From the Parish Priest – Fr. Romey Rosco
To be a teacher of the Orthodox Christian Faith is not merely an honor – it is a humbling task. It continually reminds us of how little we all know about this Faith we hold so dear, and how challenging it really is to “feed the sheep.”
Most of the faithful today refuse to see themselves as “sheep.” Oh, they’ll call Christ “the Good Shepherd,” but “sheep” is a name they’d rather use for people other than themselves. The concept of being “like sheep” implies humility and acceptance, but we are proud and unwilling to “take orders,” from God Whom we cannot see! This stubborn, doubting, and sometimes faith-rejecting attitude usually begins in our teenage years. And that is why the work of a loving Sunday School teacher is so humbling, and so necessary!
We have wonderful children in this parish. But their generation must learn to struggle to keep their faith alive. We must encourage them (and one another) to build up knowledge, faith, courage, confidence, hope and patience and love for others as we strive to be the family of God. We are all His children and can learn much from the little ones around us, even as we teach them.
Learning right from wrong, moral from immoral, is absolutely important, but always in the context of God’s love for mankind. While other religions seem to be making excuses for change and convenience, Orthodoxy still looks to a changeless Christ for the right answers….and humbly accepts them.
From The Weekly Bulletin, Vol. XXXIX No. 22, 20 May 2012
Sts. Peter & Paul Romanian Orthodox Church, Dearborn Heights MI
