Monthly August 2016 Volume 8 Dormition August 15th, 2016

Transcription

1 Monthly August 2016 Volume 8 Dormition August 15th, 2016 St. Paul s Greek Orthodox Church 14 West Anderson St. Savannah, GA Phone: Fax:

2 Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15) After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys she lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, she told them about miraculous events: the Annunciation, the seedless and undefiled Conception of Christ born of her, about His early childhood, and about His earthly life. Like the Apostles, she helped plant and strengthen the Christian Church by her presence, her discourse and her prayers. The reverence of the Apostles for the Most Holy Virgin was extraordinary. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles remained at Jerusalem for about ten years attending to the salvation of the Jews, and wanting moreover to see the Mother of God and hear her holy discourse. Many of the newly-enlightened in the Faith even came from faraway lands to Jerusalem, to see and to hear the All-Pure Mother of God. During the persecution initiated by King Herod against the young Church of Christ (Acts 12:1-3), the Most Holy Virgin and the Apostle John the Theologian withdrew to Ephesus in the year 43. The preaching of the Gospel there had fallen by lot to the Apostle John the Theologian. The Mother of God was on Cyprus with St Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead, where he was bishop. She was also on Holy Mount Athos. St Stephen of the Holy Mountain says that the Mother of God prophetically spoke of it: Let this place be my lot, given to me by my Son and my God. I will be the Patroness of this place and intercede with God for it. The respect of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great that they preserved what they could about her life, what they could take note of concerning her sayings and deeds, and they even passed down to us a description of her outward appearance. According to Tradition, based on the words of the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), St Ambrose of Milan (December 7) had occasion to write in his work On Virgins concerning the Mother of God: She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life was to offend no one, to intend good for everyone, to respect the aged, not envy others, avoid bragging, be healthy of mind, and to love virtue. When did she ever hurl the least insult in the face of her parents? When was she at discord with her kin? When did she ever puff up with pride before a modest person, or laugh at the weak, or shun the destitute? With her there was nothing of glaring eyes, nothing of unseemly words, nor of improper conduct. She was modest in the movement of her body, her step was quiet, and her voice straightforward; so that her face was an expression of soul. She was the personification of purity. All her days she was concerned with fasting: she slept only when necessary, and even then, when her body was at rest, she was still alert in spirit, repeating in her dreams what she had read, or the implementation of proposed intentions, or those planned yet anew. She was out of her house only for church, and then only in the company of relatives. Otherwise, she seldom appeared outside her house in the company of others, and she was her own best overseer. Others could protect her only in body, but she Herself guarded her character. According to Tradition, that from the compiler of Church history Nicephorus Callistus (fourteenth century), the Mother of God was of average stature, or as others suggest, slightly more than average; her hair golden in appearance; her eyes bright with pupils like shiny olives; her eyebrows strong in character and moderately dark, her nose pronounced and her mouth vibrant bespeaking sweet speech; her face was neither round nor angular, but somewhat oblong; the palm of her hands and fingers were longish

3 In conversation with others she preserved decorum, neither becoming silly nor agitated, and indeed especially never angry; without artifice, and direct, she was not overly concerned about Herself, and far from pampering Herself, she was distinctly full of humility. Regarding the clothing which she wore, she was satisfied to have natural colors, which even now is evidenced by her holy head-covering. Suffice it to say, a special grace attended all her actions. (Nicephoros Callistus borrowed his description from St Epiphanius of Cyprus (May 12), from the Letter to Theophilus Concerning Icons. The circumstances of the Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from apostolic times. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about her Falling-Asleep. In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, St Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God. In the fifth century, St Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: Although there is no account of the circumstances of her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible Tradition. This tradition was gathered and expounded in the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus during the fourteenth century. At the time of her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against her. They wanted to make attempts on her life; but God preserved her from enemies. Day and night she spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here she offered up fervent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. In one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of her impending Repose. The Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing her prayer with the word Amen. The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. The faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says St John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. St John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin s repose was at hand. Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard her prayer and fulfilled her heart s desire, and she began speaking about her imminent end. During this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, St Hierotheus, St Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, she blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each she wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world. Then came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of her demise and of the arrival of her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Seeing her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from her bed to meet the Lord, she bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave her soul into the hands of her Son and God.

4 Then began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon her, and it is impossible to render her due honor (Stikherion on Lord, I Have Cried ). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from her body there came a sweet fragrance. Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was her Repose, as Holy Church sings: In Thee, O Queen, the God of all hath given thee as thy portion the things that are above nature. Just as in the Birth- Giving He did preserve Thine virginity, so also in the grave He did preserve Thy body from decay (Canon 1, Ode 6, Troparion 1). Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the Disciples in turn were blessed by it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. Through the great glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love touched the holy bed. Bewailing their separation from the Mother of God, the Apostles prepared to bury her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the Twelve Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the Ever-Virgin Mary. St John the Theologian went at the head with the resplendent palmbranch from Paradise. The other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred songs. This solemn procession went from Sion through Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane. With the start of the procession there suddenly appeared over the all-pure body of the Mother of God and all those accompanying her a resplendent circular cloud, like a crown. There was heard the singing of the Heavenly Powers, glorifying the Mother of God, which echoed that of the worldly voices. This circle of Heavenly singers and radiance accompanied the procession to the very place of burial. Unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, taken aback by the extraordinarily grand funeral procession and vexed at the honor accorded the Mother of Jesus, complained of this to the High Priest and scribes. Burning with envy and vengefulness toward everything that reminded them of Christ, they sent out their own servants to disrupt the procession and to set the body of the Mother of God afire. An angry crowd and soldiers set off against the Christians, but the circular cloud accompanying the procession descended and surrounded them like a wall. The pursuers heard the footsteps and the singing, but could not see any of those accompanying the procession. Indeed, many of them were struck blind. The Jewish priest Athonios, out of spite and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth, wanted to topple the funeral bier on which lay the body of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but an angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which had touched the bier. Seeing such a wonder, Athonios repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the crowd accompanying the body of the Mother of God, and he became a zealous follower of Christ. When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing began the last kiss to the all-pure body. Only towards evening were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone. For three days they did not depart from the place of burial, praying and chanting Psalms. Through the wise providence of God, the Apostle Thomas was not to be present at the burial of the Mother of God. Arriving late on the third day at Gethsemane, he lay down at the tomb and with bitter tears asked that he might be permitted to look once more upon the Mother of God and bid her farewell. The Apostles out of heartfelt pity for him decided to open the grave and permit him the comfort of venerating the holy relics of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Having opened the grave, they found in it only the grave wrappings and were thus convinced of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven. On the evening of the same day, when the Apostles had gathered at a house to strengthen themselves with food, the Mother of God appeared to them and said: Rejoice! I am with you all the days of your lives. This so gladdened the Apostles and everyone with them, that they took a portion of the bread, set aside at the meal in memory of the Savior ( the Lord s Portion ), and they exclaimed : Most Holy Theotokos, save us. (This marks the beginning of the rite of offering up the Panagia ( All-Holy ), a portion of bread in honor of the Mother of God, which is done at monasteries to the present day). The sash of the Mother of God, and her holy garb, preserved with reverence and distributed over the face of the earth in pieces, have worked miracles both in the past and at present. Her numerous icons everywhere pour forth signs and healings, and her holy body, taken up to Heaven, bears witness to our own future life there. Her body was not left to the vicissitudes of the transitory world, but was incomparably exalted by its glorious ascent to Heaven. From the OCA website: oca.org/saints

