April 2014—Volume VIII, Issue IIII

& Faith H ope Schedule Pg 18

Easter is April 20th

Page 15

www.StThomasCC.org

ST THOMAS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 6900 W. Maple Rd. West Bloomfield, MI 48322 | 248.788.2460 | MASS SCHEDULE BAPTISM SCHEDULE Weekdays: IN CHALDEAN @ 10:00 am - MON - FRI Every Saturday 12:30PM Saturdays: IN ENGLISH @ 5:00 pm  1st, 3rd, 4th Saturday are done by Sundays: IN ENGLISH @ 9:00am Fr. Jirjis Abraham IN ENGLISH (HIGH MASS) @ 10:30am  2nd Saturday are done by Fr. IN CHALDEAN (HIGH MASS) @ 12:30pm Frank Kallabat IN ARABIC @ 2:00pm ANOINTING SCHEDULE Confessions: - During Masses Upon Request, please contact St. Thomas Church Office  1st Friday of the Month at ECRC

 - Thursdays 11p-12a at St Thomas CONGRATS! † BAPTISMS † MARCH 2014 CONGRATS! † WEDDINGS † MARCH 2014

March 1st, 2014 March 1st, 2014  Juliana Nicole daughter of Scott & Monica Shamoun  Zachary Bradley to Angela Jarjis March 8th, 2014 March 2nd, 2014  Roman Victor son of Victor & Nancy Dabish  Jordan Rassam to Chanel Sarhan March 22, 2014 March 8, 2014  Gianna Hope daughter of Anthony & Darlena Marougi  Edwin Sadik to Tania Shamoun  Christian Michael son of Eric & Zina Koppin March 16, 2014 March 29, 2014  Joey Toma to Stephanie Eisenhardt  Greyson Leith son of Leith & Bonita Danou March 23, 2014  Annabell Rita daughter of Firas & Reta Samona  Calvin Dabish to Ashley Saroki  Miquel Angel son of Miguel & Nora Linares March 27, 2-14 March 30, 2014  Aswan Alton to Athraa Elyas  Faith Gabrielle daughter of Andy & Vanessa Seman March 29, 2014  Christopher Aielle to Christina Gappy CHECK WEBSITE at March 30, 2014 www.StThomasCC.org  Dylon Putrus to Noura Garmo for Up To Date Events & Schedule

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APRIL 2014

Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization Center “E.C.R.C.” For more information contact: (248) 538-9903 or Email: [email protected]

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat *8am - 1 Bible Study 2 3 4 5 at 6:30pm at 1-2 pm ECRC Radio 8:30am Bible Eucharistic Adoration at Daily Mass E.C.R.C. Program In Arabic LIGHT 6-9:30pm CLC High School 5:30 pm Monday Group Holy Mass at 6:30 pm on 690am at MoG NO 1st Friday thru Fri- at St. Thomas at Conquest Junior High Challenge for Devotion/ day at 6:30pm Boys

6 7 8 Bible Study 9 10 11 12 at 6:30pm at Eucharistic Adoration at 1-2 pm ECRC Radio BIble E.C.R.C. CLC High School 5:30 pm Holy Mass at 6:30 pm Program In Arabic Group LIGHT 6-9:30pm Conquest Junior High on 690am at MoG at St. Thomas at Boys NO Healing Ser- Challenge for 6:30pm at St. Thomas 6:30 vice/ Junior High Girls Stations of the Cross

13PAL 14 15 Bible Study 16 17 18 19HOL M at 6:30pm at HOLY THURSDAY 1-2 pm ECRC Radio Y SUN- E.C.R.C. CLC High School Follow St. Thomas Bible SATUR- DAY Group Church Schedule Program In Arabic DAY LIGHT 6-9:30pm on 690am at MoG at St. Thomas at Challenge for 6:30pm Follow St. Thomas Junior High Girls at Church Schedule 20EAST 21EASTER 22 Bible Study 23 24 25 Pilgrims leave 26 ER MON- at 6:30pm at Eucharistic Adoration at 5:30 pm to Italy SUN- DAY 1-2 pm ECRC Radio E.C.R.C. Holy Mass at 6:30 pm Bible DAY LIGHT 6-9:30pm CLC High School Conquest Junior High Program In Arabic at MoG Group Boys at St. Thomas 6:30 on 690am Challenge for at St. Thomas at E.C.R.C. Faith

