Greek-Fest 2010

Nature

In this day and age, we hear a lot about the natural world.  We hear that we are destroying it with our pollution.  We hear about the green house effect and how temperatures are rising.  We hear about how we are just part of it all and to survive, we need to take better care of the world.  While it is true that human beings have a role in the upkeep of the natural world, we do not hear about is God’s role in nature, what did He do, and what does he continue to do for the world.  This month we will talk about God’s role in the natural world.

Before the beginning of the world, there was only God.  There was nothing else.  Nothing else was needed.  God had the perfect relationship within the Holy Trinity.  But, our God loved so much that although He did not need anything or anyone else, He decided to create someone else beside Himself to love, and to love Him.  So what did He do?  He created the entire creation from nothing.  So, everything that exists, exists because God loves.

The question that comes up now is how did God create the world.  Well, there is no full answer.  The Bible, particularly the book of Genesis as well as other books in both the Old and New Testaments, try to make sense of the “how” of creation, but can only conclude that God did indeed create the world in a way that only He would really understand.

Those of us, who have taken American History, know that our founding fathers were deists.  A deist is one who believes that God created the world and then left it alone.  We Orthodox Christians do not believe this.  We believe that we have a caring God, a God who is intimately involved in His creation.  He takes an active role in His creation.  He upholds it.  In other words, He keeps it existing.  In fact, if He decided that He no longer wanted to exist, it would not exist.  The opposite is also true, that even if forces, like people, the devil or even an asteroid, try to destroy creation, God will prevent it because of His will.  In other words, because He wants the world to exist, it does, no matter what anybody or anything does to it.

God, in His infinite love created something that did not exist.  He created, if you will, an “other” to which He could show and express His love.  The jewel of His creation is not the animals, plants or even the angels, but man.  Today we will talk about this special and unique creature called man and see what his reaction was to God’s love.

Why is man unique?  If you ever read the first chapter of the book of Genesis, (and if you have not you should!), you can see that God created everything by a word.  In other words God said “Let there be…and there was…” This is true with everything except Adam.  When God created Adam, He did not say, “Let there be…” but stooped down took dirt and made man.  In fact, Adam, in Hebrew, means “from the dirt”.  God did not stop there but proceeded to breathe life into Adam.  By taking him from the earth, and breathing life into him, God made Adam a microcosm, a small world living in the larger world.

God also gave Adam the privilege of being made in the image and likeness of God.  In other words, out everything that God created, Adam alone had the potential to become God-like.  Adam was free and so he was able to love God back just like God loved him.

After creating Adam, God saw decided that it was not right for Adam to be lonely so He created Eve.  Eve was his equal, being a human being just like Adam.  She too was made in the image and likeness of God.

Adam and Eve also had a job.  You see man was the link between everything that was created and God.  Man was supposed to present creation through himself to God.  God in turn would bless it and present it back to man.

Did Adam and Eve do their job?  No.  They decided that they did not need God, and could live their lives just fine without God’s interference.  After all that God gave them, they rejected Him.

So what did God do?  First, He tried to let them apologize.  He asked Adam what happened, and he responded that it was God’s fault for making Eve.  He asked Eve what happened and she blamed God as well.

Second, He let them see the world without Him.  What do I mean?  Did he suddenly disappear?  No.  He told Adam that instead of doing things that work all the time, some of what he would do will not work.  He also told Adam that from now on he would die and not live forever.  What about Eve?  Eve will have pain in childbirth, and she will be subject to her husband.  What does this mean?  It means that from that point on her relationship with her husband would not be a balanced one but hr will have authority.

What happened after this rebellion of Adam?  The first thing that happened was that Adam broke his relationship with God.  The Church teaches that relationship is key, so when Adam ate from the apple, it wasn’t so much that he broke the rules, but that he broke his relationship with God.  So, the first and most important result of the rebellion of Adam was the breaking of his relationship with God.

Another thing that changed for Adam was that his perspective of things, how he looked at things, changed.  You will notice if you read the Book of Genesis, that after they ate the apple they realized they were naked.  Did they not know they were naked before?  They probably did, but the point of it was that they started to look at each other differently.  They started looking at each other as something to possess instead of someone to relate with.  In other words, they wanted to posses each other.  That’s why they felt as if they were naked.  We feel the same way when someone looks at us in a certain way, no matter what we have on it feels as though we were naked.  So, we can say that our relationship with ourselves has changed and gotten worse.

