CHRIST IS BORN! LET US GLORIFY HIM! ISSUE no. 4 Ο ΓΛΥΚΑΣΜΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΓΕΛΩΝ "" DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

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1 KGreek Orthodox Church of Kimisis Theotokou - Brooklyn Ελληνορθόδοξος Ναός της Κοιµήσεως της Θεοτόκου -Brooklyn CHRIST IS BORN! LET US GLORIFY HIM! Ο ΓΛΥΚΑΣΜΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΓΕΛΩΝ "" DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013 ISSUE no. 4 THIS BULLETIN CAN ALSO BE DOWNLOADED IN PDF FORM AT 1

2 C H R I S T M A S G O S P E L S December 25th Gospel From the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12 Ευαγγέλιον Χριστουγέννων Κατὰ Ματθαῖον Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Τοῦ δὲ Ιησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ιουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ηρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ιεροσόλυμαλέγοντες ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ιουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ. Ακούσας δὲ Ηρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐταράχθη καὶ π ᾶσα Ιεροσόλυμα μετ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο παρ αὐτῶν ποῦ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶται.οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ιουδαίας οὕτω γὰρ γέγρα π ται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ σὺ Βηθλεέμ, γῆ Ιούδα,οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ιούδα ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος,ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ισραήλ. Τότε Ηρῴδης λάθρα καλέσας τοὺς μάγους ἠκρίβωσε παρ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος,καὶ πέμψας αὐτοὺς εἰς Βηθλεὲμ εἶπε πορευθέντες ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσατε περὶ τοῦ παιδίου, ἐπὰν δὲ εὕρητε, ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι, ὅπως κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ.οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπορεύθησαν καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἀστὴρ ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ προῆγεν αὐτούς, ἕως ἐλθὼν ἔστη ἐπάνω οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην σφόδρα,καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἶδον τὸ παιδίον μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνοίξαντες τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δῶρα, χρυσὸν καὶ λίβανον καὶ σμύρναν καὶ χρηματισθέντες κατ ὄναρ μὴ ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ηρῴδην, δι ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν. 2 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

3 C H R I S T M A S E N C Y C L I C A L F ROM THE P ROISTAMENOS!! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ 2013 ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΧΑΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΠΙΔΟΣ Τα Χριστούγεννα είναι η γιορτή τής χαράς καί τής ειρήνης. Το φώς νίκησε τό σκοτάδι. Η αγία νύχτα έδιωξε τήν νύκτα άπο τίς καρδιές μας. Η νύχτα εκείνη έφερε το ξημέρωμα τής ανθρωπότητας. "Ο λαός ο καθήμενος εν σκότει είδε φώς μέγα και τοίς καθημένοις εν χώρα καί σκιά θανάτου φώς ανέτειλεν αυτοίς" (Ματθ δ, 16). Τα Χριστούγεννα δέν είναι μία γιορτή σάν τίς άλλες. Δέν είναι ευχάριστες παιδικές αναμνήσεις. Είναι η ενανθρώπιση τού Θεού. Η απέραντη αγάπη που συνοδεύεται με τήν πιό βαθιά ταπείνωση γία την σωτηρία τού ανθρώπου. Ο Θεός γίνεται άνθρωπος, γία να κάνει τόν άνθρωπο Θεό. Ο ενανθρωπήσας Θεός, ο Ιησούς Χριστός, έλαβε τήν ανθρώπινη φύση, γία να μας αγιάσει με τήν αγιότητά Του, να μας πλουτίσει με τήν χάρη Του, να μας κάνει αληθινά σοφούς με τήν διδασκαλία Του, να μας λυτρώσει με το Αίμα Του, να μας δώσει ζωή με τόν θάνατό Του. "Αυτός ενηνθρώπησεν, ίνα ημείς θεοποιηθώμεν." Καί όμως το κοσμοσωτήριο αυτό γεγονός, "η προσδοκία τών εθνών," το γεγονός που χώρισε τήν ιστορία στά δύο, ξεχνιέται τόσο εύκολα. Αρκεί μόνο μία μέρα το γεγονός που θα έπρεπε να διαρκεί καί να αναγεννά ολόκληρη τήν ζωή μας; Γιατί όμως να περνά τόσο γρήγορα ένα τέτοιο κοσμοϊστορικό γεγονός; Γιατί να ξεχνάμε, πως τα Χριστούγεννα δέν είναι η ημέρα τών δώρων. Είναι η ημέρα τού Θείου Δώρου που προσέφερε ο Ουράνιος Πατέρας στά παιδιά Του. "Ούτως ηγάπησεν ο Θεός τόν κόσμον, ώστε τόν Υιόν αυτού τόν μονογενή έδωκεν, ίνα πάς ο πιστεύων εις αυτόν μη απόληται, αλλ έχει ζωήν αιώνιον" (Ιωαν. γ, 16). Τα Χριστούγεννα δέν είναι μία σύντομη χαρά, άλλα είναι η πηγή τής χαράς μας, διότι "ο λόγος σάρξ εγένετο καί εσκήνωσεν εν ημίν." Τα Χριστούγεννα δέν είναι απλώς ένα μεγάλο γεγονός που χάνεται στά βάθη τών αιώνων. Είναι μία σύγχρονη πραγματικότητα, "η ευδοκία" τού Θεού γία τόν άνθρωπο κάθε εποχής. Συνεπώς, το μήνυμα τών Χριστουγέννων είναι μήνυμα χαράς και ελπίδος. Ο ουράνιος γίνεται επίγειος, γία να γίνει ο επίγειος ουράνιος. Ο ΆΆσαρκος σαρκώνεται, γία να αγιάσει τήν φθαρμένη εικόνα του Θεού, τόν άνθρωπο. Τά πάντα περνούν, άλλα ο ενηνθρωπήσας Θεός μένει γία πάντα κοντά μας καί κατοικεί όλα τα χρόνια τής ζωής μας μέσα στίς καρδιές μας σάν Σωτήρας μας καί λυτρωτής μας. Σας εύχομαι εκ βάθους καρδιάς χαρούμενα καί ευλογημένα Χριστούγεννα.!!!!!!! Ο Προιστάμενος + Αρχιμανδρίτης Δαμασκηνός Γκανάς DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

