The Fisherman s Net. Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church. Great Fast

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1 Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church The Fisherman s Net Volume 10 Issue 1 February 2018 A special thank you to all of you who have, and continue, to sponsor The Fisherman s Net May God Grant You Many Years Church Council John Parker- President Tedd Tripp- VP Roy Peckham- Treasurer Beverly Parker- Secretary Andrew Mihaly- Financial Secretary Trustees: Carol Bodwalk John Buckeye Ann DeMelfi JoAnn Hanna Michael Goresh Thomas Macri Great Fast Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power 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 do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:10-18). As we prepare ourselves for the great fast, I want remind everyone that the fast is not a punishment, but a tool intended to soften our hearts and assist us in purifying our hearts and minds. Fasting is not simply about abstinence from certain foods, but about fasting from sin. St. Mark the Ascetic says We plead with God to deliver us from our sins, but we love their causes. When we fast, during Lent, let our eyes fast from improper images. Let us fast from entertainment, movies, TV, and frivolous time on the internet.

2 Let our ears fast from listening to idle talk. Let us fast from impure speech, idle talk, etc. Let us learn to give alms to those in need and remember Matthew 25: When the Lord comes in glory with His Holy Angels He will separate the sheep from the goats based upon what they did or did not do. Let us visit the sick and the prisoner, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. While we may want and desire to live a God pleasing life, we know from experience that we often fail. It is like St. Paul accurately describes, For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15). Because of our propensity to sin, the life in Christ involves, what the Russians call, podvig. Podvig may be translated as spiritual struggle. Archbishop Michael explains, The great Russian Saint, Theophan the Recluse, defines our entire Christian life as podvig. He explains that while the spirit hates sin, the flesh may actually dwell in it. How then is this battle within ourselves to be resolved? It is resolved through podvig, the spiritual struggle of bringing the soul into mastery over the body. The Church gives us directions for doing this through our prayer rule, participation in divine services and Scripture reading, fasting and abstinence, standing in worship and making prostrations, giving alms to the poor, etc. All of these things strengthen the soul by disciplining the body, and as we fulfill these ascetical practices, we will indeed find that they help us draw nearer to our Creator and Savior. During Lent in particular, we are called to deepen our souls in Christ, to do more, to go beyond what the Church has already told us are the necessary first steps. Podvig is precisely that "doing more. One might ask, why should we do all of this? Why should we undergo this Lenten struggle, this podvig, anyway? The answer is to achieve our goal, the goal not only of Lent but of our entire lifetime to come closer to Christ, to become more like God, to enter into eternal communion with the Holy Trinity. We want that because we know how much Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior, has loved us with that love greater than any man has, to lay down His life for His friends (John 13:35). And so, let us Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast, and prepare ourselves for spiritual combat let us undertake our Lenten podvig to show our love for the God Who loves more than we love ourselves. To Him be all glory unto ages of ages! Fr. Michael

3 PARISH HAPPENINGS Birthdays in February- Zachary Beckley- February 5 Kathy Kessler-February 10 Gloria Kundrat- February 20 Mary Hinkle- February 23 Hannah Kessler- February 24 Anniversaries in February- John and Bev Parker- February 13 Remember in your Prayers: Archbishop Nikon, Bishop Herman, Priest Emilian, Priest John, Priest Nicholas, Priest James, Priest John, Kathryn, Larraine, Jennifer, Rose, Effie, Christina, John, Christine, Ivy Elizabeth, Yvette, Tyler, David, Marie, Jenny, Paul, Paul, Annie, Erin, Clare, John, Dianne, Joe, Bryce, Luke, Melanie, Amailia, Stavro, Thomas, Ethan, Emmitt, Mary, Jack, James, Alaina, Kyle, William, Ron, Elizabeth, Christina, Missy, Bob, Carol, Leadeth, Linda, Korey, Cathy, Maggie, Tom, Mike, Artem, Antonina, Elaine, Cali, Mariah, James, John, Barbara, Tom, George, David, Charlie, Joseph, Heather, Leyla, Nick, Jean, Andy, Nicole, Ally, Reagan, Tara, Sam, Ray, Bill, Hannah, Edward, Rick, Roy, Mary, Michael, Taylor, Pamela, Jillian, Jean, Jesse, Kurt, Nancy, Theodore, John, Finley, Michael, Paula, Nathan, Noah, Nikki Ann, Matthew, Diane, Sarah, Martin, Iva, Stephen, Rory, Thomas, Paul, Gloria, Justina, Jean, Keegan SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: The Sacrament of Confession has always been a central part of an Orthodox Christian s journey in Great Lent and the preparation for Pascha. Anyone interested in participating in this Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation can plan on doing it after any Lenten Service, or make set a time with Fr. Michael.

4 Church School News January Howdy Partner Pre-Lenten Party Friday, February 16 6 pm Join us for a Wild West party! Dress up in very best western gear, eat some grub, and have lots of fun! Deal with everything with love, kindness, meekness, patience, and humility. Be rocks. Let all the waves break over you and turn back leaving you untroubled. You ll say, That sounds fine, but is it possible? The answer is, Yes, always with the grace of God. If we look at things in human terms, of course things seem impossible. But instead of affecting yourself adversely, all these things can be of benefit to you, increasing your patience and your faith. Because all the difficulties that surround us represent a kind of gymnastics for us. We exercise ourselves in patience and endurance. St Porphyrios

5 Lenten Mission Vespers Sunday of Orthodoxy Wilkes-Barre Cathedral. Saint Gregory. St. John the Baptist in Nanticoke Sunday of the Cross.Holy Annunciation in Berwick. Saint John Climacus. Saint Michael s Jermyn. Saint Mary of Egypt. Holy Cross in Williamsport Palm Sunday Wilkes-Barre Cathedral. All Church services are at 4:00 p.m. TOOLS FOR GREAT LENT The whole spirit of fasting is related to changing our lifestyles for a period of time, as a means to help us focus more on our pursuit for the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, along with giving some things up, why don t we try to add more spiritually edifying activities. 1. Be disciplined in saying your prayers every morning and evening. 2. Come to Church every Sunday, and even attend one of the extra Lenten services through -out the week. 3. Read the Bible every day. 4. Pray the Jesus Prayer daily, and sit in silence and meditation for 10 minutes each day. 5. Free up your schedule so you are not so busy. Make time to think about what is truly essential in life. 6. Talk less, gossip less, control your speech, don t participate in inappropriate talk or joking, and instead, fill your mind with what is meaningful and positive. PRAYER

6 24 HOUR HOLY MONDAY PRAYER CHAIN During the first day of Lent (from April 1 at 7pm until April 2 at 7pm) we will have our 24-Hour Prayer Chain. We are looking for 24 parishioners who will each commit to pray in their homes for one hour a day during this period. Each parishioner will commit to praying at a different hour of the day and night. This means that at every moment during the first day of Lent someone from our Church Family will be lifting up their voice in prayer. The purpose of our Prayer Chain is twofold: to help the participants enter into the spiritual life of Lent, and to get our Church Family to pray for one another and all those who have special needs. If you know someone who needs extra prayers, please give their names to Fr. Michael. If you are interested in participating in this Prayer Chain, please contact Fr. Michael as soon as possible and he will provide you with the prayers and the structure of how to pray for one hour a day. And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

7 Adult ed. First two Sundays of the Month Catechesis Tuesdays at 11:00 am Thanks to all the volunteers who have come out to prepare and to serve our meals on the Second Monday of each Month for all our guests!

8 Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America nd Avenue Berwick, PA (570) Rev. Michael Demko, Rector