= = p^fkqp=mbqbo=^ka=m^ri=loqelalu=`ero`e

Transcription

1 + = = p^fkqp=mbqbo=^ka=m^ri=loqelalu=`ero`e NEWSLETTER July, 2012 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America Archpriest John Udics, Rector 305 Main Road, Herkimer, New York, Parish Web Page:

2 This month s Newsletter is in memory of Dorothy Wilson from Helen and Bill Homyk Parish Officer Contact Information Rector: Archpriest John Udics: (315) john.udics@gmail.com Council President and Cemetery Director: John Ciko: (315) SCiko@twcny.rr.com Council Secretary: Subdeacon Demetrios Richards (315) dwr00nhr@twcny.rr.com Sisterhood President: Rebecca Hawranick: (315) rebeccahawranick@yahoo.com Birthdays in July 1 William Homyk 6 Sonia Buttino 6 Mary Jane Chlus 14 Rose Parks Memory Eternal 4 - Paraskeva Spytko (1973) 5 - Josephine Sokol (2008) 9 - Anna Malinchak (1980) 9 - Helen Sobolowski (2007) 10 - Anna Byrda (1971) 12 - Michael Alexczuk (1982) 14 - Stanley Bayzon 14 -Theodosia Kluka 15 - Jacob Eskoff 15 - Ludmilla Sopiski (1974) 17 - Thomas Hubiak (1981) 18 - Thomas Mezick (1991) 18 - William Pupchek (2009) 21 - Stanley Wieliczka (2000) 22 - Andrew and Paiza Yaneshak 18 Debie Chlus 21 Jessica Nuzum 23 Patty Penree 30 Elizabeth Penree 22 - Mary Behuniak 22 - Ann Kowalsky 23 - Metro Demchko (2002) 24 - Eva Sokol (1992) 25 - Paul Sokerka (1970) 25 - Mary Sokol (1996) 25 - Michael Rinko Sr (1995) 25 - Stephen Hladysz (1996) 27 - George Herko (1992) 27 - Michael Pupchek (1991) 28 - Ethlyn Krenichyn (1973) 29 - Harry Homyk Sr (1973) 29 - Helen Nesterak 30 - William Hladysz (1985) 31 - Ksenia Homiak (1983) DIOCESAN ANNOUNCEMENTS Choir Workshop: Hierarchical Services: Sorting Out the Liturgical Puzzle Saturday, 28 July Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery, 144 Bert Washburn Road, Otego NY am 3pm Instructor: Aleksei V. Shipovalnikov. The workshop will explore principles, key points, cues, and format of the Orthodox Hierarchical Liturgy from the standpoint of choir directors, singers and readers. Mr. Shipovalnikov, an eminently knowledgeable and experienced Orthodox musician, will describe in detail the differences between a normal Liturgy and the Hierarchical Liturgy, so that everyone involved can effectively prepare themselves for such occasions. In addition, he will cover topics such as when the Bishop is serving as a Priest and the order for ordinations, processions and other special events that occur during the service. Musical examples will be provided and rehearsed. ON OUR PARISH CALENDAR September 16, Perohi and Polka Fest, Herkimer VFW Hall, 4 8 pm October 14, 15, 2016 Saints Peter and Paul Parish 100 th Anniversary Celebration 2

