Schedule for Week. Parish Contact Information. December 2, Canada Road Painted Post, NY NO LITURGY TODAY

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1 Special points of interest: Epistle Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17 Gospel Reading: Luke 12:16-21 Tone: 2 Liturgical Color: Purple S A I N T M A R Y ' S O R T H O D O X C H U R C H THE THEOTOKIAN December 2, Canada Road Painted Post, NY Schedule for Week Sunday, December 2, :30am Divine Liturgy 40th Day Panachida memory of Stanley Lewek offered by Helen Molson Coffee Social/Birthdays ALTAR SOCIETY MEETING Monday, December 3, :30pm Vesperal Liturgy Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple Tuesday, December 4, 2018 ENTRANCE OF THE MOST HOLY MOTHER OF GOD INTO THE TEMPLE NO LITURGY TODAY Saturday, December 8, :00pm Vespers/Confessions Sunday, December 9, :30am Divine Liturgy Panachida memory of Stanley Lewek offered by Alan & Joan Shaw Coffee Social WELCOME! Welcome to all our visitors and guests who participate in our celebration of the Divine Liturgy today. We are glad you are here. While Holy Communion may only be received by prepared Orthodox Christians, our guests are welcome to join us in venerating the cross and receiving blessed bread at the conclusion of the Liturgy. We also hope you will join us for the Coffee Social afterward. Parish Contact Information Rev. Father Daniel Mahler Presiding Priest Parish Office: Father s Cell: Canada Road: Charles (Chuck) Coons Council President/Cantor:

2 Page 2 Epistle Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17 THE THEOTOKIAN Brethren, Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Gospel Reading: Saint Luke 12:16-21 Let us attend, The Lord said this parable: The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and th thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. As he said these things, he cried out: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 2

3 THE THEOTOKIAN Page 3 By Stanley S. Harakas ICONS Q: Isn t venerating icons a sign of idolatry? A: If the icon were just a picture, it might be the case. It might also be the case when some people actually treat icons as if in themselves they were some sort of divinity or idol. But this very far from Orthodox teaching and practice. The icon is precisely not a form of representational art. The official teaching of the Fathers of the Church and the Seventh Ecumenical Council, held in 787, rejects the idea that the reverencing of icons is idolatrous by pointing out that the icon shares in the incarnational reality of Our Lord. It uses material means as a vehicle pointing to the divine. When we reverence the icon, we are not honoring paint, metal, and glass. The Church teaches that the honor given passes over to the prototype. Thus, when we reverence an icon of Christ, is is Christ whom we honor, not the icon. JESUS Q: Why did Jesus refer to Himself as the son of man rather than the son of God? A: Jesus referred to Himself by many names, and is referred to in the New Testament by others as well. For example: servant of God, son of David, son of God, son of man, Lord, Savior, New Adam, mediator, Lamb of God, High Priest, Christ, Messiah, etc. Son of Man is used in the Gospels in reference to Christ 81 times. Sometimes Jesus used this phrase to emphasize his humanity. It also reflects the general religious climate of His time when the term son of man really meant a savior sent to humanity...to lead him back to his original destiny. Primarily, however, it is connected with Old Testament prophecy, in which the son of man is one of the most common messianic figures (see Daniel 7:13). This is probably the most important dimension from the point of view of the Bible. When Jesus used this term about Himself, he was saying that He was the messiah who came into the world to suffer, as a real human being, to save people from sin and to lead them in love and service to others. He was, consequently, more than an ordinary man. It is inaccurate, however, to imply that the Bible does not refer to Jesus as son of God. The term Son of God as applied to Jesus appears 54 times in the Gospels, three times in Acts, 42 times in the Epistles and once in Revelation. 3

4 Page 4 THE THEOTOKIAN GRATITUDE OPENS DOORS As he was drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation. Lk Today I want to be with those who rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for the mighty works they had seen, and not with those who are blind to His might works, because they haven t recognized the time of their visitation. Today Christ draws near and visits my little world, whenever I open my eyes and heart to His life-bringing, perspective-changing Presence in our midst. When I let myself be grateful, and to bless the Lord, His Spirit opens my life up to (even more) blessings from Him. When I just grumble, on the other hand, as did some of the Pharisees mentioned in the passage above, then I become blind to all the doors Christ has opened for me. And then my selfinflicted isolation, along with its ensuing fears, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, leaving me embanked and surrounded by enemies, as the Lord warns the Pharisees. Thank You, Lord, for drawing near today, and lighting up my life. I am the door, I hear You say to all of us this morning, If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (Jn 10-9) 4

