February 2017
Holy and Great Lent begins on Clean/Pure Monday, February 27, 2017
This year, Pascha-Easter is celebrated by both the East and West together on Sunday, April 16, 2017. The "start of the race" commences on Monday, February 27, 2017 with the day designated as Clean or Pure Monday. It is the time when we rededicate ourselves to God, and re-commit ourselves for the next 40 days to a daily routine of prayer, scripture reading, fasting, and acts of kindness and generosity. I ask us, please, to incorporate this meaningful prayer below into our daily routine. A Blessed and Holy beginning to all!
~Father Nick
My Daily Prayer
O Lord, grant me to meet the coming day, evening, and night, with peace. Help me in all things to rely upon your Holy Will. In every hour of the day and night, please reveal your Will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me with holy discernment.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day, evening and night with peace of soul, and the firm conviction that YOUR Will and Providence guide me.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
May I act kindly and graciously in every way. In unforeseen circumstances, let me not forget the statement of faith: “Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven”.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, with love in my heart, and without embittering, hurting, and embarrassing others. Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and night, with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray, help me to practice hospitality always, and Bless me always. Amen.
(Metropolitan Philaret; adapted by Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas)
St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church 4 Appleton Street ■ Arlington, MA 02476 ■ 781.646.0705 ■ www.saintathanasius.org ■ email: [email protected] SAINT ATHANASIUS THE GREAT GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
Metropolis of Boston 4 Appleton Street, Arlington, MA 02476
ASKISIS PARISH COUNCIL OFFICIAL Publication of St. Athanasius the Great Constandinos Ioakimidis ...... President A. Paul Tsitsopoulos ...... 1st Vice President Greek Orthodox Church nd Arlington, MA 02476 Mark Ypsilantis ...... 2 Vice President S. Nicholas Kriketos ...... Secretary SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE Ted Speros ...... Associate Secretary Stefanos Bouboulis ...... Treasurer Winter: Orthros 8:45 am Divine Liturgy: 10:00 am Nikitas Splagounias ...... Associate Treasurer #1 Summer: Orthros 8:00 am Divine Liturgy: 9:15 am Emmanuel Meimaris ...... Associate Treasurer #2 Peter Stanitsas ...... Associate Treasurer #3 Proistamenos: Rev. Fr. Nicholas Kastanas Assistant Priest: Fr. Aaron C. Walker Parish Council Members: ...... Athanasios Arvanitis, David Bowling, Christina St. Athanasius the Great is a parish under the spiritual and Chalapatas, Antonios Dakopoulos, Christos Eliopoulos, ecclesial oversight of His Eminence Metropolitan Vassilios Karras, Vicky Konstandakis, Alexandros Kyrou Methodios of the Metropolis of Boston, Greek Orthodox Charlie Pappas, George Pantazopoulos, Eleanor Profis, Archdiocese of America, under the jurisdiction of The Michael Terzakis, and Vassilios Tsiaras Ecumenical Patriachate of Constantinople. PARISH MINISTRIES & ORGANIZATIONS The St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington, Massachusetts strives to be the living witness of Altar Boys (Acolytes) ...... Fr. Nicholas Kastanas our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our mission as a parish Cantors/Psaltes ...... Gregory Evangelis, Spyros Prois, is to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13), as St. Paul so ...... Dimitrios Manolakis, and Vasilios Meimaris exhorts. Thus it is our rich blessing to strive and bring the Light of Christ to all of God’s people, through Orthodox Choir Director ...... Stella Pathiakis Christian tradition, education and philanthropy. We seek to Greek School Director ...... Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas serve the spiritual needs of our faithful parishioners through Greek School PTO ...... Tina Christodouleas, the sacramental life of the Church. By means of outreach ...... Betty Dakopoulos, Tanya Stamoulis and faith in God, we continue our growth as a living Church Little Halos Day School Director ...... Kaiti Galanopoulos by inviting others into the Orthodox faith through Baptism and/or Chrismation, and educating them through the Little Halos Parent/Teacher Consultant ...... establishment of our Christian ministries, programs, ...... Dr. Anastasia Galanopoulos schools and philanthropic activities. Fellowship Hour Ministry ...... Eleanor Profis CHURCH DIRECTORY Fifties Plus ...... Irene Paleologos Gardening Ministry ...... S. Nicholas Kriketos Parish Administrative Assistants GOYA President ...... Stavros Ioakimidis Stella Kazantzas & Kathy VanKuilenburg Parish Office JOY & HOPE ...... Maria Matos Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm P.E.A.C.E. Ministry ...... Elaine Kakambouras Friday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Philoptochos President ...... Irene Kalogeris Main Office: (781) 646-0705 Pine Street Inn Ministry ...... Randy Fassas FAX: (781) 641-4700 Stewardship Chair ...... Michael Terzakis EMAIL: [email protected] Sunday School Director ...... Ioannis Moutsatsos Website: www.saintathanasius.org Sunday School Assoc. Director ...... Cassandra Chamallas
Fr. Nick Kastanas *Emergency Pager* (781) 673-2002 Metropolis of Boston website ...... www.boston.goarch.org Fr. Nick email: [email protected] Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website ...... www.goarch.org Fr. Aaron email: [email protected]
2 Parish Council News
The 14 new members elected to a 2-year term are;
Arthur/Athanasios Arvanitis, David Bowling, Christina Chalapatas, Christos Eliopoulos, S. Nicholas Kriketos, Vicky Konstandakis, Alexandros Kyrou, Charles Pappas, George Pantazopoulos, Eleanor Profis, Peter Stanitsas, Michael Terzakis, Vassilios Tsiaras, and Mark Ypsilantis
They join the 8 ongoing members (1-year)
Stefanos Bouboulis, Constandinos Ioakimidis, Vassilios Karras, Apostolos Tsitsopoulos, Nikitas Splagounias, Emmanuel Meimaris, Antonios Dakopoulos, and Ted Speros
We are grateful to the outgoing members who served so faithfully: George Katsarakes, Peter Ladas, Vassilios Pantazopoulos, and Maria Tsaousidis. Thank you to the Board of Elections Committee; Dr. Ioannis Moutsatsos, Chair, Anastasios Georgacopoulos, John Kalogeris, and Peggy Mitropoulos
Elected Officers are as follows: President: Constandinos (Dean) Ioakimidis 1st Vice President: A. Paul Tsitsopoulos 2nd Vice President: Mark Ypsilantis Treasurer: Stefanos Bouboulis 1st Assoc. Treasurer: Nikitas Splagounias 2nd Assoc.Treasurer: Emmanuel Meimaris 3rd Assoc.Treasurer: Peter Stanitsas Secretary: S. Nicholas Kriketos Assoc. Secretary: Ted Speros
3 St. Athanasius’s Annual St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival will be held in our Parish Auditorium Saturday, April 1, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. Registration for Elementary, Junior and Senior Divisions
Introduced in 1983, the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival offers Greek Orthodox youth the opportunity to write and talk about their faith.
