Be Transfigured! by Fr. Jason

Transcript

1 Page Be Transfigured! by Fr. Jason There are many profound things that can be said about the day that our Lord revealed Himself on the Mountain of Transfiguration, on this particular installment of Going Forth, I will not be offering any of them! However, I will offer this brief insight into something that has already been said....listen to him! Why am I offering such a brief insight? I can think of a few reasons. 1.) I m of the opinion that voices that you hear on mountain tops are pretty unique, and 2.) it s interesting to me that all of the personalities that are associated with the transfiguration (i.e. Peter, James, John, as well as well as Moses and Elijah) at one point in time of their lives, all heard the voice of God the Father from a mountain top. Why else would this particular part of the synoptic gospels also be mentioned in the second epistle of Peter? (2 Peter 1:17; Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) Maybe hearing the voice of God from a mountain top isn t that unique after all? I m not just saying this because they had traveled up there with the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God, who just prior to the Transfiguration account told them that He must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things... and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Mt 16). It should be very obvious to us that God is God, and that he can communicate to us in any way that he pleases. He ll even do it through a donkey if He feels that it s necessary (Numbers 23:28). While the delivery of a message may sometimes be beyond our understanding. It might even make us uncomfortable. Still, there are times when we must persist in order to encounter God so that we can perceive His Holy Word. Were Moses and Elijah initially comfortable with the idea of ascending Mount Horeb to encounter God in clouds of Smoke, and pillars of fire? Probably not! These means of encountering God were struggles for them. But ultimately, God revealed Himself to His prophets, and His purpose for them in the midst of these struggles. Our own struggles also serve as a crucible that help guide us to the path of transfiguration. Like Moses, it can be where God reveals himself to us, saying I am the Lord your God (Exodus 20). And like Elias, It s also a time to discover the answer to the question: what are you doing here? (1 Kings 19). (continued on page pg. 3) Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 501 West 27 th St Cheyenne WY, (307) office@cheyennegoc.org Page 1 Father Jason Dickey Pages 4-7 Page 8-9 Page 10 Pages 11 Pages 13 Page 14 In This Issue: Be Transfigured Peacemaking & Conflict Resolution ΕΝΑΣ ΜΟΝΟΔΡΟΜΟΣ ΚΑΤΑΡΓΕΙΤΑΙ Протоиерей Александр Ильяшенко: Как маме справиться с перегрузками Stewardship Humor Me! What is Philoptochos?

2 Page 2 Office Hours Fr. Jason s Office Hours will be back to the normal time: Mon Thurs (9am 4pm) Father Jason can be reached on his cell phone after business hours, in the case of pastoral emergencies. Please call the church for all other matters. Pastoral Visits I didn t want to bother the Priest is no longer a valid excuse for not calling Fr. Jason for a pastoral emergency! Did you ever think that it might bother the priest when you don t call when you don t call? Pastoral visits and phone calls are not only vital to those who are in need of pastoral care, but they are vital to the life of our parish. Call the Church Office or call Fr. Jason s emergency cell phone number and let him know! You can also ask your family members, a social worker, or your Hospital s Chaplain services to notify the Church so that they can inform Father Jason that you are in need of pastoral care. We must pray and support one another in every way possible. If you know of someone who is in need of pastoral care, please encourage them (or their designated caregiver to call the Church office or Fr. Jason s emergency cell phone number). Also, if you have a scheduled surgery or Dr s appointment, please ask Fr. Jason for the sacrament of Holy Unction following Divine Liturgy or after one of our services throughout the week! The Sacrament of Confession Confession is a necessary element of our personal healing, and for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. It s also a vital element of our Lord s Commission to us as Orthodox Christians for the life and growth of the Church. Please speak to Fr. Jason in order to make the necessary arrangements for the sacrament of confession. Home Visits Do you or anyone else know of someone who needs a home due to health reasons, or just because they need someone to talk to? Please call Fr. Jason or ask our Ladies Philoptochos in order to schedule a pastoral visit.

3 Page 3 Like the prophets and saints, we must also strive to know who God is, and why we must strive for our salvation as followers of Christ. Why else would we bother listening to a God who must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many thing... and be killed? It s because that if we listen to Him, we will also be raised in this life and in the next. In other words, we will Be Transfigured!

