SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH

Transcription

1 SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH 195 N. Main Street Milpitas, Ca Saturdays Vespers 5:00 p.m. Sundays Matins 8:00 a.m. Sundays Liturgy 10:30 a.m. The Very Reverend Fr. Jiris Hanna (408) Fr. Dcn. Joseph Kawar (408) Issue No. 621 Sunday December 20 (12/7), th Sunday after Pentecost St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan (397) األحد التاسع والعشرون بعد العنصرة - تذكار ابينا البار امبروسيوس )ناجي( اسقف ميالن Matins (Eothina VII): John 20:1 10 Epistle: Colossians 3:4 11 Gospel: Luke 13:10 17 Services This Week Thursday 12/17 at 10am Liturgy Service Great-martyr Barbara and Martyr Juliana, at Heliopolis in Syria (306) St. John Damascene, monk of St. Sabbas Monastery (760) Friday 12/18 at 10am Liturgy Service St. Sabbas the Sanctified (532) Saturday 12/18 at 10am Liturgy Service St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (345) Every Saturday at 5pm - Vespers Service Fr. Giris will be available for confessions after the service Great-martyr Barbara Thursday 12/17 (12/4) According to tradition, St. Barbara was the daughter of the pagan Dioscurus. On discovering that she became a Christian, her father tried to kill her, but she was miraculously transported out of his reach. Dioscurus denounced her to the authorities. Despite being tortured, she refused to denounce her faith. Her father killed her and was immediately struck by lightning and reduced to ashes. As a result of her father's fate, St. Barbara's prayers are especially sought as protection against thunderstorms and fire, and by an extension of this idea she became the patron saint of gunners, miners and firefighters. In the Middle East, the feast of this occasion is marked with a Burbara pudding made from shelled wheat. Some people believe this is in remembrance of a time she was locked up in a storeroom and only had these ingredients available to eat. This is a great aromatic and filling dish for winter.

2 Singing the praises of the Trinity, you followed God by enduring suffering; you renounced the multitude of idols, O holy martyr Barbara. In your struggles, you were not frightened by the threats of your torturers, but cried out in a loud voice: "I worship the Trinity in one God-head." ايتها الشريفة بربارة الالبسة الجهاد. اذ قد تبعت المسيح بحسن عبادة للثالوث. اطرحت المعبودات الوثنية واذ جاهدت في وسط المشهد لم تجزعي من تهديدات المغتصبين هاتفة يا ذات العزم الثابت بصوت جهير. اني اعبد ثالوثا بالهوت واحد Saturday 12/19 (12/6) St. Nicholas the Wonderworker You revealed yourself, O saint, in Myra as a priest, For you fulfilled the Gospel of Christ By giving up your soul for your people, And saving the innocent from death. Therefore you are blessed as one become wise in the grace of God. قد ظهرت كاهنا في ميرا ايها القديس. ألنك لما اتممت انجيل المسيح ايها البار وضعت نفسك عن شعبك. وخلصت االبرياء من الموت. فلذلك تقدست بما انك مسار عظيم لنعمة هللا Nativity Fasting November 28 January 6 Nativity Fast Confessions Fish, Wine, and Oil allowed on all Saturdays and Sundays Wine and Oil allowed on all Tuesdays and Thursdays Strict Fast (No Oil or Wine Allowed) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Fasting is more relaxed on certain days with major feasts. Will be announced every week. Please talk to the priest if you cannot fast for health reasons or for other reasons. Fish is allowed this Thursday 12/17 Oil is allowed this Friday 12/18 Have a Blessed Fast! Please check out the weekly lunches sign-up sheet on the bulletin board at the church entrance. Every family is assigned a Sunday. Please check your date so you can prepare ahead of time. Please talk to Ghada or Georgette for any questions. Fathers Giris is available for pre-nativity Confessions. As essential preparation of our hearts, minds, and souls for the beloved feast of Christ s mystical Birth, we fulfill our duty to confess at least four times a year during the seasonal fasts of Nativity, Pascha, Apostles, and the Dormition. The therapeutic reality of Confession is the more often the better. Let s clean out the stall of our crowded hearts that there may be room to receive Christ. Fasting Lunch This Sunday December 20 will be provided by Yousef & Suzy Hanna and family Thank you and God bless you.

