Christmas at Project Mexico, 2017
Book of Daniel Study Class begins Jan 17
It is with great joy that we announce a new study class, an evening Bible Study, led by our Pastoral Assistant, Beginning on January 17, Jason Ivey will explore the Old Testament book of Daniel on Wednesday evenings, immediately after the Akathist Service (6:30-8pm). A beautifully written piece by Fr. Tadros Yacob Malaty about the book of Daniel and its significance for us as Christians is found below.
The Book of DANIEL: A book for every believer
The book of Daniel has a special significance in the life of believers, for it is not a record of Daniel’s life nor to an era of the history of the Israelites during the Babylon captivity, but rather it is a divine book, which the Holy Spirit offers us to instill hope in the hurt souls. Sometimes, God allows throwing us in the fiery furnace of trials, yet He changes the nature of fire for our comfort and peace.
From one aspect, this book reveals to us that God is the Controller of all history, who does for the edification of his faithful believers in any place. From another aspect, this book reveals to us that God is glorified in the very few whom are sincere to Him. He is their support in sanctifying their lives and a fiery fence that protects them and He arranges everything for their salvation.
Since God allows his believers to go through tribulations, as He allowed Daniel while still a youth, yet He elevated him to the highest level so that the greatest king at that time came and worshipped him, realizing that the Spirit of the Holy One is inside him. God enlightened his vision to grant him not only wisdom so he may know the king’s dreams and explain it to him, and not only to conduct all the matters of the kingdom wisely, but rather to enjoy the surpassing mysteries of God, so the Spirit may reveal to him the future and eternal work of God with humanity.
It is the book of divine friendship, which can elevate the believer’s heart to a surpassing heavenly life, even if he lived as a captive in his sojourn.
It is the book of divine knowledge, which God offers to His chosen and beloved people. This knowledge stems from faith from a heart filled with divine love. This knowledge is granted through the experience of severe tribulation and enduring sufferings for the sake of God and His people. The book also reveals how Satan tries to take away this knowledge by destroying our faith.
Lastly, this book is directed to every believer to realize his living role in the church life as well as the life of all the human race, for Daniel was not devoted for the ministry and prophecy, but rather he was like the prime minister in a country which dominated the whole world. He knew how to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Daniel did not go back to Jerusalem like those who came back from the captivity, and did not participate in building the gate of Jerusalem, and did not restore building the temple with Zorbabel, but he was the first man who worked in secret in these matters. He influenced the kings of Babel and Persia; he offered a great service through his holy life and his faithfulness in his work.
May the Spirit of God enlighten our vision so we may discover His divine mysteries, know Him, accept His friendship with us, so He may use us in whatever place He sees suitable for the building of His kingdom.
I am an Orthodox Christian - Albert Maloof (Architectural-Scale Model Builder)
In this video, Albert shares a bit about his history as an Orthodox Christian and as an architectural scale model. He also shares the magnificent scale model that he constructed of St. Nicholas Antiochian Church in Brooklyn, NY the Church where he and Charlene were married and where their son, Nicholas was baptized. It truly is a blessing to recognize and celebrate such talent in our community!
Patriarchal Message for Feast of the Nativity, 2017
X BARTHOLOMEW
By God’s Mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace, Mercy and Peace from the Savior Christ Born in Bethlehem
* * *
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, dear children,
By the grace of God, we are once again deemed worthy to reach the great feast of the birth of the divine Word in the flesh, who came into the world to grant us “well-being,”[1] remission of sin, of captivity to the works of the law and death, in order to grant us true life and great joy, which “no one can take from us.”[2]
We welcome the “all-perfect God,”[3] who “brought love into the world,”[4] who becomes “closer to us than we to ourselves.”[5] Through kenosis, the divine Word condescends to the created beings in “a condescension inexplicable and incomprehensible.”[6] He “whom nothing can contain” is contained in the womb of the Virgin; the greatest exists in the least. This great chapter of our faith, of how the transcendent God “became human for humankind,”[7] while remaining an “inexpressible” mystery. “The great mystery of divine Incarnation ever remains a mystery.”[8]
This strange and paradoxical event, “which was hidden for ages and generations,”[9] is the foundation of the gift of human deification. “There is no salvation in anyone else; for there is no other human name beneath heaven through which we must be saved.”[10]
This is the supreme truth about salvation. That we belong to Christ. That everything is united in Christ. That our corruptible nature is refashioned in Christ, the image is restored and the road toward likeness is opened for all people. By assuming human nature, the divine Word establishes the unity of humanity through a common divine predestination and salvation. And it is not only humanity that is saved, but all of creation. Just as the fall of Adam and Eve impacts all of creation, so too the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God affects all of creation. “Creation is recognized as free when those who were once in darkness become children of light.”[11] Basil the Great calls us to celebrate the holy Nativity of Christ as the “common feast of all creation,” as “the salvation of the world—humanity’s day of birth.”[12]
Once again, the words that “Christ is born” are unfortunately heard in a world filled with violence, perilous conflict, social inequality and contempt of foundational human rights. 2018 marks the completion of seventy years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which, after the terrible experience and destruction of World War II, manifested the common and noble ideals that all peoples and countries must unwaveringly respect. However, the disregard of this Declaration continues, while various abuses and intentional misinterpretations of human rights undermine their respect and realization. We continue either not to learn from history or not to want to learn. Neither the tragic experience of violence and reduction of the human person, nor the proclamation of noble ideals have prevented the continuation of aggression and war, the exaltation of power and the exploitation of one another. Nor again have the domination of technology, the extraordinary achievements of science, and economic progress brought social justice and the peace that we so desire. Instead, in our time, the indulgence of the affluent has increased and globalization is destroying the conditions of social cohesion and harmony.
