“I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES” (John 15:5) MAY / JUNE 2019 VOL. XXXVI, NO. 5/6 The Myrrh-Bearing Women The third Sunday of the Easter season is called the ‘Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women’, or the ‘Myrrophores’. This Greek name means ‘the spice-bearers’. It refers to the women who came to anoint Jesus’s body in the tomb, and to whom the Resurrection was first announced. The episode is related in the Gospel for the liturgy (Mark 15:43 - 16:8), and the Church makes it the special object of our meditation for this Sunday. At daybreak on the Sunday, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome go to the sepulchure. Our days would indeed be blessed if, every day ‘very early in the morning’ and more particularly on ‘the first day of the week’, our thoughts turned to Jesus’ victory over death. It was at ‘the rising of the sun’ that the women went to the sepulchure. Jesus is the true sun, who should light our day from its first moments. The whole day becomes different when it starts with Jesus. The women do not know how they will be able to get to the body of Jesus: ‘Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?’. The gospel makes it clear that it ‘was very great’. Many of us might feel that the women’s question applies to ourselves. For, in many souls, Jesus seems to be buried as if in a sepulchre. He seems to be paralyzed, immobilized -- even dead. He is covered by a heavy stone; the stone of sin, of ignorance, of indifference, the stone of bad habits that have accumulated over the years. Perhaps we may desire to take away this stone and reach the living Lord, but we do not have the strength. ‘Who shall roll us away the stone?’ The women’s undertaking - humanly speaking - seems to have no hope of success. And yet, they have set out. Without knowing how they will be able to get into the sepulchre, they walk towards him. In the same way, without knowing how the obstacle which may prevent us from reaching the Savior can be removed, let us trust. We can make the first move: we can get up; we can set out. Let us walk towards Jesus who is separated from us by the heavy stone, and allow faith and hope to guide us. The women are not going empty-handed to the sepulchre. They ‘had brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him’. We, too, can bring something to the sepulchre. Even if we are stained with very serious sins, we can bring a beginning of good will, the little we have of love, some generosity towards another, our feeble prayer. Doubtless our poor gifts will not bring about the removal of the stone, for our access to the risen Jesus and to the power of his Resurrection remains the magnificent and entirely free gift of divine mercy, but the fact that we do not journey towards the sepulchre with hands that are quite empty will show that our hearts are not quite empty too. Where are the ‘spices’ with which we wish to anoint Jesus? And, behold, a miracle has taken place. ‘They saw that the stone was rolled away.’ The women would never have been able to move such an obstacle. But God himself has provided for this. The Year of Grace of our Lord Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: ‘Let love be your highest goal!’ (1 Cor 14:1 NLT). May we truly rejoice in this season of the Resurrection of Christ. And offer to him the little we have, with joy, so that he can make miracles happen in our own lives, our own relationships, our own families. ‘For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe’ (1 Timothy 4:10 ESV). AMEN. THE VINEYARD A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA (714) 827-0181 ***************** REV. FR. JOHN KARIOTAKIS, PROISTAMENOS REV. FR. CONSTANTINE TRUMPOWER, ASSISTANT Parish Council President ..................................................................................... Kostas Kapogianis Philoptochos President .......................................................................................... Christine Pappas Religious Education ................................................................ Christina Baglin and Nancy Foxhall Chantor. ................................................................................................................ Ross Spyropoulos Sexton ............................................................................................................................ Bluy Derseh Senior Citizens (St. John’s Golden Stars) ....................................................................... Julie Sarres Organist/Choir Director ............................................................................................... Elsa Libowitz Office Manager. ......................................................................................................... Pennie Contos Secretary ................................................................................................................Petronela