The final thing that changed was the world as he knew it, or more accurately, his relationship to the world radically changed.  Instead of being the head of all that was created, instead of being the steward of creation, he became just a small part of it.  He started to share in the qualities of all other animals in that he was born, reproduced and then died.  In other words, what was natural for the whole world became natural for Adam.

To sum up thus far, the results of Adam’s sin were a broken relationship with God, with Eve and with the world.  So, did God just leave us like this?  Did he say you made your bed now lie in it?  No.  He did many things.  He chose Abraham and all his children to represent Him.  He gave Moses the Law to stop the spread of evil.  He gave the Prophets to His people to keep them on the right path.  And finally He gave them the ultimate gift, His Son.

Now, back when Adam sinned, God decided that since it was man who rebelled against Him, since it was man who ruined God’s creation, since it was man who pulled everything away from God, then it had to be man who would undo all this negative action.  Unfortunately, man was sick.  Sin in Orthodoxy is also viewed as a disease.  Man was incapable to do this on his own.  So God, in His love for man sent His only Begotten Son into the world.  God the Son became a human being, without ceasing to be God.  So now the Man, Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, could now bring humanity back into a relationship with God.

So, we can see that there were ramifications to Adam’s actions.  They did not just affect him and God, but the whole cosmic order.  To undo all the negative action, God decided that it was necessary for humanity to do it.  Humanity did it with a little help from God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Receiving Communion on Holy Saturday

Question: Someone told me that I should not receive Holy Communion on Holy Saturday Morning if I want to receive Holy Saturday Night.  Is it true?  And can I eat on Holy Saturday if I’m going to receive Holy Saturday Night.  (Anonymous)

Answer: Well, we will begin with your first question: Can you receive at both Liturgies on Holy Saturday?  The answer is yes, provided that you are prepared.  You prepare yourself by fasting and going to confession.

Now what if you are prepared, should you receive at both Liturgies?  The answer is still yes.  At every Divine Liturgy that Father Jim or I serve at, we must receive Holy Communion.  Now normally one priest can only serve one Divine Liturgy on one Altar Table on one day, but there are exceptions to the rule.  The exceptions are Christmas, Theophany and Pascha.  So since we are allowed to receive on those days, so then you are too.

Now to answer your second question, it is obvious that if you are going to receive Holy Communion at the morning service, you shouldn’t eat in the morning before Divine Liturgy.  If you are going to receive Holy Communion at the night Divine Liturgy, then you should have a light lunch and not eat again until after the service.

Philoptochos Bake Sale

Join us for our Philoptochos Easter Bake Sale at our Church.  Purchase all your Easter Sweets from our Philoptochos. Proceeds to support Philanthropic endeavors.  See flier for details.

Question: How and why do we calculate the date of Pascha?

Answer: Well let’s look at the second part of your question first. Why do we even need to calculate the date of Pascha? In the Early Church, there was a problem in that everybody celebrated Pascha on a different date or even on a different day of the week. Why was this a problem? It was a big problem because this feast is the most important feast of the year. It is so important that we do not consider Pascha to be one of the Twelve Great Feasts, but the Feasts of Feasts. The Church Fathers had a problem with this situation, so in 325 AD they met in a city called Nicaea and among other things decided that every Christian should celebrate Pascha on the same day.

Here comes the answer to the first part of your question. The Fathers decided that we would calculate the date of Pascha in the following way. Pascha is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. The date of the vernal equinox was set using the Julian Calendar. The Julian Calendar, which was made by Julius Caesar, was the calendar that everybody in the western world used at the time. This way we would all celebrate Pascha on the same day and date. To this day all the Christian Churches still calculate Pascha the same way.

About one thousand or so years later the Roman Church began to use another calendar. It was called the Gregorian Calendar and was made by Gregory Pope of Rome. This calendar was more accurate than the older Julian Calendar. In fact, we use this calendar today.

The problem that occurs is that we still use the Julian calendar to calculate Pascha so the date of the vernal equinox is now different so that means the date of Pascha would also be different. This is why our Pascha is on a different day than the Western Easter.

Blood Drive

Come join us in giving the gift of life to our fellow human beings, on March 14, 2010.

Pastoral Message

Now that we have reached the beginning of Great and Holy Lent here are a few common questions that I hear from many people are: When do we fast? How do we fast? Why do we fast?

Father Michael Constantinides

When do we fast? As Orthodox Christians we have certain times of the year set aside for fasting.

Some of these times are specific dates and others are seasons. Let’s take a few moments to list these fasting times:

Every Wednesday and  Friday

Great Lent—40 days. Dates vary with date of Pascha.

Holy Week—Begins on Holy Monday and ends on Holy Saturday. Dates vary with date of Pascha.