4 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N THE NATIVITY ICON Icons are not simply nice pictures. They are, as the fathers of our church proclaim, bits of theology expressed with lines and shapes in living color, that manage to capture and compactly present the fundamental beliefs and understandings of our church. This description especially applies to the icon of the Nativity. As we shall examine below, everything we ve come to know and associate with the feast-day of the Nativity is right there in the icon - including some things we may not have known! The ox and the ass, representing all of creation, are seen here in the cave worshipping baby Jesus. They are there to remind us of Isaiah 1:3 which foretold Israel s rejection of Christ: The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider. The angels here are depicted heralding the birth of Christ to the shepherds, representing here the poor, humble and down-to-earth folks who, as we know from the gospels, showed more of a willingness to listen, follow and believe in Christ than the more learned men of Israel. A further note: The fact that shepherds were present at Christ s birth strongly argues for the fact that Christmas took place not during the winter but during the Spring. Had it been winter, the shepherds and flocks would have never been out in the fields at night as we read in the gospel Luke. They would have frozen to death! Here are the Three Wise Men who, guided by a star (angel), travelled westwards from Mesopotamia to meet, greet, and worship the newborn King. As non- Jews, they are symbolic of all the Gentile peoples who would one day come to accept the gospel of Christ and believe in Him as their true Lord and Savior. This figure bathing the infant Jesus is traditionally understood to be Salome, a midwife at the birth of Jesus according to the apocryphal gospels (non-canonical gospels not accepted by the church as scripture). Although not depicted here, she is found in other variations of the nativity icon talking to the Devil (who in this icon is talking instead to Joseph). The basis for such a depiction, according to the apocryphal accounts, is that she succumbed to her doubts and questioned Mary s virginity, even going so far as to test Mary s virginity with her hand - a hand that subsequently withered. Joseph (on left) is seen here talking to a shepherd wearing black. He is resting his head in his hand and appears to be lost in thought. Tradition equates the blackclad shepherd with the Devil himself. He is putting doubts into Joseph s mind, causing him to question whether the virgin birth was real. Had Mary been unfaithful? Had she deceived him? Mary and the newborn Jesus naturally occupy the center space. What s interesting in this icon is Mary s expression and posture. She suprisingly has her back turned towards Christ and is looking away with a perplexed look on her face. What does it mean? This is the iconographer s way of bringing to life the reality that Mary, before, during and even after Christ was born, never ceased pondering all the events that she had been a part of. The archangel s visit. Her conception by the Holy Spirit. Giving birth although a virgin. Seeing her son talk and act like God. Seeing him crucified and resurrected. These are all things she kept in her heart and tried to make sense of. 4 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

5 St John Chrysostom s Homily on Christmas Morning BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged. C H R I S T M A S H O M I L Y And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb. Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works. What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend. Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt. Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature. For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker. lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star. To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen. What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

6 T H E "For He (God) was made man that we might be made God." (St Athanasius) What a powerful statement this is, made by one of the greatest theologians and Holy Fathers of our church, which sums up the mystery of the incarnation. In one short sentence, our church's teaching on the significance of Jesus' birth to our lives is masterfully captured and expressed in understandable terms. I N C A R N A T I O N O F Our Faith in Focus THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST First, we have the phrase "God was made man." Central to our beliefs as Orthodox Christians is that God assumed flesh and blood and was born human. He was born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary as the scriptures attest to. This we affirm every time we recite the Creed, otherwise known as the Symbol of Faith: "Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man." Of all the major religions on earth, Christianity alone can claim such a belief. We are unique in our belief that God took human form and lived among us. It forms the very basis of Orthodoxy, and is what sets apart our message of salvation from those of other systems of faith. Everything we believe and do, every dogma and canon of the church, every element of worship and teaching, revolves around and is informed by this one simple yet profound fact that God "emptied himself" to become one of us, to live as one of us, and ultimately, to taste death as one of us. But this raises a question: Why? We are all familiar with the story of Adam's and Eve's disobedience and their expulsion from Paradise. And we know the Christ came to destroy sin and death that had entered the world as a result. But was it really necessary for God to become man? God is God, after all, is He not? With but a word he brought into existence everything that "is" from nothingness. Surely, the Almighty didn't need to become man for us and endure death on the Cross, right? There must have been another, easier way. C H R I S T such a feat. God needed to become what needed saving - a human being - and bring to humanity what it lacked holiness and a reorientation towards the the divine. The perfect human had to be born to bring together the earthly and the heavenly, who would unite these two vastly different and separate worlds into one unity, one communion, and reestablish that communion and relationship between man and God once lost in Paradise. That perfect human was Jesus. What was the purpose of the incarnation? The second phrase of our statement above states it plainly: "so that we might be made God." Deification is the ultimate aim of each and every human. We are all called to become "small gods," to transcend our "fleshiness" and mortality and work towards becoming truly "spiritual" beings. Theosis is the term used by our Holy Fathers to describe this, made possible by the union of the divine and human in a Jesus Christ. By living a life "in Christ" and by "becoming" Christ, we partake in everything that is Christ s. We partake in His holiness and in his Life, which in turn, gives us true life. We partake in His sonship to God, becoming true sons and daughters to God by grace. And we partake in His death - not a death unto nothingness and nonexistence, but unto life itself. For His death was a glorious death, a death of victory over death itself, not of defeat. Death could not contain Life itself, and its power was shattered once and for all through Christ s resurrection. It is unto His resurrection that we are "born" through our union with Him - a resurrection unto life and the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. This Christmas, instead of focusing on the new XBOX we received or that gift card we were given, let Christ be the center of attention. Let Santa take second place to the Almighty God who, out of His unbounded love for us, sent the gift of His only begotten Son to all for the purpose of sanctifying us, healing us, teaching us and, ultimately, dying for us on the Cross so we would no longer need to fear death. It is for this sacrifice that Christ was born into the world. It is so that we could become Actually, there was no other way. Had there been, perhaps the like Him that he became like us. "Become gods for God's history of salvation would have been different. But as it turns sake, writes St Gregory again, since God became man out, it was necessary for God himself to assume flesh in order to for our sake." save it. "That which is not assumed is not saved" wrote St Gregory the Theologian on why it was necessary for God to - Dn. C literally become that which he wished to save - humanity. Sin had entered into the world and the existence of man to such a degree, that it required no less than God himself to enter into it and purge it. Man alone, left to his abilities, was incapable of 6 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

