sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alphaeus

The Witness Parish Newsletter of the Church of the Holy Ascension 209 S. Lehigh Ave. Frackville, PA 17931

V. Rev. James M. Jadick - Rector - 570.874.3162 Mr. John Malinchok - Council President - 570.590.2669 HAOCA.org

July / August 2021

ParishNews Baked Goods We are also asking for baked good for the food festival. Please have your items here by Friday Parish Council Meetings morning, the 23rd of July. Please note that July 11 - Annual Parish Meeting most large cakes will be cut into half or August 8 - Monthly Council Meeting quarters. Please adjust your decorations accordingly. Parish Education Each week you receive a separate insert with Bread Baking your weekly bulletin. THIS is a very important Wednesday, July 14th our ladies & men(?) will part of our parish education program. I be baking a breads and rolls for the food sale. sincerely hope that you take the time to read it Please come and help. Remember, anyone can and learn something new each week. As wash dishes and clean up if you are not a “Betty always, if you have any questions regarding Crocker” type person! what you have read, please feel free to contact me! Congratulations The Frackville Rotary recently honored Dylan Holy Days in July & August Phillips as their student of the month. He is now Transfiguration - August 6th a Sr. at North Schuylkill HS. He is a volunteer Dormition Fast - August 1 thru 14. fireman and currently attending classes this Dormition of the Theotokos - August 15th summer to be a certified Emergency Medical Technician. He has been active in the Bulletin & Candle Listing community and of course serves in the Altar of The contact person for the offerings of weekly our church for services! He is planning a career bulletins, candles and newsletters is Cheryl in law enforcement and/or emergency services. Ruschak. You can contact Cheryl at Currently, he is in the process of applying for 570-617-3559. admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Mini Food Festival We are holding this on the 24th of July! It starts Thank You at 9 AM and continues to sell-out. We hope you The new air conditioners for the church were can come and lend a hand with this project. installed by John Ruschak. He and his sister Saw John Malinchok or Midge Paulonis for Cheryl donated the entire cost of the further details. installation!

1 Thank You The three parables of the feast concern the This is for everyone who helped make the 625+ appearance of God to Moses and Elijah on dozen pierogies and more than 400 halupki for Mount Sinai, and it is indeed appropriate the upcoming food sale! that the greatest God-seers of the Old Testament should be present at the Donations glorification of the Lord in His New With the upcoming projects there is always a Testament, seeing for the first time His request for donations to help cover costs. Any humanity, even as the disciples were seeing and all donations will be greatly appreciated. for the first time His Divinity.

The Transfiguration is the visual manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth. Transfiguration of Our Lord Shortly before His suffering on the cross, , taking along with Him three of Forty days before He was delivered to an His disciples – John, James, and Peter, – ignominious death for our sins, our Lord left Capernaum and went north towards revealed to three of His disciples the glory of Mount Tabor, which rose like a citadel above His Divinity. the hills of Galilee. The disciples were silent, having a presentiment that a mystery would “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, be revealed to them. Mystic events take James, and John his brother and bringeth place in silence. The human word bears the them up into a high mountain apart; and same relation to mysticism as a wave to the was transfigured before them: and His face depth of the ocean. did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light” (Matt. 17:1-2). This was the event to which our Lord was referring when He said, “There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). By this means the faith of the disciples was strengthened and prepared for the trial of our Lord’s approaching passion and death; and they were able to see in it not mere human suffering, but the entirely voluntary passion of the Son of God.

