Father Matthew's Page Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory be Forever! Dear Holy Ghost Family and Friends, I take this time to welcome you to our brand new parish website. This is a very exciting time for our parish, and we hope that having access to this will be a big help to those who frequent the internet. Use this website to keep updated on services, events being planned and other Church news, as well as an outlet to your faith online. Please check back often, as we are still in the developing stages, and many new things will be added as we progress. For those who are unfamiliar with the Orthodox faith, or our parish, we hope this will give you a small taste of what we are about as an Orthodox parish family. Of course, the best way to find out is for you to, as Philip said to Bartholomew, "Come and see" (John 1:46). All are welcome to visit our Church and worhship the Risen Lord with us. If I can be of any assistance to anyone or answer any of your questions, don't hesitate to give me a call. My door is always open. In Christ, Fr. Matthew _________________________________________ Past Weekly Reflections 6/18/08 As promised (about a month later than planned) I want to look at the significance of the title "Equal to the Apostles." While it would not be fair to say that we "rank" our Saints in the Orthodox Church, it would be fair to say that the Apostles are very special in the eyes of the Church. These are the 11 men hand picked by Christ to be His closest followers (12 when Matthias was added to replace Judas). These men were given the great commission to spread the Gospel and to Baptize ALL nations. So to call someone equal to the status of those hand picked by Christ Himself, is truly a high honor and one not given lightly by the Church. Amongst those Saints given this lofty title are many women Saints: St. Mary Madalene (also given an even loftier title: Apostle to the Apostles, as she brought news of the Resurrection to the 11), St. Photini, the Samaritan Woman; St. Thekla; St. Helen and St. Nina. No other Chrisitan Church affords this title to any of their Saints, let alone to women Saints. While many people focus on the issue of women not being able to be ordained as priests, they are missing out on the fact that to receive this title, Equal to the Apostles, can be considered a much higher honor. Beyond these great women Saints, outside of Christ Himself, who is of course both God and man, no other person in the history of the Church is more honored than the Theotokos, the ever Virgin Mary. It is safe to say that the place of women in the Orthodox Church is a prominent one. Fr. M 5/14/08 In my sermon this past Sunday, I spoke of the importance of women throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Over the next two weeks, I will follow up on this topic. Next week, I will talk about how the Orthodox Church honors women more so than any other Christian Church. This week I wish to look at the founder of the women's movement: JESUS CHRIST! Surprised? When people say that there were no women priests in the early Church because Christ was "bound" by the societal standards of the times, they fail to realize, or they flat out ignore, the fact that Christ rarely if ever allowed Himself to be bound by societal standards. He performed tasks on the Sabbath that were technically "unlawful" in the eyes of the Pharisees. He associated with people (sinners, Publicans) that no one else would dare associate with. He publicly railed agaist the hypocricy of the Pharisees in the way they treated people. He touched lepers when he healed them even though society would have said that they were "unclean". And yes, by any rational person's standards, He raised the status of women. Christ stood in defense of the adulteress woman. He charged those who would have stoned her according to the law to look rather at their own sins. He accepted women into His confidence and close circle, including Mary Magdalene, who the Church recognizes as "equal to the apostles." He spoke with St. Photini the Samaritan woman much to the shock of His own disciples, who could not believe that He would speak to her who was not only a woman but (gasp) a samaritan as well. He rewarded the great faith of His women followers by appearing to them before anyone else after He had risen from the dead. We do not even have to mention the great love and respect Christ has for His own mother. Yes, women were a much lower societal class at the time of Christ, but this was not the case in the eyes of our Savior. Next week: the great honor the Orthodox Church shows to women and the incredible significance of the title "Equal to the Apostles" Fr. M 5/7/08 Membership has its privileges. We've all heard the quote before. Certainly, no one would argue that the privileges associated with being a member of Christ's Church are great indeed. The question we might have to ask ourselves from time to time is "what makes me a member of my Church?" In this country, we are used to paying bills. If you don't pay the water bill or the cable bill or the phone bill over a long period of time, you might find yourself staring at a blank tv screen, unable to call the cable company and badly in need of a shower. People pay money to belong to clubs of all kinds, be they country clubs or gyms, etc. It's a very clear cut way to know who belongs and who doesn't. The same holds true in the Church, does it not? Sure it does. We pay dues every year to show that we belong to the Church. If we don't pay, how can we say we're a member? Does this sound a little strange to you? If it does than maybe you are forgetting Christ's great commission in the Gospel of St. Matthew. "..make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (so long as they've paid their dues first)." Wait, that's not how that verse goes? Yes, I'm being very tongue and cheek, but in many places in Orthodoxy in this country, we have come to see our Churches as "clubs" or "organizations" where you are entitled to certain things so long as you are paid in full. In