THE ENLIGHTENER September Vol 36 No 9

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SS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH 401 Hamilton St Syracuse NY 13204 THE ENLIGHTENER September 2014 www.sspeterandpaulsvracuse.com Vol 36 No 9 The Holy Cross Church Tradition tells us that St.

1 SS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH 401 Hamilton St Syracuse NY THE ENLIGHTENER September Vol 36 No 9 The Holy Cross Church Tradition tells us that St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, miraculously found the True Cross of Christ on Golgotha. This was at the beginning of the IV century. From that time a tradition began of celebrating this event on September 14. The celebration began first in Jerusalem in the Church of the Resurrection, built by the holy Emperor Constantine on the spot Christ was crucified. That day there was an elevation of the holy Cross of our Lord, elevated so that the people might see it and fall down before it. Taking the example from the Jerusalem church. Christians throughout the world did the same and thus this tradition came to us as well. This feast was confirmed all the more in the year 627 when the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius freed the Cross from the Persians who held it for fourteen years. From that time many Christians made pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the feast of the Elevation. In the Holy Gospel it is written that crucified with our Lord Jesus Christ on Great and Holy Friday were two thieves, one on either side "and Jesus in the center" (John 19:18). And so the crucified Savior and His Cross has remained in the center of the Christian faith, the services and the entire life of the Christian. This is why St. Paul says, "we preach Christ crucified" (I Cor. 1:23). The truth of the crucified and resurrected Christ is found in the center of the gospels. This is not only one of the truths of the Christian faith, it is the most significant Christian truth. St. Paul says to the Corinthians, "For I have delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). This central truth of the Christian faith was preached by the apostles "first of all". "Christ died for our sins", that we might receive the forgiveness of our sins from God. "He rose again on the third day", that we too might defeat sin and have life. The miraculous sign of this truth is the Cross of Christ. For this reason do we occasionally see His crucifixion pictured on one side of the cross, with His resurrection on the other.

2 If this truth were taken out of the gospel then the gospel would cease to exist. Gospel means "good news", which came since Christ came to the world, suffered for mankind, resurrected defeating Satan and received for all mankind the forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Despite the bad news of man's sins and guilt, this gospel is the "good news" of the reconciliation between man and God. The righteous One suffered for the unrighteous, the Sinless for the sinners, so that He might bring all men to God the Father. He offered Himself as the blameless Lamb to the sacrifice for all men and all times. He offered Himself to death that He might defeat death. Therefore the Cross on which Christ was crucified, instead of it being a sign of sadness and mourning has become the sign of the greatest joy, the sign of the strengthening of faith and hope. It has become the throne of love, the sign of mercy, proof of forgiveness, the carrier of grace and the flag of peace. At the same time the Cross is the mystery of our faith - the mystery of the redemption of mankind. How can we explain this mystery? It cannot be the subject of human investigation and human philosophy, but is experienced through sincere faith and love and our humble thanksgiving to God. For the width of the Cross is equal to the depth of heaven, as the poet says. From the beginning of the Christian Church the Cross finds itself in all the prayers, services and priestly actions. St. John Chrysostom writes of this: "Everything that is done for our sanctification is done in the sign of the cross. If we have to be reborn, this is done in the sign of the cross (baptism). When the mysterious food is prepared for us, it is done in the sign of the cross. Whenever any ritual is done we see the sign of the cross everywhere. Everything that is done in the service that relates to man's sanctification is done in the sign of the holy Cross." In the hymn we sing today, it states: "today the Cross is elevated and the world is sanctified". Holy Communion has a special place in the Christian service. This is the bloodless sacrifice - the central point of the, which the Savior established on the eve of His suffering on the Cross. He gave His body and shed His blood on the Cross and with the Cross He sanctified the Holy Eucharist, which is in the very center of the Orthodox service. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, "Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Let us make with confidence the sign of the Cross with our fingers on the forehead and all things - the bread which we eat, the glass which we drink, in our comings and goings, when we lay down and get up, before walking and before resting (...) let us not forget this sign!" This is not only a sign of our faith. It is not only a symbol which signifies something. It is not only a decoration which we adorn ourselves with. This is life with the God-man, who suffered because of human injustices, sins and lawlessness. With the Cross we constantly live and always partake in all sufferings for the sake of God's truth, justice and love. This is true sympathy with all who suffer for God's truth and justice. It is the sign of a Christian life in Christ and according to Christ. It is the sign of life in love and life in sacrifice for good. It is the living sign of self-denial for the sake of God's truth and justice. For this reason do we celebrate the Cross. -taken from a homily delivered by His Grace Bishop STEPHAN of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1982