The disciples saw also Moses and Elijah On Mt.Tabor the apostles saw the divine talking with our Lord, and thereby they Transfiguration of Christ, the manifestation understood that He was not Himself Elijah of His majesty and glory. The Saviour’s face or another of the prophets, as some became like lightning, His raiment – white thought, but someone much greater: He as snow. He stood encircled by shining Who could call upon the Law and the brilliance, as though amid the rays of the Prophets to be His witnesses, since He was sun. Two prophets – Moses and Elias – the fulfillment of both. appeared before the Saviour and conversed with Him. Interpreters of Holy Scripture say that they talked of the sacrifice on Golgotha, 2 of Christ’s forthcoming suffering, of the fact themselves: and He was transfigured before that mankind’s sins would be redeemed by them. And His raiment became shining, the blood of the Son of God and Saviour. exceedingly white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there The three apostles experienced the appeared unto them Elias with Moses, and manifestation of the Divine Light as a great they were talking with Jesus” (Mark 9:24). and incomparable joy. It seemed that time itself stood in the contemplation of the Together with Christ three apostles – Peter, Divine Light. The awed apostles fell to the James, and John – ascended Mt. Tabor, ground. The vision ended. Together with where the Lord’s Transfiguration took place. Jesus Christ they came down from the It was accompanied by the appearance of mountain and by morning were back in the Old Testament prophets Moses and Capernaum. Elias. They spoke with Christ about His imminent departure from earth to rejoin God The Lord not only preached His to the Father. The Gospel then speaks of how the people, but also educated and all of them were overshadowed by a bright enlightened His disciples. And gradually He cloud, out of which a voice issued, saying: revealed Himself to them as the Messiah “This is My beloved Son; hear Him.” not only of Israel, but of all mankind, as the King of the eternal spiritual kingdom. The The Lord did not ascend the mountain Messiah’s words that He would be tortured alone, but took three disciples with Him. On in Jerusalem evoked awe and fear in the Mt Tabor their eyes were opened to a disciples. A vision of the crucified Messiah different, spiritual world, and they were able might have evoked the feeling of despair in to see the Light which transfigured Christ. Christ’s disciples, the thought that After that the Saviour spoke for the first time everything was irrevocably lost. The mystery about His martyric end and resurrection. At of redemption could have appeared to them that time the apostles did not understand a s a d e f e a t , a s t h e M e s s i a h ’ s Him, because in accordance with Jewish powerlessness. At a time of despondency tradition they saw Christ as a future earthly and doubt, the three apostles’ witness to the king and liberator from foreign domination. Transfiguration was to strengthen the faith Christ, however, was preparing for His of the other disciples. suffering on the cross and the humiliation of Golgotha, and He showed His What constitutes the mystery of Christianity? Transfiguration to the three disciples, so that It attracts people not so much by its delicate they would be able to bear witness to His and sophisticated intellectualism, nor by the divine nature and voluntary agreement to brilliant oratory of its preachers, nor yet by torment on the cross. the beauty of its rites. Christianity revealed to the human soul a new world, an eternal The essence of the Transfiguration is world, a world of divine light – that which not revealed in its symbols. The mountain is a a single religion or philosophical system silent, solitary place which makes it easier to could give. engage in prayer and helps us unite our restless mind with God. The name “Tabor” “And after six days Jesus taketh with Him translates as purity or light. Whoever comes Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth to an awareness of his actions and repents them up into an high mountain apart from of what he has committed is freed of 3 spiritual uncleanliness and is able to see the however, in the liturgical services and in the divine uncreated Light. Christian teaching Dormition icon, the Church proclaims as well sees the spiritual meaning of life precisely in that Mary truly needed to be saved by Christ as the attempt to acquire this Light and deify all human persons are saved from the trials, human nature. oca.org sufferings and death of this world; and that having truly died, she was raised up by her Son as the Mother of Life and participates already in the eternal life of paradise which is prepared and promised to all who “hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk11.27–28).

Dormition of the Theotokos

The feast of the Dormition or Falling-asleep of the Theotokos is celebrated on the fifteenth of August, preceded by a two-week fast. This feast, which is also sometimes called the Assumption, commemorates the death, resurrection and glorification of Christ’s mother. It proclaims that Mary has been “assumed” by God into the heavenly kingdom of Christ in the fullness of her spiritual and bodily existence.

As with the nativity of the Virgin and the feast of her entrance to the temple, there are no biblical or historical sources for this feast. The Tradition of the Church is that Mary died as all people The services of the feast repeat the main die, not “voluntarily” as her Son, but by the theme, that the Mother of Life has “passed over necessity of her mortal human nature which is into the heavenly joy, into the divine gladness indivisibly bound up with the corruption of this and unending delight” of the Kingdom of her world. Son (Vesperal hymn). The Old Testament readings, as well as the gospel readings for the Vigil and the Divine Liturgy, are exactly the same as those for the feast of the Virgin’s nativity and her entrance into the Temple. Thus, at the Vigil we again hear Mary say: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1.47). At the Divine Liturgy we hear the letter to the Philippians where Saint Paul speaks of the self-emptying of Christ who condescends to human servitude and ignoble death in order to be “highly exalted by God his Father” (Phil 2.5–11). And once again we hear in the Gospel that Mary’s blessedness belongs to all who “hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11.27–28).

