MONTHLY MESSAGE. H o l y T r i n i t y G r e e k Orthodox Cathedral F E B R U A R Y

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1 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL 1931 SUMTER STREET COLUMBIA, SC RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA, SC PERMIT 617 H o l y T r i n i t y G r e e k Orthodox Cathedral S u m t e r S t r e e t, C o l u m b i a, S C ( p h o n e ) ( f a x ) F E B R U A R Y MONTHLY MESSAGE Today the Church commemorates an important event in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:22-40). Forty days after His birth the God-Infant was taken to the Jerusalem Temple, the center of the nation's religious life. According to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple of God for forty days. At the end of this time the mother came to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb or pigeon to the Lord as a purification sacrifice. The Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, had no need of purification, since she had given birth to the Source of purity and sanctity without defilement. However, she humbly fulfilled the requirements of the Law. At this time the righteous Elder Symeon (February 3) was living in Jerusalem. It had been revealed to him that he would not die until he should behold the promised Messiah. By inspiration from above, St Symeon went to the Temple at the very moment when the Most Holy Theotokos and St Joseph had brought the Infant Jesus to fulfill the Law. The God-Receiver Symeon took the divine Child in his arms, and giving thanks to God, he spoke the words repeated by the Church each evening at Vespers: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). St Symeon said to the Most Holy Virgin: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). At the Temple was the 84-year-old widow Anna the Prophetess, daughter of Phanuel (February 3), "who did not leave the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day. She arrived just when St Symeon met the divine Child. She also gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:37-38). In the icon of the Feast she holds a scroll which reads: "This Child has established Heaven and earth."

2 Before Christ was born, righteous men and women lived by faith in the promised Messiah, and awaited His coming. The Righteous Symeon and the Prophetess Anna, the last righteous people of the Old Testament, were deemed worthy to meet the Savior in the Temple. The Feast of the Reception of the Lord is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. We have sermons on the Feast by the holy bishops Methodius of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilocius of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), and John Chrysostom (+ 407). Despite its early origin, this Feast was not celebrated so splendidly until the sixth century. established a more solemn celebration of this Feast LEADERSHIP STAFF Church hymnographers have adorned this Feast with their hymns: St Andrew of Crete in the seventh century; St Cosmas Bishop of Maium, St John of Damascus, and St Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in the eighth century; and St Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica in the ninth century. The Reverend Father Michael Platanis, Protopresbyter Presbyter Chrysostom J. Mitchell, Efemerios On this day we also commemorate the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos known as "the Softening of Evil Hearts" or "Symeon's Prophecy." The Mother of God is depicted without Her Child, with seven swords piercing her breast: three from the left side, three from the right, and one from below. In 528, during the reign of Justinian, an earthquake killed many people in A similar icon, "Of the Seven Antioch. Other misfortunes followed Swords" (August 13) shows three this one. In 541 a terrible plague broke swords on the left side and four out in Constantinople, carrying off from the right. several thousand people each day. During this time of widespread suffering, a solemn prayer service (Litia) for The icon "Symeon's Prophecy" deliverence from evils was celebrated symbolizes the fulfillment of the on the Feast of the Reception of the prophecy of the righteous Elder Lord, and the plague ceased. In Symeon: "a sword shall pierce thanksgiving to God, the Church through your own soul" (Luke 2:35) Parish Council: Maria Malonas-Bates; President, Anita Rickman, Vice President, Ben Singleton, Secretary; Philip Lawrence, Assistant Secretary; Evan Hobbs, Treasurer; John Metropol, Assistant Treasurer, Pete Poulos, George Mavroftas, Mike Psillos, Tom McGloghry, Roy Alexander, Mike Malone, and John Zourzoukis. Linda Sheetz, Office A dministrator Michael Hart, Financial A dministrator Despina Houlis, Choir Director Michael Payne, Custodian (website) htgocc@gmail.com (church office ) htgocministries@gmail.com (ministries ) CELEBRATING OVER 75 YEARS Mission Statement of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Columbia, SC The diakonia (ministry) of the Parish will include proclaiming and teaching the Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith, sanctifying the faithful through God s grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the other sacraments; enhancing its parishioners spiritual life, an adding to the numbers of the faithful by receiving persons into the Church through instruction, baptism and/or chrismation. In addition, the Parish shall establish educational and philanthropic activities to foster the aims and mission of the Parish and to edify its parishioners in the Faith and ethos of the Church. The Parish shall also engage in such inter-orthodox, ecumenical and interfaith activities as are consistent with the policies of the Archdiocese. (Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Part Three, Chapter One, Article 15, Section 4)

