No human being can worthily praise the holy passing of

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1 St. regory s Journal July/August, Volume XVII, Issue 7 St. regory e reat Orodox Church - A Western Rite Congregation of e Antiochian Archdiocese From a homily of Saint John of Damascus died AD 760AD feast day - March 27 Inside: St. Joseph of Damascus... 3 Aid for e Patriarchate... 5 Parish News Calendar , 7 No human being can worily praise e holy passing of e Moer of od - not if he had ten ousand tongues and as many mous! Even if all e tongues of e world s scattered inhabitants came togeer, ey could not approach a praise at was fitting. It simply lies beyond e realm of oratory. But since od loves what we offer, out of longing and eagerness and good intentions, as best we know how, and since what pleases her Son is also dear and delightful to od s moer, come, let us again grope for words of praise... Let e heavens rejoice now, and e angels applaud; let e ear be glad now [Ps. 96:911; 97:1], and all men and women leap for joy! Let e air ring out now wi happy song, and let e black night lay aside its gloomy, unbecoming cloak of darkness, to imitate e bright radiance of day in sparkles of flame. For e living city of e Lord od of hosts is lifted up, and kings bring a priceless gift from e temple of e Lord, e wonder of Sion to e Jerusalem on high who is free and is eir moer [al. 4:26]; ose who were appointed by Christ as rulers of all e ear - e Apostles - escort to heaven e ever-virgin Moer of od! T he Apostles were scattered everywhere on is ear, fishing for men and women wi e varied and sonorous tongues of e Spirit, seeking to capture people in e net of eir preaching and to save em from e pit of error by bringing em in to e spiritual, heavenly table at at mystic feast, at sacred banquet, at spiritual wedding of e heavenly Bridegroom - e banquet which e Faer has spread, most royally and splendidly, for e Son who is his equal in power and who shares his nature. But by a command, a cloud swept e Apostles to Jerusalem from e ends of e ear as if it were itself a net, gaering eagles and drawing em in... e eye-witnesses, en, e servants of e Word, were ere, ministering also to his Moer as ey were bound St. regory e reat Orodox Church Euclid St. NW, Washington DC Church Office: 7326 Poplar Court, Falls Church, VA (703) FrNicholas@AOL.COM Web page:

2 to do and hoping to claim from her a blessing, as someing valuable beyond price... It was fitting at she, who preserved her virginity undamaged by childbir, should have her body preserved from corruption even in dea. It was fitting at she, who held e creator in her lap as a baby, should rest in e tabernacle of od. It was fitting at e bride, whom e Faer took for his own, should dwell in e bridalchamber of heaven. It was fitting at she, who gazed at her own son on e cross, and who received in her heart e sword of pain at she escaped at childbir, should look on him enroned wi is Faer. It was fitting at e Moer of od should receive e blessing of her son, and be reverenced by all creation as Moer and servant of od... We, for whom od is e object of worship - od, who has not come from non-existence into being, but who always and from all eternity is, beyond cause and explanation, beyond any notion of time or nature - we honor and venerate e Moer of od! We do not mean to suggest at e timeless bir of his divinity was from her - for e begetting of od s Word lies outside time, of equal eternity wi e Faer - but we confess his second bir, a freely-chosen bir in e flesh, and we know and proclaim e cause of is bir. For he who wiout beginning exists wiout a body became flesh for us and for our salvation at like might be wholly saved by its like; and taking flesh from her, e holy virgin, wiout e union of human parenting, he was born, while remaining wholly od. Becoming wholly human, he is himself e whole od wi his flesh, and a whole human being wi his supremely transcendent divinity. So we, who recognize is virgin as Moer of od, now celebrate e feast of her dormition. We do not call her a goddess - we will have none of such pedantic classical fabling - for we proclaim her dea. But we recognize her as Moer of e od who became flesh. Let us praise her, en, wi sacred songs, we who are privileged to be called and to be e people of Christ. Let us delight in her holiness of soul and body; after all, she is truly, after od, e holiest of all beings, for like always delights in like! Through her, our age-old war against our creator has come to an end. Through her, our reconciliation wi him has been forged, peace and grace have been bestowed on us, human beings join wi e chorus of angels, and we who were once wiout honor have now been made children of od. From her, we have plucked e grape of life; from her we have harvested e flower of incorruptibility. She has become e mediator of all good ings for us. In her, od has become human and e human being od! 2

