Holy Apostles Newsletter

Transcription

1 Holy Apostles Newsletter Sunday of the Holy Forefathers Неделя Святых Праотец by Father Rostislav Sheniloff Иерей Ростислав Женилов December 2017 Holy Apostles Orthodox Mission Fr. Dimitri Perez, Priest 3214 N St. Vancouver, WA (503) fr.dimitri@gmail.com Diocese of the WesT Coming this Month Dec. 4 - Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple Icon of the Holy Tree On this Sunday the Church commemorates the Holy Forefathers, i.e. the earthly ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ, beginning with the first man, Adam, and on through Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, and others. These ancient people, separated from us by millennia, nevertheless have a direct and close bearing upon us, contemporary Orthodox Christians. What connection is there between them and us? In general, the Church brings them to our attention now, right before Christmas, largely because of their faith their belief in the promise given by God to Adam during his expulsion from the garden of Eden, that in the end a Saviour will come into the world and will redeem mankind from original sin. All the forefathers who lived on earth long before the birth of Christ lived and burned with this faith, never allowing it to be extinguished. They are a shining example to us, who are living on earth after the incarnation of our Lord. Just like those ancient people we, too, have never actually seen Christ: they only knew that He would В сегодняшнее воскресенье Церковь отмечает память Святых Праотец, т.е. земных предков Господа нашего Иисуса Христа, начиная от первого человека Адама, и включая Сифа, Еноха, Ноя, Авраама, Исаака, Иакова, царя Давида и прочих. Эти древние люди, отделенные от нас тысячелетиями, однако имеют к нам, теперешним православным христианам, самое прямое и близкое отношение. Какая же связь между нами и ими? Церковь вообще напоминает нам о них теперь, перед Рождеством Христовым, ради их веры веры в обещание, данное Богом Адаму при изгнании его из рая, что в конце веков придет в мир Спаситель, Который искупит человечество от греха прародителей. Все праотцы, бывшие на земле задолго до рождения Господа, жили и горели этой верой, никогда от нее не отступая. Они являются ярким примером для нас, живущих уже после земного воплощения Continued On Page 3 Dec Parish council meeting directly after liturgy Dec The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called Dec St. Nicholas Day Celebration after Liturgy Dec St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia Dec The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos Dec (New Calendar Nativity) Venerable Herman, Wonderworker of Alaska -Synaxis of the First Martyrs of the American land Dec Holy Prophet Daniel (600 B.C.) and the Three Holy Youths: Ananias, Azarias, and Misael. Dec New Years Eve!

2 H. A. Newsletter Dec welcome Community Announcements Please continue to pray for and support Matushka Mary and the Perez family and for other members of our parish who need our support: Silouani, Joanna, Katherine and Dionysious, Dn. Mark Story, Stephanie Anne, Liesl, Brendan, Olga and Pete, John Harvest, Irene Gielen s family, Photini, and all those with unspoken needs. Thank you for your patience as we are remodeling the bathrooms and the kitchen. A lot of work has already been done but there is a lot more to do. Once the new kitchen is in and functional, it is going to be wonderful! Thanks to all who ve been working so hard to make this dream come true! We warmly welcome you to join us in our worship at Holy Apostles Orthodox Church. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or if this will be your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us. We are very comfortable with new comers, inquirers, and visitors. Anyone who wishes to discover ancient Orthodox Christianity is welcome. If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them, so don t be afraid to ask questions about what we do and why. In planning your visit, please me: fr.dimitri@gmail.com or call me directly at (503) Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy, you are invited to join us for a coffee hour which is a good time for us to get to know you and for you to get to know our parish members. In Christ, Fr. Dimitri Whoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. That s what it is! You must suffer. You must love and suffer- -suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the loved one. She runs all through the night; she stays awake; she stains her feet with blood in order to meet her beloved. She makes sacrifices and disregards all impediments, threats, and difficulties for the sake of the loved one. Love towards Christ is something even higher, infinitely higher. -Elder Porphyrios Thank you to everyone who donated supplies for the Grab and Go bags! The Youth Group was able to put together 26 fully-stocked bags which can be found in the grey