Christ is Risen! From the Paschal Message of St. John Chrysostom:

by Fr. John Reeves

“Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace…”

With these words, the Prophet Simeon embraced Jesus when He was presented in the temple as a babe of forty days.

Simeon saw prophecy fulfilled: the Messiah had come. Israel’s redemption was at hand and the Gentiles were to receive great Light. Simeon could now “depart” (i.e. pass away, die) in peace; his eyes had seen his own salvation in the person of his Lord, Jesus Christ.

Truly, this is a prayer that each of us must make our own by our willingness to embrace Christ, not merely believe in God, and see in Him the salvation of the world.

The Feast of Christ’s Presentation in the Temple is celebrated forty days after the Nativity to commemorate this event not merely in the Saviour’s life, nor in Simeon’s, but in our own hearts as well.

This year’s services take place this Wednesday, February 1, at 7 p.m. (Great Vespers, Litiya, and the Blessing of Candles) and Thursday at 9 a.m. (Divine Liturgy) Will you be there?

The Prophet Simeon’s words also remind us of how we should face the rest of our days, peacefully, looking for a Christian end to our lives. This month, I will teach a one night class on Orthodox funeral practices. The class will examine decisions that we need to make so that all things are in order for our burials according to the teachings of our Faith, what is required by the Church or by law, what is permitted, and what is customary. As well, we’ll also touch on end-of-life decisions.

Sometimes, we neglect discussing details of a funeral, the selection of a cemetery plot, or other details out of fear or denial. But is that the way a Christian should face the end of his days? The time comes when these decisions have to be made, with or without the input of the very one concerned.

This short class will offer an opportunity to begin to make personal plans for a Christian burial, a Christian ending to our lives, in the sure hope of the Resurrection of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

On January 23, 2012, twenty people from Holy Trinity and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit embarked on an all-day pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., to stand in defense of our nation’s unborn at the 39th March for Life.

Here, in their own words, are two first-person accounts of their remarkable experience.

— Corene Swisher

Related:
View photographs from the event on Facebook

— Brenda Smith

This year, Holy Trinity will be providing its own transportation to the 25^th Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Monday, January 23. The trip is being coordinated by our parish’s campus and Sunday School ministries; and all parishioners are welcome and strongly encouraged to attend.

The annual rally is held on the National Mall beginning at noon followed by a march to the Supreme Court, ending at approximately 4 p.m. As in years past, Metropolitan Jonah will be one of the pre-march speakers and will offer a prayer service on behalf of abortion victims at its conclusion.

Holy Trinity’s van will depart from the church parking lot promptly at 7 a.m. and return at 10 p.m. Attendees should plan to wear warm clothing, pack a lunch, and bring money for the dinner stop on the way home. If you would like to join us, contact Dn. Alexander.

by Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov

The Orthodox Church teaches that we do not have two separate lives—a secular one and a spiritual one–but one human life, and that all of it must be holy. We must not be Christians for just a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, spending the rest of our life godlessly that is to say, without God. The person who has united with Christ in the sacrament of baptism cannot be a part-time Christian, but must be faithful to Christ everywhere and at all times—in church, at work, at home, in relationships with other Christians, and in those with non-Christians. We must be faithful to Christ in the fullness of our life.

The Orthodox Church teaches us that a temple is not only a building in which we worship, but that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16); that the Body of Christ is not only that of which we partake at the Divine Liturgy, but that we are the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). And just as the Gifts of the Eucharist are treated with reverence and kept in sanctified vessels in the altar, so should every Christian’s life be full of reverence and sanctity not only during a church service, but likewise outside the walls of the temple. A Christian’s home must become a small temple, a small Church.

The Church blesses the very foundation of a home in the same way that it blesses the foundation of a church; it blesses a new Christian home in the same way that it blesses a new temple; and yearly, after the blessing of a parish temple with the water of Theophany, the Church brings this holy water into the homes of the faithful. The prayers for the blessing of a temple are different from those for the blessing of a home, because the function of a home is different from that of a temple, but the sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit is one. And just as in the baptism of our Lord all of creation is washed clean and sanctified, every year after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 6), Christians sanctify themselves and their homes with the water of Theophany.

The Church teaches us to sanctify everything: dwellings, places of work, all our pursuits, and the fruits of our labor. And just as a temple and sacred vessels, once sanctified and set aside for sacred use, can no longer be used for anything profane, in the same way a Christian washed in the baptismal waters, and his home, and all his works can no longer be the dwelling of sin and the works of Satan, but only and always the temple of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the will of our Heavenly Father. This is why the Church blesses everything that can be found in a Christian home; and if something is not worthy of being blessed, then there should not be a place for it in the home of a Christian.

by Fr. John Reeves

In the space of twelve days, we celebrate the whole of God’s manifestation to the world: Who He is and who He calls us to be. God revealed Himself in the flesh as a young babe—God and man—in Bethlehem: “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

At the River Jordan, God now reveals Himself to the world as Father, Son and Holy Spirit: “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And the Spirit, in the form of a dove confirms the certainty of that word. (cf. John 1:31)

These are the two key doctrines of our Orthodox faith: Jesus is fully God and fully man. And God is triune: One God, three persons. Taken together, the Incarnation and the Trinity reveal Christ’s will for us, that we might be one with Him, as He and His Father have been for all eternity. St. Paul speaks of this, pointing to the Second Coming “when Christ Who is our Life shall appear, then shall [we] also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). This is the whole goal, the entire hope of our Christian life, to become like Christ, living in Him and He in us.

