Exalted today, the Cross sanctifies the ends of the earth, and the Church is renewed in the Resurrection.

(Hymn of Vespers)

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America.

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross is a blessed day and celebration of the tremendous power of the Cross of our Lord.  Through the Cross the power and wisdom of God have been revealed.  By the Cross we are reconciled to Him, and we can find true and enduring peace.  It is the Cross that directs us to Christ and to the way of salvation and eternal life.

As the Apostle Paul recognized in his first Epistle to the Corinthians some see this as foolishness or contrary to the wisdom of the age (I Corinthians 1:17-23). How can wisdom be found in great humility, suffering, and sacrifice?  Where is peace and reconciliation through an instrument of torture and punishment?  How can this cruel means of death show us the way to life?

First, our Exaltation of the Cross affirms that God has revealed His great might and wisdom  through what is low and despised in the world (1:28) and what is foolish and weak (1:27).  He did this so that no human being might boast in the presence of God(1:29).  He chose a means for our redemption that did not conform to worldly standards of wisdom and power, showing that our source of life, our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification (1:30) are found in Jesus Christ alone.

Second, as we exalt the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, we commemorate the tremendous offering of our Lord.  We acknowledge that He alone was able to reconcile us to God by His death, ending our estrangement due to the power of evil.  By making peace through the blood of His Cross and through our faith in Him, we can be presented before God as holy, blameless, and irreproachable.  (Colossians 1:19-23)

Finally, we proclaim the power of the Cross on this Feast, for through it Christ has shown us the way to life.  Through the Cross and His humility and obedience unto death, He has been exalted so that every tongue should confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:11).   By emptying himself, taking the form of a servant, and being born in the likeness of humankind (Philippians 2:7), Jesus has received a name above every name.  Christ has shown that through the His Cross He is leading us to overcoming sin and evil and death and to reach eternal life.

As we celebrate the Cross and its transforming power for our lives and for all the created order, we also offer our support for our beloved Holy Cross School of Theology.  In the life of our Schole, this feast always marks the beginning of a new academic year.  It also is the beginning and continuation of the journey of our students who are preparing for service to God and His Church.  During this time at Holy Cross they are strengthened and nurtured for a lifetime of ministry, and through the Cross they will be connected to the wisdom of God, will guide others to reconciliation and peace, and will show the way to salvation and eternal life through Christ.  May we offer our prayers and gifts of support for our seminarians and our beloved Holy Cross.

Through our worship and celebration let us call all people to come to the Cross of our Lord so that they might know His grace and compassion.  Certainly, the power of the Cross will change their lives forever!

With paternal love in Christ,

†DEMETRIOS

Archbishop of America

Beloved in the Lord,

The above verse is taken from our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, and I hope it will inspire each of you and the ministries of our Metropolis in this new Ecclesiastical year. As the Lord teaches, this light, this brilliance, is not meant to be covered under a bushel, but placed high for all to see and to illumine a path for all to come to Him. Now that our parish programs and ministries resume their normal routines after the summer months, let the light of our faith and life as Orthodox Christians shine bright.

As you read this letter, I am enjoying the hospitality of our Ecumenical Patriarchate, at the Phanar, for the Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne. The Phanar is so named because of the lighthouse that once sat in this area on the Golden Horn. Today the lighthouse is gone, but our Patriarchate serves as the lighthouse for our Orthodox faith, being a shining example of leadership and care for the Orthodox Church and the people of the world.

In the Synaxis, Archbishops, Metropolitans, and Bishops from the eparchies and dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate around the globe are gathered in council under the leadership of our His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to discuss the issues facing our Church and the world today. Throughout the Synaxis our focus will be on finding new ways for our Faith and Church to shine the light of Christ with greater intensity. There are many issues to discuss from the forthcoming Great and Holy Council to be held in 2016, to the tragic situation of the Church under persecution in the Middle East. We must act as one Church to continually shine light on these issues.

Another area of common concern for the Church and the world is the environment. September 1 has been designated as the day of the Protection of the Environment. Our Ecumenical Patriarch began shining light on this issue long before other religious leaders. His All Holiness has called us to pray for the protection of the environment and to ask for forgiveness for our complicity in its destruction. With the raging forest fires, years of drought, and the recent toxic accident in a river, we can see why we must turn to God and ask Him to enlighten us with environmental wisdom, for we need His help and guidance more than ever.

Let me conclude by returning to our work as the Metropolis of San Francisco. Our task in this coming Ecclesiastical year is to magnify and radiate the light of Christ through the life of our parishes and people. We, the Body of Christ, are called to continue Christ’s mission in the world, to see all people as Christ saw them: children of their loving God and Father. This coming year as we continue to implement our Strategic Plan, let us spread the light of the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Orthodox Church throughout our Metropolis. The programs and ministries we are building can shine the love and the light of Christ on all people. Some people today criticize Christianity because they believe it is not living up to the Gospel that it preaches. Let this not be so among our parishes and Metropolis. Let our love for our neighbor be as meaningful as the words we preach!

May the love of God the Father shine in your hearts and radiate among the lives of all you encounter in your parish, in your work, and in your family. Beseeching our God to bring this New Ecclesiastical Year all His blessings, I remain,

With Love in Christ,

+ G E R A S I M O S
​
Metropolitan of San Francisco