A wedding in the Orthodox Church is a sacrament. Among other things, this means that in order for your service to take place in our parish, either the bride or the groom must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing in an Orthodox parish. In addition, the non-Orthodox spouse must be a Christian.

Wedding service. God has blessed and fortified innumerable marriages through the Orthodox Christian sacrament of Marriage and the same text and structure of the service has been used for many centuries. That said, please note that neither the text nor the structure of the service may be altered in order to suit individual preferences.

Koumbaro/a- While you may select whomever you wish to serve in your wedding party, it is necessary to have an Orthodox Christian in good standing serve as your koumbaro/a – official sponsor or witness- for your wedding. Please feel free to ask a priest if you have any additional questions about this.

Scheduling- Please make sure that your anticipated date of marriage is available from the standpoint of the Church and the priest(s) before you make other arrangements. Typically, weddings are performed on Saturday afternoons and rehearsals are conducted on the Friday before.

Rehearsal. It is highly recommended that a wedding rehearsal take place prior to your wedding. Please check with your priest to schedule a rehearsal and encourage all members of your wedding party to attend the rehearsal in a punctual manner.

Civil marriage license- Each couple must have a civil marriage license prepared prior to their wedding. It is highly recommended that the couple bring their civil license to the Church on the day of the rehearsal if not sooner.

Pre-marital sessions- Couples are required to participate in pastoral care/counseling sessions, prior to their marriage, with an Orthodox Priest.  In these sessions, the priest will primarily help to prepare the couple for marriage from a spiritual, theological and practical  standpoint. In addition, the priest will assist the couple with their questions about the service and help them fill out the required ecclesiastical paperwork. Please note, it is the couple’s responsibility to schedule their sessions with a priest. Couples are strongly encouraged to arrange for these sessions well in advance of the wedding, so as to have a goodly amount of time to prepare themselves for the wedding, as well as get everything in order.

Days When Marriage Is Not Permitted
Marriages are not performed on fast days or during fasting seasons; these include the Great Lent and Holy Week, August 1-15, August 29 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist), September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross), and December 13-25. Nor are marriages celebrated on the day before and the day of a Great Feast of the Lord, including Theophany (January 5 and 6), Pascha, Pentecost, and Christmas (December 24 and 25). Marriages may be performed on these days only by permission of the diocesan Bishop.

Inter-Christian Marriages
It is a fact that, the more a couple has in common, the more likely they are to live together in peace and concord. Shared faith and traditions spare couples and their children, as well as their extended families, many serious problems, and help to strengthen the bonds between them. Even so, the Orthodox Church will bless marriages between Orthodox and non-Orthodox partners, provided that:

The non-Orthodox partner is a Christian who has been baptized, in water, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and

The couple should be willing to baptize their children in the Orthodox Church and raise and nurture them in accordance with the Orthodox Faith.

A baptized Orthodox Christian whose wedding has not been blessed by the Orthodox Church is no longer in good standing with the Church, and may not receive the Sacraments of the Church, including Holy Communion, or become a Sponsor of an Orthodox Marriage, Baptism or Chrismation. A non-Orthodox Christian who marries an Orthodox Christian does not thereby become a member of the Orthodox Church, and may not receive the Sacraments, including Holy Communion, or be buried by the Church, serve on the Parish Council, or vote in parish assemblies or elections. To participate in the Church’s life, one must be received into the Church by the Sacrament of Baptism or, in the case of persons baptized with water in the Holy Trinity, following a period of instruction, by Chrismation.

Inter-religious Marriages
Canonical and theological reasons preclude the Orthodox Church from performing the Sacrament of Marriage for couples where one partner is Orthodox and the other partner is a non-Christian. As such, Orthodox Christians choosing to enter such marriages fall out of good standing with their Church and are unable to actively participate in the life of the Church. While this stance may seem confusing and rigid, it is guided by the Orthodox Church’s love and concern for its member’s religious and spiritual well-being.

Prayer is doxology, praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. “When I prayed I was new,” wrote a great theologian of Christian antiquity, “but when I stopped praying I became old.” Prayer is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God’s kingdom. [Read More]

The Orthodox church building is nothing more (or less) than the architectural setting for the Liturgy. Originally, converted houses served the purpose. The history of the church as a conspicuous structure begins with the official toleration of Christianity by Constantine the Great in 313, although there is evidence that sizable churches existed before his time in some large cities. In the fourth and fifth centuries, buildings were erected to facilitate baptism (baptistries) and burial (mausolea) and to commemorate important events in the lives of Christ and the saints (martyria); but it was the building designed primarily to accommodate the celebration of the Eucharist that became the typical Christian structure – the church as we think of it today.  [Read More]

Christianity has always been unusually sensitive to the past; its enduring relevance has, in fact, never been in doubt. The basic reason for this sensibility is that Christian biblical revelation takes place in a historical context and is, quite simply, a revelation of historical data, of God’s activity in history. It is in time and human space that man’s salvation unfolds-God’s chosen way to redeem us. That Christian Scripture takes the form, more often than not, of a richly detailed historical narrative should come as no surprise. [Read More]

One of the best-known prayers of the Orthodox Church speaks of the spirit of God being “present in all places and filling all things.” This profound affirmation is basic to Orthodoxy’s understanding of God and His relationship to the world. We believe that God is truly near to us. Although He cannot be seen, God is not detached from His creation. Through the persons of The Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit, God is present and active in our lives and in the creation about us. All our life and the creation of which we are an important part, points, to and reveals God.  [Read More]

THE BIBLE – GREATEST MONUMENT OF MANKIND

There are distinguished persons and distinguished monuments which stand out in the annals of history. Their lives were full of adventure as they faced the tremendous opposition of their contemporaries as well as accepting enormous sacrifice in their own lives. One of the monuments, the greatest in the history of the world, is the Bible. It has met great challenges of its literal expression as well as its trials over its validity and accuracy. The critical scrutiny of the Bible is the most thorough effort and examination that has ever been made of a literary work from the beginning of time, an examination challenging its integrity, and meaning. Its words, thoughts and personalities have been the subject of controversial discussion and debate through the centuries, both in its original language and its translation. From approximately 12 centuries before the Christian Era through 20 centuries since (the former for the Old Testament and the latter for both the Old and New Testament), its construction, correction and restoration was achieved. The Bible is stronger today than ever before, despite the “scientific” effort to replace it with human elements of the laboratory and technology. The Bible is so different from other literary works of famous writers whose names are mentioned in the history of scientific findings that only a Superhuman Providence has kept it alive through its orbit of destiny. The Bible has been inscribed on stone, papyrus, lamb skin, in the memories of men and in the hearts of the people.  [Read More]

I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made;

Who for us and for our salvation came down from the heavens and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man;

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, He suffered and was buried;

Rising on the third day according to the Scriptures,

And ascending into the heavens, He is seated at the right hand of the Father;

And coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, His kingdom shall have no end;

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets;

In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church;

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;

I expect the resurrection of the dead;

And the life of the age to come. Amen.

English translation by Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, 1993

Orthodoxy believes that the supreme treasure which God wishes to share with us is His own life. Our faith begins with the affirmation that God has acted in history to permit us to participate in His love and His goodness, to be citizens of His Kingdom. This conviction is expressed so beautifully in the prayer of the Liturgy which says: “You have not ceased to do all things until You brought us to heaven and granted us the Kingdom to come.”

The fundamental vocation and goal of each and every person is to share in the life of God. We have been created by God to live in fellowship with Him. The descent of God in the Person of Jesus Christ has made possible the human ascent to the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that each Christian is involved in a movement toward God which is known as theosis or deification. [Read More]

The word “orthodox” means “right belief” or “right praise.”

The “Orthodox Church” is also known as the “Eastern Orthodox Church.”

In the years after Jesus’ Resurrection, apostles and missionaries traveled throughout the known world spreading the Gospel. Soon five major locations were established as centers for the faith: Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople. In the year 1054 the Roman church broke from this united Church, and five hundred years later Protestant churches began breaking away from Rome. But the original Church has remained united in the Apostolic Faith since the first century. This is Orthodoxy.[Read More]

By Conciliar Press

Consider:

• On the one hand, it is the oldest Church in Christendom. On the other hand, it’s new to most people in North America.
• It is the second largest body in Christendom with 225 million people worldwide. But in the U.S. and Canada there are less than six million.
• In the twentieth century alone, an estimated 40 million Orthodox Christians gave their lives for their faith, primarily under communism. So high is the commitment of many Orthodox Christians to Christ and His Church, she has often been called “the Church of the Martyrs.”
• She is the Church of some of history’s greatest theologians, scholars, and writers- people like John Chrysostom, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Dostoyevsky, and Alexander Solzehenitsyn.

[Read More]

Arranging Your Baptism
After reading this information, please contact the church office to arrange for a meeting with one of our priests pertaining to the needs and requirements of your baptism.

Setting the Date
An individual or a family desiring baptism should contact the church office before setting a date for the baptism so that scheduling conflicts can be avoided.  Please note that in addition to other scheduled events, there are certain days in the Orthodox Liturgical calendar on which baptisms are not permitted.

