Man’s Dignity

What did the Fathers of Antioch mean by canonizing the two hieromartyrs Nicholas and his son Habib (Khasha)? In addition to bearing witness to the Truth, they wanted us to strengthen our connection with heaven. “This is the will of God, your sanctification”. It is true that this is declared by any canonization in the world. Yet, it is also true that the Antiochian Saints reveal, in particular, that Antioch is faithful to the covenant. The blood shed by our martyrs tells that we truly love Jesus, that we believe in Him and in His Salvation, that He is our everything. However, this declaration opens Antioch's eyes once again to Man’s dignity in her land. Men of the great Church repeat God’s Truth, first to themselves. In Antioch, the canonization of new Saints is a declaration of repentance. It is the renewal of the loyalty of pure love to God Who exists in the human being. It is exhorting the soul, more and more, to discern that Christ’s mission in Antioch is the foundation of Antioch’s mission and ministry, it is that Man is everything. May God be glorified in this new canonization.