The Church cannot ignore these threats against the human person. “There is nothing as sacred as a human being, whose nature God Himself has shared.”[13] We struggle for human dignity, for the protection of human freedom and justice, knowing full well that “true peace comes from God,”[14] that the transcendent mystery of the Incarnation of divine Word and the gift of human deification reveals the truth about freedom and humanity’s divine destiny.
In the Church, we experience freedom through Christ, in Christ and with Christ. And the very summit of this freedom is the place of love, which “does not seek its own”[15] but “derives from a pure heart.”[16] Whoever depends on himself, seeks his own will, and is self-sufficient—whoever pursues deification by himself and congratulates himself—only revolves around himself and his individual self-love and self-gratification; such a person only sees others as a suppression of individual freedom. Whereas freedom in Christ is always oriented to one’s neighbor, always directed toward the other, always speaks the truth in love. The aim of the believer is not to assert his or her rights, but rather “to follow and fulfill the rights of Christ”[17] in a spirit of humility and thanksgiving.
This truth about the life in Christ, about freedom as love and love as freedom, is the cornerstone and assurance for the future of humankind. When we build on this inspired ethos, we are able to confront the great challenges of our world, which threaten not only our well-being but our very survival.
The truth about the “God-man” is the response to the contemporary “man-god” and proof of our eternal destination proclaimed by the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 2016): “The Orthodox Church sets against the ‘man-god’ of the contemporary world the ‘God-man’ as the ultimate measure of all things. “We do not speak of a man who has been deified, but of God who has become man.” The Church reveals the saving truth of the God-man and His body, the Church, as the locus and mode of life in freedom, “speaking the truth in love,” and as participation even now on earth in the life of the resurrected Christ.”
The Incarnation of the divine Word is the affirmation and conviction that Christ personally guides history as a journey toward the heavenly kingdom. Of course, the journey of the Church toward the kingdom, which is not realized remotely or independently of historical reality—or its contradictions and adventures—has never been without difficulties. Nevertheless, it is in the midst of these difficulties that the Church witnesses to the truth and performs its sanctifying, pastoral and transfiguring mission. “Truth is the pillar and ground of the Church ... The pillar of the universe is the Church ... and this is a great mystery, a mystery of godliness.”[18]
Brothers and sisters, children in the Lord,
Let us celebrate together—with the grace of the divine Word, who dwelt in us, as well as with delight and fullness of joy—the feasts of the Twelve Days of Christmas. From the Phanar we pray that our Lord and Savior—who was incarnate out of condescension for all people—may in this coming new year grant everyone physical and spiritual health, along with peace and love for one another. May He protect His holy Church and bless the works of its ministry for the glory of His most-holy and most-praised Name.
Christmas 2017
X Bartholomew of Constantinople
Your fervent supplicant before God
----------------------------------------------
To be read in church during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of Christmas, following the Holy Gospel.
[1] Gregory the Theologian, Oration XXXVIII, on Theophany, namely the Nativity of the Savior, iii, PG 36, 313.
[2] John 10:18.
[3] Doxastikon of the Aposticha from the Great Vespers of Christmas.
[4] Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, vi, PG 150, 657.