Spiritual Presuppositions
It is pre-supposed that the person to be baptized has not been baptized before since our Creed expressly states that we believe “in one baptism for the remission of sins.” On the other hand, since the Orthodox Church does not recognize the baptisms of every “Christian denomination” there are instances when re-baptism is necessary. If you or your child has already been baptized, your priest will determine whether or not another baptism is necessary, in accordance with the rules of the Metropolis of Denver.

If you or your child’s previous baptism is accepted , you will be received into the Orthodox Church through the sacrament of Holy Chrismation.

Prayer and Fasting
If you are twelve or older and in good health, you should also prepare for your baptism through prayer and fasting.  Remember, you will also be receiving the sacrament of communion (and chrismation) at your baptism. Ask your priest for his guidance regarding how to pray and fast prayer and fast to prepare for your baptism.

Godparents
The “nouno” or “nouna”  is the person who will serve as the sponsor of the child or adult, as they accept Christ and renounce Satan and participate in the sacrament. He/she will also serve the extremly serious and important role of being the spiritual “parent” of the person baptized throughout the course of their lives. That said, a sponsor must be an Orthodox Christian “In Good Standing” and a steward/member of his/her parish.    If one is not Orthodox, then this role cannot be fulfilled.

If the “nouno” or nouna”, is from another Orthodox parish, they must provide proof from his/her parish priest certifying his/her active stewardship/membership in the Church.

Visiting Clergy
Orthodox Christian clergymen are welcome to participate in the celebration of sacraments at the Annunciation with the approval of Metropolitan Isaiah and our priest(s).

Photography
Photographs of your baptism are permitted but should not impede or distract from the celebration of the sacrament.  Photographers should be quiet and respectful; the use of a flash is allowed.  If you using a professional photographer or videographer please ask them to arrive early at the Church so that the pries may explain guidelines to them.  Also, please ask guests to be respectful of the professional’s space, for your benefit.

Items Needed
Among the items necessary to celebrate one’s baptism in the Church are the following:
·    small bottle of olive oil
·    cross (necklace)
·    bar of soap
·    large, white bath towel
·    new white clothing (for the person to be baptized)
·    white hand towel
·    white candle (decorated with ribbon if desired)

After the Service
Due to the fact that Holy Oil tends to get on clothing and towels during a baptism, care must be taken when washing them after the service.  Clothes or towels that have Holy Oil on them should be washed in a bowl or basin- not a sink or washing machine that empties into a sewer. The water from the bowl or basin should then be carefully emptied around the foundations of your house, in a flower garden or any place outside where people do not step.

When one is ill and in pain, this can very often be a time of life when one feels alone and isolated. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, or Holy Unction as it is also known, remind us that when we are in pain, either physical, emotional, or spiritual, Christ is present with us through the ministry of his Church. He is among us to offer strength to meet the challenges of life, and even the approach of death.

As with Chrismation, oil is also used in this Sacrament as a sign of God’s presence, strength, and forgiveness. After the reading of seven epistle lessons, seven gospel lessons and the offering of seven prayers, which are all devoted to healing, the priest anoints the body with the Holy Oil. Orthodoxy does not view this Sacrament as available only to those who are near death. It is offered to all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit. The Church celebrates the Sacrament for all its members during Holy week on Holy Wednesday.

CREMATION

Cremation is not permitted for Orthodox Christians since it is considered intentional destruction of the body which is the temple of God. [Read More]

God is active in our lives. It is He who joins a man and a woman in a relationship of mutual love. The Sacrament of Marriage bears witness to His action. Through this Sacrament, a man and a woman are publicly joined as husband and wife. They enter into a new relationship with each other, God, and the Church. Since Marriage is not viewed as a legal contract, there are no vows in the Sacrament. According to Orthodox teachings, Marriage is not simply a social institution, it is an eternal vocation of the kingdom. A husband and a wife are called by the holy Spirit not only to live together but also to share their Christian life together so that each, with the aid of the other, may grow closer to God and become the persons they are meant to be. In the Orthodox Marriage Service, after the couple have been betrothed and exchanged rings, they are crowned with “crowns of glory and honor” signifying the establishment of a new family under God. Near the conclusion of the Service, the husband and wife drink from a common cup which is reminiscent of the wedding of Cana and which symbolized the sharing of the burdens and joys of their new life together.

MORE RESOURCES:

• A Short Summary of the Sacrament of Marriage by Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT

The gift of God’s forgiveness is received through private prayer, corporate worship, the disciplines of prayer and fasting, penitential services and above all through the sacrament of Holy Confession.

The value of Holy Confession is twofold. First, through this sacramental act of the ordained priest and the Christian believer we have the assurance of divine forgiveness, according to the words of Christ (Jn 20:23). Secondly, Holy Confession provides the opportunity to talk about one’s deep concerns, to receive counsel and to be encouraged toward spiritual growth, all of which are universally recognized as extremely beneficial to personal life.  [Read More]

“Should I be baptized again” Many renewed Orthodox Christians have asked themselves and others whether they should be baptized as adults. I readily understand why this question is asked, for I myself must admit that I did not always feel comfortable about the Orthodox Church baptizing infants. I asked myself several other questions as well: “How can an infant ‘believe and be baptized’?” “Where in Scripture does it show an infant being baptized?” “Is not the baptizing of infants the reason why the contemporary Orthodox Church has a need for renewal and re-evangelization?” [Read More]

The Sacrament of Baptism incorporates us into the Church, the Body of Christ, and is our introduction to the life of the Holy Trinity. Water is a natural symbol of cleansing and newness of life. Through the three-fold immersion in the waters of Baptism in the Name of the Holy Trinity, one dies to the old ways of sin and is born to a new life in Christ. Baptism is one’s public identification with Christ Death and victorious Resurrection. Following the custom of the early Church, Orthodoxy encourages the baptism of infants. The Church believes that the Sacrament is bearing witness to the action of God who chooses a child to be an important member of His people. From the day of their baptism, children are expected to mature in the life of the Spirit, through their family and the Church. The Baptism of adults is practiced when there was no previous baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity.

OTHER RESOURCES

• Article by Fr. Anthony Coniaris on Baptism

By Macarius Notaras

To receive Communion the usual two or three times a year is good and helpful, but to receive Communion more frequently is far better. Remember, the nearer a person comes to the light, the more light he gets. The closer he draws to the fire, the warmer he is. The nearer he approaches sanctity, the more saintly he becomes.

In the same way, the more often one draws near to God in Communion, the more one receives light and warmth and holiness. My friend, if you are worthy to make your Communion two or three times a year, you are worthy of making it more often, as St. John Chrysostom tells us, by maintaining your own earlier preparation and worthiness. But what does stop us from taking Communion? The answer is our carelessness and laziness, and we give way to these faults so much that we are not sufficiently prepared to be able to receive Communion.  Read More

A Sermon by Father James Dokos

In worldly everyday conversations; we hear the familiar phrase…Nothing is free in life.  Now the reality…freedom of any kind is a gift that is presented with a cost of humanity, dignity and the sharing with others.  We need not receive a penny for a favor; but await a reward of gratitude and joyful heart of another human being.  Simply stated and to borrow a phrase…Ask not what your Lord can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your Lord and His people!

In recent years, we have embarked upon the harvests of food, clothing, housing and medicine; especially for our brothers and sisters suffering from the effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters.  A need was presented and His people opened their hearts to offer love and comfort to those suffering.  God has given unto all of us. We therefore give in triumphant pleasure for indeed: it is more Blessed to Give then to Receive.

“Witnessing” the LOVE OF GOD is to live in Christ and live a life of the purest, unqualified love.  Love lies at the very heart of Orthodox Christian life.  This Divine Gift causes unity, fulfillment and everlasting joy.  When we witness in today’s society, we share in the Life of our Lord.  His is the Head and we are the body.  Our witness, as we carry His Cross and rise again, is described by Saint Paul as those who are in Christ are a “New Creation”.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Let us rejoice!

We receive also as we witness the Good News and our true faith amongst all the world’s people.  We have the gift to feed others with our prayers, our support and human expressions of Christian outreach.  Simply put: to go into the world and love one and all.  Generations have passed whereby some faithful may have had the attitude of hearing these sweet religious words and just went on with their lives.  Without the gift of stewardship, meaning one’s faith and witness, the end of their lives are lonely and unforgiving.  On this very day as I pen these words; a faithful parishioner fell asleep in the Lord as he lay in his hospital bed.  Offering the prayers of the Church; along with his loving wife, he kissed my right hand, witnessed the love of his wife and shortly after entered into Paradise.  The kissing of the hand was not for my unworthy person; but it was a witness to the many years of his life as an Orthodox Christian.  He gave of his life as a dedicated physician, husband, father, grandfather, relative and friend.  He witnessed his faith and love for the Church.  The soul of this man was given his true reward in Heaven we pray.  It is our privilege to offer the gifts bestowed unto us and to share with God’s people without recognition or earthly reward.  Truly, Love bears fruit!

“Service” is our rendering to His Church.  Our whole being must praise and worship the Father who provides for us all.  Indeed, a great invitation.  As we offer service to the Church with a grateful heart; we realize our true mission as baptized Orthodox Christians.  To be amongst a community of people who choose to live not only in the world, but also for the world.  To offer outreach and service to proclaim the Good News of not only what God has done, but also what He is doing in our time.  We proclaim our faith, service and stewardship of life not only to ourselves, our families, our Church Communities; but also to society as we realize our Orthodox Mission Works.  We enhance the good works and service of our faith walk in establishing the Kingdom of God, the rule of righteousness and the love in and for this world.

