Dear members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Anne in Scarborough:
We are facing some very difficult and unusual challenges right now, and they will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Our faith in, and connection to, the Holy Orthodox Church are being tested in ways seen and unseen. My prayers are with all of you and your families during this time of pandemic.
How do we meet the challenges coming against us in this time of self isolation, quarantine and distancing from each other?
It begins with prayer and Holy Scripture.
The Holy Orthodox Church has been a strong refuge in times of pestilence throughout the ages. We have, however, grown comfortable thinking that such a thing would never come to pass in these modern times. And so the lessons from our Holy Fathers and Mothers must be found and learned once again. The great advantage we have now, my friends, is the almost instantaneous access to a vast library of Orthodox Spirituality and Theology if we only reach out to look for it. So I urge you not to spend these many hours at home in idleness and sloth!
Let us recall what The Lord said to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7: “Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on my people, if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again. I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here, because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshipped for ever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time.”
Even though we will feel fear and confusion, let us remember that God is with us even now. Let us ask for the guidance and support of our Guardian Angel, and to use this guidance to take us away from the darkness of fear, anger, ignorance and sloth and to bring us into the light of truth, diligence, knowledge and forgiveness.
Father Charles Baxter