Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Metropolitan Anthony

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December 2014

Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Metropolitan Anthony

Rev. Father John Hondros Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church – Las Vegas, Nevada On December 25, the Feast of the Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, it will be ten years since His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of San Francisco fell asleep in the Lord. It was providential that this creative, dynamic and faithful hierarch reposed on this date, when we Orthodox Christians celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God – for as Metropolitan Anthony wrote a few days before his passing, “I have always insisted on an incarnational way of doing theology that reflects this constant movement from ‘word’ to ‘flesh,’ from the abstract to the concrete, from the intangible to the human touch.” These words of our late bishop were just a small part of an amazing encyclical, “The Mantle of Elijah,” which he described in his opening lines as his “apologia, an accounting of my ministry and service to the Church . . . in order that those who come after may have a clear understanding of what we set out to accomplish.” For those of us blessed to have known and served under Metropolitan Anthony, he was forward-thinking, a practical visionary, a builder, a cheerleader and, at times, a harsh critic of those who attempted to squelch the growth of our Church, whether at the parish, Metropolis, national or universal level. Just as “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), our faith must also be “ incarnated,” wrote the bishop: Our faith “acquires real substance in programs that elevate and inspire our people, in ministries that carry on the work of the Church, in concrete actions that demonstrate our love for others and our commitment to carrying out the work of the Gospel.” If we take the time to listen and reflect on the Orthodox readings and hymns for the Nativity of Christ, we will see that God Himself is forward-thinking and a practical visionary, willing to come in the flesh when the world was spiritually lethargic, in order to personally restore us to

His Kingdom. He Who created all things is both the builder and the cornerstone, and “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Ephesians 2:10) Jesus Christ is the cheerleader for the underdogs, the outcasts, the disregarded and those who suffer for His Name’s sake: He is likewise the harsh critic of those who are selfishly rich, ungrateful, falsely pious, judgmental and indifferent, and especially of those who curse and actively fight against the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, which is His Body. For us Orthodox Christians, the real and essential meaning of Christmas, for our salvation, is that this newborn Child is the pre-eternal God, Who becomes fully human without ceasing to be what He is, the second Person of the Trinity . . . and born from a Virgin so that we might be reestablished, by grace, as the children of God. The true celebration of Christmas for us Christians cannot be limited to a one-day event, but rather must be a life-long labor of love in response to God’s unfathomable gift of Himself to the world: Metropolitan Anthony deeply understood this and spent his entire ministry inspiring others to wake up to this “good news,” and reach out to our children, dig deep in our pockets, place the shovel in the earth, to worship actively and from the heart, and to do whatever it would take to build up the Body of Christ for generations to come. This Christmas, let us remember that Jesus Christ was born in the flesh to give us fallen humans the kick in the pants we desperately needed, and to offer us a second chance to dine with Him at the eternal banquet. Let us also give thanks to our Savior for the leadership and ministry of Metropolitan Anthony, who I am sure is serving as the master chef in His Kingdom.