FEBRUARY 2014 VOLUME 15.02 T HE P ARISH P RESS St. Philip Orthodox Church

BABY STEPS TO HOLINESS - WRITE OUT YOUR BLESSINGS AND THANK GOD FOR THEM NEWS ~ N ~ NOTES A Message from Fr Mark Your Calendar! Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, GIVING UPDATES Chanting Workshops As my family welcomes a new member MONTHLY OUTREACH COLLECTION: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. into the world and prepares to welcome through February 26 Thanks to all for your her into the church, I am pondering the generosity to the needy of great mystery of baptism. During the o u r c o m m u n i t y ! F o r procession at the end of the service we’ll Bible Study: Apostle Paul February, we are collecting sing, “As many as have been baptized into Saturdays at 5 p.m. paper products. Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). through February 15 Presented by Fred Kompass SOUPER BOWL OF CARING: Thanks to all These beautiful words of St. Paul form a most joyous moment of the baptism who contributed cans of soup for the Catechumens & Inquirers Sunday School’s annual collection. Soup service, but they also are the theological foundation of our life in Christ. Baptism Tuesdays at 7 p.m. will be given to the food pantries at for us is at once many things: 1) the through February 25 Keystone and Manna. remission (clearing up) of sins, 2) the O NGOING NON - PERISHABLE FOOD entrance into the church, and 3) the Pre-Lenten Retreat - Fr John Oliver COLLECTION: We continue to collect non- ordination to the “royal priesthood.” 'All Things are Thy Servants': Our Dark perishables of all kinds for the food Baptism is the great mystery of our Emotions in the Light of Christ pantries as well. personal Pascha (dying and rising with Saturday, February 22 Christ) as well as our personal Pentecost May God bless all our faithful givers! (receiving the Holy Spirit). Friends & Family Day I invite you to my HOME BLESSINGS Sunday, February 23 daughter’s baptism (1 p.m., Bring a friend or family member From Theophany to just before Great February 9), not only to pray to liturgy on this beautiful for her and celebrate this Lent is the season of home blessings. To “meatfare” Sunday. schedule with Fr Noah or Fr James, beautiful day with us, but also to renew your own ROAST BEEF DONATION LUNCHEON hosted please see the scheduling calendars on spiritual life which was by the Women of St Philip’s supports the table in the narthex. Instructions are regenerated in Baptism. Syrian war relief. posted and reminder slips are available. Thankful to be clothed in purity and (If you'd like to schedule your home glory by our Lord Jesus Christ, I remain, Great Lent begins Monday, March 3 blessing with Fr Boniface, please contact Your Servant in Christ, + him directly via phone or email.) Fr. Noah Choir Concert Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. Wisdom from Amma Sarah Invite a friend! There were a number of Desert Mothers that lived out their extreme Pascha - April 20, 2014 Christian life in the Egyptian Thebaid alongside the Abba Anthony and the rest of the . May we all be so “manly” in our spiritual life.  For 13 years she waged warfare against the demon of fornication. She never prayed that the warfare should cease but she said, “O God, give See Just as in paradise, me strength.” God walks in the Holy Scriptures,  Once, after failing to entice her away from her life of prayer, the spirit of You in seeking man. fornication appeared to her and said, “you have Church! St. of Milan overcome me.” But she said, “It is not I who have overcome you, but my master, Christ.”  She said, “I put out my foot to ascend the ladder, and I Challenge for 2014: place death before my eyes before going up it.” Be like the Bee,  She also said to the brothers, “It is I who am a man, you who are women.” not like the Fly! St. Philip Parish Press 2 Vol. 15.02 - Feb. ‘14 Did You Know? Five Roads of Repentance Ask Abouna  Modesty is something that we learn St. Previous Question: I am having from Jesus Christ and the . We Let me describe to you five ways of trouble maintaining a prayer rule, are not only modest in our putting on how should I start again? our “Sunday Best” but also out in repentance; each is different, but all point toward heaven. Answer: What an excellent question. I public. have to tell you frankly that I, too, The first road is the acknowledg-  Pick up a book at the struggle to say my prayers every day. Bookshelf or the Library ment of sins. If you acknowledge For me, as for most, this