7 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 December 1st Gospel At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. Jesus performed many healings during his ministry. Most of the time, the healing He provided was instantaneous. Take the case of the woman with the issue of blood. She was healed by merely touching Jesus' cloak. However, not all healings followed this pattern. Sometimes, Jesus would deliberately delay, often choosing to speak first to the person coming to him for help. A good example of this is the story of the Canaanite woman. She goes to Jesus imploring him to save her daughter but gets ignored by Him. It is only after several attempts that she finally gets Jesus attention, and when she does, Jesus further delays by starting a dialogue with her. After a bit of back and forth, even some name-calling (Jesus calls the woman a dog! ), Jesus grants her wish; her daughter is healed and all ends well. Today's passage conforms to this pattern. A blind man, having heard that Jesus is near, seeks him out. The man, although deprived of his sight and thus unable to find him in the crowd, has no problem with his voice. So he bellows out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" But Jesus does not react at first; he ignores him, and those surrounding Jesus tell the blind man to quiet down and silence himself. Does the blind man comply? Quite the opposite. It gives him all the more reason to cry out a second time, louder than before: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" This time Jesus "hears" him and stops. He talks with the blind man and asks what he desires. Satisfied with what he s heard, Jesus then heals him saying, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." Many of us can identify with the blind man in this passage. Haven t we all cried out to God at some point in our lives like the blind man, only to be met with silence? I m sure our lives are punctuated with moments where God appeared to be absent. But was he really absent? Is He really a distant and unfeeling God who cares little for us and ignores our needs and wants? According to many, the answer is yes. In actuality, however, God is quite the opposite. See, we tend to assess and critique God according to our standards of behavior, forgetting that we are not talking about a human being but about God. However, His methods and mode of operating cannot be explained by human logic because He is beyond human logic. His ways are His ways. Period. There is no way around it. There is no point in trying to make God conform to our standards. The most we can do is try and understand Him on his own terms to best of our ability. This passage gives us some insight into what that that understanding is. First, despite our wishful thinking, God doesn't operate according to anyone's schedule but his own. Of course he heard the blind man crying out to him. Of course he knew what he wanted. Of course he wanted to finally give this man his sight. But he chose to wait. Why? Here we come to the second fundamental fact about God: However He choses to act, He always acts in our best interests. Every action He takes - even inaction - is taken with a purpose in mind - our salvation. In the case of the blind man, he waited for him to cry out twice for his help. He waited so that the man's true faith in God be manifested by not giving up. Jesus wanted to test the blind man and see if he really believed what he was saying when he referred to Him as "son of David," a clear Messianic reference with very important implications, for everyone knew that the Messiah would be born of the house of David. He wanted to see how great his faith was. That was the entire point of Jesus apparent initial indifference towards him. He wanted to heal him, but not in body alone; he wanted the healing to be complete by involving his soul as well. God is never as distant and uninterested in us as we might judge Him to be. When He does decide to "stop" and turn his attention to us, he gives us his total, undivided attention and stands ready to grant anything we ask, provided it is to our benefit. This is the third teaching of the gospel. We see this occur after the blind man's second cry as Jesus stops what he's doing, walks to man and asks "What do you want me to do for you?" The scene is utterly dramatic. Here is God in the flesh, the creator of all things "visible and visible" who with but a wave of a finger can send everything back into the nothingness from whence it came, standing in front of a blind man and waiting to be commanded like a common servant. "What do you want me to do for you? I m here at your service. Ask me anything. It's unbelievable! But that's exactly who and what God is - He is the very embodiment of total love and humility who stands ready to do anything and everything beneficial to our souls and bodies, if only we believe, if only we ask with sincerity, if only we persevere in seeking him out always. - Dn. C DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