5 Celebration of the Dormition at Gethsemane The Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated with special solemnity at Gethsemane, the place of Her burial. Nowhere else is there such sorrow of heart at the separation from the Mother of God, and nowhere else such joy, because of Her intercession for the world. The holy city of Jerusalem is separated from the Mount of Olives by the valley of Kedron on Josaphat. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane, where olive trees bear fruit even now. The holy Ancestor-of-God Joachim had himself reposed at 80 years of age, several years after the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). St Anna, having been left a widow, moved from Nazareth to Jerusalem, and lived near the Temple. At Jerusalem she bought two pieces of property: the first at the gates of Gethsemane, and the second in the valley of Josaphat. At the second locale she built a tomb for the members of her family, and where also she herself was buried with Joachim. It was there in the Garden of Gethsemane that the Savior often prayed with His disciples. The most-pure body of the Mother of God was buried in the family tomb. Christians honored the sepulchre of the Mother of God, and they built a church on this spot. Within the church was preserved the precious funeral cloth, which covered Her all-pure and fragrant body. The holy Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem ( ) testified before the emperor Marcian ( ) as to the authenticity of the tradition about the miraculous ascent of the Mother of God to Heaven, and he sent to the empress, St Pulcheria (September 10), the grave wrappings of the Mother of God from Her tomb. St Pulcheria then placed these grave-wrappings within the Blachernae church. Accounts have been preserved, that at the end of the seventh century a church had been built atop the underground church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and that from its high bell-tower could be seen the dome of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. Traces of this church are no longer to be seen. And in the ninth century near the subterranean Gethsemane church a monastery was built, in which more than 30 monks struggled. Great destruction was done the Church in the year 1009 by the despoiler of the holy places, Hakim. Radical changes, the traces of which remain at present, also took place under the crusaders in the year During the eleventh to twelfth centuries the piece of excavated stone, at which the Savior had prayed on the night of His betrayal disappeared from Jerusalem. This piece of stone had been in the Gethsemane basilica from the sixth century. But in spite of the destruction and the changes, the overall original cruciform (cross-shaped) plan of the church has been preserved. At the entrance to the church along the sides of the iron gates stand four marble columns. To enter the church, it is necessary to go down a stairway of 48 steps. At the 23rd step on the right side is a chapel in honor of the holy Ancestors-of-God Joachim and Anna together with their graves, and on the left side opposite, the chapel of St. Joseph the Betrothed with his grave. The right chapel belongs to the Orthodox Church, and the left to the Armenian Church (since 1814).

6 The church of the Dormition of the Theotokos has the following dimensions: in length it is 48 arshin, and in breadth 8 arshin [1 arshin = 28 inches]. At an earlier time the church had also windows beside the doors. The whole temple was adorned with a multitude of lampadas and offerings. Two small entrances lead into the burial-chamber of the Mother of God. One enters through the western doors, and exits at the northern doors. The burial-chamber of the All-Pure Virgin Mary is veiled with precious curtains. The burial place was hewn out of stone in the manner of the ancient Jewish graves and is very similar to the Sepulchre of the Lord. Beyond the burial-chamber is the altar of the church, in which Divine Liturgy is celebrated each day in the Greek language. The olive woods on the eastern and northern sides of the temple was acquired from the Turks by the Orthodox during the seventh and eighth centuries. The Catholics acquired the olive woods on the east and south sides in 1803, and the Armenians on the west side in the Mother of God.. On August 12, at Little Gethsemane, at the second hour of the night, the head of the Gethsemane church celebrates Divine Liturgy. With the end of Liturgy, at the fourth hour of the morning, he serves a short Paraklesis before the resplendent burial shroud, lifts it in his hands and solemnly carries it beyond the church to Gethsemane proper where the holy sepulchre of the Mother of God is situated. All the members of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, with the head of the Mission presiding, participate each year in the procession (called the Litania ) with the holy burial shroud of The rite of the Burial of the Mother of God at Gethsemane begins customarily on the morning of August 14. A multitude of people with hierarchs and clergy at the head set off from the Jerusalem Patriarchate (nearby the Church of the Resurrection of Christ) in sorrowful procession. Along the narrow alley-ways of the Holy City the funeral procession makes its way to Gethsemane. Toward the front of the procession an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is carried. Along the way, pilgrims meet the icon, kissing the image of the All-Pure Virgin Mary and lift children of various ages to the icon. After the clergy, in two rows walk the black-robed monks and nuns of the Holy City: Greeks, Romanians, Arabs, Russians. The procession, going along for about two hours, concludes with Lamentations at the Gethsemane church. In front the altar, beyond the burial chamber of the Mother of God, is a raised-up spot, upon which rests the burial shroud of the Most Holy Mother of God among fragrant flowers and myrtle, with precious coverings. O marvelous wonder! The Fount of Life is placed in the grave, and the grave doth become the ladder to Heaven... Here at the grave of the All-Pure Virgin, these words strike deep with their original sense and grief is dispelled by joy: Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, granting the world, through Thee, great mercy! Numerous pilgrims, having kissed the icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, following an ancient custom, then stoop down and go beneath it. On the day of the Leave-taking of the feast (August 23), another solemn procession is made. On the return path, the holy burial shroud is carried by clergy led by the Archimandrite of Gethsemane. On this day flowers are blessed in church, and people keep them in their homes. During times of family strife or illness, the flower petals are placed in the censer with the incense, and the whole house is censed. See the Prayer at the Sanctification of any Fragrant Herbage. Fr. Vasile Mihai, from various sources