Blessing homes anew each Theophany, con-secrates once more our whole existence in preparation for Christ’s second appearing, His coming again: worshipping the Holy Trinity “Who has saved us.”

In our Nativity hymns, the constant theme is that the Virgin carries within her womb God in the flesh. From mid-November onward, our expectations are heightened as the approach of the Feast draws near: The Theotokos draws near to Bethlehem bearing “Christ in embryo.”

“Christ in embryo”: This emphasis on the “contents” of the Virgin’s womb bears scrutiny as we not only prepare to celebrate our Lord’s birth but as we look at the Church’s moral teaching on the contents of every woman’s womb: the humanity of every unborn child, its innate dignity and worth.

We cannot celebrate the Virgin’s bearing Christ in her womb without relating our celebration to that of the Church’s moral teaching in regard to abortion. In fact, from the first century the Church’s opposition to abortion was seen as paramount to belief in the Incarnation of Christ. To believe that the One carried in Mary’s womb was fully God and fully Man would be contradicted if moral practice allowed for termination of pre-born life on the grounds that “it” isn’t human or that “it” isn’t a person. Theologically this is untenable.

For those moderns who have deviated from traditional morality, it is telling that those most supportive of abortion are those least likely to see Christ as Divine: God and Man, as we believe.

Related:
Holy Trinity to Sponsor Trip to 2012 March for Life

Our theology always has moral consequences. To believe otherwise is to disconnect what we believe from how we are called to act. As we prepare for our Lord’s Nativity in the Flesh, listen closely to the hymns of the Feast. They prepare us not only for a celebration on Christmas Day but also for the ongoing celebration of human life in the unborn, whose author is always God and which gift is always precious to him.   - Fr. John

All Orthodox boys eight years of age and up are invited to attend Holy Trinity’s annual altar servers’ retreat on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. at the church. In addition to rehearsing the movements for liturgy, our acolytes will enjoy a refresher in fire safety, a time for fellowship, and a lunch together. This is an excellent opportunity for boys who have never served to discover if this ministry would be a good fit for them. Fathers are also welcome to bring their sons early for breakfast (9 a.m.) and stay for Men’s Fellowship during the retreat.

by Fr. John Reeves

For a long time, I’ve wanted the parish to have more opportunities for adult education. Fellowship (OCF) for students, an integral part of our parish’s campus ministry. And there is Orthodoxy 101 for inquirers, and Orthodoxy 2.0 for catechumens in their last stage of preparation before baptism. But we’ve needed more. I’ve needed more: a time for those of us who are already Orthodox to grow spiritually. This fall and next spring will provide that very occasion.

Here’s the pitch: Beginning September 6 and continuing on first and third Tuesdays through December, we will begin the study of a fascinating book: Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives. It is a collection of the sayings of a modern elder, Fr. Thaddeus of Serbia. (Fr. Thaddeus reposed in the Lord recently, in 2006.) Much of his early monastic life was spent under the tutelage of monks from Valaam Monastery who had taken refuge in Serbia in the 1920s.

Elder Thaddeus covers many topics of ordinary life: not just the typical “prayer and fasting” but reconciliation with enemies and purity of heart. Each session will deal with a different topic based on the short chapters in the book—“On Thoughts,” “On Family Life,” “On Humility,” “On Serving God and Neighbor,” to name a few. And because it will be one chapter per session, if you happen to miss a night, you won’t “fall behind.” (If you are wondering, Part II will begin in February, after our usual “Theophany break.”)

Books will be available for purchase. Additionally, copies will also be available for those who want to borrow them for the duration.

The new ministry doesn’t have a name, yet. It may never have one. I do think that “Adult Education,” while accurate, may be a bit off-putting. “Fellow-ship,” I always like, because that typically means food for the stomach as well as the soul.

So join me in what promises to be an excellent way to deepen our commitment to and life in Christ. Tuesday, September 6, 7-8:30 p.m.

Reader David Smith (right) leads Chapel faithful in a cross procession to the new property. There Fr. Basil (center) blessed the land in a service of thanksgiving.

by Brenda Smith

On Sunday, August 21, the faithful of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit processed from our home where we currently meet to our newly purchased property a block away. It had been a gloomy morning but the skies cleared just in time. We gathered on the land for a service of Thanksgiving led by Father Basil. This was a very special day for us as we gave God thanks for blessing us with this piece of property, which in the future will be the home of the first Orthodox Church in Snyder County. We also give thanks to God for the prayer and support of all of you at Holy Trinity who helped make this a reality for us at the Chapel.