September 2014 Bulletin Board READERS SCHEDULE Sept 7th Hours: Scott Anderson Epistle: Bill Helwig Sept 14th Hours: Bill Helwig Epistle: Scott Anderson Sept 21st Hours: Larissa Sovyrda Epistle: Tim

3 September 2014 Bulletin Board READERS SCHEDULE Sept 7th Hours: Scott Anderson Epistle: Bill Helwig Sept 14th Hours: Bill Helwig Epistle: Scott Anderson Sept 21st Hours: Larissa Sovyrda Epistle: Tim Chupeck Sept 28th Hours: Scott Anderson Epistle: Dennis Holovach Oct 5th Hours: Dennis Holovach Epistle: Tim Chupeck Major Feast Days Beginning of the Liturgical New Year Sept 1st Nativity of the Theotokos Sept 8th Vigil - Sun 9/7 Liturgy -Mon 9/8 o Elevation of the Holy Cross Sept 14th Vigil - Sat 9/13 Liturgy - Sun 9/14 COFFEE HOUR HOSTS Sept 7th- Kondakoff/Sweet Sept 14th "Andersons Sept 21st - Dotterers Sept 28th -ChickenBBQ Oct 5th - Daniel Oct 12th --Szymaniak Oct 19th --Ellingworth Oct 26th - Fitzgibbons Fellowship Gathering Monday Sept 8th Nativity of the Theotokos After Liturgy Oct 12th Hours: Peter McElvein Epistle: Bill Helwig Oct 19th Hours: Bill Helwig Epistle: Dennis Holovach Oct 26th Hours: Larissa Sovyrda Epistle: Scott Anderson Next regular Council Meeting is Sept 21 St Save the Date Sun Sept 28th SPP Annual Chicken BBQ We celebrate the Cross as a holy sign which helps us strengthen our faith. Registration Sun Sept 7th followed by a Group session with Fr John in the Church Parlors. Group session 2, Sun 9/14 will be held in the Church. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend, especially parents. + We wear it on ourselves and carry it in ourselves as a sign of God's mercy towards mankind and we experience it as a sign of our mercy toward our neighbor. The Cross is a sign that witnesses to the fact that God forgives. At the same time, the Cross is a sign of our will to forgive. The Cross calls us to preach the crucified and resurrected Lord. It reminds us of all the things our Savior did, who was crucified for our salvation. -His Grace. Bishop STEPHAN *

METROPOLITAN TI KM ON, PRIMATE A Pastoral Letter from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, to the Clergy, Monastics and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America Concerning Violence and Extremism in