3 *** Food for the Soul *** Christmas 2015 Ladies Auxiliary Bake Sale For The Youth Group Every 1 st & 3 rd Thursday of the month Next Session Thursday 12/17 at 7:30pm Please come for some food for the soul. Fr. Moen would like to have all the youth come for this Bible Study Board of Trustees Nominations This Sunday December 20 If anyone would like to prepare or or bake their favorite goods or make a donation, please bring it to church on the morning of 12/20. Please see Ghada Khoury or Georgette Isied for any questions. Scrip For Your Christmas Shopping Nominations for 2016 Board of Trustees have started. If you are interested in joining the church board in 2016 please talk to Nomination Committee members: Samer Aboujudom, Luma Theodossy, or Heba Khoury before December 20 th The board will evaluate each candidate per the church by-laws. Thank you in advance for your help and support to your church. Happy Birthdays Gina Zoumut 12/14 Jackie Asfour 12/14 Ola Madanat 12/15 Anstas Kafeety 12/15 Chris Aboujudom 12/16 Christopher Swaiss 12/16 Tamer Ajrab 12/19 Samiha Samawi 12/20 عقبال المئة سنة!!! sjoc@earthlink.net for your bulletin personal announcements, comments, or feedback. Using Scrip gift cards is a great way to benefit your church without spending an extra dollar! It is a very convenient way too for your Christmas shopping. Please stop by the Scrip table on Sundays, or call Lilian (408) to see how you can help. Complete list of Scrip vendors is attached within this bulletin . HEY KIDS 12 & Under Be Good!!! SANTA is Coming to Town He will ring his bell and give out Christmas Presents. Bring your camera and take a picture with Santa! And don t forget to bring your parents with you!!!

4 Looking for meaningful gifts this Christmas Season? Check out St. James Bookstore for all your shopping Icon Ornaments for your Christmas tree Wide selection of Sterling Silver Jewelry (crosses, lockets, rings) Books & DVDs for children & Adults Icons in all sizes silver & 24k gold plated & gold leaf Icons 2016 Icon Calendars Prayer ropes, night lights, car icons, refrigerator magnets, bath & body products, cell phone cases & much more!! Special orders welcome Sjocbookstore@gmail.com

5 About Burbara Eid el Burbara, celebrated on December 17 (12/4), is a very popular holiday in the Middle East. This holiday refers to Saint Barbara who disguised herself in different characters in order to escape the Romans who were persecuting her. She used to hide in wheat fields. That s why we eat this wheat dessert at Saint Barbara s Day. Ingredients: (20 servings) 1 lb crushed peeled (shelled) wheat 1 lb raisins 1 lb dried apricots 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons fennel 2 teaspoons anise 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon of cloves Crushed walnuts Almonds (peeled, halved, soaked in hot water) 20 tablespoons sugar (optional according to taste) Pomegranate seeds Making Burbara Directions: Wash wheat and soak overnight. Drain, place in a pot and cover it with cold water to 1 or 2 inches above wheat. Boil water until wheat is tender. Then add the spices and sugar. Wash raisins, dice apricots and add to the boiling mix. Boil for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with almonds and crushed walnuts; top with semi-sweet pomegranate seeds. كل عام وأنتم بخير St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Saturday 12/19 (12/ 6) by Metropolitan Augoustinos Kantiotis of Florina "Some say: At that time! You make us crazy with this. We constantly hear at that time, at that time, at that time [a miracle occurred]. These are not correct, however. It was not only back then that miracles occurred. The power of Christ remains inexhaustible; yesterday and today and tomorrow, and until the close of the age, until the setting of the sun and the rivers cease to flow and the stars cease to shine in the heavens, the power of Christ and of His Saints will work wonders. Do you want an example? From I was in Kozani, the capital of Western Macedonia. Those were terrible days for our nation. The rebels seized over 300 people from Kozani, innocent people, and they locked them in prison in Kozani, where they were awaiting their fate. There was great agony throughout the city. The morning of December 6th was the day on which Kozani celebrates St. Nicholas as their patron in their beautiful and historic church of St. Nicholas, Kozani. It was a feast day therefore in Kozani, but the Christians however were so saddened and worried, that that day tears were running from their eyes. Then I was a

6 preacher of the city, and so I ascended the ambo [the elevated walkway in front of the Iconostasis], and moved by sacred emotion, I said the following few words: Today St. Nicholas of Kozani celebrates. Today St. Nicholas is in mourning and weeps, for innocent men are in the prisons. As those glorious soldiers were in the prisons and were saved by Nicholas, thus today also, in the prison of Kozani there are these innocent men. Continuing, in danger of my life, I called out dramatically to the rebels, towards the Captain Marko Vafeiadi, who ruled the region during that time and was an untamed terror. I told them: In the name of the Nazarene, in the name of the righteous one, in the name of humanity, you must, on this holy day of St. Nicholas, free these innocent men. Thus I spoke. And though I was addressing hard hearts, through these the Saint appeased the most relentless characters. As the sun melts wax, thus his intervention melted the hearts of those men. The same evening, before the sun set, the 300 people of Kozani were freed and on the streets of Kozani! And no wonder why the miracle with the three soldiers is especially moving. He saved the three soldiers when he was in Lycia bodily, he saved the three in Constantinople when he was in heaven, and he saved 300 people of Kozani in our days. A SPIRITUAL FATHER If a person sincerely seeks salvation with his whole heart, God will lead him to a true instructor. Do not worry, each will find the one who is just right for him. - St. Leo Why We Fast Before Christmas The time of preparation before Christmas is intended to be a time of purposeful asceticism, almsgiving, and learning to say yes to God while saying no to our own desires. of everyday life. If only this were the case. But Christmas, and especially in present day America, has become a time of great anxiety and materialism, despite the fact that most every song one hears, most every retail ad one reads, and most every film that is produced with Christmas as a theme will try to convince us that it s a time for warmth, joy, spending time with family, and even taking a break from the regular hustle On the contrary, Christmas a period of time that seems to grow longer and more arduous by the year is preceded by ominous social media status updates that lament: I can t believe it s already November Christmas is just around the corner, or My children won t stop bothering me about getting their favorite electronic toy I can t wait until Christmas is over, and so on. Many will also complain: Wow. I am not ready for Christmas. Where has the time gone?

