Newsletter May 17, 2024

What is the Goal?

During Holy Week, ecclesiastical media reported news of the ordination of a liturgical deaconess in one of the churches in Zimbabwe, Africa, affiliated with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. I won’t delve into the subject of ordaining a deaconess. That’s a matter I’ll leave to theologians and synods, for now. In this article, I’ll simply raise some questions stemming from this event. Such an event requires Orthodox consensus, as any ecclesiastical action outside Orthodox consensus and unanimity poses a danger and leads to undesirable consequences. How much more so a matter as sensitive as this, especially at this time, would be considered a step towards the ordination of women to the priesthood.

There is no doubt that a deep and faithful study of the Christian heritage, especially the Orthodox one, and the pastoral needs required by the Church in today’s world, is urgently needed for this topic. However, resorting to individual decisions remains more dangerous than any step its proponents might perceive as beneficial to the Church. Theological studies require scientific honesty and objectivity, not manipulation of information to serve personal agendas. Here, the role of the pure saints, not just scholars and researchers, is highlighted, lest we negate what we have been saying for centuries, that theology is the experience of God’s presence, not just rational or philosophical thinking.

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Where will the Orthodox Church end up if each church continues to adopt what it deems appropriate without consulting and agreeing among all Orthodox churches? Where is the collective spirit that distinguishes Orthodoxy? What about the unity of the Faith? And what will unite Orthodox Churches if practices without unanimous agreement begin to appear here and there?

Do those who applaud the emergence of deaconesses think about the future of Orthodox unity? How do we know if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work and create new talents? How do we know if we are limiting It within the framework of our limited thinking? Are we submitting It to our personal desires and visions?

I won’t add any more questions here, although they would be necessary if we truly want to be honest, faithful, and pure in every work we do in the Church. The pain from what is happening stifles me.

I hope that some of these questions encourage a few sincere, honest, and humble persons to pause before proceeding with individualism that increases divisions and creates new schisms.

Read the entire article: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2052

Christ is Risen! Thank you all for your pattendance, prayers, and help during all of out Lenten, Holy Week, and Paschal services.

I am going to take a break over the summer and postpone our Wednesday evening classes. We will still have Liturgy on Wednesdays (at 5:30) but no classes aferward.

The Men’s Grop has moved to a bi-weekly meeting schedule. The parish calendar has been updated, so please check there. The next meeting will be Monday May 27.

It is a great group: check in with them and say hi!

The Parish Council has established a system for processing and receiving gifts electronically. The system accepts credit cards and bank transfers. It is run my one of the major major processors of electronic giving for non-profits. The company is called Helcim. All of the processing takes place within their system. St. James provides a link into their system and then receives the funds into our account and a report listing names and amounts. We do not see nor handle any credit card or bank account information.

There is a ‘Donate’ page listed in the menu of the website where all of the information is listed, and here is link directly to the page:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Giving/giving.php

Thank you for your ongoing financial support of our little parish family. We hope that these new features will facilitate the giving process.

Please remember that our full calendar continues to be available at our parish web site. Here is a link:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Calendar/calendar.php

Full schedule: https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Prosphora/Docs/prosphora sched 2024 web.pdf

Full schedule: https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Altar/Docs/epistle readers for 2024.pdf

Epistle: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 6:1-7

In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Gospel: MARK 15:43-47; 16:1-8

At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Revelation: Removing the Veil (Part 8)
Because Thou Hast Left Thy First Love…

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14). The Prophet Daniel described the same thing when he saw the Ancient of Days (he saw Christ).

Of course, we shouldn’t think that Christ or God the Father has white hair. Nothing of the sort—because God is spirit. But God appeared in a way that the Apostle John could see this image and describe it as having a profound meaning.

Thus, the Ancient of Days appears, God Himself, who spoke to the Prophets, with the Prophet Daniel, who wonderfully described the same vision. His hair was white, like snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. He described what he saw. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters (Rev. 1:15). This brass, “χαλκολιβανον,” is an alloy of that era with the addition of gold and silver—a precious, durable metal. When it was heated in the oven, it was all aflame. The feet of the Lord were like this metal, glowing in the fire.

You know that visions from God are always whole, complete—they’re never half-hearted. But in visions from satan, there’s always something missing; they’re not long-lasting, they flicker. Visions from God are long-lasting; there are never any omissions in them, like something missing. Those who see satanic visions always miss something; there’s always something missing in them. They’re short and the images are constantly changing. The works of God have a duration, and they’re completed, therefore the Apostle John describes a vision here that he beheld for an extended period of time. His voice was like the sound of many waters, like a roaring sea filling everything with sound; a voice was heard speaking to him. Imagine this amazing vision that the Apostle John beheld!

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And concluding this message to the bishop of the Church of Ephesus, the Lord says: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).

He who overcomes sin in his life overcomes the devil, overcomes himself—the old man. And God will give him to taste of the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God. This is the tree that Adam ate from and fell away from God, which is Christ. Christ is the Tree of Life, and the man who eats of it will not die (cf. Jn. 6:50). Christ says he will give Himself to such a man so he’ll be united with Him. The Tree of Life in the midst of God’s Paradise is Christ Himself. Thus ends the first epistle, addressed to the bishop of the Church of Ephesus.

Read the entire article: https://orthochristian.com/159470.html