ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CHICAGO

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1 ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CHICAGO TROPAIOPHOROS St. George Monthly December 2012 January 2013 The Feast of Theophany The celebrations of the Events of the life of Jesus Christ as they are celebrated today were not instituted at the very beginning of the Christian era; they were held by the believers of the early Church as vivid commemorations without a connection with certain days and hymns, but as a real Event of the Lord Who was present in the Church. Later on, when the Church was firmly established and its believers were free to worship the True God, they decided to commemorate and observe annually in the calendar year the events of the life of the Church and especially those of the Life and Person of Jesus Christ, whom they worshiped along with the Father and the Holy Spirit with prayers, hymns, and readings appropriate for the occasion. The reason why the first Christians did not institute these celebrations and observances at the very beginning is mainly because of the persecutions of the Church and its believers. For three entire centuries, the Church of Christ was underground, in catacombs, where under the grass and flowers of the earth was nourished the tree of faith and worship. The Church extended the Kingdom of God to the hearts of its faithful without pompous expressions. These winding underground centers, the catacombs, were both the workshop of the rebirth of the Christians and also their burial places. The Feast of Theophany Theophany (from Greek theophania-θεοφάνια, meaning "appearance of God") is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on January 6. It is the feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. The Feast of Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas Season, which starts on December 25 and ends on January 6. In mystic commemoration of this event, the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this day. The faithful partake of the blessed water and the clergy use it to bless their homes. The feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for the first time the Father's voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove. This feast is also sometimes referred to as Epiphany by Englishspeaking Orthodox Christians, but that name more properly refers to the Western Christian feast falling on that same day and commemorating the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. The term epiphany does appear in some of the service texts for this feast, however. Originally, there was just one Christian feast of the shining forth of God to the world in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. It included the celebration of Christ's birth, the adoration of the wise men, and all of the childhood events of Christ such as his circumcision and presentation to the temple as well as his baptism by John in the Jordan. There seems to be little doubt that this feast, like Pascha and Pentecost, was understood as the fulfillment of a previous Jewish festival, in this case the Feast of Lights. The Armenian Apostolic Church still keeps January 6 as a feast of both Christ's Nativity and baptism.

2 THE 2013 PARISH COUNCIL Demetrios Karanikolas Anastasios Ziabaras Anastasios Stamatis Dean Diamantakos George Economy Nicholas Pipikios Eleni Panoutsos Mitchell Edlund Constantine Stamatakos James Metopulos Nicholas Kournetas Thomas Maniatis Toula Loukis Demetrios Korolis Aristotle Kornaros Elias Voulgaris Eugenia Splinter George Korolis Violletta Kapsalis- Buhler OATH OF OFFICE AND ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS, SUNDAY JANUARY 6, 2013 AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE DIVINE LITURGY