3 Liturgical Calendar for July and August Saturday evenings and the Eve of Great Feasts Great Vespers 4:00 pm Sundays and Feast Day Divine Liturgies 9:30 am July 1 Sunday Divine Liturgy July 7 Saturday Great Vespers July 8 Sunday Divine Liturgy: Feast of the Sitka Icon of the Mother of God July 14 Saturday Great Vespers July 15 Sunday Divine Liturgy: Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils July 20 Friday Divine Liturgy: Holy Glorious Prophet Elijah July 21 Saturday Great Vespers July 22 Sunday Divine Liturgy July 28 Saturday Great Vespers July 29 Sunday Divine Liturgy August 1 Tuesday Beginning of the Dormition Fast August 4 Saturday Great Vespers August 5 Sunday Divine Liturgy August 6 Monday Divine Liturgy: Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord August 11 Saturday Great Vespers August 12 Sunday Divine Liturgy August 15 August 18 Saturday Great Vespers August 19 Sunday Divine Liturgy August 25 Saturday Great Vespers Wednesday Divine Liturgy: Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God August 26 Sunday Divine Liturgy August 29 Wednesday Divine Liturgy: Beheading of Saint John the Baptist Questions and Answers 115. Some people say that the things Jesus did were once and for all. Yet we repeat things Jesus did. Why? If we try to think of Christ s life seen through the eyes of God, Who exists outside of time and sees eternity, instead of looking at the life of our Lord in terms of our limited chronological human existence, then all things overlap: God sees the past, present, and future all at once. If we see the things we do (sacraments and celebrations) as part of God s Kingdom already started, then what we do in repeating or celebrating the things Jesus did makes sense. The Church exists in the Kingdom of God partly in heaven, partly on earth, partly in time, partly in eternity. There is a difference between celebrating something and repeating or recreating it. Christ isn t crucified again, does not rise again, isn t born again, when we commemorate those eternal events. But by annually celebrating the Nativity, Baptism, Teachings, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ and the Coming of the Spirit at Pentecost and all the other events in the Life of Our Lord, we participate in eternal events, of which historical events are shadows and factual memories. The only time that we repeat something Jesus did is when we celebrate the Eucharist, something He himself commands us to do: the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new 3

4 covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until He comes. (I Corinthians ) This does not re-create the Last Supper, but it is our Thanksgiving, in obedience to Our Lord s command to Do this in remembrance of me. There is one other event which gets repeated and that s the coming of the Holy Spirit. But since the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and never left the Church, our calling the Holy Spirit to come at our celebrations of Pentecost and during the Church services isn t repetitious but is constant and eternal, and in Liturgy, it s poetic and dramatic. One other thing ought to be kept in mind that when the texts of services say, for example Christ is born today... this is poetry, and not theology. One ancient dictum of the Church says don t theologize when you worship. (In other words, don t try to turn the poetry into theology.) 116. My girlfriend says her church says that they know what everything in the Book of Revelation means. We say we don t. Why don t we? Hardly any of the Fathers write about the Apocalypse of Saint John, commonly called The Book of Revelation. Saint John Chrysostom ignores it. That may be because it was not recognized as part of the Bible until many years after the rest of the canon (or rule) of the New Testament was already solidified. The only Father who writes about the Apocalypse of Saint John was the Martyr Victorinus (+304), whose work was rewritten by Saint Jerome, the saint who translated the Bible into Latin. One reason why we don t know what everything means in the Apocalypse of Saint John is that it is prophecy. Prophecy warns us about the way things will be in the future if we don t change our ways, or reveals a message from God for the present. And since the Apocalypse of Saint John is not a revelation that we can understand completely now, it must be a message of warning concerning the future. Also it is written in allegorical language (allegory = parable or fable). If what is revealed to you is beyond your ability to put into words, then you express what you can by allegory. Revelation, The Anchor Bible, by J. Massyngberde-Ford. The general introduction to Revelation, The Interpreter s Bible Father G told us why we have the requiem services (panikhidi) on the third, ninth, and fortieth days, but I don t remember. Could you tell us again and explain what it means? Saint Macarius of Egypt wanted to know what happened to the soul after death. An angel appeared to him in a dream and explained that the soul hovers around the body for hours and often days after death. But if the person was someone who did good in life, the soul goes off to visit the places where good deeds had been performed. (This explains the custom in some places that when someone dies, we open the windows of their room, so their soul can go out to visit those places where it did good deeds.) On the third day after death, the day of burial, the body is interred (in=in, terra=earth) and the soul is presented to God. God instructs the soul and tells it to tour heaven for six days to see how the righteous live. On the ninth day after death, the soul returns to God, and He instructs the soul, this time sending it on a tour of hell for thirty days. On the fortieth day after death the soul is presented again to God, this time for Judgment. For these reasons, we have memorial services on the third, ninth, and fortieth days. See Appendix B of The Service Book, edited by Florence I. Hapgood. 4

