Newsletter June 20, 2023

Regarding Pain

It was only Christ who did not offer a rational or explanatory answer and did not connect pain to one’s sins. When He was asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” He answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned” (John 9:2–3). It’s as if He was saying, Why do you care about the cause rather than the healing? And He restored the sight of the man. His answer was existential and practical. He saw the afflicted and healed them. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, opened the eyes of the blind, raised up the paralytic, raised the dead, and fed the hungry. How sweet is that phrase repeated in the gospels: “He was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34; Matt. 9:36, 14:14); “Moved with compassion, [He] stretched out His hand and touched him (Mark 1:41; Matt. 8:3; Luke 5:13); “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her” (Luke 7:13).

…

Don’t pursue pain. Christians pursue life: “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10)—not pain or sadness. Nevertheless, Christians face pain in the name of Christ, and take from His Cross strength and hope that will lead them to the Resurrection. Thus, many saints transformed their various pains and used their suffering to sanctify their lives. The one who loves God can transform everything to his own benefit.

Read the entire article:
https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1646

Many parishioners have shared with me how much they enjoyed being a part of the Baptisms this year at Pascha. So, we will try something out and see how it goes: we have 2 baptism coming up and we will conduct them Sunday morning before Liturgy in place of Sunday Orthros. This coming Sunday, June 25, Joey C. will be baptized. The following Sunday, July 2, Edward G. will be baptzed. The services will begin at 8:45 and should end right at 9:30 so that we can transition immediately into the Divine Liturgy.

We have all missed having our dear Nabil & Ida in the front row lately: they have moved back to California to be with their family there.

There is an opening in the Prosphora (bread for Holy Communion) baking schedule. If anyone is interested, please speak to Fr. Mark.

This Saturday (6/24), 9:00 A.M. If you have any question regarding weather, etc., please call.

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 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 5:1-10

Brethren, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man — though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Gospel: MATTHEW 6:22-33

The Lord said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

Righteous Alexei Mechev: To Live Without Demanding

Priest Roman Savchuk

“He was a modest and clairvoyant man…” And that’s enough! And there is no greater honor for a righteous man than these words. It remains only, after asking for the saint’s prayers, to recall the loving voice of the gentle pastor: “Be warmth and light to others; try to warm your family first; make an effort, and then these labors will so carry you away that the family circle will be too narrow for you; these warm rays will eventually embrace more and more people, and the circle you illuminate will gradually expand. So, try to make your lamp burn brightly…”

Read the entire article:
https://orthochristian.com/154353.html