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)  When we love people, we are drawn instinctively to help them, to give them service as best we can.  But if love is service, sin is the refusal to serve.  It is proud, vain, arrogant, self-centered.  It will not spend itself generously for the needs of others.  By offering our hearts, our time, our talents to the Church and His people; we come to share in the Life of Christ.  Indeed, a privilege of honor, joy and sustaining Blessings.  We Christians are called to share in the Life of Christ.  Service to His Church and His people is our discipleship to Christ.  It’s real and inspires the people of God to offer their very best of time, talent and treasures which are abundantly blessed.  Truly, Service bears fruit!

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my Name He may give you.”  John 15:16

As an Orthodox Christians; we bear the fruits of God’s Love.  “Freely you have received.  Freely give.”  Matthew 10:8

Fr James Dokos, Protopresbyter, serves the Church of the Annunciation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, when most of us hear or read the word “Stewardship,” we instinctively think of it spelled as “$tewardship,” a code word for giving money to church. It may be politely asked for. It may be clothed in pious language. It may be linked to giving of time and talents. But, in the end, stewardship still means, for most of us: “I must give some of my money so that we can operate the church.”

However, we may have not yet learned to spell this key word as “S+ewardship.” The Bible from beginning to end identifies what we now call stewardship as a way of life centered on God. And for Christians, this means discipleship centered on Jesus Christ as Crucified and Risen Lord. The cross thus dramatically signifies both our identity as disciples of Christ and our calling to a life of sacrificial giving directed toward God, others, and all creation.

Many people know how to raise money. There are professional experts who work full time. There are more opinions and ideas than parishes know what to do with. And, in fact, raising funds has become a favorite American pastime for public and private schools, political parties, charitable organizations, and legions of athletic and recreational activities. Who needs another fund-raising campaign when we are already inundated with them!

But while there are legions of experts, opinions, and efforts, how many of us are genuinely committed to Christ and the Church and have learned a sound teaching about stewardship based upon Holy Scripture?

In the Old Testament, our Hebrew ancestors based their very existence upon what God had first done for them: through the promises given to the patriarch Abraham, the sacred covenant at Sinai given through Moses, and messianic kingship through David. Since God was their Creator, Savior, and King, ancient Israel worshiped him regularly and on special feast days. They considered the very land upon which they lived as a precious gift from God, and not the result of their own hard work or of their pious virtue. This meant that all products of their livelihood ultimately belonged to God. The biblical tithe (10%) meant that the first and best portion of these material assets were to be returned to God for support of the sanctuary or temple, the ordained ministers, and various human needs (including charity). The rest (90%) was not to be used as each person decided, but rather according to the will of God through each person’s family, home, and vocation. Further, as emphasized by the prophets like Amos and Isaiah, the people of God were to seek justice and righteousness in all their relationships –through business, commerce, legal courts, government, and society. In particular, ancient Israel was to protect, support, and advocate for the poor, oppressed, and weakest members of society.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ affirmed this Old Testament stewardship as a way of life based upon God’s gracious salvation and his natural gifts through creation. He clearly approved of worship, of tithing, of seeking justice and righteousness in all human relationships, and of service especially to the poor, oppressed, and needy. However, Jesus went way beyond these in offering himself as the perfect steward of God’s gracious gifts by his voluntary suffering and death on a cross. In this event, he exemplified that true sacrifice for the sake of others has absolutely no limits. The one who truly loves God and passionately seeks the truth is called to die to self, take up the cross of unjust suffering, and be prepared to live and even die for others, especially those who are hardened in sin and blinded by ingratitude.

In the Church, everyone is called to be a disciple of Christ. This involves conversion – and inward turning of mind and heart toward Christ – and a conscious and deliberate commitment to follow the Lord, no matter what the cost. And true Christian stewardship springs very naturally from such faith and obedience, since it recognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of salvation, and the source of all blessings, visible and invisible. The deeper the conversion and commitment to Christ, the deeper the thanksgiving for these spiritual and material gifts that we have received, and the greater the readiness to use them to show our love for God and those around us.

Jesus Christ sets the true standard of Christian stewardship by which we can measure ourselves. Our stewardship of the good news of salvation should be shown in the following ways:

• Creation – joyful appreciation for the wonder and beauty of nature; protection and preservation of the environment; bringing the gifts of creation to the Church for blessing (altar bread, wine, fruits, oil, incense, etc.); development of the material world through holy work (physical labor, professions, arts and sciences); respect for and protection of the sanctity of human life from conception to death.

• Vocation – fulfillment of our God-given calling in life as married or single people, adult or child, working or retired, clergy or laity, to extend the love and truth of God in Christ to those around us.

• Church – becoming active participants in working out our salvation as members of the Orthodox Church through the Christian nurture of children, regular worship and fellowship; spiritual formation through on-going education; service to one another and to the poor, sick, and needy; cooperating to make our parish a vibrant source of faith and work; and supporting Metropolitan, Archdiocesan, and international ministries that link us to the worldwide Church.

In a culture that frequently encourages us to focus on ourselves, Jesus Christ challenges us to re-orient our priorities according to the Kingdom of God breaking into this world. The antidote to greed and selfishness, even when it is masked by religious piety, is genuine repentance and conversion toward Christian steward-ship as a new way of living. And what joy there is now for those who turn toward God, learning and living as stewards of the manifold grace that has been offered to us through Christ in the Church!

Fr. Harry Pappas serves as Pastor of Archangels Greek Orthodox Church in Stamford, CT.


Someone said one Sunday during the offering, “Here we go again! There’s always a plate.” The person was right in one way and wrong in another. There is not one plate—but two! One plate is man’s; the offering plate that is passed to us every Sunday. The other plate is God’s. And that is the paten, the “diskos”, the plate that carries the Precious Body of our Lord during the liturgy. Two plates — not one!

God gives first. He gives us our body, mind, life, health, talents. On the paten – the plate of God’s mercy, He gives us Himself as the Bread of Life, the manna from heaven. He gives forgiveness, strength, and courage. He gives victory over sin and death. He gives eternal life. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which he lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7-8). God gives. He lavishes upon us the riches of His grace. That is the meaning of the first plate—the paten.

The second plate which is passed every Sunday — the offering plate — represents our response to the first plate. We are invited to give in gratitude for God’s generosity, for His limitless forgiveness and mercy. The emptiness of the offering plate represents the aching needs of the world which we are called upon to assist.

It represents also the great spiritual hunger that exists in the world — the God-shaped vacuum in every heart that only Christ can fill.

We give, but He gave first. Two plates – not one! However much we give, it will never be more than just a minute fraction of what we receive from Him.

There’s always a plate! Indeed there is! Not one but two. First God’s, then man’s.

The God who came to us at Bethlehem continues to come to us today. He comes to us through that first plate, the paten which symbolizes His total giving to us. He comes through the Sacrament of Baptism to bestow upon us the holy kiss of His love, to call us His very own. He comes through the Sacrament of Chrismation to fill us with His presence, to make our bodies temples of His Holy Spirit. He comes through repentance and the Sacrament of Confession to cleanse us of sin, to restore in our souls “the peace of God that passes all understanding.” II every liturgy He comes to us as the Word of God, bringing words of eternal life through the Scripture readings and the sermon. Through the Sacrament of Communion He comes to be born again and again in the shabby stables of our hearts. He comes constantly through prayer. He blesses our marriages as He did that in Cana of Galilee. He stands by our sick bed, laying His healing hand upon us through the prayers of the priest. He comes again and again in so many, many ways through the many ministries of His Church. He comes with healing and forgiveness; He comes with strength and guidance. He comes and when He comes, as the Bible says, “the blind see, the lame walk, and the prisoners are set free.”

Every year as we are invited to renew our weekly stewardship pledge, we are challenged to reconsider prayerfully our weekly gift to Him Who is God’s Great Gift to us. It is through our gift that God will be able to continue His forgiving, healing, liberating, empowering, transfiguring, loving ministry through the Church. For God, Infinite though He be, has chosen to work through us, through our gifts, to continue His saving work in the world today.

Many of us are careful to set aside funds for our retirement IRAs, 401(k)s, etc. Yet how long will these last? – Ten, maybe twenty years? The question is:

What are we setting aside for our eternal future?

What are we investing in God, in eternity?

How many of us who are quite well-to-do on earth (and most of us Americans are) may end up paupers in heaven?

St. John Chrysostom said once, “A rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For, what he gives away remains his forever!”

A little girl noticed that after the collection was taken in a certain church, the ushers brought it up to the altar. She whispered to her mother, “Mommy, how do they get the money up to heaven?” The mother replied, “The church doesn’t send the money to heaven, but it uses it to bring heaven down to us.” That mother could not have given a better answer. For, the purpose of the Church is to get God’s heaven into each one of us. “The kingdom of God is within you,” said Jesus.