The National Oratorical Festival Program begins at the parish level and is divided into two divisions: “Junior” for students in grades 7th-9th and “Senior” for students grades 10th-12th. Two speakers in each division advance to the District Festival, where two finalists in each division will advance to the Metropolis Festival held in May. There, one finalist in each division will go to the National Festival, this year to be held right here in Boston, June 9th-11th. Those national finalists will receive a monetary award and are eligible for scholarships. Please note that parish finalists may also be eligible for the Hellenic College Chrysostom Scholarship!
On the following page are the Junior and Senior Division topics. You can find the topics and writing tips at: www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/sjcof
In addition, our parish holds a non-judged Elementary Division for all students in grades 4th-6th, where the students present their thoughts on any topic related to their faith.
The students will be working on their presentations in Sunday School and are also asked to work on them at home. Parents, please encourage your children to complete their speeches and present them to Father Nick on April 1st.
Please contact Father Nick (781-646-0705, [email protected]), your child’s Sunday school teacher, Tina Pavlakis Bowling (781-860-9418, [email protected]), or Cassandra Chamallas (781-258-5526, [email protected]) if you have any questions.
Everyone is welcome to attend and hear our students’ presentations! Thank you!!!
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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Department of Religious Education (800) 566-1088 religioused.goarch.org
2017 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Topics
Junior Division (Grades 7–9) 1. The opening petition of the Divine Liturgy is “In peace let us pray to the Lord.” What is this peace, and why do we need it to begin our prayers? 2. St. John Chrysostom said, “Our alms are judged not by the measure of our gifts, but by the largeness of our mind” (Homily 52 on the Gospel of Matthew). Discuss how even small acts of kindness and generosity can make a difference. 3. Discuss the role of bread and its symbolism in the Bible and the life of the Church. 4. The Orthodox Church venerates saints and martyrs every day. Talk about a saint whose life inspires you to be a better Orthodox Christian. 5. Explain why the Orthodox Church focuses more on the resurrection than it does on the passion and suffering of Christ.
Senior Division (Grades 10–12) 1. The gap between the rich and the poor in the United States and worldwide is arguably wider than it has ever been. How should we as Orthodox Christians address such terrible financial inequality? 2. Although many people diet for health or vanity, the discipline of fasting is found in many religious traditions. What is the difference between dieting and fasting, and why is it important? 3. Psalms are an integral part of matins, vespers, and many other Church services. Talk about a psalm that impacts or influences your life. 4. The Lord commanded us not to create idols (Exodus 20:4), yet people continue to do so. Discuss the kinds of idols people make or worship today and the response that an Orthodox Christian should have when confronted by them. 5. Jesus said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). When no political party represents genuine Christian teaching, how does an Orthodox Christian navigate political conversations and make political judgments?
Coming soon: Topics, Tips, and Resources at www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/sjcof/sjcof_2017_topics_tips
5 Catechetical Sunday School News
Have you ever painted a room in your house? If you have, you know that much of the work comes in the preparation stage. You start by moving what you can out of the room, throwing out old clutter, covering furniture, carpets and floor, patching any holes in the walls. Most importantly, if you are like my family you spend much time in your choice of color and even trying out different colors by painting small areas on the wall and leaving them there for a while to get a real feel for your color choices. You get the picture! In order for you to have a freshly painted, attractive room you will need a lot of preparation even before starting to paint.
The same it is true for us Orthodox Christians. Preparation is always an important part of our Orthodox Calendar and especially in anticipation of the feast of feasts, the glorious celebration of Orthodox Pascha- Christ’s Resurrection. You may be familiar with the Great Lent, the solemn preparation for Easter, which this year starts on Monday February 27th. But even before Lent begins, it is announced in advance with a preparatory period that our Church calls the Triodion. Each of the Triodion Sundays in February, gently prepares us for the upcoming material ‘austerity’, fasting, and deep spiritual reflection of Great Lent. The Bible readings for each of these Sundays are vivid, instructional, and inspirational. They provide us with many opportunities to teach our students and children about the dangers of pride, hypocrisy and indifference, and the salvation that comes through repentance and God’s love. Don’t miss these so important Sundays! Come each Sunday and get spiritual strength and renewal with your families!
On Sunday February 12th, we will be celebrating our annual Godchildren-Godparents Sunday starting at 10 am. Activities include a special Godparent/Godchildren blessing during the Divine Liturgy, invitation to classroom activities, cake, pictures, and a special commemorative board featuring Godparents and their Godchildren. We pray that you will all be able to participate and we are looking forward to seeing all Godparents and their Godchildren. Please, register on line at: http://tinyurl.com/godpc2017
On February 26, Fr. Nick/Fr. Aaron will celebrate a special Teaching Liturgy for our St. Athanasius parish. For those who may have not participated in such a special Liturgy in the past, we invite you to come and receive new insights and knowledge about the most central expression of our Faith, The Divine Liturgy. Special lessons will also happen in the classroom before and after this Liturgy, to further enhance this unique learning opportunity. We thank Fr. Nick/Fr. Aaron for this special opportunity to experience the Divine Liturgy up close and personal, and we hope to see all of our students and their families there.
We will also soon start preparing our students for the annual St. John Chrysostom oratorical festival. Please, encourage your students to participate. The parish level festival will take place on Saturday, April 1st. The next staff meeting is scheduled for Sunday February 19th, immediately after the end of classes. In the photos below, Catechetical Sunday School students and teachers of Pre-K, 1st and 2nd grade happily learning in the classrooms!
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Let’s Celebrate
Godchildren and their Godparents!
Sunday, February 12th, 2017
Candle lighting and blessing Message board and photos Cake, celebration, hugs! Kindly register at:
http://tinyurl.com/GODPC2017
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Grade 10 Sunday Catechetical School News
The theme of this class was God’s eternal being.
The Lord said, “I am The Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end”, meaning He is eternal. He is, was, and always will be.
However, we are accustomed to everything having a starting and endpoint, whether it’s a person, plant, planet, or even a galaxy. Eternal existence doesn’t sync well with our worldly thought process; or does it? Why is it that we have no problem in accepting eternity, as it concerns outer space, for example?
Fact: Our Eternal God created us, and everything in our world. Atheists, on the other hand, dismiss this, believing only in the scientific elements before them: Only those things they can see and analyze (also created by God, by the way). They cannot conceive what other realities could possibly exist with God.
So, let’s examine the limits of intelligence, from another perspective: Imagine if we were of another species instead of human: What if we were ocean bottom-dwelling fish? You know, the ones that have been swimming around for millions of years along the ocean floor, in total darkness. Now, that realm would be the extent of our world and knowledge.
How could we have any clue or understanding of other realities, such as, daylight, open air, dry land, blue skies, trees, sunshine, birds, animals, and mountains? Yet all of these wonders would exist directly right above us, while our ‘worldly’ knowledge remained confined to that of a murky water world.