7 This grief and anxiety should not be. No, we have certainly missed the purpose of this feast and the time of preparation and fasting that precedes it if all we can do is approach it with stress and sorrow. As I mentioned above, the time before Nativity Advent (or Coming ) in the West, and the Fast of St. Philip the Apostle (due to its beginning on the eve of this Saint s feast) or simply the Nativity fast in the Orthodox Church is intended to be utilized for one s Spiritual benefit (and indeed, for the life of the world), not for remorse or regret. The Nativity fast dates to the year 1166 and a synod at Constantinople, where our fathers inaugurated a forty-day period of fasting and preparation before the annual celebration of Christ s Incarnation. This period of forty days is analogous to the forty days that Moses fasted before receiving the commandments from God. Of this connection, St. Symeon of Thessaloniki (ca. A.D ) writes: The Nativity Forty-day Fast represents the fast undertaken by Moses, who having fasted for forty days and forty nights received the Commandments of God, written on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, will reflect upon and receive from the Virgin the living Word not written upon stone, but born, incarnate and we will commune of His Divine Body. If nothing else, then, the time of prayer and fasting before Nativity reminds us that we, as Orthodox Christians, are given the immense and unthinkable blessing, privilege, and honor of receiving the very Body and Blood of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. But as we say yes to Christ in the holy mysteries, we must also learn to say no to ourselves, making a point to both follow Christ and serve those in need. It is no coincidence that Christ, in one of the Gospel readings during Nativity exhorts: Whoever does not bear his cross as well as forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27,33). While the faithful prepare to receive Christ anew in his Incarnation, we must also be prepared to relinquish whatever it is we possess that keeps us from the glory of his everlasting kingdom. But even as the faithful are called to a period of spiritual quietude and even asceticism during this fasting period, we should not engage in asceticism and bear this cross as an end unto itself. Rather, we learn to say no to ourselves so that we can say yes to God. And in saying yes to the poor and the needy, we are saying yes to Christ, so that we might share in the vision of Cornelius, hearing: Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God (Acts 10:4). An effective remedy for the anxieties and desires of this time of year is found in a concern for our fellow man. Rather than being so caught up in the materialism and me too nature of contemporary celebrations, Orthodox Christians should play a pivotal role in showing a wholly better and more noble way forward. Incidentally, the other Gospel readings throughout the Nativity fast remind us not only why we are participating, but also how we can make the most out of it. For example, we should not lay up treasure for ourselves, while neglecting God (Luke 12:16 21), but should rather be rich towards God and by consequence, towards those who are in need. We should not make excuses when it comes to serving or helping those in distress (Luke 13:10 17). And, of course, we should be willing to sell all that [we] have and distribute to the poor (Luke 18:22). It s in these virtues, and in a genuine concern for others, that we can be released from the empty cares of this world, especially as they are emphasized during the holiday season. If we give to the poor, we are giving to God. If we say no to our own desires, we can fulfill the needs of those who are looking for someone anyone that is willing to say yes on their behalf. As families, we can help our children give or donate to a family, friend, or even a complete stranger in need, rather than providing them with more and more stuff. As individuals, we can honor the fast, spend more time in prayer, and make a conscious effort to love our neighbors as ourselves, dedicating this season to be a time for true, spiritual growth. We can practice the religion of St. James that is pure and undefiled before God: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27). Instead of overeating for the next month, spending countless hours at parties and other premature celebrations, we can fast from our regular intake of food so that we have more time and resources to give to those who are truly in need not to mention more focus and attention for prayer and spiritual growth. Rather than approaching this Nativity season with anxiety and distress, dedicate yourself to the true spirit of the season and the greater purpose that lies within: the salvation and healing of the world through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

8 Family Fiesta Night Join St. James' families for a night of socializing & fun! When: Saturday, January 9th 5:30 PM Where: St. James Church Hall Pre-sale tickets $15 per person $18 at the door 3 & under free Full Taco Bar with grilled chicken, carne asada, & shredded beef tacos, dessert & drinks Fun for the whole family!! Including a piñata for the kids!! For tickets contact: Luma, Heba or Monty

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