Being Thankful ~ A Message from Fr. Robert

Transcription

1 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Florida (850) Rev. Fr. Robert J. O Loughlin Being Thankful ~ A Message from Fr. Robert God created us to be people that would continually praise Him and thank Him. We should not forget to do this as an ongoing part of our daily lives. In the Old Testament, it says in Psalm 103:2: Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all His rewards. We finished the 2015 festival a few weeks ago, and have much to be thankful for - our community who worked so hard to make it another success and for the people of the Tallahassee area for their generous support. St. Paul tells us many times in his letters to thank God which includes the following: Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20) In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (I Thessalonians 5:18). Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God (Colossians 3:17). During this month, we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in our country. It is a time to reflect on the many blessings of our lives even during these uncertain and difficult economic times. When we reflect upon our family, friends and our faith, we can remember many things to be thankful for. We are to remember that everything we have is from God and everything we have is God s and not ours. In our daily prayer lives we should be thankful for all that we have and give thanks to God. Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are not always the best but still, we are to look for something to be thankful for. Being a grateful person can let the light of Christ shine forth to others. Certainly our relationships with each other can be enhanced if we express our thanks to each other from time to time instead of focusing on each others faults. The best thanksgiving we can bring to God is to participate in His creation by assisting Him in His mission on earth. We are to be an example to all around us of His Gospel message. Our Church family may take action to support its mission in the Tallahassee area by supporting the ministries of the church with our time, talents and treasures and living our faith. Now is also a time to thank God for those things he has allowed us to accomplish. God wants us to celebrate His love. God wants us to give thanks in everything. He wants us to remember what He has done and give thanks to Him, and to those around us so that our lives will be full of light and hope and our actions full of compassion and love. Fr. Robert

2 Page 2 If an emergency or special need should arise, please contact Fr. Rob immediately at Next Spaghetti Dinners: November 6th December 4th Archangel Michael Feast and Honors November 14, 2015 Congratulations to Olibia Drzewiecki and William Perrigan. They will be receiving the Archangel Michael Award from His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios in Atlanta, Georgia. Dear Parishioners, Our annual Greek Festival was a success! Despite shutting down on Friday at 5:30 for the entire evening due to rain, we ended-up with good financial results. Most importantly, our guests enjoyed everything and went away happy. We are very pleased that the dedication and hard work of our wonderful volunteers in making all these delicious foods and putting-up the event were rewarded. I am proud and appreciative for the popularity and support that our festival enjoys from the Tallahassee Community. I d like to express our gratitude to Fr. Rob and Presvytera Joy for their continuous encouragement, support and personal efforts toward many aspects of the event. In addition, I convey our most sincere thanks to Richard Allen, the Parish Council, the Booth Chairs, the volunteers and all workers for their effective involvement and long hours of work. Lastly but not least, we offer heartfelt congratulations and millions of thanks to our dancers for their fantastic performances. On October 18, our 2015 Fall General Assembly was held. We discussed a number of issues of the parish and approved the 2016 budget. In addition, six church members were nominated for four Parish Council positions that will be vacated at the end of the year. Election date is set for Sunday, December 13, The monthly Spaghetti Dinner will resume on November 6. Please, mark your calendar for this event and the next one on December 4. You may call Richard or myself for signing up to help. If you cannot volunteer, you may come for lunch, dinner or simply a visit. Sincerely, Pete Koikos Our next ECHO Sundays are November 1st and December 6th. Please drop off your donations into the bins located in Patmos Hall. ECHO Outreach Ministries puts faith into action by serving people in crisis and poverty in Leon County since April ECHO was started by Toni Tran, who chose the name with the idea that those who have received love and blessings from the Lord would in turn share, or ECHO love and blessings with those in need in their own communities. With the support of five churches in downtown Tallahassee, ECHO was born, and is still blessed today by the contributions, and prayers of many generous congregations in our area. ECHO has grown into the largest Christian human services agency in Tallahassee, directly assisting thousands of people each year in our community. We offer professional services through programs providing emergency relief and family sustainability to impoverished Leon County residents, and the homeless. ECHO s clients are served through 3 programs: Emergency Resources Program, Family Services Program, and Weekend Meals Program (through the Kearney Center). With a small staff and a large volunteer base, our programs are designed to assist people in their efforts to become independent, productive, and stable. We believe that encouragement, planning, and hope will be the impetus for lasting change and those who live under the burden of poverty can rise above it and lead fuller and more productive lives. Daylight Saving Time Remember to set your clocks back! Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 am on November 1st.