5 118. Why doesn t the Church modernize, and get rid of all the ancient baggage? God is eternal and the same yesterday, today and forever. Do you want to modernize God? There s nothing modern about sinners continuing to commit the same ancient sins written about in the Old Testament, in Jesus Gospel, in the Epistles, in the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Whenever people don t like the answers they get to their questions we hear the cry, forget about sin and morality and let s modernize, and get some new answers. Because these are the same old problems and sins, the answers of Jesus and His Church are the same too. The eye of God looks over all history, past, present, future. Human history, so important in our eyes, is just a blink to God. Human history is an illusion because the history of man is only about seventy or eighty years long. That s why man won t learn the lessons of the past. Arrogant adolescence too quickly is followed by sedentary old-age. The history of humanity parallels that brief history, and progress is only a myth which makes human history seem real and important. The only intrinsically valuable human history is the history of salvation, the intervention of God s Holy Kingdom into the lives and histories of humans. If you refer to the vestments, icons, censers, banners, and the other trappings of religion, there is nothing wrong with keeping it simple. Why not give away to a mission parish items which are extra, duplicate, never necessary in the first place, unused, and other items which often seem to mysteriously multiply? In fact, most parishes could supply two mission parishes with hardware and still have more than enough to keep themselves going... There s a saying those who don t learn the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them. An adversarial attitude toward the history of the Church, and support of the Protestant attitude that unless there is a protesting reformation every few years, something is wrong, is not at all helpful. We value the lessons of history, especially the history of the Spirit-filled Church, and desire to learn from them. There s another tradition we have, and that is we never want to throw away anything useful, old or new, broken or mended it all ends up in a corner somewhere. I hesitate to call these old relics (in the secular sense) garbage, baggage or trash, but a judicious spring cleaning is never a bad idea. For us, the ancient-er it is, the more Grace-full it is. The only baggage we would like to see carried out is the garbage of our sins, rude behavior and bad attitudes! 119. In a sermon you spoke about the Beatitudes as being New Testament Ten Commandments. Is this related to Jesus saying I come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it? And just what does it mean that Jesus fulfills the Law? How did He fulfill the Law? Are the Beatitudes the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments? When God created Adam and Eve to live in the garden of delight (paradise = Greek parádeisos park, pleasure-grounds), He gave them only one law to obey. He told them they shouldn t eat fruit from the Tree in the center of the Garden. Adam and Eve didn t obey this one simple law, and for their disobedience and refusal to repent, they were expelled from the Garden to live by the sweat of the brow, to bear children in pain and to know death. God didn t abandon His now lawless creation, but sent prophets and preachers to teach and warn. But when sin had become too terrible, God sent a Great Flood to cleanse the earth. After the Flood, God made a promise that if men would live faithfully to Him, He would send no more floods on the earth. But men sinned again, and God called Moses and told him to climb Mount Sinai where God spoke to him out of the Burning Bush. God gave Moses stone tablets with the Law engraved on them, Ten Commandments which, if men would obey them, God would be their God. Men obeyed these 5