7 THE FAST OF THE DORMITION (August 1st to 15th) The Orthodox as well as the Catholic Church traditionally observe a period of fasting prior to the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos - one of the four great fasts that are part of the Church year, in the East, the others being the Nativity Fast (or the Advent Fast), the Great Lent Fast and the Holy Apostles Fast. This fast is also called the "Assumption Fast in the Catholic churches. For those on the new calendar (Gregorian), this fast begins on July 31 st evening, just before the Vespers of the Feast of the Procession of the Holy Cross (August 1 st ). This fast ends on August 14 th, just before Vespers for the Great Feast of the Dormition of The Theotokos (August 15 th ). For those on the old calendar (Julian), this fast begins on August 14th and ends on August 28th. The Dormition Fast is short, but is stricter than all the other fasting periods except Great Lent. One should fast on all days from the usual non-lenten foods, such as all animal products (meat, poultry, milk, cheese, etc.) and olive oil and wine. In addition, one also traditionally abstains from fish on all days of the fast, including weekends, except for the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, when fasting may be eased by having fish, wine and olive oil. On the two weekends which fall during the fast (Saturday and Sunday), the fast is also relaxed a little bit, and one may have wine and olive oil, but no fish. Please check with your priest or with your Diocesan Office for specific information, of course. The Scriptural foundation for the practice of Fasting is found in the Synoptic Gospels, when the Pharisees criticized the Apostles for not fasting, Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. Our Lord, in this passage, was referring to his being taken to be crucified; but in the larger sense these words of the Lord are understood in terms of his Ascension into heaven, and his command to preach the Gospel, which can only be accomplished with prayer and fasting. The New Testament mentions the practice of fasting many times. According to Christian Orthodox teaching, by fasting we observe this time-honored Apostolic practice. We can also unite our lives more closely to the Theotokos (Mother of God) through the Dormition Fast. By fasting, we can join in and show our appreciation for the sacrifices of the Theotokos. The Theotokos sacrificed much to give birth to Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity - Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to raise Him, and to be with Him during His ministry, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. Fr. Vasile Mihai He says, You do not know how to fast unto the Lord; this useless fasting which you observe to Him is of no value.. I say to you, he continued, that the fasting which you think you observe is not a fasting. But I will teach you what is a full and acceptable fast to the Lord: Do not evil in your heart. Keep His commandments, walking in His precepts, and let no evil desire arise in your heart If you guard against these things, your fasting will be perfect..having fulfilled what is written, in the day on which you fast, you will taste nothing but bread and water. Then, reckon up the price of the meals of that day that you intended to have eaten, and give that amount to a widow, an orphan, or some person in need. Hermas, c. 150 AD. In the first place, fasting is the affliction of the flesh. It makes an offering to the Lord of mourning garments and scantiness of food, content with a simple diet and the pure drink of water. It is a victim able to appease the Lord by means of the sacrifice of humiliation The bodily patience adds grace to our prayers for good, a strength to our prayers against evil. Tertullian, c. 200 AD. Fasting with prayer is a good thing. Now fasting signifies abstinence from all evils whatsoever: in action, word, and even in thought. Clement od Alexandria, c. 195 AD. He commended us to fast on the fourth [Wednesday] and sixth [Friday] days of the week. The former was on account of His being betrayed. The latter was on account of His passion. Apostolic Constitutions, c. 390 AD

8 Dying Like a Disciple by Fr. Lawrence Farley Every year on August 15, the Church bids us come to the final bedside of the Theotokos and learn how to die. It is an important lesson, and all the more important because the secular world offers us no clue. Indeed, the world seems intent on denying the reality of death. In earlier and saner ages, everyone mostly died at home, surrounded by loved ones who would pray with them in their final hours and wash and attend to the body after death had occurred. Even young children knew what corpses looked like and had contact with them. The phrase from the old Latin hymn Media vita in morte sumus in the midst of life we are in death resonated for everyone, whether they had heard the old hymn sung or not. Now all has changed. Most people do not die at home but in the hospital, surrounded by professionals and strangers. After death they are whisked from the hospital room to the hospital morgue and from there, all too often, to the funeral home. At many funerals the corpse is not present, only a photo of the deceased taken while they were alive. And the final rites are not even necessarily called funerals, for the word is thought to savor too much of death. The rite is now called a celebration of life one might imagine that the title indicated not the rites of death, but a birthday party. In short, today s funeral industry, whose main function seemingly is to sanitize death and save the survivors from its horror and trauma, dominates today. The room where the casket may be found (if there is a casket) is called the slumber room, though no one ever sleeps there. And no one ever uses the verb die. No one now ever dies. They pass on. In every funeral chapel I have entered, soothing music is played in the background, often sentimental renditions of Protestant hymns that no one has sung in most Protestant churches for at least a generation. The function of the music is not liturgical, but anaesthetic. Not surprisingly in such a death-denying culture, no one knows how to die. That is perhaps why most people don t want to talk about death, though the certainty of death hangs over them all. They have no clue. But the Mother of God has a clue, and she knew exactly how to die: surrendering up her soul to her Son, surrounded by His Church. In this her final act on earth she gives us a lesson for eternity. This lesson consists of four parts. First of all, dying for the disciple of Jesus consists of turning from this world with all its glory and heartbreak, with all its beauty and betrayal, to face the Lord. Of course we rejoice and find comfort in the love of friends and family that surround us in our final hours. But dying means that at the end we say goodbye to them all, and turn from them to face the Savior, the eternal Fountain. Every day we have followed in the footsteps of the Theotokos and have said, Behold, I am the handmaid (or servant) of the Lord. On our final day we remain His servant, and we commit our soul to His hands one last time. We die as we have lived, looking to Jesus. Secondly, for the disciple of Christ dying means dying in love and charity with all men. Saint Paul tells us of the folly of letting the sun go down on our anger (Ephesians 4:26); how much more foolish is it to end our whole life in anger? The Lord is crystal clear: if we do not forgive men their trespasses, God will not forgive ours. We say this each time we pray the Lord s Prayer, and this truth must guide us at the end. Before death silences our voice and stops our heart, we must freely and fully forgive anyone who has ever hurt us or sinned against us. Thirdly, dying as a disciple of Christ means that we receive the Eucharistic Gifts one last time before embarking on our journey to eternal life. A wise person will not wait until after their Christian friend has died to call the priest, but will call for the priest while there is still time for their friend to receive Holy Communion one last time. That is the point of the petition asking God for a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, for our good defense comes from this final sacramental bestowal of forgiveness. We step through the dark door of death as those freshly pardoned and at peace. Finally, the death of the Theotokos teaches us that Christian death should come as the culmination of a Christian life. There is no sense living like a worldling, intending to beg forgiveness before the end comes in what some have called an eleventh hour repentance. For one thing, we have no guarantee that we will not die at 10:30. But more than that, the decision to delay repentance and faith brings its own dangers to the human heart. If we spend year after year saying no to Christ and pushing away His daily offer of grace, our heart does not remain unchanged by such denials and apostasies. Denying Christ makes the heart colder and harder, and at the end we may find ourselves incapable of turning to Him which is the ultimate and eternal catastrophe. There was never a moment when the humble maiden of Nazareth turned from God and rejected Him. With each breath she said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, and that was why she was able to die in peace and triumph. Taught by her death, we can one day die in peace and triumph too.