5 T HE T HE O T O KI A N Page 5 CONTACT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA THIS YEAR S CHRISTMAS FAMILY ALL GIFTS PURCHASED FOR OUR CHRISTMAS FAMILY NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO CHURCH TODAY! Church Website: Saintmarysorthodoxchurchcorning.org Follow our Diocese On-Line Diocesan Website acrod.org Camp Nazareth campnazareth.org Facebook: facebook.comacroddiocese Twitter: twitter.com/acrodnews YouTube youtube.com/archdiocese DECEMBER 2nd!!! 5

6 2018 Nativity Fast Prayer Challenge: Praying For Peace And Stillness This year, just like last three years, to further focus our journey of peace and love this Nativity season, Metropolitan Gregory has offered a challenge to all of the clergy and faithful and especially the youth and young adults of the Diocese. It is not enough to talk about making the world a more peaceful place, rather we must actually do something about it. And the challenge is: To offer a special prayer for peace and stillness during evening prayers. During the Litany of Fervent Supplication at each Divine Liturgy a special petition is also to be included. The text of these prayers are included below. Each household should have sufficient copies so that each young person that can read has one by their bed to use nightly and those who are too young to read may say this prayer together with their parents before they go to bed. Of course all adults should join the challenge as well so that all together our prayers will reach our Lord s ears. The Challenge: A Message From Metropolitan Gregory Dear Beloved Faithful Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese, It is hard to believe that this month marks the sixth anniversary of my Consecration and Enthronement as your Hierarch. During my visits to the parishes you have often heard me preaching on the state of affairs, locally and globally. Conflicts, wars and senseless violence continue to inflict pain and suffering and spill blood everywhere. I am deeply saddened that peace and stillness continues to elude us. Recent events continue to reveal that demonic forces are fighting against us, that evil continues to exist in the world. So many innocent people are killed or wounded on a daily basis. As an example, recently many innocent were killed or wounded in a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Everyday people are dying needlessly in our towns and cities. For what? Can someone please explain it to me. This lack of peace and stillness is the direct result of increased selfishness and hatred throughout the world. Whatever we as inhabitants of this planet are doing it is not working, somehow it is not enough. Obviously we as humans cannot achieve peace and stillness on our own. We need the help of someone and that someone is the Lord. In addition, many ills (demons) afflict us, just like the demon-possessed man in the land of the Gadarenes. Whether it is an addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, lying, cheating, stealing, ungratefulness, anger, hatred, domestic violence or something else, we need the Lord. If 6

7 we are feeling like we are sinking because we are overwhelmed in our home life, work life, school life or even our social life (including social media and technology) we must be like Peter. He was walking on the water towards Jesus and he was distracted by the winds and waves. As he began to sink, Peter cried out, Lord, save me! (Matthew 14:30). As we once again enter the Season of the Nativity Fast, I ask you, actually I plead with you, the good faithful people of our Diocese, to join me on a journey to meet the new born King. During these 40 days leading to the Nativity of our Lord let us increase our efforts in church attendance, in prayer, in fasting, in scriptural reading, in almsgiving, in repentance and confession, in receiving the Eucharist. This year, just like the last three years, I am challenging everyone, clergy and laity, to offer a special prayer for peace and stillness during evening prayers. During the Litany of Fervent Supplication at each Divine Liturgy a special petition is also to be included. The text of these prayers will be provided to the Clergy for distribution. Each household should have sufficient copies so that young person that can read has one by their bed to use nightly and those who are too young to read may say the prayer with their parents before they go to bed. Of course, all the adults should also participate. To assist with this challenge, a special web page has been created on the Diocesan Website, Praying for Peace, which contains downloadable texts of the special prayers. Other postings will be made on various social media outlets to encourage maximum exposure and participation. With all of us united in prayer and laboring for peace and stillness this Nativity Fasting Season, I am convinced that we will help to make our lives and that of others throughout the world more peaceful and still, even if only in a small way. Working in His Vineyard with much love, +Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa 7

