Unemployment Benefit

I discovered one benefit of being unemployed. Last week I was very blessed to attend the divine liturgy at my parish presided (I’m not sure that is the right term) over by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah and His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri. They were both in Jacksonville for the Diocese of the South’s Annual Pastoral Conference. There are some wonderful photos from the conference Here.

I attended an ordination presided over by His Eminence a few years ago when I was just learning about Orthodoxy, but I did not fully understand and I could not take communion. This was a wonderful, memorable experience of a higher order. Both men demonstrated their great love and warm sense of humor and the respect they hold for each other. Being there was the best possible place I could have been in all the world that morning. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic I felt as if I was at the axis mundi. When we are led by such fine, humble, wise, practical, men we are in the best possible hands. The Lord has answered many prayers and we in the OCA and in the Diocese of the South are very blessed.