SAN FRANCISCO – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, continuing his archpastoral visit to the Metropolis of San Francisco and after having visited Arizona and Hawaii, on Jan, 26 received a warm welcome and celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in San Francisco.
In his sermon he said, among other things:
“What a glorious morning of fellowship in the Holy Spirit for all of us! I count myself very blessed indeed to be with all of you this day. I wish to thank my brother, the good Metropolitan of San Francisco, for his exemplary hospitality to me, from last week and my archpastoral visit to Arizona and Hawaii until this very moment. Truly, he has offered himself in a sacrifice of true Christian φιλοξενία (hospitality), enough to rival the Prophet Abraham! You are all truly blessed to have a shepherd such as Metropolitan Gerasimos, who brings a gentle and loving presence to all matters of Church life.
“I am especially pleased to be in this new Temple worshipping with you and your faithful priest, Father Stephen, on this Sunday of Zacchaeus, a Sunday that speaks of enthusiasm, hospitality, honesty, and generosity. For it is this chief tax collector, a rich tax collector, and more than likely a very greedy tax collector – Zacchaeus, through whose eyes we see our Lord Jesus Christ today, and through whose story we may see our own, in the marvelous Gospel reading of the Evangelist Luke.
“No doubt Zaccaheus was a much-resented man within his own community. At that time, the Jewish tax collectors for the Roman Empire made their living by exacting more – sometimes much more – than was due to Caesar. They were a feared and hated class, shunned by the religious (as we shall see in a few Sundays), and begrudged by their neighbors. But here we see this little Zacchaeus – too short of stature to see Jesus as He passed through Jericho. The crowds blocked Zacchaeus’s view, but he was too enthusiastic to be denied. His climb up that sycamore tree is the beginning of his transformation – invisible to all around him, but plain as day to God Who sees in secret (cf. Matthew 6:6).
“Zacchaeus climbs, because he has desire. He climbs, because he feels the presence of Holiness draw near. He climbs, because he will not be daunted by any obstacle. I look around this Cathedral and I see the same enthusiasm in your eyes. Some thirty years ago, both you and this city of San Francisco suffered from the terrible earthquake, and yet here you are undaunted. Your faith gave you the strength to climb back, a faith even more powerful than that of the Centurion at the Cross who, after the earthquake at the final breath of our Lord Jesus Christ, said: “Truly, this man was a son of God” (Mark 15:39). You know that He is Lord and God, the Son of God sent to this world and Risen from the dead to bring healing, redemption, and eternal life to all people.”
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