3 The Journey to Salvation is not a Cruise If asked the question Why do you go to church? most Orthodox Christians would probably be seriously baffled. This isn t a question that has been asked or pondered upon by most. The reason for this response -- or lack of response -- lies in the fact that most Orthodox Christians take their faith for granted. They rely on generations of being told to believe and don t question. While grandparents deserve a great deal of credit for keeping children and grandchildren in the faith, to believe and don t question is fundamentally not Orthodox thinking. Faith is not enough. As Disciples of Christ we are directed to a much higher calling. The Church was created by our Lord as a vessel of salvation. By accepting Christ, we are brought into this vessel through baptism. We belong to the Church because we have chosen to be saved. We willingly accept the wonderful gift of eternal life. What has been forgotten though, is that this gift comes with responsibilities. If we use the analogy of the Church as a sailing ship, we must understand that it is not a cruise ship where we come aboard and receive all the luxuries and benefits, while relaxing and patiently awaiting our destination. The Church is a working ship. By accepting passage on it we accept to be coworkers with the rest of the crew. Our Lord said to make disciples of all nations. Disciples are not tourists they are workers. Jesus Christ as the Captain has given His crew directions. This ship has a specific mission. Its purpose is not to simply wander aimlessly in the ocean being tossed and directed by the whims of the sea until His second coming. The responsibility of every Christian is to know and work towards this mission with all their talents and abilities. This mission has been given to the Church through the Apostles with very clear instructions. This mission is a nonnegotiable order. It is not a suggestion. Those who have accepted salvation have accepted the task of continuing and working towards the fulfillment of our Lord s ministry. They have accepted to be fellow workers towards this effort. They have been made stewards of not only the Church, but of its ministry as well. When a young man asked What must I do to be saved? our Lord s response was You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.2: 37-39) A critical aspect of being members of the Church and expressing our love to God and to each other is through the frequent participation in the Eucharistic feast: the Divine Liturgy. But just showing up is not enough. We must receive communion. Our Lord has assembled us as a Eucharistic community first and foremost. We cannot be united in mission if we aren t first united in body. We are the living body of Jesus Christ. He is the Head and we are its members. We are united for one purpose; that is to continue Christ s ministry, in this world and throughout time. (We are) His body, which is the church ( Col.1:24) And He is the head of the body ( Col.1:18) This is my body which is given to you; do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks MY blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54) Salvation is the greatest gift ever offered by God to His creatures. Attaining salvation should be the first priority of every human being. This is our primary goal as Orthodox Christians. We strive to save ourselves because we love ourselves. If we are to love others as ourselves then shouldn t we also strive for their salvation? Isn t this in fact The Good News that we have been commissioned to proclaim? Isn t this the reason that we are baptized and baptize others into the Church, so that we, and they too can be saved? Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt 28:19-20) When Jesus ascended into the heavens he didn t leave a boss of the Church. He left a team. He left many disciples not just one. He decentralized His own worldly authority and gave it to the Church the Body of believers beginning with the Apostles past and present. (The Bishops) They are selected to oversee the mission. They were not given authority to change the mission or even to modify the mission. The mission is non-negotiable for all Christians. Only those who work towards the fulfillment of His continuing ministry are given the authority and the blessing to do so. This authority is not given by men but by God Himself, not only to clergy but to laity as well. The Church must be a servant, just as Christ was a servant, a slave to all mankind in its effort to fulfill the Will of the Father; which is the salvation of all humanity. The Church was established to serve mankind, just as our Lord was incarnate to serve mankind and bring it to salvation. A servant is not greater than his master. The Church is not greater than its Creator. Nor can the Church s ministry be anything different than the ministry of the One who created her. Our Lord has given us very specific instructions and these instructions are non-negotiable. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. (Mark 10:44) Ministry, Ministry, Ministry! Every Christian who has accepted salvation has also accepted the responsibility of working in the ministry of the Church. The clergy have been called apart and given the grace and blessing to perform the specific sacramental functions of the church, but all Christians, clergy and laity alike have been called to serve in our Lord s ministry. If this is not what the Church is doing then we have entered into serious error. Everything that we do as a Church should be in direct support of Christ s ministry of salvation. If we build buildings they should be to support ministry. Any event sponsored by the Church should be ministry or in support of ministry. Ministry should not be limited by the budget. The budget should be driven by ministry. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Stewardship Department. Article by Father Steve Dalber, Pastor of Saint Nektarios in Charlotte, North Carolina.

4 Event Photos Parish Council Annual Beef Luncheon FAITH HERITAGE - FELLOWSHIP ST. GEORGE 90 TH ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY, MAY 19, CONCORDE BANQUETS, KILDEER, IL Thanksgiving Philoptochos Feed the Hungry Ladies Educational Society Fall Brunch

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7 What sort of New Year s Resolution should a Christian make? The practice of making New Year s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make? Common New Year s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The vast majority of New Year s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be. Many Christians make New Year s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself? Philippians 4:13 tells us, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. John 15:5 declares, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If God is the center of your New Year s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God s Word, we will not receive God s help in fulfilling the resolution. So, what sort of New Year s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) rely on God s strength to help you; (4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