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 December 8th Gospel At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. "The letter kills but the spirit gives life." Thus writes the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians (3:6). He certainly knew what he was talking about. As the Apostle to the nations and the evangelizer of the Gentiles, he had witnessed first hand in his dealings with various communities just how deadly the letter could be. Fanatical adherence to Jewish laws and norms (there were camps within the church which insisted that the Torah was still binding for Christians) was threatening to upend all the progress he and others like him had made in spreading the gospel of Christ. It was slowly tearing apart the very body of Christ, leading to factions springing up within the church communities. Paul understood that fanaticism was not the way to go. So he wrote about it. He knew that the message of Christianity was not to be found in the letter of scripture per say, but in it s spirit. Paul s understanding is confirmed by the gospels. The encounter of Jesus with the ruler of the synagogue in today's passage highlights just how downright destructive an unwavering adherence to the "letter of the law" can be. In the passage, Jesus heals a sick woman of eighteen years on the holiest day of the week, the Sabbath, on which any sort of manual labor was strictly forbidden as dictated by the laws of the Old Testament. Naturally, this blatant act of defiance by Jesus generated a response. It evoked the ire of the synagogue ruler who rebuked Jesus and the people, demanding that they respect the Sabbath and conduct their business on one of the other six days of the week instead of the Sabbath. Jesus, however, counterd with a rebuke of his own, calling the ruler and those who agree with him "hypocrites," a harsh response indeed, but one Jesus backs up by pointing out that even oxen and donkeys are loosed and led to water on the Sabbath. Is compassion to be shown to animals on the Sabbath but not to humans? Is she worth less than an ox or a donkey? According to the thinking of the ruler of the synagogue and his associates are acting, she is. Who is right? If anyone finds all of this confusing, you aren t alone. This passage is sending some very mixed signals. We all know that scripture is the inspired word of God. We should respect, read and adhere to it. In fact, Jesus repeatedly stressed during his ministry that he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. Yet, Jesus actions here send the message that it s OK to disregard scripture. He not only contravenes scripture on the issue of the Sabbath, but calls the synagogue leader a hypocrite for doing precisely what he should be doing - upholding the commandments! How do we make sense of it all? To get to the bottom of what this gospel is telling us, and also understand what St Paul means when he writes the letter kills, but the spirit gives life," we must strive to acquire what the Holy Fathers call the mind of the Church. We must attempt to access the thinking and reasoning behind everything she does for it is the key to unlocking and making sense of it all. What do we conclude from such an exercise? That behind each and every law and commandment found in the scriptures, every action taken by God and Jesus, and every teaching and canon of the church, lies the ultimate law - the law of love. Upholding this law of love takes precedence over everything else. This is not to say that we should disregard the letter. To be sure, laws, whether they are religious laws or even civil laws, take on a definitive, fixed form when put into writing. Every time you read a law it looks the same - the wording never changes. But as any lawyer or judge will tell you, practicing law is not simply an objective process but a supremely subjective one. Just as important as what a law literally says is the "spirit" behind that law; that is, the rationale and purpose behind the law, the driving force which gave someone, somewhere, cause to precisely define and put into writing a clear cut law. The right application and upholding of the law occurs when attention is also paid to the spirit of the law, rather than just on its wording and literal meaning. In the case of today's parable, Jesus is not denying the holiness of the Sabbath nor is he seeking to overturn the law of rest on the Sabbath as it is "written." What he is condemning is the ruler's hypocrisy and preference for the literal enforcement of Sabbath law, even if it results in negative consequences for the sick woman. For as Christ will point out elsewhere in the gospels, the Sabbath was made for man and not the other way around. Man is the priority of every law. Adherence to the "letter" is indicated so long as it benefits man. Laws "kill" when enforced like the synagogue ruler. This is why canonists like St Basil the Great take care to stress in their writings that the church always operates according to one of two "modes." One is the mode of exactitude which allows for no deviation in the application of the laws and traditions established by the holy synods and fathers of church. This is the "default" mode of the church which remains in effect for most situations (for example, questions of dogma), but does not (and cannot) apply in all situations. An example of a non-applicable situation would be when one of the faithful wishes to receive Communion but cannot fast as "required" on Wednesdays and Fridays, or during a fasting period such as Great Lent, because of a medical reason. Let's say a doctor has prescribed that meat must be eaten. What to do? In this case, a spiritual father will (should) suspend what is "required" for the good of the patient. Otherwise, more harm is done than good. Here the application of economy (oikonomia) and not exactitude is warranted for the overall good of man, even when it runs contrary to "the letter." The Church cares for the totality of every person - body and soul. 8 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

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 December 15th Gospel The Lord said this parable: "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. For many are called, but few are chosen.'" Jesus tells an interesting story in today's parable about a man who decided to give a banquet one day. A big one. One that all were invited to. And one that would offer only the best food and drink available, free of charge. This was no barbecue we are talking about. This was a banquet fit for a king, offered freely to all, wealthy and poor. Who wouldn't want to attend if invited, right? The answer to that question is, apparently, many people. As we read in the parable, after everything has been prepared and readied for the guests arrival, a servant is sent out to fetch those invited and bring them to the table. But one by one they decline. Their excuse? One cites the need to tend to his fields, another to his animals and the last gives family reasons for not attending. Returning empty-handed to his master, the servant is then commanded to go out into the streets and wherever his legs will take him to bring anyone he finds to his table. And bring them he does - all of them - filling the table with guests, with room left to spare. This parable is metaphorical in nature, both a symbol of the great feast we all partake in now during the Divine Liturgy and the heavenly feast that awaits us at the close of this present age. It also symbolizes in the three persons who declined the master's invitation, all those whom Christ invites to His table but chose to decline, preferring instead some other activity or pleasure of life. Like all of Christ's parables, this one is timeless in nature, describing in metaphorical language what really goes on "out" there, and how people have responded and continue to respond to Christ's calling in every age and corner of this earth. Take ourselves for example. Have we never given priority to something worldly over that which is spiritual? Have we never, through our actions, said "thanks, but no thanks" to Christ who prepares for us a banquet at each and every celebration of the Holy Eucharist? And I'm not talking about weekdays here. It is understandably difficult for many to attend services during those days. No, I'm talking about Sundays, a day that is - and absolutely should be - dedicated to God. Do we not sometimes choose to sleep in, go shopping or do something else instead? Are we not like one of the three in this gospel who declines the master s invitation in order to engage in some other business? The master in this parable is justified in getting angry at his invitees' refusal to attend, not so much because they could not attend but because they had no good reason not to. Each excuse given was weak. All three could have attended the banquet and fulfilled their obligations either beforehand or afterwards. The problem here was not that the three had something to do - don't we all? - but that priority was given to them instead of the once in a lifetime feast he was offering them. But for all those who declined the master's invitation, many more took him up on it. It is with these people that we should always strive to identify and join with at the table of fellowship laid out for us by Christ. They are the ones who have chosen the "better portion." They are the ones who realize that there is more to life than oxen, fields and wives, or whatever other earthly cares and concerns we might have. Our place as Orthodox Christians is always at the table of Christ. When something arises which truly prevents us from attending church like an illness, our absence is justified. No argument there. But we all know that many times we are not justified. We might be able fool ourselves. However, God is never fooled. - Dn. C DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