9 St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Virginity of the Theotokos 23: We know then for certain that the Lord was to be born of a Virgin, but we have to show of what family the Virgin was. The Lord swore in truth to David and will not set it aside. Of the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne: and again, His seed will I establish forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. And afterwards, Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie to David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me, and as the moon established forever. You see that the discourse is of Christ, not of Solomon. For Solomon s throne endured not as the sun. But if any deny this, because Christ sat not on David s throne of wood, we will bring forward that saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat: [Matt. 23:2] for it signifies not his wooden seat, but the authority of his teaching. In like manner then I would have you seek for David s throne not the throne of wood, but the kingdom itself. Take, too, as my witnesses the children who cried aloud, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is the King of Israel. And the blind men also say, Son of David, have mercy on us. Gabriel too testifies plainly to Mary, saying, And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David. Paul also says, Remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead, of the David, according to my Gospel: and in the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans he says, Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. Receive therefore Him that was born of David, believing the prophecy that says, And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to rule over the Gentiles: in Him shall the Gentiles trust. 24. But the Jews are much troubled at these things. This also Isaiah foreknew, saying, and they shall wish that they had been burnt with fire: for unto us a child is born (not unto them), unto us a Son is given. Mark that at first He was the Son of God, then was given to us. And a little after he says, And of His peace there is no bound. The Romans have bounds: of he kingdom of the Son of God there is no bound. Then next, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it. The Holy Virgin, therefore, is from David. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures: Lecture II: 23, 24. St. John of Damascus on the Dormition of the Theotokos The just are remembered with praise, says the wise Solomon (Prov. 10:7). Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, proclaims God s ancestor David (Ps. 115:6 [LXX]). If, then, all the just are remembered with praise, who will not give praise to the source of justice, the treasury of holiness not in order to glorify her, but in order to win eternal glory for oneself? The tabernacle of the Lord s glory, after all, is in no need of glory from us; [she is] the city of God, of whom glorious things are spoken, as holy David says to her: Glorious things are spoken of you, City of God! (P. 86:3 [LXX]) For what other city shall we understand for the invisible and uncircumscribed God, who contains all in his own hand, but her who alone truly welcomed the super-essential Word of God, in a way beyond all nature and essence who received the God who exists in a way beyond all limitation? Glorious things were spoken of her by the Lord himself; for what could be more glorious than to receive the true and original will of God (cf. Is. 25:1) What shall we call you, O Lady? With what titles shall we address you? With what words of praise shall we crown your holy and glorious head you who are the giver of good things, the source of our wealth, the ornament of the human race, the boast of all creation, the one through whom creation itself is truly called blessed? Through you, it has come to hold what it never held before; [through you] it gazes with un-veiled face (2 Cor. 5:18) at him whom it lacked the strength to look on before. Open our stammering mouths, O Word of God! Give us graceful words as you open our lips! Breathe in us the grace of the Spirit, through which fishermen become orators and illiterate people speak a wisdom that is above human powers!.

10 The Transfiguration of Our Savior has a central place in the Orthodox Church and in Orthodox theology. It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is a witness to the new reality introduced by the coming of Christ in history. During His Transfiguration, Christ revealed the Uncreated Glory of His Divinity within His human nature. At the same time, He took up those surrounding Him into His Uncreated Divine Glory. Moses and Elias participated in the same radiance as Christ. The only difference is that Christ is the Source of Divine radiance, whereas the others are recipients thereof. The reason why Christ was transfigured before His Disciples was that the day of His Crucifixion was approaching: That when they should see Thee crucified, they might know Thy Passion to be voluntary... 1 By His Transfiguration, Christ, on the one hand, bears witness to His Divinity, which His Disciples had confessed shortly before through the mouth of the Apostle Peter; and, on the other hand, He offers an initial experience of the coming of His Kingdom. The fact that we celebrate the Transfiguration on August 6 perhaps does not help us to remember its direct relationship with the Cross of Christ. Only when we consider that a few weeks later, on September 14, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious Cross which is reminiscent of Great Friday do we find its historical connection with the Feast. Holy Transfiguration (August 6) By Prof. George Matzarides, University of Thessalonika Theophanes the Greek s Icon of Holy Transfiguration, late 14th century In other words, as an historical event, the Transfiguration took place a few weeks before the Passion. From an historical standpoint, we would place it in the ecclesiastical Calendar a few weeks before Pascha perhaps as many weeks as now separate it from the Exaltation of the Precious Cross. And we should not reckon it fortuitous that the Church has instituted another Feast in this place: the Feast of the Theologian of the Light of Mt. Tabor, St. Gregory Palamas. Thus, the Second Sunday of Great Lent, five weeks before Pascha, is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas. Moreover, it is significant that in all three Synoptic Gospels the event of the Transfiguration is related immediately after Christ s declaration that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power. 2 Hence, as Patristic Tradition also emphasizes, the Transfiguration of Christ comes as a revelation of the Kingdom of God with power. By His Transfiguration, Christ confirms and strengthens faith in His Divinity, which His Disciples had already confessed. During His Transfiguration, Christ did not assume something that He did not previously possess; rather, He reveals once again, according to the measure that His Disciples could receive it the Glory that He always possessed as God-Man. In other words, the Glory that His Disciples saw on Mt. Tabor was not some transitory phenomenon, but rather the eternal Light of the Divine Nature of Christ.

11 One of the hymnographers of our Church declares this when he says: When you were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, You showed Your disciples Your glory as far as they could bear. 3 The Light of the Transfiguration is the Uncreated Light of the Kingdom of God, which came into the world with the coming of Christ. Of course, the Kingdom of God, being without beginning or end, is not limited by time; rather, it transcends and transforms time. It does not begin at the end of history, but rather already exists within and above it, and it will continue to exist beyond history. In reality, that is, the coming of the Kingdom of God with power is nothing other than its revelation with power. This is not the arrival of something that did not previously exist; instead, that which existed and will always exist is revealed. Just as the Uncreated Light, which was revealed during the Transfiguration to the Disciples, existed from before the ages and abides eternally in the theanthropic hypostasis of Christ, so also the Kingdom of God, which came into the world with Christ, is sometimes revealed to the faithful as a precursor of the Age to Come. The Christian Faith is not based on some moral principle or ideology; rather, it is founded on the revelation of the Kingdom of God in Christ within history. The testimony of the Apostle Peter, in which he makes precise reference to his experience of the Transfiguration in order to proclaim the truth of the Christian message, is striking: For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 4 Without experience of the Heavenly, man is not freed from earthly temptations. The Apostles of Christ, Martyrs, Saints, and ascetics of the Church would not have been able to gain victory over the world and to offer everything to Christ had they not had some taste of Heavenly bliss. One obtains adoption in Christ in the present life. Now are we the children of God, writes the Apostle John the Evangelist, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 5 Man acquires a sense of adoption in Christ in his life by keeping the Divine commandments. By self-abnegation and offering oneself to God and to the Will of God which constitutes a form of death the believer becomes a participant of the Divine Life and Kingdom. The taste of eternity does not begin after the Cross, but rather with the Cross. Obedience to the Will of God unto death already constitutes participation in the resurrection. Just as the Glory of Christ begins with the Cross, which crushes the powers of the Evil One, so also the glory of Christians begins with voluntary acceptance of death for Christ, Who crushes the old man and reveals the new. The Transfiguration of Christ is preparation for the Cross. And the Cross of Christ is the commencement of His Glory as man. By His Transfiguration, Christ does not acquire anything new; rather, He strengthens His Disciples in view of His Crucifixion. His Disciples are in need of this strengthening, in order to face the Cross of their Teacher, as well as their own cross, later, for the Name of their Teacher. The gate of the Kingdom of God is the Cross, and the Glory of God in the world begins with the Cross. Every revelation of the Glory of God within history, whether before or after the coming of Christ, constitutes a model or an extension of the Cross of Christ. Every experience of the Glory of God during this present life presages or accompanies an experience of the Mystery of the Cross. 1. Kontakion for the Feast. 2. St. Mark 9:1; cf. St. Matthew 16:28, St. Luke 9: Apolytikion for the Feast. 4. II St. Peter 1: I St. John 3:2. Source: Orthodoxe Martyria, (Cyprus) No. 49 (Spring-Summer 1996), pp

