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NEPSIS Coming” (Matthew 24:42) Spiritual watchfulness and alertness. “Watch, there- fore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is NEPSIS coming” (Matthew 24:42) Saint Sophia ’ s Greek Orthodox Church 325 Waring Road Syracuse, New York 13224 Phone (315) 446 - 5222 Fax (315) 251 - 1654 SEPTEMBER 2019 “Distractions” NEPSIS Remember the story of Mary and Martha? When Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He stopped at their home. They, with 2019 their brother Lazarus, were childhood friends of Jesus. But by Parish Council the time He visited them He was already well known as a Peter Manolakos teacher and healer, and this created a bit of a problem – President wherever He went, a large crowd would gather to see Him and Thomas Anthis Jr. hear Him speak. Vice President Jesus taught the people in Mary and Martha’s home. Mary Dimitrios Kiritsis Secretary took the opportunity to listen to what Jesus had to say, she sat close to His feet in order to hear every word. Martha was not so Michael Copanas Treasurer much interested in hearing Jesus preach as she was tending to the guests. She was cleaning, serving, greeting people – Robert Allen everything a person might do if a large group of visitors Nicholas Anastasiou Joy Weatherup Anthis suddenly showed up. Stephanie Armatas She soon felt overwhelmed, and looked around for Mary Dean Assimon for some help with the work. She was surprised and angry to see George Nardone Mary sitting on the floor near Jesus. Just sitting there – not Christopher Shiomos, OD James Telonis, MD helping at all. Not doing anything useful. She tried to attract Mary’s attention, but the crowd was large and dense, and she Honorary Board Members couldn’t get close enough. She didn’t want to interrupt Jesus, so she tried to be inconspicuous, but she couldn’t seem to catch James Sakezles Eleanor Theodore Mary’s eye. Martha said to herself, “I wish I could get close enough just to tap her on the shoulder. Oh who am I kidding? What I really want to do is give her a piece of my mind!” So she went back to serving. But it was too much—there was too much cleaning, not enough food, too many people. She tried again to get Mary’s attention. She waved her hands VISIT THE frantically, and blushed when several people turned toward her, PARISH WEBSITE annoyed. Mary was not one of them. stsophias.org Again back to serving. One of her neighbors arrived with food. Martha had given her money and instructions, but the girl got everything wrong. Martha went to the kitchen to see what she could do with what she had, but it was full of people who wanted to hear the famous Jesus of Nazareth speak. Continued on Page 2 P a g e 2 N E P S I S “Distractions” Continued from Page 1 Martha was fed up. She pushed her way into the room where Jesus was talking and interrupted Him. “Tell Mary to come and help me. She’s not doing anything and all the work has fallen to me.” She pointed her finger at Mary, “Look at her just sitting there on the floor!” “Martha, Martha,” Jesus said. Martha began to cry when He said her name. “Don’t worry about cleaning or about food. Better to listen to what I’m saying. Mary is doing what both of you should do.” Brothers and sisters, we put ourselves into the place of Martha when our busy thoughts keep us from hearing God speak. Rather, we should put ourselves in the place of Mary. When we come to Church, we have the possibility of sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing His life-saving words. But the “Marthas” don’t want us to do that. By “Marthas” I don’t mean people, I’m referring to thoughts. They bounce around in our heads and tell us that we’re not doing anything useful. They wave their arms and tell us that we should be thinking about something other than God. They judge people around us, they wonder about things. They remind us that we’re hungry, or our feet hurt, or we can’t hear or see what’s going on. They remind us that we don’t like the priest and it’s boring in Church. The story of Mary and Martha gives us the perfect model of the spiritual life, Mary of Bethany. She sat at the feet of the Lord quiet and undistracted. Nothing could take her away from His words, those life-saving words. She blocked out the distractions that her sister wanted to put upon her, and thereby she gained great spiritual treasures that day. In the church, let’s be like Mary of Bethany. The thoughts and distractions are persistent, brothers and sisters, but with God’s help we can enjoy the same treasure that Mary did. Your affectionate servant, Father David ON THE JESUS PRAYER “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!” The Jesus Prayer is the foundation of perfection. This prayer has filled Paradise with holy men and women. Blessed Elder Amphilochios of Patmos, + 1971 N E P S I S P a g e 3 PRESIDENT’ S MESSAGE Dear Parish, During a brainstorming session of the Parish Youth Committee where we were looking for interesting and fun things for our youth to work on, someone said "let's have a Panigiri and have the kids be a large part of putting it together". The suggestion was followed by a symphony of "wow what a great idea, that is terrific, the kids will have great ideas" and more. Well, I thought, that seems to have resonated with the group. OK, great, but what's a Panigiri? As all in the room but me knew, Panigiris are social events held throughout Greece on August 15 to mark The Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, the Panagia. Last night (I am writing this on August 18) St. Sophia's held its own first annual Panigiri. Parish youth, middle schoolers and high school kids, were enlisted in the effort to plan, organize, set up, and work the Panigiri. With a very light touch of adult supervision, our Parish youth did a wow, terrific, great job. Based on the early returns, I can confidently report that those who attended had a wonderful time. The meal provided by Nikolaos Ioannidis was delectable. It was both Greek (gyro, Greek salad) and very American ( hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese, chicken legs). There was an overflow of loukoumades, koulouria (Greek) and brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and I think, a bundt cake (very American). Our menu reflected our Parish. We are, like nearly all Greek Orthodox parishes in the United States , populated by immigrants from Greece and Greek speaking lands, second and third generation Greek Americans(many of whom speak little, if any Greek), and many, many more who have no Greek ethnicity at all. Each of us adds to the strength and richness of our community. To me the Panigiri is like Christmas dinner, a meal and celebration marking a high holy day. Unlike Christmas dinner, it is a meal that the community shares together. The Panigiri brought over 200 parishioners to St. Sophia's. Next year we hope to have many, many more. We also hope to see many of those who attended the Panigiri, who are not regular attendees at the Sunday Divine Liturgy, come to church more often. We are (or certainly should be) first and foremost, Orthodox Christians who understand that the Church is where we go to get closer to God. The Church is a place of refuge from worldly pursuits and cares. It is also a place for fellowship where we gather to enjoy each other's company, where our children can be an integral part of our celebrations, and where there is joy and fun and peace. We are blessed to be part of a church that provides both. The Panigiri was also a way of marking the summer's waning days. Approaching September brings us to a new beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year. In September Sunday School and Greek School begin anew. Additionally, many of the church organizations and activities come off their summer breaks. On September 15, after Liturgy, we will have our Meet and Greet where our church organizations and church ministries will provide us with their plans for the new season. I look forward to hearing what they have in store for us, young and older. At the Meet and Greet take the opportunity to connect with the groups and, if you are not involved already, offer to help them in their efforts to add to the fabric of our community life. Thanks go to all of you who are engaged in the work of the church and the overall community. You are the true stewards of St. Sophia's. Yours in Christ, Peter Manolakos Parish Council President P a g e 4 N E P S I S IMPORTANT DATES SEPTEMBER 2019 CHURCH CALENDAR INDICTION—Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year Sunday, September 1 NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS Sunday, September 8 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS Saturday, September 14 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy FEAST DAY OF ST. SOPHIA & DAUGHTERS Tuesday, September 17, 2017 9:00 am Orthros 10:00 am Divine Liturgy N E P S I S P a g e 5 ANNUAL MEET & GREET Sunday, September 15 Please join us in the gymnasium after Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 15 for the Annual Meet & Greet.
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