The Nativity of Jesus and Our Salvation

Transcription

1 V O L U M E 7 I S S U E 04 D E C E M B E R His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Primate The His Grace, Bishop JOHN Auxiliary Bishop for Worcester and New England Rev. Fr. Milad Selim, Dean Rev. Fr. Seraphim Solof Assistant Pastor Rev. Dn. Anthony Payne T H E M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R O F S T. G E O R G E O R T H O D O X C A T H E D R A L W O R C E S T E R, M A S S A C H U S E T T S Feast of the Theophany Reflection Join us as we host our Diocese for the Feast of the Theophany on January 5th with His Grace Bishop JOHN and our Diocesan Clergy. A luncheon will be served following the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water. Orthros is at 9 AM and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10 AM. The Nativity of Jesus and Our Salvation Services, Christmas carols, family, gifts and food unite us all at this time of the year as we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate this Feast with joy and gladness as it marks the beginning of our Salvation Fr. Milad Selim through the Incarnation of God in the flesh. By coming into this world, God rejoined us to Himself by bringing the Good News to us and bringing us to His Kingdom. His message uplifted and liberated His creation, which was held captive by the evil one and heading toward nothingness. He descended from His heavenly throne so that we may ascend. He filled us with Himself by putting on our human flesh, illustrating to us perfect humanity, free from any sin. Though He became man, Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, never ceased to be God. In other words, His incarnation did not jeopardize or diminish His Divinity. At no point in time during His earthly ministry did He separate His dual natures Divine and Human. These two natures were united hypostatically. St. Athanasius the Great, defended this Orthodox dogma against heretics by saying, For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ. Moreover, Christ s earthly ministry was His voluntary action due to His love for the world He created. Scripture teaches us that from the moment of His birth, Jesus was born in order to die. His mission was to destroy death by His own death and to grant us life through His Resurrection. His ministry began and ended with much rejection from those who were threatened by Him. His message of peace and love was too difficult for them to hear and fathom: a simple man, calling Himself the Son of God, speaking with a level of authority never seen or heard before and promising forgiveness of sins, a radical man indeed for those who were awaiting the coming of the Messiah, one who would further advance their false ideologies and desires. Yet this same Messiah came into this world preaching peace, love and salvation to the entire human race saying, He who has ears, let him hear. To fully comprehend the joy of His birth from a theological point of view, one must also understand and reflect on the historical context surrounding it. At that time, Mary was betrothed to Joseph who was a righteous man from the line of David. Upon hearing the words of the Archangel Gabriel, Mary proclaimed, I am the Lord s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled. Her obedience and willingness to become the bearer of God (Theotokos), activated the Divine Plan of God for the salvation of the world. When the time for her to give birth to Jesus came, the Gospel tells us that, there was no place for them in the inn so His birth took place in a cave, similar to the one He would be placed in 33 years later. We also read that due to His foretold Kingship, Herod the king was threatened by Him and sought to kill Him, causing Jesus and His family to seek refuge in Egypt. They later fled to Nazareth out of fear as Archelaus, the son of Herod, was now reigning in Judea in place of his father (Matthew 2:22). As one can see from this short Biblical recollection, Jesus was persecuted from the moment He was born. Therefore my beloved, as we reflect on Christ s birth and the tragic events surrounding us today, we rejoice even in our anguish as His birth has brought us joy and tranquility. By putting on our humanity, He has clothed us with Himself through water and the Spirit. Let us then receive Him with songs of praise and contrite hearts, with peace and humility. Khouria Nichole, Natalie, Noah, Julian and I would like to wish all of you a joyous Feast. May this season be filled with grace, peace and joy for each and every one of you and for the world He so loves, Amen. +