8 ΑΓΙΑ ΜΑΡΤΥΣ ΑΓΝΗ (21 Ιανουαρίου) του Πρωτ. π. Γεωργίου Παπαβαρνάβα Η αγία Αγνή ήταν όντως αγνή, καί στήν ψυχή καί στό σώμα. Έζησε τούς πρώτους xριστιανικούς χρόνους. Καταγόταν από τήν Ρώμη καί ήταν γόνος οικογένειας ευγενών. Εκήρυττε τήν πίστη στόν Τριαδικό Θεό μέ ένθεο ζήλο καί χωρίς τόν παραμικρό φόβο, παρά τό ότι ζούσε σέ περίοδο σκληρών διωγμών εναντίον τής Εκκλησίας. Ήταν απερίγραπτη η χαρά της όταν έβλεπε τούς καλοπροαιρέτους νά ασπάζονται τήν αληθινή πίστη. Ο ιεραποστολικός ζήλος της καί τά πνευματικά κατορθώματά της δέν άργησαν νά γίνουν γνωστά μέ αποτέλεσμα νά συλληφθή καί νά οδηγηθή μπροστά στόν ειδωλολάτρη ηγεμόνα, ο οποίος είχε τήν δαιμονική έμπνευση, όταν τήν είδε νά ομολογή μέ παρρησία τήν πίστη της στόν Χριστό, νά τήν κλείση σέ πορνείο γιά νά τήν εξευτελίση. Αλλά η αγία μέ τήν θεοπειθή προσευχή της προκάλεσε σεισμό στόν χώρο αυτόν καί όσοι τόλμησαν νά τήν πλησιάσουν γιά νά τήν διαφθείρουν έπεσαν κάτω νεκροί. Τότε οι δυστυχισμένες εκείνες γυναίκες πού ζούσαν εκεί τήν έδιωξαν τρομαγμένες καί ο άρχοντας γεμάτος οργή έδωσε εντολή νά τήν κάψουν ζωντανή. Οι στρατιώτες τήν έριξαν στήν φωτιά καί έτσι «ετελειώθη εν πυρί». Η αγνή καί άμωμη ψυχή της πέταξε στά ουράνια σκηνώματα, τό δέ απανθρακωμένο σκήνωμά της τό περισυνέλεξαν ευσεβείς Χριστιανοί καί τό ενταφίασαν μέ μεγάλη ευλάβεια. Ο βίος καί η πολιτεία της μάς δίνουν τήν αφορμή νά τονίσουμε τά ακόλουθα. Σέ μιά εποχή σάν τήν δική μας, στήν οποία υπάρχει κρίση αξιών καί προτύπων καί πολλοί ειρωνεύονται εκείνους οι οποίοι επιλέγουν νά ζήσουν μέ αγνότητα καί καθαρότητα, η αγία Αγνή μέ τό φωτεινό παράδειγμά της έρχεται νά προκαλέση σεισμό, γιά νά ταρακουνήση καί νά ξυπνήση υπνώττουσες συνειδήσεις, αλλά καί γιά νά τονώση τό φρόνημα όλων εκείνων οι οποίοι επέλεξαν νά βαδίσουν τήν οδό τής αρετής, ήτοι τής γνήσιας ευαγγελικής ζωής. Στό Ευχολόγιο τής Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας, μετά τήν ακολουθία τού γάμου, υπάρχει «ευχή επί λύσιν στεφάνων τή ογδόη ημέρα», η οποία αναγινώσκεται από τόν ιερέα ενώπιον τών νεονύμφων τήν όγδοη ημέρα από τήν τέλεση τού μυστηρίου τού γάμου τους ή στό τέλος τού μυστηρίου, ανάλογα μέ τήν τάξη πού ισχύει στίς κατά τόπους Εκκλησίες. Στήν ευχή αυτή λέγονται μεταξύ τών άλλων καί τά εξής: «Kύριε ο Θεός ημών, ο τού ενιαυτού τόν στέφανον ευλογήσας, καί τούς παρόντας στεφάνους επιτίθεσθαι παραδούς τοίς νόμω γάμου συναπτομένοις αλλήλοις, καί μισθόν ώσπερ απονέμων τόν τής σωφροσύνης, ότι αγνοί εις τόν παρά σού νομοθετηθέντα γάμον συνήφθησαν». Αυτό σημαίνει ότι οι νεόνυμφοι έλαβαν τά στεφάνια από τόν Θεό, διά τού ιερέως, ως ανταμοιβή γιά τόν αγώνα τόν οποίο διεξήγαγαν καί γιά τόν κόπο τόν οποίο κατέβαλαν προκειμένου νά διαφυλαχθούν αγνοί μέχρι τήν ώρα τού γάμου. Άλλωστε, σέ όλους τούς αγώνες, οι νικητές είναι εκείνοι πού στεφανώνονται. Βέβαια, η Εκκλησία δείχνει συγκατάβαση καί στεφανώνει όλα τά ανδρόγυνα κατά τήν διάρκεια τού μυστηρίου τού γάμου, αλλά στήν πραγματικότητα τά στεφάνια ανήκουν μόνον στούς νικητές. Η Εκκλησία μέ τόν τρόπο ζωής πού διδάσκει καί