4 Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution in the Church by. Father John Mefrige Page 4 Although Christ proclaims, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God, too often we see the children of the Church embroiled in destructive conflict and controversy. Has there ever been a parish council free from conflict? Who has not experienced rancorous divisions among fellow parishioners? Who does not know Orthodox families who have gone through acrimonious divorces? We can shrug it off, saying such conflict is normal and do our best to survive it. But in reality conflict often leaves behind enduring damage severed relationships, broken ties, people left scarred and embittered. Should we Christians not do better than this? Wouldn t it be wonderful if we could respond to conflict in gracious and constructive ways? Might we learn how to handle conflict so as to build relationships rather than harm them? I believe we can that we can learn to see conflict as a way to minister to each other and to glorify God. We can harness conflict as a transforming power toward growth and healthy change. Christ gives us a model of handling conflict constructively when a young man approaches and asks his help in settling an inheritance. Instead of behaving as a judge, Christ addresses the underlying issue: Take heed and beware of all covetousness, for a man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. He then illustrates this truth in the parable of the rich fool. (Lk 12:13-21) When faced with conflict, we often focus on what the other person has done wrong. In contrast, scripture and Church tradition call us to focus primarily on what is going on in our own hearts when we are at odds with another. In the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, we are called first to see our own sins, and not to judge our brother. Why? Because according to scripture, the human heart is the wellspring of conflicts. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Mt 15:19) The heart s central role in conflict is vividly described in the epistle of James: What causes wars, and what causes fights among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your bodily parts? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. (James 4:1) This passage hints at the underlying cause of destructive conflict: conflicts arise from unmet desires within what the Church Fathers call the heart. When scripture and the Fathers speak of the heart, they mean both the spiritual heart (nous) and the physical heart (kardias) the place reserved for the contemplation of God, the center of our being where we have communion and union with God. When the desire for something earthly replaces our desire for God, we commit idolatry. When we feel we cannot be satisfied until we have something we think we need, desire becomes a demand. In relationships, if someone frustrates or fails to meet our desires, we judge him or her in our hearts, and a fight ensues. In short, conflict arises when desires grow into demands, and then we judge and punish those who oppose us. This is the normal progression in the establishment of an idol, and an idol always demands sacrifice. Let s look at the four stages of idolatry one step at a time Stage 1: I Desire : Conflict always begins with some kind of desire. According to scripture, some desires, such as vengeance, lust or greed, are categorically evil. But many desires the desire for peace and quiet, a clean home, an intimate relationship with a spouse, or children who are respectful and well-behaved are not wrong in themselves. If a good and holy desire is not being met for example, there are problems in a marriage the two partners need to talk about it together. They may discover ways that they can better understand, help and serve each other. It may be a slow and difficult process. One partner may be unwilling to discuss particular issues. Husband and wife then stand at a crossroads where conflict can either be avoided, even at the cost of stagnation, or seen as opening a gateway to growth. Each has a choice between dwelling on frustrations and allowing these to control his or her life which is likely to result in self-pity and bitterness or actively looking for solutions while continuing to love the other and praying for God s help (and also the help from others, such as a marital therapist).

5 Page 5 Stage 2: I Demand : Unmet desires can work themselves deeper into our hearts, especially when we perceive a desire as something we need for our happiness or fulfillment. We justify and legitimize desires: I work hard all week. Don t I deserve a little peace and quiet when I come home? I worked two jobs to put you through school; I deserve your respect and attention. I spend hours managing the family budget; I deserve a new car. My family has been in this church for generations; we deserve to be recognized. I have given a lot of money to this church you d better listen to what I say. Scripture says a husband and wife should be one flesh. I need more sexual intimacy. I only want what God commands children who respect and honor their parents. Each of these demands contains an element of truth, but we find it easy to let unmet desires lead to destructive entitlement. The more we think we are entitled to something, the more convinced we are that we cannot be happy or secure without it. Again, this is the normal progression in establishing an idol. I wish I could have this becomes I must have this. Even if the initial desire was not inherently wrong, it has grown so strong that it becomes an idol that controls our thoughts and affects our behavior. According to scripture, an idol is something other than God that we set our hearts on (Lk 12:29), that motivates us (1 Co 4:5), that rules us (Ps 119:133; Eph 5:5), or that we trust, fear, or serve (Is 42:17; Mt 6:24; Lk 12:4-5). In short, it is something we love and pursue in place of God. (Php 3:19) The reality is that every sincere Christian must struggle with idolatry. We may believe in God and profess the Creed, but at times we allow other influences to rule us. The question then arises, how can we discern the deterioration of a good desire into a sinful demand. We begin by looking inward and asking ourselves these questions to reveal the true condition of our hearts: What am I preoccupied with? What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night? How would I complete this statement: If I only had [x] I would be happy. What do I want to preserve or avoid? Where do I put my trust, and what do I fear? When a certain desire is not met, do I feel frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger, or depression? Is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it? As we search our hearts for idols, we often encounter multiple layers of concealment, confusion and justification. One of the most subtle ways in which we may develop a sinful demand is to argue that we want things that are in and of themselves good and holy. A mother may desire that her children be respectful and obedient to her and kind to one another. When they do not fulfill these goals, even after her repeated encouragement or correction, she may feel frustrated, angry, or resentful. She needs to ask herself, Why am I feeling this way? Is it a righteous anger, or selfish anger? Most often it will be a mixture of both. Part of her truly wants to see her children grow in the image of God, but another part of her is motivated by a desire for her own comfort and convenience. She must ask which desire is really controlling her heart. If the God-centered desire is ruling her heart, her response to disobedient children would resemble God s discipline toward us. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. (Ps 103:8) As she imitates God s love for us, she will respond as in Galatians 6:1: If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Although her discipline may be direct and firm, it will be wrapped in gentleness and love, and leave no residue of resentment. On the other hand, if her desire for comfort and convenience has become an idol, she will react with harsh anger and hurtful words or discipline. She may feel bitterness or resentment because of her frustrated desires. Even after disciplining her children, she may maintain a lingering coolness or a distance toward them that extends their punishment and warns them not to cross her again. If attitudes and actions of this sort tend to characterize her response, it is a sign that her desire for godly children has probably evolved into an idolatrous demand.