3 1 8 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Church School Echo Sunday Philoptochos Meeting Church School GOYA Bake Sale JOY Bowling 15 f Church School 22 f Church School Feast Day of St. Nektarios 9:00 am Parish Council Mtg. 5:30 pm 16 f Feast Day of St. Mathew 9:00 am f 24 f Choir Practice Choir Practice Choir Practice Vespers and for Feast Day of St. Katherine 5:00 pm 4 + Catechetical Class (Newcomers/Inquirers) 11 + Orthodox Life Class 18 + Catechetical Class (Newcomers/Inquirers) Spaghetti Dinner 11:00 am 7:00 pm Feast Day of St. John Chrysostom 9:00 am 19 f f 7 14 GOYA Outreach Ronald McDonald House Feast Day of the Entrance of the Theotokos 9:00 am Great Vespers 5:00 pm Page f f 29 f No Church School 30 f Feast Day of St. Andrew 9:00 am Office Closed Pangari Schedule for *Denotes a 9:30 start time 11/01 Branch*/Koikos/Eudy (c) 11/08 Joanos*/Koikos/Manias (c) 11/15 Gorb*/Joanos/Fetzco (c) 11/22 Eudy*/Branch/Mathes (c) 11/29 Manias*/Perrigan/Koikos (c) 12/06 Mathes*/Fetzco/Gorb (c) Calendar Symbol Key + = Strict Fast = Wine and Oil allowed = Dairy & eggs allowed = Father Away NOVEMBER 2015 s = Fish Allowed

4 Page 4 Upcoming events Sunday Nov. 8th-Bake Sale (all proceeds go toward purchasing TOYS for Tots Saturday Nov. 15 Outreach at the Ronald McDonald House Lock In Sunday November 8th -Bowling at Capital Lanes October meeting October meeting at FSU Feast Day of St. Nicholas Family Pancake Breakfast Sponsored by GOYA Sunday Dec. 6th, 2015 Following After breakfast there will be crafts and a surprise visit from St. Nicholas For more information please contact Presvytera Joy at or at flrjjk@yahoo.com

