Ιδού Προσέρχομαι Χριστώ τώ Αθανάτω Βασιλεί καί Θεώ Ημών

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1 KGreek Orthodox Church of Kimisis Theotokou - Brooklyn Ελληνορθόδοξος Ναός της Κοιµήσεως της Θεοτόκου -Brooklyn Ιδού Προσέρχομαι Χριστώ τώ Αθανάτω Βασιλεί καί Θεώ Ημών Ο ΓΛΥΚΑΣΜΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΓΕΛΩΝ "" ISSUE no. 4 ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΤΕΣΣΑΡΑΚΟΣΤΗ 2014 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014 ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT 1

2 Ψ Υ Χ Ο Φ Ε Λ Ε Ι Σ Δ Ι Δ Α Χ Ε Σ ΕΙΠΕ ΓΕΡΩΝ... - Γέροντα, οι δοκιµασίες πάντοτε ωφελούν τους ανθρώπους; - Εξαρτάται από το πως αντιµετωπίζει κανείς τις δοκιµασίες. Όσοι δεν έχουν καλήδιάθεση, βρίζουν τον Θεό, όταν τους βρίσκουν διάφορες δοκιµασίες. «Γιατί να το πάθω εγώ αυτό; Λένε. Να, ο άλλος έχει τόσα καλά! Θεός είναι αυτός;» Δεν λένε «ήµαρτον», αλλά βασανίζονται. Ενώ οι φιλότιµοι λένε: «Δόξα τω Θεώ! Αυτή η δοκιµασία µε έφερε κοντά στον Θεό. Ο Θεός για το καλό µου το έκανε». Και ενώ µπορεί πρώτα να µην πατούσαν καθόλου στην εκκλησία, µετά αρχίζουν να εκκλησιάζωνται, να εξοµολογούνται, να κοινωνούν. Πολλές φορές µάλιστα ο Θεός τους πολύ σκληρούς τους φέρνει κάποια στιγµή µε µια δοκιµασία σε τέτοιο φιλότιµο, που µόνοι τους παίρνουν µεγάλη στροφή και εξιλεώνονται µε τον πόνο που νιώθουν για όσα έκαναν. - Γέροντα, πρέπει να λέµε «δόξα Σοι ο Θεός», όταν όλα πηγαίνουν καλά; - Μα, αν δεν λέµε το «δόξα Σοι ο Θεός» στις χαρές, πως θα το πούµε στις θλίψεις; Εσύ το λες στις θλίψεις και δεν θέλεις να το πης στις χαρές; Αλλά, όταν είναι αχάριστος κανείς, δεν γνωρίζει την αγάπη του Θεού. Η αχαριστία είναι µεγάλη αµαρτία. Για µένα είναι θανάσιµο αµάρτηµα. Ο αχάριστος µε τίποτε δεν ευχαριστιέται Για όλα γκρινιάζει, όλα του φταίνε. Στην πατρίδα µου, τα Φάρασα της Καππαδοκίας, χρησιµοποιούσαν πολύ το πετιµέζι. Ένα βράδυ µια κοπέλα έκλαιγε, γιατί ήθελε πετιµέζι. Η µάνα της - τι να κάνη; - πήγε και ζήτησε από την γειτονιά. Αυτή, µόλις πήρε το πετιµέζι, έβαλε πάλι τα κλάµατα. Χτυπούσε τα πόδια της κάτω και φώναζε: «Μαµά, θέλω και γιαούρτι». «Τέτοια ώρα, παιδάκι µου, που να βρω γιαούρτι;» της λέει η µάνα της. «Όχι, θέλω γιαούρτι». Πήγε, υποχρεώθηκε η καηµένη σε µια γειτόνισσα, της έφερε και γιαούρτι. Το παίρνει η κόρη και βάζει πάλι τα κλάµατα. «Τώρα γιατί κλαις;», την ρωτάει η µάνα της. «Μαµά, τα θέλω ανακατεµένα». Τα παίρνει η µάνα, τα ανακατεύει. Αυτή βάζει πάλι τα κλάµατα. «Μαµά δεν µπορώ να τα φάω έτσι. Θέλω να τα ξεχωρίσω!». Οπότε την παρέλαβε στα σκαµπίλια η µάνα της, και...; ξεχωρίσθηκε το πετιµέζι από το γιαούρτι! Έτσι, θέλω να πω, κάνουν µερικές φορές πολλοί άνθρωποι, και τότε έρχεται η παιδαγωγία του Θεού. Τουλάχιστον να αναγνωρίζουµε την αχαριστία µας και να ευχαριστούµε τον Θεό µέρα-νύχτα για τις ευλογίες που µας δίνει. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα πάρουµε καταπόδι τον δειλό διάβολο, ο οποίος θα συµµαζέψη τα ταγκαλάκια του και θα γίνη µαύρος καπνός, γιατί θα του έχουµε βρει πια το αδύνατο σηµείο. (ΓΕΡΟΝΤΟΣ ΠΑΪΣΙΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΟΥ - ΛΟΓΟΙ Δ - ΟΙΚΟΓΕΝΕΙΑΚΗ ΖΩΗ) Θαύµα της Παναγίας στη Mονή Σαϊνταναγια Ένα θαυµαστό γεγονός πραγµατοποιήθηκε πρόσφατα στο Γυναικείο Μοναστήρι της Παναγίας της Σαϊντανάγια στη Συρία. Να αναφερθεί ότι ο συνεχιζόµενος εµφύλιος πόλεµος έχει καταστρέψει πολλά χριστιανικά ιδρύµατα, ενώ εκτόπισε χιλιάδες χριστιανούς από τα σπίτια τους. Σύµφωνα µε µαρτυρίες τον περασµένο µήνα µια οµάδα ανταρτών εκτόξευσε ρουκέτα εναντίον της Μονής. Οι µοναχές που βρισκόταν µέσα στο Μοναστήρι ένιωσαν έναν µεγάλο θόρυβο, και το έδαφος να δονείται. Το µόνο σίγουρο ήταν ότι η ρουκέτα θα κατέστρεφε το Μοναστήρι και οι µοναχές θα σκοτωνόνταν. Όµως εκ θαύµατος δεν συνέβη το παραµικρό και οι µοναχές αναρωτήθηκαν για την "τύχη" της ρουκέτας. Λίγες µέρες αργότερα ένας ανώτατος αξιωµατικός του Συριακού στρατού επισκέφθηκε την Μονή, για να εορτάσει τα Χριστούγεννα και την νέα χρονιά. Κατά την διάρκεια της επίσκεψης ο ανώτατος αξιωµατικός, ρώτησε αν στο Μοναστήρι συνέβη κάτι ασυνήθιστο τελευταία. Οι µοναχές ανέφεραν το περιστατικό µε την ρουκέτα που εκτοξεύτηκε κατά της Μονής, η οποία τελικά αναρωτηθήκαν πως δεν τους χτύπησε. Τότε ο αξιωµατικός έµεινε έκπληκτος ακούγοντας από τις µοναχές το συµβάν και επιβεβαιώθηκε αυτό που ο ίδιος είδε. Συγκεκριµένα ο Αξιωµατικός είδε την στιγµή που οι αντάρτες εκτόξευσαν την ρουκέτα εναντίον της µονής, όµως τόσο αυτός όσο και άλλοι αξιωµατικοί είδαν κάτι ασυνήθιστο και εκπληκτικό. Ενώ η ρουκέτα επλησίαζε να χτυπήσει το Μοναστήρι, ξαφνικά µια γυναίκα ντυµένη µε µπλε άµφια, εµφανίστηκε στον ουρανό και έπιασε την ρουκέτα στα χέρια Της και την έριξε µακριά. Αυτό αµέσως προκάλεσε µεγάλη έκπληξη και απορία σε όλους. Ο στρατηγός αναρωτήθηκε ποιά ήταν αυτή η Κυρία που ήταν ντυµένη στα µπλέ µε µια εκπληκτική χάρη γύρω Της. Tελικά κατάλαβαν ότι δεν ήταν καµιά άλλη από την Υπεραγία Θεοτόκο την Μητέρα Χριστού του Θεού, Κυρίου και Σωτήρα µας. Δηµιουργηθηκε την Πέµπτη, 30 Ιανουαρίου 2014 Γράφτηκε από τον/την Romfea.gr MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