Because doubters of God solely rely on the existing physical world, they too choose to dwell in darkness, especially when it comes to God’s mystical eternal existence.
How might they view the spiritual powers of love and faith? Both are quite real and significant forces. Yet, neither can be ‘proven’ through any equation or biological gene analysis.
So yes, God is eternal, and His domain is quite above ours and exceedingly more awesome than anything humanly imaginable.
(From ‘Teen Class Notes’ - George Makredes)
8 Teaching Divine Liturgy Sunday February 26, 2017
Close, Personal Unique
Learn Understand Experience 2000 Years Live Faith Tradition Celebration
9 St. Athanasius Vespers, Tuesday, January 17th, 2017
His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios officiated at the Great Vespers for the Feast of our Patron Saint Athanasius the Great assisted by area clergy. At the conclusion of the Service, His Eminence tonsured as Readers/ Anagnostes two distinguished senior Altar Servers- Acolyes Stavros Ioakimidis and Harry Kandaras. He also tonsured Sophia Kyriou as a Reader in the Church. AXIOI!
10 ANASTASIA (ANN) AND GEORGE C. DIMITRAKIS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The Anastasia (Ann) and George C. Dimitrakis Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 at the St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church with a generous gift of $100,000 by the late Ann Dimitrakis, in loving memory of her spouse, George C. Dimitrakis. George and Ann Dimitrakis have long been faithful stewards and communicants at the St. Athanasius Church. The first scholarships were awarded in June 2010.
St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church has established the Scholarship Awards Committee for the purpose of administering this scholarship. The Awards Committee, in its discretion, will award a scholarship(s) to that high school graduating senior(s) who achieve(s) exemplary rankings according to criteria established by the Awards Committee. The amount of the award(s) will be based on the scholarship fund’s return on investment, as determined by October of each year, and as distributed by the Trustees of the Scholarship Fund.
Please visit the parish website at (www.stathanasius.org) for all application materials and application instructions. Application information is only available online.
Eligible applicants must meet all of the following requirements: (1) be in their senior year of high school; (2) complete in full all application forms (typed) and provide all requested information; (3) family must be stewards of St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church for three successive years (if one year has been missed, applicant’s family has the opportunity to become current for that year); (4) must have been accepted to a full-time course of study at an accredited 4-year college or university. Applications will not be reviewed if each of the aforementioned requirements have not been met.
Applications are available on-line (www.saintathanasius.org) and must be submitted in full by Friday, May 12, 2017. Only complete typed application packages will be reviewed by the Awards Committee; it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials have been mailed to the Awards Committee. Please mail complete application packages to the Anastasia (Ann) and George S. Dimitrakis Memorial Scholarship, c/o St. Athanasius Greek Orthodox Church, 4 Appleton St., Arlington, MA 02476.
The awarding of the scholarship(s) will take place on a Sunday, June 18, 2017. The disbursement will take place after October 20, 2017, and only after the student(s) has provided to the Awards Committee an official confirmation of enrollment from the Registrar’s Office of the university/college.
Awards Committee Dennis P. George, Jr. Melanie Marken Emmanuel V. Meimaris, Esq. Dr. Valerie Relias Christine Pavlakis Bowling, LICSW Rev. Dr. Nicholas M. Kastanas (ex officio)
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Save the Date! Hope - Joy
Invites you to our
Valentine
Social
If you would like to receive “Hope - Join us for an evening of Joy” event email Valentine Fun! reminders simply email us at: Crafts, Games, Pizza, and
saintathanasiushopejoy Decorate your own cupcake @gmail.com and more!
Friday, February 10th 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Church Hall
$10 Donation per Family
Please R.S.V.P. by February 10th to: [email protected] (RSVP’s are important as they help us with accurate food counts)
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
12 Parish Office News We wish you Happiness and Health always! We are here to support the parish as best as we can. The office is staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday- Thursday, and 9:00-2:00 p.m. on Fridays. When booking your meetings and events, please call the office at (781) 646-0705 or email all important information to [email protected] or [email protected] so that we can check the church calendar. We will then confirm the date is open and book the event/meeting for you. Lastly, when you are finished using the auditorium and/or classrooms, thank you for remembering to turn off the lights.
Philoptochos ~ February 5 & GOYA ~ February 26
Please consider contributing to our coffee hour after church on Sundays. We are looking for individuals, families, and ministries to donate sweets, snacks, or any coffee-related items any Sunday you wish. If you are able to contribute, please reach out to Vicky Konstandakis, at (617) 901-2743 or leave your name(s) and contact information with Kathy VanKuilenburg, in the Parish Office. We are so grateful for your generosity and support to help the parish.
Save the Date Saturday Afternoon Tea Saturday, March 18, 2017, 3-6 PM
In Honor of Aphrodite Darris
For Benefit Of St. Barbara Philoptochos Charity Commitments and “Apostoli” Charity of Greece
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SAVE THE DATE: June 1, 2, 3, & 4, 2017
Station Station Leader (s) Agora (next to Pastry/Coffee) Eleni Splagounias Advertising Traditional-Radio, Newspaper Stella Kazantzas Advertising-Social Media (website, Facebook, Twitter) Bill Pantazopoulos, Peter Ladas, Ted Speros Bar Mark Ypsilantis Cafenio Annette Tsitsopoulos, Jeannie Poulakidas Childrens' Activities OPEN - please consider Church Tours/Outreach Father Nick, Father Aaron Cooking Inside Thanasi Arvanitis, Kosta Hristofilous, and Nick Karasoulos Cooking Outside-Food Prep, Warmers Peter Georgacopoulos Cooking Workshop Calendars Kathy VanKuilenburg Cooking-Grill Kosta Arvanitis, Tony Dakopoulos, Steve Horiatis, Bill Tsiaras Entertainment John Ioakimidis Food Line Design Dean Ioakimidis, Paul Tsitsopoulos, Despina Bouboulis Food Runners Michael Bouboulis Flyers and Postcards Mark Ypsilantis Gyro Greg Kandaras, Tanya Stamoulis Loucoumades Billy Karras, Andrea Stanitsas Outreach Coordinator OPEN - please consider Papergoods Supplies Maria Tsaousidis Pastry Irene Kalogeris, Kathy VanKuilenburg Raffle OPEN - please consider Registers/iPads/Credit Card Machines Steve Dalaklis, Nikitas Splagounias Salad Station Jim Psiakis, George Pantazopoulos Sponsor Book and Menu Printing Penny Meletidis Sponsor Book and Placemats Vicky Konstandakis, Eleanor Profis (more help is required)*** Tent Layout Dean Ioakimidis, Paul Tsitsopoulos Town Liaison/Permits Mark Ypsilantis, Nick Kriketos Vendor Coordinator/Greeter Tanya Stamoulis, Elaine Tilly Volunteer Coordinator Christina Chalapatas (more help is required)***
Please NOTE: Some of these Station Leaders are not 100% confirmed. They did such a great job last year, we are hoping they will commit again this year. There are OPEN Lead spots, so please consider joining the Annual Festival Fun! Please excuse any typos.