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 December 22nd Gospel The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. Today's gospel passage is long. In fact, very long. This is unsurprising, for the author - in this case, Matthew - sets out to provide his readers with a genealogy of not just anyone, but of Christ, the son of God and man, whose lineage traces all the way back to Abraham, the father of nations. Some may question the usefulness of such a long list of names. What purpose can it possibly serve? For one, Matthew wishes to drive home the point to his 1st century Jewish listeners/hearers of his gospel that Christ truly was the long awaited Messiah of Israel. Everyone knew that the Messiah would be born of the house of David. This was no secret, and explains why couples like Ioakeim and Anna who failed to conceive children (initially, of course) were stigmatized in ancient Jewish society. Everyone from the line of David held a secret hope that the Messiah would be born from them. To be barren precluded this from happening. Worse still, it was viewed as a curse from God himself. A second reason why this genealogy is important is more difficult to spot. If you are like most people, giving full attention to this list wanes exponentially after the first few names and "father ofs." But if we do take a closer look at the names given we will notice something odd - there are actually several women mentioned. These are Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, the wife of Uria (Bathsheba) and Mary herself, the mother of Jesus. Stranger still, a little research on these women will reveal something even more peculiar and make us wonder how they even got on this list in the first place. With the exception of Mary, each of the other four women possess scandalous pasts; two were prostitutes (Rahab and Tamar), one a seductress (Ruth) and the last an adulteress (Bathsheba). Moreover, all were Gentiles and not from the house of Israel. Why are they mentioned by Matthew? The reason for their inclusion, as the Fathers of the church see it, was to show that Christ was a child of humanity in its totality. Having Gentiles in Christ's family tree emphasized the inclusion of non-jews in his plan of salvation. Additionally, their scandalous pasts also served to emphasize that God's grace knows no bounds and cannot be impeded by anything, not even sin itself. After all, the very reason God descended and took on mortal flesh was to save it. He came not to save the holy, but the sinners of this world. Let us reflect this week on the immensity of God's loving act of sending us his onlybegotten Son. Although physically born a son of David, Christ was also the Son of Man and the Messiah to all the nations. His genealogy continues to this day, for as is chanted at every Orthodox Christian's baptism, "those who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ," and have made his death and resurrection their own. We have all, through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, become brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters to Christ. 10 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

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 December 29th Gospel When the wise men departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more." But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene." It is well agreed upon by biblical scholars and theologians that Matthew most likely wrote for a primarily Jewish audience. His frequent references to Jewish law and to the Old Testament prophets point to this, as does his focus on making two things clear throughout his gospel - one, that Jesus came into the world not to destroy the law but to fulfill it, and two, that he was indeed the Messiah, the "Christ" and "Son of Man" the people of Israel and the rest of the world had so anxiously awaited for. Matthew quotes scripture three times in today's gospel passage, indicating to his hearers/listeners that nothing in the life of Christ was left to chance. Everything was in some way foretold in scripture. This includes the events surrounding his birth. "Out of Egypt have I called my son," is the first reference, which foreshadowed the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. The second, "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more," is used by Matthew to show that even the outcome of Herod's wrath - his slaughtering of all babies two years of age and under - had been foretold centuries earlier. Lastly, "He shall be called a Nazarene" can hardly be misinterpreted. It is a well known fact that Mary and Joseph did indeed settle in Nazareth after returning from Egypt and that Jesus grew up there. Of course, from a Jewish perspective, Jesus didn't turn out to be the Messiah the people of Israel had hoped for. What they expected and what they got were two very different things. Had they expected Jesus to turn out the way he did, they surely wouldn't have crucified him! But they didn't. Their expectation was that the Messiah would come and assume political leadership over Israel, drive out the Romans from Palestine and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. When Jesus didn't live up to their expectations, they conspired to kill him. For Matthew, however, Jesus' failure as the expected Messiah according to Jewish expectations did not mean He was actually a failure. What failed the Jewish people were their own expectations and understanding of scripture. In other words, scripture didn t get the Messiah or Jesus wrong - the Jews did. The problem lay in how the people of Israel had interpreted scripture. This is what Matthew attempted to show his Jewish audience and whoever else cared to listen. When one looks at the life of Christ one sees that, indeed, he was the Messiah, even though (and especially because!) he was eventually condemned to death. Christ came not to establish a worldly kingdom on earth but a heavenly one. Whereas most expected the Christ to appear in power and wielding a sword ready to smite the enemies of Israel, Jesus came to earth in humble fashion, the son of carpenter, wielding the sword of teaching, smite sin. This is the Christ we believe in, the Messiah foretold in the scriptures, who came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

