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2003 Thanksgiving Message (11/03)A Message from Bishop John Elya Annunciation Cathedral (To be read from the pulpit or to be distributed with the bulletin)
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To the priests, deacons,
religious, and laity of the Eparchy of Newton for the
Melkite Catholics in the As we celebrate this season of
Thanksgiving, my heart is filled with thanks to the Lord for
all His blessings. I thank God for my successful triple
bypass surgery on November 3, and for my restored good
health. Thank God! I feel stronger by the hours. “One
thought to make you fight a little longer: What
does not kill you outright makes you stronger.” I
also thank almighty God for my family, my friends, and above
all for my priestly and religious vocation. I thank our Lord
Jesus Christ the High Priest for calling me and sharing His
priesthood with me. I thank God for His confidence in me to
call me to serve as Bishop and then as Eparch of our
wonderful diocese. I pray for you all and I ask forgiveness
of any one I have hurt or offended in any way over the
years. In
his Letter to the Colossians Saint Paul instructs the Early
Christians, “Be
thankful.” (Colossians 3:15b) This same advice he
also gives to the Christian Community at Thessalonica. “Rejoice
always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Joy
is a sure sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. A
grateful heart produces a joyful heart. Developing an
“attitude of gratitude” is a powerful way of making the
individual joyful. Praise of God is another great way
producing a joyful and joy-filled heart. In our Eastern life
of prayer every morning we sing the praises of God during
the second part of Orthros. One
powerful way of singing the praises of the Lord is the
‘poly-eleos’ (Psalm 136) The psalms are filled with
thanks to Lord and the praise of the Lord. In the Divine
Liturgy we receive our blessed Lord Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist. The word, ‘Eucharist,’ in Greek means
‘Thanksgiving.’ We
must be careful not to allow a negative spirit to overpower
us. Speech is
very important in the life of us Christians. Words can build
up, and words can tear down. The great Father of the Desert,
Abba Poemen, taught his disciples, “Teach your mouth to
say that which is in your heart.” His thought is rooted in
“THE
SNAKE THAT POISONS EVERYBODY
It topples governments, wrecks marriages, ruins
careers, rusts reputations, causes heartaches, nightmares,
indigestion, spawns suspicion, generates grief, dispatches
innocent people to cry in their pillow. Even the name
hisses. It's called gossip, office gossip, shop gossip,
party gossip. It makes headlines and headaches. In the Near Eastern background,
in which our Melkite Traditions were born, gratitude and
thanksgiving play a huge role. How many times in a day we
say, or better said, we pray, “We praise God! We thank
God!” (NHimdilla! Nushkur Allah!” We
honor God and praise Him by thanking Him for everything. We
thank God for the good in our life. We thank God for our
struggles. We know that in all things God is present with
us, caring for us, and holding us in His loving and tender
embrace. “We know that all things work for good for those
who love God, who are called according to His Purpose.”
(Romans 8:28) Living with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ makes us a joy to be with. It keeps us
humble. It encourages others. It strengthens families and
enhances parishes. An ‘attitude
of gratitude’ makes us more understanding, more
compassionate, and more willing to forgive. It glorifies God
while strengthening and blessing the one who is grateful. On
another personal note, I would like to thank all the
parishes and all the individuals who remembered me so kindly
for my 75th birthday this fall. I found the love,
prayers, flowers, cards, wishes, and gifts overwhelming.
Thank you one and all. I pray for you all daily, both in my
offering of the Divine Liturgy as well as the praying of the
Divine Office. God bless you. +
John A. Elya Eparch
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