6 Stage 3: I Judge : In judging, we play God. A sign of idolatry is the inclination to judge. When people fail to satisfy our demands, we criticize and condemn them in our hearts, if not with our words. The truth is that when we judge others criticize, nit-pick, attack, condemn we are literally acting like a god. We commit the sin of Lucifer, coveting the judgment seat reserved only for God. Scripture tells us clearly that There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor? (James 4:12) When we fight, accusations fill our minds. We play the self-righteous judge in the mini-kingdoms we establish in our families, workplaces, and churches. When we judge others and condemn them in our hearts for not meeting our desires, we are imitating not Christ but the Devil. We have doubled our idolatry: we have let an idolatrous desire rule our hearts, and we have set ourselves up as mini-gods. This is the formula for destructive conflict. This is not to say that it is inherently wrong to evaluate even judge others within certain limits. Scripture teaches that we should observe and evaluate others behaviors so that we can respond and minister to them in appropriate ways, which may even involve gentle confrontation. (Mt 7:1-5, 18:15; Gal 6:1) But we cross the line when we begin to judge others based on feelings of superiority, indignation, condemnation, bitterness, or resentment. Sinful judging often involves speculating on others motives. Most of all, it reveals a self-centered love for ourselves and the absence of a genuine love and concern toward others. These attitudes show that our judging has crossed the line, and we are playing God. We expect more of those who are closer to us, and we are more likely to judge them when they fail to meet our expectations. We may look at our spouse and think, If you really love me, you above all people will help meet this need. Or we look to our children and say, After all I ve done for you, you owe this to me. We can place similar expectations on relatives, close friends, or members of our church. Expectations are not inherently bad, but expectations can become conditions and standards against which we judge others. Instead of giving people room for independence, disagreement, or failure, we impose our expectations on them. We expect them to give allegiance to our idols. When they refuse, we condemn them in our hearts. Stage 4: I Punish : Idols demand sacrifices. Whether deliberately or unconsciously, we find many ways to hurt or punish people who refuse to gratify our desires. Sometimes we react aggressively in overt anger, with hurtful words toward those who fail to meet our expectations. Only if they give in to our desires and demands will we stop inflicting pain upon them. Children may use pouting, stomping, or dirty looks; adults, alike, may do the same. We may withhold our stewardship from the church as a punishment. Some may resort to physical violence or sexual abuse. As we grow in the awareness of our sin, most of us recognize and reject these obviously sinful tactics. But our idols do not give up easily, and they often lead us to withdrawal from a relationship, giving the cold shoulder, withholding affection or physical contact, refusing to look someone in the eyes, ignoring phone calls, or abandoning a relationship altogether. Sending subtle, unpleasant cues over a long period of time is an age-old method. Often our churches and family relationships are filled with such behaviors. The message