27 DI- 28 29 30 VINE Bible Study at 6:30pm at MERCY E.C.R.C. SUN- CLC High School DAY LIGHT 6-9:30pm Group at MoG at St. Thomas at Challenge for 6:30pm

Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization Center “E.C.R.C.” For more information contact: (248) 538-9903 or Email: [email protected]

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HOLY THURSDAY

o you ever think about what happened exactly on Holy Thursday and what’s so special about the day before the day that Christ would suffer for our sins? Wouldn’t you think Jesus would be just praying and relaxing before his sufferings of being whipped, crowned with thorns, and D crucified for our sake? Truly, Holy Thursday is one of the most epic days the Earth has ever seen. Let me tell you why.! Luke 22: 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. It is the day that God, Jesus Christ, was betrayed by one of His friends for 30 pieces of silver! Let us reflect on Jesus. He was with His Disciples for 3 years; healing, teaching, eating, laughing, and living as a family! Even though Jesus knew that He was going to be betrayed, it still grieved our Lord that one of His friends would not fully trust in His endless love! Lord, We too are like Judas, who betrayed Jesus, every time that we sin. We kiss Jesus on the cheek and hold hands with the Devil! With the grace of the Lord, we must pray and hope that we can be purified and forgiven of our sins, which Is why he allowed the betrayal; to forgive us! Matthew 26: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. WOW! On Holy Thursday, for the first time in the history of mankind, God has given us His very own Body and Blood, under the appearance of bread and wine! God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, the stars, planets, the sun, mountains and everything seen and unseen, has made for us, so that we might have Life through Him, His Body and Blood! Before typing this article I went to Mass and received the Eucharist and I can tell you God’s greatest gift to mankind is Himself in the tiny white host we know as the Eucharist; Bread from Heaven, the Living Bread, the True Manna and so on! Padre Pio: "Every holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know. It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy Sacrifice of the Mass." Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me!” Hi Father Frank, hello Abouna! Did Holy Thursday give us Priests? When Jesus Christ commanded His Apostles saying, “do this in memory of me,” He gave them authority to celebrate Mass, to change bread and wine, normal food into the Living Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We know that only ordained men can celebrate the Mass, so those disciples of Jesus, on Holy Thursday became Apostles (Bishops) so that we can offer Jesus Christ to the Father by celebrating Mass! Holy Thursday is a day filled with so many gifts that we are still unwrapping the love that God has for each and every single of us! We see that even Jesus had a bad friend; even Jesus was betrayed by one of His own! Jesus knows how a broken heart feels, I break His heart every time I sin against Him! He has given us the Eucharist, which will be our food and our shield against this world, no matter how dark and scary things get Jesus will be waiting for us in His beautiful bread form! Thank God for the gifts of Priests, who have given up so many other blessings to be able to serve Jesus Christ by being available to us, so they can baptize us and make us a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father, they even hear our ugly sins without judgment, always ready to reconcile us back to the Father, and the make for us the Food that brings Eternal Life, the Eucharist! I cant wait for Holy Thursday, God has really given us everything, Himself!

Article by Mark Zakar

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WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING? During a time of tragedy, pain, and suffering, we often ask why God allows it. Why does all of this happen if there is a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God really exist, or does he not have the time to tend after his creation? Even the most faithful people may be tempted to ask some of these questions during turbulent and painful times. In looking for answers, we may hear the following: Original sin is the reason that we have afflictions, including death.

 We have rebelled against God, and he is teaching us a lesson through suffering.

 God wants to increase our faith, since we will not turn to him during happy and tranquil times.

 God gave us free will, and we suffer as a result of our own free decisions.

