Newsletter Jan. 12, 2023

St. James Parish News

January 12, 2023
Feast of Tatiana the Martyr of Rome

The crowds in the desert were like unto sheep that have no shepherd. The Merciful became their shepherd, and multiplied to them the pasture of bread. Yea, blessed are ye that are perfect, that are sealed as lambs of Christ, that of His Body and Blood are made worthy; the Pastor Himself is become pasture for you!

Out of water He made the wine, He gave it for drink to the youths in the feast. For you who are keeping the fast, better is the unction than drink. In His wine the betrothed are wedded, by His oil the wedded are sanctified. By His wine is union; by His oil sanctification.

The sheep of Christ leaped for joy, to receive the seal of life, that ensign of kings which has ever put sin to flight. The Wicked by Thy ensign is routed, iniquities by Thy sign are scattered. Come, ye sheep, receive your seal, which puts to flight them that devour you!

Come, ye lambs, receive your seal, for it is truth that is your seal! This is the seal that separates, them of the household from strangers. The steel circumcised alike, the gainsayers and the sons of Hagar. If circumcision be the sign of the sheep, lo! by it the goats are signed.

But ye, who are the new flock, have put off the doings of wolves, and as lambs are made like to the Lamb. One by changing has changed all; the Lamb to the wolves gave Himself to be slain; the wolves rushed and devoured Him and became lambs; for the Shepherd was changed into a Lamb; likewise the wolf forgot his nature.

Look on me also in Thy mercy! be not branded on me the seal, of the goats the sons of the left hand! let not Thy sheep become a goat! For though to justify myself I sufficed not, yet to be a sinner I willed not. Turn thine eyes, O my Lord, from what I have done, and seek not only what I have willed.

From them that write and them that preach, from them that hear and them that are sealed, let glory go up to Christ, and through Him to His Father be exaltation! He Who gives words to them that speak, and gives voice to them that preach, has given understanding to them that hear, and consecrates chrism for him that is sealed.

St. Ephraim the Syrian

Theophany Home Blessings

In this time after the Feast of Theophany and before Great Lent (1/6 – 2/27) we bring the Holy Water newly blessed during Theophany services to each of our homes and celebrate the service of the Theophany Home Blessing. I would love to celebrate it at everyone’s home (catechumens included!) this year.

As I am still working a secular job, weekday evenings are the prefered time. Please contact me via phone or email to schedule a time. Also, while I appreciate everyone’s hospitality, I would prefer not being invited to a meal. We can celebrate the service and then have a visit over a cup of tea (or other refreshment).

For the celebration of the service, I simply need a small space near your icons. I will bring everything required with me. If you would like to light a candle and carry it around during the blessing that would be great. The service is simple: we will say the few prayers and a litany, and then we will walk through the home and bless each room with the Holy Water.

Propriety

Just a brief (periodic) reminder about propriety in the Church: We do not bring food or snacks into the Church. We do not bring drinks (coffee, juice, water, anything) into the Church.

As much as possible, we should avoid leaving the Church once we enter. This is not a law or requirement: it is simply something toward which consciously and conscientiously to strive.

When entering (or leaving) or otherwise moving about in the Church, we should NOT do so during a censing or during any Epistle or Gospel reading or during Holy Communion.

And finally: standing and sitting. While it is tradional only to stand when in Church, in our parish, one is free to do either. Whichever we choose, we do so with zeal and attention (as we here from the priest/deacon: “Let us attend” and “With strength!”). So we stand or sit at attention, not slackly, not relaxed, not reclining, not with legs crossed. For those who choose to sit, a reminder that there are certain times when everyone stands. We all stand during a censing, when the Holy Gospel is read, when being blessed by the bishop/priest: whenever he says “Peace be to all” and during the dismissal, When singing the Trisagion Hymn (Holy God, Holy mighty …), For the Lord’s Prayer, and we all stand throughout the entirety of Holy Communion: whether communing or not, whether waiting to receive or after having received, we all stand the entire time because the Holy Gifts have been brought out of the altar and into our presence. It is a matter of lovingly giving honour and respect to the physical presence of Christ amongst us.

(ps. Thank you all for being careful to silence our stupid cell phones. Please keep up the good work. Now that I say something, it will probably be my phone that is the next to ring…)

Name days, Birthdays and Anniversaries

Fr. Mark – Nameday: 01-19

May God grant you many years!

Upcoming Feasts / Celebrations

Tuesday January 17
6:30 PM Women’s Group
Women’s Spirituality Group discussion
Wednesday January 18
5:30 PM Divine Liturgy
6:45 PM Spirituality class
Saturday January 21
9:00 AM Men’s Group
Monday January 23
6:30 PM Men’s Spirituality Group
Wednesday January 25
5:30 PM Divine Liturgy
6:45 PM Catechumen class
Thursday February 2
Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord
5:00 PM Orthros
6:00 PM Divine Liturgy
Monday February 27
Great Lent begins

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

Prosphora

January 15 Tadros
January 22 Yadlowsky
January 29 Majors (Nana)
February 5 Vidaurri

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

Readers

January 15 Thomas 29th after Pentecost Col. 3:4-11
January 22 Christos 32nd after Pentecost I Tim. 4:9-15
January 29 Ken 17th after Pentecost II Cor. 6:16-7:1
February 5 James 33rd after Pentecost II Tim. 3:10-15
February 12 Nicholas 34th after Pentecost I Cor. 6:12-20
February 19 Isaac/Micah Last Judgment (Meat Fare) I Cor. 8:8-9:2
February 26 Nate Forgiveness (Cheese Fare) Rom. 13:11-14:4

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

Scripture Readings for this coming Sunday

Epistle: ST. PAUL’S LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS 3:4-11

Brethren, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.

Gospel: LUKE 17:12-19

At that time, as Jesus entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’s feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him: “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Spiritual Reading

Christmas in Exile
Hieromonk Gabriel

Today is the Feast of the Nativity, whereon we commemorate the Incarnation of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. So great is this feast-day that even centuries of unprecedented godlessness and apostasy have been unable to erase it from our culture’s remembrance, even when nearly all other trappings of our Christian faith and heritage have disappeared from our social landscape. And though our scholars now try to disguise it with altered abbreviations, even our calendars still proclaim the great truth that human history was irrevocably altered and even created anew on this astonishing day two thousand years ago.

The Mother of God and St. Joseph met the Nativity of Christ as pilgrims, having been driven from their home at the behest of the Roman census, and (as we well know) could not find even the lowliest of human lodgings on that night. The Gospel reading we have just heard tells us of the Wise Men from the East, who forsook their homes and families for the hard and weary path of pilgrimage, all for the hope of one day meeting Christ — though nobody and nothing had ever told them about Him, save only the mysterious Star, and “the law written in their hearts” (cf. Rom. 2:15). Even the shepherds, though they lived nearby, still had to choose to leave their earthly cares and occupations behind them in order to come to the cave and see the newborn Son of God.

And so, my brothers and sisters, if we also wish to behold and to participate in the great mystery of this feast-day, then there is no choice but for us also to become pilgrims. We too must make our own the words of the shepherds: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” (Luke 2:15). Because it turns out that Christmastime is not properly observed by sitting at home, drinking warm drinks and enjoying one another’s company by the fire. Christmastime can only be observed properly by those who have chosen to become “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13).

Read the entire article:

Christmas in Exile

V. Rev. Mark Haas
St. James Orthodox Church
2610 S.E. Frontage Rd.
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970.221.4180
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