is Either get in line with what I want, or you will suffer. In reality, such behavior shows we depend on ourselves instead of relying on God. Inflicting pain on others is one of the surest signs that something other than God an idol is ruling our hearts. (Jam 4:1-3) These behaviors warn us. The psalmist counsels, You take no delight in sacrifice. Were I to give a burnt offering, You would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Ps 50: 18-19) The Cure for an Idolatrous Heart: An idol, as we have seen, is any desire that has grown into a demand something we love, fear, or invest with faith. Love, fear, faith aren t these terms of worship? In the Divine Liturgy we hear, With fear of God, with faith, and love, draw near at the very moment we are invited to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. In scripture we are commanded to love God, fear God, and have faith in God. (Mt 22:37; Lk 12:4-5; Jn 14:1) Any time we long for something other than God, fear something more than God, or trust in something other than God to make us happy, fulfilled, or secure, we are worshiping false gods. The way out of this bondage and judgment is to look to God Himself, who has provided the cure for our idolatry by sending His Son to free mankind from the bondage of sin and death. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Page 6

7 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:1-2) Not only have we been freed from sin and death, but also from the specific day-to-day idols that control us and cause conflict with those around us. Our deliverance, however, does not consist of having all our idols swept away once and for all. Instead, we are called to identify and confess them one by one in the sacrament of confession. To receive forgiveness from God and freedom from our compelling sins, we must acknowledge them and repent. (Acts 3:19) When we do this, we are by adoption His children and heirs of the Kingdom. (Gal 4:4-7) This is the Gospel, the good news forgiveness and eternal life through our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ! In confession, we examine our hearts before the icon of Christ in a regular, ascetical practice to free ourselves from idols. With the priest s help, we lay them before the Lord so that He can remove them from our hearts. To prepare for confession, we do well to use a procedure involving several steps: 1. Prayerfully ask ourselves the questions listed previously to discern the desires that have begun ruling our hearts. 2. Record our discoveries in a journal to identify patterns and steadily go after specific idols. 3. Describe our idols in detail to our spiritual father, spouse, or an accountability partner; ask them to pray for us and confront us with any signs that the idol still controls us. 4. Realize that idols are masters of change and disguise. As soon as we gain victory over a particu lar sinful desire, our idol is likely to reappear in a related form, with a redirected desire and more subtle tactics. 5. In the case of a particularly difficult idol, we should seek assistance from a licensed professional or such twelve-step groups as Alcoholics Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anony mous, etc. If someone told you that you had a cancer that would take your life if left untreated, you would spare no effort or expense to pursue the most effective treatment available. Well, we human beings living in this fallen world have a cancer of the soul: sin and idolatry. But the cure has been given to us freely on the cross of Christ. This cure is administered through the Word, the Spirit, and the Church. The more rigorously we avail ourselves of these means of grace, the more power we will have to be delivered from the idols that plague us. Page 7