 God allowed his son to suffer unjustly, and as a result, humans should suffer also. Before we start wrestling with God for answers, or complain that he allowed tragedies in our lives, we need to recognize that it is all a mystery. We cannot stand in the shoes of God and give a complete answer to why God allows suffering. We don’t have God’s mind. We don’t see with God’s eyes. Suffering carries a message of mystery, and the Bible teaches us that “Great is the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16). Our limited and imperfect human nature makes it impossible to grasp the wisdom of God and understand his ways. St. Paul describes our shallow understanding as being foggy and incomplete. “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). In other words, we won’t have the full answer in this world, but God will show us with clarity someday. For now things are foggy. We can’t understand everything from our finite perspective. This may sound a bit frustrating to us suffering and impatient human beings. St. John gives us a clue as to how we deal with all of this in the meantime: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3). In other words, having hope in the Lord is our coping mechanism until we are changed in his nature and see things more clearly according to his will. Hope is a desire with expectation of obtainment. St. Paul teaches us “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance” (Romans 8:24-25). The liturgy of the Chaldean mass recites “Msabaru sabreth b-marya” or “My hope is in the Lord”. Suffering, deep hurts, betrayals, loss of a loved one or a relationship, and tragedies are all invitations to build our Christian lives on hope in the Lord. Being hopeful requires us to be humble in front of the Lord. It teaches us to ask “what” not “why” types of questions, and what we need is to be hopeful in Christ. Hope stops our bitterness and helps us turn to God for peace and courage. It also increases our compassion for others who are suffering like us. Suffering is the soil where the deepest kind of hope in God grows. Suffering is an invitation for maturing our love for God, so we can love God foremost. These are difficult words to accept, but they summarize the suffering until death that Christ showed us. I sincerely see suffering as an invitation to be “Christ-like”. We can reject our suffering with bitterness and dissention towards God or accept it with humility, hope, and love. Lastly, and as we live our lives being hopeful in the Lord, we need to complement our suffering with constant prayer. St. James encourages those who are suffering to pray (James 5:13). Living a life of obedience, hope in the Lord, and prayer are all Godly ways to deal with human suffering. I pray for all those who suffer unjustly or have faced tragedies. May Christ touch their broken hearts and bring

Article by “Suraya”

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GOOD FRIDAY

L et me apologize in advance for my next sentence in advance... Let us reflect on a day where one of our loved ones passed away! Let's think about the tears, the first time we heard about the death, and our family reacting to the news. I lost my favorite cousin a few years back and NOTHING was good that day! I, myself, was crying like a baby and was so sad and full of darkness knowing that I will not hear “ What up Jr.” from my cousin Amer again! Would I call that day good? Of course not! So why do we call the Friday that Jesus Christ was killed "Good”? We all know what happened on Good Friday; that the only Son of God, perfect and without sin, was whipped until we could no longer see His skin, crowned with thorns rather than the glory that He deserves, made fun of and mocked, spat upon, and hit with a cane. Jesus was made to carry the very same Cross that He would eventually be nailed upon until he died. And truly, this is not a story, these are recalled events that historically took place 2,000 years ago!

Hebrews 9:22 “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Back to my question; why is that day "good"? Because if God did not send His only Son, unblemished and perfect, to take upon our sins upon His shoulders, there would NOT be the forgiveness of our sins. Heaven would not be open for me and for you and for all if it was not for the beautiful act of Jesus on the Cross! If I give my life to the poor, if I become a Monk, if I never curse, If I never lust and remain chaste, if I take a bullet for someone evil, NO MATTER WHAT I DO, I cannot earn my Salvation. Only by the life, death, and Christ do I have Eternal Life! You see, thanks to Jesus, freely and willingly taking my sins, my shame, and my cross, shedding His blood for my sake, that I have been reconciled back to my Heavenly Father! I am a child of God, thanks to Jesus Christ purchasing my life back to my Father in Heaven!

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus promises us LIFE, eternal life with Him, if we truly believe in Him and allow Him to work in us! Death is no longer our master and death is no longer our fear. Death is just a door to Jesus, a change of address from this world to the next! When our loved ones pass away, pray a lot for their soul so that death to them will be a good thing, in that they will never cry, never be in pain or sorrow, but will have true life in Jesus Christ who says, “ I have prepared a room for you!” Good Friday is indeed a good, in fact, a great Friday, a Victorious Friday, a Freedom Friday! Lord, help us to await Your resurrection while we grow closer to you this season of !

Article by Mark Zakar

10 FAITH & HOPE APRIL 2014

THE PAIN MARY FELT (An Poem) Can you imagine the pain That Mary must have felt, As her child hung on the cross that day; The agony that filled her soul, The tears that flowed, Their decision she could not sway? A Mother's love for her child Is such a strong part of her life, Like an extension of herself. Every breath the child breathes, Every tender hug and kiss, Not one memory every leaves. So, for Mary to witness Such a scene Was probably more than she could bear. She must have cried out, Don't you know that's 'my child' Hanging there? God knew the agony That Mary would feel, On that fateful day, For He himself felt That same agony As His Child hung that way! "Crucify Him" they chanted, Not knowing what lay ahead. They didn't realize that He was their Savior, Until He, too, was dead. But, one bright and glorious morning, They checked the grave where Jesus lay. The tomb was empty, The rock had been rolled away. Jesus had RISEN that day! Mary had lost a Son, But the World gained a Savior On Resurrection Day.