bin in the kitchen. Feel free to take a few bags and give them to the homeless and needy. Our goal is still to make 50 bags total, and with that being said here is a list of the remaining supplies that we need: 24 cans of pop-top soup 24 sticks of chapstick 16 pocket-sized tissues 10 bottles of water If you are able to contribute and donate supplies over the next couple weekends it would be much appreciated, Elizabeth and I have the unfinished bags at our house and will complete them and bring to Church as the supplies come in. Thank you! In Christ, Rdr. Simon Congratulations to Sergey Kakorin and his family! Sergey was recently accepted into St. Tikhon s Orthodox Theological Seminary of the Orthodox Church in America located in South Canaan, PA. He will begin his seminary studies in August of Your church family at Holy Apostles is overjoyed for you and we pray that your journey will be blessed greatly! In light of the good news shared by the Kakorin family, they are also announcing that their beautiful home will be for rent beginning in August and will be available for 3 years. If you or anyone you know is looking for a lovely home to rent, please contact Irina at irenerochee@gmail.com They have put a lot of work into their home and it is right down the street from our church! Thank you! The Coffee and the Grounds landscaping meetings will be switched moving forward to the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. The calendar has been corrected to reflect this change. The new locking case in the nursery is the future home of the Holy Apostles Book Store! We are currently seeking items that can be sold in our bookstore and would appreciate any financial contributions or handmade items such as prayer ropes and greeting cards that you can offer to getting this new ministry off the ground. For more information, contact Tazsa at hartwellwells@gmail.com. Thank you! Save the Date for the Roe v. Wade Memorial and March that will take place on January 14th at 2:30 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Downtown Portland. God-willing we will have a strong Orthodox Christian presence this year! Project Homeless Connect 2018 is ready for volunteers to register for the event taking place on January 25th at 8 am. In need of volunteers at St. Josephh Catholic Church at 400 S Andresen Rd. Volunteer sign-ups at Irene Gielen is planning to volunteer and she would really enjoy some company. Thank you!

3 Sunday of the Holy Forefathers Continued from page 1 come into the world, while we know that He did come into the world. But they firmly believed in His coming and their faith was justified. We are expected to have even greater faith. We must believe that the Lord was, and is, and will be; that He lived on earth as a man; that through His Church He remains with us constantly; and that He will again return to earth to judge mankind. But for such a faith the Lord Himself promises us eternal bliss. When Jesus Christ appeared before the doubting Apostle Thomas, who could not believe in the Lord s resurrection unless he actually touched Christ s wounds, and upon touching them cried out: My Lord and my God!, then the Lord said to the apostle: Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; but blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. But apart from faith there is something else that binds us closely with the ancient forefathers and that is their faithfulness to the awaited Messiah. They lived surrounded by a pagan world a world which did not yet know Christ, but which had already rejected God. We too, dear brethren, live in a similar and even worse situation. For nineteen centuries after the birth of Christ the world lived with Christ and the Christian culture, but in the 20th century an abrupt change took place. We now live in a post-christian era, in a world that has once again become totally immersed in paganism. We often hear mention of the arrival of a new age. However, there is nothing new in this new age except for its more modern form. It is the same old rejection of God and even negation of God, and moreover a complete rejection of Christ and profanation of Christ. Most Christians do not even see how they are perverting their Christian faith in trying to modernize it, and how they are betraying Christ in attempting to unite with the religions of His persecutors and abusers. And so, dear brethren, against the background of this horrifying world, let us remember not only the faith of the Holy Forefathers, but also their faithfulness to Christ the Saviour; and as we prepare very soon to celebrate His Nativity, let us turn away from the paganism that surrounds us, and let us witness our total devotion and loyalty to the One Who said: Lo, I am with you until the end of time. Amen. H. A. Newsletter Dec Спасителя. Как и древние люди, мы тоже Его реально не видели; они только знали, что Он будет на земле, а мы только знаем, что Он был на земле. Но они