8 Page 8 ΕΝΑΣ ΜΟΝΟΔΡΟΜΟΣ ΚΑΤΑΡΓΕΙΤΑΙ Αλ. Καρυότογλου «Οι αρχιερείς και οι Φαρισαιοι συγκάλεσαν συνέδριο και έλεγαν. Τι θα κάνουμε; Αυτός ο άνθρωπος πραγματοποιεί πολλά θαύματα. Εάν τον αφήσουμε έτσι, όλοι θα πιστέψουν σ αυτόν... Ένας από αυτούς, ο Καϊάφας... τους είπε: Σεις δεν ξέρετε τίποτε και δεν σκέφθεσθε ότι μας συμφέρει να πεθάνει ένας άνθρωπος για το λαό και να μην χαθεί ολόκληρο το έθνος. Αυτό δεν το είπε μόνος του, αλλά σαν αρχιερεύς για τη χρονιά εκείνη προφήτευσε ότι ο Ιησούς θα πέθαινε για το έθνος. Και όχι μόνο για το έθνος, αλλά και για να συνενωθούν σε ένα τα διασκορπισμένα παιδιά του Θεού».(Ιωάν. ια 47-52) Ίσως αγνοούσε τελείως ο Καϊάφας, ο αρχιερέας των Εβραίων, ότι αυτό που συνέφερε το έθνος του, να πεθάνει δηλαδή ο Ιησούς, ήταν πραγματικά όχι μόνο για το λαό του σωτήριο, αλλά για κάθε άνθρωπο της γης. Δεν ήθελε να χαθεί ο λαός του (και ποιος τάχα θα το θελε;). Έπρεπε να πεθάνει «ένας άνθρωπος για το λαό και να μη χαθεί ολόκληρο το έθνος». Κι ο Ευαγγελιστής Ιωάννης, πρώην απλοϊκός ψαράς και ύστερα ένθεος στοχαστής της αγάπης του Θεού για την οικουμένη, προσθέτει: «και όχι μόνο για το έθνος, αλλά για να συνενωθούν σε ένα τα διασκορπισμένα παιδιά του Θεού». Είναι φανερό ότι ο Ιωάννης-από τους πρώτους μαθητές του Χριστού είχε συλλάβει τον οικουμενικό χαρακτήρα της χριστιανικής αλήθειας. Αυτό ακριβώς αποκαλύπτει με το μικρό του σχόλιο στο λόγο του αρχιερέα. Το φράγμα του εθνισμού των ιουδαίων αρχίζει να συντρίβεται. «Μόνο για το έθνος» Να ένας πραγματικός «μονόδρομος». Το συμφέρον του έθνους. Αυτό σκέφτονταν επί αιώνες οι Εβραίοι. Κι ήταν αυτό ως ένα σημείο καλό. Γιατί μέσα απ τη δύναμη που έκρυβε η προσκόλληση τους στην έννοια του έθνους αναδεικνυόταν και διαφυλασσόταν ο Λόγος του Θεού ακέραιος και ανόθευτος. Όσο ο μονόδρομος δεν ήταν πάθος, ακουγόταν κρυστάλλινη η φωνή των προφητών: «Τάδε λέγει Κύριος» στο λαό τον αγαπημένο του Γιαχβέ. Ήρθε όμως η στιγμή όπου όλοι μαζί, ηγέτες και λαός βάδιζαν το δρόμο της μονολιθικότητας, της αυτοϊκανοποιήσεως, της επάρσεως γι αυτό που κατείχαν. Κι ήταν αυτό σχεδόν ένα ταμπού, ένας ζωντανός Θεός πολλών ρομπότ, που βασικό χαρακτηριστικό τους ήταν ο ατομισμός και το κομμάτιασμα της ζωής τους. Και τα κομμάτια αυτά χάνονταν μέσα σε κανόνες ευσέβειας και νομικών διατάξεων. Είχαν κάτι απ αυτό που έχουν πολλοί άνθρωποι και σήμερα κλεισμένοι μέσα στο μονόδρομο της ιδεολογίας τους, του κόμματος τους, του συλλόγου τους, της οργανώσεως τους, της θρησκείας τους ακόμα. τομα κομματιασμένα, μέλη ενός συνόλου, καθώς λένε, στο όποιο εργάζονται νομίζοντας ότι προσφέρουν σ αυτό. Και το μόνο που πετυχαίνουν είναι να αυξάνουν το ατομικό τους (πνευματικό η υλικό) εισόδημα, κάνοντας επενδύσεις σε κουλτούρα, μπίζνες, αναγνώριση, ευσέβεια, τίτλους και αξιώματα. Δουλεύουν, λέει, για την κοινωνία κι οδηγούνται μέσα από το μονόδρομο αυτόν, που διάλεξαν ή που τους διάλεξαν άλλοι, στο θάνατο. Είναι όμως ένας θάνατος τέλεια ατομικός. Καθόλου για το έθνος. Γιατί για να πεθάνεις για το έθνος, πρέπει να πεθάνεις για όλο τον κόσμο, για όλους τους ανθρώπους της γης, έτσι όπως έκαμε ο Χριστός. Να πεθάνεις για το έθνος δεν αποτελεί πράξη ηρωισμού, αλλά πράξη αγιότητας. Η Εκκλησία δεν γνωρίζει ήρωες παρά μόνο αγίους, αφού άγιος είναι ο Αρχηγός της πίστεως Ιεραποστολή: «Και όχι μόνο για το έθνος»