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Help us & Help Others with your generous donations.

We accept a wider range of donated materials than others. Most any estate, office, garage, furniture, attic, shed, closet, trade-in, obsolete, returns, sporting goods, clothes, shoes, lamps and on and on!

Donation Bin is located by the Church Office in the St. Thomas Parking Lot.

If you have items too large for the bin please call St. Vincent De Paul at 906.266.3721.

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Often people ask “How can I get more involved in Church?” There are always ways that we can use our gifts and talents to help build the community. Recently, a few new groups were formed; check them out to see if you are interested in joining…

Light of Christ Bookshop  Compiled of people with a passion for reading and spreading their knowledge of literature throughout our parish. Their intention is to entice the parish to incorporate our bookshop and resources in their daily lives. Stay tuned for parish wide book fairs and book clubs in the future.

214 Missionaries  Inspired by “Faith without works is dead.” James 2:14 + 17, this handful of zeal- ous people have come together with the intention of outreaching as a parish through a variety of community services; which will include visiting the sick, soup kitchens, re- building, etc. The group is currently organizing the daily prayer vigil for the 40 Days for Life Campaign.

Fellowship Committee  An exuberant group of people whom are brainstorming ways that Saint Thomas’ faithful community can grow together. Their latest venture is the Falafel and Fish Fry Fridays throughout Lent. Their future plans are to organize parish game nights and perhaps even a family talent show.

Parish Picnic Organizers th  Saint Thomas will host a Parish Picnic on Sunday, June 29 (you heard it here first) and a group from our community will be responsible for all the fun details of put- ting it together.

If you are interested in joining any of these groups in any shape or form OR if you have any new ideas or ways of contributing to our par- ish community; please email Father Andrew - [email protected].

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Lent & Easter Schedule

Fridays of Lent: Chaldean Mass begins @ 11:30am during Fridays of lent. Ramsha Prayers starts @ 4:30pm. Stations of the Cross in Chaldean/Arabic @ 5:00pm followed by Mass @ 6:00pm Stations of the Cross in English @ 7:30pm. Holy Thursday: Ramsha prayers start @ 5:30pm followed by washing the feet of the disciples and Mass @ 6:00pm. Chaldean prayers start @ 8:00pm followed by all night adoration until 7:00am Friday morning. Good Friday: Stations of the Cross in English @ 4:30pm followed by Good Friday Meditation on the Passion of Christ in English. Ramsha prayers and meditation on the Passion of Christ in Chaldean @ 6:00pm followed by of the Tomb of Christ @ 8:30pm. (The church will be opened until 1:00am for visitations to the Tomb). : Ramsha prayers start @ 3:00pm. English Mass @ 4:00 pm English Mass @ 6:00 pm English Mass @ 8: 00 pm Chaldean Prayers @ 10:00 pm Chaldean High Mass @ 10:30 pm Easter Sunday: Arabic Mass @ 9:00 am English Mass @ 10:30 am Chaldean High Mass @ 12:30 pm. No Mass @ 2:00pm. Monday 2nd day of Easter

English Mass @ 10:00am. Chaldean prayers @ 11:30am Chaldean Mass @ 12:00pm

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Anticipation Leading to Easter