Please reach out to any Parish Council Member or the Parish Office if interested.
Next Festival Meeting: Thursday, February, 16, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.
15 GOYA News
Dear GOYAns,
January was a very fun month, filled with exciting events! We kicked off the year with our annual Black Light Dance at the church. Several GOYA’s attended, and we all had a great time! We believe this year was record breaking, with almost 100 kids who attended! We thank everyone who helped set up and made this event possible, and we give a special thanks to Stavros Ioakimidis for donating his time DJing! That night, we also collected cans for our canned food drive to the Arlington Food Pantry.
Later in the month, our GOYA attended a Celtics game for the first time in three years! Many GOYAns came, and we all had a fun time cheering on our team!
This month, we have our annual visit to the Philoxenia House on Saturday, February 18th. Also, our annual Ski Trip is quickly approaching! It will take place March 3rd to March 5th. For more information, please contact one of the officers.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Dakopoulos
16 Philoptochos News
January donations St. Athanasius Homeless & Needy Fund $300 National Philoptochos Social Services $350 National Philoptochos Cancer Fund $250 National St. Basil’s $500
Thank you once again for helping the Philoptochos to fulfill our obligations. With a little help from you, Philoptochos chapters around the country are able to assist many in need.
Go Red Sunday
Sunday, February 5th, 2017
Please join us in wearing something red Help bring awareness about the #1 killer of American women
The American Heart Association
Please join us for our next general assembly, Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
17 ALL THAT JAZZ Musical Reception for IOCC Sunday, February 19 | 7–9.30 pm
Maliotis Cultural Center at Hellenic College 50 Goddard Ave • Brookline, Massachusetts
Wine reception ~ Live jazz Suggested donation $25 ~ Students & under 21 $10
Register online: iocc.org/boston
INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
18 19 February 2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 Feast of the 3 Little Halos 8:30-3 4 Little Halos YPAPANTI 8:30m-3pm The Presentation of Basketball @ Ottoson NO VESPERS Christ into the Temple Hope/Joy 5:30-7; SERVICE Greek School 4-:630pm Orthros 8am ; Divine Goya 6-7:30pm Grades 2 & 5 Liturgy 9-10am Little Halos 8:30am-3pm Grk Schl Gr 3 & 6 4-6:30
5 Publican&Pharisee 6 7 8 9 10 St. Haralambos 11 TRIODION BEGINS Little Halos 8:30am-3pm Little Halos 8:30am-3pm Little Halos 8:30am-3pm Little Halos 8:30am-3pm Orthros 8 Div. Lit. 9-10 Great Vespers Service GO RED SUNDAY Grk Schl K1 / K2 4-6pm Grk Schl Grades 1 & 4 Little Halos Open House Little Halos Open House Little Halos 8:30-3 4:30pm Orthros 8:45am; Div. Lit Children’s Grk Dancing 4-6:30pm 10am 10am Hope/Joy Mt-Activity 10-11:30am 6-8pm Bible Study in English Grk Schl Grades 2 & 5 Grk Schl Grades 3 & 6 6-8pm Altar Servers Meeting Church School 10am Bible Study in Greek 7:15-8:30pm 4-6:30pm 4-6:30pm Basketball @ Ottoson with Pizza 5:30-6:30 7:15-8:30pm Hope/Joy 5:30-7; Greek Dance / Adults Goya 6-7:30pm 8pm 12 God-Parents & 13 14 15 16 17 Little Halos 8:30-3 18 Metropolis Winter God-Children Sunday Little Halos 8:30am-3 Little Halos 8:30am-3 Little Halos Camp MBC Orthros 8:45am; Div. Lit Grk Schl K1 / K2 4-6pm 8:30m-3pm Little Halos 8:30am-3 Basketball Practice for 10-11:30am Children's Grk Dancing Clergy Brotherhood Greek School 4-6:30pm all @ the Ottoson Gym 1st Saturday of Souls Cat.Church School 10am 6-8pm Meeting 10:30am Grades 2 & 5 Grk Schl Gr 3 & 6 5:30-7 /Psychosavvato Memorials Bible Study in Greek 4-6:30pm Metropolis Winter Camp Orthros 8am; Div. Lit +Argyro Moisakis 7:15-8:30pm Grk Schl Gr 1 & 4 Parish Council 7pm MBC 7pm nd 9-10:15am +Prof. Dr. Spyridon Greek Dance / Adults 4-6:30pm 2 Festival Meeting 7pm Kontogiannis 8pm No Vespers Service Trisagion: No Bible Study in +Maria Lempesis English SunSchl Mtg 12:15pm
19 20 Metropolis Winter 21 22 23 24 25 Metropolis Winter Camp Camp No School-Winter Break 2nd Saturday of Souls Meatfare Sunday No School-Winter Break No School-Winter Break No School-Winter Break Great Lent Book Study No School-Winter Break /Psychosavvato Orthros 8:45am; Div. Lit Presidents Day w/Father Aaron 6-7pm Orthros 8am; Div. Lit. 10-11:30am Office Closed 9-10am Catechetical Sunday Adult Greek Dance 8pm Philoptochos General Church School 10am No Bible Study in Greek Assembly 7pm Vespers 4:30pn Memorial: +Anthoula Paraskevoudis
26 Cheesefare Sunday 27 Holy and Great Lent 28 March 1st Strict Fast Begins Kathara Deftera Little Halos Wine/Oil Allowed Orthros 8:45am; Div. Pre-Sanctified Liturgy Lit. 10-11:30am Little Halos 8:30am-3pm 8:30m-3pm Fast Free 8-9:45am Cat. Sun. Ch Schl 10am Grk Schl K1/K2 4-6pm Greek School 4-6:30pm Fish Allowed Stewardship Luncheon Children’s Grk Dance 6 Grades 2 & 5 Promptly After Liturgy Bible Study in Grk 7:15 Bible Study in English Apodeipnon/Compline 7:15-8:30pm Pine Street Inn 5pm Service 6-7pm; Vespers of Forgiveness Adult Greek Dance 8pm 6-7pm
Φεβρουάριος 2017
Κυριακή Δευτέρα Τρίτη Τετάρτη Πέμπτη Παρασκευή Σάββατο
Strict Fast Wine/Oil Allowed Fast Free Fish Allowed Little Halos News
Happy New Year 2017!
We started 2017 rejuvenated and ready for new learning and fun!
Little Halos’ curriculum this month included the feasts of St. Basil the Great, St. John the Baptist, Theophania, and our church’s Patron St. Athanasius. The children learned about the reasons why the Orthodox Church has labeled St. Athanasius “Great” and discussed the significance of our traditions within the church along with how to recognize their icon.