[5] Ibid. vi PG 150, 660.
[6] John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, iii, 1, PG 94, 984.
[7] Maximus the Confessor, Various chapters on Theology and Economy concerning virtue and vice, First Century, 12, PG 90, 1184.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Col. 1:26.
[10] Acts 4:12.
[11] Iambic Katavasia on the Feast of Theophany, Ode VIII.
[12] Basil the Great, Homily on the Nativity of Christ, PG 31, 1472-73.
[13] Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, vi, PG 150, 649.
[14] John Chrysostom, On Corinthians 1, Homily I, 1, PG 61, 14.
[15] 1 Cor. 13:5.
[16] 1 Tim. 1:5.
[17] Theotokion, Aposticha of the Ainoi, October 12.
[18] John Chrysostom, On Timothy I, Homily XI, PG 62, 554.
Capital Campaign VIDEO to Build the Shrine Church of Saint Anna
“Young Adults and Young Adult Ministries in American Orthodox Christian Parishes”
The study “Young Adults and Young Adult Ministries in American Orthodox Christian Parishes” has been released by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Download the study report here:
The subject of young Orthodox Church members was a major topic on the agenda of the recent Annual General Assembly Meeting (October 3-5, Garfield, NJ). This report was prepared in order to help Assembly address our common concern about the engagement of youth and young adults in the lives of American Orthodox parishes. Examples of what the readers will find in the report include:
- Which programs and activities are most crucial for attracting young adult church members?
- Why it is important to have a designated young adult leader in a parish?
- Which aspects of Orthodox worship are especially appealing to young adult church members?
- How does a parish’s involvement with an Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) affect young adult parishioners and young adult ministries?
Parishes of five Orthodox jurisdictions participated in this study. The report was prepared by Alexei Krindatch, the Assembly’s Research Coordinator.
Annual Light the Path Luncheon in support of our Metropolis Seminarians
the “Hawaiian” Myrrh Streaming Iveron Icon to Visit St. Anna Parish, Saturday, December 2
About the “Hawaiian” Myrrh Streaming Iveron Icon of Christ and the Mother of God
In June of 2008, the “Hawaiian” Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon was officially recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church as miraculous and worthy of veneration, and was given the blessing to travel to the various churches and monasteries of Holy Orthodoxy. The original “owner” of the Icon, Subdeacon Nectarios, was charged by the Russian Orthodox Church to be Her guardian, and provide for the safety and care of this Wonderworking Icon of Christ’s Holy Church.
By the Grace of God, the Holy Cross has slowly ceased to continuously stream Myrrh as it once did, now doing so on certain occasions throughout the year, Pascha being the most recent. What is comforting to the faithful is the Holy Cross still continuously provides a beautiful and pungent fragrance, whether it streams or not. While the "Hawaiian" Iveron Icon of the Mother of God travels and brings the grace of God to various places, the Holy Cross always remains in Hawaii to provide for the protection and veneration of the faithful.
Since June of 2008, the Iveron Icon has been to over 1000 churches in North America of all (canonical) jurisdictions, and has been venerated by millions of people throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the world. In many cities, the holy Icon is taken from one parish to another, being venerated by all the Orthodox clergy, and helping to establish and heal relationships amongst the Orthodox faithful, and also strengthening and fostering ties between the sister parishes. Requests have now been made for the Wonderworking Icon to be brought to Russia, the Ukraine, Greece, Cyprus, South America, Europe, the Holy Land, Romania, Mount Athos, and Serbia. When the Holy Icon was taken to the Republic of Georgia in 2014 at the request of the Catholicos-Patriarch ILIA II of Georgia, over a million faithful came to venerate the "Panagia of Hawaii." A number of miracles, including the healing of cancer, were reported to the Georgian Patriarchate.
Numerous miracles have been attributed to the Theotokos through this “humble little Icon”, accounts are only just being collected, and are indeed numerous. Physical and spiritual healings have included the healing of blindness and eye disease, cancer, demonic possession, paralysis, kidney disease, chronic pain, and debilitating viruses.
Yet, wherever the holy Icon goes, the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother abound. People have commented that just being in the presence of this Icon, you feel such an abundance of love and joy. It is truly indescribable. We are so very blessed that God has shown His love toward us by allowing us a small forebearance of what the saints call, "the true odour of sanctity." The true meaning of the Icon's appearance is known only to God, time will reveal all things. Yet, what we do know is this, God loves us. And that is all that matters...