6 commandments out of fear. But even this easy-to-read Law was too difficult and men could not live up to it. So that men could study and learn the Law, it was written down in the first five books of the Old Testament, and men wrote more and more books to explain the Law. This Law is the first Covenant or Testament between God and Man. When Jesus came, He went up a mountain too, one of the hills near Capernaum, and taught men how to live, how to fulfill the Law, how to live up to its full potential, how to accomplish it and obey it. He showed us the Way, by first doing it Himself. The fulfillment of the Law is not simply obedience to a written law, but living up to the Law as much as possible, of obedience to God, Who is Love. And the New Covenant or Testament or Commandments are that men should love each other, even as much as He loves us. The Beatitudes are the expression of the Love Jesus taught about. They give blessings instead of orders. Instead of doing away with the Ten Commandments and the other restrictions of the Old Testament, Jesus, through His life, showed us how to live the Commandments, and how to understand them, through Love and Blessings. He showed us that the two most important Commandments are that we should love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength, and that we should love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. And He even taught us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching us His Prayer, the Our Father. But now, if the Law of God is more difficult to read, it s because it has been inscribed in our imperfect hearts and not on stone. The key to understanding the Law of God is in the Gospels and the inspired writings and teachings of the Apostles and their saintly successors, the Fathers of the Church. One of the meanings of fulfill is accomplish. Jesus told us that we are no longer slaves of God, but we are called to be God s children. And more than that, Jesus tells us that we are not slaves, who obey out of fear, but we are His friends, who obey out of love. And as His children or His friends, we are called on to share Jesus work here on earth, to complete it, to accomplish it, to fulfill His words, by baptizing all nations in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them the Good News of God. Another meaning of fulfill is to put into effect. It is the work of every Christian friend of Jesus, every child of God, to try to see to it that the Word of God is put into effect, by living it every day, by preaching it - not necessarily with words, but by our behavior, acting the way Our Lord taught us to act, so that our good behavior is a credit to Jesus teachings and an admirable example that others will desire to follow. Another meaning of fulfill is to satisfy, to measure up to. Having been given the new Commandment to Love one another as much as Jesus has loved us, that is, to death or to the point of complete self-sacrifice, we try to measure up to His example, try to live up to the commandment He gave us. And this commandment is something which is not only a law to keep and obey, but a way of life the command that we love others and live for them, and not for ourselves alone Was the first time Jesus was revealed as the Christ, the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, the time Saint Peter says, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God? In Saint Luke s gospel 1:28 and following, the narrative of the Savior s coming, the Angel says to the Virgin Mary that her son will be the Messiah. And Mary replies, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. (Luke 1:38). Did she understand at that time, what the Angel told her? She kept the news to herself. 6

7 Next there was Saint Simeon who had been told that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. When he meets Jesus in the Temple, he says, Lord now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples (by which he signifies that he s met the Messiah), a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:28 32). But he announces that he s ready to depart this life, not to proclaim Jesus coming to save the world. Saint Anna, a prophetess, who could have been a widow for 84 years (so 105 years old) or she was 84 years old (the text isn t very clear), who lived in the Temple and witnessed Jesus being presented to Saint Simeon. When she saw this, she began to tell all who spoke with her, to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38) about the child Jesus. Saint Luke probably saw Prophetess Anna as the second witness needed to validate Jesus significance. (Deuteronomy 19:15 stresses the importance of having two witnesses to validate an event.) The first person to recognize Our Lord as the Messiah was Saint John the Baptist. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and (most clearly) Luke relate that Jesus came from Galilee to John in Judea and was baptized by him, whereupon the Spirit descended upon Jesus and a voice from Heaven told him He was God's Son. The Gospel of Saint John does not record Saint John the Baptist's baptizing Jesus, but Saint John s Gospel records that Saint John the Baptist introduces Jesus to his disciples as the Lamb of God (John 1:29-36). Saint John the Baptist, who had been preaching repentance to all, now began to preach the coming of the Messiah, and to prepare the way of the Lord. The day after Saint John baptized our Lord, one of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, So you are Simon the son of Jonah? You shall be called Cephas (which means Peter.) In Matthew 16:15-17, [Jesus] said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon BarJona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (see also Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20, John 6:68-69) The revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed of God, was at his baptism in the Jordan by Saint John. The apostles who were present didn t immediately understand the full importance of that baptism. At first, in the eyes of the apostles, Jesus may have been seen as a great prophet and teacher, given credibility by being baptized by the Prophet John the Baptizer. But when Jesus said that He was sent by the Father, and that He is the bread of life, many were scandalized, shocked, and unable to believe, and left Him. He asked the twelve if they would be faithful or would they abandon Him too. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever. This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, This is a hard saying; who can listen to it? But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe. For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father. After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, Do you also wish to go away? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, 7