lthough Easter is traditionally celebrated on one day, we live the Easter feasting for 50 days A liturgically as we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. First comes Lent, where we unite our will to the will of God by denying ourselves the things that make us more self-centered and less generous to others. Towards the end of Lent, we enter into Holy Week. On Holy Thursday, we experience the Lord's Supper, when Christ gave himself to all of us as the bread of life, and the washing of the feet, when he taught us how we ought to wash one another’s feet also. On Good Friday, we gather to consider the mystery of sin and evil that oppress humanity. On this day, we come to grips with the depth of God’s love to humanity. On Holy Saturday, we go into deep spiritual silence, waiting and anticipating with Mary for the resurrection of our Lord. In our insane and fast-paced life style, a day of silence is necessary to meditate over the great promise contained in the Old and New Testaments, of the final liberation from the ancient slavery to sin and death. In our spiritual darkness, the dawn of Easter becomes our light, when Christ finally rises again in glory. On Easter day we proclaim in Chaldean, “Qimmle Maran” meaning, “The Lord is risen”. In these words, we proclaim Jesus as the light of the world, where death no longer has any power over him or us. We rejoice because evil is forever defeated and humanity enjoys an everlasting chance of friendship with God. Easter is not only about remembering the events of Christ's life, but also about remembering the terrible facts and situations that afflict all of us today. Even though hate, division, and violence define our surroundings, we know they do not have the last word at the end of the day. Because Christ rose again, love is always stronger than hate, unity is always stronger than division, and kindness is always stronger than violence. Besides confirming our faith in His divinity, Easter Sunday gives the hope of our own restoration from the grave. St. Paul teaches us “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” [Romans 6:5]. In other words, those who follow Christ in labor and suffering will also follow Him in glory. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once wrote, “It’s easy to be Easter people on the day itself. How many of us really remember that we are an Easter people all day, every day? Hope abounds. It is not a hope based on a superficial optimism that is blind to the reality of suffering in the world. Rather, it is a deep trust in God and His love for us. This is not a season for despair, worry, or even grumpiness. Easter calls us to embrace the freedom from fear, and to hold onto the life, the peace, and the joy that Jesus died to give all of us.” Similar to what St. Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 15:13-14, that our faith is empty without Christ having been raised from the dead, so too is our resurrection empty if we have no Christ in us. Our Easter becomes a pagan-like celebration for only one day out of the year. You may wonder how you can anticipate living Easter every day. You can do so by validating your own resurrection through Christ to those around you. Learning the faith and living it are inseparable. You cannot live the faith without learning it first. You cannot learn the faith without living it. If you are resurrected through Christ, your actions will speak louder than your words. Your conversion will be transparent to all because your priorities in life have changed. You breathe Christ, you exhale Christ, you speak Christ and you live Christ. He becomes the blueprint of your own being and your heartbeat. You literally put on the mind of Christ. Yet you live, no longer you, but Christ lives in you. [Galatians 2:20] Let us, therefore, live Easter every day and show the marks of the nails in our bodies as a testimony that we are changed people by the grace and mercy of Christ. Let us be humble and loving witnesses to those around us that through Christ, they similarly can pass from the darkness of the tomb to the brightness of the sun outside. Let us proclaim, not only on Easter Sunday, but every day that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” [2 Corinthians 5:17]

Article By “Suraya”

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FUN EASTER FACTS

The Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. The "full moon" in the rule is the , which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25.

The Lenten Season Lent is the forty-six day period just prior to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is a celebration, sometimes called "Carnival," practiced around the world, on the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. It was designed as a way to "get it all out" before the sacrifices of Lent began. New Orleans is the focal point of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. Read about the religious meanings of the Lenten Season.

The The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians. From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of birth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers. Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had made ready. And they found the stone rolled back from the tomb, but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus... He is not here, but has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee. Bible: Luke 24:1-3, 6

ent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of Lworshipers. In Western , Ash Wednesday marks the first day, or the start of the season of Lent, which begins 40 days prior to Easter (Sundays are not included in the count).

astern Orthodox churches observe Lent or , during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for E Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.

ot all Christian churches observe Ash Wednesday or Lent. They are mostly observed by the Lutheran, Methodist, N Presbyterian, and Roman Catholics.

he Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in T 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21.

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SAINT GEORGE (FEAST DAY APRIL 23)

S aint George is one of Christianity's most popular saints, and is highly honored by both the Western and Eastern Churches. A wide range of devotions, traditions, and prayers to honor the saint have emerged throughout the centuries. He has for long been distinguished by the title of "The Great Martyr" and is one of the most popular saints to be represented in icons. Devotions to Saint George have a large following among Christians, and a large number of churches are dedicated to him worldwide. Since the Middle ages, the story of the life of Saint George, both as fact and legend, has come to symbolize the victory of good over evil, and become part of local Christian traditions, festivals and celebrations that continue to date. Saint George has been widely represented in Christian art in multiple media and forms, from paintings and sculptures to stained glass and reliefs, through the ages and has become the subject or multiple prayers and devotions. This article traces the origins, development and growth of the Christian devotions, traditions, and prayers to Saint George. Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God's holy truth. St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil. He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor's favorite soldiers. Now Diodetian was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded. So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him. We all have some "dragon" we have to conquer. It might be pride, or anger, or laziness, or greediness, or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these "dragons", with God's help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ. .

Article By Marcella Zoma Acho

22 FAITH & HOPE APRIL 2014

Jesus Tells Us… Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek, and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Come Adore, Glorify, and Praise Jesus Anytime!

Take Advantage of the Beauty and Blessing of The St Thomas Grotto.

Jesus is Open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week!

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