The Orthodox Church teaches that Mary is Thus, the feast of the Dormition of the without personal sins. In the Gospel of the feast, Theotokos is the celebration of the fact that all 4 men are “highly exalted” in the blessedness of In the beginning all the works of God’s creation the victorious Christ, and that this high were good indeed, because God’s blessing exaltation has already been accomplished in rested upon them through His omnipotent Mary the Theotokos. The feast of the Dormition words: “Let it be.” At that time everything stayed is the sign, the guarantee, and the celebration on earth without requiring special sanctification. that Mary’s fate is, the destiny of all those of But the first-created man transgressed the law “low estate” whose souls magnify the Lord, of God and allowed impurity to fill his entire whose spirits rejoice in God the Saviour, whose being, and through him this impurity descended lives are totally dedicated to hearing and upon all living things. God’s curse hung over all keeping the Word of God which is given to men of man’s efforts, according to the Lord’s words in Mary’s child, the Saviour and Redeemer of to Adam: “Cursed is the ground for thy the world. sake” (Gen. 3:17). Subordinate creation, as the Apostle testifies, “was made subject to vanity, Finally it must be stressed that, in all of the not willingly, but by reason of him who hath feasts of the Virgin Mother of God in the subjected it” (Rom. 8:12), i.e. all living things Church, the Orthodox Christians celebrate facts were defiled because of man. Subordinate of their own lives in Christ and the Holy Spirit. nature, which in accordance with the Creator’s What happens to Mary happens to all who design should have provided its master – man – imitate her holy life of humility, obedience, and with physical means of bliss, – this same nature love. With her all people will be “blessed” to be became the source of his illness and death. All “more honorable than the cherubim and beyond the elements declared war on man for having compare more glorious than the seraphim” if subjected them to vanity, all earthly plants now they follow her example. All will have Christ contained admixtures or even poisons that were born in them by the Holy Spirit. All will become harmful to man’s body. Such were the inevitable temples of the living God. All will share in the consequences of God’s curse, which hung over eternal life of His Kingdom who live the life that all of man’s deeds from the day of Adam’s Mary lived. transgression. Such is the terrible necessary connection between our sin and everything with In this sense everything that is praised and which it comes into contact. glorified in Mary is a sign of what is offered to all persons in the life of the Church. It is for this reason that Mary, with the divine child Jesus within her, is called in the Orthodox Tradition the Image of the Church. For the assembly of the saved is those in whom Christ dwells. It is the custom in some churches to bless flowers on the feast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos oca.org

And what would have happened to us and our Why We Bless Fruits & Vegetables surrounding environment, had not our most- merciful Lord Jesus Christ removed the terrible From apostolic times the Church established seal of our rejection and given us the means to the custom to bless ripened fruits before eating return blessing and sanctification to everything them, by reading special prayers over them. we use? Therefore, only those who truly believe in Christ the Saviour can overcome the forces of nature that war against us. The Holy Church 5 blesses and sanctifies the first crop of earthly fruits and, removing from them the ancient seal The Lord Chooses Twelve Apostles of damnation, turns these fruits not into a weapon of our sinful lusts, not into food of Gradually, the number of disciples of Jesus corruption and death, but into a true pleasure Christ increased. One day, while in Galilee, for man reborn in grace. Jesus Christ went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. When The Church prays to God to sanctify both the it was daylight, He called His disciples to Him souls and the bodies of those who eat of these and chose twelve of them whom He named fruits, to keep their lives in peace and joy, and to apostles, that is, messengers, as He sent them multiply these fruits abundantly. Christ’s Church to preach His teaching. The names of the blesses and sanctifies the fruits by the holy twelve apostles are as follows: name of God glorified in Trinity and by sprinkling holy water upon them.

According to ancient tradition, the first fruits are blessed on the feast of Transfiguration.

Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child." - Simon, whom the Saviour called Peter; Children’s Logic: - Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, known as the A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren "First-called;" to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed - James, the son of ; past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was - John, the son of Zebedee, brother of James, a Dalmatian dog. The children started called the Theologian (these two brothers, discussing the dog's duties. James and John, the Saviour called "sons of "They use him to keep crowds back," said one thunder" because of their fiery zeal); child. - Philip; "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." - Nathaniel, son of Tolmai, and, therefore, called A third child brought the argument to a Bartholomew; close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to - Thomas, also called Didymus, which means find the fire hydrants.” "the twin;" - Matthew, also known as Levi, a former tax collector; - James, son of Alphaeus, also known as Cleophas, called "the less, or younger, or “When one door closes, another opens; but smaller," in contrast to James the son of we often look so long and so regretfully Zebedee; upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” 6 - Simon, named the Canaanite, otherwise capitalized the word "Creek" it is deduced that known as the Zealot; he was referring to the Creek Indian tribe and - Judas, son of James, who also bore another not a body of water. name, Lebbaeus, called Thaddeus; - (from the city of Karioth), who - In George Washington's days, there were no later betrayed Jesus Christ. cameras. One's image was either sculpted or To the apostles the Lord gave power to heal the painted. Some paintings of George Washington sick, to cast out unclean spirits, and to resurrect showed him standing behind a desk with one the dead. arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters In addition to these twelve chief apostles, Jesus were not based on how many people were to be Christ also chose others: Mark, Luke, Cleophas painted, but by how many limbs were to be and others. He also sent them out to preach. painted. Arms and legs are 'limbs,' therefore When the seventy apostles returned from painting them would cost the buyer more. preaching, they said with joy to Jesus Christ, Hence the expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you Lord, "Even the devils are subject unto us an arm and a leg.' (Artists know hands and through Thy name" (Luke 10:17). arms are more difficult to paint) He said to them, "Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoice because At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar That is, do not rejoice over the miracles, which maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers are given to you for your preaching, but rejoice and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay over the fact that you will receive blessings and close attention and remember who was drinking eternal life with God in the Kingdom of Heaven. in 'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts,' hence the phrase 'minding your 'P's and Q’s'. Besides the disciples, there constantly accompanied Jesus Christ some women who had been healed by Him, (from the city of Magdala) of whom Jesus cast seven devils out; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; ; and many others.

The Law of God by Fr. Seraphim Slobodskoy

Historical Trivia Things You Need to Know…..or Not

- Did you know the saying "God willing and the Glass takes one million years to decompose, Creek don't rise" was in reference to the Creek which means it never wears out and can be Indians and not a body of water? It was written recycled an infinite amount of times! by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century. He was a politician and Indian diplomat. While Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if in the south, Hawkins was requested by the it's buried in the ground for thousands of years. President of the U.S. To return to Washington. In his response, he was said to write, "God Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that willing and the Creek don't rise." Because he is attached at only one end. 7 If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink Virgin Martyr Julia of Carthage more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off. The Virgin Martyr Julia was born in Carthage into a Christian family. While still a girl she was Zero is the only number that cannot be captured by the Persians. They carried her off to represented by Roman numerals. Syria and sold her into slavery. Kites were used in the American Civil War to Fulfilling the deliver letters and newspapers. Christian commandments, The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke Saint Julia of midnight in almost every English-speaking faithfully served country in the world to bring in the new year. her master. She preserved Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in herself in purity, your mouth by 61 percent. kept the fasts and prayed Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines much to God. because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated No amount of above 450F. urging by her pagan master The roar that we hear when we place a seashell could turn her to next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the idolatry. sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. Once the master set off with merchandise for Gaul and took Saint Julia with him. Along the Nine out of every 10 living things live in the way the ship stopped over at the island of ocean. Corsica, and the master decided to take part in a pagan festival, but Julia remained on the ship. The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be The Corsicans plied the merchant and his propagated only by the hand of man. companions with wine, and when they had fallen into a drunken sleep, they took Julia from Airports at higher altitudes require a longer the ship. Saint Julia was not afraid to airstrip due to lower air density. acknowledge that she was a Christian, and the savage pagans crucified her. The University of Alaska spans four time zones. An of the Lord reported the death of the holy martyr to the monks of a monastery, located on a nearby island. The monks took the body of the saint and buried it in a church in their monastery.