The thought comes to me quite often that there will come a time for each one of us when we shall no longer be able to give. When death comes, our giving will be over. For all eternity God will be doing the giving to us. So, the time for us to give is now. The time for us to love is now. The time for us to share what God has given us is now.

Give as you would if an angel awaited your gift at the door.

Give as you would if tomorrow Found you where giving was over.

Give as you would to the Master If you met His loving look.

Give as you would of your substance If His hand your offering took.

For, it is indeed His hand! The tray in which we place our offering every Sunday is not a tray but His hand — the nail-pierced hand of my Savior “Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Amen.

Happy New Year!

Yes, New Year! The Ecclesiastical New Year begins
September 1, 2010.
What does that mean for you?
We have come full circle. In Church speak that means we remembered the falling asleep of the Virgin Mary in August, and on September 8th we will remember her nativity.
As we begin the New Ecclesiastical Year, the only resolution each of us must make is to make more time for Jesus. Making more time for Him means having a deeper understanding and relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the end of next year.
Therefore our theme will be a continuation of last year’s, which was “Gather my people to my home: Come and See.” This year we still invite everyone to gather to Jesus Christ’s home: His Church, but with the added resolution that each of us come and BE!
It even rhymes making it easier to remember. This year you are invited to be at St. Catherine’s. Be an active member in a ministry of your choice. Let you children be involved in the youth group of their age. Be willing to make time for the most important part of your life: Jesus Christ.

If each us of can just be the body of Christ- His Church-our Lord’s Parish of St. Catherine- it will be a blessing!

Holy and Glorious Apostles… Batman! Similar somewhat irreverent exclamations could be heard weekly on the late 1960’s television program Batman. Now, I do not specialize in comic book or television superheroes, so I am unaware if this phrase originated from the comic books or the TV series. Nonetheless, the phrase “Dynamic Duo” most often makes me think of super heroes such as Batman and Robin. But spandex wearing supermen and women of wonder are not the original dynamic duos.

In the month of June we remember and celebrate the memories of the original Dynamic duo – the Apostles Peter and Paul. These two individuals have come to define Western and Eastern Christianity today. Let’s familiarize ourselves with their life story with help from St. Augustine Bishop of Hippo. St. Peter had intense interactions with Jesus. You will recall the formidable conversation between the two when Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Jesus. Peter admits to loving Jesus like a brother, but not with the agape/unconditional love Jesus asks for. You will recall the despairing denial of Christ that Peter unwittingly falls into when Jesus is arrested. Finally you will recall that Jesus tells Peter that “on this rock, I will build my Church”. (Mt. 16.18) This one liner quote has been misinterpreted by many. St. Augustine helps us understand the play on words Jesus is employing. Peter’s name in the Aramaic and Greek language is Petrus(os) and means rock. Petra in the Aramaic and Greek language means rock; therefore is Jesus saying that on Peter, Jesus will build His Church? No; herein lays the confusion. When we recall Peter’s interactions with Jesus, eventually Peter gets to a point in his relationship with Jesus where he can call Jesus the Son of God. This is a confession of faith. Jesus is after all the divine rock and on Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus Christ builds His Church. The foundation for the Church is confessing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Second Person of the Trinity.

Turning our attention to the East, St. Paul also had intense interactions with Christ. We recall how Paul as Pharisee persecuted Christians; arrested them for their confession of faith about who Jesus is. Paul had a life changing experience with Christ on the road to Damascus where Jesus confronted Paul telling him that persecuting Christians is really persecuting Christ Himself! Paul’s zeal for the one, true God was off base, but Paul was ready to obey Jesus. (Acts 9.1-6) He needed a significant spiritual encounter with Jesus in order to help him get on the right Way. Paul’s zeal was eventually used to bring people to Christ’s Church.

Can these supermen Peter and Paul be imitated today? Where are the blockbuster action summer movies about this dynamic duo? The blessing and miracle of our life in Christ is that we all must become dynamic Orthodox Christians! Many of us doubt Christ; some of us deny Him in our lives. If we can accept that these are just stages of growth and spiritual maturity which one day culminates with our confession that Jesus is God, we can indeed imitate Peter and Paul. Through the prayers of Sts. Peter and Paul, may our lives become a living example of this Dynamic Duo!

May God’s Love and Blessings be with you,

Fr. Dino

As of the writing of this article, the estimated death toll following the tragic earthquake in Haiti in mid-January is over 150,000. Millions and millions of dollars have been collected from the world community to offer aid to the services of the terrible event. In fact just under $3000 has been collected by our Parish and forwarded to the IOCC and our Archdiocese. I am certain significantly more money has been donated directly to IOCC and other relief agencies by you, our parishioners. A few hundred hygiene kits have been collected, packaged and shipped by our Philoptochos, Young Adults and OCF College Students. May our Lord grant eternal life to the innocents who have passed on and recovery to the hundreds of thousands of survivors.
One may ask, where God is in the midst of such an event? Does God cause such tragedies? Why does He allow innocent people to suffer and die? Our underlying premise as people of Faith is that in the midst of tragedies, God is with them and us. I refer you to Psalm 139 and Romans 8 as assurances of our Lord’s presence. Nevertheless, we live in an imperfect world where such epic events periodically happen, and God does allow them. Why there and not here? Why now and not at another time? Why the Haitians and not another nation? We really cannot answer these questions.
In any case as Christians, our hope is in the Lord now and in the afterlife. We therefore place, with love and compassion the souls of the departed ones of this earthquake in the compassionate hands of our Living Lord. We offer help to the best of our ability monetarily and otherwise for those suffering and for their recovery. We place them also, through prayers, in the hands of our Lord and Savior.
May God’s grace abide and be with all those who lost their lives, those suffering and the thousands of relief workers, now and for the months to come.

With our Lord’s blessings, Father Lou

Boris Pasternak poured out his blood in his novel “Dr. Zhivago.” As a Jew in Russia who converted to the Orthodox Christian faith, he knew a great deal of personal suffering. What sustained him is summarized in these words: “I could not have endured it without my discovery of Jesus Christ. He came to me! Jesus comes to us today. If we need greater light, He comes to dispel our darkness. If we need peace, He comes – He who is our peace. If we need strength, power to forgive, power to love the unlovely, He comes – He who is the Pantocrator – the Almighty. He comes to enable us, to empower us, to uplift us, to save us. He came. He comes. “And His name shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. “ (Mt 1:23). (From Daily Vitamins for Spiritual Growth, Fr. Anthony Coniaris, pg. 372.)

The great miracle of Christmas is revealed in the remarkable fact that God comes to us. This is at the same time a universal and cosmic reality and a very personal event, the context of which is agape love. “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “ (John 3:16). The great proof of His love for us begins with the incarnation – God’s humble taking on of flesh – our Lord Jesus’ Nativity – and ends with His passion, death on the cross and glorious Resurrection. These events are life changing for the entire human race and for you and me, personally. However, they become healing, transforming and salvific for us ONLY when we accept our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as our God. As Boris Pasternak affirmed, he could not have endured life without the discovery of Jesus Christ. He came to him. He comes to us also. Let us therefore discover Him and His love for us in our daily lives. And let us come to Him and accept Him as our loving, saving and merciful God. This Christmas, may we find room in the inn of our heart for our loving Lord! Have a blessed and Merry Christmas and a healthy and spirit filled New Year.

With our Lord’s blessings,
Fr. Lou
NATIVITY SERMON
BY ST. ISAAC THE SYRIAN (D. AD 700)

“This Christmas night bestowed peace on the whole world – let no one threaten; This is the night of the Most Gentle One – let no one be cruel; This is the night of the Humble One – let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy – let us not revenge; Now is the day of Good Will – let us not be mean. It is the Day of Peace – let us not be conquered by anger. Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake – so, rich ones, invite the poor to your table. Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask – let us give alms to those who implore and beg us. This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers – let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness. Today the DIVINE BEING took upon Himself the seal of our humanity in order for humanity to be decorated by the Seal of DIVINITY.”
The Clergy, Parish Council, Ministry Teams and Staff of Saint Catherine pray for a blessed Christmas Celebration for you and your family.

We have not seen a more controversial issue than health reform in our country for some time. It is the main topic of debate on many radio talk shows, Fox News and CNN. Those on either side of the debate, I believe would agree that the providing of quality and affordable health care to all within our country is one of her main responsibilities.

