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NEWSLETTER February, 2012

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America Archpriest John Udics, Rector 305 Main Road, Herkimer, New York, 13350 Parish Web Page: www.cnyorthodoxchurch.org

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012

This month’s Newsletter is in memory of Tillie Leve donated by Steve Leve.

Parish Officer Contact Information Rector: Archpriest John Udics: (315) 866-3272 - [email protected] Committee President and Cemetery Director: John Ciko: (315) 866-5825 - [email protected] Committee Secretary: Demetrios Richards (315) 865-5382 – [email protected] Sisterhood President: Rebecca Hawranick: (315) 822-6517 – [email protected] Director: Reader John Hawranick: (315) 822-6517 – [email protected]

Birthdays in February – God Grant You Many Years! 8 – Audrey Gale 20 – Wayne Nuzum 10 – Larissa Lyszczarz 22 – Martha Mamrosch 11 – Eileen Brinck 27 – Marilyn Stevens 13 – Emilee Penree

Memory Eternal. 1 Julia Hladysz (1981) 13 Helen Brown (1993) 1 Leonard Corman (1991) 14 Julia Bruska (2000) 1 Dorothy Quackenbusg (2005) 15 Owen Dulak 2 John Garbera (1988) 16 John Yaworski (1977) 2 Helen Woods (1998) 16 Anna Kuzenech (1996) 4 Andrew Keblish (1975) 17 Andrew Yaneshak (1984) 4 Paul Shust Jr (2008) 18 Michael Kuncik (1980) 5 Stephen Sleciak Sr (1972) 21 Peter Slenska (1986) 5 Efrosina Krenichyn (1977) 22 Julia Hudyncia (1983) 5 Olga Nichols (1994) 23 Mary Mezick )2000) 8 Antonina Steckler (2007) 24 John Hubiak 10 Harry Hardish (1975) 26 Helen Pelko (2005) 10 Helen Halkovitch (1989) 28 Andrew Homyk (1984) 10 Theodosia Jago (2007) 28 Cornelius Mamrosch (1995) 13 Natalie Raspey (1973) 28 Louis Brelinsky (2004 13 Andrew Bobak (1978)

+ Questions and Answers 75. "Dear Father, We strenuously refute... one of the answers given in your Questions and Answers. You wrote 'Tradition tells us that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute.' According to our research, through Greek sources, Saint Mary lived and died a pure virgin." A letter with the comment above came to us from Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado. It included a brief biographical sketch of Saint from “The Life of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God,” from the series of books these sisters publish (and which we recommend). We hope the sisters don't mind if we quote the biography in its entirety.

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A Few Words about Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles A virgin until her repose, Mary Magdalene, of the town of Magdala, situated on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, was raised and thoroughly educated in the law and prophets by her parents, especially her father. Although she was orphaned at ten, she lived an exemplary life before God. She was virtuous, prayed continually, and was like a bee collecting the honey of virtues. From her adolescence, she could be found either at home or in the synagogue. She never spoke to men. She did, however, have female companions of like mind, who would visit and minister to the infirm and sick. Her manner of life was ascetical. She never laughed in a disorderly manner, but would just smile modestly when the occasion demanded it. "Was she the Virgin that Isaias spoke of?" wondered Satan. Believing her to be, she was assailed by seven evil spirits that they might cause her to fall into grievous sin and destroy her virginity. Therefore, her early life was one of fierce struggle and spiritual warfare. Seven demons assailed her: those of pride, fornication, judging others, lying, stealing, murder and unbelief. But she valiantly withstood them and never opened the door to any of them that they might take her captive, until Christ came and cast them away [Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2]. Therefore, the ‘casting out of seven demons’ does not mean that Christ had rescued a social derelict. There is no evidence that she was promiscuous, much less a harlot for hire; that she was a woman of means is evident from her ability to support from her means [Matthew.27:56]. Her obvious leadership and prominence among the women is seen in the fact that her name is mentioned more often than most, and usually first; this hardly reflects a scarlet past. There is a tradition which says that Saint Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, but it is not the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints (D. Attwater, ed., Baltimore, 1965.) says: ...Among other women mentioned in the are the unnamed woman 'who was a sinner', and Mary of Bethany, Martha's sister. These are not further identified, and in Eastern tradition they and the Magdalen are usually treated as three different persons. But the West, following Saint Gregory the Great, regards them as one and the same.... This Western tradition has resulted in Saint Mary Magdalen being considered as an outstanding type of the penitent and the contemplative. The Eastern tradition is the more probable. In the Orthodox Church, the Lives of the Saints teach us that Saint Mary was a virtuous woman until her death. They state that she was sickly all her life and that she was possessed by demons, though not as a result of her sins, or the sins of her parents, but only that the glory of God might be revealed, when Jesus cast out those demons. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible speculates that the reason Saint Mary obtained a bad reputation is only that she is from Magdala, a city reputed to be a center of sinful entertainment. The confusion of the three women in the gospels by the Western Church perpetuated that idea. To Saint Mary Magdalene, Myrrhbearer, Equal to the Apostles, and to everyone misled by Answer 59, the author apologizes. Holy Apostles Convent, P.O. Box 3118, Buena Vista, Colorado, 81211.