The Feast of the Three Hierarchs (also called Celebration of the Greek Letters) took place on Sunday, January 29, 2017. The Little Halos children sang our prayer-song, Προσευχούλα, in church immediately after liturgy.
In addition, we spent time studying the winter weather, how people and animals behave, and where they spend the winter months. We also explored the life of animals thriving in the coldest climates. We read lots of interesting books and did experiments to understand how polar animals survive in such low temperatures in frozen lands. Children enjoyed many hands-on interdisciplinary activities that enriched their understanding of our themed studies.
**Registration for the 2017-2018 school year has now begun and an Open House is scheduled for February 8 and 9, 2017, 10:00-11:00am for new families interested in visiting our school.
Please contact Kaiti Galanopoulos, Director, at (781) 646-1322 for any further information about our school, program, or any of our events.
The History of the Feast
While Orthodox Christians usually celebrate Saints on the day of their falling asleep in this world, this feast day of The Three Hierarchs is a bit different. The Three Hierarchs (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom), lived in the 4th century and were great teachers of the Faith. During the 11th century, people debated as to who was the best Father of the three. This debate caused much tension and animosity amongst the people. All three Saints, then, are said to have appeared in a dream to the Patriarch of Constantinople, John Mavropous, telling him that all three of them were "equal" in the eyes of God; therefore, people should not say that one is better than the other. From that moment on, the debates stopped. The date of January 30th was selected as the date of their celebration because all three Saints have feast days that are in January (St. Basil on the 1st, St. Gregory on the 25th, and St. John Chrysostom on the 27th). This day is also the “feast day” for the “Greek Letters” (the day we congratulate students and teachers on their successes throughout the year), especially for Greek Orthodox Education.
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Now Enrolling For the 2017/2018 School Year
You are invited to an Open House
February 8th and 9th, 2017 at 10:00 – 11:00 am. Come learn more about our exceptional school, visit the Preschool and Pre- Kindergarten classrooms, and meet the teachers. Children are welcome! Little Halos Bilingual Day School has rolling admissions- we accept applications any time. The following programs are offered for the year 2017-2018.
8:30am-12noon 8:30am-3pm
For More Information and to schedule a tour, please contact: Kaiti Galanopoulos, Director [email protected] *(781) 646-1322
Little Halos Bilingual Day School is an Arlington Massachusetts based Preschool that provides a three-fold program of the Greek Language, Hellenic culture, and Greek Orthodox Faith, within a developmental framework of play-based learning for children 2.9- 5 year old. Little Halos is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
Four Appleton Street (corner of Massachusetts Ave.) * Arlington, MA 02476 Tel: (781)-646-1322 – Fax: (781)-641-4700 * [email protected]
23
LET US
JOURNEY
THROUGH
GREAT LENT
TOGETHER
BOOK STUDY GREAT LENT, BY FR. ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN
STUDY A CLASSIC ORTHODOX TEXT LET HYMNS, READINGS, AND MOVEMENT OF LENTEN WORSHIP SPEAK TO YOUR HEART 10 MINUTE TALK BY FR. AARON GROUP DISCUSSION AND APPLICATION TO OUR LIVES
THURSDAYS, 6 - 7 PM, IN CONFERENCE ROOM FEB. 23 – CHAPTER ONE, PREPARATION MAR. 2 – CHAPTER TWO, THE LENTEN WORSHIP MAR. 9 – CHAPTER THREE, THE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS MAR. 16 – CHAPTER FOUR, THE LENTEN JOURNEY MAR. 23 – CHAPTER FIVE, LENT IN OUR LIFE MAR. 30, APR. 6 – T.B.D.
FOR MORE INFO - [email protected]
Alexander Schmemann (1921- 1983) was an inspired and influential Orthodox Christian priest, teacher, and writer. From 1946 to 1951 he taught in Paris, and afterwards in New York. In his teachings and writings, he sought to establish the close links between Christian theology and Christian liturgy. At the time of his death, he was the dean of the Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.
24 Lent: The Journey to Pascha The following is an excerpt from the Introduction to Great Lent, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, which we will be reading in our Lenten Book Study. See flyer for details. When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Easter, "the Feast of Feasts..." We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Easter, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and life. Is it necessary to explain that Easter is much more than one of the feasts, more than a yearly commemoration of a past event? Anyone who has, be it only once, taken part in that night which is "brighter than the day," who has tasted of that unique joy, knows it… On Easter we celebrate Christ's Resurrection as something that happened and still happens to us. For each one of us received the gift of that new life and the power to accept it and live by it. It is a gift which radically alters our attitude toward everything in this world, including death. It makes it possible for us to joyfully affirm: "Death is no more!" Oh, death is still there, to be sure, and we still face it and someday it will come and take us. But it is our whole faith that by His own death Christ changed the very nature of death, made it a passage — a "passover," a "Pascha" — into the Kingdom of God, transforming the tragedy of tragedies into the ultimate victory… Such is that faith of the Church, affirmed and made evident by her countless Saints. Is it not our daily experience, however, that this faith is very seldom ours, that all the time we lose and betray the "new life" which we received as a gift, and that in fact we live as if Christ did not rise from the dead, as if that unique event had no meaning whatsoever for us? ... We simply forget all this — so busy are we, so immersed in our daily preoccupations — and because we forget, we fail. And through this forgetfulness, failure, and sin, our life becomes "old" again — petty, dark, and ultimately meaningless — a meaningless journey toward a meaningless end... We may from time to time acknowledge and confess our various "sins," yet we cease to refer our life to that new life which Christ revealed and gave to us. Indeed, we live as if He never came. This is the only real sin, the sin of all sins, the bottomless sadness and tragedy of our nominal Christianity. If we realize this, then we may understand what Easter is and why it needs and presupposes Lent. For we may then understand that the liturgical traditions of the Church, all its cycles and services, exist, first of all, in order to help us recover the vision and the taste of that new life which we so easily lose and betray, so that we may repent and return to it... And yet the "old" life, that of sin and pettiness, is not easily overcome and changed. The Gospel expects and requires from man an effort of which, in his present state, he is virtually incapable... This is where Great Lent comes in. This is the help extended to us by the Church, the school of repentance which alone will make it possible to receive Easter not as mere permission to eat, to drink, and to relax, but indeed as the end of the "old" in us, as our entrance into the "new…" For each year Lent and Easter are, once again, the rediscovery and the recovery by us of what we were made through our own baptismal death and resurrection. A journey, a pilgrimage! Yet, as we begin it, as we make the first step into the "bright sadness" of Lent, we see — far, far away — the destination. It is the joy of Easter, it is the entrance into the glory of the Kingdom. And it is this vision, the foretaste of Easter, that makes Lent's sadness bright and our lenten effort a "spiritual spring..." All are welcome as we study this classic book and journey towards Pascha together.