Allow me to focus on a different type of health reform – Spiritual Health Reform. How many times have we heard or perhaps even said ourselves, “…if you have your health you have everything.”? Our Lord and His Church throughout the centuries would of course confirm this through His compassion and countless healings of sickness, disease and ailments in His ministry and through His people. However, above these physical healings He places, of course, our spiritual health and well being. This is of no surprise for us in theory. In other words, even the most basic of Christians understand that our spiritual health, the health of our soul is of primary importance. Health of mind, body and soul are intricately woven together, but our primary focus is health of soul. In our Lord’s own words, “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing…? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:25, 33). Or remember Jesus’ healing of the paralytic man that was lowered down through the roof to Jesus by his friends? Upon seeing their faith Jesus said to the Paralytic, “son, your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and others with them upon hearing Jesus, complained that only God can forgive sins to which Jesus responded by healing the man to show that his sins were forgiven also and first showing the primacy of this dimension of health. (Mark 2:1-12)

In the midst of the great health reform debate that we find ourselves, why not take this opportunity to focus on your own spiritual health reform? Allow me to offer a few concrete suggestions:
1. Dedicate your life more fully to Christ. Accept His love for you (John 3:16), and love Him and your neighbor as yourself (Mt. 22:37-39). Daily think of concrete ways of loving God by loving others – a kind word here, a prayer there, a monetary offering to help over there, are a few suggestions.
2. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). Put God and His kingdom first in your daily life. Begin and end each day with a thanksgiving prayer. Read His word, the Bible, daily. It is like daily food or vitamins.
3. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. (Mt. 4:17). To be a “holy one” (a-yi-os in Greek) means to be in the world but not of the world. Repentance is about walking in a different direction than worldly directions such as desiring fame, fortune, and being self-centered. Be God-centered and humble as you relate to others!
4. Forgive! If you forgive man their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not… either will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt. 6:14-15). We tend to justify ourselves when we have a conflict with another. That’s our pride—not humility talking. That’s the world’s way.
5. Be humble! Remember the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. “…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
6. Take advantage of the Religious Education classes for the adult, the “School of the Seventy”, and the personal journaling questions offered weekly.
7. Participate in the Church – the sacramental presence of our Lord with His people.

I respectfully offer these suggestions with a sincere hope and prayer that they can help in reforming our spiritual health and wellbeing.

With our Lord’s blessing, Fr. Lou

This September 1, 2009, marks the 25th time that our St. Catherine Parish has begun a new Ecclesiastical Year. With the overall theme of “Every Generation”, marking our Silver Anniversary as a Parish, we have chosen our Religious Education theme for the year: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 6:33)

Please join Father Paul, Father Dino, Our Ministry Leader and me in beginning each day in prayer, thanking our Good Lord for His love, grace and Divine presence in our lives. Let us place one another in God’s care and protection. In a world that seems less and less focused on our Lord, let us endeavor to focus more and more upon Him.

• Begin and end each day in Thanksgiving for God’s love and grace
• Love God, love others, love yourself
• Be humble
• Forgive and ask for forgiveness
• Be compassionate, “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn!” Romans 12:15
• Be kind
• Be patient with others and yourself
• Be peacemakers

Allow me to conclude with the following thought :
“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)”
Have a blessed and grace filled Ecclesiastical Year, Seeking first the Kingdom of God.

With our Lord’s Blessings,

Fr. Lou

My sisters, brother and I had the good fortune of growing up in the same town as my paternal grandparents. For the first ten years of my life or so, our maternal grandfather also lived in Cheyenne until his passing. If there is one phrase that I remember, perhaps above all others from my Yiayia and Papous, it was “Proto o Theos”, literally “First God” or “As God Wills”. Sentences would go something like this: “I will see you next summer, Proto O Theos”, or “Proto o Theos we will go fishing Saturday” or “I will fix you macaroni kapama (an incredible Greek tomato and meat sauce), “Proto o Theos”. You see my grandparents really took nothing for granted and realized that everything from the simple and apparently mundane to the complex in life is dependent upon God. From my grandparents to my parents and now to my siblings, the phrase “God willing” is a part of our regular vocabulary.

Indeed this is a part of our Orthodox Cultures. This, however, is not the case in our American – even Western European cultures. Even Christianity has often been negatively influenced to the point where “God-willing” is looked at negatively rather than positively. Please read what Mother Raphaela, the Abbess of Holy Myrrhbearers OCA Monastery in upstate New York recently said in her address to the graduates of Saint Vladimir Seminary: “…But we have a culture, even a Church culture where the phrase “as God wills” signifies a negative, fatalistic approach to life and who in their right mind would try to find that for any future?” She goes on to challenge the seminary graduates to live a life in personal relationship with God, so that His will be slowly but continually intertwined with their will, as they live a life of intimate relationship with Him and through Him with others.

If God’s will is to become our will it requires a commitment to relationship in love to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God’s will is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. It is, however, not forced upon us. If God’s will is to become our will we must humbly choose to accept Him and then anything that He wills in our lives. “How we use this incredible portion of created time and space we call life, matters incredibly.” (Mother Raphaela, pg. 7) Our opportunity and responsibility is to use time and space – indeed our lives as opportunities for love, kindness, grace, forgiveness as reflections of the light of God’s glory in an alarmingly dark world.

As we enter the Fast Period of the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos please join me in reflecting on God’s will in our daily lives. As we approach the end of the summer and the beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year (September 1) please join me in a commitment of love to our Lord and God in Trinity and to one another. “Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God…” (Religious Ed. Theme for 2009-2010)
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

With our Lord’s blessings,
Fr. Lou

(Note: Quotations and references to Mother Raphaela are from Essay and Notes, Volume 15, No.1 Summer 2009, Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery, Otego, NY.)

The greatest sermon of all time, “The Sermon on the Mount” is recorded in Matthew, Chapters 5-7 and delivered by our Lord to His disciples and a great crowd of onlookers. In Chapter 6, verse 33 of this sermon, our Lord Jesus reminds us that the proper focus of life is on the Kingdom of God. When we focus on our Lord, everything else will fall into place.

At our Clergy/Laity and Philoptochos Congress in the Summer of 2008, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios chose the theme, “Gather My People to My Home.” He then challenged all Parishes to endeavor to reach out and include all Orthodox and those interested in our Orthodox Faith. We therefore have made some changes outlined below in order to assist each of you in your faith commitment .

We look to begin our New Ecclesiastical year, September 1, with a renewed commitment of our lives to our Lord. “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”, is the theme of our Orthodox walk in general and this year in particular, our focus for Religious Education. For two years we have used an interactive teaching model for our early childhood and primary children that was taught on either Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings. We have decided this year to once again have ALL of our Religious Education classes for children on Sunday mornings. We will continue our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Curriculum for the Preschool and Kindergarten age group and augment our curriculum for older children.
There are several changes in the Sunday Schedule which are listed below:

8:15am – Orthros
9:20am – Doxology
9:30am – Divine Liturgy
10:35 -11:35am – Church School For Children (Leave after Holy Communion)
11:10 – Coffee Hour

Please note that the biggest change is not only going back to Sundays, but having Church School AFTER rather then before Divine Liturgy, and that Liturgy will begin at 9:30am all year round, rather than only in the summer months.
Please do your very best to get to Divine Liturgy at 9:30am with your children. We plan to have a short sermonette for them after the Gospel. The children with their teachers will be the first to receive Holy Communion and proceed directly to their classes at 10:35am. The adult sermon and extra services will happen at the end of the Liturgy after which adults will proceed to Coffee Hour and shortly thereafter classes will be dismissed.

Wednesday Fellowship Nights will not have religious education for children. We will, however, continue to have classes for adults (the schedule will be posted in August) and babysitting will be available. We are exploring other activities for children on Wednesday nights and GOYA will have Basketball practices in the fall.

We also look forward to beginning a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-per-week Internet Radio Program in conjunction with OCN (Orthodox Christian Network). We intend to weekly highlight a Gospel reading and the life of a saint for the spiritual growth of our parishioners.

The Church School registration form is on page 5 (also available on our website); please send it back to the Church Office (Attn: Alina Buzdugan) by August 15. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, Fr. Dino or Suzanne Magerko.
Let us begin this Ecclesiastical year “Seeking first the Kingdom of God.”

With our Lord’s Blessings,

Fr. Lou

“Every Generation offers a hymn to Your burial
Oh Christ.” (Hymn – Holy Friday Lamentation Service)

Billions of Christians from “every generation” and all lands have sung this hymn from the Lamentations service of Holy Friday night with love to our Lord. Thousands of faithful parishioners of our beloved Saint Catherine parish have joined them in song for these past 25 years. From the auditorium Sanctuary at Slavens Elementary School to our beautiful Temple honoring the All-Wise Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, we sing praises to our Lord. We are Orthodox Christians from Greek, Russian, Serbian and other Slavic backgrounds. We are Romanians, Bulgarians, Middle-Easterners, Egyptians and Africans. We are Americans from Roman Catholic and various Christian traditions, from Judaism and other major faiths who have chosen to become one with the Ancient Apostolic Church. Those who sang in those first years as small children are now adults, many with faithful children of their own. We are young and old. We are diverse, yet one in love for and in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us therefore join together as one family in Christ to celebrate our Silver Anniversary of 25 Years. We remember in honor the 20 Founding Members, their families and all who were a part of the beginning, most living and some of blessed memory. We honor the past presidents and members of the Parish Council and Philoptochos. We honor our senior citizens and youth, our teachers, choir members, chanters, youth workers, volunteers in all ministry areas and staff, past and present. Finally, we honor our clergy. We thank our hierarchs, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos and Bishop Kallistos of blessed memory, Bishop Anthimos and Metropolitan Isaiah who consecrated St. Catherine. We thank our founding pastor, Fr. Dean Talagan and Fathers Demetrius Nicoloudakis, Paul Fedec, Evan Armatas and Dino Sinos and their Presbyteres Argie, Despina, Gloria, Stacy and Rachel for their faithful leadership in ministry and support. We honor the memory of Deacons Christodoulos Vigil and Chris Zinis and Diakonissa Marguerite for their ministry and thank Diakonissa Claire for her ongoing service to the Lord.