3 Wednesday, March 1-6:00 PM - Adult Choir Friday, March 2-7:00 PM - Salutations to the Theotokos Saturday, March 3-6:00 PM - Great Vespers Sunday, March 4-8:45 AM Orthros 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy Monday, March 5 - Tuesday, March 6-7:30 AM - Breakfast Fellowship 11:00 AM Adult Fellowship Wednesday, March 7-9:30 AM - Presanctified Liturgy Thursday, March 8 6:00 PM Adult Choir Friday, March 9-7:00 PM - Salutations to the Theotokos Saturday, March 10-6:00 PM - Great Vespers Sunday, March 11-8:45 AM - Orthros 10:00 AM - Divine Liturgy Monday, March 12 Tuesday, March 13-7:30 AM - Breakfast Fellowship 11:00 AM - Adult Fellowship Wednesday, March 14 9:30 AM Presanctified Liturgy 5:30 PM Great Compline 5:45 PM Junior Choir Thursday, March 15 6:00 PM Adult Choir Friday, March 16 7:00 PM Salutations to the Theotokos Saturday, March 17-6:00 PM Great Vespers NEXT MONTH: MARCH GENERAL CALENDAR Sunday, March 18-8:45 AM - Orthros 10:00 AM - Divine Liturgy Monday, March 19 - Tuesday, March 20-7:30 AM - Breakfast Fellowship 11:00 AM Adult Fellowship 5:30 PM Parish Council Wednesday, March 21-9:30 AM - Presanctified Liturgy Thursday, March 22 7:00 PM - Great Canon of Andrew Of Crete Friday, March 23 Akathist Hymn Presanctified 7:00 PM - Liturgy Saturday, March 24 6:00 PM Great Vespers Sunday, March 25 ANNUNCIATION Greek Independence Day 8:45 AM Orthros 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy NO Sunday School Monday, March 26 Tuesday, March 27 7:30 AM Breakfast Fellowship 11:00 AM Adult Fellowship Wednesday, March 28-9:30 AM - Presanctified Liturgy 5:45 PM Junior Choir Friday, March 30-9:30 AM - Presanctified Liturgy Saturday, March 31-- Lazarus Saturday 6:00 PM Great Vespers Note: This schedule is subject to change. Please consult the March bulletin for final dates and times. The Experience Gained From Our Falls from Spiritual Counsels of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos When you examine yourselves, it is very helpful sometimes to follow your life from the beginning, from childhood, to see where you were, where you are at, and where you should be. If you do not compare the past with the present, you do not understand that you might be in a rather good spiritual state, but at the same time, you re not where you should be, and therefore, you grieve God. When someone is young and is not in a very good spiritual state, he may be somewhat justified in his poor state of soul; but when has matured in years and still remains in the same condition or has made only a little progress. Then he cannot be justified. As the years pass, man matures spiritually, and if he makes good use of past experiences, he progresses more steadily and more humbly. Often even the ups and downs in our struggle help us achieve a positive and steady spiritual march upwards. When a small child begins to walk, he will certainly fall down the stairs a few times, bump his bead on the handrail, or fall from the chair he has climbed upon. The child doesn't yet understand that if he climbs on a chair and steps on its edge, it will tip over. But as he grows, he acquires experience, he matures and begins to be careful. He begins to reason, The last time I climbed on the chair, I stepped on its edge, it tipped over. I m not going to do that now. It s the same in our struggle: when we observe and use everything for our benefit, we acquire experience; and if we use this experience, we can be greatly edified. I remember that at our home in Konitsa, we had six horses, young and old. One day when I was leading them over a small bridge made out of tree trunks and boards, a rotted trunk gave way, and the leg of the youngest horse, which was only four years old, was caught between the boards. Ever after, even though I had repaired and enlarged the little bridge with strong boards, the young horse would halt and shake its head back and forth, or would break loose from its reins and run away, or it would gallop and jump. Now if even a young horse of four years can make use of its experience to avoid making the same mistake twice, think how much more a human being should be able to take advantage of his falls and learn from them!