8 that you are the Holy One of God. Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him. (John 6:57-69) Saint Peter answered for all the Apostles. He said they had known for some time that He was the Son of God. So, it isn t clearly stated in scripture when this had been revealed for the first time Why can t we have evening Liturgies, especially on Holy Days, so that those who work can attend services and receive Communion? We have Pre-Sanctified Liturgy in the evenings during Lent, so why not for Holy Days? At the present time, the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has not given blanket permission for celebrations of Vesperal Liturgies on the eves of Feasts. Each individual bishop has set policy for his own diocese. Bishop MICHAEL of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey has not approved the practice here. There are certain times in the year when the rubrics indicate that it is appropriate to celebrate Liturgy in the evening. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (Vespers and Communion with the Holy Gifts which were sanctified at the previous Divine Liturgy) is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent, and on the first three days of Holy Week. Permission was granted by the Synod of Bishops to serve these Liturgies in the evening, if the pastor determines there is a legitimate need for them. The Liturgy of Saint Basil is celebrated beginning with Vespers on the Eves of Christmas and Epiphany, and on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is celebrated with Vespers if the Feast of the Annunciation falls on a weekday in Lent. Because these Liturgies are celebrated together with Vespers they might be served in the evening, but permission to do that has not been given in our Diocese. A real problem arises because for the world, the day begins legally at midnight, and conceptually at sunrise. For the Church, the liturgical day begins at sunset. We observe the fast liturgically from sunset to sunset, and Vespers is the first and last liturgical service of the day, beginning liturgically at the Prokeimenon. This means that in the services, parts of the services change to Lenten style of services according to the sunset. But normally, we fast physically, from food from midnight to midnight. Let s point out that these liturgies of eves of feasts and Presanctified Liturgies are celebrated at the end of day-long fasting. After the Prokeimenon, instead of entering a new day we enter the timeless Liturgy of the Kingdom. Then on the Feast day, the Liturgy can be celebrated with rejoicing, partly because the fasting period is shortened. It seems that people no longer keep fasts as preparation for feasts, and the joy of the feast is diminished by this lack of preparation. People seem to have forgotten that the joyful end of fasting and preparation is the feast day Divine Liturgy and that is the beginning of the celebration. One real joy of the Paschal Liturgy is that it follows Matins so there is no fast at all on Pascha itself. The idea of celebrating liturgy on the eve of a feast day with no celebration of the liturgy on the feast day itself is unorthodox. A combination of Matins and Liturgy, as in the Paschal Vigil, might be a solution. This is common in the Greek tradition, where the end of Matins is the beginning of Liturgy. People have to go to work and school, and if we have services in the evening, then people can come, and keep the Feast. This is the argument from convenience and has been a thorn in the side of the Church for centuries but it has to be resolved as a matter of principle and Holy Tradition. 8

