Keeping Our Faith with God s Compassion and Love ~ A Message from Fr. Robert

Transcription

1 February Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Florida (850) Rev. Fr. Robert J. O Loughlin Keeping Our Faith with God s Compassion and Love ~ A Message from Fr. Robert In the liturgical life of the Church, we are currently in the Triodion period which is the pre-lenten period that includes the Gospel reading of the Prodigal Son. We are told in this parable that the younger of the sons asked for his father s inheritance before his death even occurred. He then proceeded to journey to a far away country and spent the money on material and pleasurable things. The son s sins distanced him from God. He found fair weather friends that eventually left him isolated when the money was gone. A famine struck the country and he soon reached the lowest of lows. He was far away from the security of home where his father had provided good living conditions. The prodigal son reached the point where he ate what the swine ate. In today s society, we may lose our focus on the important things in our lives while looking towards material goods and pleasures. There are times when we may try to fulfill our lives searching for the perfect house, car, or job. However, the only true fulfillment comes in Christ. We may lose sight of the ultimate goal of being united with Christ in good as well as difficult times. In the Old Testament, God sent the prophet Jonah to preach to the people who lived in Nineveh. They were enemies of the Israelites so Jonah did not want to obey God as he feared that they might harm his people. Instead, he set out by boat for a far away country. However, Jonah found himself in very rough seas as a result. He thought he could hide from God as he lost his faith and focus. After stretching his arms in the shape of a Cross, Jonah regained his focus and carried God s message to Nineveh after spending three days in the belly of the great fish. The parable of the Prodigal Son is a reminder that regardless of the issue confronted, we can always look to God and be reminded of His compassion and love. The older brother was unable to accept the return of his brother and thought he was entitled to more because of the younger brother s sinfulness. He judged his brother and reacted perhaps like many of us would. He became jealous and resentful instead of joyous like his father who celebrated his younger son s renewed life. As the father forgave his son in this parable with open arms when he returned home, Christ invites us to turn to Him. In the Book of Proverbs, it says Train up a child in the way he should go, he will not go away from when he is old. The father had provided a solid foundation and exemplified a honorable life that his younger son never forgot despite straying off course for a period of time. One of the most important points that we can learn from this parable is that the son truly repented of his sins and returned to his father with humility. Let us not let the distractions of life keep us from our faith and regardless how far we go astray, may we always keep in mind that God s compassion and love is always there for us. Wishing you a Blessed Lenten journey, Fr. Robert

2 Page 2 If an emergency or special need should arise, please contact Fr. Rob immediately at Our next ECHO Sundays are February 1st and March 1st. Please drop off your non-perishable food donations into the bins located in the Hellenic Center and Patmos Hall. Next Spaghetti Dinner: Friday, February 6th Sunday February 22 nd (coffee hour) Let s share our cultures! Bring your favorite treat to accompany coffee during coffee hour. Please drop off your item in the Hellenic Center prior to coming into Church. Blessings in Our Lives... Michael Edge, son of Justin and Jennifer Lowery Edge, was baptized on Saturday, January 17th. Congratulations and blessings to Richard Allen, Michael s Godfather. We wish Michael a beautiful, long and holy life. Na sas zisi! May Your Memory Be Eternal... On Sunday, January 18th, a Memorial Service was held for Antonie Corcau (30 years) beloved husband of Sylvia and father of Alexandra Nick, and a 5-year Memorial for Jimmy Kalfas. May their memory be eternal! On Friday, January 23rd, Charles O Loughlin, father of Fr. Rob (Presvy. Joy), grandfather of Jaclyn and Krista, fell asleep in the Lord in Toms River, NJ. Our deepest sympathy, love and prayers are with Fr. Rob and family. Dear Parishioners, I feel honored for being elected President by my fellow Council Members for one more year. Your Parish Council for 2015 is: Pete Koikos - President Connie Mathes - Secretary Stelios Manias - Vice President Glen Perrigan - Treasurer Catherine Koikos Branch, Michael Eudy, Ronnie Fetzko, Jorge Gorb and Stamie Joanos, Members On January 12, the first Parish Council meeting of the year was held. Among other topics in the agenda, we discussed to a great length the organization of the Greek Food Festival. It was unanimously decided to simplify things by eliminating the positions of the event's Chairpersons and Coordinators. The Parish Council, together with the Booth Chairs and other volunteers, will organize the 2015 event. The monthly Spaghetti Luncheon and Dinner, on January 9, was successful. Proceeds were great and our volunteers enjoyed their get together. Our next spaghetti event will be on February 6. Hope to see you there. Thank you and God bless everyone! Sincerely, Pete Koikos