On our celebration weekend of June 13-14, let us gather as one family, glorifying our Loving Lord Father, Son and Holy Spirit for His love and faithfulness.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13
• SAINT CATHERINE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR CHILDREN: 10 am-12 noon with lunch, fun and games and Birthday Cake
• GREAT VESPERS AND PARISH MEMORIAL SERVICE: 5 pm presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah with Visiting and Parish Clergy
• GRAND BANQUET: Cocktails 6pm, Dinner 7pm (Individual tickets $100)

SUNDAY, JUNE 14
• ORTHROS - 8:15 am
• HIERARCHICAL DIVINE LITURGY - 9:30 am
• PARISH CELEBRATION BRUNCH - immediately following Divine Liturgy (Love offering donation)

Please RSVP for each event to Church Office at 303-773-3411 or to Alina Buzdugan at alina@stcatherinechurch.org.

On behalf of Presbytera Marsha and our family I am so grateful to be your Pastor and thank our Good and Loving Lord for blessing us in this Ministry these past 12 years. Through the prayers of His most blessed Mother the Theotokos and our special protectress, St. Catherine the great Martyr, may our generation and all future generations be blessed and offer hymns to our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In humility and with His Blessings, Fr. Lou

Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent, is February 19 this year. Our Pascha is celebrated on April 8, the same day as Western Christian Easter. The 40-days of Lent is primarily about repentance – an attitudinal change, a shift of focus away from ourselves and to God, utilizing such tools as prayer, fasting and charity. When we focus on ourselves primarily and things of this world, we “miss the mark” or sin. When we redirect our focus primarily to God, we “hit the mark”, we live the way we were created to live.

Some important Lenten questions:

What is the Triodion? This is a period of time in the Church including the four pre-Lenten Sundays of preparation for Lent, Great Lent and Holy Week.

How long is Great Lent? It is 40-days from Clean Monday (February 19 this year) to the Saturday of Lazarus, before Palm Sunday. This Saturday, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week are NOT technically a part of Great Lent. Nevertheless, our fast continues through these days, with a partial relaxation on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, picking up in its strictness on Palm Sunday Night through Holy Week to Pascha.

Why do we fast? We humans are psychosomatic. We have a soul and a body. The true fast is psychic – a spiritual or soul fast from sin. The psychology of the Church teaches us that to get to this spiritual fast, we must go through our body. Thus, we fast from food to help us in our self-discipline. If we can say no to simpler things, such as food, it helps us to say no to more difficult things such as gossip and judging others. Fasting also helps us to redirect our focus on God. When I’m hungry, I am in need. I recognize that I am not self-sufficient. I need basic food to live. Basic food is from God. Another element of fasting is doing without for ourselves, so we can help others. Charity or almsgiving then is a direct result of saving money spent on food or things for ourselves, and re-directing that money to help others in need.

How do we fast? The ultimate fast is a fast from sin. This is the goal of fasting. The prescribed Lenten food fast helping us to that goal begins on Meatfare Sunday, eight days before Great Lent with a fast from meat and begins on Clean Monday with a fast through Holy Saturday, from meat, fish, dairy products, oil and wine – with some exceptions: a lessening of the fast on weekends (oil is permitted); and on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday (fish, wine and oil permitted). There are variations to this fast for a variety of reasons including health, age, children, travel and living in a non-Orthodox country. For variation questions, speak with one of our clergy. But remember, it is better to eat meat than to devour your brother or sister.

What about prayer? Prayer is one main way of communicating with God. We praise God, we thank God, we ask for help for others and ourself. WE ask for forgiveness, for guidance, for strength. Great Lent is a time for heightened prayer life – both personal and corporate. Weekly throughout Lent we have Compline Services on Mondays, Pre-Sanctified Liturgies on Wednesdays and Salutation Services on Fridays. Additionally, we are challenged to be more regular and focused in our personal daily prayer life. The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian sets the tone for our personal prayer approach to our Lord. Also, the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner,” is a formula for constant prayer.
What about almsgiving or charity? This is essential in helping us to turn to God directly and indirectly, by helping the “least of his brothers and sisters.” As was mentioned in “Why do we Fast?” turning to God involves turning away from ourselves, re-directing our attention to helping others. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving or charity are the three legs of the Lenten table.

What about Confession? Confession, or more appropriately, the Sacrament of Repentance, is simply knowing ourselves, recognizing the ways we miss the mark, acknowledging them and attempting to change. We can do this on our own, which can be helpful. Sacramentally, when we do this with a confessor, “two or more are gathered in Christ’s name” and the Grace of God is imparted in a healing and strengthening manner. Confession times are listed on the calendar. Take advantage of this healing sacrament utilizing honesty and humility as a garment of re-baptism and re-generation of our life in Christ.

May Great Lent be a time of re-focus in our life – away from ourselves and to God.
May we “die”
More to the un-Godly aspects of our life, in Christ’s death and live anew in His Glorious and life-giving
Resurrection.

Fr. Lou Christopulos

The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim (said daily in Great Lent)

Lord and Master of my life, deliver me from the spirit of laziness, despondency, desire for power over others, and useless talk. (Prostration) Give rather to me your servant, a spirit of purity, humility, patience and love. (Prostration) Yes Lord and King, allow me to see my own sins and faults and not to judge others. For you are blessed forever and to the age of ages. Amen. (Prostration)

St. John Chrysostom on Fasting

Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eyes and the ears and the feet and the hands and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful. Let the ears fast, by not listening to evil talk and gossip. Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism. For what is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers? May He who came to the world to save sinners strengthen us to complete the fast with humility, have mercy on us and save us.

The epistle reading on their feast days (July 1 and November 1) is from 1st Corinthians chapter 12 and 13, focusing on agape or unconditional love. Do you realize that there are four words for love in Greek? They are: ‘eros”; “storgefilia”; and “agape”. Now, the English word, ‘love’, can be applied to almost anything. In English, one can ‘love’ a house, a car, a hairstyle, a good juicy steak, a piece of cheesecake or baklava, and one’s spouse. The same word can be used for all. It is not so, however with the language of the New Testament. In fact, one would not use any of the four Greek words for love for anything inanimate. They are words of interpersonal relationship appropriate for God, human relationships and perhaps, our pets. ‘Eros’ is often associated with a sexual attraction love. It is a love whereby one’s loved one becomes the object of focus. ‘Storge’ is a natural love, say between a parent and their child. ‘Filia” is a friendship love where the sharing of common interests and focuses bring people together. ‘Agape’ is an unconditional love, where one gives freely without expecting anything in return. It is referred to by the famous English author of blessed memory, C.S. Lewis as the ‘Queen of loves’, a divine gift love. It is divine as it is from God and concerned with giving rather than with receiving. This is the love of 1st Corinthians and the main love focused upon throughout the New Testament. This is the love expressed by the incarnation, as, in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, God becomes a man. This is the love of the Trinity, at once interpersonal amongst the three Persons of the Godhead, and between Creator and creature. This is the love of the greatest of commandments: “… You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (MT 22:37-40).

As we remember the great saints, Peter and Paul, the Holy Apostles and Cosmas and Damian, let us honor them by loving our Lord and one another with the agape love of our Lord Jesus. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (JN 3:16).

With our Lord’s blessings,
Fr. Lou

The Feast of Pentecost occurs this year on Sunday, June 11, fifty days following Pascha. We know the Scriptural reference from Acts, Chapter Two, when on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles were gathered in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit descended upon them as “tongues of fire” and they began to speak in various tongues. Peter preached about Christ to a great crowd, each of whom heard him in their own native dialect. On that day some 3,000 people were baptized and thus, the Church began.

What we may not know is that Pentecost was not originally a Christian Feast. It was a Jewish Feast. It was celebrated 50 days following Pesach (Passover). Its Hebrew name was Shavu’ot or “Festival of Weeks”. It had an agricultural and religious significance. On the one hand, it was a harvest feast of first fruits (of wheat or corn) with a harvest thanksgiving offering brought to the Temple. Religiously, it commemorated the giving of the Torah or the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai following their release from bondage in Egypt. Jews from the entire region would gather in Jerusalem to offer their harvest first fruits and read all night from the Torah. Judaism still celebrates this Festival, counting daily from the second day of Pesach to the Eve of Shavu’ot, 49 days or seven full weeks, reminding them of the important connection between the two feasts. Passover freed them from physical bondage, but the giving of Torah redeemed them spiritually from bondage to idolatry and immorality. Pentecost is the Hellenized word for the Feast referring to 50 days. It was and is for Jews a thanksgiving harvest feast of first fruits and a celebration of the giving of Torah and the Law.

Is Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior? We of course believe that He is. Please note then, for those who believe He is, how the feasts of Pesach (Pascha or Passover) and Shavu’ot (Pentecost) are transformed or rather fulfilled in Christ. The Passover lamb sacrifice in Egypt of old, the marking of the doorposts of the Hebrew homes with the lamb’s blood and the Angel of Death passing over them allowed Jews freedom after 400 years of bondage. Christ, the Messiah, becomes the New Paschal Lamb. His Perfect blood sacrifice, death on the cross and His glorious three day resurrection allows His followers to be set free from eternal bondage to sin with a Passover to life eternal, following death.