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78. 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' was explained to me as not from the , but from the Mediterranean way of thinking about money. It means, for example, that if I break something of yours you can only get the equivalent value for what I broke. It didn't have anything to do with revenge, and is not a Jewish custom. Is that true? Too often we misinterpret the expression 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' to mean that God permits us to take vengeance for evils done to us by another person. In fact, this is an Old Testament expression which limits the amount of punishment that should be meted out to someone. It means 'let the punishment fit the crime, and not exceed it.' The saying is given in Exodus 21.22-24: When men strive together and hurt a woman with child, so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no harm follows, the one who hurt her shall be fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. And again in Leviticus 24.17-20: He who kills a man shall be put to death. He who kills a beast shall make it good, life for life. When a man causes a disfigurement in his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured. But Jesus teaches the New Commandment in Matthew 5.38-41 and 43-48 and refers to the old: You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. You have heard that it was said, you shall your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. The Old Testament law controlled retaliation, but it did not sanction it. Instead of retaliation, Jesus teaches us to be like God, His Father, who blesses everyone, including his enemies. As for the origin of the 'law of retaliation' or 'lex talionis,' "the principle of punishing a wrongdoer with exactly those injuries or damages he has inflicted upon someone else is known in a number of ancient and primitive laws. It is most often - but not exclusively - applied to cases of bodily injury."* It's listed in the Roman law called the Twelve Tables (450 BC), the Code of Hammurabi and in pre- Islamic Arabic tribal laws. But even the rabbis who taught the Jewish law did not apply the 'law of retaliation', saying that the body parts of no two individuals are identical, so the law could never be applied fairly. A system of monetary compensation replaced the 'law of retaliation' early in Jewish history. * From The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (Supplementary Volume), 'lex talionis', by J.M. Renger.

