The Attitude of Gratitude

Transcription

1 Friday, November 17, Highway 9 Felton, CA phone (831) fax (831) office@slocc.com Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis November 22 / 9 CALENDAR Nov. 18 Nov. 19 Nov. 22 CONTENTS 9 a.m. ChurchWorkday 11:30 a.m. Clergy Meeting 7 p.m. Glory to God Akathist Attitude of Gratitude cont. 2 Person to Person 3 Hear Ye, Hear Ye 4 The Attitude of Gratitude OWhen a spacecraft returning to Earth comes within the controlling power of the planet s gravitational force, the crew can change the attitude of the spacecraft (the orientation relative to the direction of travel) but they cannot change the direction of travel. They are, in a sense, plummeting towards an inescapable destination, the ground. But by turning a little to the right or left, and raising or lowering the nose a bit, they adjust the attitude of the craft. And by influencing the inescapable pull of gravity on the ship, they take control of exactly where and how they will land. Without adjusting the ship s attitude, they would certainly crash fatally in some obscure place or simply burn up while descending through the atmosphere. Human existence is, in a sense, very much the same. We are hurtling through time towards the inescapable destination of our personal death, Judgement, and eternity. We cannot escape this direction of travel but, like the ship, we can use what powers of influence we do have in order determine our ultimate destination: heaven or hell. Our powers of the body (the senses, mobility, the brain) and of the soul (reason, desire, and zeal) all influence our attitude in a manner that aids our safe arrival or results in our destruction. It could be said that our battle with the passions (that which we suffer because of the Fall) is the battle to stay on course, in submission to the inescapable velocity towards our destination, rather than rejecting what we cannot escape and denying our direction of travel. Gratitude is an incredibly powerful influence on the course of our journey. It is the soul s power of desire (also called appetite) when properly focused on all the good things given by God in His mercy and love for us: our life, loved ones, friendship, food, clothing, shelter, rain, sunshine, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas on the way. By maintaining the attitude of gratitude we experience, most importantly, peace. This peace then fosters satisfaction, joy, freedom from cares, detachment from material things, and ultimately a prayerful inner stillness. A Parish of the Ecumenical Patriarchate continued on page 2

2 FROM THE PARISH continued from page 1 ACADEMY CORNER Nov a.m. Tree Lot Work Day Nov Thanksgiving Break Nov. 27 2:45 p.m. Youth Choir Quite oppositely, when the power of desire is turned towards all the things in life that we have the ability to want, but don t possess or are unable to attain, the same power that produces gratitude manifests itself darkly as despondency. Focusing on wanting a better house, an easier job, gratifying relationships, increased material possessions, more money, better looks, fashion and the constant comparing of ourselves to others leads to anger, sadness, deep dissatisfaction, agitation, anxiety, prayer-less inner darkness, and ultimately spiritual if not literal suicide. True gratitude begins with observing and giving thanks to God for everything we actually have, even the hard things. In time it turns into not wanting anything more than what God has already chosen to give. Saint Dorotheos of Gaza tells us, He who has no desires has all he desires. Springing from gratitude comes true, uninhibited repentance for we begin to see all the bad attitude we ve been practicing. It blossoms in steadfast joy and hospitality: the desire to share with our neighbor all the good God has given us. Heaven to mankind. Come in mankind. Your attitude is good. You are clear to land. Welcome home! Presentation Video During the past summer, Patrick Macy completed his graduate level fellowship program with the Van Lunen Center for the Executive Management of Christian Schools. To view the presentation video for his school-based project, please go to this link: The video, entitled Who We Are: St. Lawrence Academy s Path to Discovery, was filmed and produced by Dan Agulian. That s a Wrap Drive for Schools 2017 has officially ended. We had 2 from our parish win prizes; warriors tickets and a hotel stay. We managed to raise $7,883 for our school! Thank you all for your love and support! HOMILIES ONLINE! An easy way to prepare for Sundays and feast days throughout the year is to listen to the previous year s homily at Take a listen! Help for the Tree Lot There are many ways to help with the tree lot to support the Academy and our Parish s mission of community outreach. p Help off-load trees Mon., Nov. 20 be on the on-call list. p Volunteer to work the lot for a shift. p Spread the word. There are fliers in the office. Call or the Academy Office: office@stlawrencacademy.com / Pre-order Your Tree! Get your Christmas tree order in now! The last day to pre-order your tree for 10% off is Nov p GRAPEVINE NOV. 17, 2017