25 PROJECT MEXICO Informational ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN Meetings these MISSIONS TRIP Sundays: JUNE 7-13 Jan. 29,
Feb. 12
12:30pm
At end of GOYA meetings
In the church WHAT? Missions trip to build home for pews family in need – Participate in joyful St. Athanasius Greek Orthodox Orthodox community and worship life Church of St. Innocent Orphanage 4 Appleton Street Arlington, MA WHO? Youth, Young Adults, All Ages St. Athanasius GOC and other Boston Questions? Fr. Aaron Walker area Orthodox Christian parishes (617) 733 – 1045 WHY? To share the love of Christ, work [email protected] together as a Church family, and be transformed in your heart and soul
26 Project Mexico
From June 7 to June 13, Fr. Aaron will be leading a home-building trip to Project Mexico. The main work of this trip is the construction of a home for a needy, deserving family in rural Tijuana. The benefits to the participants and to our whole parish are many! The group will work as a team with other Orthodox Christians from around the country. We will meet the people we are building this home. When the home is complete, there will be a beautiful blessing ceremony, where the house will be presented to the family. Our group will participate in the joyful Orthodox Christian community and worship life of St. Innocent’s Ranch, an Orthodox orphanage. We will return and share with the parish the difficulties of the realities that are faced by so many who don’t have the prosperity we take for granted. We will also share the joy of truly living out our calling as individuals and as a parish community--to give a helping hand to others in need. The trip is open to all able- bodied members of our parish and other area Orthodox parishes. No construction experience is required. Our GOYAns are strongly encouraged to consider participating in this life-transforming experience.
From the Project Mexico website: https://www.projectmexico.org
Because of the prosperity that most of us enjoy, it is difficult to truly understand the basic and fundamental challenges that exist just beyond our borders. Only minutes south of one of California’s favorite vacation destinations, you will find Tijuana, Mexico, a city not only of considerable size and history, but of significant human poverty and hardship as well. With a population of over 1.3 million residents, it is sobering to appreciate that nearly half of them live on less than $200 (USD) per month.
Even more troubling is the difficulty that families face when finding a permanent home. The cost of land in Mexico can be very expensive ranging from $15,000 to $25,000 (USD) for a 200-300 meter parcel of land. Once families have saved enough money to pay for the mortgage on their land, they have very little left to construct a secure home. As you drive through the impoverished communities around Tijuana, you will see homes made of old garage doors, wooden pallets, tarps, tires or other materials that were, ironically enough, likely discarded from homes within the United States.
Finding the right families to build for is not an easy task. For this reason, we work closely with Mexican Social Services and other local resources to identify potential candidate families. Once selected as a candidate, the family will be carefully interviewed to determine their need based on annual income, family size, overall quality of life, employment and the potential benefit that a home will have on them. After meeting with all of the candidate families, their applications are then compiled and presented to the selection committee. Our goal is to serve those with the greatest need at the time of our evaluation.
27 Since 1988, Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage have been building secure, safe, and weather-tight homes for some of the most impoverished families in northern Mexico. Built strictly by volunteer labor, these homes provide families economic security and hope for a brighter future. While serving these families, the volunteers discover that they have been transformed. Through their service to others, they realize that they have received much more than they had given. To date, we have hosted well over 11,000 volunteers on our 16 acre ranch as we continue to humbly bear the burdens of others in the name of Christ. ? ? ? Frequently Asked Questions? ? ?
How many people can work on a home building site?
Due to the amount of work and the site size, we limit the number of participants in a group to 25. Having more than 25 people would impact the overall home building experience, as well as safety.
Is it necessary that I speak Spanish?
No, but it may help to learn some basic Spanish phrases so that you can better interact with the family you are building for, as well as our boys at the orphanage. There are plenty of Spanish language apps that you can download to develop your Spanish speaking skills before you come.
Is it safe to travel in northern Mexico?
The safety of our boys, staff members, and volunteers is our highest priority. For the past 27 years, we have worked diligently to ensure the safety of all individuals involved with our ministry. Perhaps the strongest endorsement for our commitment to safety is the fact that we have not experienced a single safety incident in our 27 year history, which spans over 11,000 volunteers and 289 homes built.
Will there be internet?
Internet is only provided to group leaders if there are extenuating and necessary circumstances; otherwise the expectation should be that there will be no internet use during your visit.
Will there be opportunities to spend time with the orphanage boys?
The boys are kept on a full schedule during the summer vacation to keep them busy and continually learning during their time off. For this reason, the boys will be available at specific times during the day, usually in groups rather than all at once, and it is best to expect spending short periods of time with them, rather than all day together. Meals are eaten with the boys and there are a few planned activities together during the week like bonfires and soccer games.
28 THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE
The Historical & Personal Meaning of the 40-DAY BLESSING
Icon with the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Metropolitan Museum 1400–1500 Byzantine Wood, painted, with gold ground Bequest of Lillie P. Bliss, 1931 (31.67.8)
29 Jesus was brought to the Temple on the 40th Day On February 2nd, we celebrate the Feast of “Ypapanti,” often translated as the “Presentation” of our Lord to the Temple, although a more accurate translation would be the “Meeting” between Jesus and Symeon.
The Gospel reading for the feast, Luke 2:22-40, tells us the story which is the origin of the holiday. Jesus was taken by His parents to Jerusalem, “to present Him to the Lord.” Once they arrived at the temple, they were met by Symeon. Symeon was “righteous and devout,” upon whom was the Holy Spirit. It was revealed to Symeon that “he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” When he met the baby Jesus, Symeon took Him into his arms, in accordance with the custom of the Old Testament laws, and blessed Him. Symeon then said to God: “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” These words are recited by the priest as he holds the baby at the conclusion of the Orthodox Christian 40-Day blessing.
What does this tell us? But what about this “meeting”? What does it tell us? First, it tells us something of the Jewish practice of presenting a child to the temple. Jesus was brought, according to the custom, forty days after His birth to the temple. Based on His example, we in the Orthodox Church also bring our children to Church for their forty-day blessing. Although it is a brief service, it is indeed powerful and a wonderful opportunity for parents to express their thankfulness to God for giving them their child, and thereby dedicating the child back to God.
This “meeting” of Jesus and Symeon also tells us that Symeon knew of the importance of Jesus, though we know that not everyone did. Symeon knew that Jesus is indeed our salvation. Not everyone understands this fact today, even among all who claim to be Christians. When we present our children to the Church for their 40-day blessing, we have an opportunity to be reminded of our own need to “meet” with Christ and to be thankful to God for our meeting.