9 Page 9 Έτσι σπάει ο μονόδρομος. Αυτό που συμβαίνει μέσα στον κόσμο, ανάμεσα στα έθνη, δεν υπάρχει στην Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία του Χριστού. Κι αυτό, επειδή απ τη φύση της η Εκκλησία μας πατάει γερά πάνω σε τέτοιες βάσεις, ώστε να της είναι αδύνατο να υποστηρίξει την αρχή του μονόδρομου, της μονομέρειας και σε α) Η Εκκλησία ασκώντας ιεραποστολικό έργο θέλει να δημιουργήσει πρόσωπα κι όχι οπαδούς. Οι οπαδοί είναι αμφιλεγόμενα πρόσωπα. Ζητούν σ οποιαδήποτε μορφή θρησκείας, συλλόγου, ιδεολογίας κ.λ.π. να βρουν ένα αποκούμπι. Αντίθετα τα πρόσωπα που συγκροτούν την Εκκλησία ασκούνται να ελευθερώσουν την ύπαρξη τους ολόκληρη «εν Χριστώ» με τη μετάνοια. Τούτο αποτελεί προσπάθεια κοπιώδη να διασώσουν τη φύση τους, και κατ επέκταση, τη φύση όλου του κόσμου, και να την εξαγιάσουν. Ο λόγος του Κυρίου «ο πιστεύσας και βαπτισθείς, σωθήσεται», αποτελεί τη συμπύκνωση βιωμάτων που θα μπορούσαμε να εκφράσουμε αναλυτικά με τις λέξεις άσκηση, αγώνας, πάλη, μετάνοια, θυσία, αγάπη, αυτογνωσία, σήκωμα στους ώμους πολλών δυσάρεστων καταστάσεων, που όμως σμιλεύουν όχι χαρακτήρες, αλλά αγίους. Το θεανθρώπινο στοιχείο μέσα μας, χάρισμα του Θεού στον άνθρωπο, απ τη στιγμή που φανερώνεται, προδίδει τη διάσωση της φύσεως μας. β) Η Εκκλησία απ τη φύση της συνενώνει τους ανθρώπους της γης σε μια παγκόσμια κοινότητα, ανεξάρτητα από φύλο, εθνότητα, ηλικία, τάξη κοινωνική κ.λ.π. Με τον τρόπο αυτό δεν εκφράζεται στους ανθρώπους ούτε με εθνικιστικές ή σοβινιστικές τάσεις, ούτε με τη γλώσσα διαφόρων τάξεων ή επιστημών. Ζητάει να συνενώσει τους ανθρώπους να νιώθουν μια ψυχή, μια καρδιά, με κοινούς στόχους. Έχει τη δική της γλώσσα, γλώσσα εκκλησιαστική, όπου υποχωρεί το εγώ, κυριαρχεί το «εμείς οι δούλοι του Θεού». Βασικά της εργαλεία είναι η μετάνοια όχι μόνο σαν απλή αυτογνωσία, αλλά σαν τρόπος ζωής που οδηγεί στην ωριμότητα και την ελευθερία, η ειρήνη σαν κατάσταση εσωτερικής άμυνας, η αγάπη σαν θέση και δυναμική παρουσία στον κόσμο, η απλότητα σαν γενική εικόνα κάθε πιστού, μέσα στο χώρο της Εκκλησίας. γ) Τελικά η Εκκλησία βασίζεται και καταλήγει στον Τριαδικό Θεό δια μέσου της διδασκαλίας του Χριστού. Στόχος της ιεραποστολής είναι να σχηματίσει εκκλησιαστικές κοινωνίες όχι σαν «πολιτείες του Θεού», αλλά σαν πολιτείες ελεύθερων προσώπων που η κοινωνικότητα τους δεν θα σταματάει στην ανταλλαγή και απόλαυση των «αγαθών του πολιτισμού», «της ποιότητας ζωής», αλλά θα είναι αντανάκλαση της κοινωνικότητας των τριών Προσώπων της Αγίας Τριάδος. Η περίπτωση επιλογής της ιεραποστολής Σε μια τέτοια περίπτωση η Εκκλησία μας έχει να κάμει συγκεκριμένες προτάσεις. Αρχικά πρέπει να πούμε πώς η ιεραποστολική δουλειά που περιμένει συνεργάτες απεριόριστου αριθμού, με νεανικό ενθουσιασμό πάντα, μπορεί να εντοπισθεί σ οποιοδήποτε μέρος της γης. Απ την πατρίδα μας μέχρι τον τρίτο κόσμο, απ τις χώρες όπου ήδη έχουν μια ορθόδοξη χριστιανική παράδοση ως τις μάκρυνες χώρες της Ασίας, π.χ. την Κορέα, την Ιαπωνία, της Αφρικανικής Ηπείρου, π.χ. την Κένυα, την Ουγκάντα, τη Νιγηρία, το Ζαΐρ κ.ά. Οι άνθρωποι, μικροί και μεγάλοι, πεινούν και διψούν, παντού στη γη. Πεινούν και διψούν από πνευματικό και υλικό νερό και ψωμί. Δεν ζητούν συμπόνοια, αλλά «φιλανθρωπία», δηλαδή αγάπη για τον άνθρωπο. Αυτή που λείπει κι από μας. Η διαφορά μας είναι ότι εμείς έχουμε, ίσως έτσι το φερε η ιστορία, θησαυρό την Εκκλησία μας και δεν έχουμε δικαίωμα στο όνομα των ελλείψεων μας, τραγικών ως ένα σημείο, να τον περιφέρουμε σε ένα μονόδρομο.

