Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic

September 15, 2019 Sunday after the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross The Holy Great Martyr Nicetas the Goth September 15, 2019 Schedule of services for the week of September 16 - September 22

Saturday, September 21 Leavetaking of Exaltation; The Holy Apostle Quadratus of Magnesia: 1 Cor 1:26-29; John 8:21-30 9AM – 5PM – Great Vespers

Sunday, September 22 15th Sunday after Pentecost; The Holy Hieromartyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope; The Holy Prophet Jonah;The Venerable Priest Jonah, Father of Sts. Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore the Branded 2Cor4:6-10;Luke5:1-11 8:40 AM – Third Hour 9AM – Divine Liturgy For all parishioners We welcome all visitors and guests! Please join us in our hall for refreshments and fellowship after the Divine Liturgy! Eternal Memory! Parish online community Jesse Perez, the father of our former Over the next week, all of you who have parishioner Elizabeth Harter fell asleep in registered in the parish and given your the Lord on September 6. A gofundme email should be receiving an invitation to campaign has been started to help the join the parish online community hosted by family. If you would like to donate you can “Realm” software. It allows communication do so at: www.gofundme.com/f/jesse- between members of the parish and the perez-memorial-fund various groups (e.g. choir, altar servers, etc...) Be on the lookout for the invitation Altar Gospel and Apostol Book and please join. If you don’t receive and We received enough donations last Sunday invitation, please let Fr. James know. to cover the cost of a new Altar Gospel and Apostol book. God bless all our donors for their generosity! Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to Choir Practice will be held this coming Saturday, September 21st at 3:30 PM. If dwell in unity. (Psalm 133) you’ve been thinking about joining the Thank you for the wonderful choir, come and find out more about our warm welcome last Sunday. You choir. made us feel very much at home. We look forward to growing The next “Women of Holy Angels” with you as we journey together. meeting will take place next week after the A special “Thank You” to those Divine Liturgy. We will be planning the who prepared the meal, served upcoming meetings. Come and join us. and cleaned up. May God bless you! –TheBankstons The Tree Heals the Tree September 14, 2017 • Fr. Stephen Freeman Readers of the New Testament are that Adam and Eve consumed that was the familiar with St. Paul’s description of Christ source of their fall from grace. The “Tree as the “Second Adam.” It is an example of that heals” is none other than the Cross of the frequent Apostolic use of an allegoric Christ. reading of the Old Testament (I am using I am struck particularly by this treatment “allegory” in its broadest sense – including of Biblical imagery. The meditation does typology and other forms). Christ Himself not say that the Cross destroys the tree had stated that He was the meaning of the whose fruit, along with our disobedience, Old Testament (John 5:39). Within the brought the human tragedy. The Tree heals Gospels Christ identifies His own death and the Tree. In the same manner, the Kingdom resurrection with the Prophet Jonah’s of God does not destroy creation – it makes journey in the belly of the fish. He likens His it whole. crucifixion to the serpent raised on a staff by There is a tendency within our lives to which Moses healed the people of Israel. view failure and disasters (whether self- Without the allegorical use of the Old inflicted or otherwise) as deep tragedies that Testament – much of the material in the derail our lives and the world around us. Our gospels and the rest of the New Testament heart becomes confused when the thought of would be unintelligible. “if only” takes up residence. But the Tree Orthodox Christians are very heals the Tree. In God, nothing is wasted. accustomed to this manner of handling It is the spiritual habit of the Church’s Scripture – the hymnography (largely liturgical life to see the story of Christ in written during the Patristic period) of the everything. Every story involving wood or a Church’s liturgical life is utterly permeated tree seems to find its way into the by such a use of allegory. The connections hymnography of the Cross. The same is true between New Testament and Old – between for many other images. I believe this way of dogma and the allegory of Scriptural reading Scripture is also a key to the imagery is found in almost every verse Christian life. Our hearts are such that they offered within a service. Those who are not generally do not see the Kingdom of God – familiar with the Eastern liturgical life are we see only the tree and our disobedience. unaware of this rich Christian heritage and But Christ Himself became sin that we of its deep doctrinal piety and significance. might become the righteousness of God (2 In the Feast of the Holy Cross, the Cor. 5:21). He took our life upon Himself hymnography at one point makes the that He might bestow His own life upon us. statement, “The Tree heals the Tree.” It is Thus Christ has entered all things that He one of the marvelous commentaries on the might make all things new. Nothing is life of grace and its relationship to the wasted. human predicament. It refers to the – Fr. Stephen Freeman relationship between the Cross of Christ and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The latter was the source of the fruit