4 HOLY TRINITY NEWS Thank you to the following people who volunteered to host COFFEE HOUR after liturgy for February February 4 Joanna Graham and Kathryn Graham February 11 Maria English and Helen Bykalo February 18 Marina Saliaris and Eleni Haftoglou February 25 Maria Taylor, Evropi Morgan and Jennifer Hanner WELCOME COMMITTEE February 4 Elizabeth Chiarel and Margie Malone February 11 David Coulter and Dan Kartanos February 18 Deidre Kleckley and Christina Gardiner February 25 Pete Papajohn and Greta Dobe FINANCIAL UPDATE THROUGH DECEMBER 2017 Pledges Received $459, Candles 31, Easter Offering 3, Christmas Offering 2, Other Income 5, Total Revenue $502, Expenses through December 557, Deficit through December 54, PANGARI (Usher) DUTY: February 4 Maria Bates, In charge Phil Lawrence, Greeter February 11 Phil Lawrence, In charge Roy Alexander, Greeter February 18 Roy Alexander, In Charge Tom McGloghry, Greeter February 25 Tom McGloghry, In Charge Mike Malone, Greeter Does the Pure One Have Need of Purification? The original Greek of Luke 2:22 reads: "K αι οτε επλησθησαν αι ημεραι του καθαρισμου αυτων κατα τον νομον μωυσεως ανηγαγον αυτον εις ιεροσολυμα παραστησαι τω κυριω..." The King James Version translates this verse as follows: And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;..." We see here that the KJV erroneously translates this verse to read "days of her purification". However, a puristic translation of the text would be translated as "days of their purification". It is well known that the KJV makes these "errors" often whenever references to doctrines about Mary are conveyed in the Gospels, but this is one of those verses that if mistranslated has tremendous implications; the Theotokos has no need of purification. Rather this passage refers to the Jews and what the Law of Moses prescribed for them. The Venerable Bede commenting on this passage writes: "The firstborn of all the male sex was to be called holy to the Lord (Lev. 12:1-6). The Virgin did not receive seed, but even as our Lord willed to be under the Law, so that He might redeem us (Gal. 4:4-5), so too did the blessed Mother, who by a singular privilege was above the Law; nevertheless, she did not shun being made subject to the principles of the Law for the sake of showing us an example of humility" (Homily on the Feast of the Purification).

5 WINTER YOUTH RALLY CONTINUED CONGRATULATIONS! Presbyter Chrysostom J. Mitchell, Efemerios Alexis Mitchell, Presbytera Freedom When (God) gives us the freedom to love and to hate, the freedom to choose for Him or against Him, the freedom to become truly human in the image of Christ or totally in- or sub-human, He does not simply give us this freedom without which no love relationship is possible, but He also takes all the consequences of His creative act and His gift. He becomes one of us. He renounces the plentitude of freedom which is His, to become a prisoner of a human flesh, a prisoner of a human nature, a prisoner of a political and human situation and what is more tragic, - a prisoner of a world in which He created as beauty and harmony, but which we have made into something dark and monstrous, an instrument of torture. He bears the consequences of this because of what we call His love In the world in which we live we must be Christians on Christ s own terms. Christ stands in the midst of this mystery of sacrificial love, and so it is not a matter of forcing ourselves into submissive obedience to His commandments. It is a matter of understanding what God we have, what mankind is, and what is our privilege and our vocation. Let us ask ourselves, then, with regard to this vision of God, with regard to this vision of man: who am I, and what is it that in my concrete situation I can or should do and be in order to be faithful to my vocation? Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Two Lenten Retreat Talks, Sourozh, no.35, Feb 1989