10 Page 10 Протоиерей Александр Ильяшенко: Как маме справиться с перегрузками Отцам, трудящимся на двух работах или матерям, разрывающимся между уходом за детьми и заботами по хозяйству, да и, пожалуй, почти всем современным людям наверняка знакомо ощущение полного отчаяния, когда валишься с ног от усталости, изнемогаешь под грудой дел и ничего не успеваешь. Как все успеть и не загнать себя? Можно ли справиться с перегрузками? Комментирует протоиерей Александр Ильяшенко. Делать много дел это наш удел. Не ошибка. А ошибка это если мы не успеваем, не справляемся с этими делами. Конечно, бывают исключительные ситуации, когда на человека обрушиваются нечто, с чем он действительно один справиться не может. Но такие ситуации бывают редко. А если речь идет о нашей обыденной жизни, то конечно нужно учиться делать много дел одновременно. И важно не «как-то» сделать, а хорошо сделать, и не «когда-то» сделать, а вовремя. Это очень трудная наука, которой нужно учиться всю жизнь и стараться успевать делать больше. Например, можно вспомнить Игоря Васильевича Курчатова покойного, великого ученого, который тоже работал в условиях страшной перегрузки, особенно когда они делали атомную бомбу. Тогда нужно было спешить и решать сложнейшие научно-технические проблемы, колоссальная ответственность на нем была. Конечно, он находился в режиме колоссального дефицита сна. Не знаю, имел ли он какую-то возможность восстанавливать свою нервную систему, но он обладал таким запасом чувства юмора и доброжелательного отношения к людям, необыкновенной целеустремленностью, что справился, как бы то ни было. Но даром это ему не прошло, он умер совсем молодым, ему не было 60. Что касается мамочек, то каждая мамочка, положив днем ребеночка спать, должна это время тоже использовать для отдыха. Пусть это будет минут 15-20, немножечко расслабиться, сбросить напряжение, прийти в себя, избавиться от физического стресса. Краткий дневной отдых очень восстанавливает силы. Если все время крутишься и крутишься, то незаметно для тебя падает производительность труда, и ты начинаешь суетиться, вместо того, чтобы работать, и от этой суеты еще больше устаешь. А если вот немножечко силы восстановил, то избегаешь суеты и можешь энергично и плодотворно работать. Вечер самый трудный период дня, когда все устали, муж пришел уставший с работы, сама устала, детки тоже устают к концу дня грудные или уже подросшие все равно устают. И если мамочка сохраняет запас сил и бодрости, то все проходит спокойно. Она, преодолевая таким образом какие-то трудности, избегает стрессовых ситуаций, когда, казалось, нужно напрягаться изо всех сих, а ситуация не разрешается. Мы недавно были у Георгия Михайловича Гречко, он сказал: чем отличается умный человек от мудрого? Умный найдет способ, как выйти из трудной ситуации, а мудрый в нее не попадет.

11 Stewardship: A Year in Reflection Page 11 At this same time last year, I drove from Indiana to Wyoming with my dog (Presbytera and the kids were still in Indiana.) so that I could be here with all of you at Saints Constantine and Helen. The drive from the mid-west to Wyoming is pretty uneventful unless you get excited by crop dusters, wind devils, and cattle going to the bathroom as you pass cattle-cars on the highway. Among the many things on my mind, I thought about how Orthodox Christians helped shape the landscape. We don t have to think very hard. Anyone who lives in Wyoming or Colorado knows that Greek and Slavic immigrants worked in the mines, and built the railroads throughout the west. This coming year is even the 100th Anniversary of the Ludlow Massacre that tragically effected the lives of Greek, Slavic, and Italian mine workers in Colorado. What God has provided for us in our own country is truly a gift. For example, no place in the world with the exception of eastern Europe has better soil than the United States. Yet, our soil didn t fulfill it s potential until eastern European immigrants who mostly came from the Ukraine planted their crop seeds in many parts of our country. This is one of the reasons why we became the Breadbasket of the World! It s sad that many of these details are overlooked. Even the old joke about Sitting Bull sparing the life of a Greek man at the Battle of the Little Big Horn just because they were both Greek might not be overlooked, but it is misleading. Why? Because a Greek man from Athens by the name of Alexander Stella died at the battle of the Little Big Horn with General Custer! By the way, even though he wasn t Greek, my Great-Great Grand Father met Sitting Bull at Wild Bill s Wild West Show! We have even had Saints and Apostles travel through our own back yard! Many of our Churches would not be here today had it not been for Saint TIKHON of Moscow who consecrated the oldest parish in our Metropolis (St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church) in Pueblo Colorado, and Archbishop ATHENAGORAS who not only consecrated our own parish in 1934, but traveled to every Greek Orthodox Church in our country in order to bring them into Communion with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Why am I mentioning