Fast of the Apostles—Begins on the Monday after the Sunday of All-Saints and ends on June 29th. Varies in date of beginning and duration because of date of Pascha.

Fast of Dormition of the Virgin Mary—Begins August 1st and ends after Divine Liturgy on August 15th.

Beheading of St. John the Baptist—August 29th.

Elevation of the Holy Cross—September 14th.

Christmas Fast—40 days. Begins on November 15th and ends following Divine Liturgy on December 25th.

The Eve of Theophany—January 5th.

There are also times when as good Orthodox Christians we do not and are not allowed to fast. Let’s take a few moments to list these non-fasting times:

Saturday & Sunday—during fasting periods we use oil and wine

Week after Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee—Dates vary with date of Pascha.

Bright Week—The week after Pascha. Dates vary with date of Pascha.

The week after Pentecost—Dates vary with Pascha

Christmas Period—from December 25th following Divine Liturgy until January 4th.

The Feast of the Holy Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ—January 6th.

Let’s take a few moments to look at how we fast, what foods we can and cannot eat.

Foods we do not eat when we fast:

meat

dairy

fish

oil (all oil)

wine (any alcohol)

Foods we can eat when we fast:

shellfish

fruits

vegetables

pasta

There are indeed many reasons for fasting, but I think we will deal with the main two: restoring balance between body and soul, and renewing our relationship with God, our fellow man and nature.

First, there is the balance of power between the body and soul. When God created us, he wanted the soul to lead the body to God. The soul was supposed to be the highest part of the human being, kind of like the way a computer is run by a program. Without the program, the computer is a bunch of wires in a plastic box. Without the computer, the program is just a bunch of codes. When we fast, we limit what the body eats, we bring back that balance and start to become what God wanted us to be from the beginning.

Secondly, by fasting we open ourselves to a better relationship with God, our fellow man and nature. You may ask how? When we limit what and how much we eat, we have a tendency of not thinking about ourselves as much. In other words, we stop being selfish. When we are not as selfish, we can start looking at others besides our selves, and what do we see? We see God who is patiently waiting for us to talk with Him. We see that our fellow man is looking to us for help and love. We see nature that needs to be nurtured and not abused. In other words, when we fast we stop being full of ourselves, and start seeing how we treat others is more important than how we treat ourselves.

These then are the two major reasons why we fast. What we have to do as Orthodox Christians is to remember that we need to have the attitude of fasting even when we are not actually fasting. What do I mean? I mean that we need to open ourselves to God and His Grace. We need to remember the unfortunate. We need to take care of the natural world. If we do this then we will be ready for Christ to come back, we will be ready for judgment, and we will then be the best Christians that we can be.

The Triodion

THE TRIODION PERIOD OF THE YEAR – 2010

Rev. Andrew George

Annunciation Church, Cranston, RI

The Triodion Period is the period of time in our Orthodox Liturgical year that encompasses 3 segments of time, that ofthe Pre-Lenten cycle, of Great Lent itself and of Holy Week.

(The word “Triodion” literally means “3 odes” referring to a series of hymns that are sung, but also applying to the 3 segments of time and the associated observances in each of these time segments.)

The Triodion Period begins on the 4th Sunday before Great Lent, usually in February or early March, In 2010, it began Sunday January 24 (with Vespers the evening before), earlier than usual.

During this period, the following occurs:

1. A book, called “The Triodion,” is used in the church services. There are special hymns and readings assigned to the service. This book is used throughout the Pre-Lenten period, through all of Lent, and through Holy Week, up to Holy Saturday night.

2. There is a special service known as “The Saturday of Souls” (Memorial Saturdays) that are observed in which we commemorate and remember our departed relatives.

Two of these services are held during the Pre-Lenten Period, and one more is celebrated on the First Saturday of Lent. In 2010 the dates are:

Saturday, February 6 / Saturday, February 13 / Saturday, February 20

3. Each of the four Sundays of the Pre-Lenten Period have special themes and Bible Readings. Each Sunday initiates the week. Certain observances occur on certain weeks.  These are:

A. Week of Publican & Pharisee (in 2010 – January 24) Sunday Readings are: 2nd Timothy 3:10-15 & Luke 18:9-14

Theme is: Humility and the correct observance of the teachings of God, observing without pride, and without looking down upon others. We are called to see ourselves as we truly are and compare ourselves to Christ’s teachings.