79. Father, in some Churches we see them exchange the " of ". What is that? Do we have that in our Church? Why don't we do that? As part of his on the Mount, Jesus says, 4 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. So, if you are offering your gift at the , and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5.20-24) The early Christian Church took Jesus' words so seriously that they gave a kiss of peace as an assurance and affirmation that everyone in the Church was at peace with each other. The kiss of peace was administered at the 's throne, in front and to the side of the altar. Every week at Saturday vespers, everyone came to the bishop to exchange the kiss of peace with him. Two would stand at either side of the throne and cry, 'Does anyone have anything against this man?' so that if there were any disagreements, peace could be made, so the Body and Blood of the Lord would not be polluted. This was called 'the time of Confession' in one of the ancient texts. (See: The Teaching of the Apostles.) The next day during the , all exchanged the kiss of peace at the words, "Let us love one another." In the early Church, the kiss was literally a kiss on the lips. Later it became a kiss on the cheek(s), which Orthodox Christians still do. Now, there is something called ‘the air kiss’ – no physical contact with the other person, so it’s not a kiss at all and not used in Church. In the contemporary of the Orthodox Church, the Kiss of Peace is solemnly exchanged usually only by the clergy: first, during the singing of the Creed the exchange the kiss of peace in the altar, as the deacons do the same outside the altar. The clergy exchange the kiss of peace with the presiding celebrant of the Liturgy a second time, as they receive the from his hands. In the contemporary Church, laymen exchange a kiss of peace at Forgiveness Vespers, and, in some places, after the Liturgy on Pascha. In a few parishes today, the kiss of peace is exchanged at every Liturgy. In the Armenian Orthodox Church today, the Bishop or chief celebrant of the Liturgy comes to the edge of the solea to exchange the kiss of peace with the clergy, who go down the center aisle and exchange the kiss of peace with each person at the end of the aisle and that person turns and passes on the Bishop's kiss to all those down the line. The Bishop stands facing the people, waiting until all have exchanged the kiss of peace before continuing the Liturgy. If we don't exchange the kiss of peace in our parishes, the reason is self-evident. Perhaps one reason why people don’t kiss each other and don’t commune more frequently is they find it difficult to approach Jesus knowing there is no peace or love in their hearts, and no honesty in their kiss, which then becomes the kiss of judgment and condemnation, the traitorous . We must remember that the (and all our relationship with God) is a sacrifice. It is unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament – sacrifices of blood, animals, food. The sacrifice is a perfect sacrifice – or as perfect as we make it. With thanksgiving we offer the bloodless sacrifice, a sacrifice of praise. This sacrifice is meant to be pure and holy, sealed with the kiss of peace. If the sacrifice has no love, no peace and is not genuine or real, then it is a heartless, meaningless empty ritual. We must make sure that before we leave our gift on the altar, there is peace in our hearts, love for God and each other, souls filled with generous true love of God, self-less willingness to dedicate all our souls, hearts and minds to God and each other, loving our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. 5 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012

80. What do the different colors of the priests' robes mean? What are the colors of for each season? Which robes do you mean? The clergy wear two kinds of robes, non-liturgical and liturgical. The non-liturgical robes are the daily clothing of the clergy, worn underneath ‘liturgical robes’. Liturgical robes, or ‘vestments’, are worn during church services. The non-liturgical robes are called cassocks (Greek rason, Slavonic podriasnik) and outer cassocks (Greek exo-rason, Slavonic riasa). Cassocks are floor-length garments which have long sleeves fitted like shirt sleeves. Outer cassocks are also floor-length garments, but they’re more loosely fitting, with very large sleeves. In the Russian tradition, because monastic clergy wear dark colored cassocks (usually black, dark blue, or dark brown) and married clergy wear whatever color cassocks they have (often lighter colors), they’re referred to as black clergy and white clergy. In Russia, before the Revolution of 1917, this color scheme was true of both under and outer cassocks. Also, the color of sleeve lining of the riassa [outer cassock] signified the rank of the . In modern Russia, the clergy use dark colors for riassas, using other colors only for under cassocks. They no longer use colored sleeve linings to denote rank. However, since Russian-tradition Churches outside Russia were not affected by the changes in the Soviet Union after 1917, many Russian-tradition clergy outside Russia, especially in America, continue the pre-1917 style of dress to the present. The practice of wearing colored cassocks comes from the times called Turkocracia, the Turkish rule, or ‘Turkish yoke’. Moslem clergy reserved the right to wear white or black to themselves, thinking to humiliate the Christian clergy by forcing them to wear bright colored clothing. Once the Greek Church was free of Turkish rule, they dropped the practice of wearing colored cassocks. But the Russian clergy had copied the practice of the Greek clergy and it had become part of the Russian style. By the way, Greek-tradition clergy wear colored under-cassocks in the tropical and equatorial climes. Cream, grey, and tan are popular. Also, blue under-cassocks are not uncommon (no matter what climate zone). There is another element to clerical dress which you didn’t ask about but which might interest you - - it is proper to wear a belt on the under-cassock. In the Greek tradition, the belt’s no more than a ribbon or cord tied around the waist. But in the Serbian and Romanian Churches, these belts signify the rank of the priest. In the Russian Church, the belt is often quite elaborate. We remember the late Archbishop John (Garklavs) of Chicago, who seemed to always wear belts embroidered with roses. Wearing the under- and outer- cassocks is common to , priests, deacons, monks and nuns. Permission to wear a cassock is often given to seminarians, monastic novices, and sub-deacons and readers in parishes. As for vestments, when the Typikon says anything about them at all, it only specifies ‘light’ or ‘dark’ vestments, so local tradition is the only ‘standard’. In the Orthodox Church, six liturgical colors are used: white, green, purple, red, blue, and gold. Later, black vestments also came into use. In some places, scarlet orange or rust color is used. You could assign meanings to the different colors: white for the pure light of God’s energy; green, the color of life, for the Holy Spirit and the wood of the cross; purple for the suffering of Christ; deep red for the blood on the Cross, blood of the ; blue for the Mother of God; and gold for the richness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, bright red for the fiery flame of the Spiritual Host. Black is traditionally the color of death and mourning in the West, but in the Far East white is the color of death and mourning. In Russia, red is the color of beauty, brightness and joy. None of this is written down in the rules, and different colors obviously have different meanings for different peoples. 6 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012

