them away. Deliberately seeking martyrdom is not the path we should follow. And similarly we are not to arrange our lives so as to deliberately cause ourselves suffering. God will permit those things which are necessary for our salvation and we should accept this. Suffering accepted in the right way will lead us to humility. It will strip us of the false belief that we are in control or the idea that peace may come through comfort. It will deepen our prayer and demand from us the will- ingness to forgive others. It will help us to grow compassion in our hearts and take from us any judgement of others who are in need. For any of this to happen, THE ARCHANGEL we must believe that all things are in God’s hands and be thankful for every bless- ing that comes from the One Who is the “giver of all good things”. St. Michael Orthodox Church We all face demands and struggles and it is up to us to choose how we will approach them. The Bible sets before us the story of the myrrh-bearing women, St. Clair, Pennsylvania that group that went on the first Easter Sunday to anoint the body of Jesus. As they walked they discussed how they would move the stone from before the tomb. The Gospel of Mark tells us that it was very great. The stone is a symbol of all that stands between us and the resurrection of Christ’s tomb. Our stones may seem insurmountable, and we like the women may wonder who will ever move them away for us. The women that morning had no human hope of success; they weren’t capable of doing it themselves. But without knowing what would happen or how the obstacle in their lives would be overcome, they kept walking. They trusted God, their faith kept them travelling to Christ. This is the example we are to follow. When we face those things which threaten to overcome us, when there seems no possible way to move our stones, we must keep moving towards Christ. The Bible tells us that the stone was removed from before Christ’s tomb with a terrible earthquake. We must be prepared for great upheavals, not slight adjust- ments to ourselves. However impossible things may feel to us, Christ’s resurrec- tion is more powerful than any struggle we may face. —Father Spyridon Baily, The Ancient Path March 04, 2018 + Please Remember St. Michael Orthodox Church in your Will + Rev. Fr. Jeff L. Zias: 570-429-0670 Joseph T. Yarashus: 570-691-4143 St. Gregory Palamas (Parish Council President) Epistle: Hebrews 1: 10-23 The Gospel of St. Mark 2: 1-12 The Gospel of St. Mark 2: 1-12 Website: www.stmichaelorthodox.org The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPLE 8 faith. We follow Christ who was Himself scourged and crucified and Who warned His followers that what was done to Him would surely be done to those who seek to follow Him. The easy life is in direct opposition to Christianity. This is not to suggest that God wants us to be unhappy. But the happiness, or rather joy of Christianity does not consist of anything the world can give us. Our joy comes from the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit lives in those who struggle to repent of their sins, who partici- pate in the sacramental life of God’s Church, who place their hope and trust in Christ. A big lottery win will only bring more material possessions; it will not grant the peace of God that we were created to know. When we look at the terrible poverty that so many endure we also see that when people are denied the basic necessities of life their opportunities are dimin- ished. And yet aid workers are often overcome with the dignity and faith of people they encounter through their work. Stripped of everything we recognize as vital to life the human heart has a capacity to still receive the blessing of God’s touch. It is we who are rich who build material fortresses around our hearts and shut out the possibility of union with Him. One aspect of the wisdom of growing old is that as we draw closer to an ex- pected age of death we begin to gain true perspective on our lives. We begin to see the pointlessness of so many of our pursuits and understand the true value of oth- ers. We may also be blessed to recognize the value of some of our suffering. The old adage that there are no atheists in a foxhole can be applied to much of our ex- periences. Who amongst us does not find it more necessary to pray when it seems we have no other way to make it through the day? And who cannot admit that at times of plenty, when life is full of pleasures, we are less inclined to seek God. If St. Michael’s Friday Fish Dinners! our union with God is the true value of our existence, then those times that prompt Come and help; Come and enjoy! us, help us to turn to Him, must surely be of more value than our times of comfort. It may well be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich ~ All Souls’ Liturgies: March 10, 17, May 26, June 2 (rescheduled) ~ man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven because the wealthy do not feel the truth of Orthodox Easter (Pascha!)—April 8 their need for God. Our riches give us a false sense of contentment. When life is good we may even begin to feel at home in this world. But this is not our home and we do not belong here. This life is the crucible in which our hearts and souls are molded. It is the heat of purification, the pain of our struggles that helps to prepare Let not one think, my fellow Christian, that only us for our true home. Priests and Monks need to pray without ceasing and not Our attitude must be one of “patient endurance”. So long as we react with re- laymen—No, no. Every Christian without exception sentment or anger our suffering has no value. But when we can use it as an oppor- ought to always dwell in prayer. tunity to deepen our trust in God it becomes salvific. First century bishops were forced to instruct their people not to deliberately have them selves arrested and +St. Gregory Palamas tortured or put to death. The bishops had to do this because of the surprising num- ber of Christians who were joyfully provoking the Roman authorities into dragging + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 2 7 Bailey, Father Spyridon. The Ancient Path (Kindle Locations 198-200). FeedARead. Kindle Edition. It is true that we have a physical existence every much a part of who we are as is our spiritual existence: we are being redeemed both in body and soul. But we are more than animals and we are called to live as such. The world applies its pressure in so many ways. The folly of modern economies is that they require constant growth. Consumer goods are named this for a reason. An enormous system of advertising and media manipulation seeks to turn us into true consumers. And for us to want things we must be convinced of our need for March 04, SUNDAY (Plain Chant!) St. Gregory Palamas them. Someone who is satisfied with life and their self has no need for the prod- ucts that promise to bring fulfilment. So advertisers set out to make us feel dis- 10:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great satisfied with who and what we are and with as many aspects of our lives as they Swearing-inin of Parish Council Officers & Trustees can achieve. It starts with our children and continues throughout our lives. Panachida: +Mary Strenkowski, offered by the Mogish Family And what is the ultimate goal of all this stuff they want us to buy? It is happi- March 07, Wednesday ness. The promise of a happy life free from discomfort is dangled before us and 6:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts (3 Hour Fast) from every angle voices scream at us to chase it. Psychologists talk about self- March 09, Friday Moleben to the Mother of God, 6:00 p.m. realization and self-esteem. Politics champion materialistic values and realign our moral system as it calls us to select a side. Movies and television by-pass our ra- March 10, Saturday 6:00 p.m. Vespers (Tone-7) tional objections and draw us into making emotional responses to characters and 9:00 a.m. All Souls’ Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom stories that are feeding us this same world view. March 11, SUNDAY Cross Veneration Christianity proclaims a different message. Life is full of struggles, and we 9:00 a.m. Orthodox Education Class are called to face up to them, not avoid them. There are struggles which are exter- 9:30 a.m. Hours of Prayer nal and those which are internal. The circumstances and demands of our lives can 10:00 a.m. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great cause stress and misery. Huge proportions of humanity live in levels of poverty few March 14, Wednesday of us in the West can even imagine. And yet in our relatively comfortable lives we 6:00 p.m.