation. And please also be obedient to the instructions we have received to practice social distancing until it is safe for us to gather together once again.
In Christ Our True God,
Thank you Father John. This is exactly what I needed to read.