5 Page 5 Do Your Best A traditional American proverb says, God makes this request of his children: Do the best you can where you are, with what you have, now. The story of Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000 illustrates this through the boy s offering of all that he had five loaves and two fish. This boy did his best with what he had, and Jesus used it to perform an incredible miracle. The Economy of Heaven The disciples had wanted to send the people away to get something to eat, but Jesus responds, There is no need for them to go away; give them food yourselves. The disciples approached the issue from the point of view of earthly economics. To buy food for the people assembled would be too expensive 200 days wages. Jesus response is simple. He asks, What do you have? But the disciples don t realize that they are being called to participate in a miracle by simply giving what they have. Bring Them to Me Jesus disciples tell him that all they have are five loaves and two small fish that a boy has offered. Jesus response is the phrase, Bring them to me. Jesus then takes the loaves, blesses and breaks them, and feeds 5,000 men plus women and children. We also bring what we have to Jesus. We offer bread and wine. He returns it to us as His body and blood in Holy Communion. We offer ourselves and we become the Church, His body on earth. No matter how much we give, He cannot be outdone. Just like the boy who offered the loaves and the fish, if we offer what we have however great or small our gift with prayer and humility, God will receive our gifts and multiply them to feed His people. Stewardship is about Joy We don t give out of fear of judgment in the afterlife. We give with joy as part of our spiritual growth, putting the emphasis on experiencing heaven now. Stewardship of our gifts can help shape our world and ourselves in such a way that we can experience God s grace, love and communion in the present. This perspective on Christian Stewardship emphasizes that which is possible for us as humans now rather than later. It shifts our focus from fear to the potential for experiencing joy. Hard work may bring power and success. Only God can bring us joy, peace and love. American writer, Frederick Buechner has written, Greed is the mathematical truism that the more you get, the more you have. The opposite of greed the selfless love of God and neighbor is based on the truth that the more you give away in love, the more you are. Put away the Pie Chart Stewardship is not about calculations, portions or percentages. It cannot be reduced to a number of hours of service or dollars offered. We can t reduce our responsibilities as members of the Body of Christ to paying the bills. Christian Stewardship is a mindset a way of life. In true stewardship, we do not give to the Church for any specific purpose. We are giving back to God with joy in thanksgiving for what He has done for us. God is never outdone in generosity. Grace The true motivation for giving is grace. Giving is an act of worship in response to the generosity of God. You are to give, says Saint Paul, as God has prospered you. His Second Letter to the Corinthians teaches us clearly, He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. God blesses those who give with generosity. Thanking God The question is not, How much do I give to stay in the club? or What are the dues? The real question we need to ask ourselves is How do I thank God for my many blessings? As Orthodox Christians, we are called to a new way of seeing things a new way of life. Stewardship is obedience to the greatest commandment to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. We are called to bring ourselves and others to commit our lives to Jesus Christ in such a way that leads us to the joy of knowing him personally and profoundly. God s Generosity Saint Gregory the Theologian writes, You will never overcome God s generosity, even if you give away all that you have.. And however much you bring to him, always more remains. Nor will you give anything that is your own; for all things flow from God (Or 14.22). Leave the Rest to God You cannot do everything, but you can do something. God wants you to do your best and leave the rest to him. Saint Theofan said, Exert all your strength, but rest your concern for success on God. The Lord doesn t expect any more from us than what we have to offer. But He does expect us to be faithful and that we do our very best for Him. We do our best and leave the rest to Him. For further reflection by Fr. Anthony Coniaris Jesus said, Well done good and faithful servant. He did not say, Well said. He did not say, Well planned. He did not say, Well thought. And He did not say, Well intended. But He said, Well DONE, good and faithful servant. The emphasis for us as Christians is in doing. We are called to give the best we have and to do the best we can to promote God s Stewardship Ministries Department of Stewardship, Outreach & Evangelism Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 307 West 54 th Street New York, NY / Stewardship@goarch.org