12 Ε Υ Α Γ Γ Ε Λ Ι Α Κ Υ Ρ Ι Α Κ Ω Ν Ευαγγέλια Κυριακών 1 Δεκεµβρίου Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, Εγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν αὐτὸν εἰς Ιεριχὼ τυφλός τις ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν προσαιτῶν ἀκούσας δὲ ὄχλου διαπορευοµένου ἐπυνθάνετο τί εἴη ταῦτα. ἀπήγγειλαν δὲ αὐτῷ ὅτι Ιησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος παρέρχεται. καὶ ἐβόησε λέγων Ιησοῦ υἱὲ Δαυΐδ, ἐλέησόν µε καὶ οἱ προάγοντες ἐπετίµων αὐτῷ ἵνα σιωπήσῃ αὐτὸς δὲ πολλῷ µᾶλλον ἔκραζεν υἱὲ Δαυΐδ, ἐλέησόν µε. σταθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀχθῆναι πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐγγίσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτὸν λέγων τί σοι θέλεις ποιήσω; ὁ δὲ εἶπε Κύριε, ἵνα ἀναβλέψω. καὶ ὁ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀνάβλεψον ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε. καὶ παραχρῆµα ἀνέβλεψε, καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ δοξάζων τὸν Θεόν καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἰδὼν ἔδωκεν αἶνον τῷ Θεῷ. (Λουκ. 18:35-43) 8 Δεκεµβρίου Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, Ην δὲ διδάσκων ἐν µιᾷ τῶν συναγωγῶν ἐν τοῖς σάββασι. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἦν πνεῦµα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας ἔτη δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, καὶ ἦν συγκύπτουσα καὶ µὴ δυναµένη ἀνακῦψαι εἰς τὸ παντελές.ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ Ιησοῦς προσεφώνησε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ γύναι, ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ παραχρῆµα ἀνωρθώθη καὶ ἐδόξαζε τὸν Θεόν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ Ιησοῦς, ἔλεγε τῷ ὄχλῳ ἓξ ἡµέραι εἰσὶν ἐν αἷς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι ἐν ταύταις οὖν ἐρχόµενοι θεραπεύεσθε, καὶ µὴ τῇ ἡµέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου. ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος καὶ εἶπεν ὑποκριτά, ἕκαστος ὑµῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὄνον ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν ποτίζει; ταύτην δέ, θυγατέρα Αβραὰµ οὖσαν, ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ σατανᾶς ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη, οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσµοῦ τούτου τῇ ἡµέρᾳ το ῦ σ α β β ά το υ ; κα ὶ τα ῦ τα λ έ γ ο ν το ς α ὐ το ῦ κατῃσχύνοντο πάντες οἱ ἀντικείµενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἔχαιρεν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τοῖς γινοµένοις ὑπ αὐτοῦ. (Λουκ. 13:10-17) 15 Δεκεµβρίου Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην Ἄνθρωπός τις ἐποίησε δεῖπνον µέγα καὶ ἐκάλεσε πολλούς καὶ ἀπέστειλε τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ τῇ ὥρᾳ τοῦ δείπνου εἰπεῖν τοῖς κεκληµένοις ἔρχεσθε, ὅτι ἤδη ἕτοιµά ἐστι πάντα. καὶ ἤρξαντο ἀπὸ µιᾶς παραιτεῖσθαι πάντες. ὁ πρῶτος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀγρὸν ἠγόρασα, καὶ ἔχω ἀνάγκην ἐξελθεῖν καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτόν ἐρωτῶ σε, ἔχε µε παρῃτηµένον. καὶ ἕτερος εἶπε ζεύγη βοῶν ἠγόρασα πέντε, καὶ πορεύοµαι δοκιµάσαι αὐτά ἐρωτῶ σε, ἔχε µε παρῃτηµένον. καὶ ἕτερος εἶπε γυναῖκα ἔγηµα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ δύναµαι ἐλθεῖν. καὶ παραγενόµενος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ἀπήγγειλε τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα. τότε ὀργισθεὶς ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης εἶπε τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ ἔξελθε ταχέως εἰς τὰς πλατείας καὶ ῥύµας τῆς 12 πόλεως, καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς καὶ ἀναπήρους καὶ χωλοὺς καὶ τυφλοὺς εἰσάγαγε ὧδε. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ δοῦλος κύριε, γέγονεν ὡς ἐπέταξας, καὶ ἔτι τόπος ἐστί. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον ἔξελθε εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ φραγµοὺς καὶ ἀνάγκασον εἰσελθεῖν, ἵνα γεµισθῇ ὁ οἶκος µου. λέγω γὰρ ὑµῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων τῶν κεκληµένων γεύσεταί µου τοῦ δείπνου. Πολλοί γὰρ εἰσιν κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δέ ἐκλεκτοί. (Λουκ. 14:16-24) 22 Δεκεµβρίου Βίβλος γενέσεως Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ Δαυῒδ υἱοῦ Αβραάµ. Αβραὰµ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ισαάκ, Ισαὰκ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιακώβ, Ιακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιούδαν καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ, Ιούδας δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Φαρὲς καὶ τὸν Ζαρὰ ἐκ τῆς Θάµαρ, Φαρὲς δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Εσρώµ, Εσρὼµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αράµ, Αρὰµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αµιναδάβ, Αµιναδὰβ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ναασσών, Ναασσὼν δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Σαλµών,Σαλµὼν δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Βοὸζ ἐκ τῆς Ραχάβ, Βοὸζ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ωβὴδ ἐκ τῆς Ρούθ, Ωβὴδ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιεσσαί, Ιεσσαὶ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Δαυῒδ τὸν βασιλέα. Δαυῒδ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐγέννησε τὸν Σολοµῶνα ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου,Σολοµὼν δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ροβοάµ, Ροβοὰµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αβιά, Αβιὰ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ασά, Ασὰ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιωσαφάτ, Ιωσαφὰτ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιωράµ, Ιωρὰµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Οζίαν, Οζίας δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιωάθαµ, Ιωάθαµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αχαζ, Αχαζ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Εζεκίαν, Εζεκίας δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Μανασσῆ, Μανασσῆς δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αµών, Αµὼν δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιωσίαν, Ιωσίας δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιεχονίαν καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς µετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν µετοικεσίαν Βαβυλῶνος Ιεχονίας ἐγέννησε τὸν Σαλαθιήλ, Σαλαθιὴλ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ζοροβάβελ,Ζοροβάβελ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αβιούδ, Αβιοὺδ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ελιακείµ, Ελιακεὶµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αζώρ, Αζὼρ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Σαδώκ, Σαδὼκ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Αχείµ, Αχεὶµ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ελιούδ, Ελιοὺδ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ελεάζαρ, Ελεάζαρ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ματθάν, Ματθὰν δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιακώβ, Ιακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ιωσὴφ τὸν ἄνδρα Μαρίας, ἐξ ἧς ἐγεννήθη Ιησοῦς ὁ λεγόµενος Χριστός.Πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Αβραὰµ ἕως Δαυῒδ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ Δαυῒδ ἕως τῆς µετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς µετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος ἕως τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες. αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ µὴ θέλων αὐτὴν παραδειγµατίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρα ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν.ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυµηθέντος ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κατ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ λέγων Ιωσὴφ υἱὸς Δαυΐδ, µὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰµ τὴν γυναῖκά σου τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ Πνεύµατός ἐστιν Αγίου.τέξεται δὲ υἱὸν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνοµα αὐτοῦ Ιησοῦν αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁµαρτιῶν αὐτῶν.τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν,καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνοµα αὐτοῦ Εµµανουήλ,ὅ ἐστι µεθερµηνευόµενον µεθ ἡµῶν ὁ Θεός. Διεγερθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ιωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐποίησεν ὡς προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ,καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνοµα αὐτοῦ Ιησοῦν. (Ματθ. 1:1-25) 29 Δεκεµβρίου Αναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατ ὄναρ τῷ Ιωσὴφ λέγων ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν µητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι µέλλει γὰρ Ηρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό. Ο δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν µητέρα αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον,καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ηρῴδου, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν µου. Τότε Ηρῴδης ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν µάγων, ἐθυµώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλε πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλεὲµ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω, κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσε παρὰ τῶν µάγων.τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ Ιερεµίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος φωνὴ ἐν Ραµᾷ ἠκούσθη,θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθµὸς καὶ ὀδυρµὸς πολύς Ραχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς,καὶ οὐκ ἤθελε παρακληθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ηρῴδου ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κατ ὄναρ φαίνεται τῷ Ιωσὴφ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳλέγων ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν µητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πορεύου εἰς γῆν Ισραήλ τεθνήκασι γὰρ οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου.ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν µητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς γῆν Ισραήλ.ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Αρχέλαος βασιλεύει ἐπὶ τῆς Ιουδαίας ἀντὶ Ηρῴδου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖ ἀπελθεῖν χρηµατισθεὶς δὲ κατ ὄναρ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ µέρη τῆς Γαλιλαίας,καὶ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς πόλιν λεγοµένην Ναζαρέτ, ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται. (Ματθ. 2:13-23) Τοῦ δὲ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ γέννησις οὕτως ἦν. µνηστευθείσης γὰρ τῆς µητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ιωσήφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ Πνεύµατος Αγίου. Ιωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