We can meet the Lord When can we meet with Him? We can meet with the Lord when we are in prayer, when we serve our “neighbor,” when we practice His commandments, and when we participate in the sacraments. We have opportunities throughout our day to meet with our Lord; however, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us! If we do that, we will find numerous opportunities to meet Him daily. All too often, as a consequence of our daily concerns, we place our meetings with the Lord at the bottom of our “to do list” and often fail to finish that list by the end of the day! In accordance with the practice of the Orthodox Christian faith, we bring our children to the Church,
30 to be presented to the Lord, for their own forty-day blessing. We do so out of our thanksgiving to God. Let us continue that spirit of thanksgiving by meeting with Him throughout our day and throughout our life. Let us not give Him the mere leftovers of our time, but the first fruits, that our meeting may prove to be of great importance to us! Let us keep Him - as we chant in the Hymn of the Feast of His Presentation - as our own “Sun of Righteousness,” guiding us throughout our day and throughout our life, for He has indeed, “conferred upon us the Resurrection.”
Fr. Anthony Stratis
GREEK FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Καθαρά Δευτέρα 27 Φεβρουαρίου, 2017 Γράφει ο Γεωργαντζής Γεώργιος
Ώρα για ψυχική ανάβαση, εκεί κοντά στον Χριστό, γιατί κοντά στον Χριστό φτάνεις στην κορυφή και συνεχίζεις να ανεβαίνεις. Γιατί ο δρόμος που θα μας οδηγήσει στον Χριστό ξεκινάει με δύο απλές λέξεις: αγάπη και συγνώμη. Η Μεγάλη Σαρακοστή είναι μια οδός, ένας δρόμος αγάπης, ένα μονοπάτι χαράς που όσο το περπατάς ανεβαίνεις. Ταπεινώνεσαι για να αποκτήσεις θησαυρούς ουράνιους που κανένας δεν μπορεί να σου κλέψει, προβαίνεις σε πράξεις αγάπης και ο δρόμος προς τον Χριστό γίνεται πιο φωτεινός, συγχωρείς και ο ουρανός χαμογελάει! Ο δρόμος της Μεγάλης Σαρακοστής οδηγεί στην απόλυτη ταπείνωση που λέγεται Σταύρωση - ο ίδιος ο Θεός μαρτυρά από τους ίδιους τους ανθρώπους, γιατί η αγάπη του Θεού είναι τόσο μεγάλη που αμέσως μετά θα καταπατήσει το θάνατο με τον θρίαμβο της Ανάστασης - για να συνεχιστεί η ανάβασή μας και να περάσουμε στην Αιωνιότητα. Καλή Σαρακοστή και μια μεγάλη ευκαιρία να ρίξουμε τους τόνους στη ζωή μας, να δούμε πιο στοργικά ανθρώπους γύρω μας, να προχωράμε με τα χέρια, όχι “στιςτσέπες”, αλλά απλωμένα έξω, έτοιμα να συγκρατήσουν, να προσφέρουν, να στηρίξουν. Ο προστάτης μας Αρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ, βοηθός και καθοδηγός στην ανάβαση της Μεγάλης Σαρακοστής
31 The Remembrance of God
An essential spiritual discipline we must cultivate in our lives is the remembrance of God and our relationship to Him. According to St. John of Damascus, the most serious passions are forgetfulness, laziness and ignorance. These three passions darken the nous, the spiritual control center of the human person. The soul then becomes more easily dominated by all the other passions. Because forgetfulness has such a negative effect on our soul, remembrance becomes the chief weapon against sin and distortion. There are two important understandings of remembrance. The first is simply the straightforward practice of being present and attentive in each moment of our lives, and the second is to remember past events and promises for the future as a living and present reality. As time presses on toward the Last Day and the Second Coming of our Lord, our lives are becoming characterized by busyness, distraction and noise. With the advancement of technology, we are increasingly cut-off from our connection to the natural world. Most of us no longer hunt for our own food, build our own shelters, and make our own clothes. Though these technological advancements are a blessing, they estrange us from our vulnerabilities as human beings and tempt us to forget our lack of control and our dependence on God. We are more easily deceived into thinking we are gods and have power over all these things. When we are deceived into thinking that we are the masters of our own lives, we more easily and willingly forget God. This forgetfulness is a major strategy of the evil one. The Devil uses these conveniences to distract and busy us. We have so much power at our fingertips, so many forms of entertainment, and increasingly new and sophisticated means of communication. These facets of modern life make it hard to see our need for God, and distract us from the time needed to deeply connect with both Him and the people around us. The Lord commands us to ceaselessly remember Him. This is what is meant by: “Rejoice always, pray unceasingly, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes. 5:16-18) God commands this of us, because remembrance of God is necessary in order to return to our authentic selves — human beings in the way that God created us. When we forget God, and try to live independently of Him, we become sick and distorted. The Saint stands out in society, precisely because he/she remains normal and authentically human in the face of this illness and distortion… The Lord gives us every tool needed to keep in our present memory His presence, His work and His Saints. In this way, we are able to actually fulfill His commandment to “Rejoice always, pray unceasingly, and give thanks in all circumstances.” While we cannot always stand before our icons to say prayers, we can work to ceaselessly remember God and cultivate an awareness of His presence in our lives. We can combat the distractions and noise of our present era through the constant remembrance of God. With God in our hearts, in our thoughts and on our lips, we can cultivate an interior life that allows for a deep and loving relationship with our Lord and with those around us. Let us all endeavor to daily set aside the distractions of our busy lives and connect in meaningful ways to Christ and to our brothers and sisters. In this way we can remember God, our own potential, the potential of those around us, and more fully experience that “Christ is truly in our midst.” ~ by Fr. Theodore Dorrance, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Beaverton, OR
32 The Fourth Sunday of the Triodion Period: Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday February 26, 2017)
Introduction
The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sunday prior to the commencement of Great Lent. During the pre-Lenten period, the services of the Church include hymns from the Triodion, a liturgical book that contains the services from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the tenth before Pascha (Easter), through Great and Holy Saturday. On the Sunday of Forgiveness focus is placed on the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, an event that shows us how far we have fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God. At the onset of Great Lent and a period of intense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts on returning to Him in repentance.
Biblical Story
The Lord Confronts the Disobedience of Adam & Eve; "The Expulsion from Paradise", Nave Mosaics from Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Sicily. Mid 12th Century.
The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are
33 preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.
The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.
The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit. To be effective, however, our fast must not be hypocritical, a “showing off.” We must “appear not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in secret” (vv. 16-18).
The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.
Icon of the Feast
The icon of the Sunday of the Last Judgment incorporates all of the elements of the parable from Matthew 25:31-46. Christ sits on the throne and before him the Last Judgment takes place. He is extending his hands in blessing upon the Theotokos on his right, and John the Baptist on his left. Seated on smaller thrones are the Apostles, represented by Peter and Paul, a depiction of the words of Christ in Matthew 19:28. (1.)
34
1. Ashamed for the sin that they committed by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowlege of good and evil, Adam and Eve now stand before Christ.