The Feast of Shavu’ot (Pentecost), in Christ and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is transformed or rather fulfilled from a celebratory feast of the giving of Torah or the Law to a feast celebrating the receiving of the Grace of the Holy Spirit; from a harvest feast of thanksgiving, in offering the harvest’s first fruits, to a feast celebrating the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ – The Messiah – The Savior and in the Holy Spirit, the People of the Law are transformed or fulfilled to and in the People of Grace.

In the words of St. Paul, “…the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith, but after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:24-29).

May you and I, through the Love of God the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit, put on Christ, become heirs according to the promise and live as People of Grace.

Christ is Risen!
Fr. Lou

Detachment means to not allow the things of this world to become too important to us and to, in their place, choose God. Now, when we speak of things of this world, we also refer to people. Of everything within this world, people are of course the most important. More important, however, than either things or people, is God. Detachment, quite simply is about balance and having the proper priorities in life – God first, others second and things third. Simple to say, but not simple to do. Do we live our lives in terms of time, talents and treasures with these priorities? Our human tendency after the Fall of Adam and Eve is not to. The pre-Fall human tendency was to focus on our soul first and then the body, to focus on God first and everything else second. The Fall skewed this perspective. The body and its pleasures (the material world) became primary and the soul, (the Godly spiritual world) secondary. Detachment is about reversing the order to its original beauty – to focus first on God and His Kingdom and not on the kingdoms of this world.

Practically speaking, it means that we are to detach from the “things” this world offers. We are also challenged even to detach from people. As we relate to them, we do so in the context of God’s love. Therefore, their love or lack of love towards us is understood in the context of God’s eternal love for us. We of course love people with kindness, respect and care. To do so is to be Godly. However, when someone praises us for doing something (presumably) well, we detach – offering the praise to God. Conversely, when someone criticizes us, we accept it and then let it go, in humility to God. If we do not detach and hang on to either a praise or a curse (criticism), we are in danger of placing too much attention on either the praise or criticism of an imperfect person. This in turn can take us to either vanity – thinking of ourselves more than we should — or worthlessness — thinking of ourselves less than we should. I should add that it could also lead us to judgment and bitterness of the person judging us. We then place ourselves above them. The sin in these three cases is pride. It comes from claiming our worth based upon imperfect and worldly opinions. Detachment places our trust in the Perfect God who provides the context for relationships and love.

All people, all things are validated through their relationship with God, their creator. As we continue in our Lenten Journey, may we focus first – in everything – on our Loving Lord. May we live in this world but not be of this world. May we live as strangers knowing that God’s kingdom is not of this world. May we remember that it is His Love for us as our true Parent that validates us. If He is for us, no one can be against us!

Have a blessed remainder of Lent, Holy Week and a Glorious Pascha,

Fr. Lou

Some important Lenten questions:

What is the Triodion? This is a period of time in the Church including the four pre-Lenten Sundays of preparation for Lent, Great Lent and Holy Week.

How long is Great Lent? It is 40-days from Clean Monday (March 6 this year) to the Saturday of Lazarus, before Palm Sunday. This Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are NOT technically a part of Great Lent. Nevertheless, our fast continues through these days, with a partial relaxation on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, picking up in it’s stictness on Palm Sunday Night through Holy Week to Pascha.

Why do we fast? We humans are psychosomatic. We have a soul and a body. The true fast is psychic – a spiritual or soul fast from sin. The psychology of the Church teaches us that to get to this spiritual fast, we must go through our body. Thus, we fast from food to help us in our self-discipline. If we can say no to simpler things, such as food, it helps us to say no to more difficult things such as gossip and judging others. Fasting also helps us to redirect our focus on God. When I’m hungry, I am in need. I recognize that I am not self-sufficient. I need basic food to live. Basic food is from God. Another element of fasting is doing without for ourselves, so we can help others. Charity or almsgiving then is a direct result of saving money spent on food or things for outselves, and re-directing that money to help others in need.

How do we fast? The ultimate fast is a fast from sin. This is the goal of fasting. The prescribed Lenten food fast helping us to that goal begins on Meatfare Sunday, eight days before Great Lent with a fast from meat and begins on Clean Monday with a fast through Holy Saturday, from meat, fish, dairy products, oil and wine – with some exceptions: a lessening of the fast on weekends (oil is permitted); and on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday (fish, wine and oil permitted). There are variations to this fast for a variety of reasons including health, age, children, travel and living in a non-Orthodox country. For variation questions, speak with one of our clergy. But remember, it is better to eat meat than to devour your brother or sister.

What about prayer? Prayer is one main way of communicating with God. We praise God, we thank God, we ask for help for others and ourself. WE ask for forgiveness, for guidance, for strength. Great Lent is a time for heightened prayer life – both personal and corporate. Weekly throughout Lent we have Compline Services on Mondays, Pre-Sanctified Liturgies on Wednesdays and Salutation Services on Fridays. Additionally, we are challenged to be more regular and Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian sets the tone for our personal prayer approach to our Lord. Also, the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner,” is a formula for constant prayer.

What about almsgiving or charity? This is essential in helping us to turn to God directly and indirectly, by helping the “least of his brothers and sisters.” As was mentioned in “Why do we Fast?” turning to God involves turning away from ourselves, re-directing our attention to helping others. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving or charity are the three legs of the Lenten table.

What about Confession? Confession, or more appropriately, the Sacrament of Repentance, is simply knowing ourselves, recognizing the ways we miss the mark, acknowledging them and attempting to change. We can do this on our own, which can be helpful. Sacramentally, when we do this with a confessor, “two or more are gathered in Christ’s name” and the Grace of God is imparted in a healing and strengthening manner. Confession times are listed on the calendar. Take advantage of this healing sacrament utilizing honesty and humility as a garment of re-baptism and re-generation of our life in Christ.

May Great Lent be a time of re-focus in our life – away from ourselves and to God. May we “die” more to the un-Godly aspects of our life, in Christ’s death and live anew in His Glorious and life-giving Resurrection.

With our Lord’s Blessings,

Fr. Lou

We learn form God’s creatures on the one hand and yearn from our souls, on the other hand to offer our own songs of praise and worship. For me personally, these songs I have sung at times in my personal prayer time – perhaps in the country or the forest, at times in churches or holy spaces and often within the services of corporate worship. Sometimes the songs have been made up or perhaps just an original humming. Most often, they have been songs of another of praise and thanksgiving. There have been folk songs and hymns, sometimes from other Christian or religious traditions. And then there are the hymns of our own Byzantine Orthodox tradition. Some hymns – for example those from the Liturgy and from Holy Week – I recall from probably before I could walk. It’s not so much the words as the melodies. They serve to touch my heart and communicate to my so8ul the great love for me, my family, my friends, my enemies, indeed all of humankind and the entire universe, that our Great and merciful Lord possesses and offers. “God is with us, give ear all you nations and be humbled, for God is with us.” (Orthodox Hymn of Great Compline Service)

The month of February, my dear parishioners, we have chosen the theme of “Hymns of the Divine Liturgy” for our Religious Education theme. On Sunday, February 5, Church School children, teachers, parents and all St. Catherine parishioners are invited to meet in the Sanctuary at 9:00am for a presentation on “Hymns of the Divine Liturgy.” A packet will be distributed guiding personal and familial study for the month on this theme. Our hope is that we will better understand our tradition of prayers through the hymnology and hymnography of Orthodox Christianity. Our ultimate goal is that you and I will always love and worship in thanksgiving our Loving Lord and that we, as the birds of the air will “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.” (Psalm 100:1)

In Christ, Fr. Lou

This month of January, we will focus our Religious Education Ministry on the theme, “The Divine Liturgy”. On Sunday, January 8, we will invite students from Church School, their teachers, parents and other adults into the sanctuary at the regular time for Church School (9am). We will then have a presentation for all about the Divine Liturgy. The Liturgy that day will be a teaching Liturgy. This theme will be then focused on in Church School and Adult Discussion for the remainder of the month.

The essential characteristic of the “Divine work of the people” for us is worship, since it is through worship that we approach God. Sunday, the Lord’s Day (Kyriaki), is also the first day of the week. This worship provides for us the proper context for the beginning of our week with God. It then sets the tone for how we live our lives weekly, daily, even moment by moment. We live our lives in a constant flow of thanksgiving in relationship with God. EVERYTHING we do, EVERY moment we live, EVERY breath we take is with God in mind. That is how God has created us, to be in constant communion with Him.

As we begin this New Year of 2006, let us begin in worship and thanksgiving. The new year, the new month, the new day, the new minute, the new second are all about God. Be it therefore resolved that we live our total lives as a thanksgiving offering to Him — in worship, in school, in work and in play — let EVERYTHING in our lives be “A Divine work of the people”.

Services for Holy Theophany (Epiphany) will be held on January 5th and 6th, as are scheduled on the January calendar. If anyone would like to schedule a house or business blessing, please contact Fr. Evan or myself.

In Christ,

Fr. Lou

On behalf of Fr. Paul, Fr. Evan, our staff, our Parish Council, Philoptochos and Ministry Teams, may our Good and Loving Lord bless you and your loved ones with a most beautiful and Spirit-filled 2006. Kali Chronia!