reality, this couldn't be further away from what membership in the Church really is. Membership is about being a part of the Body of Christ. That means we pray together, we share fellowship together and we participate in the sacraments. That is what makes us members of not just a single Church like Holy Ghost, but of the Orthodox Church at large. This may seem like common sense, and yet we hear of instances where people try to argue that "parishonor A" who has languished in a nursing home the last few years of her life and has no other family in the Church can't be buried in the cemetary unless she pays two years of "back dues." All the while, the priest is bringing her the sacraments. Sound crazy? It happens. It's all about a mind set. Yes, the Church needs funds to function and to certain parts of our boroughs and communities we may be classified and treated as if we are a business. But the only business we are truly in is the business of trying to bring souls to Christ. It's important that we keep that distinction in mind. As we approach our parish's 75th anniversary, it behooves us to take serious looks at the way we view membership in the Church, as individuals and as a parish family. Fr. M 3/19/08 What's that old saying? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Perhaps we could apply these words to the Third Eccumenical Council, which met in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. Once again the Church had to confront heresy in relation to Christ. This time, instead of Arius, it was the teachings of Nestorius. Nestorians would not accept that God and Man had been united in one Person, Christ. Nestorius taught that our Lord was only a man with the divinity abiding in Him like in a temple. As an offshoot of this belief, he refused to call the Virgin Mary, Theotokos (or Birthgiver of God). He rather called her the Mother of Christ. Some 200 Fathers of the Church attended this council and spearheaded by St. Cyril of Alexandria, the Council affirmed that Mary was truly Theotokos since, as St. John proclaimed, "The Word was made flesh" (John 1:14). The Virgin had borne a single and undivided Person Who is, at the same time God and Man. Fr. M 3/12/08 For those of you who follow the weekly scripture readings in the bulletin, you will have noticed that with Lent underway, the appointed readings are very different. Normally, we read each day from one of the Epistles and one of the four Gospels. During Lent, at least from Monday through Friday, we shift away from the Epistles and Gospel to readings from the Old Testament. During Lent, we will read from Genesis, Isaiah and Proverbs and during Holy Week, from Exodus, Ezekiel and Job. This shows us the importance of the Old Testment to our lives as Orthodox Christians. It serves us well to be familiar with the whole of Salvation History and the time in which the world was prepared for the coming of Christ. There are three readings each day to represent the three categories of Old Testament books: historical books (Genesis and Exodus); prophets (Isaiah and Ezekiel); Wisdom literature; (Proverbs and Job). All of these books also are very appropriate for the Lenten season, which is why the Church, in her wisdom, has chosen them. The following descriptions are taken from the introduction to the book, The Lenten Triodion. 1-Genesis describes the fall of man and his explusion from Paradise. The later chapters of Genesis tell the story of Joseph, who in his innocent sufferings serves as a "type" of Christ. 2-In the lessons from Exodus, Moses foreshadows Christ, the Old Passover anticipates the New and the crossing of the Red Sea prefigures the redemptive death and the rising of the Savior. 3-The book of Isaiah begins with an appeal for repentance and fasting. 4-The readings from Ezekiel speak of God's glory--the glory that is also manifested through the Cross and the Resurrection. 5-The ethical instruction in Proverbs reminds us that Lent is a time for moral effort. 6-The patient sufferings of Job and his final vindication point forward to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. I hope that you will take the time to add these daily readings to your Lenten "routine". In understanding why they are assigned and how they relate to Christ and His Resurrection, I am certain they will add to your Lenten experience. Fr. M 3/5/08 "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?'" (John 18:38) When Pilate asked Jesus this question, he did not realize that Truth was standing right before him. People have a real problem with the truth today. Lots of people will tell you that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Everyone has their own opininon or view point, and we all have to respect that for what it is. But there are truths, and Christ is at the top of that list. Last week, I wrote about the recent findings in relation to the amounts of people leaving Churches or changing churches or not going to Church at all. We picked up on this topic in my Monday evening adult class, and I mentioned a cartoon I had seen in the USA Today. It shows people at what looks like a salad bar, picking and choosing aspects of religion that suit what they are looking for. I like to refer to this as "salad bar Christianity" and I always looked at that as the main reason people jump ship from Church to Church or stop going to Church at all: they are looking for a Church that fits what they believe. One young man attending class took this idea further. He said (and I paraphrase) that it's not so much that people are looking for what suits them, but they are running from the Truth. He was 1000% correct. One of my instructors at Seminary always told us that we aren't here to change the Church; the Church is here to change us. In order for us to accept that, we have to accept that "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17) Until people do that, they will still search and they will still "jump ship", because people don't always want to hear the truth. What is truth? Truth is Christ. Truth is our belief in Christ expressed through our Orthodox Christian faith. If we accept that, we don't need to search anywhere else, or worry about what we can or can't change. We've found the fulness of the faith and the fulness of truth. Fr. M Weekly Reflection 2/28/08 While I haven't paid that much attention to it, there has been a lot of coverage the last few days on TV and in newspapers about the habits of Church goers. It seems the numbers of people attending Church are dropping across the board in this country. As usual, there was very little, if any, mention of Orthodox Christians. This is not to say that numbers aren't dropping in Orthodox Churches, it's just that there aren't nearly as many of us (in this country at least) to have been polled. The question for us is, "if numbers are dropping in Orthodox Churches (as a whole) what do we do about it?" Well, for starters, we have to understand why it is important to be in Church on Sunday. It's become a disposable thing in this country. It's become something that we take for granted. I've mentioned before how we have to keep in mind the plight of the early Church. People were imprisoned, risked their lives and even died just so they could gather together in prayer and break bread every Sunday: the day that Christ rose from the dead. Despite this, they met as Christ instructed them to do so when He said, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). It's important to remember that so that we remember how blessed we are to be free to worship how we choose. From the earliest days of the Church, they gathered. As recorded in the book of Acts: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers." (Acts 2:42) I find that a lot of people who stop going to Church (be they Orthodox or not) still consider themselves "religious" or "spiritual". They don't always agree with everything in their Church, so they feel they can have their own relationship with God in their own way. This was not the way of the early Church. If we ever have to defend why we still go every Sunday, we need to understand that there are things we get from being together each Sunday that you can't get at home. The Liturgy is the height of prayer in Orthodoxy. The power of prayer as a community-a family-is very real and very powerful. We recieve forgiveness of our sins through the sacrament of confession. We can't do that at home. We hear the Word of God in the Epistles and Gospels and then have it preached and explained so that we can be better equipped to face the world. We can't do that at home. We witness a miracle each and every time we come to Divine Liturgy: the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. We can't witness that at home. We have to always keep these things in mind, and make sure our young people realize them too, so that when the world is pulling them away from Church Sunday morning, they will know and understand why it is important for them to be there. Fr. M 2/20/08 NOTE: Please refer to the December 5th,2007 and January 23, 2008 columns on "Father's Page" for the first two columns on the Eccumenical Councils. The Second Eccumenical Council was also held in Nicea in 381. While the first council met to defend attacks on Christ as the 2nd person of the Trinity, this council primarily met as a result of attacks on the Holy Spirit. Macedonius was falsely teaching that the Holy Spirit was created by God, similar to angels, being a spirit of a higher degree or order than the angels. The council confirmed, as the Church had always believed, that the Holy Spirit was one of the three persons of the Trinity, existing from the beginning of time with the Father and the Son. The last five articles of the Creed, those pertaining to the Holy Spirit, were added to the Creed, which completetd the Creed as we know it today. Amongst some of the great Saints and early Church Fathers who were writing during the period of the 2nd council were the great Cappadoican Fathers: St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa as well as St. John Chrysostom. This council also decreed that Constantinople, the new capital, should hold the next place of honor after Rome, since it was now, in essence, the New Rome. Fr. M 2/14/08 This morning, I was in Rockaway cantoring a funeral for Fr. Michael Chendorain. I'm always glad to be able to do things like that because I enjoy cantoring. I used to do it quite a bit, and obviously don't get to do at very often. As I was singing the hymn to the Theotokos, "You are truly deserving...." I was reminded of days gone by attending Altar boy retreats. When I was a teenager, we used to have the Altar Boy retreats at the retreat center in Tuxedo Park, NY, (which our Diocese no longer owns). Anyone who had ever been there knows that it was a very cavernous building and the voices of the altar boys would reverberate off of the walls as they went from activity to activity. My friends and I got into the habit of singing that hymn, "You are truly deserving" whenever we would head back to our rooms following a meal, or a prayer service or other activity. It was our favorite hymn and we loved to sing it, and it sounded really cool with the built in acoustics the retreat center provided. What we loved best though, was the hymn itself, and how it made us feel to sing it. We sang it with joy and with love for the Theotokos. Many times people ask why we don't have instruments in the Orthodox Church. The best answer to that is that we do have an instrument: our voices! The voice is the perfect instrument because God made it and gave it to us. People get caught up sometimes in whether they have a good voice or a bad voice, but that's irrelevant. If you are singing with joy and love in your heart for Christ, there is no such thing as having a bad voice. So, don't be afraid to lend your voice to the singing at services. Pani Jodi is our cantor, and a cantor's job is to lead, but all of us can contribute. Remember, when we sing, we are praying twice! Fr. M 2/6/08 This Sunday is Zacchaeus Sunday. Zacchaeus Sunday is unoffocially the first preparatory