3 Τ Ο Τ Ρ Ι Ω Δ Ι Ο Ν ΤΟ ΤΡΙΩΔΙΟΝ του Ιεροδιακόνου Χριστοδούλου Ροδίτη ΉΉδη έχουμε φτάσει στην καρδιά της Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστής. Και ο πνευματικός αγώνας, για πολλούς, συνεχίζει με επιτυχία. Προσευχόμαστε, νηστεύουμε και εκκλησιαζόμαστε τακτικά. ΌΌλα πάνε καλά και κατά τάξη. Αυτός ο μήνας όμως θα μας δοκιμάσει. Διότι ευκολότερος είναι ο πνευματικός αγώνας τις πρώτες μέρες και τις πρώτες εβδομάδες. Τότε δεν μας έχει πειράξει ακόμη η έλλειψη των πολλών αγαθών που συνηθίζουμε να απολαμβάνουμε. Τα σκεφτόμαστε, βέβαια, αλλά δεν έχει περάσει πολύς καιρός που τα εγκαταλείψαμε. Με μαθηματική ακρίβεια όμως έρχεται η στιγμή για τον κάθε άνθρωπο που λιγοστεύει ο ενθουσιασμός, και αρχίζουμε να τεντώνουμε περισσότερο τα εσωτερικά αυτιά μας στις κραυγές του σώματος. Τώρα με δυσκολία αντιστεκόμαστε στην κοιλιά μας που γουργουράει και ζητά αρτίσιμο και περισσότερο φαγητό. Τώρα με δυσκολία και δισταγμό αντιμετοπίζουμε το θέμα του εκκλησιασμού, έχωντας καταλάβει ότι κουραζόμαστε πιο εύκολα, και ότι ταλαιπωρούμε περισσότερο το σώμα μας κάθε μέρα που περνάει. Και πάνω απ όλα, τώρα αρχίζουμε να ακούμε ποιό έντονα τα ψυθιρίσματα του διαβόλου που αυξάνονται όσο αγωνιζόμαστε, συμβουλεύοντάς μας να τα παρατήσουμε όλα. "Τι θές εσύ τώρα να πηγαίνεις στην Εκκλησία και να νηστεύεις;" μας λέει ο πονηρός, "ο Θεός δεν θέλει να κουράζεσαι και να πεινάς. Αυτά είναι θεωρίες των παππάδων. ΆΆλλωστε, μοναχός η μοναχή δεν είσαι. Στον κόσμο ζείς. Ας τα κάνουν αυτοί που θέλουν και μπορούν. Εσύ είσαι απλός άνθρωπος." Με πολύ λογική βλέπεται μας ομιλεί ο διάβολος, προσπαθώντας να μας βγάλλει άπο τον γλυκό πνευματικό αγώνα που τον καίει αφάνταστα και θανάσιμα τούτη την περίοδο. ΆΆλλα με περισσότερη λογική μας ομιλεί ο Χριστός και η Εκκλησία αυτές τις μέρες, πρώτον για την ανάγκη να συνεχίσουμε την προσπάθεια μας όταν δεχόμαστε αυτόν τον πόλεμον άπο τον διάβολο, και δεύτερο, για την ικανότητα του καθενός μας, άσχετως άν είμαστε μοναχοί ή όχι, να φτάσουμε στο τέλος της Τεσσαρακοστής ως νικητές έναντι του διαβόλου, των αμφισβητήσεων, των παραπονιών του σώματος και του νοός, και των παθών και αμαρτιών μας. Πώς μας ενδυναμώνει η Εκκκλησία και πώς μας δίνει κουράγειο; Μέσω των ύμνων των ακολουθιών αυτής της περιόδου, του κηρύγματος (γραπτού και προφορικού) του κληρικού, όπως και φυσικά μέσω των Ευαγγελικών περικοπών που διαβάζονται αυτές τις Κυριακές της Τεσσαρακοστής και των βίων εκείνων των αγίων που εορτάζουμε και προβάλλονται αυτήν την εποχή. Το καθένα Ευαγγέλιο και ο κάθε βίος Αγίου η Αγίας μας εξοπλίζουν πνευματικά με τις κατάλληλες συμβουλές και διδαχές ακριβώς τώρα, όταν τις χρειαζόμαστε περισσότερο. Ας τα μελετήσουμε. Το πρώτο Ευαγγέλιο της σειράς παρέχει τρία σπουδαία και αναγκαία μηνύματα για τον κάθε Χριστιανό που έχει βαλθεί στον αγώνα της Μ. Τεσσαρακοστής. Το πρώτο είναι ότι χρειάζεται να έχουμε ταπείνωση και πνεύμα συγχώρεσης άν θέλουμε να πετύχουμε και να είναι ευάρεστος ο αγώνας μας στον Θεόν. Το δεύτερο είναι να μην καυχόμαστε για τα πνευματικά μας κατορθώματα. Και το τρίτο είναι να έχουμε πάντοτε στόχο την απόκτηση των πνευματικών και ουράνιων αγαθών και θησαυρών, όχι των επίγειων. Νομίζω ότι η δύο τελευταίες διδαχές είναι αυτονόητες. ΌΌτι κάνουμε για την ψυχή μας, εκτός απο την συμμετοχή μας στην κοινή λατρεία της Εκκλησίας, πρέπει να γίνεται εν κρυπτώ. Δεν υπάρχει ανάγκη να διαφημίζουμε πόσο προσευχόμαστε η πόσο αυστηρή είναι η νηστεία μας. ΆΆν αισθανόμαστε την ανάγκη για διαφήμιση, πάει να πεί ότι κάτι δεν πάει καλά, και ότι θέλουμε να ακούσουμε το "μπράβο" απο τους ανθρώπους και όχι απο τον Θεόν. Αυτό δεν μας συμφέρει γιατί αυτές οι επευφημίες ανθρώπων που κερδίζουμε στη γη μένουν εδώ και χάνονται, ενώ το μπράβο του Θεού μένει εις τον αιώνα, μαζί με τα πνευματικά βραβεία και τους θυσαυρούς που αποκτάμε όταν τηρούμε με σιωπή και χωρίς διαφήμιση τους νόμους του Θεού. Σχετικά τώρα με την πρώτη διδαχή (ότι χρειάζεται να έχουμε ταπείνωση και πνεύμα συγχώρεσης), ας πούμε λίγα λόγια περισότερα. ΌΌλοι μας, νομίζω, γνωρίζουμε ότι στις μέρες μας προτιμούνται και βραβεύονται με θέσεις και δόξες οι δυναμικοί, οι εγωκεντρικοί και εκείνοι που δεν αφήνουν κανένα ηθικό εμπόδιο να τους σταματήσει την άνοδο στην κλίμακα της κοινωνίας. Καθιμερινώς προβάλλονται άπο τα ΜΜΕ, ως ήρωοι και παραδείγματα προς μίμηση, άνθρωποι που έκαναν ότι χρειαζόταν για να φτάσουν στην MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

