“Repentance is death and resurrection. Without repentance, we do not experience the resurrection and life as the new man – I mean Christ Whom we have put on at baptism.”
His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios, Patriarchal Vicar, celebrated the divine services at Saints Constantine & Helen Antiochian Orthodox Church in Carrollton, Texas on Jan. 14-15, 2023, after the conclusion of the Special Convention in Dallas to nominate three hierarchs to become the next Metropolitan of the Archdiocese. His Grace Bishop Nicholas of the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast joined him.
Sayidna Antonios conveyed the love and best wishes of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East. In the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy, he preached on Sunday’s epistle reading (Col. 3:4-11).
“St. Paul tells ‘that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.’ At baptism, we go into the waters as XYZ, but pulled from the waters as Christ.
“We are no longer the first Adam. We can no longer have attachment to this earth.”
Remembering this, we can thus remember that Jesus Christ must be the center of our lives, His Eminence preached.
“I don’t know what is inside of each of you sitting here, but if I know what is inside of me, and I know it is not good, then I have to do something and not stay as I am. I should put off the old man which means I should repent.”
More photos at https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1474. #orthodoxy