Sunday for Great Lent. The three Sundays that follow, (Publican and Pharisee, Prodigal Son and the Sunday of the Last Judgment) are the three official Sundays of Preparation for Lent. The Church is obviously telling us something through these next four Sundays. Lent is a time of the year unlike any other. It is so crucial to our spiritual lives that a whole month of Sunday Liturgies is set aside to prepare us for its beginning. The Church wants to make sure that it doesn't sneak up on us. It wants to make sure that when that first day of the Great Fast arrives on Monday, March 10th, that we have given it some thought and are ready for what's ahead. Lent has for too long been associated with "giving something up." It should be more than just that. It's a time to look at our spiritual lives as a whole and see where we need to improve and see how we can better our relationship with Christ and His bride, the Church. If the 40 days of the fast are merely a time where we give up chocolate or soda or some other thing, than we are letting it go by without taking advantage of everything it offers. We should seek to lessen our exposure to the distractions offered by the world. We can do this through increased prayer, reading of the scripture and/or spiritual books and of course, by taking advantage of the extra services the Church has for us during this time. Pay close attention to the Gospel lessons the next four Sundays. They speak of a desire to see Christ, acquiring a spirit of humility, seeking reconciliation through confession and a reminder of our eventual judgment and our need to help those less fortunate than others. All of these should be what we focus on during the Great Fast. My prayer is that these preparation Sundays are beneficial to us, and afford us the opportunity to enter the Great Fast with the proper spirit and desire to seek God in as many ways as we can. Fr. M 1/23/08 On December 5th, 2007, my reflection was an introduction to the seven Eccumenical councils. I had stated that periodically I would review each council and what the main issues the Church discussed at each one were. I will start today with the first Eccumenical Council that met in the city of Nicea in 325. If you want a refresher on the topic, go to "Father's Page" on the website and read the reflection from 12/5/07. Arius is known as the first Christian heretic (or at least, the first major one). Arius was teaching that Christ was not fully divine. Unfortunately, many people were following his teachings. From the time of the Apostles, much of the tradition was passed down by word of mouth. At this time, though the Gospels and Paul's Epistles had been written, the Church had not yet solidified which books were in the New Testament as we know it. This was the first time that a major dispute was causing problems in the Church, so the Church met as one to clarify the issue. The council was attended by some 318 members of the clergy, including every Eastern Bishop of importance and four Western bishops. Many Saints of the Church were present, including St. Nicholas, who it is said actually slapped Arius when he refused to accept what the Council was proclaiming about Christ. The council proclaimed the true teaching concerning God the Father and God the Son and their relationship to each other. This teaching is proclaimed at each and every Divine Liturgy. The first seven articles of the Creed, that we chant every week, which talk about God the Father and Jesus Christ were proclaimed by this council. Fr. M 1/16/08 Is flossing like prayer? I went to the dentist today, and I was told I don't floss enough. If you're like me, you probably get told that a lot. Flossing is one of those things we all know is good for our teeth. It can be done in a relatively short amount of time and yet it's one of those that a lot of us just don't seem to want to make time for. The same can sometimes be said for prayer. We all know that prayer is good for us and for our souls. It can be done in a relatively short amount of time, and yet, we often don't feel as if we have enough time to do it. We've all heard and probably made the same excuses: "I'm on the run in the morning, and I just don't have the time." "By the time I get everything finished with my day, I'm too tired." Wait a minute, are those excuses for not flossing or for not praying? See what I mean? Like flossing, if we want to have a consistent prayer life, we have to MAKE the time for it. That brings to one important way that flossing and prayer are NOT alike. When you floss, that's pretty much all you're doing. It doesn't leave you the option to be doing much else. This is not the case with prayer. While your prayer life will be most effective if you are focusing on prayer and prayer alone (in front of an icon for example) prayers is something you can do almost anytime. You can pray while you are cooking dinner. You can pray while you exercise if that is part of your routine. You can pray in the car to and from work. You can pray while you are doing laundry, in the shower, etc. My point is that there really isn't a great excuse as to why we don't pray each and every day. We just have to MAKE the time. As for me? I'll probably still be told I'm not flossing enough in six months! Fr. M 1/9/08 During the sermon on Christmas this past Monday, I spoke about striving for perfection. The Church reminds us of that today with the celebration of the feast of the 1st Deacon and 1st Martyr Stephen. We are all familiar with how Stephen was stoned for his belief in Christ. What is most amazing is Stephen's final words as he falls asleep in the Lord: "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." (Acts 7:60) This act of forgiveness shows us that Stephen has achieved perfection in Christ. Earlier, those judging Stephen "saw his face as the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15) and Stephen saw a vision of Christ prior to his death (Acts 7:55-56). It is Stephen's final words I wish to focus on though. Stephen's asking the Lord to not hold the sin of his