is a struggle to gear up for a spiritually your sins to God, He will forgive against laziness, against busyness, profitable Great Lent. you; and this act of acknowledgment against hard-heartedness and against  Add prostrations to your prayer rule will help you stop sinning. Let your distracting thoughts. Prayer is indeed a now (ask Fr. Noah if you need conscience be your accuser, so that struggle, but it is certainly a struggle guidance how to do this safely), so you will not have to face a far differ- worth every effort. My answer is you are in shape for Great Lent. ent accuser at the Lord's tribunal. simple: we need to be consistent, to be simple, and to be open-hearted.  It takes a lot to keep a parish going. The second road of repentance is Like a dentist might advise: “two Money, yes of course. Your tithes and the forgetting of the wrongs of offerings are always needed. But that minutes twice a day is good, but 20 others. This requires you to control minutes once a week is harmful.” is not all. It takes time and talent, too! your temper and to forgive the sins How can you help? Pray about it and Practically speaking: that others have committed against ask Father Noah what is needed! Consistency: start with a you. If you forgive others, the Lord  Confession is not only a spiritual duty small prayer rule. Trisagion will forgive you. (four times a year) but it is a great Prayers, Intercession List, a medicine of the soul and a second The third road is prayer: not few prostrations (or bows if baptism! Got something on your perfunctory routine prayer, but you can’t prostrate), a heart? fervent, passionate prayer in which prayer rope of the . It is good to use short extemporaneous  you lay yourself wholly before God. The kingdom of heaven is not a prayer (talking to God) in the context The fourth road is generosity, in reward for works, but a gift of grace of your prayer rule. Once that is prepared by the Master for His faithful which by acts of thoughtful love you established, add the Creed, Psalm servants. Are you a faithful servant? make amends for the sins you have 50/51, and other Psalms.  Singing along with the choir is the best committed. Simplicity: It must be “doable.” Some way to keep your mind from And the fifth road is humility, people get excited about lighting wandering in church. whereby you regard yourself as incense. This is good, but for some having no virtue, but only sins to people it might be too complicated and OUR SYMPATHY IN offer to God; He will then take the actually contribute to their not CHRIST burden of sin from your back. praying. Open-Heartedness: We should not At times it will be right to travel on is offered to the extended just “say our prayers,” but “pray our Ibrahim family upon the passing of one of these roads, at other times to prayers” - truly call out to God for ’s aunt, Silvanie, recently, in travel on another. But ensure that help. He is our loving Father and will Lebanon. every day you walk along at least one accept even our dark emotions. To MAY HER MEMORY BE ETERNAL! of them. ensure softness of heart and concentration, before you pray pause Baby Steps to Holiness benefits.” But how can we not forget from the busyness of life and consider all of God’s blessing? Well, when I all your blessings as well as your February: Write out your blessings want to remember something, I write it failings. and thank God for them down and store it in a safe and It is very easy for all of us to focus organized place. If you live in a family, you ought to pray together as a family and also on the negative aspects of our life. But So, make yourself a cup of tea, get as Christians we are called to out pen and paper or open a new personally. transcend this worldly thinking by document on your computer and start This all has been simplified by a overlooking peoples’ shortcomings plugging away. You’ll be surprised grandmother, “Go to church, say your and thanking God in every situation, how many blessings are in your life. prayers, and remember God.” even the most dire! The trials in our Review your blessings from time to In Christ, life, of course, are allowed by God so time, especially if you are + Fr. Noah that we can come to maturity in Him feeling down, and then Give and be more sympathetic with those in Thanks to God, the Father of New Question: I am tired of fasting. need. Mercies, the Giver of every Isn't that just for monastics anyway? Psalm 102 tells us to “Bless the Lord, good and perfect gift! O my soul, and forget not all His