His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

Address at the Ordination on the Feast of Thomas Sunday

Of Deacon Gabriel Galifianakis to the Holy Priesthood

May 12, 2024

Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church

Southampton, New York

 

Beloved Deacon Gabriel – Χριστὸς Ανέστη!

 

On this day when we remember the ψηλάφησις of the Apostle Thomas, the reaching out his hand to touch the Lord on the Eighth Day after the glorious Resurrection of our Savior, you present yourself for ordination to the sacred Order of Melchizedek. The Church is still adorned with the grandeur of Pascha – the Empty Cross, the Empty Tomb, all the signs of the truth of our Faith.

Here in this magnificent Church, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos – which is truly her Resurrection, you stand before the Altar of God in humility and obedience. Here beneath the dome of Heaven, in which the Holy Liturgy is seen in its eternal resplendence served by the Celestial Choirs, you are responding to the words of the Lord that rise above the entrance to this sacred Τόπος:

μακάριοι οἱ ἀκούοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσοντες αὐτόν.

blessed are those who hear the word of God, and guard and defend it.[*]

For you have shown yourself to be a person of integrity, and a worthy Deacon serving in our Cathedral in Washington, DC. And you will continue to serve at Saint Sophia as a priest, with all the attendant responsibilities and duties.

As a priest, you will heed the message of God, which is the Gospel of our Lord, and you will guard and defend it, even as you share it with others.

For this is the ministry of a priest – to share the message of God’s unconditional love with  others, and to perform the ministries that enhance and enshrine that love in the hearts of the People of God.

Your Presvytera Samantha will be by your side.

The prayers of this wonderful community of the Hamptons will be by your side.

Your Proïstamenos at Agia Sophia, Father Steve, will be by your side.

I will be by your side.

And in this incredible journey that you are making into the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are three tasks that you are called to, which are hallmarks of what it means to be a priest and to shepherd the flock of Christ: to teach, to be a moral exemplar, and to celebrate the Mysteries of the Church.

First of all, you are called to be a teacher, even as our Lord was called “Rabbi” by His Disciples. You have spent the time in Seminary and you have learned the doctrine of the Church. But I ask you this: never to be doctrinaire.

When we teach the Faithful, it is not to indoctrinate them into some belief system. When we teach, it is to share the life-giving meaning and message that our Lord brought into the world. We teach to enlighten. Not to burden. Not everyone will respond to the message, and that was true when the Lord taught the multitudes. Very few followed Him on His path, the sacred Ὁδός that leads heavenward. But the teaching abides. And your vocation is to be faithful to that teaching, the fullness of our Holy Orthodox Christian Faith and Tradition.

Second, you are to set an example for the flock – to be an ethical and moral exemplar who acts without hypocrisy. If you look at our Lord’s critique of the religious of His day, it was mostly the hypocrisy that He could not abide.

Therefore, beloved Deacon, I commend you to remember the words of the great Saint John Kolovos of the Egyptian desert. When he was criticized for his exuberance with some of the brethren – called out as a show-off – and he responded by thanking the critic, saying: “As you see me on the outside, so I am on the inside.” [†] This is spiritual congruity, and it is a powerful witness in the life of the Church. Perhaps the most significant modern example is our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. For all his greatness, His All-Holiness is within, as he is without. A true pillar of Orthodoxy, solid all the way through. You would do well to follow his example.

But please remember, for all your integrity, keeping moral and ethical conduct, do not be moralistic with your flock. People do struggle to do the right, and righteousness is hard fought and rarely won. Remember mercy and humility. Remember that God sees all our weaknesses, and loves us perfectly and infinitely. Be open to the sinner, if not to the sin. And embrace those who come to you, as the Father embraced the his prodigal son. Make the first move. Let your care and concern be proactive. Your ministry will be all the more effective and Christ-like.

Finally, in your liturgical life, be like those Angels circling above us. Serve the rituals of the Church, without becoming ritualistic. Never allow them to become something you do mechanically, without intention and mindfulness.

You are entering the Order of Melchizedek, of which the Lord Himself is the Great High Priest!

Therefore, beloved Gabriel:

When you perform the sacred Mysteries of the Church, celebrate each and every one as if it is your first Liturgy,

your last Liturgy,

your only Liturgy.

And God will accept and use your priesthood unto His everlasting glory, which you now join with all your heart, and soul, and mind.

Amen.