12 Feast of the Holy Transfiguration History and Customs The Holy Transfiguration, (Greek) or Preobrajenia (Slavic name of the feast) is celebrated on August 6 and commemorates the change (transfiguration) of Christ s appearance on Mount Tabor. The event was described by the evangelists (Mt.17:1-13, Mk. 9:2-9, and Lk. 9:28-36). In the view of His suffering and death, Christ Himself wanted to reveal to the disciples the glory of His divinity, thus proving to them that He was the Deliverer of Israel promised by the prophets. He took Peter, James and John with Him on the Mount Tabor and made them witnesses of His transfiguration. According to an explanation of St. John of Damascus, the Lord took Peter in order to show that he (Peter) will see the heavenly Father s testimony for His Son. He took James to show him that he would die for Christ, as he will drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism. He took John in order to equip him with the understanding that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1). Based on the three Apostles testimony the Christian Church glorifies the event in the feast of Transfiguration, essentially a theophany, a manifestation of God that displays His uncreated divine energy. In Transfiguration we celebrate the divinity of Christ and the call for His faithful followers to allow God to live in their lives. The feast of Transfiguration began to be celebrated in Asia during the fourth century, probable by the Armenians. They celebrated with special solemnity, preparing for it by a six-day fast. From there the feast spread in the Eastern Church, first as a local and unofficial feast, and then became widely accepted. In the first half of the 5th century the feast of Transfiguration was mentioned by Patriarch Proclos of Constantinople ( ), Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria ( ) and the Pope Leo the Great (d. 461). The feast is mentioned also in a liturgical calendar of Jerusalem in the 7th century. In Byzantine manuscripts and the Synaxarion of Constantinople the feast is mentioned at the beginning of the 8th century. At the same time, St. Andrew of Crete mentioned the feast in one of his sermons. By now, needs of worshipping induced St. John of Damascus and Cosmas of Maium, to write hymns for the feast, hymns which are sung til this day in the Orthodox Church. The feast of Transfiguration was acknowledged in the West by the seventh century, but her celebration began only in the fifteenth century. The feast was established in the Latin Church in 1456 by Pope Callistus III, who also wrote the order of service for his Church. It seems that a great victory of Christians (led by the Prince Hunyadi) over the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet II, on August 6 th, 1456, caused great jubilation and was celebrated with the feast of Transfiguration (already celebrated in the East on the same day). The victory of Christians became so more important as the fall of Constantinople took place just few years prior (1453). On the feast of Transfiguration grapes are blessed (prayer in the Liturgikon), and in some countries where grapes do not grow, apples are blessed instead. The custom of offering first fruits of the season is based on the teachings of the Old Testament (Gen. 4:2-4, Ex. 13:23, Num. 15:19-21 and Deut. 8:14) and partly on apostolic establishment (1 Cor. 16:27). The custom is mentioned also in the Canon Law of the Church (canon 46 of Carthage, canon 28 of the 6 th Ecumenical Council). St. John Chrysostom teaches that the farmer receives fruits from the earth not so much from his labor and diligence, but as much from the grace of God returning these to him. The Typikon prohibited the eating of the grapes before 6 th of August and before bringing them to the church and sharing them with his brethren. In the practice of some Slavic Churches (for example, the Russian Church), on the feast of Transfiguration a General Memorial Service is chanted in the church or at the cemeteries. On the same day, a Memorial Services is chanted for the heroes who died defending the country. On the feast of Transfiguration (August 6 th ) we may eat fish, olive oil and wine, even if the feast falls on Wednesday or Friday. Fr. Vasile Mihai

13 Why do we bless grapes on the Feast of Holy Transfiguration? In the ancient Church, during the offering of bread and wine by the faithful, or the celebration of the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist, other products were also offered and blessed, such as wheat, oil, honey, grapes and other fruits, as well as milk, cheese, produce, flowers, and even animals. The first ecclesiastical reaction to this old habit comes to us from the 3rd Apostolic Canon, which, in order to preserve the biblical-apostolic tradition of the offering of only bread and wine at the Divine Eucharist, it prohibited the habit derived from the Old Testament Law of sacrificing animals in the sanctuary, as well as the offering of eucharistic fruits and products during the Divine Liturgy. This Canon in regards to the eucharistic gifts only allows the offering of new green wheat (new wheat stalks) and grapes, with the understanding that such an offering is made for "the appropriate time", that is, the time of the ripening of fruits, "not offered as a sacrifice, but as the first-fruits of sweet fruit". This annual offering of wheat and grapes, as a blessing of firstfruits, had the character of being a thanksgiving to God, "Who has given them to us for our sustenance and healing". The Synod of Carthage (419) insisted on separating the other eucharistic goods from the offering and oblation of the Divine Liturgy. In the 37th and 44th Canons of this Synod it was decided not to mix the first-fruits of bread and wine with either honey or milk, but they are to be blessed separately "for they conflict with the sanctification of the Lord's Body and Blood". The mutual offering of "grapes and wheat" alone was allowed, in the sense that they were always the first-fruits and not a sacrifice, just like the previous Apostolic Canon mentioned. In some churches, however, the priests continued, until the end of the seventh century at least, to mix grape juice with the Divine Eucharist, and "according to a custom which has long prevailed... distributed both to the people at the same time". This matter was discussed at the Sixth Ecumenical Synod in Trullo (Quinisext, 691), which in its 28th Canon ruled that grapes are to be regarded as first-fruits so "the priests may bless them apart [from the offering of the oblation] and distribute them to such as seek them as an act of thanksgiving". In other words, they are blessed separately and given to the faithful, apparently after the Divine Liturgy "to Him Who is the Giver of the fruits by which our bodies are sustained and fed according to His divine decree". Prayers for the first-fruits have been preserved in our liturgical tradition from the third century, and we also encounter in liturgical manuscripts the "Prayer for the Offering of First-Fruits" or "Prayer Upon Offering New Fruits", such as, for example, grapes, figs, pomegranates, apples, peaches, etc. These short texts are full of thanksgiving to God, Who gives "every fruit for the gladness and nourishment of humanity". Man offers in return the "first-fruits", believing that this offering is received from God. Through the offering of the first-produce, there is kept alive the memorial and communion of the gifts of God, and of course the taste and hope of eternal treasures and pleasure. With this ancient tradition, especially with the act of blessing the harvest, they are related to two characteristic ceremonies of the Byzantine Euchologion (Book of Prayers) and the imperial etiquette of Constantinople. The first ceremony is testified to in the oldest liturgical codex, the Barberini Euchologion 336 (8th-9th cent.), titled "Prayer by the Patriarch, When the Harvest is Usually Performed by the King". From subsequent codexes we are informed that this ceremony, which had two prayers for the kings, took place in the Church of Blachernae at the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, on August 15th. The importance of this fact is shown by the presence of the emperor who, as usual, performed the beginning of the harvest and offered the Patriarch the new fruit of the vine. Balsamon mentions this fact, who clearly connects this with the annual offering of first-fruits, especially of grapes, after the Divine Liturgy.