Each year we have a stewardship campaign, like Orthodox and Roman Catholic parishes and Protestant and Jewish congregations throughout our country. Most of us equate these campaigns with the fiscal necessities for our parishes or congregations. That certainly is a major part of these campaigns. However, their purpose is much greater than this. Their ultimate purpose is to remind us that everything good that we have is a blessing from God and to live our lives in thanksgiving to God by giving in general, of our time, talents and treasures – which of course, are from God. There are Biblical guidelines for this giving. The one we are most familiar with is the tithe. “And all the tithes of the land, whether of seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy unto the Lord . . . And concerning the tithes of the herd of the flock . . . the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30,32) A tithe is ten percent. Essentially, the Mosaic Law set a ten percent offering of one’s crops or livestock to the Temple. These offerings were used to care for the Temple grounds, the Levitical families who cared for the Temple and Temple grounds and were unable to own property, and the indigent, the widows without families and others in need.

The concept of the tithe entered into Christianity and became a guideline – at times a minimal guideline – for giving within the Church. This was especially true in the early Church where millions of Christians in the first few centuries gave everything to our Lord, even their very lives as they spilled their martyr’s blood out of their devotion and commitment to Him.

Our Archdiocese has chosen the theme, “Bearing Fruit: Witness and Service”, for the 2006 Stewardship Campaign. This is based on the “Parable of the Sower” from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Our Lord is the Sower and the seeds are His Word. In order for us to bear fruit, we must have received His Word in a humble and prepared heart, receiving it, nurturing and tending it so that it grows within us. Then, through witness and service to our Lord, we have the privilege to become sowers with Him as we give from the blessings we have received.

Our St. Catherine Parish invites you to become a part of our 2006 Stewardship Campaign. We are grateful to you stewards for your faithfulness throughout the years. Many of you give of your time and talents – both of which are gifts from God – with hours upon hours of volunteer offerings. You also give of your financial resources – again gifts from God – as faithful offerings. In fact, in 2005 to date, we have 306 Stewards, which I believe is our highest number ever! Financially you have pledged some $535,000, which again is our highest number ever! Thank you for bearing fruit through this witness and service. Please join with me, Fr Paul, Fr. Evan, our Parish Council, and Ministry Leaders, teams and volunteers to continue with this faithful witness and service. Give of your time, talents and treasures that you have received from our Lord, as thanksgiving offerings to Him. December 1-18, 2005, Stewardship Chair, Stacey Gallanis and her Committee will focus on the 2006 Campaign, Bearing Fruit: Witness and Service, with a special emphasis, 10% by 2010.

God bless you and be with you and have a Glorious Celebration of our Lord’s Birth.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Lou

Oh behalf of Fr. Paul, Fr. Evan, our Parish Council, our Philoptochos, our Ministry Teams and our staff, God’s blessings be with each of you for a Glorious Christmas Celebration of the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

My September “Kandili” article encouraged the readers to join Fr. Paul, Fr. Evan and me in beginning each day of our new Ecclesiastical year focusing on Christ our Lord.  After all, life is about Him, not us.  Last month, we examined humility with a reminder of our Lord’s great challenge to be converted to become as “small children” if we desired to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt. 18:1-5).  Now, this does not refer to being “childish” with the immaturities of childhood.  What it does refer to is to be childlike with a purity of faith, trust and love for God, our True Parent.  A “conversion” here is necessary as following the Fall of Humankind, our tendency is to rely on self and not God.  Quite simply, in order to say “Yes” to God and God’s Will, we must say “No” to our self and our will.  Is this a challenge, or what?

We hear in the Lord’s Prayer, “…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  To become childlike is to place God’s Will above our own.  What is practically necessary for us to do this?  Humility is of course.  Prayer and fasting are also absolutely necessary as they express our humility on the one hand and serve to deepen it on the other hand.  Why are prayer and fasting absolutely necessary?  They are necessary because they both redirect the focus in our life away from us and towards God, when done with the proper attitude.  Orthodoxy teaches us that proper fasting provides a heart receptive to a genuine encounter with God.  Just what is “proper” fasting?  Simply it is a discipline to help us to learn to say “no” to certain things in our lives with a purpose to learn to say “no” to our wants and desires, to our self.  Again, to say “yes” to God and God’s Will is to say “no” to our self and our will.  Remember what our Lord said to His disciples?  “Whosoever desires to follow me, let him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me.” ( Mk. 8:34).  Proper fasting helps us to conquer our own selfish desires.  It is like a small “self-persecution”.  Tito Colliander states, “Ultimately it is just this ‘self-persecution’ on which your warfare depends, for as long as your selfish will rules, you cannot pray to the Lord with a pure heart: Thy will be done.  If you cannot get rid of your own greatness, neither can you lay yourself open for real greatness.  If you cling to your own freedom, you cannot share in true freedom, where only one will reigns.”  (Way of the Ascetics, pg. 12).

We must remember that this whole process is going against the post-Fall flow, against what feels natural to us and against what we are often taught and learn in the world around us.  We learn to care for and focus on our self and our wants and desires.  When we do go against the flow and move out of our self, who do we encounter?  Bishop Theophan answers, “We meet God and our neighbor.  It is for this reason that denying oneself is a stipulation, and the chief one, for the person who seeks salvation in Christ:  only so can the center of our being be moved from self to Christ, who is both God and our neighbor.  This means that all the care, concern and love we now lavish on ourselves is then quite naturally and without our noticing it transferred to God and thereby to our fellowmen.” (Way of The Ascetic, pg. 20).

This November, as we celebrate the Entrance into the Temple of the Theotokos on November 21, the Feast of our Patroness, St. Catherine the Great Martyr, November 25, let us allow their great example of sacrificial love to encourage us to live the same way.  On this Thanksgiving Day, the 24^th of the month, let us offer thanks to our Lord for life and all of our blessings by loving Him and one another.  Let’s say “no” to our self by saying “yes” to God in all we do.
With the Lord’s blessings,

Fr. Lou

What does it mean to be a devout and committed Christian?  What is at the very core of our approach to and relationship with God?  Allow me to answer these questions with a quotation from our Lord.  “ At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, ‘Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’  Then Jesus called a child to Him, set him in the midst of them and said, ‘Assuredly I say to you unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Mt.18:1-5).

Who do we honor in this life?  Typically we honor entertainers, athletes, the wealthy, politicians, CEO’s of corporations, successful, accomplished men and women.  They are often motivated, hard working, self-sufficient, and articulate.

Who do we honor in our Orthodox faith?  We hold up as examples and honor after our Lord, the saints.  Without a doubt, many of the saints were gifted with similar qualities as those possessed by the “idols” of our times.  However, the saints accomplished something that few have.  They were “converted” and became as little children.  Now, that does not mean that they were childish, with the immaturities of childhood.  What it does mean is that they were childlike, with a purity of faith, trust and love for God.  It means that they were humble and always ready to learn, never looking at themselves as better than another, seeing that anything good that they did was as a result of God’s Grace and not their own.  This childlikeness was something that they, through humility had to re-learn.  They were “converted” to this attitude of life.  Since after the Fall of humankind our tendency is to rely on our self and not God.  Most of the “great ones” honored in our world, with our fallen tendencies focus on their accomplishments and possessions.  A “converted one” learns to direct any good away from self and towards God.  The truth is that in my experience, even within the Church this is not easily accomplished.  More times than not our attitudes are not “converted”.  This is the main reason why petty differences and power struggles occur everywhere.  Our own egos keep us from this childlikeness and humility.  In our circles, this applies to clergy and laity a like.

Our Lord tells us, “…it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mt. 19:24).  This reference specifically is towards wealthy people.  However in principle “wealth” can refer to anyone who thinks of him or herself as great or at least greater than another, when essentially we are nothing without God.  Tito Colliander in his book, Way of the Ascetics, says, “The holy Fathers say with one voice: the first thing to keep in mind is never in any respect to rely on yourself…This decision not to rely on self is for most people a severe obstacle at the very outset…For how can a human being receive advice, instruction and help if he believes that he knows and can do anything and needs no directions?” (pg. 4).

How then can we “convert” to this childlikeness?  Step I is to, in humility recognize in our heart’s depths God’s incredible love for us.  “ God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (Jn 3:16).  He loved and loves us even though we are not perfect.  Step II is to strive to love God as first and foremost in our lives—above self, parents, spouse, children—everyone.  We have a challenge in our maturation process to learn to depend on God attitudinally as a child depends upon a parent.  I emphasize maturation because this assumes adult responsibility to do things that we ourselves can do and to not wait on our parent (God) to do them for us.  When we do them, however we do them for His Glory and not for our own satisfaction and glory.  Step III is to love others and learn to not focus on their limitations but rather to focus on God’s grace within them.  After all, if God loves us in our imperfection, it stands to reason He loves others as well.   Step IV is to be ever vigilant and not let one’s guard down.  Our fallen tendency is always there until our final breath with temptation lurking in the shadows wanting us to rely on self, thus judging others and even God as inadequate to direct or guide us.

In Humility and like a little child, let us submit to our Lord and God and Savior Jesus our whole life so that through God’s Grace and Strength we may live in His Presence and enter into the kingdom of heaven.

In Christ,

Fr. Lou