6 Page 6 November hmogphil@comcast.net Visit us also On Holy Mother of God Philoptochos Society of Tallahassee, Florida Next Meeting: November 1 (Sunday) following Liturgy in Patmos Hall Snacks will be provided. November 29 (Sunday): Please join us following the Liturgy in decorating the Hellenic Center for Christmas Our Chapter will once again be donating Thanksgiving Baskets to families through the Children s Home Society & to others in need in our community. We wish everyone in our parish a very Happy Thanksgiving Lives of the Saints Feast Day of St. John Chrysostom - November 13 This greatest and most beloved of all Christian orators was born in Antioch in the year 344 or 347; his pious parents were called Secundus and Anthusa. After his mother was widowed at the age of twenty, she devoted herself to bringing up John and his elder sister in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. John received his literary training under Anthragathius the philosopher, and Libanius the sophist, who was the greatest Greek scholar and rhetorician of his day. Libanius was a pagan, and when asked before his death whom he wished to have for his successor, he said, "John, had not the Christians stolen him from us." With such a training, and with such gifts as he had by nature, John had before him a brilliant career as a rhetorician. But through the good example of his godly mother Anthusa and of the holy Bishop Meletius of Antioch (see Feb. 12), by whom he was ordained reader about the year 370, he chose instead to dedicate himself to God. From the years 374 to 381 he lived the monastic life in the hermitages that were near Antioch. His extreme asceticism undermined his health, compelling him to return to Antioch, where Saint Meletius ordained him deacon about the year 381. Saint Meletius was called to Constantinople later that year to preside over the Second Ecumenical Council, during which he fell asleep in the Lord. In 386 Bishop Flavian ordained John presbyter of the Church of Antioch. Upon his elevation to the priesthood his career as a public preacher began, and his exceptional oratorical gifts were made manifest through his many sermons and commentaries. They are distinguished by their eloquence and the remarkable ease with which rich imagery and scriptural allusions are multiplied; by their depth of insight into the meaning of Scripture and the workings of God's providence; and, not least of all, by their earnestness and moral force, which issue from the heart of a blameless and guileless man who lived first what he preached to others. Because of his fame, he was chosen to succeed Saint Nectarius as Patriarch of Constantinople. He was taken away by stealth, to avoid the opposition of the people, and consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople on February 28, 398, by Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who was to prove his mortal enemy. At that time the Emperor of the East was Arcadius, who had had Saint Arsenius the Great as his tutor (see May 8); Arcadius was a man of weak character, and much under the influence of his wife Eudoxia. The zealous and upright Chrysostom's unsparing censures of the lax morals in the imperial city stung the vain Eudoxia; through Theophilus' plottings and her collaboration, Saint John was banished to Pontus in 403. The people were in an uproar, and the following night an earthquake shook the city; this so frightened the Empress Eudoxia that she begged Arcadius to call Chrysostom back. While his return was triumphant, his reconciliation with the Empress did not last long. When she had a silver statue of herself erected in the forum before the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Saint Sophia) in September of 403, and had it dedicated with much unseemly revelry, Saint John thundered against her, and she could not forgive him. In June of 404 he was exiled to Cucusus, on the borders of Cilicia and Armenia. From here he exchanged letters with Pope Innocent of Rome, who sent bishops and priests to Constantinople requesting that a council be held. Saint John's enemies, dreading his return, prevailed upon the Emperor to see an insult in this, and had John taken to a more remote place of banishment called Pityus near the Caucasus. The journey was filled with bitter sufferings for the aged bishop, both because of the harshness of the elements and the cruelty of one of his 310 guards. He did not reach Pityus, but gave up his soul to the Lord near Comana in Pontus, at the chapel of the Martyr Basiliscus (see May 22), who had appeared to him shortly before, foretelling the day of his death, which came to pass on September 14, 407. His last words were "Glory be to God for all things." His holy relics were brought from Comana to Constantinople thirty-one years later by the Emperor Theodosius the Younger and Saint Pulcheria his sister, the children of Arcadius and Eudoxia, with fervent supplications that the sin of their parents against him be forgiven; this return of his holy relics is celebrated on January 27. Saint John was surnamed Chrysostom ("Golden-mouth") because of his eloquence. He made exhaustive commentaries on the divine Scriptures and was the author of more works than any other Church Father, leaving us complete commentaries on the Book of Genesis, the Gospels of Saints Matthew and John, the Acts, and all the Epistles of Saint Paul. His extant works are 1,447 sermons and 240 epistles. Twenty-two teachers of the Church have written homilies of praise in his honour. Besides his feasts today and on January 27, he is celebrated as one of the Three Hierarchs on January 30, together with Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory the Theologian. It should be noted that, because September 14 is the Exaltation of the Cross, the Saint's memory has been transferred to this day. Copyright: Holy Transfiguration Monastery Brookline,MA

7 Page 7

8 Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church 1645 Phillips Road Tallahassee, Florida Return Service Requested Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church 1645 Phillips Road Tallahassee, FL Office: Hall: Fr. Rob s Cell: St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle Celebrated November 30th Website: Addresses: Father Rob: fr.robert@comcast.net Church Secretary: hmog@comcast.net Secretary Hours: Mon./Wed./Fri. 9am-2pm