14 The second ceremony of the harvest is testified to and described by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos ( ) in his Book of Ceremonies in the chapter "All That Has Been Preserved for the Day of Harvest to be Done in Iereia". Outside the palace, therefore, in Iereia (Fenerbahçe), a region located on the Asiatic side of the Bosporus, and before the rulers, officials and the emperor, the Patriarch, on the day of harvest, wearing his phelonion and omophorion, blessed the grapes with the special prayer "during the church service". In this ceremony, which was accompanied with improvised hymns, there was an exchange of grapes between the Patriarch and the emperor, as well as a meal, emphasizing the harmonious coexistence of secular and ecclesiastical power, and it had the character of a reaction against pagan Dionysian elements which prevailed at the time during the harvest, the pressing the grapes and the storage of new wine in jars. Therefore, it is clear that the Church in accordance with an old habit always blessed the harvest and the grapes, exactly like it did with the first-fruits and first-produce. There is even a Canon requiring the blessing of wheat and grapes before they are consumed by the faithful. A precise continuation of this tradition is the blessing of the grapes on August 6th, the feast of the Transfiguration. There has survived even a special prayer, which is testified to in manuscripts from the tenth century under various titles, such as "Prayer of the Grapes", "Prayer for the Partaking of Grapes", "Prayer for Grapes and All Fruits" and "Prayer for the Vines and Grapes". It is a simple and brief prayer, by which the Church thanks God, that through "temperate seasons, showers of rain, and calm weather" by His good-pleasure, "we who partake thereof may be filled with joy; and upon those who offer this fruit of the vine for use at Thy Holy Table, may it confer forgiveness of sins, through the sacred and holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ". However, there is not a clear moment when the blessing of the grapes, which is an ancient tradition, became associated with the feast of the Transfiguration. If we consider that this feast, which is among the most ancient of the Christian Church, was officially known in Jerusalem from the seventh century, and was in the Byzantine calendar in the ninth century, we cannot exclude that this association was from the beginning. Besides at that time, the end of the seventh century, there took place, as we saw, the definitive separation of the first-fruits from the offering of the eucharistic gifts. Of course the question is ultimately why we bless grapes on the feast of the Transfiguration. In the relatively old liturgical typikon of Kasoulon (12th cent.), it is noted that the blessing of the grapes took place by the Priest on the 15th of August, after the Divine Liturgy. Something similar was done, as we saw, in Constantinople when on August 15th the Patriarch blessed the grapes in the Church of Blachernae in the presence of the emperor. Most sources connect the blessing of the grapes with the Transfiguration. The Typikon Rule of Saint Neilos, a Hieromonk of the 13th century, says that "on this day we eat grapes, as the Church shows in the typikon". The Typikon of Saint Savvas considers it also a tradition of the Fathers that the blessing of grapes be on the feast of the Transfiguration. The same is true for the Typikon of Riga, which even determines exactly at what point of the Divine Liturgy this blessing takes place: "After the prayer before the ambon, we chant the apolytikion of the feast and the kontakion and the priest of the Lord prays and blesses through the ordained prayer the grapes placed before the icon of Christ". It appears that the time for the blessing of the grapes depended on the conditions of the climate of each region and the period the fruits of these places matured. Therefore, it is not surprising the fact that in one place the grapes were blessed on August 15th and elsewhere on August 6th. Indeed, according to hagiographic sources the offering of grapes took place also on the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross on September 14th. It is natural, therefore, that with the Transfiguration of the Lord the whole world is illumined and glorified. Creation is exhilarated and acquires the brilliance that creation at one time had. The blessing of the grapes, representing the harvest of the world, is a liturgical act that emphasizes the doxological and eucharistic offering of the material and the fruits of the earth to the Creator and God of all things. More so, when this fruit of the vine gives us wine, which Christ blessed in Cana, to show the transfiguration of the world in Christ, He also gave it to us in the Mystical Supper as the element that, with bread, at the time of the Divine Liturgy, are made incorrupt by grace, transformed into the Lord's "Body and Blood", the Divine Eucharist.

15 Orthodox Christian Stewardship: What do Jesus, the Bible, and the Church Fathers Say about Tithing and Giving to God? Where your treasure is there will your heart be also (Mt. 6:21). These words of Jesus have resonated within the hearts of people for two thousand years. What was Jesus talking about? What do Jesus, the Bible, and the Church Fathers have to say about tithing and giving to God? The Scriptures have no less than 2,350 verses having to do with money and money management. Jesus speaks about money and money management more than any other topic including heaven, hell, salvation etc. The topic is very important for the Christian life. In an often misquoted verse, St. Paul the Apostle writes, the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). St. Paul teaches that our Lord realizes that we have needs to meet in order to live and to carry out His work. God is, however, a jealous God and demands our full commitment with nothing else taking precedence over His Lordship in our lives. That is why the Apostle Paul warns his first century Greek congregation that the love of money is evil. All that we have is on loan from God. It is all gift. What we do with our time, talent, and treasures will have to be given account of on the last day. This was the great sin of disobedience by Adam in the Garden of Eden. He abused his gift of stewardship. King Solomon who was the richest and wisest man of all time, expressed his feeling of the emptiness of materialism apart from God when he said, vanity of vanities, it is all a bubble that bursts. In the book of Genesis, the mysterious paradigmatic priest of priests Melchizedek appears to perform one task alone: to collect the tithe from Abraham and to thus confer a blessing upon him on behalf of the Lord (Gen. 14: This clearly shows that Abraham in his righteousness before God gave of his first fruits (his best fruits) unto the Lord and in turn was blessed. This is precisely what God is calling us to do. We as believers are each called upon to give sacrificially of our best resources first and God will take care of the rest as He did with Father Abraham. As individuals, when we become burdened with a mindset of materialism (i.e. non-stewardship focused giving) we become slaves to our wealth instead of our wealth becoming our servants for the promotion of God s Kingdom. This clearly is not the way that God intended it to be. Inevitably, we squanderer the gifts of our resources. Then a multitude of other problems emerge namely the bondage of debt. For truly, as the Preacher teaches in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, the borrower is a slave to the lender (Prov. 22:7). All of these principles not only apply to the individual Christian, but to the life of a congregation as well. Jesus is clear in the New Testament when He says that He would build and grow the Church and that the task at hand for believers is to make disciples who are followers of Jesus amongst the nations. That is what the core culture of a parish and diocese should be all about. That is what the ultimate focus of any and all monetary collections should be about. If you want to know the spiritual state and strength of a church, just look at its stewardship report. Invariably, it tells it all because what people do with their money speaks volumes. We make disciples by giving people Jesus through preaching, teaching, the sacramental life, the liturgical life and outreach ministries. It is to this end that our giving should be focused. If the ekklesia will do its job, Jesus has promised to be faithful and do His. Sacrificial giving for the Christian is not an option, but a joyful obligation. St. John Chrysostom in the 4th century speaks of this joyful obligation in his book On Wealth and Poverty when he writes that the Christian owns nothing because God owns everything. The ecclesial ministry in its essence is not about buildings, budgets, and bodies. The model that we ought to follow is that the Church should be viewed first and foremost as the family of God, not just as another corporation or business. When that happens, the Bible tells us that inevitably God s presence and blessing can be seen manifest in the local eucharistic community because its focus is on Jesus the Author of our salvation. It is then when we see the fullness of the Faith express itself, not only in the transformation of the elements into the Body and Blood of Christ, but when the celebrant and those worshipers present are transfigured into the Body of Christ as well. With these things in mind, proper Christian stewardship for individuals and congregations should include the following four principles: 1) the glorification of God should be the focus; 2) giving should be sacrificial; 3) giving should be of the best of the first fruits of one s resources; and 4) debt has no place in this paradigm. If you would incorporate these four principles of economics into your lives and the life of your congregation, the Lord has promised to do mighty, mighty works in your life and in the lives of all around you. A proper understanding of stewardship is not a luxury in our private life as a Christian and in our collective life as the Ekklesia. For us to be be truly called out from the world as the word ekklesia connotes, is to take up the mantle and responsibility of stewardship and all that it entails. From an article written by John Panagiotu