stoning against those responsible for it, mirrors Christ's words on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." As I said on Christmas, Christ came to show us how to live, and Stephen is proof that it can be done. We live in society where forgiveness is not something that is practiced very often. People hold grudges and refuse to speak to each other for some of the silliest things (when you look at the big picture). Families are torn apart, friendships ruined and relationships left shattered because people are unwilling to forgive. The worst part is that holding on to this anger and these grudges really only harms one person: us. We don't know if the person we are angry at has made peace with themselves or with the Lord, and yet we carry on with our anger. Try to think if there is anyone in your life you are in conflict with. Pray for them. Forgive them, at least in your heart, even if you can't do so face to face. It's a step towards healing, both of the relationship, and of our spiritual lives. In this sense we can be imitators, both of Christ and the martyr Stephen. Christ is Born!!! Fr. M 12/19/07 Every day is a new day. There are certain things in each day that we can plan out and expect. On the other hand, there is just as much that happens during the course of a given day that is unexpected. I'm sure we've all had a day like that; one that we had planned from start to finish and then by the end of the day, we look back, and realize that nothing went the way we planned. Our lives as Orthodox Christians are a lot like that. We may have the best intentions of being the best Christians we can be on any given day. We're going to be considerate, non-judgemental, try to not to lash out in anger, or gossip and so on and so on, but then, unexpected things happen, and before we know it, all the things we set out to avoid have overwhelmed us. One way to avoid this, as difficult as it may seem, is through prayer. What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Brush your teeth? Take a shower? Perhaps hit the snooze button on the alarm(that's probably most of us)? How many pray? Try making the sign of the cross and saying "Lord have mercy" when your alarm goes off. It's a small thing but it brings your mind into focus on God. They stay that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gets you off to a good start. Morning is one of the most important times we can pray. We may not be able to anticipate the pratfalls and temptations that we will face on a given day, but if we start the day with prayer, we'll have a better chance of overcoming them. There's one prayer in particular that I find to be very beneficial. We said it every day at Camp Nazareth from the time I was very young through all my years working there on staff, and after all those years, it stuck with me. Keep it by your bedside, or in your wallet or purse. It speaks of putting the events of your whole day to come in God's hands. Not a bad way to start the day, don't you think? The Prayer of the Optina Elders "O Lord, allow me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all. In what I do and say, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unexpected events, do not let me forget that all things are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely without making others bitter or embarrassing them. Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and everything that it will bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray Yourself in me. Amen." 12/13/07 Wednesday evening, we had our monthly Moleben to St. Nectarios. During the service, there is a reading from the Epistle of St. James. During this reading, we hear St. James talk about the danger of taking oaths when he writes, "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no,' 'no' lest you fall into judgement." (James 5:12) This echos the words of our Lord as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew (5:34-37). One aspect of this verse I wish to focus on is the idea of swearing. We are so casual in the way we speak. It's ironic that we live in such a "politically correct" world where every little thing a person says has to be scrutinized so as not to offend, and yet look at the things you CAN say on television that you couldn't 30, 20, even 10 years ago. It's ironic that people lose jobs over things that pass through their lips, yet have you ever heard of someone being fired for taking the Lord's name in vain? Is that not offensive to anyone who calls themselves a Christian? The Orthodox Study Bible, in a footnote referring to the aforementioned passage, says that "Jesus speaks against casual use of God's name..." (OSB, p. 17). As Orthodox Christians, we should be on extra guard against this. How often do we use the expression, "Oh my God!" When we use this expression, is it in prayer? Is it in praise of the awesomeness of the Lord? Or is it in a moment of shock, or amazement, where we really aren't even thinking about God? As if using God's name in shock or amazement weren't enough, I don't need to mention the ways God and Jesus Christ are used as expressions of anger. If someone repeatedly used overtly filthy language in front of us, or was racially insensitive, or told inappropriate jokes for the company they were in, we would probably eventually say something to them. Would we do the same if they repeatedly took the Lord's name in vain? Or do we ignore it to avoid conflict? Interesting things to think about. Fr. M 12/5/07 When I began these refelctions two months ago, I mentioned that I would include some Churh history. With that in mind, I want to start the first of what will be a series of reflections about the Eccumenical councils. There were seven councils held in the Church between the years 325 AD and 787 AD. The councils were modeled after the Council of Jerusalem, which is recorded in the 15th chapter of the Book of Acts. Some things to note from this council: -the matter at hand was whether or not the Gentiles who were becoming Christians needed to first be circumcised, i.e. be