Serbian Orthodox Church

Информативна служба
Српске Православне Цркве
7. август 2006. године

THE ADDRESS OF BISHOP MAXIM OF WESTERN AMERICA, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ENTHRONOMENT IN ALHAMBRA, LOS ANGELES,
30th/17th of JULY, 2006

Standing before the Lord in praise, after this grace-filled and awesome act of my Episcopal enthronement, I, the unworthy one, inspired by the Mystery of the Divine Liturgy in this Church of His in Alhambra, now dare say a word of gratitude. Your Grace, my dear Priests and faithful people, I am grateful that the decision of the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of our Church has been accomplished today in this most sacred place. According to that decision, as of today, I am no longer to live for myself but for the Lord and His Church in the Western United States of America, in service to the Cross and the Gospel. Therefore, I do solemnly declare that my heart is ready to do God’s will and serve the Mother Church, aware of the fact that it is only by God’s love in His Church that I can stay above the gulf of nothingness.

I am grateful to the Triune God for all His gifts, from my birth to today: for my parents, brothers and sisters according to the flesh and spirit, for my teachers and all friends – from proud Bosnia, to Herzegovina, Serbia, crucified Kosovo and Metohija, ancient Greece, the hilly and restless Balkans, Europe which is reawakening, the bright and wise East, and the roaring, strong West; I am grateful to the Creator for all creatures on this planet Earth, for the Heavens, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars of our and other galaxies, and for God’s entire Universe which breathes in the rhythm of the “Cosmic Liturgy” awaiting the day of its salvation and renewal in the One who Was, Who Is, and Who is to come – that is, Christ the God-man.

I am grateful to all who are present here and to those absent as well, and to those departed this life in hope of the Resurrection. I am grateful to the previous honorable hierarchs of this divinely-protected diocese: Bishops Gregory, Chrysostom and Jovan. I am forever grateful to Bishop Longin by whose love and archpastoral care I was chosen to be in this place.

Our faith, which is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” (Heb. 11: 1) the faith which was “once handed down to the saints,” I have obligated myself to preserve now and in the future, not as something of archaeological value, but to testify to it as a living reality, lived and explained in the spirit of the Ecumenical Councils, ancient and contemporary Fathers and Teachers of the Church, including those of the first six Ecumenical Council we commemorate today, and in the life and experience of the Saints.

The word of the Hierarch ought to be the word of love, of the “kenosis” or “self-emptying” of the Cross, and of understanding. It is a message that should strike the existential “chords” of man of which he has so much need in the tragic dead-ends of this life. Modern man, our neighbor, is fiercely tried and gripped by anxiety in the face of an uncertain future. He needs an outstretched hand; he needs to be opened toward the community. This opening of man to God, the opening of history to the Future, earth to Heaven – is and will always be our message and faith.

Ever gazing upon God and those in His likeness, we Christians have a duty to relate the message of the eschatological joy of the Holy Spirit; of hope in the final deliverance and transformation of the world, of its redemption from death and decay - the hope which the Church is ever delivering to all. Such faith is soaked with ethos and the spirit of sacrifice for others, whose source is in Holy Eucharist and the ascetical way of life. This is the Church which receives everyone, especially sinners of whom I am first, and which looks up to Christ – the “meek and humble in heart,” as the good Samaritan who “pours out oil and wine” on human wounds.

I am also called today to keep that most precious and most high gift, the gift of peace, unity and catholicity of the Church, which the devil hates so much, and which is disturbed by people’s sins and weaknesses. The unity in question is not only that with the mother Church in Serbia, but also with all other Churches on this continent. In a world which is faced with the ethos and characteristics of Western Christianity and culture, Orthodoxy will not be able to offer its testimony, if it is fragmented, but only through “one mouth and one heart.” Churches are called to overcome the imprisonment within their national borders, and to manifest themselves and act as one Church.

May my faith and hope, together with these simple desires for the good of the Church and Orthodoxy be in accordance with the great purposes of God.

Your Grace, honorable council of priests, dear brothers and sisters – knowing that all this is impossible to achieve by my own power, I humbly entreat all of you to pray that the Lord strengthen me, enlighten me and direct my steps. May “God’s grace direct me all the days of my life,” so that the perfection of the Holy Spirit can make up for my shortcomings.

Bless, Your Grace, this faith and hope of ours, so that through us, His servants, the service of His will may be done and that His All-holy name may be glorified – of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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