07/30/2024
I Dream of A Church
+ I dream of a church; her master is Jesus Christ alone.
+ I dream of a church; her members seek the life of righteousness at all times.
+ I dream of a church; her youth see the Life flow from their church.
+ I dream of a church; her elders enjoy her warmth in the sunset of their lives.
+ I dream of a church; rooted in her heritage, and present always to face all new.
+ I dream of a church; who allows the Holy Spirit to act.
+ I dream of a church; who does not attribute false names to the Holy Spirit, to justify her decay.
+ I dream of a church; her spiritual fathers are pure and righteous.
+ I dream of a church; who opens the door for the youth to find themselves in Christ. And I detest a church who teaches the youth that the only way to God is the blind obedience that erases their personality that God created.
+ I dream of a church; who welcomes the world with joy.
+ I dream of a church; who does not confine the world within its walls, but goes off into the world to make it a church.
+ I dream of a church; who does not handle the issues with human wisdom, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
+ I dream of a church; that gives the last word to her Master and seeks, ceaselessly, to determine the compatibility of her decisions with His vision.
+ I dream of a church; who gets up after every fall.
+ I dream of a church; who plants her feet on the ground but she looks up to heavens.
+ I dream of a church; who leaves the human scales and seeks to take on the stature of Jesus Christ.
+ I dream of a church; who deals with money to serve the needs of God’s people.
+ I dream of a church; who does not limit herself to just being a building, but realizes that the true church is the living church.
+ I dream of a church; who shares with the believers their worries, and concerns, and sorrows.
+ I dream of a church; who is an oasis for consolation in the desert of this world.
+ I dream of a church; who knows how to rejoice in God, and how to give this joy to the people.
+ I dream of a church; who discerns the peace of Jesus Christ from the peace of the world.
+ I dream of a church; who lives the fulfillment of the life.
+ I dream of a resurrectional church.
+ I dream of a church; who prioritizes welfare.
+ I dream of a church; who knows the language of this world, and evangelizes it in a language that the people of the world will understand.
+ I dream of a church; who lives love every day.
+ I dream of a church; who integrates the talents of her people without putting them in the race of completion.
+ I dream of a church; who does not differentiate between clergy and laity, but deals with all as royal priesthood.
+ I dream of a church; who does not accept a goal less than sainthood, and works to nourish the life with the kingdom of God.
+ I dream of a church; who is not led by human desires.
+ I dream of a church; who her poorest and richest are equal in value and respect.
+ I dream of a church; who doesn't stop working to actualize the Kingdom of God.
+ I dream of a church; who is the body of Christ on earth.
O God save us from the institutionalized church that puts her Master to death and keeps only His name.
- Metropolitan Saba (Esber) of Bosra, Horan and Jabal Al-Arabia
(Translated by Fr. Damaskinos Issa)
