October 27, 2021
All Saints Greek Orthodox Church
Weirton, West Virginia
Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America,
Your Eminence Metropolitan Savas,
Beloved Members of the Psaros Family,
Dear Friends,
We are both moved and impressed by your hospitality today, and we wish to express our gratitude to Michael and Robin Psaros, and their whole family, for generous hosting of us and our Synodia.
The fellowship of the table, where bread is broken and the celebrations of life occur, should remind all of us that at the heart of our Christian Faith lies κοινωνία. We participate in the common meal as a sign of our common human nature, and our common destiny in Christ.
This sense of solidarity with one another is missing from much of today’s polarizing speech and behavior – even within the Church. We are called to constantly build bridges to one another through dialogue and experiences such as this, to work together and lift these bridges to become ladders to the higher reality of the Divine Life.
So today, we build our bridges – through conversation, through sharing, and through your Abrahamic hospitality. Let us wisely remember that Abraham entertained the Three Angels, who gave us a glimpse, even before Moses and the Prophets, of the Holy and Life-giving Trinity.
Such generosity is worthy of this City of Weirton, which has the strength of steel as its backbone, and no matter the length of years or length of miles away, we see these ironclad values in your eyes and in your hearts.
Therefore, with great appreciation, we lift our glass in your honor, and commend you and all the beloved faithful here to the love of God the Father, the grace of God the Son, and the communion of the God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.