Bishop Ibrahim Michael Ibrahim, by the grace of God
Eparch of the Melkite Eparchy of Canada
To the reverend fathers,
the monks, nuns, deacons and faithful,
and the friends of the God-blessed Melkite Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur
28 March 2020
Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
Dearly beloved sisters and brothers in Christ, dear friends,
We are now nearing the end of Great Lent, a season of devotion and reverence that prepares us for the holy Passion and the glorious Resurrection. For us, the baptized, this season so rich in graces and blessings has taken an unexpected and tragic turn, weighing especially on our minds and stunning souls all over the world.
Following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, and in keeping with the directives of the federal and provincial authorities, the public health institutions and the Canadian and Quebec Conferences of Catholic Bishops, and out of respect for the instructions to stay in quarantine, we have refrained from celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral and in all our churches. We are also suspending all parish gatherings, avoiding close contact between people and any group activity.
This season was a time for reciting beautiful prayers and singing hymns of repentance before God Most High and Almighty, and for chanting the Akathist hymn in honour of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. But today each of us has taken shelter at home to live an enforced solitude, yet out of duty, caution and prudence, in order to ease the burden of this solitude and live in peace. Saint John Climacus (579-649) says: “The solitary life consists in living always in the presence of God.” So in the depth of my solitude God is present, and he never neglects me, for he bends down to those who trust in him. What does God do when he dwells with me? I hear him speak to me; he listens to me; he strengthens me. God works tirelessly, never weary of waking us up and breathing the breath of life into us.
Indeed, according to our traditions, every hermit chooses solitude so as to contemplate God, hear his voice and speak with him. As Evagrius of Pontus (345-399) wrote: “A monk is one who is separated from all and united with all.” To be separated and united at the same time: this is a privilege God grants only to those who have welcomed him into their lives. True freedom is to let God work in us.
Dear faithful and friends,
From the depth of my solitude I unite myself with all of you and with each one of you, and I raise my prayer for those working on the front lines and providing us with essential services, and especially for the members of the health-care staff who are directly and courageously caring for the victims of the coronavirus, this invisible enemy of human life. I also unite myself with all those who carefully and wisely practise the virtue of quarantine, physical distancing and self-isolation.
I unite myself as well with my priests, who have shown the greatness of self-giving and works of mercy by tirelessly providing support, encouragement and good care for the faithful. Together we pray for the daughters and sons of our parishes, so that through the love of Christ Jesus we may be closer to them. I thank them with all my heart for their faithfulness and their zeal for the priesthood of serving Gospel love.
When I last celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral, empty of the faithful, a deep sadness came over my soul at the terrible, devastating consequences of this pandemic.
On 27 March 2020 we heard His Holiness Pope Francis praying fervently, alone, in Saint Peter’s Square when he gave the faithful an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing: “For weeks now it has seemed as if evening has fallen. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing emptiness that stops everything as it passes by. We feel it in the air, we notice it in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost.” The Holy Father went on: “We were dazzled by haste. We did not stop at your calls, we were not shaken awake by wars and injustice throughout the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you: ‘Wake up, Lord!’ You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: ‘Do not be afraid’ (Matthew 28:5). And we, together with Peter, ‘cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us’ (cf. 1 Peter 5:7).”
My beloved in Christ,
“We are afraid,” as the Holy Father says. Experiencing fear in such circumstances is part of human nature. But it is not natural to let our lives become prey to fear and anger, because we, the baptized, have been freed from fear by faith, trust and hope.
Do not be afraid! Because Jesus is with us, right there in the eye of the storm. To him we cry out with the Psalmist: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Lord acts on the one hand, and on the other he asks us to do what we can: to live these times of looming danger with faith. Of course, we must wisely and firmly follow the health and safety guidelines, always mindful of the need to turn to God our Saviour, who never abandons us but hurries to protect us whenever we call on him with unshakable trust.
Dear friends,
With fatherly urgency and insistence, I invite you, especially in this difficult time, to make time for prayer together, asking God’s forgiveness for all our wrongs against him, against our neighbour and especially against ourselves; and let us implore the Most High to bless the scientists who have devoted themselves to searching for medicines and a vaccine to wipe out this destructive virus that is doing so much harm, and those who are helping its victims recover and return to health; and let us thank him with all praise and gratitude.
I would also like to suggest the following: since all the members of the family are together, young and old, rather than sitting glued to the television or wandering through what our mobile phones offer us, let us start a constructive conversation, or share with one another our old memories of how we held firm and faced past ordeals. It is an effective way to strengthen the bonds of cooperation and closeness in the family.
At the same time, reflect on the Holy Scriptures: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In this way our homes become churches for us again, just as they were in times of persecution, knowing that churches cannot be confined to particular places or limited to a special building whose doors can easily be closed. For the Church is “the Body of Christ,” a living body: a family of believers spiritually united in the name of the Saviour. And because our Church is alive, we cannot but remain spiritually watchful and active.
All the priests of the eparchy in Canada have devoted themselves to celebrating the Divine Liturgy and holding prayers, Gospel sharing and spiritual talks, united with all the faithful through the various social media networks and other sharing applications. All the activities for children, teenagers and young people are also continuing online.
My sisters and brothers,
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Not even this evil and hateful virus. It will be paralysed and wiped out by the right hand of God, who is all goodness, love and mercy, and by his compassionate heart full of tenderness and pity. This virus cannot stop us from celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, glorious Easter, the Feast of Feasts and the Season of Seasons. We will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, though according to emergency measures, while preserving the spiritual radiance of our celebrations. Even in the depth of our isolation and solitude, the event of the Resurrection, on which our faith rests, remains great and glorious.
Saint Paul affirmed: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.” This faith leads us to an authentic and radical change and carries us sinners from slavery, suffering and death to the sonship of resurrection and salvation, the fruit of the grace of Christ’s Resurrection.
For Christ’s Resurrection to become our own resurrection, we must pass from the state of sin to the state of grace, from the reality of fear to the strength of trust, embracing goodness without reserve and rejecting evil itself. And the harm of evil is not limited to the harm of a virus, even one that becomes a pandemic. For the evil that destroys souls is far more dangerous and deadly.
O God, make Christ’s Resurrection a true healing for our distressed and wounded world. O God, strengthen, sustain and uphold our Church, our eparchy, our parishes, our families, our fathers and mothers and our children. O God, help our society to welcome goodness and righteousness, to reject evil, to wipe away all disputes and divisions and to choose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation, the path of unity and communion among ourselves and with you, O Almighty, and to follow a new way of life, the life of the joyful Good News of the Gospel, the life of the Resurrection and the Kingdom.
May this feast be glorious for all of you and for the whole world. May God keep you from all evil and grant you pure joy and peace and the height of success, and give you a long life full of health.
“O Lord of hosts, be with us, for in times of distress we have no other help but you. O Lord of hosts, have mercy on us.”
May God protect us, and may his holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, keep us under the shelter of her protection and never forget us. Amen.
Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
Bishop Ibrahim Michael Ibrahim,
Eparch of the Melkite Eparchy of Canada
