In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The task of being a shepherd, especially the sort of shepherd that the Saviour is, is not an easy one, and it’s certainly not one that I have felt comfortable in, ever, because the difference is so great between Him, and me. Yet, according to the Scriptures this morning, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit gives gifts, according to the will of God, and according to the needs of the people, the sheep. Therefore, regardless of what I think about myself, and whatever my inadequacies may be, my responsibility has to be to try to be as well as I can a shepherd with the same motivation as that one Shepherd.

There is, in the end, only one Shepherd – the Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is only One who is in charge of the whole Church, and that is Jesus Christ. There is only One who is in charge of this diocese, and that is Jesus Christ. I have great hope, and confidence in Him, that whatever are the shortcomings of me, as the bishop, and whatever are the shortcomings of any priest in the diocese (because we are all just human beings, and we are all makers of mistakes), nevertheless, the Lord in His love for us will make up the difference between our lack, and what is the need of the Church.

This has been the case, anyway, throughout all of Christian history. There have been human beings who have failed greatly, who have been led astray greatly by the Tempter. Always the Saviour has been able (because He is the Creator of everything anyway, and because His love is so great) to bring things back into the correct focus, and the right direction.

In the other reading for today, the Saviour is emphasising once again the importance of our being child-like. He says, as He accepts children to Himself, blesses them, and lays His hands upon them, that we all have to enter the Kingdom as children. The problem is that instead of being like children, child-like, we often behave childishly, and there is quite a difference, quite a difference.

What is really important is to remember what sort of a person St Gregory the Theologian was, and others, like St John the Theologian, who carried the title “Theologian”, remembering also that they came to this title, this appellation, because they were so full of the love of God. They were so full of the love of Jesus Christ, that, in fact, they became like children. They became like children because of their complete, and utter trust in the love of Jesus Christ. Such people are persons who have actually grown up (this is one of the Orthodox paradoxes—you grow up to be a child). To be a really adult Christian, we have to have child-like, pure faith—faith that is not confused by fear, and especially not paralysed by fear. We have to come to this point, in opening our hearts to the Saviour, and giving ourselves over to Him, that we trust Him in everything.

My nephew gave me The Mountain of Silence to read, and I should have read it a long time ago. I am very grateful to my nephew for giving me this book, and pressing me to read it, too, because I have to give it back. However, he wants to make sure that I read it soon. In The Mountain of Silence there are many stories told about Athonite elders who have lived recently: Elder Paisios in particular, and Father Maximos, who is still living in Cyprus, together with Archimandrite Sophrony, and others like them. All these men (and women too, because the Eldress Gavrilia of Greece, is also mentioned many times in this book), are people who, even though they might be eccentric, have given their whole lives over to the Saviour, and are loving the Saviour completely. Some of them, like the Elder Porphyrios in particular, and the Elder Paisios in quite a similar way, were so full of the love of Jesus Christ, that they were able to tell people all of their problems, correct their problems, help them at a distance, phone them up, and tell them what was the problem – that sort of thing. They are people who have managed to give themselves over so much to the love of Jesus Christ, that their hearts are like Adam and Eve before the Fall. Their hearts instantly respond to the love of God, and know what God wants without having even to ask.

This is not just the call of “specialists”, because this Paisios, this Porphyrios, and this Gavrilia, and many others, even in the last century, who were of a similar devotion to the Saviour, are not different from you, and me. They are human beings with the same sort of temptations, and weaknesses, but they were ready to give themselves over to the Saviour, and trust Him with everything in their lives. This call is the call of everyone of us. The Saviour’s love is the same for each of us. He created each of us in His image, and we are supposed to be in His likeness. This likeness is love. Love. Selfless love. Love, which gives gifts, and which allows the gifts of the Saviour to grow.

The Holy Spirit gives to all of us particular gifts, according to who we are. He gives these gifts not for us alone, not at all. He gives these gifts for the sake of everyone else around us. That’s why these elders, these Gavrilias, these Porphyrioses, and these Paisioses (if you can say it like that in English), gave themselves over to hours and hours and hours of people coming to them in confession, just as St Seraphim did. You hear about how many years he lived in the desert by himself (the desert of the forest, that is), and how, when the time came, St Seraphim, full of life, was in the monastery, and for hours and hours and hours was hearing people’s confessions, and hearing their heartbreaks.

Gifts are given to these people for the well-being of everyone else who is hungry, and thirsty, and lost. The good Shepherd who knows His sheep, knows us. He knows our needs. He knows all of our weaknesses. It is, in fact, beyond my ability to comprehend what is the nature of His love, and how it works itself out in our lives. However, I do see, everywhere I go, the fruit of that love: in pastors feeding their sheep, in pastors teaching their sheep, in faithful people being nourished by these pastors, growing up, becoming strong believers, and becoming people who are magnets of Christ’s love themselves, and then themselves bringing people to the Saviour by their example. I see this more and more.

It’s important for us all to pay attention to the fact that the Saviour is so active among us because He loves us, because He is with us, because He cares for us. Even if we have all sorts of difficulties, and problems, He is still with us. He is still helping us out of all of these things, through all of these things, to heal the pain of our hearts. He heals the scars of our hearts. He renews us. He makes us over into who we are supposed to be in the first place. He lifts us up, and gives us the ability to live in joy. The characteristic of a Christian, par excellence, is to be able to live in joy: as St Seraphim of Sarov, and as these other saints—Paisios, Porphyrios, Greeks of the last century lived in joy. It is the characteristic of the way of Christ: this peace, and this joy which gives life to everyone, and everything around.

Glory to God that He has such concern for us, that He has such patience with our stubbornness, and our blindness. Glory to God that He is so ready to make up the difference between our weaknesses, our fears, our fragilities, and what are the needs of His flock. Glory to God that we are able to be here, all together with our Saviour, glorifying Him. Glory to God, also, that there are such Orthodox Christians who are interested in celebrating an obscure birthday of a relatively obscure bishop. Glory to God for your love, for your care, and for your faithful service to Christ, whom we glorify, together with His Father, who is from everlasting, and His all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America