8 Page 7 THE THEOTOKIAN December 1 Luke Mertus 9 Tezta Birbirsa 11 Anna McKane 11 Katherine McKane 13 Mary Benyo 14 Nancy Coons 14 Diane Rodrigues 14 Chase Mackiewicz December 20 Rodney Kerrick 23 Natasha Hartmann 29 Myra Svyrydenko God grant your servants good health, peace, and salvation for many blessed years! His Eminence, Metropolitan GREGORY; Protopresbyter Frank Miloro; Protopresbyter John Duranko; Protopresbyter Jim Dutko; Protopresbyter Luke Mihaly; Protopresbyter Lawrence Barriger; Protopresbyter Kenneth Bachofsky; V. Rev. Thomas Kadlek; Very Rev. John Baranik; V. Rev. Michael Psenechnuk; Rev. James Gleason; V. Rev. Jason Kappanadze; Rev. Basil Hutsko; Deacon Charles Ellis; Deacon Donald Koch; Mother Ralphaela; Pani Joan; Pani Kathleen Dutko; Pani Patricia Duranko; Pani-Matka Julia Romanchak; Sally Ellis; Judy Koch; Michael Banik; Helen Verno; Eleanor Adzima; Michael & Delores Kundrat; Vasyl & Lyudmyla Hayova; Helen Coons; Mary Benyo; Anna Chudanic; George Officer; Michael Matzkevich; Marlene Wheet; Mae Mary Shonak; Helen Molson; Donna Blazosky; Art Gallant; Nancy Murphy-Teed; Joyce Nissen; Chelsea Roman; Gloria Ewsuk; Andrew Chudanic; Tammy Pierson; Jeanne Zimmer; Denise Topichak; John Cowherd; Sylvia Serdula; Stephen Brancho; Carole Herrlich; Gary Herrlich; Daniel Donnelly; Jean Cox; Mae Antos; Marianne Grabenhofer To Jonathan Share who is serving in the United States Navy; Tyler Colburn serving in the United States Army; Douglas Linsey serving in the United States Army, Jordan Worobey serving in the United States Navy and to all of our men and women who are serving and protecting our country both at home and abroad. SOMETHING TO PONDER.. If each of us would add just $1 to our week offering it would total $50 a year per person; Add $2 per week that s $100 per year; add $5 per week that s $250 a year per person. Imagine how great it would feel to help our Church by just giving up a coffee or two a week. Let s give a try! 8

9 CHURCH ITEMS FOR DONATION/CONTRIBUTION ITEM PROPOSED COST ($) SPONSOR(S) Vestibule Etched, Glass Doors (2) 15,000 Church Nave Lighting 5,000 The Topichak Family - Paul, Denise, Joseph & David In Memory of: Metro, Anna, & John Topichak Tetrapod/New Altar* 10,000 Andy Kerrick Memorial Tomb* 2,000 Small Dome with Cross on Dormers (2) 8,000 each 1. The Mertus Family 1. In Memory of Paul Mertus Altar Linens Tetrapod Linens TBD TBD Cantor Stand 500 Audio System 2,000 $200 donated by June and Marion Kulik Shrubs/Landscaping $15,000 donated Front Patio Construction 15,000 Electronic Entrance Sign 4,000 Items to be taken & used: Bell Pews (until new ones needed) Outside Shrine Restoration Carole & Gary Herrlich *Items made from wood If you have an interest in donating or contributing to any of the above items, please fill in the information and return to Nancy Gabel. Thank you. 9

10 SAINT MARY S NATIVITY FAST CHARITY During this season of preparation before the Nativity of Christ, as we turn our thoughts to those less fortunate than us, Saint Mary s will be sponsoring a BABY BOTTLE DRIVE in support of the Pregnancy Resource Center of the Valleys. We hope that you will take a bottle home with you and drop your loose change in it as you give thought to those your coins will help. Please bring your bottle back on Christmas, January 7th! WHAT WILL YOUR BOTTLE DO? Provide an ultrasound? Pay the electric bill? Buy diapers for a struggling family? Filling a bottle helps fund the Pregnancy Resource Center of the Valleys so that together we can save lives of the unborn and meet the physical and spiritual needs of men and women who find themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy. PICK UP YOUR BOTTLE TODAY! RETURN YOUR BOTTLE ON JANUARY 7TH (CHRISTMAS DAY) JON & JENNIFER CARPENTER HAUGHEY FUNERAL HOME On behalf of the parish family of Saint Mary s I want to thank Jon & Jennifer Carpenter and the entire staff of Haughey Funeral Home for sponsoring our calendar once again this year as they have been doing for many years. We wish Jon, Jennifer and the Haughey Funeral Home family a very blessed Advent Season! Calendars are now available in the Church. 10