Jewish. -because there was a dispute, "the apostles and elders came together to consider the matter." (Acts 15:6) This is significant because it shows that the entire Church decides, not just one person. -it is St. James, who was the Bishop of Jerusalem who gave the final ruling, because the council took place in Jerusualem. -in the decree that was sent out to the Churches, we read that "it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us" (Acts 15:28) This is significant in showing that the council was guided by the Holy Spirit and decisions made were done so in a spirit of prayer. Many Christian denominations today reject the councils because they were decisions made by men. These same people who reject the council accept the Bible. These same holy fathers and saints who took part in the councils also decided the canon of the New Testament. If they were guided by the Holy Spirit in putting together the Bible, why would they not be guided by the Holy Spirit when they met in council? Finally, it is important to note that councils met largely to answer heresey and to clarify the position of the Church. Councils never "created theology." This notion is very popular due in large part to books such as the Da Vinci Code, which describes the first council as meeting to decide that Christ was fully divine. Christ's divinity had been under attack by a man called Arius, who was creating doubt within the Church, so the Church met to consider the matter and reaffirm what the Church already believed. Why did the Church exist for over 300 years before an Eccumenical Council was held? This is largely due to the fact that the Church was undergoing persecutions for so long. It was shortly after Constantine legalized Christianity in the empire that the first council was held. In future installments, we will look at what each of the councils met to discuss. These articles will appear from time to time, and not over consecutive weeks. Fr. M Weekly Reflection 11/28/07 Over the last number of years, there has been a lot of talk about Christmas being "under attack" in our society. People at stores have to say "happy holidays" as opposed to "Merry Christmas"; public displays of Nativity scenes are less and less prevalent. Even Pani Jodi, teaching music in a public school, can only do one song that refers to the spiritual aspect of Christmas in her Christmas...oh wait, in her "winter" concert. With all of this going on, what are we to do about it? Well, the first and most important thing we can do is be sure that we are preparing for Christmas the proper way. Rather than worry about what is going on in our society, we have to look at ourselves and be sure that we aren't "attacking" Christmas. How can we attack Christmas? It sounds sort of crazy, doesn't it. But, we have to honestly look at where our priorities lie during this time of the year. Do we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season that we lose sight of what Christmas is? Today is the first day of the Nativity fast. While it is a joyous fast, and a fast of anticipation, it is still a fast. It is a time where we should focus on our spiritual lives, our prayer life and our sacramental life. Too often, these things all become secondary to the decorations, trees, shopping etc. Before we know it, it is Christmas and the fast wasn't a fast at all. We haven't really prepared at all. Don't get me wrong, Pani and I love to decorate as much as anyone. Those things aren't bad or wrong. We just have to make sure that we place the right priority on the spiritual aspect of the season. Amongst all the gifts, remember that the greatest gift is Christ Himself. Some things we can do include really focusing on our daily prayer. We can peruse Scripture more often. Read the accounts of the Nativity in the Gospels. Read the beginning of St. Luke's Gospel, where he writes about Mary and how she discovered she would give birth to the Savior. Read a spiritual book. Check out the library in the back of the Church. Reading a chapter or two of a spiritual book a day is a great way to draw your focus onto Christ. Next week, we celebrate the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. This beautiful feast is a feast of anticipation itself. Mary goes to live in the temple at the age of three and lives a life of preparation for what is to come in her life. We can imitate her life by preparing ourselves. Try to come to Liturgy for this feast, and if you can't, attend vespers the night before. One other thing we can do, of course, is to give of ourselves to those in need. We have set up the collection for the troops in the parish, or you might find something on your own that you can aid. All of these things are ways to focus on Christ, and the great thing of it is, they're easy things to do! They're a lot easier than fighting the crowds at the malls, I can assure you of that. I wish all of you a happy and healthy Christmas season. May the joy of the coming of the Savior be a source of peace and joy for you and your family. God bless! Fr. M Weekly Reflection 11/21/07 "If the good God makes every day a day of giving, should we not make every day a day of thanks?"