13 Χ Ρ Ι Σ Τ Ο Υ Γ Ε Ν Ν Ι Α Τ Ι Κ Ο Κ Η Ρ Υ Γ Μ Α Βλέπω παράξενο και παράδοξο μυστήριο, ποιμένες, αντί να παίζουν με τις φλογέρες τους κάποιο μελωδικό σκοπό, ψάλλουν ουράνιο ύμνο και γεμίζουν με τους ήχους τους τα αυτιά μου. Ψάλλουν άγγελοι και ανυμνούν αρχάγγελοι, υμνούν τα Χερουβίμ και δοξολογούν τα Σεραφίμ. ΌΌλοι πανηγυρίζουν γιατί βλέπουν το Θεό στη γη και τον άνθρωπο στους ουρανούς. Βλέπουν Εκείνον που είναι πάνω στον ουρανό, να βρίσκεται κάτω στη γη λόγω της οικονομίας του για τον άνθρωπο, και τον άνθρωπο που είναι στη γη, να βρίσκεται ψηλά στον ουρανό εξαιτίας της φιλανθρωπίας του Θεού. Σήμερα η Βηθλεέμ έγινε όμοια με τον ουρανό, αφού εμφανίστηκαν σ' αυτήν αντί για αστέρια άγγελοι που ανυμνούν το Θεό, και δέχτηκε με τρόπο θαυμαστό στο χώρο της όχι το φυσικό ήλιο, αλλά τον ΉΉλιο της δικαιοσύνης. Και μη ζητάς να μάθεις πως έγινε αυτό. Γιατί εκεί όπου εκδηλώνεται η θέληση του Θεού, νικώνται οι φυσικοί νόμοι. Θέλησε λοιπόν ο Θεός, μπόρεσε, κατέβηκε από τους ουρανούς και έσωσε τον άνθρωπο, γιατί τα πάντα υπακούουν στο Θεό. Σήμερα γεννιέται ο αιώνιος και γίνεται εκείνο που δεν ήταν. Ενώ δηλαδή ήταν Θεός, γίνεται άνθρωπος, χωρίς να παύσει να είναι Θεός. Δεν έχασε δηλαδή τις θεϊκές του ιδιότητες για να γίνει άνθρωπος, ούτε πάλι άλλαξε κι από άνθρωπος έγινε Θεός. Αλλά ενώ ήταν Θεός Λόγος, χωρίς να πάθει τίποτε, προσέλαβε την ανθρώπινη σάρκα, και η θεία φύση παρέμεινε αμετάβλητη. Και όταν γεννήθηκε, οι Ιουδαίοι δεν παραδεχόντουσαν την παράδοξη γέννησή του και οι μεν Φαρισαίοι παρερμήνευαν τις θείες Γραφές, οι δε Γραμματείς δίδασκαν τα αντίθετα του μωσαϊκού νόμου. Ο Ηρώδης γύρευε το νεογέννητο, όχι για να του προσφέρει τιμές, μα για να το σκοτώσει. Γιατί έβλεπαν ότι σήμερα τα πράγματα ήρθαν αντίθετα προς τις προσδοκίες τους. Γιατί όπως λέγει ο Ψαλμωδός: «δεν έγιναν αυτά κρυφά από τα παιδιά τους και θα γίνουν γνωστά και στις επερχόμενες γενεές». Προσήλθαν λοιπόν βασιλείς να δουν με θαυμασμό το Βασιλιά των ουρανών και απορούσαν πως ήρθε στη γη χωρίς αγγέλους και αρχαγγέλους και θρόνους και κυριότητες και δυνάμεις και εξουσίες, και πέρασε από δρόμο παράξενο και απάτητο, δηλαδή από σπλάχνα παρθενικά, χωρίς να παύσει να επιστατεί τους αγγέλους Του και χωρίς να χάσει τις θεϊκές του ιδιότητες έγινε άνθρωπος και ήρθε κοντά μας. Βασιλείς λοιπόν ήρθαν να προσκυνήσουν τον ένδοξο Βασιλιά των ουρανών, στρατιώτες να υπηρετήσουν τον αρχιστράτηγο των ουρανίων δυνάμεων, γυναίκες να προσκυνήσουν Εκείνον που γεννήθηκε από γυναίκα, για να μετατρέψει σε χαρά τις λύπες της γυναίκας. ΉΉρθαν παρθένοι στον υιό της Παρθένου κι απορούσαν πως ο δημιουργός των μητρικών μαστών και του γάλακτος, Εκείνος που κάνει τους μαστούς να βγάζουν μόνοι τους άφθονο γάλα, πως έφαγε παιδική τροφή από μητέρα Παρθένο. ΉΉρθαν τα νήπια σ' Εκείνον που έγινε νήπιο για να συντεθεί ύμνος στον Κύριο από νήπια που ακόμα θηλάζουν. ΉΉρθαν παιδιά προς το Παιδί που τα έκανε μάρτυρες Του εξαιτίας της θηριωδίας του Ηρώδη. ΉΉρθαν οι άνδρες σ' Εκείνον που έγινε άνθρωπος και θεράπευσε τις ταλαιπωρίες των δούλων Του. ΉΉρθαν ποιμένες στον καλό Ποιμένα που θυσιάζεται για να σώσει τα πρόβατά Του. ΉΉρθαν ιερείς σ' Εκείνον που έγινε Αρχιερέας κατά σειρά διαδοχής από τον Μελχισεδέκ. ΉΉρθαν οι δούλοι σ' Εκείνον που έλαβε δούλου μορφή, για να μετατρέψει σε ελευθερία τη δουλεία μας. ΉΉρθαν οι ψαράδες σ' Εκείνον που τους μετέτρεψε από απλούς ψαράδες σε ψαράδες ανθρώπων. ΉΉρθαν τελώνες σ' Εκείνον που ανέδειξε έναν από τους τελώνες σε ευαγγελιστή. ΉΉρθαν οι πόρνες σ' Εκείνον που άφησε τα πόδια Του να τα βρέξει με τα δάκρυά της η πόρνη. Και για να μιλήσω με συντομία, όλοι οι αμαρτωλοί ήρθαν να δουν τον Αμνό του Θεού που σήκωσε πάνω Του την αμαρτία όλου του κόσμου, οι ταπεινοί μάγοι, οι ποιμένες που τον τίμησαν, οι τελώνες που κήρυξαν το Ευαγγέλιο, οι πόρνες που του πρόσφεραν μύρα, η Σαμαρείτιδα που επιθυμούσε να γευθεί νερό από την πηγή της ζωής, η Χαναναία που είχε ακλόνητη πίστη. Αφού λοιπόν όλοι πανηγυρίζουν χαρούμενοι, κι εγώ επιθυμώ να σκιρτήσω, και να χορέψω και να πανηγυρίσω. Χορεύω χωρίς να παίζω κιθάρα, χωρίς να κινώ κλάδους κισσού, χωρίς να κρατάω αυλό, χωρίς να κρατάω αναμμένες λαμπάδες, αλλά κρατώντας στα χέρια μου αντί για μουσικά όργανα, τα σπάργανα του Χριστού. Γιατί αυτά είναι η ελπίδα μου, αυτά είναι η ζωή, αυτά είναι η σωτηρία μου αυτά είναι για μένα αυλός και κιθάρα. Γι' αυτό τα έχω μαζί μου, για να μου δώσουν με τη δική τους δύναμη την ικανότητα να πω μαζί με τους αγγέλους: «Δόξα στον ύψιστο Θεό», και μαζί με τους ποιμένες: «και ας επικρατήσει στη γη η ειρήνη και στους ανθρώπους η αγάπη». Αγ. Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