4 Τ Ο Τ Ρ Ι Ω Δ Ι Ο Ν κορυφή. ΌΌμως ο Θεός δεν θεωρεί χαρίσματα τον αυτοκεντρισμό και την δίψα για δύναμη και δόξα όπως τυχαίνει με τον σημερινό κόσμο. Οι ταπεινοί και κοσμικώς αδύνατοι και παραλειπόμενοι, μας λέει ξεκάθαρα μέσω του Υιού Του, θα κληρονομήσουν την Βασιλεία του Ουρανού, όχι οι εγωιστές. Γιατί; Διότι χωρίς ταπείνωση δεν μπορούμε να κατορθώσουμε τίποτα σε πνευματικό επίπεδο. ΌΌποιος δεν είναι ταπεινός και νομίζει ότι πάει καλά (που σημαίνει ότι δεν έχει συνειδητοποιήσει την αμαρτηλότητά του, άρα και την ανάγκη για αγώνα), πολύ εύκολα και σύντομα παραδίνει τα όπλα αντιμετωπίζοντας την παραμικρή δυσκολία. Αντιθέτως, ο ταπεινός άνθρωπος αισθάνεται έντονα την ανάγκη για συγχώρεση, και έτσι αγωνίζεται με περισότερο ζήλο και αφοσίωση. Ακόμη όταν πέσει σοβαρά η δυστάξει πολύ μπροστά σε κάποιο πνευματικό εμπόδιο δεν παραδίνεται, άλλα με ταπείνωση ζητά την βοήθεια του Θεού, γνωρίζοντας ότι μόνος του δεν μπορεί να κατορθώσει τίποτα. Δεν σταματάει όμως εκεί. Η αληθινή και βαθειά ταπείνωση εν συνέχεια γεννάει ένα ακόμα χάρισμα--αυτό της συγχώρεσης. Διότι όποιος έχει ταπείνωση βλέπει με συγχωρητικο μάτι τον συνάνθρωπό του. Γνωρίζει ότι και εκείνος παλεύει με τα δικά του δαιμόνια όπως ο ίδιος. Και αν τύχει να στεναχωρεθεί άπο τον συνάνθρωπο, αντί να τον βρίσει η να του κάνει κάποιο κακό, προσεύχεται ο ταπεινός στον Θεόν να συγχωρέσει και να δώσει και σε εκείνον την ίδια βοήθεια που λαμβάνει ο ίδιος. Αυτές οι σκέψεις σχετικά με το πως γεννάει ένα χάρισμα το άλλο, μας φέρνουν σε σημείο να δώσουμε τώρα προσοχή στους δύο Αγίους που εορτάζουμε αυτό το μήνα. Ο ένας είναι ο ΆΆγιος Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς και ο άλλος ο ΆΆγιος Ιωάννης της Κλίμακος. Και οι δύο προσέφεραν στην Εκκλησία κάτι τόσο σπουδαίο και μοναδικό, ώστε θέσπισαν οι Πατέρες να εορτάζονται στην πιό επίσημη περίοδος του έτους. Ο ΆΆγιος Γρηγόριος ήταν έκεινος που ένωσε την θεωρία με την πράξη, δίνοντας θεολογική βάση και εξήγηση στην πρακτική του "Ισυχασμού" που τηρούσαν οι μοναχοί. Δηλαδή, η αποκοπή απο τον κόσμο μακριά άπο τους ανθρώπους, της οποίας ο σκοπός ήταν η ένωση με τον Θεόν και την συνεχή επικοινωνία μαζί Του μέσω της ισυχίας, της προσευχής και της νηστείας. Αυτό που έσπρωξε τον ΆΆγιο να ασχοληθεί με τον Ισυχασμό ήταν το γεγονός ότι την εποχή τότε, στον 13ο αιώνα, κάποιοι αρνούνταν ότι μπορούσε ο άνθρωπος ποτέ να πλησιάσει τον Θεόν και να αγγίξει την θεότητα όπως πίστευαν οι μοναχοί. Ο ΆΆγιος Γρηγόριος μελέτησε το θέμα, και έδωσε στον Ορθόδοξο κόσμο τις απαιτούμενες διευκρινίσεις, όπως και μία θεολογία του Ισυχασμού που μετέπειτα αναγνωρίστηκε ως δόγμα άπο την Εκκλησία. Ξεκαθάρισε μιά για πάντα ότι ο Θεός είναι όντως απροσπέλαστος και ακατανόητος ως προς την ουσία Του, άλλα προσιτός την ίδια στιγμή ως προς τις "ενέργιές" Του, μέσω των οποίων ηδύνατο ο άνθρωπος να προσελκύσει και να προσεγγίσει την θεότητα, αγιάζοντας έτσι την ανθρώπινη φύση του. Σε τούτες τις αλήθειες, που τις γνώριζαν και τις είχαν βάλλει σε πράξη οι μοναχοί για αιώνες ολόκληρους, ο ΆΆγιος έδωσε την σφραγίδα ορθότητας και της γνήσιας Ορθοδοξίας που χρειαζόταν, ώστε να μην ξανά υπάρξει θέμα μέσα στην Εκκλησία πάνω στο θέμα, και για να αποστομώσει τους αιρετικούς της Δύσης που δίδασκαν το αντίθετο. Τι σημασία έχει για μας αυτή η προσφορά του Αγίου; Μπορούμε να είμαστε σίγουροι ότι ο πνευματικός αγώνας, όταν γίνεται σωστά, φέρνει καρπούς και μηδενίζει την απόσταση που υπάρχει μεταξύ ανθρώπων και του Θεού. Οι βίοι των Αγιών το μαρτυρούν αυτό ξεκάθαρα. Αλλιώς δεν θα μπορούσαν να ποιούν θαύματα και σημεία τα οποία είναι αδύνατα κατ άνθρωπων. Για να φτάσουμε όμως στην πνευματική κορυφή, χρειάζεται κόπος και χρόνος. Για να φτάσουμε στην θέωση χρειάζεται να αγωνιστούμε συστηματικά με βάση κάποιο πνευματικό πρόγραμμα. Τούτο το πρόγραμμα προσέφερε στην Ορθοδοξία ο δεύτερος εορταζόμενος ΆΆγιος του μηνός, ο Αγιος Ιωαννης της Κλιμακος, ο οποίος μελέτησε τους βίους των αγίων ισυχαστών και αγωνιστών, μάζεψε μαζί όλες τις διδαχές των, και τα συνέθεσε όλα σε ένα κείμενο το οποίο ονόμασε "Κλίμαξ." ΈΈδωσε τούτη την ονομασία στο κείμενο διότι όλα τα χαρίσματα, όπως όλα τα πάθη, προέρχονται άπο κάπου και αποτελούν βάση για άλλα. Για παράδειγμα, όπως ο εγωισμός είναι η μήτηρ παντός κακού και πάθους, έτσι είναι το αντίθετο του, η ταπείνωση, μήτηρ πασών των χαρισμάτων και το αντίδοτο του εγωισμού. Η ταπείνωση είναι το 4 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