9 So the reason we don t celebrate evening liturgies is that following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and keeping Holy Tradition as handed down to us and out of discipline we do not institute such practices without our Bishop s blessing. If our Diocesan Bishop should permit evening Liturgies and if the pastor decides there s a need for them then we might celebrate them Why are priests forbidden to dance? The Fathers of the Church understood that dancing is a form of sexual enticement. In pre-christian times, this connection was far more evident, as dancing had its roots in the pagan temples, where it was an expression of worship. The dances at weddings were to please the pagan gods in order to insure the fertility of the newly-wedded couple. We think only animals have mating rituals sometimes called dances, but the animal instincts of humans aren t as deeply buried as we d like to think. Not all dancing need be lascivious and enticing. It need not be ecstatic, frenetic or passionate. It can be an expression of pure joy, and in the past, it was known as a form of worship. King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant as it was carried in procession. And the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has dancing processions when the entire congregation sing and play musical instruments, priests wear their vestments the dance is without drama, it is a simple rhythmical step, punctuated by repeated bows to the ground, stately, and slow-moving. This is quite a different thing from having ballerinas in leotards jump down the aisle, bouncing around the altar, as sometimes seen in modern worship services. By custom, a priest is permitted to dance with his wife at home with the curtains drawn, and in public at the wedding of his first child. In the Serbian custom, a priest may lead the first dance of each wedding he performs, in a particular traditional line dance. Canon Law says a priest may attend wedding banquets, but he must leave before the dancing. Many interpret this Canon to mean that priests may not dance at all Why is the face of the priest covered at his funeral? When a priest dies, we remember him as a priest and not as a mere man. For that reason he is buried in his vestments and his face is covered, so that when we look into the coffin, we see only the priest. The funeral service talks clearly about the obvious separation or dissolution of the body of the departed, when in it, the departed says, Lo, here I lie, my brethren beloved, silent and voiceless amid you all. My mouth is idle, my tongue is stopped, and my lips are curbed; my hands are bound, and my feet are fettered: my semblance is changed, mine eyes are quenched, and behold not those who make moan; mine ears receive not the wail of the mourners, my nose perceives not the sweet fragrance of the incense. But true love can in no wise die. Wherefore I beseech all my dear ones: Remember me before the Lord in the Day of Judgment, that I may find mercy at that dread Judgment Seat. The physical corruption of the body of the priest may be evident, but is not displayed, because we think of the priesthood as eternal, lasting beyond the grave, and in spite of it. 9

10 Modern practices of embalming preserve the features of the departed through the use of chemicals and cosmetics. Because of this, and in sensitivity to the family, the bishop might permit the covering over the face of the priest to be removed during the funeral, but it is replaced before burial. In one place the use of the cover is explained as being a symbol that the priest or bishop was a minister of the sacraments, specifically the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. Once a man dies, the blood stops moving in his vessels, and they start to turn black. Since sinners die, the darkening of the skin and vessels is a reminder that we humans are all sinners. The veil is buried with the priest Why is Easter called Pascha? You mean, why do people call Pascha Easter? Pascha is the name we give to the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus. Pascha is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Pesach, or Passover. The Passover celebrates the people of God passing over from death to life. The Jews, the Old Testament people of God, were slaves in Egypt, and they wanted to go home, but their Egyptian masters didn t want them to leave. So God sent a plague to the Egyptians. God warned His people to put the blood of a lamb on their doors so the angel of death would see the mark of the blood and know to pass over the homes of the people of God. Christians celebrate the Christian Passover. Christ was crucified at the time of the Passover celebrations. Jesus blood on the Cross was like the blood of the lamb on the door posts that protects us from death. And by His resurrection, we pass over from death to life. So we call the feast Pascha, because it s not only the old Passover but also a new Passover for us Christians. We have often explained that modern English has two sets of origins for words. Words expressing lofty ideas and beautiful or delicate thoughts often have Latin or Greek roots, and words used for rougher, lower class thoughts or ideas often have Germanic roots. When talking about the Christian Passover, there s a higher-class word in English, with a Latin and Greek root, Pasch, as in paschal lamb, and so on, but sadly it isn t used much any more. The word with the Germanic root comes from Eastre, the goddess of dawn, who had her festival in the springtime at the same time as Pascha. Though people had become Christian, they continued to use their old name for the springtime celebrations. The King James Version (KJV) translates πασχα (paskha) as Easter in Acts 12:3. This always seemed strange... The Orthodox Study Bible has Pascha, as you probably have noticed. Note that the he adjectival form of Easter or Passover is paschal. So it's really called Pascha, or Passover, or the Pasch, and not Easter. COFFEE HOUR HOSTS FOR JULY AND AUGUST July 1, 2012 Lyszczarz Family July 8, 2012 Sonia Buttino and John Elnicky July 15, 2012 Anne Gale and Family July 22, 2012 Margaret and Nick Keblish July 29, 2012 Walt Tirenin and Steve Leve August 5, 2012 Mary Jane and Mitch Chlus August 12, 2012 Helen and John Ciko August 19, 2012 Barb Daley and Cindy Sobolowski August 26, 2012 Martha Shust and Mark Petrochuck 10