твердо верили в Его пришествие и их вера оправдалась. От нас же требуется гораздо большая вера. Мы должны верить, что Господь был, и есть, и будет; что Он жил на земле как человек; что через Свою Церковь Он постоянно пребывает с нами; и что Он снова придет на землю судить человечество. Но за такую веру Сам Господь обещает нам блаженство. Когда Иисус Христос явился Апостолу Фоме, который не мог поверить в воскресение Христово пока сам не дотронулся до ран Господних, а дотронувшись, воскликнул: «Господь мой и Бог мой!» тогда Господь сказал Апостолу: «ты поверил, потому-что увидел Меня; но блаженны не видевшие и уверовавшие». Но помимо веры есть еще одно обстоятельство, которое так тесно связывает нас с древними праотцами это их верность ожидаемому Мессии. Они жили в окружении языческого мира мира, который хотя и не знал еще Христа, но полностью отступил от Бога. Мы с вами, дорогие братья и сестры, живем в подобном и даже худшем положении. Девятнадцать столетий после Рождества Христова мир жил со Христом и христианской культурой, а вот в 20-ом веке произошел резкий переворот. Теперь мы живем в постхристианской эре, в мире, который снова погрузился в полное язычество. Мы часто слышим вокруг себя выражение, что наступил «новый век». Но в этом «новом веке» нет ничего нового кроме более современной формы. Это все то же отступление от Бога и даже отрицание Бога, а сверх того полное отступление от Христа и поругание Христа. Большинство христиан даже и не видят, как они извращают свою христианскую веру, облекая ее в одежду модернизма, и как они предают Христа, стараясь объединиться с религиями Его гонителей и хулителей. И вот на фоне всего этого страшного мира, дорогие братья и сестры, вспомним мы не только веру Святых Праотец, но и их верность Христу-Спасителю; и готовясь вот уже скоро встретить и праздновать Его рождение на земле, отвернемся от окружающего нас язычества и засвидетельствуем нашу полную преданность и верность Тому, Который сказал нам: «Се Аз с вами есмь до скончания века». Аминь. Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, Troparion, Tone II Through faith Thou hast justified the Forefathers, betrothing through them the Church of the gentiles. These saints exult in glory for from their seed came forth a glorious fruit: She who bore Thee without seed. So by their prayers, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Kontakion, Tone VI You did not worship the graven image O thrice-blessed ones, but armed with the immaterial Essence of God, you were glorified in a trial by fire. From the midst of the unbearable flames you called upon God crying: Hasten O Compassionate One! Speedily come to our aid, for Thou art merciful and able to do as Thou willest. Неделя святых праотец. Тропарь, глас 2. Ве рою пра отцы оправда л еси, от языќ те ми предобручи вый Це рковь: хва лятся в сла ве святи и, яќо от се мене их е сть Пло д благославе н, без се мене Ро ждшая Тя. Тех моли твами, Христе Бо же, поми луй нас. Кондак, глас 6. Рукопи саннаго о браза не поче тше, но Неопи санным Существо м защити вшеся, треблаже ннии, в по двизе огня просла вистеся, среде же пла мене нестерпи маго стоя ще, Боѓа призва сте: ускори, о Ще дрый, и потщи ся, яќо Ми лостив, в по мощь на шу, яќо мо жеши хотя й.

4 H. A. Newsletter Dec Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann Even our secular holidays are unable to hide this settling ash of sadness and hopelessness, for the essence of celebration is this breaking in, this experience of being caught up into a different reality, into a world of spiritual beauty and light. Photo Submitted by Dave Harvison It seems thousands of years removed from us, but it was not so very long ago that life was marked out by religious feasts. Although everyone went to church, not everyone, of course, knew the exact contents of each celebration. For many, perhaps even the majority, the feast was above all an opportunity to get a good sleep, eat well, drink and relax. And nevertheless, I think that each person felt, if not fully consciously, that something transcendent and radiant broke into life with each feast, bringing an encounter with a world of different realities, a reminder of something forgotten, of something drowned out by the routine, emptiness and weariness of daily life. Consider the very names of the feasts: Entrance into the Temple, Nativity, Epiphany, Presentation, Transfiguration. These words alone, in their solemnity, their unrelatedness to daily life and their mysterious beauty awakened some forgotten memory, invited, pointed to something. The feast was a kind of longing sigh for a lost but beckoning beauty, a sigh for some other way of living. Our modern world, however, has become monotonous and feastless. Even our secular holidays are unable to hide this settling ash of sadness and hopelessness, for the essence of celebration is this breaking in, this experience of being caught up into a different reality, into a world of spiritual beauty and light. If, however, this reality does not exist, if fundamentally there is nothing to celebrate, then no manner of artificial uplift will be capable of creating a feast. Here we have the feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. Its subject is very simple: a little girl is brought by her parents to the temple in Jerusalem. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this, since at that time it was a generally accepted custom and many parents brought their children to the temple as a sign of bringing them into contact with God, of giving their lives ultimate purpose and meaning, of illumining them from within through the light of higher experience. But on this occasion, as the service for the day recounts, they lead the child to the Holy of Holies, to the place where no one except the priests are allowed to go, the mystical inner sanctum of the temple. The girl s name is Mary. She is the future mother of Jesus Christ, the one through whom, as Christians believe, God himself came into the world to join the human race, to share its life and reveal its divine content. Are these just fairy tales? Or is something given to us and disclosed here, something directly related to our life, which perhaps cannot be expressed in everyday human speech? Here was this magnificent, massive, solemn temple, the glory of Jerusalem. And for centuries it was only there, behind those heavy walls, that a person could come into contact with God. Now, however, the priest takes Mary by the hand, leads her into the most sacred part of the Temple and we sing that The most pure Temple of the Savior is led into the temple of the Lord. Later in the Gospels Christ said, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up, but as the Evangelist added, He spoke of the temple of His Body (Jn 2: 19, 21). The meaning of all these events, words and recollections is simple: from now on man himself becomes the temple. No stone temple, no altar, but man his soul, body and life is the sacred and divine heart of the world, its holy of holies. One temple, Mary living and human is led into a temple made of stone, and from within brings to completion its significance and meaning. With this event religion, and life even more so, undergoes a complete shift in balance. What now enters the world is a teaching that puts nothing higher than man, for God Himself takes on human form to reveal man s vocation and meaning as divine. From this moment onward man is free. Nothing stands over him, for the very world is his as a gift from God to fulfill his divine destiny. From the moment the Virgin Mary entered the Holy of Holies, life itself became the Temple. And when we celebrate her Entrance into the Temple, we celebrate man s divine meaning and the brightness of his high calling. These cannot be washed away or uprooted from human memory.

5 H. A. Newsletter Dec The Child s Child A Star, A Lamb, in Bethlehem, And shepherds watch at night. The angels proclaim, The One Whose Name, Emmanuel, God in flesh. Born of a simple Jewish girl, A virgin pure and blessed; Gabriel came to this favored girl to tell her of her mission. And on that night, The Star shown bright, To mark the Savior s birth. Angels sang to praise His Name, Jesus, the Son of God. Oh, Holy Child, Oh, Holy One, The Savior of the world, You came to die on a Roman cross for the sins of all mankind. Oh, Holy Child, Oh, Holy One, I am so full of sin; But You died for me, To set me free, I m Yours, Your humble child. -Dave Harvison God Grant You Many Years! Многая лета! Feast Days - St. Alexander Nevsky 11/23 (12/6) Kai Johnson - Great Martyr Katherine of Alexandria 11/24 (12/7) Liesl Johnson Katherine McMonigle Catherine Namee - St. Sebastian Dabovich 11/30 (12/13) Sebastian Van Denend - St. John of Damascus 12/4 (12/17) John Burkett - St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan 12/7 (12/20) Ambrose Beckel - St. Lucy the Virgin Martyr 12/13 (12/26) Lucia Van Denend - St. Suzanne the Myrrh Bearer 12/15 (12/28) Suzanne Kierstead - St. Adelaide of Burgundy 12/16 (12/29) Lauren Johnson - St. Dionysius of Zakynthos 12/17 (12/30) Jack McMonigle Commemorated on the Sunday of the Forefathers: - Holy and Righteous Sarah 12/17 (12/30) Zahra Wells Holy and Righteous Ruth 12/17 (12/30) Elyssa Donner - Holy and Righteous King David 12/17 (12/30) Dave Harvison - Holy and Righteous Prophet Daniel 12/17 (12/30) Daniel Bergodin Birthdays Sergey Kakorin - 12/3 Joanna Donner - 12/13 Anastacia and Daria Kakorin - 12/13 Sweetwater Mendonsa - 12/14 Kai Johnson - 12/16 Ambrose Beckel - 12/18 Lucia Van Denend - 12/21 Daniel Bergodin - 12/24 Stephanie Johnson - 12/26 New Man I fear change. Change is uncomfortable. I am comfortable in my Old Man. I have to work to achieve the change. Work makes me sweat. I might get dirty. I will even get hurt. I will stumble or screw it up somehow. Or worse, others will laugh at me as I fall. As a dog returns to his own vomit, I too return to my prior state, The acidic stench of my Old Man. The Old Man is comforting. The Old Man is empowering. The Old Man is self condemning. So in fear of God I stretch for my heart. To touch the hem of His garment. But, fear of the unknown, that New Man. I stand paralyzed by my fear. Unable to change to that which I strive. O Lord help my unbelief. - George Follestad