5 P H I L O P T O C H O S L U N C H E O N πρώτο σκαλί που ανεβαίνει ο Ορθόδοξος σε τούτη την κλίμακα που ενώνει την γή με τον ουρανό, και αν δεν την αποκτήσει, δεν πρόκειται να προχωρήσει στο δεύτερο σκαλί. Το ένα χάρισμα φέρνει το άλλο. Εκείνος, ως παράδειγμα, που αγωνίζεται να νηστεύει άλλα δεν είναι ταπεινός και δεν εχει αγάπη στην καρδιά του, στον αέρα βαδίζει. Νομίζει ότι βρίσκεται "στον ουρανό" ενώ στην πραγματικότητα είναι πεσμένος στον πάτο, παγιδευσάμενος στα πλοκάμια του εγωισμού και του εγωκεντρισμού. Για να γίνει η σωστή άνοδος χρειάζεται συστηματικός αγώνας, όπως γίνεται στα μοναστήρια κάτω απο το βλέμμα του ηγουμένου και των άλλων πνευματικώς προχωρημένων μοναχών. Οι έμπειροι πνευματικοί πατέρες δοκιμάζουν και καθοδηγούν τους αρχάριους διότι με το καθε σκαλί που ανεβαίνουν ο κόπος αυξάνεται για να φτάσουν στο επόμενο, και πολύ εύκολα είναι, σε μία στιγμή απροσεξίας, να παραπατήσει κανείς και να βρεθεί πίσω στην αρχή. Αυτό το σύστημα και αυτή η "συνταγή" επιτυχίας στο χόρο της πνευματικότητας μπορούμε και εμείς να μάθουμε απο την Κλίμακα του Αγίου Ιωάννου. Δεν ισχύουν οι κανόνες της Κλίμακος μόνο για τους μοναχούς. Για όσους έχουν ψυχή και σώμα ισχύει. Δηλαδή, και γιά μας και γιά εκείνους. Ο πνευματικός αγώνας ένας είναι, ήτε φοράμε ράσο η όχι. Τέλος, η 4η Κυριακή του μηνός είναι αφιερωμένη στον Σταυρό και έχει μεγάλη σημασία για τον πιστόν. Προβάλλεται ο Σταυρός αυτήν την Κυριακή, ακριβώς στην μέση της Τεσσαρακοστής, για να μας υπενθυμίσει δύο πράγματα. Πρώτον, ποιός είναι ο προορισμός μας τούτη την περίοδο. Δηλαδή, συνάντηση με τον Εσταυρωμένο Χριστό στον Γολγοθά, για την οποίαν ολοκληρος ο αγώνας μας (η εξομολόγηση, η περρισότερη προσευχή, η αυστηρότερη νηστεία) μας προετοιμάζει. Το δεύτερο που μας υπενθυμίσει είναι ότι ο αγώνας ο καλός και ο δρόμος που οδηγεί στον Θεον είναι γεμάτο αγκάθια. Είναι γεμάτο απο στεναχώριες, πίκρες, και ήττες. Είναι με μία λέξη ένας σταυρος. "Οποιος θελει να με ακολουθήσει" λέγει ο Χριστος, "να σηκώσει τον σταυρον του και να με ακολουθήσει." Δεν υπάρχει εύκολος δρόμος για τον Ορθόδοξο. "Οπως εμένα πολέμησαν, έτσι θα πολεμήσουν και σας" είπε σε άλλη ευκαιρία ο Χριστος. Πάντοτε θα υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που θα μας εμποδίζουν στο έργο του Θεού. Και μην ξεχνάμε ότι και η ίδια φύση μας πολεμάει. Τα πάθη και οι κακές συνήθειες μας μας κρατάνε προσγειωμένους, έχοντας κόψει τα πνευματικά μας φτερά που χρειαζόμαστε να πετάξουμε πνευματικά. Για να νικήσουμε τα πάθη χρειάζεται κόπος και υδρώτας, ακόμη και πόνο. Δεν είπε κανείς ότι ο αγώνας της τελοιοποίησης και αγιοποίησης είναι εύκολος. Αν μας φοβίζει τούτη η είδηση, μην φοβόμαστε. Στο δεύτερο Ευαγγέλιο ακούμε κάτι να λέει ο Χριστός στους μαθητάς που πρέπει να μας ενθαρύνει. "Μείζον τούτο θα δείτε" λέει στους μαθητάς του, οι οποίοι θαύμασαν τον Χριστό γιατί είδε τον Ναθαναήλ να κάθεται κάτω άπο ένα δένδρο πριν τον είχε κάν γνωρίσει. "Μην θαυμάζεται τούτο" τους λέει, "ακόμη περισσότερα και μεγαλύτερα θα δείτε," εννοώντας όχι μονο τα θαυμάσια γεγονότα που επρόκειτο οι μαθητές να δούν τον Χριστο να τελεί, άλλα και τα θαύματα που θα έβλεπαν να ποιούν οι ίδιοι εν τω ονόματί Του. Αυτά τα θαύματα και αυτές τις νίκες εναντίον του διαβόλου και της αμαρτίας μπορούμε και εμείς να καταφέρουμε ως βαπτισμένοι Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί στο όνομα της Αγίας Τριάδος. Με την εξομολόγηση, την νηστεία, την Θεία Κοινωνία και την συμμετοχή μας στην μυστηριακή ζωή της Εκκλησίας, γινόμαστε και εμείς μικροί Χριστοί. Η δύναμί Του γίνεται και δική μας, ώστε να μπορούμε να αντέξουμε και εμείς τον σταυρόν μας, όπως άντεξε ο Χριστός τον δικόν Του. ΈΈχει μεγαλη σημασία αυτό το Ευαγγέλιο διότι μας δίνει κουράγιο ότι δεν πολεμάμε μόνοι μας. ΈΈχουμε πάντα τον Μέγαν Στρατηγόν δίπλα μας, όπως και τις φρουρές αγγέλων Αυτού, που στέκονται έτοιμοι να δώσουν την κατάλληλη βοήθεια όταν και όποτε χρειαστεί. ΆΆφοβοι λοιπόν και με περισσότερο ζήλο ας συνεχίσουμε τον Τεσσαρακοστιανό αγώνα μας. ΈΈχοντας ξαναφορτώσει τις πνευματικές μπαταρίες της ψυχής μας όπως έλεγε κάποτε ο Γέροντας Παίσιος, ας αγωνιστούμε πιό σκληρά και πιο δυνατά τώρα που έχει αρχίσει να φαίνεται ο στόχος και προόρισμος της Τεσσαρακοστής: ο Σταυρός του Κυρίου και η ζωηφόρος Ανάστασή Του. Ο δρόμος είναι πράγματι ανηφορικός και κουραστικός. ΌΌμως η κορυφή αναπαυτική και γλυκιά είναι. Λίγο ακόμα χρειαζόμαστε να φτάσουμε εκεί. Λίγο ακόμα για να ακούσουμε το Χριστός Ανέστη, αυτό το υπέροχο τραγούδι της νίκης--μία νίκη όχι μόνο του Χριστού προσωπικώς, άλλα και δική μας. MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

6 Ε Υ Α Γ Γ Ε Λ Ι Α Κ Υ Ρ Ι Α Κ Ω Ν ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ ΤΗΣ ΤΥΡΟΦΑΓΟΥ (3/2/14) Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος Εὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώµατα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑµῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑµῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ἐὰν δὲ µὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώµατα αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑµῶν ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώµατα ὑµῶν. Οταν δὲ νηστεύητε, µὴ γίνεσθε ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ σκυθρωποί ἀφανίζουσι γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύοντες ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν µισθὸν αὐτῶν.σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι,ὅπως µὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑµῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσι θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑµῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρὸς ὑµῶν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑµῶν. (Κατὰ Ματθαῖον ) ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Α ΝΗΣΤΕΙΩΝ (ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ ΤΗΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΙΑΣ) (3/9/14) Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἠθέλησεν ὁ Ιησοῦς ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν καὶ εὑρίσκει Φίλιππον καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ἀκολούθει µοι. ἦν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδά, ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ανδρέου καὶ Πέτρου.εὑρίσκει Φίλιππος τὸν Ναθαναὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὃν ἔγραψε Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ νόµῳ καὶ οἱ προφῆται, εὑρήκαµεν, Ιησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ιωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέτ. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; λέγει αὐτῷ Φίλιππος ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε. εἶδεν ὁ Ιησοῦς τὸν Ναθαναὴλ ἐρχόµενον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ισραηλίτης, ἐν ᾧ δόλος οὐκ ἔστι. λέγει αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ πόθεν µε γινώσκεις; ἀπεκρίθη Ιησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πρὸ τοῦ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι, ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν εἶδόν σε. ἀπεκρίθη Ναθαναὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ῥαββί, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ισραήλ. ἀπεκρίθη Ιησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὅτι εἶπόν σοι, εἶδόν σε ὑποκάτω τῆς συκῆς, πιστεύεις; µείζω τούτων ὄψει. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ἀµὴν ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν, ἀπ ἄρτι ὄψεσθε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. (Κατὰ Ἰωάννην ) ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Β ΝΗΣΤΕΙΩΝ (ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΠΑΛΑΜΑ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ) (3/26/14) Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς εἰς Καπερναοὺµ δι ἡµερῶν καὶ ἠκούσθη ὅτι εἰς οἶκόν ἐστι. καὶ εὐθέως συνήχθησαν πολλοί, ὥστε µηκέτι χωρεῖν µηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν καὶ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον. καὶ ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτὸν παραλυτικὸν φέροντες, αἰρόµενον ὑπὸ τεσσάρων καὶ µὴ δυνάµενοι προσεγγίσαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον, ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον, ἐφ ᾧ ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁµαρτίαι σου. ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραµµατέων ἐκεῖ καθήµενοι καὶ διαλογιζόµενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν τί οὗτος οὕτω λαλεῖ βλασφηµίας; τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁµαρτίας εἰ µὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός; καὶ εὐθέως ἐπιγνοὺς ὁ Ιησοῦς τῷ πνεύµατι αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὕτως αὐτοὶ διαλογίζονται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑµῶν; τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁµαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει; ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἁµαρτίας - λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. καὶ ἠγέρθη εὐθέως, καὶ ἄρας τὸν κράβαττον ἐξῆλθεν ἐναντίον πάντων, ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι πάντας καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντας ὅτι οὐδέποτε οὕτως εἴδοµεν. (Κατὰ Μᾶρκον ) 6 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