14 P H I L O P T O C H O S L U N C H E O N Congratulations to the Ladies Philoptochos Society of Kimisis on their 80th anniversary and to Father Damaskinos for his birthday! Thank you to all who made this luncheon a success! 14 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013

15 N E W S A N D N O T E W O R T H Y MAJOR FEASTDAYS OF DECEMBER ΕΠΙΣΗΜΕΣ ΕΟΡΤΕΣ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ Dec 4: St Barbara (Αγ. Βαρβάρα) Dec 6: St Nicholas (Αγ. Νικόλαος) Dec 9: Conception of St Anna (Σύλληψις Αγ. ΆΆννης) Dec 12: St Spyridon (Αγ. Σπυρίδων) Dec 24: Eve of the Nativity (Παραμονή Χριστουγέννων) Dec 25: The Nativity of Christ (Χριστούγεννα) Dec 27: St Stephen the Protomartyr (Αγ. Στέφανος) DECEMBER LITURGIES ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΕΣ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ SUNDAYS-Κυριακές (DECEMBER 1st - 8th - 15th - 22nd - 29th) Orthros 8:45 am & Divine Liturgy 10:00 am (Dec 4, 6, 9, 12, 27) Orthros & Divine Liturgy: 9 am - 10:30 am SPECIAL SERVICE TIMES DEC 24TH The Royal Hours-Great Vespers-Divine Liturgy of St Basil 8:00-9:30 AM DEC 25TH Christmas Divine Liturgy Orthros 8:45 am & Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Our Community Congratulates the Following Parishioners Who Recently Took Part In the Sacraments of Our Church Mr & Mrs Derek Palleja on the Baptism of their Daughter Mr & Mrs Nikolaos Michail on the Baptism of their Son Mr & Mrs Emanuel Tsagarakis on the Baptism of their Daughter Mr & Mrs Alex Krokos on the Baptism of their Son Mr & Mrs Vasilios Makrinasios on the Baptism of their Daughter Mr & Mrs John Samakovlis on the Baptism of their Daughter The word for man in Greek - ο ΆΆνθρωπος - is a composite, made from the word άνω (upwards), θρώσκω (movement towards) and ὄπωπα (to look). Hence, man is a being whose entire movement and vision is upwards, towards the heavens. Accordingly, I invite everyone who hasn t already to LOOK UP next time you are standing in front of our church! What you will see is the further beautification of our church taking place outside! DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ

16 Our Parish in Action K I M I S I S T H E O T O K O U Please visit this section for the latest events going on at Kimisis Theotokou and other newsworthy items. THE COMMUNITY OF KIMISIS THEOTOKOU OF BROOKLYN CONGRATULATES MR. CHARLES CAPETANAKIS, ESQ. FOR BEING AWARDED THE ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR AWARD BY THE HELLENIC LAWYERS ASSOCIATION AND MR. STAVROS HAVIARAS, PAST PRESIDENT OF KIMISIS, FOR HIS ELEVATION TO THE RANK OF ARCHON OF THE ORDER OF ST ANDREW 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 John Haskopoulos SECRETARY Anthony K. Grigos TREASURER John Kafkis ASST. TREASURER Anna Condoulis, Stavros Haviaris, Christos Kalogerou, Angelo Kotropoulos, Michael Koulouroudis, George Leonardos, Nikolaos Leonardos, James Magriples, John Makrinos, James Mallas, Paul Stathoulopoulos, George Stavropoulos, Emanuel Tsoukaris, Dr. Tom Tzivas. Church Office Maris Boubalos at (718) or kimisistheotokou@aol.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 DECEMBER ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 2013