It is therefore easier to describe various customs than it is to say what are ‘proper’ and ‘improper’ colors to use. Below, we give the most common uses for colors in the Orthodox Church, especially in the Russian (Moscow) and Carpatho-Russian, Ukrainian, or ‘Little Russian’ tradition. Here is what the Russian Church’s Nastol’naya Kniga Sviashchenno-sluzhitelia says about colors: The most important Feasts of the Orthodox Church and the events for which specific colors of vestments have been established, can be united into six basic groups. 1. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prophets, the Apostles and the Holy Hierarchs. color: Gold (yellow) of all shades. 2. The group of Feasts and days commemorating the Most Holy Mother of God, the Bodiless Powers and Virgins. Vestment color: Light Blue and White. 3. The group of Feasts and days commemorating the Cross of Our Lord. Vestment color: Purple or Dark Red. 4. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Martyrs. Vestment color: Red. [On Great and Holy Thursday, Dark Red vestments are worn and the Holy (Altar) Table is covered with a white cloth even though the church is still covered with black. – Ed.] 5. The group of Feasts and days commemorating Monastic Saints, Ascetics and Fools for Christ. Vestment color: Green. The Entrance of Our Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Holy Trinity Day (Pentecost) and Holy Spirit Day (Monday after Pentecost) are, as a rule, celebrated in Green vestments of all shades. 6. During the Lenten periods, the vestment colors are: Dark Blue, Purple, Dark Green, Dark Red and Black. This last color is used essentially for the days of Great . During the first week of that Lent and on the weekdays of the following weeks, the vestment color is Black. On Sundays and Feastdays of this period, the vestments are of a dark color with Gold or colored ornaments. Funerals, as a rule, are done in White vestments. In earlier times, there were no black vestments in the Orthodox Church, although the everyday clothing of the clergy, especially the Monastics, was black. In ancient times, both in the Greek and in the Russian Churches, the clergy wore, according to the Typikon, “Crimson Vestments”: Dark (Blood) Red vestments. In Russia, it was first proposed to the clergy of Saint Petersburg to wear Black Vestments, if possible, to participate in the Funeral of Emperor Peter II [1821]. From that time on, Black vestments became customary for Funerals and the weekday Services of Great Lent. According to various local customs: White is worn for the feasts and post-feasts of Epiphany, Transfiguration, and Pascha. In antiquity, Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated as one feast, Theophany of the Lord, so, in some places, white is worn on Christmas day, but gold is worn from the second day of Christmas until Epiphany. In Moscovite custom, the Church and the vestments of the priest are changed to white at the prokeimenon of Holy Saturday Liturgy. And then white is worn until the end of Paschal Matins, and bright red is worn at Pascha Liturgy and throughout the Paschal season. In some places in Russia, white is worn from Ascension to Pentecost, but in other places, gold is worn for those days. In Carpatho-Russian style, in the Paschal season, white, exclusively, is worn. White, the color of Resurrection, is worn at funerals and memorial services. Also, interestingly, in Russia, at Liturgy on Holy Thursday, a white