εμπνέει, ήτοι τής αγνότητας καί τής καθαρότητας, έχει σκοπόν νά προφυλάξη τούς ανθρώπους καί ιδιαίτερα τούς νέους από ποικίλους πειρασμούς, πικρίες καί θλίψεις, πού έχουν τήν πηγή τους στήν ζωή τής ακρασίας. Αυτόν τόν τρόπο ζωής εβίωσαν οι Άγιοι, αλλά αγωνίζονται νά βιώσουν καί όλοι εκείνοι οι οποίοι ποθούν τόν προσωπικό τους αγιασμό. Καί σίγουρα, αυτός ο τρόπος ζωής δέν δεσμεύει τήν ανθρώπινη ελευθερία, αλλά αντίθετα τήν διασφαλίζει, αφού αληθινά ελεύθερος είναι αυτός πού κυριαρχεί επάνω στά πάθη του καί όχι εκείνος πού κατεξουσιάζεται από τά πάθη καί επομένως έχει απεμπολήσει τήν ελευθερία του. Στίς ημέρες μας, τό ποσοστό τών νέων ανθρώπων πού προσέρχονται στόν γάμο μέ τίς κατάλληλες προϋποθέσεις, δηλαδή μέ αγνότητα καί καθαρότητα, είναι μάλλον μικρό, ωστόσο όμως τό γεγονός αυτό είναι ενθαρρυντικό καί παρηγορητικό, επειδή ζούμε σέ μιά εποχή στήν οποία κυριαρχεί η ελευθεριότητα καί η έκλυση τών ηθών. Άλλωστε, σέ κάθε εποχή όσοι επιλέγουν τόν βίο τής αρετής καί τής τελειότητας είναι αυτοί πού διαθέτουν πνευματική ανδρεία καί λεβεντιά. Καί αυτοί είναι πάντοτε οι λίγοι, ωστόσο όμως αποτελούν τήν «μικράν ζύμην», η οποία «όλον τό φύραμα ζημοί». Όσοι αγαπούν τήν Εκκλησία καί προσπαθούν νά βαδίσουν τήν οδό τών εντολών τού Θεού, αυτοί χαίρονται αληθινά τήν ζωή τους. Βέβαια, η οδός αυτή ονομάζεται στενή καί τεθλιμμένη, αλλά κατά τούς αγίους Πατέρας, οι οποίοι είναι οι αλάνθαστοι ερμηνευτές τής Αγίας Γραφής, ο άνθρωπος τήν αισθάνεται έτσι, επειδή όταν ευρίσκεται στήν αρχή καί τό μέσον τής οδού είναι υποδουλωμένος στά πάθη του καί κυρίως στό καταστροφικό πάθος τής υπερηφάνειας. Όταν, όμως, μέ τήν Χάρη τού Θεού καί τόν προσωπικό του αγώνα κατανικήση τά πάθη του καί αποκτήση ταπείνωση, καί διά τού Αγίου Πνεύματος γνωρίση αληθινά τόν Θεό, τότε η οδός τών θείων εντολών γίνεται ευχάριστη καί προξενεί πνευματική χαρά καί αγαλλίαση. Καί όπως λέγει ο άγιος Διάδοχος, Επίσκοπος Φωτικής, η ταπείνωση αποκτάται μέ δύο τρόπους. Όταν κανείς ευρίσκεται στήν αρχή καί τό μέσον τής οδού, τότε ταπεινώνεται από τούς λογισμούς καί τίς πτώσεις του στήν αμαρτία καί δοκιμάζει πόνο καί θλίψη. Όταν, όμως, προχωρήση στό τέλος τής οδού, ήτοι όταν ωριμάση πνευματικά καί γευθή τήν θεία γνώση, τότε η ταπείνωση γίνεται γι αυτόν τρόπος ζωής καί τού προξενεί μεγάλη χαρά. Σήμερα, δυστυχώς, οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι έχουν ξεχάσει νά χαμογελούν καί δέν χαίρονται αληθινά τήν ζωή τους. Έχουν χάσει τήν ελπίδα τους καί έχουν μαραζώσει, επειδή δέν γνωρίζουν «τήν οδόν τήν απάγουσαν εις τήν ζωήν» ή τήν εγκατέλειψαν καί εγκλωβίστηκαν μέσα στήν φυλακή τών αισθήσεων καί τών αισθησιακών απολαύσεων καί γι αυτό δοκιμάζουν απαράκλητο πόνο. Η έξοδος από αυτήν τήν φυλακή πραγματοποιείται συνήθως μετά από δυνατό εσωτερικό σεισμό, ο οποίος γκρεμίζει όλα τά σαθρά καί παλαιά καί δημιουργεί τίς προϋποθέσεις γιά τήν απόδραση καί τήν βίωση τής «καινής εν Χριστώ ζωής», ήτοι τής αληθινής ελευθερίας, τής τέλειας χαράς καί τής αυθεντικής αγάπης.

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