-Anonymous This anonymous quote, which was printed in the bulletin this past Sunday, is an important one to think about as we prepare to celebrate the secular holiday of Thanksgiving. In our country, we set aside one day out of the year to be thankful for what we have. Let's be honest though, is giving thanks the first thing we even think about when we think about Thanksgiving? Probably not. We probably think about all the great food we are going to eat, or the football we will watch, or even the bargain shopping some of us might do on "black Friday." With all of that, who has time to say thanks? That is why we should really think about the quote printed above. God bestows His blessings upon us each and every day. Imagine if there was only one day a year that God set aside to give to us? We'd be in pretty bad shape! So, with all the other distractions that will surround us this Thanksgiving, let's remember to be thankful to God each and every day of our lives. We do this best through prayer. Take that time to reflect on the blessings you have received each and every day. May you all have a safe and joyful holiday with family and friends, and may God continue to bless us all with His merciful loving kindness! Fr. M Weekly Reflection 11/14/07 "'Tis the Season"....for giving The Nativity fast begins in just two weeks. Over the last two years, we have collected various items for different organizations who help those in need in our community. We have collected food that was turned in to the Somerset County food bank, and last year, we collected useful items for prisoners in Somerset County prison and toys for their children. This year, it is time for us as a parish family to take another step in our giving. Part of the joy for me in organizing these collections has been in delivering the items to their destinations. The food bank and the workers at the prison were so grateful and full of thanks for our donations, and I can only imagine how grateful the people who benefit from these donations are. I encourage you to take part in this process. I will be posting a number of various charitable organizations with specific needs that we can donate to. Rather than simply bring them to the Church, you could take them directly to the organization. If you are a family with children, this is an especially worthwhile thing to try. It's one thing to know you are giving something, but it's another to participate firsthand in the process. Over the next couple of weeks, more information will be made available in the bulletin and on the bulletin board in the vestibule of the Church. "Freely you have recieved, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) Fr. M Weekly Reflection 11/7/07 Two times in the last 4 months or so, I've received a compliment about my prayer rope in an unusual place. Most of you have probably noticed that I wear a prayer rope around my right wrist. It serves a number of purposes for me. It's a constant reminder of my need to pray, and of the presence of Christ. The compliments I received were from people who obviously were not aware of what it was. One was from a teenage girl working at the snack bar of a movie theater who told me it was a "cool bracelet" and the other was a woman making my sub at Subway, who commented that she really liked my "wrist wear." Now, I wasn't bothered by their casual comments about my prayer rope. As I said, they obviously didn't know what it was. That is what bothered me. I have twice been given an opportunity to be a witness for my faith by explaining what a prayer rope is, and what an Orthodox Christian uses it for, and twice, I simply responded to the compliments with a kind, "thank you." Is it likely that a simple explanation of my prayer rope would've opened someone up to being an Orthodox Christian? Doubtful. It's more likely that I would've received a look that said, "hey, just being polite...didn't ask for a theology lesson." The point is that we are often afraid to share our faith with people when the opportunity presents itself, and we shouldn't be. We don't know what a simple conversation about a prayer rope, or a prayer book, or what our service is like will do. We never know if the person in question is searching for something in their life. Like Philip said to Nathaneal after he had met the Lord: "Come and see." All of us are called to invite others to see what our faith is all about. One thing is for sure: the next time someone says they like my "bracelet" they are going to find out that it's a prayer rope! Fr. M Weekly Reflection 10/31/07 Today is the feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist St. Luke. St. Luke was a physician, and upon hearing the preaching of Christ, became one of the 70 Apostles (see last week's reflection for more about the 70). St. Luke was one of the two apostles (along with Cleopas) whom Christ appeared to on the road to Emmaus. St. Luke accompanied St. Paul on his second missionary journey. Even after St. Paul's death, St. Luke continued to preach in places such as Achaia, Libya, Egypt and Thebaid, before dying a martyr's death himself. St. Luke is regarded as the first iconographer of the Church. He first wrote icons of the Theotokos, as well as icons of Sts. Peter and Paul. Of course, St. Luke is most well known for the Gospel that he wrote. St. Luke's gospel provides a very firm historical basis for Christians to follow. St. Luke set out to record everything that Christians knew about Christ in chronological order. St. Luke records more about the life of the Virgin Mary before Christ was born than the other evangelists. This is probably due to the fact that she was a source for his writing. Imagine that! While it's speculation, just imagine St. Luke writing an icon of the Most blessed Virgin while she recounted to him the story of her visit to Elizabeth. St. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. This crucial book records the formation and growth of the early Church. In addition to the coming of the Holy Spirt on Pentecost and the detailed accounts of St. Paul's journey, Acts also tells of the Council of Jerusalem, held in the year 51. This council is the model for all councils held by the Church. Fr. M Weekly Reflection 10/24/07 Today is the feast day of the Apostle Philip of the 70. This St. Philip is not to be confused with the St. Philip who was one of Christ's 12 Disciples. The 12 Disciples were the most prominent of Christ's followers and were the closest to Him. However, there were many people who followed Christ. In the 10th chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we read about Christ's appointing of the 70. The term "apostle" means one who is sent out. This is exactly what Christ did with these 70 Disciples. They were sent out two by two into every city that Christ was going to, to prepare the people for His coming. (Luke 10:1) Among the more well known of the 70 are the Evangelists Mark and Luke, Barnabas, who traveled with