The icon shows Adam and Eve standing before Jesus Christ [1.]. Prior to their descent into sin through disobedience, Adam and Eve were blessed with a beautiful relationship of communion and fellowship with God. However, they were tempted by the devil appearing in the form of a serpent [2.] to disobey God and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17).
3. A cherubim with a flaming sword was 2. Adam and Eve were tempted to sin by the appointed by God to guard the gate of Eden and devil who appeared to them as a serpent. the way to the tree of life.
When they took of the fruit and sinned, they realized that they were naked. Further, when “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden”…they hid themselves “from the presence of the Lord” (3:8). The icon shows Adam and Eve attempting to cover themselves with fig leaves as they try to hide, and yet they stand ashamed before the Lord.
35
4. For their disobedience, the Lord has Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise. They leave dressed in garments prepared by God.
Because of their disobedience the Lord expelled them from the garden. The icon shows the Archangel of the Lord directing them out of Paradise, through the gate of Eden where God placed “the cherubim and a sword flaming and guarding the way to the tree of life” (3:23-24) [3.]. Adam and Eve are dressed in the garments of skins made for them by God (3:20) [4.].
Orthodox Christian Celebration of the Sunday of Forgiveness
The Sunday of Forgiveness is commemorated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on Saturday evening. The hymns of the Triodion for this day are added to the usual prayers and hymns of the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ. The naming of the Sunday is taken from the commemoration of the Exile of Adam and Eve from Paradise and from the Gospel reading of the Divine Liturgy.
Scripture readings for the Sunday of the Last Judgment are: At the Orthros (Matins): The prescribed weekly Gospel reading. At the Divine Liturgy: Romans 13:11-14:4, Matthew 6:14-21.
The Sunday of Forgiveness is also known as Cheesefare Sunday. This is the last day that dairy products can be eaten before the Lenten fast. The full fast begins the following day on Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent. On the evening of the Sunday of Forgiveness the Church conducts the first service of Great Lent, the Vespers of Forgiveness, a service that directs us further on the path of repentance and helps us to acknowledge our need for forgiveness from God and to seek forgiveness from our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the first time that the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim accompanied by prostrations is read. At the end of the service all the faithful approach the priest and one another asking for mutual forgiveness.
36 Orthodox Christians are encouraged to enter Great Lent in repentance and confession by attending these services, coming for the Sacrament of Confession, and dedicating themselves to worship, prayer, and fasting throughout the Lenten period. The first day of Lent, Clean Monday, signifies the beginning of a period of cleansing and purification of sins through repentance.
On the Saturday before this Sunday, the second of three Saturdays of the Souls are held. This is a special commemoration when the Church offers a Divine Liturgy and Memorial Service for the departed faithful. This is considered a universal commemoration of the dead. Through the memorial services, the Church is commending to God all who have departed and who are now awaiting the Last Judgment. This specific Saturday is a general commemoration of all the ascetic Saints of the Church, both men and women. As we set out on the Lenten fast we are reminded that we will make this journey as members of a family, supported by the intercessions of the Saints.
Hymns and Prayers of the Feast of the Prodigal Son
Exapostelarion of Matins (Tone Two) Wretch that I am I disobeyed Your good commandment, O my Lord. And being stripped of Your glory, alas, with shame I am laden. And I have been evicted from the pure delights of Paradise. O merciful and compassionate, have mercy on me who rightly has been deprived of Your goodness.
We were expelled of old, O Lord, from the Garden of Eden, for wrongly eating from the tree. But, O my God and Savior, You once again have restored us through Your Cross and Your Passion. Thereby, O Master, fortify and enable us purely to finish Lent and to worship Your holy resurrection, Pascha our saving Passover, by the prayers of Your Mother. Listen »
Prokeimenon of Vespers (Tone Plagal Fourth) Idiomela: Turn not away Thy face from Thy child for I am afflicted; hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul and deliver me. Stichos: Thy salvation, O God, hath set me up. The poor see and rejoice. Listen »
Kontakion (Tone Plagal Second) O Master, Guide to wisdom, Giver of prudent counsel, Instructor of the foolish and Champion of the poor, make firm my heart and grant it understanding. O Word of the Father, give me words, for see, I shall not stop my lips from crying out to Thee: I am fallen, in Thy compassion have mercy on me.
37 Stewardship
YOU ARE THE VOICE OF CHRIST IN A CHANGING WORLD
We live in a physical world that places great value on material possessions. Material possessions and wealth may bring power and status. But wealth and possessions can be fleeting. Circumstances change. It is the voice of Jesus Christ and the truth of His Gospel that remain constant. In our spiritual relationship with our Creator, we realize that we are called to be good stewards of His creation. And as stewards of His Gospel, we are called to use our material, worldly possessions to meet the needs of others.
It is by offering our blessings back to God that He 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.
~Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris
Stewardship Committee Members
David Bowling, Chris Eliopoulos, Dean Ioakimidis, Eleanor Profis, Michael Terzakis, Father Nick, and Father Aaron
38 SAINT ATHANASIUS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CONFIDENTIAL FAMILY INFORMATION FORM Please complete and return this form to the Church Office 4 Appleton Street, Arlington, MA 02476
Name: Home Telephone:
Address: City: State: Zip:
I am a new steward: My previous parish was?
I would like to receive my monthly bulletin via U.S. mail: or via email:
Member Spouse Children /Age
Name: /
Mobile Tel: /
E‐mail: /
Occupation: /
Work Tel: /
2017 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE / DONATION
Family Name
I understand it takes approximately $1,000 per active Stewardship family to operate and support the ministries and facility of the St. Athanasius Parish in 2017.
We would like to pledge $ Weekly (approx. $20/week)
We would like to pledge $ Monthly (approximately $85/month) We would like to pledge $ Yearly You can also pledge at http://www.saintathanasius.org/stewardship/
Please check those items in which you or a member of your family has some expertise or interest. Place name or initials of the specific family member after each item checked.
Bible Study Youth Ministry Office Work Teaching Sunday School Medical/Nurse Greek School/Little Halos Church Choir Art/Design Services Visitation of Elderly/Infirm Reader (in liturgy) Legal Philoptochos Ushering / Welcome Finance Festival Evangelism Architecture Outreach to Community New parents Real Estate Management Soup Kitchen Scouting Electrical Computer – Hardware/Systems Youth Work Construction Computer ‐ software Gardening Mechanical / Plumbing Web Design PR / Marketing Other
Ver. 01-2017 39 FOOD FOR THOUGHT We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you thought never belonged to you--suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, “Well, I'll have a go, too.” ~Margaret Thatcher
"The person who succeeds is not the one who holds back, fearing failure, nor the one who never fails, but rather the one who moves on in spite of failure. Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory or defeat. Author: Teddy Roosevelt" ~Theodore Roosevelt
You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. ~Dale Carnegie
The sky has never been the limit. We are our own limits. It's then about breaking our personal limits and outgrowing ourselves to live our best lives.
Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them
Volume Twenty-Eight, Number Six, February 2017