At the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and Archon Investiture

Homily of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW

Archdiocesan Cathedral
Direct Archdiocesan District
New York, New York

November 1, 2009

Your Eminence Archbishop Demetrios,
Most Reverend Metropolitans of the Holy Eparchial Synod,
Reverend Clergy,
Esteemed Archons of the Ecumenical Throne,
Faithful Laity,
Beloved Children in the Lord,

The New Testament readings that we heard this morning provide us with a unique image – not only of the faithful in general within the Church – but also of the relationship that you enjoy as members of the Order of St. Andrew with the Apostolic See of Constantinople founded by the First-Called Apostle Andrew. What we have before us is an icon of the bond that we share, of the affiliation with which you are invested as Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. For today’s apostolic and evangelical readings provide some fundamental insights into how the Mother Church of Constantinople has endured persecution and martyrdom through steadfast love for its spiritual children over the centuries; they also describe how awareness of pain and response to those who suffer defines the genuine disciple of Christ. Permit us, then, to bring three basic points to your attention.

First, the opening verses of chapter 13 of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians plainly declare that love transcends all other gifts of the Spirit: “If I speak the tongues of mortals and even angels …; if I have prophetic powers and knowledge …; even if I give away all my possessions … but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (verses 1-3) In some ways, these verses describe the poverty of the Church of Constantinople through the centuries. It neither claims to be nor aims to be an institution with secular power or worldly authority. Indeed, it has been called “the Church of Christ’s poor.” It is a Church that has known the martyrdom of the apostolic centuries and the troubles of the later centuries. Yet, it is a Church that serves through humility and leads by example. Its authority lies more in its emphasis on Orthodox Christian unity and its influence derives from its ecumenical vocation as enshrined in the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon for all Orthodox Churches.

At the same time, the Gospel story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is perhaps one of the best-known parables of our Lord. We are all familiar with the hardness of heart that characterizes the rich man, who seems not to care about the hungry Lazarus. Yet, in many ways, the meaning of the parable is not simply about how the rich should support the poor. Christ’s stories often conceal numerous levels of understanding and spiritual depth. In this case, we would say that the parable is not so much about the sin of wasting (which we have raised in international symposia with regard to the abuse of the natural environment); and it is not about the priority of social justice (which we have raised in addresses before the World Economic Forum).

Rather, we would suggest that the parable is about the sin of not noticing. The truth is that most of our sinfulness today relates to our ignorance about what is happening in our world. None of us would hard-heartedly deny food to someone starving; the problem is that we do not notice who is hungry or who is poor among us. Let us recall Christ’s words in the parable of the Last Judgment: “I was hungry and you gave me no food. … For just as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25.42-45)

And in order to relate the sense of noticing and the sin of ignorance to this service of investiture, we could claim that the predicament of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the trampling of our human and religious rights as a Church, would be largely unknown to the world – certainly to the political world – without the supportive and successful campaigns of the Order of St. Andrew. The Archons have brought to light the injustices with regard to our freedom of religion, while at the same time supporting in diverse ways the extensive ministry of the Mother Church.

Only a few verses before the Epistle reading that we heard this morning, St. Paul describes the characteristics of a living Church – the particular features of a community that knows how to share its invaluable gifts. Dear Archons, each of you constitutes a unique and indispensable member of the Body of Christ. In the Church, “just as in one body,” as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans, “we have many members, yet we are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” (12.4-12)

Therefore, you are more than simply members in name alone of an esteemed lay Order of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In fact, you are distinguished supporters of the historical, spiritual, theological, and cultural treasures of the Church of Constantinople, which you defend so firmly, which you endorse so eloquently, which you sustain so generously, and which you embrace so warmly. It is precisely for this reason that a distinct and proper title has been personally bestowed upon each of you by us as the Ecumenical Patriarch. It is an honor that you richly deserve.

As we receive and invest a new group of Archons, the most recent members of this esteemed Order, we pray for their welfare and for the enrichment of the entire Order for the benefit of the Church and to the glory of God. May God continue to bless all of you and your families with His abundant grace and rich mercy.

• Home
• News
• Ecumenical
  Patriarchate
• Ecumenical Patriarch
  Bartholomew
• Orthodoxy &
  The Environment
• Archived Events
• Multimedia
• Contact

© 2012 The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. All Rights Reserved.