these things? Believe it or not, not all of my family is from New England. My greatgrandfather moved to Kansas in a covered wagon with his family as a kid so that he would survive childhood asthma. He also lived through the Dust Bowl, and the depression while raising a family of eight and owning and managing a wheat farm that he lived on until he was 97. He died at 101 out in California. When I think about our American landscape, I sometimes think about stewardship. We have resources that God has given us, not only for our personal benefit, but for the benefit of the world. If we misuse them (or even exhaust them), the consequences can be very dramatic. This makes it so that we are not only able to serve our personal needs but it makes it so that we can no longer serve the needs of others. Think about the Dust Bowl for a minute. The First World War and the Russian Revolution caused severe demands and price increases on livestock and crops in the United States. This in turn made it a problem that many farmers and ranchers in the United States had been over-grazing their land, and using the same soil year after year in order to supply the demands of being the Breadbasket of the World. Even if wars over seas, and mismanagement of farmland wasn t your fault, it didn t matter. Dust storms not only destroyed people s lives, and towns in America s agricultural regions, they traveled as far as New England. They limited our capacity, not only to serve our own needs, but to be the Breadbasket of the World. Our agricultural industry didn t fully recover from the Dust Bowl until the 1950 s. Christ tells us that sinful condition of mankind makes it so that a barren tree cannot produce fruit (Mark 11:12-14). In our own time, it should be very clear to us that the sinful condition of the world, and our lack of stewardship, makes it so that a barren and eroded earth will not only fail to produce our own livelihood, but at times, lead to world starvation. Every person has both the vocation and capacity to accomplish great and godly things. But only Jesus Christ is the true Breadbasket of the World. As the giver and sustainer of life, He calls us to be stewards of the resources that He has placed in our hands. This is true regardless of the amount of money that we decide to give to a Church organization, and it will be true regardless of the amount of time or talent that we devote for divine purposes. The question remains, if we have freely received our blessings and resources from God, will we manage them responsibly (Matthew 10:8)? Will we them in light of our vocation of holiness? And, will we freely give them back to God with fear, faith and love for the life of the world?

12 Page 12 The following 114 Parishioners have made their financial commitment to Saints Constantine & Helen for 2013 Alcorn, Bessie Alex, Martha Andrews, Bill Andrikopoulos, Anthony & Barbara Andrikopoulos, Christos & Katerina Andrikopoulos, George Andrikopoulos, Jim & Angie Anest, Nick Apostolou, Bill & Ida Mae Argeris, George Barker, Anna Bellack, Nicholas & Alexis Blooding, Aaron & Christina Blooding, Alexandra Bouris, Marianne Chiolis, George & Sharon Constantinides, Christos & Janet Contos, John Contos, Stella Costopoulos, George Costopoulos, Helen Cotton, Timothy & Eva Marie Cunningham, Elaine & Harold Daifotis, Chris Dickey, Fr Jason & Prs. Tiffany Dubrowski, George Dudash, Nicholas & Helen Eliopoulos, Angie Etcheparre, John & Corrina Fino, Mousa & Aida Haefele, Jim & Estelle Harlan, Thomas & Joni Galeotos, Chris Galeotos, Elias & Angie Galeotos, Sam & Stacey Gaus, Sharon Harrison, Fr Peter & Prs Dina Harrison, Dr William & Susie Havner, Chris & Susie Harokopis, George & Flora Harrison, Amalia Horne, Bradley & Mindy Hunter, Alexandra Hunter, James Joannides, Christopher Joannides, Jennie Joannides, Timothy & Kathy Johansen, David & Adrianne Johnigan, C. Robert & Debra Johnigan, Robert & Irene Kallas, George Kallas, Gus Kallas, Tasos Kalokathis, Nick & Carlene Kithas, Karen Kithas, Pete & Becky Krantz, Tim & Georgia Lafkas, Paul & Patricia Lambousis, John & Sofia Lehman, Julie Lehman, Lauren Lucas, Joseph Lucas, Marie Makris, Theodoros & Nora Marquardt, Rob & Tina McLoughlin, Kate Meares, Dr. A.J. Meares, Joanne Meares, Patricia Messer, James Messer, Mary Messer, Susie Mirich, Nick & Vide Mitchell, Mason & Valerie Mones, Charles Mores, Michael & Maria Morgando, Betty Olson, Taylor Panopoulos, Elizabeth Panopoulos, Nick & Linda Panos, Irene Pappas, Andrew & Theoni Pappas, Driko & Christine Pappas, Stephan & Kay Pappas, Stephanie Pappas, William & Jacque Peliotis, Vicky Pitt, Marie Porreco, Marti & Vincent Poulos, George Pullos, Dr Take & Jamie Pullos, Matthew Pullos, Sarah Radich, Charlie & Beth Raner, John Sawyer, Benjamin Sigmon, Barry & Georgia Slizeski, Mark & Tina Talagan, Fr Dean & Pres Argie Talagan, Paul & Kristi Theos, Toula Trask, Angela & Cody Troy, Jeremy & Allison Tsandes, Kosta & Nancy Wade, Marc & Stacie Zaharas, George & Fay Zaharas, Nick Zaharas, Steve & Kelly Zumo, Charlie & Billie Zumo, Thomas & Ann

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