3 PERSON TO PERSON Decorating for Nativity Season W e again have the opportunity to enter into the Nativity season with the community around us and to participate in a great fundraiser for the Academy. Come help out for a few hours Saturday, November 18, at 9 a.m., as we set up the tree lot and decorate the church grounds with a myriad of Christmas lights. Bring your ladders and staple guns, and join us for a fun day of decorating the property. Each year the tree lot has not only been a great fundraising success, but more importantly it has had a very positive impact on the SLV community as a whole and is a witness to Christ s Nativity. So come, lend a hand, and fellowship as always, many hands make light work. FROM THE PARISH For Musical Blessing To hear our choir singing at the San Francisco Festival of Russian Choral Music October 20th, search YouTube for Reaching Toward Heaven or visit the below link irny1qeuogpgezratvb7i5jt where you will find five of the songs they performed. We are very blessed to have such hard-working, dedicated singers in our choir. Our thanks and appreciation go to them for their great service. Thanksgiving Hospitality Keep your eyes and ears open for fellow parishioners and neighbors who might not have a place to celebrate Thanksgiving. Browse the parish directory and give it some thought. Remember that the roots of this national holiday are found in communal gratitude, not exclusive to the immediate family. Ask around, be bold in your hospitality, breach social comfort zones, and focus your joy outside yourself. And if you or someone you know does not have a place to spend Thanksgiving, please let one of the clergy know. Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day! NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES Giving Thanksgiving The scene on distribution days at Valley Churches United Missions in Ben Lomond is one of long lines of those who have come to receive bags of food filled with all they will need to prepare a nourishing holiday meal: a food voucher to purchase perishables and canned goods collected by local businesses, stores, churches, and schools. Joy and relief are seen on their faces. You can help make this possible. There are flyers in your box with a list of suggestions for filling a grocery bag for families who are struggling to make ends meet. You may place your filled bag in the narthex or deliver it to VCUM, 9400 Highway 9, Ben Lomond, or Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, 26B Mt. Hermon Rd. NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES Room For Rent Dn. Paul Trigg has a room available to rent. If interested please call Dn. Paul for details, Blankets Needed Julia Albro is collecting blankets for the Warming Center, an outreach to homeless people in Santa Cruz County. Please let Julia know if you have blankets to donate. She can be contacted at (831) or at juliaalbro@gmail.com. Thank you! TRICKS OF THE TRADE Nativity Fast In place of food, drink, and partying during the fast, the faithful are asked to nourish their souls with prayer, communion with their fellow parishioners, and drawing closer to God. The season of Advent helps Orthodox Christians prepare to receive the true joy that Christmas day brings. GRAPEVINE NOV. 17, 2017 p 3

4 SHOP THE ABBOT S! New This Week p Unicycle p Bread pans p Flour sifters p Autumn decor p Vinyl toboggan p Salad Spinners p Nesting doll (4) p Mega Bloks set p Easels, dbl. sided p Chia Obama, new p Silk Palm tree, 6 p Silk Ficus tree, 5 p Toddler table/chair p Traveling Chess set p Car window shades p Snow suits/wet suits p Teddy w/wooden face p Antique cream separator p Sock Matcher Saver, new p Saltan Jewelry Spa, in box p Hawaiian shirt snack plates ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH 6192 Highway 9 Felton, CA Return Service Re quest ed HEAR YE, HEAR YE! SERVICE SCHEDULE BIRTHDAYS CONTACT THE GRAPEVINE Fri. Nov. 17 (4) Sat. Nov. 18 (5) Sun. Nov. 19 (6) Mon. Nov. 20 (7) No Services 7 p.m. Great Vespers 7 a.m. Matins 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy No Services Johnni-Sophia Woolworth November 17 Dan Agulian November 18 Landon Price November 19 Alisa Roberts November 20 Steven Tanguay November 21 David Adams November 23 newsletter@slocc.com Phone: Fax: Submissions by are preferable. Deadline for announcements: Friday noon for Tuesday s issue Tues. Nov. 21 (8) Wed. Nov. 22 (9) Thur. Nov. 23 (10) 7 p.m. Vespers 7 p.m. Glory to God Akathist Thanksgiving Day 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy SCRIPTURE READINGS For Sunday, November 19 (6) Ephesians 2:14-22 Luke 12:16-21 ANNIVERSARIES Andrew & Marissa Pflueger Married 8 years, November 22 MEMORY ETERNAL 11/22/2008 Ann Hirschfeld 11/22/2014 Hieromonk Athanasios Rome CLEANING TEAM Nov. 18 Maria S., Pres. Claudia C., Shannon C., Ramah H. Please specify how long you want the announcement to run. Default is 2 weeks.

5 My Daily Attitude Adjustment Prayer Read slowly, and aloud, while committing personally to practicing each principle throughout the day. O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to humbly rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day, reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and the firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all I do and say guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering or embarrassing others. Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, O Holy Spirit, teach me to pray, and pray Yourself in me. Amen. A Morning Prayer, by St. Philaret of Moscow