16 August, 2016 PARISH COUNCIL NEWS Dear Parishioners: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to our community this summer. The other day I stopped by the Hellenic Center and saw a room full of volunteers making Spanakopita for the Greek Festival. It made me so happy to see so many people working together, on a summer week day no less. The Greek Festival, our annual event for the City of Savannah, is right around the corner. We truly need everybody s help this year. If you can help now, please contact the church office and inquire about cooking schedules and times, or go ahead and put your name down as a volunteer for the event on October 6, 7 or 8. We rely greatly on the success of the Greek Festival and need your help. I also want to thank the members of the Parish council for all their hard work and leadership so far this year. Unfortunately, I am very sad to say goodbye to the Mousourakis family. Steve, Mary Catherine and John have moved to Tennessee to begin a new adventure. Mary Catherine was a very hard working Parish council member and her talents will be missed. With that said, we now have a vacancy on the Parish council which we must fill. If you are interested in joining the Parish council please contact me or the church office immediately. Lastly, I want to wish all the students and teachers in our parish a successful new academic year. Best regards, Billy Norse Parish Council President

17 Clergy-Laity Congress and Philoptochos National Convention July 3 rd to 8 th, Nashville, TN St. Paul`s Greek Orthodox Church was represented by Fr. Vasile Mihai and Mrs. Mary Rose Scordas Davis

18 ST. STEPHEN CAMP, DIAKONIA CENTER July 10th to 16th

19 ST. STEPHEN CAMP, DIAKONIA CENTER July 10th to 16th

20 GOYA`s Pool Day at Chris and Sandy Simons HDF dancers at Taste of Culture Left to right : Maddison Warwick Cameron Vatistas Tahlia Sherman Stephen Butchko Aubriana Butchko Zack Sherman Nikki Vatistas Ronald McDonald volunteering, July 20 Kostas Karfakis & Family received St. Paul`s Award

21 Festival Cooking Spanakopita Recipe handed down by Palamiotis Family

22 St. Paul`s and Notes St. Paul`s 66th Annual Greek Festival will be on October 6th, 7th & 8th. WELCOME: To Costa Moraitakis who we welcome to become a member of our great St. Pauls Greek Orthodox Church community THANK YOU: To all of those wonderful volunteers who helped make the SPANAKOPITA Great job!! CONGRATULATIONS: To Karfakis Family : Kostas, Stamata, Aspasia, Katina and Nicki for St. Paul`s Award Next Festival baking dates are: Dolmades: August 17th Night Time crew August 18th & 19th August 23rd Night Time crew August 24th & 25th 5 pm 10 am 5pm 10 am BOOKSTORE Looking for that perfect giftwhether it s for a graduation, wedding, birthday or just trying to keep your kids from being bored?- Check out our bookstore for some unique ideas. We rely greatly on the success of the Greek Festival and need your help. Billy Norse Greek Festival Meeting Sunday, 14th Please plan on attending!! St. Paul's Bookstore is for our community and all interested in learning about our Greek Orthodox faith. Are there books you would like us to stock or order? Are there Icons you would like us to have? Perhaps you have seen items in other church bookstores you would like to see in our bookstore. If so, please let us know and we would be happy to carry them in the bookstore. Contact Helen Xenakis. Remember, our bookstore is here to serve St. Paul's community. Bookstore has Father Vasile `s reference book on Orthodox canon law. This is a very useful handbook which contains references to the canons which deal with different topics. The reference book also has an introduction with some general reflections on the function and use of canon law in the Orthodox Church. V. Mihai. Orthodox Canon Law Reference Book. Brookline, Massachusetts: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2014, 467 pages.

23 St. Paul`s and Notes Food & Wine Tasting Event Greetings & God s blessing to you all. As you may or may not know, the Food and Wine tasting event is quickly approaching us. September 10th will be here before you know it, and we still need loads of help with this very worthy fundraising endeavor. We are asking that if you, or any one you may know could give of their time or items for this event, we would be greatly appreciative. You may know of a small business owner who you could humbly ask for a donation of a gift certificate. Or, you may know of individuals that own vacation rentals that would so graciously donate a weekend at their property. Perhaps you could make a beautiful basket to donate. No donation is too small. Donate, please! We give to many charitable organizations, so every little bit helps. Every donation is tax deductible. There are letters explaining in detail our quest that are available as well as receipts and a tax letter for all those who do donate. We are so grateful for all the help and look forward to hearing from you soon. Please contact Pamela Poulos for further details, or to join our silent auction team. (912) moodiegirllvn@aol.com Philoptochos News On July 20 we served dinner to the guest at the Ronald McDonald House. Thank you to Gabrielle Franklin and Presbytera Danielle Mihai for serving and also to Yia Yia s Kitchen for donating food. The guest had an authentic Greek meal, and loved it. We still have a collection box for household items in the meeting room for the Ronald McDonald House, and we are working on a collection jar for tabs. Please bring a donation, and or save your tabs for the house. The Savannah International Food and Wine Festival will be on September 10, from 3:00 until 6:00. Planning is underway for another great year, but we need your help to make this fundraiser successful. Please contact Bonnie Danos if you are able to work the event. We will need people to pour wine, and serve food. Help is also needed in the Silent Auction. If you would like to help with the auction, please contact Pam Poulos. Summer Sunday School News Summer Sunday school was a huge success. Thank you to the teachers and students who helped make it possible. The school year will begin in September. Registration for the next year will begin in August. If you need to register your child, please see Bonnie Danos. GOYA News There will be no GOYA events in August. As we are all settling in to the new school year we will take a break from GOYA gatherings. News from the St. Stephen's camp will be in September's issue. To be sure your child is included in GOYA news disbursement, be sure your is given to GOYA. If you have received an in the last month regarding anything GOYA then you are on the group list. If you have not and your child is yrs old, please StPaulsGOCGoya@gmail.com. New Officers will be voted in during a meeting in September. Most likely the last Sunday in September (25 Sept). Please pencil in that date for the first GOYA meeting to vote in officers and to discuss the year ahead. Laura Sherman