Eftimie Custodian .......................................................................................................................... José Perez Schedule of Sunday Worship Services Orthros & Divine Liturgy.....................................9:00 A.M. Memorials at Conclusion of Divine Liturgy Fellowship in Church Hall Following Divine Liturgy WEEKDAY/HOLY DAY SERVICES......9:00 A.M. Parish Programs ALTAR BOYS - Each boy serves in the Altar once every other week STUDIES IN THE FAITH - Tuesdays - 11:00 a.m. EVENING STUDIES IN THE FAITH - As scheduled CATECHISM CLASS - Wednesdays—7:00 p.m. GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR YOUTH - Wednesday/Thursday - 4:00 p.m./6:00 p.m. GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR ADULTS - Wednesday/Thursday - 4:00 p.m./6:00 p.m. CLASS FOR THOSE ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED - As scheduled FOLK DANCE GROUPS - Rehearsals Sundays - Small Hall 12:00 p.m. - Large Hall 1:00 p.m. GOYA - See Parish Calendar PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY - First Wednesday of the month - 7:00 p.m. CHURCH SCHOOL - September to June each year CHOIR PRACTICE - Wednesday - 7:00 p.m.. ST. JOHN’S GOLDEN STARS - 1st Tuesday of the Month WELCOMING COMMITTEE - In the Narthex during Liturgies Administrative Office Hours: Monday—Friday: 10:00 am—3:00 pm St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox CHECK OUT THE NEW John Anaheim Philoptochos CHURCH WEBSITE! Follow our community at St. John’s Greek School Have you checked out our new Parish website yet? OC Greekfest Go to “www.stjohnanaheim.org.” Many features are Greek Street OC St. John’s Anaheim Greek Dance active including the Monthly calendar and PayPal. CHURCH REGISTRY WEDDINGS MEMORIALS March 10, 2019 March 5, 2019 George Tseheridis & Joanna Simona Orfanos Kiriakos Gianakakos—5 Years Sponsor: Harriet Antipas March 24, 2019 Chris Bonorris—6 Months CONGRATULATIONS! Nicolo Anas—2 Years Doris Alta Bookas—1 Year Thrassivoulos Moysidis—17 Years Achilleas Moysidis FELL ASLEEP Aghathonki Moysidis Diogenis Saridis March 6, 2019 Evanthia Saridis Andreas Lambropoulos—20 Years Peter George March 31, 2019 March 11 Penny Gallanes—12 Years Katherine Bisbas Cote April 14, 2019 Peter George—40 Days March 26 Spiros Eleftheriou—5 Years Antonios Vatakis Dimitra Vlahos—17 Years Konstadinos Vlahos—38 Years + MEMORY ETERNAL + +MEMORY ETERNAL+ PROSFORO ACOLYTES OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST MAY TEAM A TEAM B Date Preparer Argiri Alexopoulos May 3 Voula Kitsigianis Christopher Bangos George Bovetas Katerina Tseheridis Anthony Christofer Theodore Bovetas May 5 Lela Bonorris Thanasi Halfhill Alex Dourbetas May 12 Panagiota Rados Kostas Kazas George Gatsinaris May 19 Maria Tambouris Pano Kazas Alex Krantz May25 Katerina Tseheridis Dimitri Kouloumbis Kosta Loukatos Yanni Kouloumbis May 26 Eleftheria Konstantarakis Dimitrios McLain Spiro Papachristou JUNE Chris Sigas Anthony Petros Date Preparer George Sigas Nick Pieratos June 2 Eleftheria Konstantarakis Nick Sigas Anastasios Tasigeorgos June 6 Lela Bonorris Peter Sigas Dionysious Tasigeorgos June 9 Evanthia Sigas Michael Vino June 15 Voula Kitsigianis 1) Acolytes should be in the altar and vested by 10:00 June 16 Panagiota Rados A.M. June 23 Maria Tambouris 2) Clothing preference is white (or light) shirt and tie June 24 Katerina Tseheridis with dark shoes. June 30 Voula Kitsigianis M A Y 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 Greek Language Greek Language LIFE-GIVING Philoptochos School, 4pm & School, 4pm & SPRING Family Fun 6pm 6pm Orthros & Night, 5pm Liturgy, 9am Choir Practice, 7pm 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 THOMAS Greek Language Greek Language GOYA SUNDAY School, 4pm & School, 4pm & Volleyball Orthros 9am & 6pm 6pm Tourney, Divine Liturgy Pasadena 10am Choir Practice, 7pm Greek Dance Practice Kids ‘n’ Cancer Reception 12 13 14 5 16 17 18 SUNDAY OF No Studies in the No Greek School MYRRH-BEARING Faith today Classes for adults WOMEN and youth due to Orthros 9am & Festival set up Divine Liturgy 10am Greek Dance 3pm to 10pm 12 noon to Practice Festival Set-up. Volunteers needed 10 AM to 5 PM 10pm 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 SUNDAY OF THE SAINTS Greek Language Greek Language PARALYTIC CONSTANTINE School, 4pm & School, 4pm & Orthros 9am & AND HELEN 6pm 6pm Divine Liturgy Orthros & 10am Liturgy, 9am Choir Practice, YAL at Rock & Parish Council, 7pm Brews, 7pm 6:30pm 12 noon to 10pm Festival Clean-Up Volunteers needed 10 AM to 5 PM 26 27 28 29 30 31 SUNDAY OF MEMORIAL Studies in Faith, Greek Language Choir Practice, THE DAY 12:30pm School, 4pm & 1pm SAMARITAN 6pm WOMAN Greek Language Orthros 9am & Choir Practice, School, 4pm & Divine Liturgy 7pm 6pm 10am Philoptochos Board, :30pm J U N E 2019 Sun