7 Ε Υ Α Γ Γ Ε Λ Ι Α Κ Υ Ρ Ι Α Κ Ω Ν ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Γ ΝΗΣΤΕΙΩΝ (ΣΤΑΥΡΟΠΡΟΣΚΥΝΗΣΕΩΣ) (3/23/14) Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω µου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω µοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν ὃς δ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἕνεκεν ἐµοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, οὗτος σώσει αὐτήν. τί γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν κερδήσῃ τὸν κόσµον ὅλον, καὶ ζηµιωθῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγµα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν ἐπαισχυνθῇ µε καὶ τοὺς ἐµοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ µοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁµαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ µετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ µὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάµει. (Κατὰ Μᾶρκον , 9.1) ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Δ ΝΗΣΤΕΙΩΝ (ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΚΛΙΜΑΚΟΣ) (3/30/14) Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἄνθρωπός τις προσῆλθε τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγων, διδάσκαλε, ἤνεγκα τὸν υἱόν µου πρός σε, ἔχοντα πνεῦµα ἄλαλον. καὶ ὅπου ἂν αὐτὸν καταλάβῃ, ῥήσσει αὐτόν, καὶ ἀφρίζει καὶ τρίζει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ξηραίνεται καὶ εἶπον τοῖς µαθηταῖς σου ἵνα αὐτὸ ἐκβάλωσι, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ λέγει ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιστος, ἕως πότε πρὸς ὑµᾶς ἔσοµαι; ἕως πότε ἀνέξοµαι ὑµῶν; φέρετε αὐτὸν πρός µε. καὶ ἤνεγκαν αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτόν. καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν εὐθέως τὸ πνεῦµα ἐσπάραξεν αὐτόν, καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκυλίετο ἀφρίζων. καὶ ἐπηρώτησε τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ πόσος χρόνος ἐστὶν ὡς τοῦτο γέγονεν αὐτῷ; ὁ δὲ εἶπε παιδιόθεν. καὶ πολλάκις αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς πῦρ ἔβαλε καὶ εἰς ὕδατα, ἵνα ἀπολέσῃ αὐτόν ἀλλ εἴ τι δύνασαι, βοήθησον ἡµῖν σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐφ ἡµᾶς. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι. καὶ εὐθέως κράξας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ παιδίου µετὰ δακρύων ἔλεγε πιστεύω, κύριε βοήθει µου τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς ὅτι ἐπισυντρέχει ὄχλος, ἐπετίµησε τῷ πνεύµατι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ λέγων αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦµα τὸ ἄλαλον καὶ κωφόν, ἐγώ σοι ἐπιτάσσω, ἔξελθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ µηκέτι εἰσέλθῃς εἰς αὐτόν. καὶ κράξαν καὶ πολλὰ σπαράξαν αὐτὸν ἐξῆλθε, καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε πολλοὺς λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δὲ Ιησοῦς κρατήσας αὐτὸν τῆς χειρὸς ἤγειρεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀνέστη. Καὶ εἰσελθόντα αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον οἱ µαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν κατ ἰδίαν, ὅτι ἡµεῖς οὐκ ἠδυνήθηµεν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτό. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἐν οὐδενὶ δύναται ἐξελθεῖν εἰ µὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ. Καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελθόντες παρεπορεύοντο διὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν ἵνα τις γνῷ ἐδίδασκε γὰρ τοὺς µαθητὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀποκτανθεὶς τῇ τρίτῃ ἡµέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται. (Κατὰ Μᾶρκον ) MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

8 S U N D A Y G O S P E L S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S March 2nd Sunday Gospel!!!!! (Matthew 6:14-21) The 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." Today is "Forgiveness Sunday," the first, official Sunday of Great Lent. It is aptly named thus because today is the day that we commemorate the event necessitating man's repentance and turning back towards God in search of forgiveness: the disobedience of Adam and Eve in Paradise which plunged the world into sin and resulted in their expulsion from Paradise. Liturgically, today is also the day on which we perform a unique act in Church following the evening "kataniktiko" vespers service. Following the service, as is traditional, all the faithful take turns in greeting their fellow parishioners on the solea, kissing them in brotherly fashion, and asking each one in turn for forgiveness. This is a beautiful way to begin Great Lent. It is an instance where theory meets practice as what is preached by the church--repentance and asking for forgiveness--is physically performed by the members of the church. In keeping with this theme and driving home ever more the necessity of repentance and forgiveness, is also today's Gospel reading, which lays out just how important these are to our spiritual struggle and how to attain them. The Gospel is broken into three parts, and each one has something to teach us. Let us consider them each in turn. The first teaching concerns forgiveness and it's very simple. Want to be forgiven? Christ says: "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." That's all there is to it! Forgive your neighbor if you yourself wish to be forgiven. Put into practice and action those familiar words of the Lord s Prayer: "forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This is a variation of the golden rule which exhorts us to "do unto others as we wish them to do unto us." Forgive and be forgiven. Christ's teaching is consistent here. The second piece of advice given to us concerns fasting. If we remember back to the first gospel of Triodion, we will remember that the Pharisee is singled out for his hypocrisy because he fasted not to please God and cleanse his soul, but to boast among men and before God. Here, Christ emphasizes yet again that fasting is not something to boast about. It should be done in secret for the benefit of the soul, not for gaining accolades from men. If it is done for the latter it has no meaning in the eyes of God, and he who acts in this way receives his just reward: the attention of men and nothing more. But he who fasts and keeps it secret gets rewarded secretly by God. He amasses treasures in heaven which do not perish but last eternally. This brings us to Christ's third teaching in the gospel: "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." He who seeks earthly glory and fortune will strive with all his might to attain it because his "heart" lies with such things. But what good does it do us to "inherit the whole earth?" Take a look at kings and generals from ages past. Caesar. Alexander the Great. These were men of enormous wealth who at the height of their power ruled a vast portion of the earth. And then, like all men, they died and were buried in 6 feet of soil. Did they take their gold and silver with them? Did their vast armies and many possessions accompany them to the grave? Of course not. Just as they entered the world they exited it--with nothing. He who seeks out heavenly treasures, on the other hand, has nothing to fear. The spiritual treasures we "store" in Heaven never rust or decay. They can't be stolen or otherwise taken away from us. They remain ours for eternity because, unlike gold and silver, they are not of this world. They belong to another world, the spiritual and heavenly world, which all must strive to attain because it will be the only world "left" after Christ's second coming. Our struggle should be to become "rich" in that world, not this one. Let us remember these teachings of Christ during this year's Great Lent. They are teachings to live by, not only for forty days, but for all the days of our life. If we find our heart is in the "wrong place" and is occupied by material and worldly pleasures and treasures, let us purge it with prayer, fasting and repentance, and make room for God to come reside in us. In doing so, in making our heart and soul His abode, we will have gained the greatest gift and treasure to be ever had--a place in His Kingdom surrounded by His love and all the Saints; in that paradise once lost by Adam and Eve because of sin, but made accessible to us once more through the love of God, the love of our neighbor and the love of His Kingdom "which shall have no end." - Deacon Christodoulos Roditis 8 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