ON COMPULSIVE BUYING AND THE BENEFITS OF SLOWING DOWN AND BEING STILL By Fr. Alexis Trader on ancientchristianwisdom.wordpress.com One of the characteristic trademarks of Alexandria suggests that this way of being compulsive behavior is the rapidity with in Church should be extended to our lives which the behavior is performed. In the outside of Church, so that there too we can case of compulsive buying, a voracious hear God, but also our neighbor who may urge to buy overwhelms the calmer, need our compassion and our love. For the rational mind and overpowers the higher, compulsive shopper who is a Christian, wiser will. In my last post on this subject, I slowing down can also be a way of making mentioned the important role of oneself available to God and neighbor, so mindfulness in counteracting the powerful that one might worship God and love one’s desires that arise from past engagement in neighbor as oneself in every time and compulsive behavior. Equally important in every place. dealing with the compulsion is physically The body can indeed play an important slowing down and mentally thinking about role in slowing down the racing, automatic the consequences of one’s present actions. thoughts that compel us to act like Irenaeus of Lyons notes that the lemmings racing off the edge of a cliff. mind’s desires are naturally impeded by Once the body is slowed, we can ask the body’s slowness (Against Heresies, ourselves important question such as “why Book 2, Chapter 33). By slowing down am I doing this” and “how am I going to even further, by walking slowly and feel about myself if I make this purchase?” calmly with a measured step, we can give In chapter 5 of Ancient Christian Wisdom, ourselves some time and some space to “Saint Neilus the Ascetic suggests that the hear the compulsion’s demands, but also tempted individual make use of ‘the short that still small voice suggesting another period of time available for careful course of action. In trying to slow down, reflection, so that he can examine and we recognize that the body doesn’t discern what is harmful and what is necessarily have to follow the mind’s lead beneficial as well as how sorrowful he will and race ahead to purchase an item that is feel after engaging in illicit pleasure and not needed. how much satisfaction and joy he will Clement of Alexandria once wrote, have when good thoughts blossom forth.’ “Women and men are to go to church Likewise Saint proposes decently attired, with a natural step, that a person who has yielded to carnal embracing silence, possessing unfeigned pleasures reflect on his lost purity as a way love, pure in body, pure in heart, fit to pray of preventing further descent into the pit of to God…. Those who are thus consecrated sensuality. In other words, when a similar to Christ should also appear and frame situation arises, the good abbot of Sinai themselves in their whole life as they advises recalling a past fall in order to fashion themselves in the church for the prevent its reoccurrence.” There is a sake of gravity; and to be, not to seem general principle at work here that Saint such — so meek, so pious, so loving” (The expresses in this way: “It Instructor, Book III, Chapter 11). In is a great good to acknowledge our sins, Church, our movements are to be calm, and to bear them in mind continually. peaceful, modest, and with the fear of Nothing so effectually cures a fault as a God, so that we might pray more easily, continual remembrance of it. Nothing hear the word of God more clearly, and be makes a man so slow to wickedness” united with Him more deeply. Clement of (Homily 31 on Epistle to the Hebrews). Although at the moment of fisherman’s art. ‘When the sea is calm, compulsion, it seems as though the urge fishermen can scan its depths and therefore will last for an eternity, the fact of the hardly any creature moving in the water matter is that it will pass if the mind and escapes their notice.’According to this body are slowed down. The ascetic evocative metaphor, a person separates practices of silence and stillness are himself so thoroughly from his thoughts recommended in this regard, for if one has that they become like fish swimming in the learned to find that place of stillness and sea and he comes to resemble a fisherman quiet in the soul, one can return there in looking into its depths.” The thoughts times of need. In the same chapter of calling out to satisfy this compulsion can Ancient Christian Wisdom, I write, “The likewise be observed as fish in the sea, but other setting in which the fathers engage in need not be obeyed, much less caught by ‘thought about thought’ is solitary the careful fisherman. Of course, these hesychastic prayer. In particular, monks ascetical practices intended to calm the remain in their cells in order to concentrate body and the mind must have as their and to make their inner vision clearer. ultimate goal union with Christ if they are They also benefit from the serenity of the to bear fruit of any lasting value. In the night that lends itself to vigilance. With final analysis, it is our willingness to this restriction of audial and visual stimuli, cooperate (synergeia) with the Divine the mind becomes calmer and more Physician in a process that defines our capable of self-examination. An ascetic entire lives that will lead us not only to way of life is consequently more helpful freedom from compulsion, but freedom to for examining the thoughts. Calm do the will of God, and instead of buying conditions are so important that Kallistos needless items that fill us with shame, Tilikoudis writes, ‘repentance is not purchasing the pearl of great price, the possible without stillness (hesychia). The very Kingdom of Heaven, that will fill us ancient ascetics often liken this with unspeakable joy. hesychastic self-examination to the

