Newsletter Dec. 22, 2022

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

Blessed is He Who gave Thee to us without our asking, so that by Thee we might thank Thy Father for His gift. ~St. Ephraim the Syrian, Hymn 4 on the Nativity

On this holy feast of the Nativity of Christ, God gives us everything through Christ: true knowledge of Him, inspiration to seek Him, empowerment to serve Him, and the means by which to thank and praise Him. May His Gift spiritually enrich all our lives, always and in every way.

Wishing you and your loved ones a most joyous feast, I remain,

Yours in Christ,

+Metropolitan ANTONIOS
Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek, and Dependencies
Patriarchal Vicar of New York and All North America

See the original:
https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net/websiteattachments/Prot.%20no.%20PV-016-2022%20-%20Nativity%20Greeting.pdf

I would like to create the opportunity to deepen / expand our spiritual life. I am going to start with a men’s group because there has already been some expressed interest. However, I am planning also to develop and start a similar group for Women. From the reading that I have been doing in this regard, it is clear that men and women experience and express their spiritualtity differently and that it is there beneficial to both that unique settings exist for both. I need to hear input from all of you. Please help me discern and formulate what these groups will function / look like. Let me hear from you!

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

Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Prosphora/Docs/prosphora sched 2023 web.pdf

Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Altar/Docs/epistle readers for 2023.pdf

Epistle: ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS 4:4-7

BRETHREN, when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir of God through Christ.

Gospel: MATTHEW 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

A Homily in Preparation for the Celebration of Christmas
Saint John Chrysostom

A feast day is about to arrive and it is the most holy, august, and awesome of all feasts; it would be no mistake to call it the chief and mother of all holy days. What feast is that? The day of Christ’s birth in the flesh. It is from this day that the feasts of the Theophany, the sacred Pasch[a], the Ascension, and Pentecost had their source and foundation. Had Christ not been born in the flesh, he would not have been baptized, which is the Theophany or Manifestation; nor would he have been crucified, which is the Pasch[a]; nor would he have sent down the Spirit, which is Pentecost. So, it is that, just as different rivers arise from a source, these other feasts have their beginnings from the birth of Christ.

Not only for this reason it is right that the day of Christ’s birth should enjoy the principal place but also because what occurred on this day provides a much stronger reason for us to experience a holy fear and trembling than all the others do. For the fact that Christ, who became man, also died was a consequence of his birth. Even though he was free from any sin, he did take upon himself a mortal body, and that should make us marvel. That he who is God was willing to become man, that he endured to accommodate himself to our weakness and to come down to our level is to great for our minds to grasp. It makes us shudder with the deepest holy fear; it fills us with terror and trembling. This is what amazed Paul when he said: “Wonderful indeed, is the mystery of our religion.” How wonderful? “God was manifested in the flesh.” And again, in another place: “God is not taking to himself the angels but he is concerned with taking to himself the children of Abraham; therefore, it was right for him to become like his brothers in every way.” This is why I especially greet and love this day. This is why I set before your eyes his love so that I may make you share in it. And this is why I ask and beg all of you to be here in Church for that feast with all zeal and alacrity. Let each of us leave his house empty so that we may see our master wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. This is a sight which is filled with holy fear and trembling. It is incredible and beyond our every expectation.

And surely the master’s body will be lying on this altar, not wrapped in swaddling clothes, as it was after birth, but clothed all about by the Holy Spirit. Those who have been initiated understand what I am saying. The magi adored him, but that was all. If your conscience is without stain when you come forward, we shall allow you even to receive that body and then to go off to your home. Do you, therefore, come forward and bring your gifts, not such gifts as the magi brought, but gifts which are far holier and more august. The magi brought gold; you bring a temperate and virtuous spirit. They brought incense; you must offer pure prayers, which are the incense of the soul. They brought myrrh; you must bring a humble and contrite heart along with alms.

Read the entire article:
https://www.orthodoxethos.com/post/a-homily-in-preparation-for-the-celebration-of-christmas-according-to-saint-john-chrysostom