2 FR. SERAPHIM S Who is my neighbor? Last month, we heard the story of the Good Samaritan (St. Luke 10:25-37). The protagonist, a lawyer i.e., one who had professional expertise in interpreting and applying the Law of Moses asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered his question with a question: What is written in the law? How do you read? The man answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus concurred. But then, desiring to justify himself, the lawyer asked Him: And who is my neighbor? And Jesus replied by telling him the story of the Good Samaritan. I won t recount the story verbatim you can (please) read it for yourself. In the end, the neighbor did not turn out to be the priest, who passed by the wounded man on the other side of the road. Neither was it the Levite, who similarly avoided the encounter with him. They may have been neighbors to the man in the technical sense they were like him, near to him in significant ways: the same nationality, same race, same religion, same party; perhaps they were even acquaintances from Jerusalem. But when God put them to the test (just as the lawyer was putting Jesus to the test), they failed. Because they failed to respond to him as a neighbor would failed, in the words of the gospel, to show mercy to him. Shockingly, no doubt, to the lawyer and any bystanders, it was the Samaritan who proved to be his neighbor: yes, one of those loathsome Samaritans who were so alienated from the Jews that when Jesus spoke with a woman from Samaria (St. John, chapter 4), she was bewildered because Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. But as the parable makes clear, this was beside the point. The Good Samaritan proved himself neighbor to the man set upon by robbers because he showed We are put to the test whenever God puts someone in our path. We prove ourselves neighbors only to the extent that we act like neighbors that we show mercy to one other. him mercy. He may not have been a neighbor to him in the technical sense, but he became one in a very real sense through his actions. I m thinking about this story as our country seems, in so many ways, to be tearing itself apart at the seams. The divide between the parties, the classes, the states, the races you name it! hasn t seemed this great in a very long time. Even the church is not immune from these same sorts of tears in its (ideally) seamless garment. The lesson of the story of the Good Samaritan is one we need to hear and heed: we are put to the test whenever God puts someone a potential neighbor in our path. It does not matter whether we are of the same nationality, race, religion or party. We prove ourselves neighbors only to the extent that we act like neighbors that we show mercy to one other. In fact, Jesus commands the lawyer and us to do precisely this. + Worcester 28 Lake Avenue Fax: Westboro 3A Colonial Drive Fax: Home of the Famous Regatta Club EST The St. George Basketball Team was organized in 1964 and won the divisional title in The team tied for first place in the New England Region of SOYO. These uniforms belonged to Ronald Dill, son of Rose (Abdelmaseh) Dill, and were donated to the Archives by Kathy Dill, his sister-in-law. + Est Plantation Street, Worcester Toll Free Fax: The best parties begin at 408 Pleasant Street, Worcester edhyders.com Dr. George Debs Dr. Jaclyn Debs Dr. Saman Pezeshki Dr. Ryan Chin 352 Boston Tpke. 440 Arsenal St. Shrewsbury Watertown

3 Reflection by St. John Chrysostom on the Feast of the Nativity I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in the place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. This day He Who Is, is Born' and He Who Is, becomes what He Was Not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word, He became Flesh, His nature because of impassibility, remaining unchanged. This day, He Who was ineffably Begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin: in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father; in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knows the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence, and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works. And what shall I say? And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant. He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this, He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His Spirit; and so He bestowing, and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me. He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Come and we shall commemorate the solemn festival. It is a strange manner of celebrating a festival; but truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been implanted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He has come on earth, while being whole in heaven; and while complete in heaven, He is without diminution on earth. Though He was God, He became Man; not denying Himself to be God. Though being the impassable Word, He became flesh; that He might dwell among us. He did not become God, He was God. Wherefore He became flesh so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. + Snow Plowing Salt/Sanding Asphalt Paving Sealcoating Landscaping & Retaining Wall Construction Suburban Blacktop A s p h a l t P a v i n g & E x c a v a t i o n C o n t r a c t o r Free Estimates Ron McDonald, Owner cell: suburbanblacktop.com e l b a s h a r e s t a u r a n t. c o m 423 Boston Post Rd. Sudbury Connector Rd. Westborough Belmont St. Worcester Park Ave. Worcester Now Open 880 Walnut St., Newton Partnering with healthcare organizations to maximize the value of the MEDITECH EHR w w w. n a v i n h a f f t y. c o m 1900 West Park Drive, Suite 180 Westborough 520 Main Street Shrewsbury

4 UPCOMINGEVENTS 1 4 Marriage Seminar at the Chancery with Bishop JOHN Women s Club meeting, new officers will be elected 23 JAN Sunday School s Nativity Pageant Winter Family Camp at Antiochian Village Come on in and shop at the St. Nicholas Gift Shop Great Gifts for all occasions: Baptism, Birthday, Name Day, Graduation, Engagement and much more at reasonable prices!!! Please stop by and see us. All credit / debit cards accepted. Gift Certificates available. 6 9 Men s Club Lobster Supper Spiritual Brew during coffee hour FEB Teen Winter Camp at Antiochian Village Contact the Cathedral office or organization members for more details. CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKET SCHEDULE This year we will be helping 200 families in the Worcester area 20 Unload trucks Recent Holy Sacraments Celebrated FUNERALS Jeannette MacKoul November 5, Anna Street, Worcester, MA stgeorgeworc@gmail.com w w w.stgeorgeworcester.org To advertise for $65/month contact the Cathedral Office. 21 Pack Food Baskets 22 Deliver Food Baskets WEDDINGS Cassandra Boosahda & Michael Moreshead November 11, Anna Street Worcester, MA Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Worcester, MA Permit No. 46 Diocese of Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Christian Archdiocese of North America The 2018 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

5 December 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Marriage Seminar at the Chancery with Bishop JOHN 10am 2 9 Spiritual Brew Women s Club 6pm Election of Officers 5 Great Vespers at St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church 6 pm 6 Feast of St. Nicholas Service at St. Nicholas Orthros 9am Liturgy 10am Men s Club Lobster Dinner 6pm Vespers:5 pm Parish Council Meeting 7pm Unload Truck for Food Baskets 7:00 PM 21 Pack Food Baskets 1:00 PM 22 Deliver Food Baskets 10:00 AM 23 Christmas Play 24 Royal Hours 9 am Orthros 6 PM Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 7 pm 25 Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Men s Club 6pm Women s Club 6pm Diocesan Feast of the Theophany service and luncheon Orthros 9 am Hierarchical Liturgy 10 am