9 S U N D A Y G O S P E L S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S February 9th Sunday Gospel (John 1:44-52) At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." The Sunday of Orthodoxy. What a marvelous name the church has given to this particular Sunday of Lent, and with good reason. Our Orthodox faith is on full and total display today, exalted and glorified in psalmody and ritual before all, as we commemorate those who throughout the ages fought "the good fight" for the church and our faith and emerged victorious over every seen and unseen adversary through the grace and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit which guides and sustains our church. Whom exactly do we remember today? In a word: EVERYONE Today we celebrate those truly marvelous and magnificent soldiers of Christ and defenders of our Holy Orthodox faith. Today we remember the great teachers and theologians who lived throughout the ages and who articulated and defended our faith and the teachings of our holy scriptures against all those who sought to innovate and preach a gospel "not of Christ." Today we remember and salute the innumerable known and unknown martyrs of our church who gave their blood in the name of Christ, in defiance of the powers of this world who sought to shake and break their faith. Every single saint, whether man or woman, young or old, is commemorated and remembered today for their contribution towards protecting our Holy Church against her adversaries and against the "gates of hell" themselves. It is on account of their sacrifices that she has weathered the storms of heresy and persecution throughout the past two thousand years. Today we thank them all. But today is also the day on which we remember another set of figures tied to the history and development of the church. That group of figures we anathematize in one spirit with one united voice. They are the ones who sought to alter the teachings of the prophets, patriarchs, Christ and the Apostles. Arius. Dioscorus. Nestorius. The list of heresiarchs who tried and nearly succeeded in bringing down the church and her beliefs goes on and on. They are remembered and mentioned by name today by the church not out of adoration but unto condemnation. Their names and teachings are anathematized each and every year on this Sunday lest we ever forget that they sought to destabilize the one, true faith of the body of Christ which is the church, not strengthen it. The ritual which we conduct following the conclusion of Divine Liturgy is how we honor these saints of the church and reject all who have stood and would stand against the teachings of Christ. It is a lengthy ritual, shortened nowadays so as not to burden churchgoers, but which nevertheless retains all the essentials. As mentioned before, the greater and lesser heresiarchs are mentioned and anathematized, including their heretical teachings. On the flip side, the great saints of the church such as Basil, Gregory the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Athanasius, Cyril, Nicholas and many, many more, are exalted for their work in the vineyard of Christ. As is traditional, the ritual usually takes place in stages, as the clergy and their procession journey around the church and stop at its major cardinal points. There, the deacon and priest make petitions and proclamations that are specific to each "station." It is a wonderful and (literally) moving service and gets everyone involved. In those moments we all unite, as one, with the saints of our church whom we mention by name, and who gaze down at us from their holy icons adorning the sides of church. This act of commemoration doesn't just make for a good spectacle, however; it is a theological necessity. Many probably don't realize this, but at every major service the presiding clergyman performs a "mini" commemoration of the saints that is similar (and vastly shorter) to the Sunday of Orthodoxy service. Usually this occurs just before the dismissal, and it is done not simply because our church can't "get enough" of ritual and lengthy prayers, but for the purposes of identification. In commemorating the saints that we do, we identify our local church with the universal Orthodox church which itself stands in unbroken temporal communion with the church that was founded and handed down to us by the Apostles. Another way this is accomplished is through the commemoration of our Archbishop, who is a canonical bishop in union with the other bishops of the worldwide, ecumenical Orthodox Church. Commemoration of the saints of our church is therefore not a matter of pomp but of canonicity, because there are many churches in the world that "look" and "feel" Orthodox and are even labelled as such (ex. Coptic Orthodox Church), but whom with we are not in communion. If we listen to whom they commemorate during there services, we will find many saints in common but many whom we do not share. For example, the Coptic church, which rejects the rulings and teachings of the 4th ecumenical council on the two natures of Christ (which we accept), commemorates as a saint the bishop Nestorius, a man condemned by the council! Thus, we don't simply make it a practice of mentioning our saints because we have nothing better to do; whom we venerate as saints ensures and reaffirms our unity to the true body of Christ. Next time we hear the blessed names of our saints enumerated during our services, let us keep all of this in mind. Let us remember that we are who we are today because of the blood, sweat and tears the saints--our saints--shed in defense of our faith. Without them, our Orthodox faith wouldn't be Orthodox at all. - Deacon Christodoulos Roditis MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

10 S U N D A Y G O S P E L S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S February 16th Sunday Gospel (Luke 15:11-32) At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"i say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" Responding to the scribes in today's biblical passage who became outraged at Jesus for forgiving the paralytic's sins, Jesus asks a question which has been the subject of much debate by theologians for centuries: Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? Indeed, which one is easier? From a human perspective, neither is. Both are, in fact, impossible for ordinary man. Can any man grant forgiveness of sins as God can? Obviously, no. We are human, not God. Can anyone with but a word say to a paralytic "rise, take up your pallet and go home" and make it happen? Again, no. So what is Jesus getting at with this question? How does the answer to this question advance the point that Jesus is truly the son of God? Let's step back for a moment and assume the place of the scribes as we assess the situation. We have in front of us the man Jesus who is performing great and mighty deeds. This doesn t strike us as unusual per say because, as scribes and scholars of the Law, we know from the scriptures that God often grants humans the power to perform miracles, even the raising of the dead. Thus, the fact that Jesus heals the paralytic doesn t really alarm us that much. It is entirely possible that God has chosen Jesus to work wonders among the people of Israel. But this man Jesus doesn't act like any prophet we ve ever read about in the scriptures. There is something off about Him. That is, He not only perform Godly acts, but he ACTS LIKE GOD Himself! He speaks with authority and, at times, even contravenes the law as written in the Torah. He even claims to be able to forgive the paralytic of his sins! This, now, is definitely a problem for us. For acting in the name of God is one thing, but acting like God is entirely another. Thus, there is only one conclusion to be had: Jesus is delusional and, worse, also a blasphemer. He is no man of God, let alone God himself. Viewed from that perspective then, as we now step back into our own shoes, the scribes outrage at Jesus seems justified. Had Jesus simply went about His business healing people without making the outrageous claim that he was able to forgive sins also, I doubt the scribes would have taken issue with Him. But He did, and that only meant one thing to them: Jesus was a charlatan and a menace to Judaism. However, their logic is flawed. Let's step back once more and assess the data. We know that Jesus works miracles and now, according to this passage, Jesus is claiming to also forgive sins. Assuming you believe in Jesus and that he is the son of God, you should have no problem. Healing and forgiving is what God does, and since Jesus is God, that's also what He does. But if you are an unbeliever and don't think Jesus has any connection with God, the two data points don't fit. Hence, Jesus is not who he claims to be. This was the scribes' conclusion above. But here is where their logic fails them. If Jesus was truly a blasphemous charlatan and enemy of God, how is it that He continues to perform miracles in God's name? Put another way, if Jesus is committing the worst sin possible by thinking and acting like He s God as the scribes believe, then why doesn't God do something about it? After all, the OT is filled with examples of persons who were not only punished but even eradicated from the face of the earth for lesser sins. Yet here is Jesus getting away with the most grievous sin of them all! This thinking processes is what I think Jesus is trying to get the scribes to engage in when he asks "which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk?" Jesus wants them to realize that it would have been impossible for Him to both heal and forgive sins if he were simply a charlatan and another madman with delusions of grandeur. Why? Because normal people, and especially blasphemers, would have lacked the power to do anything at all. Yet the fact that He continues to perform miracles and can even raise the dead, despite repeatedly claiming for Himself the right to forgive sins which is exclusive to God, points to Jesus being different than everyone else. God not only doesn t mind the way Jesus is acting and talking, but is actively on His side. These are the connections the scribes failed to make. They were stuck on the superficial level of things and refused to dig deeper. Had they done so, they would have recognized that Jesus was talking and acting like He was divine because he was divine. All the proof they needed was right there in front of them. Even the sequence of events of this passage shows that Jesus was giving them every opportunity to see things clearly and believe in Him. For Jesus first forgave the paralytic of his sins (thus committing blasphemy against God according to the scribes) and then healed him (without the slightest difficulty). Unfortunately, they remained that unconvinced. We as Orthodox Christians, however, are convinced that Jesus is God. That is why we worship him and celebrate his mighty deeds throughout the year and especially during Great Lent. He came to earth to heal, to forgive, and ultimately to save, by dying on the Cross and raising himself from the dead, which we will celebrate in a few weeks and commemorate in song with that blessed hymn of hymns "Christ is risen from the dead, by death he has trampled death, giving o life to all those in the grave. $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ - Deacon Christodoulos Roditis 10 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