There is the story of a pastor who got up In about the year 763 the relics of the holy one Sunday and announced to his Martyr Julia were transferred to a women’s congregation: "I have good news and monastery in the city of Breschia (historians bad news. The good news is, we have give conflicting years of the death of the saint: enough money to pay for our new as either the fifth or seventh century). building program. The bad news is, it's oca.org still out there in your pockets. 8 Seven Wonders What To Keep

A group of students were asked to list what they Their marriage was good, their dreams thought were the present "Seven Wonders of focused.. Their best friends lived barely a wave the World." Though there were some away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee disagreements, the following received the most shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress; lawn votes: mower in his hand, and dish-towel in hers.. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the 1. Egypt's Great Pyramids kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the 2. Taj Mahal hem in a dress. Things we keep. 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal It was a way of life, and, sometimes, it made me 5. Empire State Building crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I 6. St. Peter's Basilica wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant 7. China's Great Wall affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd, always, be more. While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. But, then, my mother died, and, on that clear So she asked the girl if she was having trouble summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I room, I was struck with the pain of learning that couldn't quite make up my mind because there sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, were so many." what we care about most gets all used up and goes away ...never to return. So ..While we The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, have it .. .it's best we love it ... And, care for it .... and maybe we can help.” The girl then And fix it when it's broken ... And heal it when hesitated, and read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders it's sick. of the World' are: This is true ...For marriage ... And, old cars ... 1. To See And, children with bad report cards ... Dogs and 2. To Hear cats with bad hips ... And, aging parents ... And, 3. To Touch grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends. 4. To Taste We keep them, because they are worth it, 5. To Feel because we are worth it. 6. To Laugh 7. And to Love." Some things we keep. Like a best friend who moved away, or, a classmate we grew up with. The room was so quiet you could have heard a There are just some things that make life pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and important, like people we know who are ordinary and that we take for granted are truly special ... And, so, we keep them close in heart wondrous! and mind and spirit.

A gentle reminder -- that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man. Alzheimer’s Disease

Question - What is the stance of the orthodox “Why is there never enough time to do it on the faith of the mentally disabled or those right — who have serious Alzheimer’s disease and are but always enough time to do it over?” not aware of much around them. 9 Answer - The Church does not have “official receive healing after praying before this stances” on these things. The Church does icon. They served a Molieben before the extend pastoral care to such individuals as newly-discovered icon, after which the sick children of God who have special needs that the one became well. The icon was especially Church can address on a one-on-one basis. glorified in 1830 during a cholera epidemic at Vologda. The Church does teach, however, that the mentally disabled, or Alzheimer’s sufferers, are complete human beings in every way, loved by God and especially worthy of our prayers, assistance, and love. Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia Vestments for Priests It is commonly believed that Saint Christopher Question - Why do priests wear vestments? Guruli was martyred, but little information exists about him to prove Answer - While some people mistakenly believe this. Christopher’s that the vestments of the Orthodox Church are name has been designed to “adorn” the clergy in a “special” preserved in the way, this is not the case. Vestments serve to nation’s memory, hide, in a sense, the individual characteristics of a n d h e i s the priest, as these could indeed become a commemorated in distraction in focusing on Christ. As St. John the Church Chrysostom writes, “Christ does not appear until calendar. the priest disappears.” The Georgian ancestry of Holy Martyr Christopher Icon of the Mother of God is indicated by his “of the Seven Arrows” appellation, “ G u r u l i , ” w h i c h The “Seven Arrows” Icon of the Mother of means “from the province of Guria (in God depicts the Virgin’s heart pierced by western Georgia).” From this, Church historians seven arrows. For a long time the icon was have been led to believe that Holy Martyr located at the bell Christopher labored in Georgia. t o w e r s t a i r w a y entrance of a church i n h o n o r o f t h e Apostle John the Theologian (near This Edition of the Vologda). Since it Newsletter was donated by: w a s f a c e downwards, they Catherine Bricker mistook the icon for an ordinary board For the Health of the Bricker & and walked on it. Kane Families Then a cripple in the city of Kadnikova had a vision that he would Thank You! 10