3 Teach me, O Lord, e way of y statutes, and I shall keep it unto e end. ive me understanding, and I shall keep y law; yea, I shall keep it wi my whole heart. [Ps. 119:33, 34] The irst for knowledge is often very great, and when at irst is directed toward e Holy Scriptures, e writings of e Faers of e Church, and e liturgical documents of e Church, it can only be satisfied when accompanied by living in accordance wi what is read in ose pages. One of e saints of e Church who shows us is is St. Joseph of Damascus, whose feast we celebrate on July 10. Born in 1793 into a poor merchant family, Joseph longed to learn and took every opportunity to furer his knowledge. He received some education, in Arabic and reek, as a young boy, but e tuition for classes was too great for his family to manage, having used eir resources to educate an older son, Moses. So Joseph had to work in e family business, weaving silk fabric; at night, he read as much as he could. Tragedy struck e family when Moses died at e young age of 25 and e parents blamed his untimely dea on e extreme exertion he spent on his studies. Thereafter, ey were not inclined to encourage eir younger son in his desire to learn. But noing could stop Joseph; he began to read e collection of books which his broer had accumulated, but wi little understanding. For a while he managed e tuition cost to study wi a Muslim scholar, Mouhamad Al-Attar, and from him gained some greater knowledge of Arabic, logic, and debate. But poverty forced Joseph back into e pattern of working during e day and studying at night. Joseph s primary textbook was e Bible, as he compared e reek Septuagint wi Arabic translations. He had e opportunity to study church history and en began teaching oers, continuing to increase his own knowledge even to learning Hebrew from a Jewish student. Always, Joseph s manner of life reflected what he had learned from his studies of e Scriptures. Joseph s parents became alarmed at e intensity of eir son s pursuit of knowledge, fearing at ey would lose him as ey had his broer. In an attempt to steer Joseph into a more normal life, ey arranged a marriage for him (at e age of 19) wi Mariam Al-Kourshi, a young Christian woman of e city. The story is told at even on his wedding night, Joseph stayed up late reading! St. Joseph of Damascus Feast Day ~ July 10 3

4 As e couple began to raise a family, were active in church affairs in Damascus, and Joseph continued to teach and study, e Patriarch saw in him great potential as a leader for e Church. He ordained Joseph to e diaconate and en e priesood when he was 24 years of age. Joseph was soon elevated to e honor of archpriest and was given e privilege of preaching frequently at e Caedral. Fr. Joseph became well-known as a persuasive and eloquent preacher. There was a school attached to e caedral in Damascus and in 1836, Fr. Joseph took charge of its administration. He managed to obtain good teachers who were paid good salaries and e school began to attract bright students from roughout Syria and Lebanon. Fr. Joseph established a department of Orodox eological studies which he hoped would match e level of at in Orodox seminaries in oer parts of e world in preparing men for e priesood. Students from is school became patriarchs, bishops and priests for e Church in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, e U.S. and Brazil and e school nurtured at least one saint of e Church, St. Raphael Hawaweeny (of Brooklyn). The archpriest Joseph was also known for his pastoral care. In e epidemic of yellow fever which struck Damascus in 1848, Fr. Joseph did not fear to minister to e sick, bury e dead, and comfort e living even ough one of his own sons died of is horrible disease. In May of 1860, a rebellion in Lebanon began which rapidly spread roughout e entire region. Members of e Druze sect, an offshoot of Islam, began to revolt against e government and made Christians e main target of eir violence. Soon, Muslims in Syria joined in is revolution and killed Christians and destroyed Christian property. On July 9 and 10, Damascus was e scene of terrible violence. It is said at as many as 11,000 Christians were martyred in is city alone. Many Christians fled to e caedral for safety where Fr. Joseph prayed wi em. When e caedral was attacked, he and oers ran out into e streets to try to escape, but one of e Muslim religious scholars recognized Fr. Joseph and cried out to e attackers to kill him. As was his custom, Fr. Joseph was carrying on his person e Blessed Sacrament which he usually took to e sick. As he was being hacked wi hatchets, he partook of e Body and Blood of Christ and gave up his spirit to od. The memory of is good man, whose zeal for learning e ways of od had touched so many people, remained as a sign of hope for e Christians who survived is massacre. In 1993, e Church glorified St. Joseph and now we venerate him as one who can help to show us e way. Holy Joseph of Damascus, pray for us. 4

5 The land which gave us St. John of Damascus and St. Joseph of Damascus and many oer saints is perhaps e oldest continuously inhabited city in e world. From Egyptian hieroglyphic tablets of e 15 century BC, to e pages of e Old Testament, and e miraculous story of St. Paul s conversion in e New Testament, ere is evidence of an ancient and venerable civilization. Damascus has been e see city for our Patriarchate of Antioch since e 14 century. reater Syria (which includes e modern countries of Jordan and Lebanon) has been invaded and conquered by Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, reeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Crusaders, and governed by England and France. Alough e people of is land are noted for eir hospitality, e area has seen much violence and bloodshed rough e centuries. Today s situation is e latest in a long history of rebellion and political and religious tensions. The Orodox Church has been active in helping to alleviate e sufferings of e people during is difficult time. Working wi IOCC and oer non-governmental aid agencies as well as wi e Red Crescent, e Church is providing food; medical and hygiene kits; bedding for displaced people; recreational, psychological and educational help for displaced children, among many oer forms of assistance. Patriarch INATIUS IV has asked for our help in is time of need and for our prayers for e people of is ancient land. Aid for e Patriarchate Patriarchate INATIUS IV Summer is a time for conferences. The annual Parish Life Conference for e Dioceses of New York and Washington and Charleston will be held in New Brunswick, New Jersey July 4-8. Western Rite Vespers will be offered on Thursday evening of e conference. Fr. Nicholas will also attend e Clergy Symposium at Antiochian Village July and e Western Rite Conference in Shawnee, Oklahoma from August We will celebrate two important feast days during August: The Feast of e Transfiguration on Monday, August 6, wi Vespers at 7PM, 7:30 and pot-luck supper following. The Eve of e Dormition (Assumption) of e Theotokos will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 14. Saturday Vespers will be discontinued during e mon of August and will resume on Saturday, September 1, at 6PM. Parish News 5