3 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Triodion Begins Orthros 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Church School SOUPER Bowl 2 Fast Free Presentation of Our Lord 9:00 am 3 Fast Free Philoptochos Mtg. Choir Practice 4 Fast Free Catechetical Class (Newcomers/Inquirers) 5 Fast Free 6 Fast Free Page Forgiveness/ Spaghetti Dinner 11:00 a.m. 7 :00 p.m. 8 Orthros 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Church School Philoptochos Family Fun Day GOYA Mtg. 15 Judgement Meatare Sunday Orthros 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Church School Cheesefare Sunday Orthros 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Church School International Coffee Hour Vespers of Forgiveness 9 16 Parish Council Mtg. 5:30 pm OCF Meeting 23 + Great Lent Begins Great Compline Feast Day of St. Haralambos 9:00 am Choir Practice Clergy Retreat at Diakonia Center Choir Practice 24 + Choir Practice 11 Orthodox Life Class Pre-Sanctified Liturgy Followed by Lenten Covered Dish Salutations to the Theotokos 7 Fast Free Great Vespers s = Fish Allowed 5:00 pm Saturday of Souls Liturgy 9:00 am Great Vespers 5 pm AHEPA Valentine s Dinner/Dance Saturday of Souls 9:00 am 28 + Saturday of Souls 9:00 am JOY Gathering 2:30-4:30 pm Great Vespers 5:00 pm Pangari Schedule for February *Denotes a 9:30 start time 02/01 Perrigan*/Joanos/Branch(c) 02/08 Eudy*/Gorb/Manias(c) 02/15 Fetzko*/Koikos/Mathis(c) 02/22 Manias*/Perrigan/Joanos(c) 03/01 Koikos*/Branch/Fetzko O3/08 Joanos*/Gorb/Eudy(c) Calendar Symbol Key + = Strict Fast = Wine and Oil allowed = Dairy & eggs allowed = Father Away February 2015

4 Page 4 Sunday, Feb. 8th GOYA Meeting Sunday, Feb 22nd Youth Sunday Bowling Outing at Capital Lanes Nick Gavalas sharing with our community the mission of Souper Bowl Sunday and the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) and high school students collecting donations. Thanks to our community for your generosity and making a difference for those in need. The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides Greek Orthodox teenagers the opportunity to learn, write and speak about their Orthodox faith, Church and heritage. The Oratorical Festival Program begins at the parish level and is divided into three divisions: Elementary Division (local festival only) for students in grades 4 6 Junior Division for students in grades 7 9 Senior Division for student in grades Our local Festival will be March 4, 2015, following Presanctified Liturgy. Students have received topics in their church school class. Additional copies are available in Church Office or from teachers. Participation is encouraged as this is a wonderful opportunity to discover the fullness of our Orthodox Faith. The OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) is the official collegiate campus ministry program under the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. The mission of OCF is to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer and service to others and study of faith Next meeting - February 16th on the campus of FSU JOY Gathering January Gathering On Saturday, February 28th, we will have a JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth), 1st-6th grades gathering from 2:30pm-4:30pm in the Hellenic Ctr.. This will include a Koliva workshop and discussion, snacks and fellowship. Please RSVP to Presv. Joy flrjjk@yahoo.com or (850) by Tuesday, February 24th, if your child is planning to participate or for more information. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