6 Winter Youth Rally Atlanta, GA GREAT LENT BIBLE STUDY Coinciding with Great Lent beginning on Wednesday, February 21. The Bible Study will be offered weekly from 6:30 to 7:15 PM. Beginning Wednesday, February 21, and continuing each Wednesday through the month of March. The focus will be on psalms that are used in our Liturgical Services. You are invited to join Father Chrysostom in the Fellowship Hall for our discussion. CHOIR will rehearse on Thursday evenings, beginning at 6:00 pm. We welcome new voices and would love to bring our teens and young adults into this group. We will be meeting in the new church (not above the Coffee Hour room), until the Spring/Easter time. If you might be interested in joining the choir, please contact Despina Houlis TUESDAY MORNING BREAKFAST FELLOWSHIP Beginning February 6, we will reconvene. Consider joining us on a Tuesday morning. This group meets promptly from 7:30 8:30 am each Tuesday in February.

7 JOY BOWLING The Metropolis of Atlanta is pleased to announce the opening of registration for the Spring 2018 Philoptochos Spiritual Retreat, to be held at the Diakonia Retreat Center, March 16th-18th 2018! The theme of this year's Retreat is "Reaching IN to Reach OUT: Preparing Our Lives for Philanthropy" The presenter is Fr. Mark Leondis, Proistamenos of St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church, Boca Raton, FL. All relevant information, from the flyer, to the retreat registration form, and the waiver, can be found at the Metropolis website at All women of the Metropolis are welcome and encouraged to attend! We pray that you will strongly consider joining your fellow sisters in Christ, so that you too can be a part of this unique and uplifting spiritual event that is vital to the life of this important philanthropic ministry! ADULT FELLOWSHIP GROUP Bring someone you love and join our book group to explore the Spiritual Counsels of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos! Father Michael offers this opportunity for interested adults to gather in the parish hall to engage in Biblical and Orthodox book studies once a week at 11:00 am. The group will continue to meet throughout the month at 11:00 am on Tuesdays beginning February 6.

8 YOUTH HAPPENINGS GOYA BOWLING WORD OF THE MONTH Sarakosti Can you believe it s already about that time? What time? The beginning of Great Lent on February 19! The word Sarakosti literally translates to 40 days, representing the period of time in which we fast just prior to Holy Week in preparation for Holy Pascha. The tradition of the 40-day feast extends back to Moses who fasted 40 days before receiving the Ten Commands as well as did the Prophet Elijah, and even our Christ who fasted 40 days in the wilderness while tempted by the evil one. By 325 AD, according to the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, the 40-day fasting period had become a well-established tradition that we continue today. Some use this image of Kyria [Ms.} Sarakosti to keep track of the fast by removing one of her feet for each week of Great Lent and Holy Week. Note her wide, every-vigilant eyes and her closed lips that serve to remind us fasting is about watching what goes into our mouths so that we remember to pray and control what comes out of our mouths, most importantly. ORATORICAL FESTIVAL Our annual Parish Oratorical Festival will be immediately following divine liturgy on Sunday, February 18. All students in Grades 7 12 are encouraged to participate. Visit the Archdiocese website for topics and tips on how to prepare your speech today! religioused/ Parents, following Share Sunday presentations (PreK-6 th Grade) on that day, we will also offer an activity upstairs to engage our younger children so that you can focus on listening to the older ones speak on our faith.