Steward Ordination in the Holy Metropolis of Corfu
On Friday afternoon, September 7, 2018, his Eminence, the Bishop of Corfu, Paxoi and Diapontian Islands, Mr. Nektarios did the panegyrical Vesper in the Holy Church of Virgin Mary the Lambovitissa in Afra, where he ordained a Steward, the priest of the church, father Nektarios Bokos.
In his speech, Mr. Nektarios analyzed one of the Old Testament readings, namely the vision that the prophet Ezekiel saw as he was in Solomon’s temple. There, as the priests offered sacrifices of atonement to God, the prophet wanted to enter the interior of the temple from the east entrance. This door was sealed and access was only allowed from the other doors. The Fathers of the Church report that this enclosed gate was a preface to the Most Holy Theotokos, who with Her spiritual struggle fought temptation and sin and became a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. In Her womb, She received the Son of God and the Word of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Our Lady Theotokos is the gateway to salvation, to communication, that is, with Christ. Our Lady is already a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, and is in the throne of God, interceding for all of us.
Afterwards, his Eminence, using as a basis the ordination to Steward of Father Nektarios, after honoring both his moral and his zeal, emphasized that we live in a world that has been frozen and trapped in his own selfishness, interested only for his own self, showing at the same time brutal indifference to his brother. The mission of the Priest is to lead every soul that Christ has trusted him with in salvation. The responsibility and the burden borne by the Priest and the Bishop are enormous. But with the grace of the Lord, any difficulty can be overcome.
For his part, father Nektarios thanked his Eminence for his fatherly love and stressed that he received and continues to receive love from the people of Corfu, clergy and lay people.