4 METROPOLITAN TI KM ON, PRIMATE A Pastoral Letter from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, to the Clergy, Monastics and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America Concerning Violence and Extremism in the Middle East "We have preferred profane and material things to the commandment of love, and because we have attached ourselves to them we fight against men, whereas we ought to prefer the love of all men to all visible things and even to our own body." (St Maximus the Confessor, The Ascetic Life, 7) Beloved in Christ, ORTHODOX CHURCH in AMERICA P.O. BOX 675 SYOSSET. NY TEL: FAX: WEBSITE: Our hearts have been deeply wounded by the stories and images of war and fighting throughout the world. The recent incidents of violence in the Middle East loom as tragic examples of an increasing disrespect for humanity and disregard for human life and dignity. The Orthodox Church in America joins those in the Middle East, in North America, and around the world who have raised their voices against the inhumane actions we are witnessing. We join all who condemn this blatant disregard for human dignity and life. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, whose ministry in the Middle East consistently witnesses to the Gospel of love of jesus Christ and the Gospel's command to adhere to peace and non-violence, has issued a strong statement condemning the attacks against Christians in Mosul, expressed in "coercion forcing them to change their belief, pay a tax or leave their homes, while having their property confiscated." The statement calls on "states that provide fundamentalist groups with any direct or indirect foreign support to immediately stop all forms of material, logistic, military and moral support." The Orthodox Church in America expresses its solidarity with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in its striving for non-violence and peace. We also express our solidarity with all the suffering Christian communities of Mosul, whose expulsion is ending the Christian presence there after nearly two thousand years. Another story of violence is unfolding yet again between Israel and the Hamas organization in Gaza. In this violence hundreds of innocent civilians have already died, some of them Israelis, most of them Palestinians. This humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is overwhelming; hundreds of thousands of innocent people are losing their homes and struggling to survive without electricity and water. Yet another narrative of violence continues in Syria. Many innocent people not involved in the fighting have lost their lives. A large proportion of the Syrian population has taken to flight, forced to live in refugee camps in the region. Millions have lost their homes, their livelihoods and their loved ones. Those of us living in North America may feel a sense of helplessness when seeing and hearing of these tragedies. We ought to remember the words of St John Cassian, who writes that the "goal of peaceful improvement cannot be reached through the decisions of others, which is forever beyond our control, but is found rather in our own attitude.

To be free from wrath is not dependent on the perfection of others, but stems from our own virtue, which is acquired through our own tolerance, not other people's patience." [Institutes, VI11.

5 To be free from wrath is not dependent on the perfection of others, but stems from our own virtue, which is acquired through our own tolerance, not other people's patience." [Institutes, VI11.17) St John is pointing to a fundamental spiritual principle: that real change only begins when we look within our own hearts. Rather than feeling helpless in the face of world tragedies, we need to recall our unity with all of mankind and to respond with prayer for the suffering and the departed. In addition, just as the ascetic struggles of the great saints, in their own time and place, have a cosmic effect, so our own effort to purify our own hearts will have an effect on the rest of the world. Thus, a very concrete and practical way that we in North America can respond to the violence in the Middle East is to commit ourselves to establishing peace in our own families and communities. When the Holy Apostle James posed the question: "What causes wars, and what causes fighting among you?", he immediately answers with a challenge for us to consider: "Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?" (James 4:1). If we are truly concerned about the strife in the world today, let us begin by overcoming anger in our own hearts by striving for meekness and humility. If we are upset by the violence and destruction in the Middle East, let us direct our energy to bring peace to the conflicts within our own families. If we are horrified by images of human beings injuring and killing one another, let us offer an image of Christ by giving alms to those in need in our own neighborhood. In this way, our deeds will be joined to our prayers, and by the action of divine grace, we will have the assurance that our merciful Lord will grant consolation to those who are suffering, will provide a place of rest for those who have departed and will bestow upon the world the peace that passes all understanding. With love in Christ, ttikhon Archbishop of Washington Metropolitan of All America and Canada

September 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 7 Labor Day 2 3 4 Diocesan Clergy Conference in Clifton NJ 5 6 Great Confessions 7 13th/Pentecost Coffee Hour Registration VIGIL 8 Nativity of the Theotokos

6 September 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 7 Labor Day Diocesan Clergy Conference in Clifton NJ 5 6 Great Confessions 7 13th/Pentecost Coffee Hour Registration VIGIL 8 Nativity of the Theotokos "Fellowship Gathering" 9 10 JJfc W VIGIL for the Elevation of the Holy CROSS 14 Elevation of the Cross Coffee Hour (Group Class) Know Your Church Great Confessions 21 15th/Pentecost Coffee Hour Parish Council Meetinq 22 Know Your Church s ^^^^ 0 ffl Great Confessions 28 16th/Pentecost CHICKEN BARBECUE 29 Know Your Church 30 1 Protection Of the Theotokos "Fellowship Gathering" H

SS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH

SS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH 401 Hamilton St Syracuse NY 13204 gsthe ENLIGHTENER AMER CA September 2018 www.sspeterandpaulsvracuse.com The Church New Year in the New Vol 40 Church! No 9 / am the true vine,