11 S U N D A Y G O S P E L S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S March 23rd Sunday Gospel (Mark 8:34-9:1) The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." Two Sundays ago--the "Sunday of Orthodoxy"--was a day dedicated to all those holy men and women defenders of Orthodoxy who over the course of history contributed to the triumph of Orthodoxy against her adversaries. The manner in which they lived and died, suffered and endured, and sacrificed and lost, show us what it means to live "in Christ" and are a poignant reminder of what we, too, are called to achieve both during this Lenten period and throughout our lives. Today, the church further motivates us to continue in our struggle by celebrating a specific object, previously an object and symbol of death and accursedness, but transformed by the power of Christ into an object and symbol of life and holiness, and a weapon against the power of evil: the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of Christ. It is called holy because it was sancitified by Christ, whose wounded body hung upon it, washing it with the Blood that poured out from him. And it is life-giving because the Cross led to the blessed resurrection and final defeat of death. It is no surprise then that this Sunday, which lies precisely at the mid-point of Great lent, was chosen by the Fathers of the church as the day of the Cross. Half of Great lent is behind us, which means that for approximately 3 weeks we have struggled in both body and soul to prepare ourselves for Easter. We have fasted, giving up many of life's pleasures, and perhaps have begun to feel as if we can't endure it anymore. Our resolve might be wavering and our will to persevere weakening at the thought of having to continue adhering to a program of eating and other spiritual works we are not normally accustomed to. At this critical junction many, if not all of us, need a little "push" to carry on. So, recognizing this, here comes the church to give us hope and lift our spirits. "Behold the Cross" she says, "and take heart as you bear your own cross." "Christ bore his own cross for our sakes. The least we can do is bear ours a little longer. Have no fear. Just as Christ bore it and overcame it, so shall you. For remember, it is always darkest before dawn. Your sacrifice will be rewarded and your enduring to the end will yield victory." The Cross then is not placed before us to discourage but to rally us onwards and upwards. It is there to remind us that everything we do as we journey through Lent, we do to prepare ourselves for Holy Friday through Easter Sunday. Getting to the Cross is our goal as it is also our weapon and tool for getting there as we fight against unseen adversaries who seek to prevent our progression. Out of every weapon we possess in our spiritual arsenal, the Cross is our most powerful. This is why we are given a cross at our baptism and wear it around our necks. It is not a piece of jewelry. It is not worn so that we can look good. It is there to protect and strengthen us. It is the seal of Christ, letting all that behold us know that we are His, that we are children of God, that we are members of the body of Christ. The Cross' power cannot be understated. At the very sight of the Cross, demons are emptied of their power and take flight. We all know this from reading the lives of the Saints. Whenever we seal any object with the sign of the Cross, it is blessed. The priest, as we know, blesses various object with the sign of the Cross during our services: bread, wine, water, oil, even us! The Cross' power is so great and unmatched by anything on this world that even poison becomes harmless if it has been "crossed" first, so long as we have faith and aren't simply "testing" God. Let's also not forget our history. It is by the power of the Cross that the course of history was changed in the 4th century. Remember, Christianity was a persecuted religion up until the early 300's. But one day, a general named Constantine, destined to become Constantine the Great, had a vision. He looked up to the sky and saw a glowing, bright cross that filled it from end to end, along with the words ΕΝ ΤΟΥΤΩ ΝΙΚΑ (by this you shall conquer). And conquer he most certainly did, eventually bringing the entire Roman Empire under his control and ending the persecution of the church. Within several years of his victory, Christianity had become the dominant religion of the empire. One vision of the cross was enough to turn the wheels of history onto a different trajectory, one which would see Christianity grow and spread throughout the world for next 2000 years. It is truly a rags to riches story. Lastly, a further indication of the power of the Cross is its power to bestow life and dispel death. Those who have ever visited Jerusalem and the Holy Land may remember the story of the finding of the Precious Cross. In the 4th century AD, St Helen, mother to the aforementioned Constantine, had travelled to Jerusalem in search of it. But what she found tossed away and buried beneath layers of debris in a garbage dump was not one but three crosses. What was she to do? All three looked the same. How would she distinguish the true Cross from the others? Simple. She had been made aware that a man had recently died and was on his way to be buried. So, she ordered that the body be brought to her instead and be placed on each of the three crosses in turn. And so it happened. The body was placed on the first cross...nothing. Second...same result. Third cross...he who was dead just a moment ago opened his eyes and got up! Thus, the true Cross was identified and subsequently brought back to the capital city of Constantinople to be protected, cherished and venerated for what it truly was: not an object of death but of life, both in this world and the next. May the Cross of Christ continue to protect and strengthen each and every one us this Great Lent and for the rest of our lives. - Deacon Christodoulos Roditis MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