Observance of the Week:

No fasting during this week (not even on Wed or Fri), in preparation for the more strict 40-day fast period

B. Week of the Prodigal Son (in 2010 – January 31) Sunday Readings are: 1st Corinthians 6:12-20 & Luke 15:11-32

Theme is: Return and forgiveness to someone who has done wrong; we should not “rub it in” to someone who is trying to correct their mistakes. We are called to come to “ourselves” as did the prodigal to see if we also may be “far” from the Father’s house and if so, make movement to return.

Observances of the Week:

a. Wednesday and Friday are a fast day

b. Saturday is the First Memorial Saturday

c. Traditional “Apokreas Parties” (apokreatiko) are held

C. Week of Apokries – Meat Fare Day (in 2010 – February 7) Sundays Readings are: 1st Corinthians 8:8-9:2 & Matthew 25:31-46

Theme is: The Last Judgment of Christ when He returns to the earth again; what will happen to mankind and what is expected of mankind. We are called to see Christ in every human being and serve those in need by doing for them, not simply intending to do, but actually doing to bring Christ’s embrace to them.

Observance of the Week:

a. It is “Meat Fare” day, known as “Apokreas”(meaning, “from meat’) in which we eat meat for the last time until Easter. All other foods are eaten, Mon-Sat except for meat.

b. Saturday is the Second Memorial Saturday

c. Traditional Apokreas parties (Mardi Gras, or apokreatiko) are held on the weekend

D. Forgiveness Sunday – Cheese Fare – First Week of Lent (in 2010 – February 14) Sunday Scripture Readings: Romans 13:11-14:4 & Matthew 6:14-21

Theme is: Forgiveness of each other of sins and offenses. Personal renewal with mankind (with each other), so as to prepare for the personal renewal with God during Great Lent. A sub-theme is: that of Adam’s exile from paradise. We are to identify ourselves with Adam, lamenting our loss of the beauty, dignity and delight of our original creation, mourning our corruption in sin.

Observances of the Day:

a. Asking forgiveness of those whom we know we have offended and done wrong. In some parishes “Forgiveness Vespers” is offered in the evening.

b. Eating dairy and cheese products to prepare for eating of “pure foods” the next day.

The Next Day – Kathera Theftera – Pure Monday or Clean Monday: (in 2010 – February 15). The first day of Great Lent. Special Lenten Services begin and continue throughout Lent.

The 1st Saturday of Lent is the 3rd Memorial Saturday, also known as “The Miracle of St. Theodore with the Wheat.” Food fasting is strict, no meat, fish or dairy products; oil and wine are permitted on Sat & Sun. The same pattern is followed overall through Great Lent with certain exceptions based on calendar observances of particular major

A QUICK REVIEW:

The Triodion Period begins as a three week Period of Preparation for Lent (having 4 specific Sunday observances), that continues on through Great Lent with its own new series of Sunday observances and then includes as well Holy Week, that recounts the last days of Christ’s life.

The Triodion is also a book used during the period of preparation and also during Great Lent and Holy Week.

During the three weeks of this first portion of the Triodion Period:

1. Various themes are presented to prepare us for the renewal, to get us thinking

2. We give special remembrance to those who have died.

3. We prepare our bodies and stomachs to fast by gradually beginning to fast more thoroughly from various foods during various weeks

4. We hear our Lord’s teaching about the topic of forgiveness, fasting & treasures……

(Matthew 6: 14-21)

“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you, your trespasses.”

“When you fast, anoint your head and wash your fast that your fasting may not be seen by men…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

2010 Holy Cross Stewardship

Stewardship (by Letta Kochalis)

As a former Parish Council member, I listened and learned, and one thing stands out, which should be of primary importance in our lives as Orthodox Christians, and that is Stewardship. We know that Stewardship involves giving of our time, our talents and our treasures. Our time is precious, but it would be well served to offer our time back to God, for He gave us life. Our talents, should be offered back to His Church, whether we are accountants, cooks, web designers, teachers, lawyers, business owners, homemakers, secretaries, or work in the trades, all of these talents are needed as Stewardship to the Church, for God gave us these talents. And our treasures should be offered back to God because prosperity is God’s gift as well. It is our treasures I would like to address.

I asked the Ministries Committee for figures so we could get the big picture of where our Stewardship tithing stands today.