Did You Know? • Most people come to church because of a personal invitation. • Only 2% of church–going people invite someone to church in a given year. That means 98% of church–goers never extend an invitation in a given year! • 7 out of 10 unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives. • 82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited. • The top “rational” reason adults seldom or never attend church is they don't agree with organized religion or what they preach (24 percent). • The top “practical” reasons for hardly attending or missing church altogether, 21 percent said they don't have time or they don't get around to it. • Children and youth who attend religious services weekly, exhibit fewest behavior problems, are more likely to have high–quality relationships with their parents, and are more likely to exhibit positive social behavior, including showing respect for teachers and neighbors, getting along with other children, understanding other people's feelings, and trying to resolve conflicts with classmates, family or friends. Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church 2235 Galahad Road San Diego, CA 92123-3931 Fr. James Bankston, Administrator Subdeacon Jonathan A. Deane

Rectory/Office: 858-277-2511 Social Hall/Ethnic Foods: 858-268-3458 Email: [email protected] (please note change to gmail!) Website: www.HolyAngelsSanDiego.com Facebook: Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church

Bless, O Lord, the worship and Stewardship of your faithful servants: September 8 – attendance: 106; Adult Tithes: $2115.00;Loose change: $114.00; Non-parishioner donations: $1970.00; Renovation fund: $100.00; Total: $4299.00.

Vocation : This week (September 15): Bankston Next week (September 22): Open Please sign up in the narthex to host the vocation icon.

All those requesting Holy Mysteries must be parishioners for at least six months.

Mysteries of Initiation: Requires Pre-Baptismal instruction. The Mysteries of Initiation are celebrated on Saturdays or Sundays within the Divine Liturgy. At least one sponsor must be a Catholic and the other a practicing Christian. Both sponsors must present documentation that they are in good standing with their church.

Mystery of Crowning: Requires Pre-Marriage instruction. Consult Fr. James at least six months prior to making wedding plans. Marriages cannot be celebrated during the fasting seasons of the Church.

Funerals: Contact the Fr. James.

Liturgy, Panachyda and Eternal Lamp Intentions: Schedule with Fr. James. It is “holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead” (2 Maccabees 12:46) especially on the 9th and 40th days, and on the anniversary of their falling asleep in the Lord.

Holy Mystery of Confession: First Wednesday of the month from 7PM - 8PM. Also available before all services or by appointment. Confessions end 15 minutes prior to services.

Sick calls / Holy Anointing / Hospital Visits: Requested by parishioner or family.

Please submit all Bulletin announcements to Fr. James for approval by Wednesday of each week.

Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 10:AM - 5PM. Please call ahead to make sure Fr. James is on-site. Call anytime in case of an emergency.