Newsletter Feb. 24, 2023

The Holy Synod of our Church elected His Eminence Metropolitan SABA to become our new Metropolitan of North America.

Some links with further information:
Biography of His Eminence Metropolitan-elect Saba: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1524
Letter of Patriarch John X to the Antiochian Archdiocese: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1525

Let’s keep our recent tradtion of having a Cheese-fare Sunday cheese-fest pot-luck lunch! Bring your favorite cheesey thing to share.

This Sunday Feb. 26

Since we have a large group of people preparing for Baptism/Chrismation this Lent, we will reserve our Wed. evening classes during Lent for just the current catechumens only. After Pascha, the classes will again be open to everyone.

Note: There will be no class on Wed. March 1 since well be praying the Great Canon of Repentance that evening.

The Denver area Orthodox Churches will again share a pan-Orthodox Vespres service each Sunday evening during Great Lent. The schedule is included here and on our website calendar.

March 5, Assumption Theotokos Cathedral, Denver 6:00 PM
March 12, Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, Denver 5:00 PM
March 19, Ss. Peter & Paul, Boulder 5:00 PM
March 26, St Spyridon, Loveland 5:00 PM
April 2, St Elias, Arvada 5:00 PM

Father Andrew Stephen Damick at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Chruch
March 03 – 05, 2023
https://saintspyridon.church/common/ePost.php?EVID=284

We had good discussion this Tuesday regarding what the new group could entail. We have decided to meet once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. So we will meet Tuesday March 7. Come and see if you are interested!

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 ROMANS 13:11-14; 14:1-4

Brethren, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.

Gospel: MATTHEW 6:14-21

he Lord said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

How to Cope with Bad Thoughts and Failures in the Spiritual Life
Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

All the thoughts that affect the state of the soul come either from God (good changes), or from the devil (bad changes), or from a man himself (both good and bad). We know the good thoughts by their fruits. If we become more humble, more prayerful, meeker, more patient, warmer, nobler, more sensitive, this is the result of a good thought. But what should we do if not all of our changes are good?

A man himself also influences his spiritual world, producing good or bad thoughts depending on whether his internal “mechanism” is attuned correctly or not.

I’ll give you an example from the Gospels. When the harlot came into the house and anointed Christ’s feet with myrrh, many of the Disciples were indignant, especially Judas, who was a lover of money. He began to say: “Why is this woman wasting such expensive myrrh in vain to anoint the feet of Christ?” The bad thought was that she was wasting the myrrh. But further on in the Gospel it says that he wasn’t concerned for the poor, but was simply avaricious and wanted to get money for this myrrh, put it in the money bag, and then use it for his own purposes.

…

If we’re oversensitive and we condemn and berate ourselves, then we can start to despond or despair. Since in our time we can easily despair, it’s better not to bring ourselves to this.

The gift of tearful repentance, which the saints had, comes from spiritual labor, not from self-reproach. Tears of repentance are the first stage—then they become tears of love!

Read the entire article:
https://orthochristian.com/151137.html