7 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012 altar cover is used to represent the linen tablecloth of the [the priest wears dark red, and the church remains in black until after Liturgy, when the priest’s vestments return to black]. Green is worn for Pentecost and its post-feast, feasts of prophets, and angels. In some places, green is worn for the of the Cross in September. In Carpatho-Russian practice, green is worn from Pentecost until Saints Peter and Paul Lent. Green is often worn for Palm Sunday. Gold is worn from Christmas to Epiphany, and in some places, during . Gold is worn when no other color is specified. In one tradition, gold is worn on all Sundays (except when white is worn), including even the Sundays in all the fasting periods. In Carpatho-Russian style, gold is worn from the eve of Ascension to the eve of Pentecost. Red, especially dark red or ‘blood red’, is worn for Saints Peter and Paul lent, for Advent, Elevation of the Cross (Sept 15) and in some places, for the Sunday of the Cross in Great Lent, and for all feasts of Martyrs. Bright red would be worn for Saints Peter and Paul feast, and for the Angels. In Moscow style, and on Mount Athos and at Jerusalem, bright red is worn on Pascha [after Matins] and on the Nativity. Blue is worn for all feasts of the Virgin, Presentation of the Lord, Annunciation, and sometimes on the fifth Friday of Lent (Akathist). In Carpatho-Russian parishes, blue is worn for Dormition fast and feast, and then is worn until Cross Elevation, sometimes even until Advent. Purple is worn on weekends of Lent (black is worn weekdays). In some places, purple is worn on weekdays of Lent (gold on weekends). Black is worn for weekdays in Lent, especially the first week of Lent and in . In Carpatho-Russian formerly Uniat parishes, black is worn on all weekdays for funerals and memorial services and , as is done in the Roman Church, though this is not universally true any more. Orange or rust is worn in some places for Saints Peter and Paul fast, and in other places for Saints Peter and Paul feast through Transfiguration. Pink or Rose vestments are worn in Russian convents (women's monasteries) in Jerusalem for the feasts of the Virgin. In some places, pink or rose vestments are worn on the feasts of Saint Anna (Nativity of the Virgin, Saints Joachim and Anna and the Dormition of Saint Anna). Please note that when we say ‘feast’, we include the period from the vigil of the feast until its apodosis, or ‘putting away,’ usually called the ‘post-feast.’ The length of these post-feasts vary, and are given in the Liturgical Calendar and Rubrics. Generally speaking, there is a post-feast of about a week for each of the twelve major feasts. As you can see, there is great variety in ways of doing things. By the way, in many parishes, the covering on the altar and other tables, other cloths and hangings, the curtain behind the Royal Doors, and even the glass containers for the vigil candles are changed to the liturgical color of the season. In parishes of the Greek tradition, it is customary for the vigil glasses and curtain behind the Royal doors to remain red in color at all times. Because of the association of the story of the curtain in the temple being ‘rent in twain’ or ‘torn in two’ at the time of the earthquake when our Lord was crucified, and the story of the eggs carried by Pontius Pilate’s wife all turning red (and our use of red eggs at Pascha) the custom is for the curtain behind the Royal Doors to remain red. Remember that this rich deep reddish purple color is also the ancient color of royalty, and for that reason, it is used behind the Royal Doors and as a drapery on the Golgotha and in other places associated with our Lord and His Mother.