5 Page 5 Reflections on The March for Life OFFERED BY BISHOP DEMETRIOS OF MOKISSOS On January 22, 2015, I had the honor of attending and marching with hundreds of thousands of citizens from across our nation at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. This annual event, virtually ignored by the major broadcast media and most news media apart from Fox News, is one of the largest, if not the largest annual protest march in our nation s capital, and highlights the opposition to so-called abortion rights as well as, and more importantly, a right to life of the pre-born. This is the fifth time I have participated in this event. Last year, representing the Chair of the Assembly of Bishops, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, I was privileged to offer the invocation at the premarch rally, accompanied by numerous fellow hierarchs of our Orthodox Tradition, not to mention hundreds of Orthodox Christian marchers. While this year s invocation was offered by the Roman Catholic tradition, I was struck by the camaraderie among Christian leaders in general, and their recollection of and appreciation for the Orthodox participants. Regardless of distinctions in opinions regarding legal or constitutional questions, or even the theological basis for an opposition to abortion on demand and the sanctity of human life, the common agreement on the conclusions regarding what remains a polarizing moral question of our American society is noteworthy. Our common witness to the sacredness of life is not only an important aspect of our Orthodox presence in this nation, but also a basic area of agreement in our ecumenical environment and one where we have gained some small victory. This victory is the obvious increasing presence of young people at the March for Life itself. If we may observe a general increase in the protest movements of college-age young adults generally, it can be admitted that such protests often seem to be amorphous, less focused and more popular social activities than the youth movements of the Vietnam War era. At such publicized protests many participants have no clear goal. Such is not the case with the March for Life with an increasing number of young people who are clear in their opposition to abortion on demand. One might even note that this does not necessarily indicate a simple rise in the political conservatism of young adults, for the same demographic remains concerned about many causes and issues that cross the political division of left and right: from civil rights and social tolerance, to the protection of the environment. Obviously, for Orthodox Christians, the right to life is not simply a political or legal issue. It is a moral issue. Indeed, my own concern is not simply about what is legal or illegal in the juridical framework of our nation. While this may be important, more important is the moral force of our Christian faith and our Orthodox witness to our neighbors in our American society and culture. We not only stand, and march, with those with whom we agree, but affirm the principle of our faith as witnesses to the truth before those with whom we disagree. Of course, in our day, we also stand and affirm a principle to our own Orthodox sisters and brothers: that such a witness is a necessary aspect of doing the truth in our present context. So I am heartened by the regular and even growing presence of Orthodox Christians at the March for Life: from hierarchs, to parish clergy, monastics, seminarians and laypersons of all ages, showing that not only do we pray that all human life be blessed and held sacred, in the womb, in our homes, in the streets and in our prisons, but that our prayer moves us to confess the gift of life granted by our Lord by all those who would spurn that gift through the actions of abusing or removing life, or by ambivalence to the spurning of that sacred gift in our homes, on our streets, in our prisons and even, sadly, in our institutions of healing. May our Lord grant us the strength to continue this witness so that we may bring righteousness to our land.

6 Page 6 February 2015 Next Meeting: February 3 in the Patmos Hall Next Event: Family Fun Day Sunday February 8 Thank you to all who attended our annual cutting of the Vasilopita on Jan. 4 and for all of the beautiful and delicious vasilopitas. The members of our church really have some wonderful recipes. It was a great success! All monetary donations benefit St. Basil Academy. Congratulations to all of our parishioners who received coin in their slice of Vasilopita and in particular to those who received a slice in recognition of their service to our Church. Thank you to all of our members and students who helped with our Annual Greek Dinner on January 30. A special thanks to Richard Allen who manages the kitchen and makes sure that everything goes perfectly. We hope everyone had a great meal and a great time. Come prepared to have a lot of FUN on February 8 following Chili, games and prizes Fun for the whole family All proceeds will be donated to St. Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center - A National Shrine for Everyone Upon this rock I will rebuild my church. Matthew 16:18 Be sure to check our Facebook page for pictures from both of these events. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink Matthew 25:35,36 Holy Mother of God Monthly Community Outreach Wednesday, February 11, :30-12:00 If you want to make a difference and help fight hunger, join us for our monthly outreach in serving others at America s Second Harvest warehouse facility which supports numerous agencies in the Big Bend area. If you are interested in assisting in this effort for one or two hours or have any question, please contact: Fr. or Presv.

7 Page 7 Saturday, February 14, :30 pm 11:30 pm Music includes DJ Dinner Menu: Roast Sirloin of Beef, Greek Style Oven Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Greek Salad & Dessert $20.00 for Adults $10.00 for Students Children of Church Members 12 & Under FREE Cash Bar for Wine, Beer and Sodas Tickets will be presold in the Hellenic Center following Liturgies or see any AHEPA member Join the fun with music, prizes, dancing Remember, profits from this event go towards scholarships For upcoming qualified high school seniors, plus philanthropic purposes

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: Feast Day of St. Haralambox Celebrated February 10th Website: Addresses: Father Rob: fr.robert@comcast.net Church Secretary: hmog@comcast.net Secretary Hours: Mon./Wed./Fri. 9am-2pm