12 S U N D A Y G O S P E L S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S March 30th Sunday Gospel (Mark 9:17-31) At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise." Many religions of world are religions of "the book." This is a way of saying that central to their faith and system of beliefs is a book or books considered to be the inspired word of God (ie. scripture). Islam has the Koran; Judaism the Torah and the prophets; Christianity the Old and New Testaments. But the centrality of the written word to their traditions doesn't end there. These religions also cherish other works of literature which, while non-canonical" in the scriptural sense, nevertheless occupy important positions in their respective traditions and exert great influence on the way the faithful interpret and live out in practical terms the content of their faith. For Orthodox Christians, one such book is "The Ladder" written by St John Climacus whom we commemorate today on this 4th Sunday of Lent. Some of us may be familiar with it. Others may not. Either way, today is the day our church places it in the spotlight. But why? Why would our church single out this saint and his book at all, during Great lent no less? In terms of the quantity of literature produced, St John doesn't even come close to the likes of a St Basil the Great or a St Gregory the Theologian whose literary works fill entire bookshelves. And if we want to assess overall "importance," it can be argued that "the Ladder" pales in comparison when considered side by side with classic theological texts like "On the Incarnation" by St Athanasius" or the "Refutations of Nestorius" by St Cyril, works of inestimable value to the Orthodox faith that proved instrumental in directing and clarifying Orthodox thinking during the centuries of heresies and in the formulation of dogma by the Ecumenical synods. So why all the special attention to St John Climacus and this one book? The reason is that Orthodoxy is not just some theoretical construct, some system of abstract beliefs and dogma that, in the end, possesses no real relevance to life. Orthodoxy is alive and comes to life in each and every one of those who believe and have been transformed by her truths and revelations. Thus there is no distinction between "Orthodoxy" (right and true belief or faith) and "Orthopraxy" (doing what is right and true). If I am truly Orthodox I not only think rightly but also act rightly. Accordingly, St John's Ladder is a uniquely important piece of Orthodox literature. It is a book informed by centuries of monastic struggle and practice; a "guidebook" of sorts, that distills centuries of theoretical and, more importantly, practical spiritual wisdom on how precisely Orthodoxy is "done" and lived out (Orthopraxy). It is called the Ladder because of the manner in which spiritual progress is made: step by step and one virtue at a time, with each virtue leading to the next like rungs on a ladder. And like every ladder, this spiritual ladder ends somewhere, at a point much higher than where the climber started. That endpoint is holiness itself and the encounter with God. In their great wisdom, the Fathers chose to commemorate this book and its author smack in the middle of Great Lent to remind us of what it is we should be doing. It is an invitation to get out and "do it." And it can be done by anyone. The very fact that the book exists is because others before tried to climb the ladder and were successful. If they did it, so can we. If you ve never read this book, I urge you to go out and get a copy of this amazing work of Orthodox spirituality. There is no excuse for being unfamiliar with this text. We live in an age of mass production and internet one-click ordering. Unlike folks from ages past who had to spend a small fortune and wait years for a scribe to copy the Ladder for them, for approximately ten dollars or so we can have this treasure delivered today right to our doorstep in just a few days. It is worth it. There are many self-help books out there to choose from written by doctors, Ph.D.s and other gurus. Bookshelves are filled with them. But there is only one "Ladder" written by St John of Climacus. Before there was even such a thing as a "bestseller," there was this book. I urge everyone to get a copy of this bestseller and get started on their own personal journey up the ladder. With The Ladder as our guide, we may rest assured that we will get to where we want to go: the Kingdom of Heaven. - Deacon Christodoulos Roditis 12 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

13 N E W S A N D N O T E W O R T H Y ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάµενον καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ (Ησαΐας 1,3) Δεν χρειάζεται εξήγηση... MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

14 S E Q MAJOR FEASTDAYS OF MARCH ΕΠΙΣΗΜΕΣ ΕΟΡΤΕΣ ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ March 1: March 8: March 25: 2nd Saturday of Souls (B Ψυχοσάββατον) (9-11 AM) 1st Saturday of Souls (Γ Ψυχοσαββατον) (9-11 AM) Annunciation of the Theotokos (Ευαγγελισμός Θεοτόκου) (Vespers 7:30 PM March 24th) (Liturgy 9-10:30 AM March 25) U O I A C L U B MARCH LITURGIES ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΕΣ ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ SUNDAYS-Κυριακές Orthros 8:45 am & Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Pre-Sanctified Liturgies 9:30 AM Every Wednesday of the Month Salutations 7:30 PM Every Friday of the Month Father Damaskinos congratulated all of the children who took part in the Metropolis of New Jersey s Folk Dance Festival and managed to bring home the gold during Divine Liturgy last month. We wish them all the best in the future and look forward to celebrating more such victories! Sunday, February 9th, was Go Red Day. The ladies of Kimisis Philoptochos wore their red items to show support for the American Heart Association in its quest to educate the community on being heart healthy. Red carnations, including pamphlets and pertinent information on maintaining a strong and healthy heart were distributed to all community members. Thank you ladies for your efforts! 14 MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ 2014

15 N E W S A N D N O T E W O R T H Y Dancing just seems to run through the veins of our Kimisis kids. Here they are dancing their hearts out during the Valentine s day party. Pictured above are our GOYANS preparing gloves, socks and hats that were distributed to the needy during this year s Midnight Run. MARCH ΜΑΡΤΙΟΣ

16 K I M I S I S T H E O T O K O U Get to Know Your Parish The Greek Orthodox Community of Kimisis Theotokou was founded in 1931, initially known as the Greek Orthodox Community of Bay Ridge which was located on 4 th Ave and 32 nd St. In 1932, the property at th St. was purchased by the community and then Fr. George Menexopoulos. A year later, the parish moved to our present location at th St. with the hard work of the parishioners and newly joined Fr. Simeon Emmanuel. From that point on, the parish began to develop its organizations and identity. In 1933 the Ladies Philoptochos Society was initiated, and in 1936 the Chiaki Adelphotita of Aghia Markella was established. Also in 1936, Fr. John Strongilos joined the community and would remain at Kimisis for 24 years. In 1937, the Archdiocese of North and South America officially recognized Kimisis Theotokou as a Greek Orthodox Parish. By the 1940 s and 50 s, the community began to undertake the responsibility for a Parochial School. In 1956, Fr. Titus Siligardakis was assigned to Kimisis and was instrumental in the development of the school. In 1964, the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the school took place. Soterios Ellenas became the benefactor and namesake of the school and in 1966 the Soterios Ellenas Parochial School opened its doors to fifty-four students. In 1970, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos consecrated the Chapels of St. Irene and Aghia Markella. Also in 1970, Fr. Titus was elevated as the Metropolitan of Rethimnos and Avlopotamou, Crete, and Fr. Evdokimos Kokkinakis arrived as the new priest. Three years later, Fr. James Bogiatzis joined Kimisis. In the same year, Willam Hionas was honored by the community for his generosity, the Parish Council board room was renamed in honor of James Manos, and Kimisis as a whole was honored for its excellence in youth ministry, primarily for it s scouting program which was established in the 1960 s. 1985, marked the arrival of The Very Rev. Damaskinos Ganas. During Fr. Damaskino s time at Kimisis the parish has undergone significant improvement. From the mid-1980 s to present day, the church proper and the church hall were renovated. The Soterios Ellenas School was expanded to include a new wing and library. In 2005, with great pride, the school premises was leased to the Hellenic Classical Charter School, which was the first elementary charter school to offer the Greek Language in the Metropolitan area. Parish Council Angelo Mallas PRESIDENT Paul Bregianos 1st VICE PRESIDENT Kostas Mallas 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Anthony K. Grigos SECRETARY John Haskopoulos TREASURER John Kafkis ASST. TREASURER Stamatis Chasabenis, Anna Condoulis, Kostas Gerakaris, Stavros Haviaris, Christos Kalogerou, Angelo Kotropoulos, George Leonardos, Nikolaos Leonardos, James Magriples, John Makrinos, James Mallas, Paul Stathoulopoulos, George Stavropoulos, Emanuel Tsoukaris, Dr. Tom Tzivas. Church Office Maria Boubalos at (718) or kimisistheotokou@gmail.com Kimisis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church th St, Brooklyn, NY For the last nine years, under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Damaskinos and youth advisor James Pristouris, the Youth programs of the parish have flourished, along with the hard work and dedication of our beloved parents and volunteers. Kimisis Theotokou currently has a tremendously active GOYA, JOY, and HOPE program for our children ranging from Pre-K to High school seniors. The Youth of Kimisis Theotokou (YKT) are also active with athletics and events throughout the Direct Archdiocesan District. Beginning in 2007 to this year, renovation has been completed on the lower church hall as well as the Narthex. The elevator from the Narthex, to the Lobby and the lower hall was completed in New icons and mosaics have been added to the Narthex and Nave, and this wonderful beautification still continues. As our community continues to grow, we look forward to the future. With God s blessing and the intercessions of the Theotokos, our community will continue to respond to the needs of our parishioners and neighbors, teach the culture and heritage of our forefathers, and continually spread the Gospel of Christ! Very. Rev. Damaskinos V. Ganas, Proistamenos and Presiding Priest Deacon Christodoulos Roditis 16 FEBRUARY ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ 2014