6 H. A. Newsletter Dec St. Nicholas The Gift Giver Commemorated on Dec. 6 (New Calendar Dec. 19) From Children around the world know and love St. Nicholas for he brings gifts and treats in December. He is known by different names and even looks different from place to place. But, it is the same St. Nicholas who delights with small surprises and good things to eat. Nicholas gave in secret, alert to others needs, and expecting nothing for himself in return. It is this selfless generosity which seeks only the good of the other that made Nicholas gifts the gifts of a saint. In the West the saint s image changed between the eleventh and twelfth centuries from a rather severe figure to the compassionate children s friend, giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day. As early as 1163 it was observed in Utrecht, the Netherlands. During the same time span, the 12th century, French nuns began leaving candy and gifts outside the doors of children in need. The St. Nicholas Day children s gift-giving custom spread through the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and England. It took root across most of northern and central Europe, as far east as Romania. Henry Machyn described the 1550s London feast day processions, led by people dressed as St. Nicholas, that went abroad in most parts of London singing after the old fashion, and were received among good people into their houses, and had much good cheere as ever they had in many places. 15th century Swiss writer Hospinian wrote: It was the custom for parents, on the vigil of St Nicholas, to convey secretly presents of various kinds to their little sons and daughters who were taught to believe that they owed them to the kindness of St Nicholas and his train, who, going up and down among the towns and villages, came in at the windows, though they were shut, and distributed them. This custom originated from the legendary account of that saint having given portions to three daughters of a poor citizen whose necessities had driven him to an intention of prostituting them. The custom in 16th century Germany, as described by Thomas Naogeorgus: Saint Nicholas money used to give To maidens secretly, Who, that he still may use His wonted liberalitie The mothers all their children on the eve Do cause to fast And when they every one at night In senselesse sleepe are cast Both Apples, Nuttes, and peares they bring, And other things besides As caps, and shooes and petticotes, Which secretly they hide, And in the morning found, they say That this Saint Nicholas brought. Nicholas primary virtue came to be seen as generosity to children rooted in the stories of rescuing the desperate maidens with gold for their dowries and of saving three children or schoolboys from an evil fate. Nuns in France began leaving treats on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5th, for the small children of poor families. St. Nicholas gifts were usually good things to eat: apples, oranges, nuts, and eventually cookies and sweets. By the time of the 16th century Reformation Nicholas customs had moved beyond the church into popular culture. St. Nicholas had been a favorite subject of medieval saints plays, making the story of his generosity well-known. In that way the saint moved beyond story and image, as shown in church fresco and glass, into dramatic presentation. From there St. Nicholas moved into home and shop. For two centuries bakers and sweetmakers had been making his image in gingerbread and marzipan to supply home celebrations. Even statutes passed to forbid selling these cookie, cake and candle likenesses in Delft, Arnhem, Utrecht and Amsterdams could not stamp out such a beloved custom. This popularity kept the good saint alive in many places on the Continent despite the Reformation s repression of saints. It was in this era, as well, that Nicholas mode of entry shifted from windows to chimneys. There were no chimney s in Lycia when Nicholas lived they simply did not exist and most cooking took place outdoors. Chimneys, as we know them, appeared in colder Europe during the 13th century. Art from that time begins to show Nicholas charity being delivered via chimney, rather than window. As gift-giving spread across Europe, St. Nicholas Feast Day, December 6th, was celebrated by both rich and poor. Saint Nicholas is still the gift giver, with his early December day being the primary gift-giving day, in parts of Europe and beyond. Whether gifts are given on Nicholas feast or at Christmas, his example still inspires acts of charity and generosity.