Our beloved Holy Cross Church has 193 Stewards for 2009

The budget is $277,000 for 2010, which amounts to $760 per day

The Stewardship tithes were as follows:

• 4 (which is 2%) of Stewards tithed less than $100

• 13 (which is 6.5%) of Stewards tithed in the $100 range

• 51 (which is 26%) of Stewards tithed in the $200 range

• 64 (which is 33%) of Stewards tithed in the $300 range

• 33 (which is 17%) of Stewards tithed in the $400 range

• 12 (which is 6%) of Stewards tithed in the $500 range

• 5 (which is 2.5%) of Stewards tithed in the $600 range

• There we no tithes in the $800 or $900 range

• 8 (which is 4%) of Stewards tithed in the $1,000 range

So by adding the mid-range of each category, (to get an average) this amounts to roughly $82,000 or 30% of our budget. The remaining 70% must come from fundraising, the two offering trays each Sunday, candles purchased in the narthex, the annual Greek Fest picnic, and the three feast day appeals; (Pascha, our Feast of the Holy Cross, and Christmas).

Now that we see the financial side of Stewardship tithing; let’s look at Stewardship tithing from the heart.

We know the world we live in, is very demanding, however, we should never forget that we are foremost Orthodox Christians in this world, no matter what we do in our daily lives. We wake up as Orthodox Christians and go to sleep as Orthodox Christians. The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us at our baptism, and this is a great mystery, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us – it is permanent.

What gift could we possibly give back to God, that would even remotely compare to God bringing salvation to the world through His Son, our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ? We should begin with giving of our first fruits, not our leftovers. If we give of our first fruits, in faith, thanksgiving and not grumbling, our Lord will provide for us abundantly. He chides us for not trusting in His ability to take care of our needs. Provision doesn’t always come in monetary form but in good health, happiness and harmony in our families, being taken care of in times of need.

The secular world stresses money to the point that no matter how much we have, we still want more. If we make materialism our god, then we will never be happy nor understand the meaning of Stewardship. In Jesus’ parables he refers to Stewards (as managers) of households or managers of vineyards. We are the Stewards (or managers) of our Church, which is God’s house and we are His people. Instead of seeking worldly possessions, our Lord tells us to seek the Kingdom of Heaven first, and all things shall be granted unto us. Are we seeking His Kingdom?

How then do we become true Stewards? We must go through a Metanoia (changing of our mind) in order to realize that God is the center of our Stewardship. We must change the paradigm. It should not be looked upon as “here they go again asking for more money”!

The secular world distracts us from God. We have become insatiable consumers due to all the advertising on TV, mailings, and internet, not being able to distinguish between our needs from our wants. We unquestioningly take care of ourselves by leasing luxury cars, buying grandiose homes, refinancing mortgages to tap the equity on our homes, taking home improvement loans, putting vacations on credit cards, buying the latest electronic devices and big screen TV’s, – all of these require much money. Then when we receive mailings from Church asking for our Stewardship tithe, or the feast day offerings of Pascha, our Feast of the Holy Cross, or Christmas, this is where our excuses come in, that we can’t afford to give any more. Why is that? Because we spend everything on ourselves first. Let’s put God first where He belongs! This, however, is our personal decision. This is a reflection of our love for Christ and His Church. We are the body Christ and we are His Stewards.

Let’s count our blessings, for they are many. When we plan our budgets, let’s put God first and then budget for our needs (basic necessities) and then our wants (everything else). Let’s step up, as the Church, and give an additional $100.00 each year, over the last year pledge, (this amounts to $8.33 extra each month). Let’s offer our financial stewardship tithe at the beginning of the year, as a first fruit offering, rather than and at the end of the year, to see what we have left over. When I was waiting to get my taxes done, a gentleman was finishing up with the accountant, and he asked what his gross income was so he could tithe 10% to his church. The accountant showed him his completed tax form and this man immediately wrote a check and put it in an envelope. I was humbled seeing this first hand. If we figured out our Stewardship tithe for 2009, what percent bracket would we be in? So, do the numbers discussed earlier reflect our love for Christ, or do they reflect our secular worldly thinking.

Let’s also increase our donations to the offering trays each Sunday. We’ve been putting $1.00 into the trays for the last 30 years and longer. What does $1.00 buy us today and what is it actually worth? We don’t hesitate to buy 20 $1.00 lottery tickets in hopes of hitting it big, but we give $1.00 per tray to our Church, where salvation is offered freely to those who aspire towards it. How can this be? Let’s not look around to see what the next person is doing, because what we give is directly related to our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and not our neighbor.

God wishes to be in communion with us, He has gone out of His way (being offered up to crucifixion of His own will) to initiate a rich, wonderful fellowship to which He is calling us, even now! How do we respond to God’s love? Simply said, we offer ourselves back to God in order to be partakers of His divine love and fellowship.

And especially we must preserve the heritage of apostolic doctrine intact for future generations. This is our Stewardship which is fulfilled by giving our time, our talents, and our treasures back to God.