To Father Luke Abdo

Those who came from the womb of the Orthodox Youth Movement (MJO) do not lack the knowledge that the Church is the life of obedience to God. You remember that Metropolitan George Khodr, who saw in you what convinced him that you were born to serve God and His people, used to repeat to us that the Church is formed by the voice, by the voice of God; He calls her, she obeys Him, and He reigns over her with His love and mercy. When Metropolitan Silouan Moussi gave you, on the day of your ordination as a deacon, the name of Luke the Evangelist, we all felt that he saw in you what his predecessor had seen in you. All of Luke consists of words that proceed from what Jesus had said and done. This, in its form and content, means that it is always expected of you to emulate your patron saint in his identifying with the words and work of Jesus. What did Jesus say, and do? This is all that we have left of Luke! Did Metropolitan Silouan want you to become solely this Word, which is a new work altogether? No one really serves the Church other than he who joins himself to the voice of God, Who is calling us to His kingdom and His glory. This is the hope of every obedience.