6 M onday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday July 2012 Services: Matins at 9AM, Sung 9:30AM Parish Life conference in Bergenfield, NJ: July 4 - July 9 1 Four after Pentecost; Oct. Day of St. John Baptist; of e Oct. of Ss. Peter & Paul 2Visitation of e Blessed Virgin Mary; St. John Maximovitch BC, of e Octave of Ss. Peter & Paul; St. Leo II, PC, 683 4of e Octave of Ss. Peter & Paul (Independence Day) 5of e Octave of Ss. Peter & Paul 6Octave Day of Ss. Peter & Paul 7Ss. Cyril & Meodius, Bb CC, 9 c.; St. Palladius, BC, c Fif after Pentecost; St. Kilian of Wurzburg, BM, Seven Holy Broers, Mm, c. 165; St. Joseph of Damascus, Solemnity of St. Benedict, Ab, c. 540; St. Pius I, PM, c Ss. Nabor & Felix, Mm, St. Anacletu s, PM, 1st c Six after Pentecost; St. Vladimir of Kiev, KC, 1015; St. Henry, C, 1024 Our Lady 16of Einsiedeln 17 St. Alexis, C, 5 c. 18 St. Sergius, Ab, 1392; Ss. Symphorosa & her Seven Sons, Mm, c. 138 St. Sera- of 19phim Sarov, PrC, 1833 St. Elias 20e Prophet, 9 c. BC; St. Margaret of Antioch, VM, 304 St. Prax- of 21edes nd Rome, V, 2 c. 22 Seven after Pentecost; St. Mary Magdalene, Penitent Ma, 1st c. St. John 23Cassian, Ab, 433; St. Appollinaris, BM, 1st c.; St. Liborius, BC, 397 St. Chris- VM; 24tina St. Romanus & David, Mm, 1015 St. James 25e reater, Apostle, 44; St. Christopher, C, Ss. Joachim & Anne, Parents of e BVM,1st c.; St. Jacob Netsvetov, PrC, 1864 St. Pan- c. 27teleimon, 305 Ss. Naz- Celsus Mm, St. 28arius, Victor, PM & Innocent PC, 5 c; St. Samson of Dol, BC, c Eigh after Pentecost St. Mara of Beany, V, 1st c. 30 Ss. Abdon & Sennen, Mm, c. 303 St. er- of 31manus Auxerre, BC, 448 Confessions are heard during e Psalms at Matins, after Vespers, and by appointment. Coffee Hour follows Mass.

7 M onday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday August 2012 Services: Matins at 9AM, Sung 9:30AM 1St. Peter's Chains; Holy Maccabees, Mm, c. 160 BC; St. Eelwold, BC, 984 2St. Stephen Finding of I, PM, 257 3St. Stephen e Protomartyr, 415; St. Nicodemus, M, st 1. c. 4 5 Nin after Pentecost; Our Lady of e Snows (435); St. Oswald, KM, Ten after Pentecost 6 Transfiguration of Our Lord; Ss. Sixtus II PM, Felicissimus, 285 7:30pm W St. Maxi- e 13mus Confessor, CD, 662; Ss. Hippolytus & comp., Mm, 235 7St. Donatus of Arezzo, BM, 362 Western Rite Conference (rough August 10) St. Euse- PrC, c. 14bius, 300 7:30pm W 8Ss. Cyriacus, Largus & Smaragdus, Mm, Assumption (Dormition) of e Blessed Virgin Mary 9Vigil of St. Laurence; St. Romanus, M, 258 of e 16Octave of e Assumption St. Lau- Deacon M, 10rence 258 of e 17Octave of e Assumption; Octave Day of St. Laurence Ss. Tibur- & 11tius Susanna, Mm, rd 3 c.; St. Philomena, VM, c St. Helena, 330; of e Octave of e Assumption; St. Agapitus, M, Eleven after Pentocost of e Oct. of e Assumption; St. Constantine, C, 337 of e 20Octave of e Assumption of e 21Octave of e Assumption 22 Octave Day Assumption; Ss. Timoy, M, Hippolytus, BM& Symphorian, rd M, 3 c. Vigil of 23St. Barolomew 24 St. Barolomew, Apostle, 1st c. St. Hilda, 25V, Twelf after Pentecost; St. Zephyrinus, PM, 219 St. Cae- of 27sarius Arles, BC, St. Augustine of Hippo, BCD, 430; St. Moses e Black, C, Beheading of St. John e Baptist; St. Sabina, M, c. 125 Ss. Felix 30& Adauctus, Mm, 304; St. Fiacre e Hermit, C, 670 St. Aidan 31of Lindisfarne, BC, 651 Confessions are heard during e Psalms at Matins, after Vespers, and by appointment. Coffee Hour follows Mass.