24 St. Paul s Greek Orthodox Church Stewardship Comparison As of June 30, 2015 As of June 30, 2016 Total Collected $ 73,100 Total Pledged on cards $ 112,800 Total Collected $75,860 (+$2,760) Total Pledged on cards $ 87,800 (-$25,000) Total Families who have turned in a pledge card 146 Total Families who have turned in a pledge card 132 (-14) Thank you to those St. Paul s members who have pledged for We encourage everyone s participation in order for our church to fulfill it s financial obligations and be able to fund the activities and ministries of our church. If YOU have not made a pledge or payment yet this year PLEASE Prayerfully consider making one TODAY

25 Families who turned in a 2016 Pledge Form Helen Alexov Irene Andris Jimmy & Ursla Anestos Effie Antonopolo Peter Antonopolo Jason & Elyzaveta Bateham Oana Bejan & Andre Toma Arthur Bernward Arthur & Thespina Bernard Richard & Sandra Bollig Mark & Donna Brown Maria Burns Fr. John & Presb. Sophia Caparisos Bess Chappas Dr. Chad & Ellen Danos Catrett Catherine Cook Robert & Virginia Chenggis Helen Chiotellis James& Susan Chirbas James & Sia Chokos John & Betty Chokos Julie Chokos Helen Christopher Nick & Barbara Costalas Jonathon & Holly Curry Judge John & Anne Marie Dalis Dean & Bonnie Danos Tommy & Marie Danos Charles& Christina Darden Cynthia & William Davidson Mary Rose Davis Gordon & Athena Dawes Adam & Sue Deleanides Drew Alexander Deleanides George & Alexis Donkar Olga & Stephen Elfrink Gabrielle Franklin Denis & Patti George Nick George Patricia George Florin & Vivian Georgescu Mihai & Anca Georgescu Mary Ann Gonis Anna Maria Goodson Fay Goodson Tia Halatas Steve & Stella Hefner Emil & Alina Iacob Vanessa Jones Daniel& Maria Justus Irene Karakolidis Effie Karatassos Elaine Karatassos Elsie Karatassos Kostas & Stamata Karfakis Kiki Kelly Patrice Kiley Pamela Kline Kim & Faye Kolgaklis Alex & Lynn Koukoulas Helen Koutouzakis Andrew Lamas Catherine Lamas Georgia Lamas Nick & Heather Lambros Stratton & Mary Leopold Pete & Mary Liakakis Dr. Gary Luken Michael & Rene Magulias Basil & Cynthia Mamais Mark & Jan Mamalakis Paul & Debra Mamalakis P.M. & Lynn Manuel Charlie Masterpolis Nicholas Mastopoulos Dr. Peter Mastopoulos George Merritt Fr. Vasile & Presb. Danielle Mihai Anastasia (Anne) Miltiades Alex & Mary Miltiades Dimitri & Robin Miltiades Victor Miltiades Peppi Monas Costa Moraitakis Tony & Cheree Morris Steve & Mary Catherine Mousourakis Jamie Newman Nick & Virginia Nichols Eric & Olga Nordenhaug Billy & Nasia Norse Tina Novit Deno Palamiotis Helen Palamiotis Elaine Papain Connie Pahno Bill & Elaine Pappas Andrew & Dimitra Pashales Helen Pashales James Pethis Alexia Pittas Panayiotis & Peggy Pittas Laurentiu & Rodica Pleasea George & Mercie Polites Nicholas & Pamela Poulos James & Connie Preston Jerry & Katherine Pullium Irene & Anthony Purdy Edwin & Tia Ramsey Irene Roach Michael & Krista Roach Chris & Janice Ronson Sr. Brad & Laura Sherman Tom & Magdaline Sideris Chris & Sandy Simon Pete Simon William Sires, Sr. Jimmy & Deena Stevens Marion & Leah Stoupenos Loukia & Vasili Tsiaras Eve Valdez Betsy & Vasili Varlagas Peter Vatistas & Janice Clement George & Peggy Vaveris Zorica Vukovica Dwayne & Sophia Warwick Darlene & Joe Waters Jerry & Mary Anne Welsh Mary Wetherholt Sean & Gabriella Woods Stanley & Helen Xenakis Luba Zhybaj Jennifer Zhybaj

26 August 7th Ushers: Tommy Danos, George Polites, George Donkar (C), **Sean Woods, Brad Sherman (A), Mark Brown (opening-*leah Stoupenos) Acolytes: St. Peter: George Pittas-Giroux; Drew Crawford, Zach Sherman, Alex McDonnell, Vangeli Tsiaras, Niko Nichols, Luke Lambros August 28th Ushers: Tommy Danos, George Polites, George Donkar (C), Sean Woods, Brad Sherman (A), *Mark Brown (closing **Billy Norse) Nursery: Open w/parental supervision Bookstore: Mary Ann Gonis August 14th Ushers: Pete Simon, *Peggy Pittas, Leah Stoupenos, Tom Sideris (closing ** Brad Sherman ) Acolytes: St. Paul: Atha Stathopoulos, Trevor User, Stephen Butchko, Eugene Mihai, Isaac Morris Nursery: Open w/parental supervision Bookstore: Anna Gounaris Acolytes: St. Paul: Atha Stathopoulos, Trevor User, Stephen Butchko, Eugene Mihai, Isaac Morris Nursery: Open w/parental supervision Bookstore: Deena Stevens * denotes person(s) opening ** denotes person(s) closing August 21st Ushers: Tony Morris, Mary Ann Gonis, Jimmy Anestos, Pete Vatistas, Billy Norse, *Michael Roach (closing- ** Pete Simon) Acolytes:.St. Peter: George Pittas-Giroux; Drew Crawford, Zach Sherman, Alex McDonnell, Vangeli Tsiaras, Niko Nichols, Luke Lambros Nursery: Open w/parental supervision Bookstore: Connie Preston TO ALL VOLUNTEERS - If you are unable to make your scheduled date, please get a substitute-thank you! ALSO-IT- IS- IMPORTANT - TO- BE -ON- TIME.

27 ERA Southeast Coastal Real Estate 134 Brandywine Savannah, GA Office: (912) Cell: (912) Serving hungry Savannahians and visitors for almost West Jones Street Savannah, G Waters Ave Savannah, GA St Paul`s Voice has 3 available spaces for your advertisements, each for only $20/month. You can rent this space for 12 months only pre-paid $20/month. -$ months Call Office paid for details in full : $200. Call the office for 11th, 12th & YIA YIA S KITCHEN 3113 Habersham Street Corner of 48th & Habersham Streets Savannah, GA A family-owned authentic Greek pastry, baked goods and other foods St. Paul`s Hellenic & Cultural Foundation 14 W Anderson St Savannah GA Educate*Promote*Assist*Support Billy Lamas