Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν ἱστορία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Γ΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2016, σσ. 106-110

   Bishops dedicate their lives to Christ and His Church. We have a close relationship with our Bishop. We are his family, along with every person who belongs to his diocese. He prays for us and cares for us, so let’s love him and remember him in our prayers.
   Bishops are also called pastors because Christ has entrusted to them the flock of His Church. Like a good shepherd who watches over his flock, a bishop watches over the members of the Church.
He is a respected person because he stands in the place of Christ, he is the successor of His Apostles! That is why we address him as “Your Reverence”. When the Bishop visits our church and gives us his fatherly blessing, it is an honour and a joy.
   Here we will present a saint bishop. He is one of the first links in the holy chain of bishops, which begins with the apostles and continues to the present bishops of the Orthodox Church.
   His name was Polykarpos and he was the bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir in Turkey). He was a student of the Apostle John. In his time, Christians were being persecuted. There was a strict Roman edict; “Emperor Caesar must be worshipped as a god”! Anyone who refused to do so would face fire, torture and death! Some Christians cowered. In order not to lose their lives, they joined in the worship of Caesar. But most Christians stood their ground. Their persecutors wanted to arrest bishop Polykarpos. If he succumbed, they thought, the rest would be easier to break.
   So Polykarpos was wanted. He wasn’t upset when he was informed about it. Nor did he want to run away to save his life. After much effort, he was persuaded to move to a house outside the city. But someone revealed his hiding place. Soldiers came to his door.
   “I’m looking for Polykarpos”, said the centurion.
   The elder Polykarpos came descending the stairs with a beaming face. He was 86 years old.
   “I will come with you”, he said calmly. Then he turned to his students: “Bring some food for the soldiers, they are very tired.”
   The soldiers were confused. What kind of man was he? They had come to arrest him and he wanted to offer them hospitality. However, they accepted. They sat down to rest and eat. Polykarpos asked their permission;
   “May I fulfill my responsibilities while you eat?”
   He wasn’t refused. So Polykarpos withdrew to a private place to pray. He prayed earnestly for his flock, for the Christians in danger, for his persecutors and for all the people.
When he had finished praying, he surrendered to the soldiers. His face was so radiant that the soldiers were dazzled. They regretted arresting such a man, but they had orders to obey.
   Bishop Polykarpos was taken to the stadium in front of the proconsul. At first, he tried to flatter him;
   “Have pity on your years, old man! Deny Christ and I will set you free!”
   “I have served Him for eighty-six years and He has never wronged me. How can I deny my King and Saviour?"
   “I will feed you to the beasts if you don’t change your mind!”
   Polykarpos gave a wise answer;
   “A person can only repent and change their mind by moving from a false idea to the truth. I could never leave something better, namely Christ, and choose something worse, namely to worship a man!”
   “I’ll throw you into the fire if you don’t fear the beasts!”
   “What are you waiting for? Do whatever you want!”
   They did indeed throw him into the fire. But what a spectacle! The fire respected him! It formed an arc and didn’t touch him! The elderly bishop was finally executed with a sword, and Christ rewarded him with the crown of eternal glory. His memory is celebrated on 23 February.

Respect for the Priests

   Even the fire respected the bishop! Every bishop and every priest is worthy of respect. St Kosmas the Aetolian said: “If I meet a priest and an angel, I will first greet the priest, kiss his holy hands and then greet the angel”. Have we ever thought about how much we owe to priests? It is clear that priests make an invaluable contribution to the lives of Christians.
   When we were 40 days old, the priest held us in his arms and took us into church for the first time. From that moment until we depart from this world, he will be with us in joy and in sorrow.
   •    The priest baptised us and we became children of God.
   •     At the priest’s hand we receive communion, the body and blood of Christ.
   •    God has given priests the right to forgive our sins through the Mystery of Confession.
   •    If we are suffering from a serious illness, we ask the priest to come to our home and perform the Mystery of Holy Unction, for the healing of body and soul.
   •    At the beginning of the school year, the priest comes to the school to perform the Blessing of Water, so that the school year is blessed and the teachers and students have God’s enlightenment.
   •    The priest performs the Mystery of Marriage. He crowns and blesses the new couple.
   •    Priests organise the distribution of food in our parishes. With paternal love, they make sure that no one goes hungry.
   •    They feed our souls with the eternal words of the Gospel!
   •    We ask the priest for advice when we are in a difficult situation, because he is God’s representative!

   These are the reasons why we should respect and honour God’s priests!
   How do we show our respect?
   •    We stand reverently before him.
   •    We greet him whenever we meet him.
   •    We kiss his hand and ask for his blessing.

   Unfortunately, there are people who speak ill of priests. They are quick to blame them for mistakes. It is possible for priests, who are also human beings, to make mistakes. We sin when we condemn a person. But it is a greater sin to make accusations against priests.

To God’s priest I will show respect
he prays to Christ for me to protect.