7 Notes From a Talk Given by Fr. Zacharias Zacharou submitted by Juliana Van Denend H. A. Newsletter Dec God is not jealous of our progress. When we trust in our natural gifts, we fence out the supernatural gifts. But the difference is in our attitude. We have to learn to give thanks to God for everything. Without this, we build fences around ourselves. Everything for which we give thanks to God is ours, good gifts. Without thanks, we are robbers. Everything is on loan from God! Thanksgiving is a means of making things ours. We ask a blessing on food to acknowledge that everything is God s. All the things for which we give thanks to God become ours. Parents should not provoke their children. Don t expect from children what has taken years to obtain. Prayer for children trumps verbal advice. Humble respect for the freedom of the other leads to a good co-existence. The way is patience with love. We need to bear within us the incorruptible consolation of the Spirit, not seeking for pseudo-consolations. Life is lived from one Liturgy to another Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day/evening/night without sin In response to a question about love of God and the world: The following are notes we took during the recent visit of Fr. Zacharias of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Essex, England. He had been speaking at a clergy conference on the East Coast for the Greek Archdiocese. The Pacific Northwest had the profound blessing of his visit to St. Demetrios in Seattle where he gave a series of talks during the Divine Liturgy Sunday morning, during the agape meal, and after Vespers Sunday evening. Our notes were hurriedly scribbled in a notebook and even on our paper place mats at the meal. We regret not taking more! The books of Fr. Zacharias (The Enlargement of the Heart, Remember Thy First Love, etc.) published by Mount Thabor Publishing expound much more on these notes. In one of the talks, an essay of his from one of these books (we re not quite sure which one) was read and then questions were taken. We hope to take up one of his books in a future book group. Enjoy! Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? - 1 Cor. 3:16 How we become temples of the Holy Spirit: 1. Invocation of the Name of Jesus - the Jesus Prayer! 2. The Word of God - Accepting His Word, and living by its commandments. All things come into being through His Word. 3. Reception of the Mysteries in the Liturgy - and Exchange of lives: our finite lives for the Infinite Life. We exchange our corruptible life for His incorruptible. A great expectation. General gifts of the Holy Spirit: - repentance - acquisition of a humble spirit and a contrite heart There is a saying you cannot hold two watermelons under one arm! Question: why would a merciful God permit so much suffering? We, because of pride, think we are more merciful than God Who created each one. Were we crucified for the sake of the whole world? Pride and Despair: these are the only two real dangers in the spiritual life. In response to a question from a college-age person about living in the world: Bad company corrupts good morals! More important than what is said is to gather together in His Name Giving Thanks is an ascetical method. If there is a difficulty, give thanks. Thanksgiving is a mode of existence which justifies our life! Only that for which is given thanks can become our inheritance Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble. God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud. First we thank God for all His gifts up to this point. Then, we begin entreaty for the future. Start by giving thanks for our existence. Volunteers Needed! sign up at We receive an existence in the measure our heart unites with the Spirit as Christ We cannot come before God with two thoughts, just one thought; that only of God - gratitude, repentance. His property is mercy and consolation. Pride deadens the heart of man. Even one proud thought dries up our heart. And then, the opposite, one humble thought, one contrite thought is like a stream of water. Akivia (from Greek, sp?) lack of care (kivia - the care given to one who has died, a last act of service, of caring) Akivia -despondency is a poor translation of akivia, lack of care > pride, we become dead, despondent. In response to a question about our modern life, technology, the difficulty of living in today s world as Christians:

8 H. A. Newsletter Dec The Apostle Andrew, The First Called Commemorated on November 30/December 13 The holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the apostles of Jesus Christ and the brother of the Apostle Peter. He is also the patron saint of several countries, including Romania and Scotland. His feast day is November 30. Andrew was a fisherman by trade, born in Bethsaida. A disciple of John the Forerunner, he left St. John to follow Jesus Christ following his baptism and brought along his brother, the Apostle Peter. Both are numbered among the Twelve Great Apostles. After Pentecost, the lot fell to St. Andrew to preach in: Byzantium: he appointed St. Stachys as its first bishop Thrace, Peloponnese, Greece, and Epirus: he converted many to the Faith and ordained bishops and priests for them Georgia: he entered Georgia from Ajara, preached Christianity in Atsquri, built small church there and left miracle-working icon of Theotokos. Rus lands: in Kiev he planted a cross on one of the high hills of Kiev, and he prophesied a city that would have many golden-domed churches, and a bright Christian future for the Rus people. St. Andrew was martyred in Peloponnese, in the city of Patras. The Proconsul Aegeates family believed in the miracles and preaching of St., and the enraged Proconsul tortured and crucified St. Andrew. The new converts wanted to remove him from his cross, but the saint would not allow them. Instead, he comforted them from the cross and as he prayed an extraordinary light encompassed him for about a half hour. When it left, he gave up his soul. It was the year 62 AD. St. Andrew s relics were taken to Constantinople, his head to Rome and a hand to Moscow. Holy Apostle Andrew, the First-Called, Troparion, Tone IV As thou art the first-called of the apostles/ and the brother of the pre-eminent one,/ entreat thou the Master of all, O Andrew,/ that He grant peace to the world// and great mercy to our souls. Kontakion, Tone II In supplications The divinely eloquent namesake of manliness,/ the eminent follower of the Church,/ the kinsman of Peter, let us praise,/ for as of old he was called, so now he calleth us:// Come ye, we have found the Desired One!