St. Paul, Titus, whose epistle is included in the New Testament, James, who became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and presided over the first council of the Church (as recorded in Acts 15), and Matthias, who replaced Judas as one of the 12. From the 70, the Disciples chose and ordained the first 7 Deacons (as recorded in Acts 6). This included St. Stephen, the first Christian Martyr, and St. Philip. Another important event in the life of St. Philip was his encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch. This encounter is the Epistle reading for today's feast (Acts 8:26-39). The eunuch is reading from the prophecy of Isaiah and Philip asks if he understands what he reads. The eunuch responds, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" Philip proceeds to explain the scriptures to him, and to preach Christ to him. This encounter serves as an important lesson for all of us as we read the scriptures. We must always be sure to turn to the Church for guidance. Fr. M Weekly Reflections October 17th, 2007 Remember when you were a child and there were always those certain foods that you just never liked? Most of the time, you probably never tried them, you just decided for whatever reason that they weren't going to a part of your food "routine." Maybe sometime years later, you finally "bit the bullet" and tried that food. Maybe, you even discovered that it wasn't so bad after all. You may have even realized that you were missing out on something all of those years. (For me, it was broccoli and it is now my vegetable of choice!) The same thing can happen for us in our spiritual lives. We can get caught up in the "routine." There are certain prayers we say, a certain place we sit in the Church, and yes, even certain services we attend. The problem is, that set routine may be preventing us from experiencing something that we may really like. One of those such experiences is the service of vespers. Vespers is a very beautiful and meaningful service. It is an evening service designed to prepare us for the next day's liturgy, whether it be on a Saturday evening, or on the eve of a Church feast. It's always good to prepare. A student who has a test spends the evening before studying. Likewise, attending vespers helps get us in the mind set for celebrating the Liturgy the next day. The Vespers service is a wonderful way of learning more about our faith. Vespers is never the same twice. Depending on the tone of the week, or the feast that will be celebrated the next day, certain hymns change. For people who say that the Old Testament isn't heard from much in our services, it certainly is in Vespers. On the eve of every feast, there are Old Testament readings which are connected to the feast in some way. For those who work or for young people in school, attending vespers on the eve of a feast is a wonderful way to remember and celebrate the feast. So, I strongly encourage you to break your routine. Try something new! You very well may discover that you've been missing out! Fr. M 10/10/07 When Christ broke bread with His disciples at the Last Supper, Scripture tells us that He gave thanks. Giving thanks for the food that we eat is such a simple thing, yet something that we may all take for granted. It is important for us to pray before we eat. In doing so, we are asking God to bless what we are partaking. We are also offering thanks to Him in recognition that all that we have comes from God. If we find ourselves throughout the course of the day NOT praying before we eat, we should ask ourselves why not? Are we not thankful? Do we not recognize that all things come from God? Often times, we may not want to draw attention to ourselves. But we can't let these things stop us. One of the challenges we all face as Christians is to keep our focus on Christ and living the Gospel during the daily grind of our lives. When we make prayer before meals a habit, it's a built in way to bring our focus back to God. It could serve as a springboard to reflect on other things. Perhaps it will remind us to pray later in the day. Perhaps we will remember, just by focusing on God for those few moments before we eat, the many ways we could be missing out on following His will. Even if it's making the sign of the cross, it's still prayer and it's still important. Don't just pray before the meal either. Once you are finished, before you go back to work, or sit in front of the TV, take a few moments to thank God for what you have received. A common Orthodox prayer for after meals is the following: "We give thanks to You O Christ our God for having filled us with Your earthly bounty. Do not deprive us of Your heavenly kingdom, but as You appeared in the midst of Your disciples, granting them peace, come also to us and save us. Amen." Fr. M October 3, 2007 Glory to Jesus Christ! Today is the first of my weekly 'internet exclusive' reflections. Why did I choose Wednesday? Well, Wednesday has come to be known as 'hump day' in the work world. You get over that half way point of the week. It also is the half way point between Sunday celebrations of the Divine Liturgy. In our hectic, fast paced society, many of us tend to be 'Sunday Christians.' It is true that the Sunday Liturgy and receiving the body and blood of Christ is the high point of the week from a spiritual perspective. However, it's important to not turn off our faith the rest of the week. Let's face it, there are a lot of distractions out there. My hope is that you'll be able to check the website every Wednesday, and this reflection will give you something to think about as you begin the tail end of your week. Wednesday is one of the days where the Church asks to fast. This is done because it was on a Wednesday that Judas betrayed Christ. That makes Wednesday a good day for all of us to reflect on whether we are betraying Christ by our actions. These reflections will cover all sorts of things, from lives of the Saints, to Church history, to practical topics. Again, I hope you all find them to be beneficial. In Christ, Fr. M