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In the Western Church, six colors are used: white, red, rose, green, purple and black. Blue and gold are not used. Black is worn on Good Friday, and at Masses. Some Anglicans now use blue for the Advent season. See the Nastol’naya Kniga Sviashchenno-sluzhitelia, Volume 4, Moscow, 1983, Translated in “The Messenger” of Saint Andrew’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Philadelphia, June, July-August, September, 1990.

81. Why do our priests wear vestments? Didn't Jesus warn us about people who like to go about in long garments? And in the hearing of all the people [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and love salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." Luke 20:45-47 Jesus warns us about those people who like to wear long garments, who are more interested making a fashion statement than in being good people. Jesus warns us about phoney people who like to show off how rich they are, who enjoy being greeted ostentatiously in public places so others can see how famous they are, who take the best seats in the synagogues so people see how religious they are, who particularly enjoy getting public recognition, who pretend to pray for long times when there's nothing holy or pious about them, who make others think they’re ‘better than thou’ because they have money which they’ve taken from other people and act as if it were theirs, who are like lawyers who cheat and take advantage of defenseless widows, and who break the very laws they enforce on others. Jesus warns us about the phonies and snakes, not about the priests or vestments. We must be very careful about interpreting the Gospel message too literally. If we interpret the scriptures word by word, we fall into the trap the 'scholars of the Law' fell into. And we must be very careful not to take the words of Scripture out of context. The entire twenty-third chapter of Saint Matthew's Gospel tells us about such hypocrites, and not gently, either. It's highly recommended reading. Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men."

83. What does it mean when it says in the Bible that Zechariah's division was on duty? What is the hour of ? In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty... Luke 1:5,8. KJV When King David started construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, he organized the Priesthood of Aaron, the Levites, the musicians, gatekeepers, treasurers, guards, military, and other functionaries. This action is catalogued in the 23rd through 28th chapters of the first book of Chronicles. David divided the priesthood into twenty-four divisions which took turns performing the priestly offices. Prayers and the accompanying sacrifices were offered three times a day, as in Psalm 55:16-17, But I call upon God; and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint 9 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, February, 2012 and moan, and he will hear my voice. The Prayer at the Entrance in Vespers echoes this: In the evening, and in the morning, and at noonday we praise Thee, we bless Thee, and we give thanks unto Thee, and we pray unto Thee, O Master of all, O Lord who lovest man, Direct Thou our prayer before Thee as incense, and incline not our hearts to words or thoughts of evil, but deliver us from all that seek after our souls.... Of the twenty-four divisions of priests, the division of Abijah was made up of eight hundred priests at the time of Zechariah. Some priestly divisions were larger, some smaller. It’s easy to see that mathematically not every priest could expect the honor and privilege of serving at the altar in his life- time. And since a priest might never serve at the altar, service in the temple could not be counted on as a source of income, and priests had to have other sources of income. That Zechariah was chosen to be the priest that day was probably the high point of his priestly life. 'Hour of incense' is the same as saying 'time for offering incense.' In Vespers, we sing these verses from Psalm 140: O LORD, I call upon thee; make haste to hear me! Give ear to my voice, when I call to thee! Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice! From this, we could conclude that in Old Testament times, the usual time for offering incense was evening, and the early Church knew this and preserved this connection to centuries of worship by celebrating an offering of incense when we come to the setting of the sun.

Coffee Hour Hosts for February and March February 5, 2012 John and Jean Rinko February 12, 2012 Dale and Nancy Richards February 19, 2012 David and Debie Chlus February 26, 2012 John and Becky Hawranick March 4, 2012 Lyszczarz Family March 11, 2012 Sonia Buttino and John Elnicky March 18, 2012 Anne Gale and Family March 25, 2012 Nick and Margaret Keblish