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. 646 Sunday June 12 (5/30), 2016 Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council St. Isaac the Confessor, founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (383) أحد االباء القديسين المجتمعين في المجمع االول في مدينة نيقية تذكار ابينا البار اسحاقيوس رئيس دير الدلماتن Matins (X): John 21:1 14 Epistle: Acts 20:16 18, Gospel: John 17:1 13 Services This Week Tuesday 6/7 at 10am Third Finding of the Precious Head of St. John the Baptist Wednesday 6/8 at 10am وداع عيد الفصح Pascha Leavetaking of Thursday 6/9 at 7pm عيد الصعود Lord The Ascension of Our The Ascension of Our Thursday June 9 T he Great Feast of the Glorious Ascension is the root of our confidence in much of our Christian life. If you lack confidence you need to celebrate and ponder the Glorious Ascension. The Glorious Ascension is the root of our confidence that we can be saved. When we feel overcome by sinful habits and find them so difficult to break, we need only remember our Lord s words, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (St. Matt. 28:18). Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father. He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and on the basis of that authority he has commissioned His Church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to observe all that He has commanded. Our Savior has Ascended and Reigns to accomplish the task of making us disciples, regenerating us by the Mystery of Holy Baptism, and teaching us to observe His every word. We are His project. He has great interest in our progress, and He has every resource and all power to fulfill the miraculous promises of baptism, and to overcome our weaknesses and powerful destructive habits. Whatever lack in spiritual power you possess, Christ has, and will give to you

2 from the right hand of the Father. When you despair of obtaining heaven remember that human flesh, this dust of the earth, now sits on the throne of the universe. Humanity belongs in heaven. The Glorious Ascension is our confident joy. What could make a lover happier than knowing that the beloved is in a blessed place? If we love Christ, if we have witnessed His unjust and cruel betrayal, trial, mockery, scourging, crucifixion and burial, how can we not now rejoice with joy inexpressible that our Savior, so violently mistreated here on earth, has been exalted to the premier position of the universe at the right hand of the Father, has been vindicated by God before the entire angelic host, and now as the God-Man rules all? This is the meaning of our Lord s words to His disciples, You have heard Me say to you, I am going away, and coming back to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I am going to the Father (St. Jn. 14:28). The Ascension is the Father s reversal of the judgment of unjust men. Men judged Christ worthy of an ignominious death, but the Father has judged the Son worthy of all authority in heaven and earth. The Glorious Ascension is our confidence to approach the throne of God in worship. What is our confidence that we shall be accepted into the Throne- Room of the Great King? What is the cause of our boldness to go in worship where spotless angels dare to tread? The answer to that is The Glorious Ascension. We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens so we are able to draw near with confidence (Heb. 4:14-16). May God look from heaven and grant to you every blessing which flows from the Glorious Ascension of Christ. And may we all obtain to that place where Christ has exalted our nature, heaven itself. Christ is ascended! From earth to heaven! خميس الصعود - ٩ حزيران في هذا اليوم. الخميس من األسبوع السادس من الفصح. ن عي د لصعود رب نا وإلهنا ومخل صنا يسوع المسيح إلى السم اء وجلوسه عن يمين اآلب بالمجد. م ثب ت ا تالميذ ه بموعد انسكاب الر وح القدس. فبعد أربعين يوم ا من قيام ت ه وظهوره للت الميذ. يعود الر ب بالمجد إلى أبيه لي عد لنا مكان ا )يو 1- : 14 3(. حامال معه طبيعت نا التي أل ه ها. وواع د ا إي انا بالروح الق د س. ع ربون ذلك المجد ومبدإ تأل ه نا. هذا ما ن سم يه الهوت التأل ه. فقد صار هللا إنسان ا. ألصير أنا اإلنسان إله ا. فيا من صعد بمجد إلى الس ماوات. أي ها المسيح إله نا ارحمنا. آمين ENVY Envy comes from pride, as well as not fulfilling what is necessary. Cain was careless in offering the required sacrifice to God. But when God rejected his sacrifice because of his carelessness and accepted the fervent sacrifice of Abel, then, because of envy, he decided to kill the righteous Abel. It is best to try to exterminate envy at the very start with humble prayer, humble confession, and prudent silence. - St. Ambrose

3 June 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 7:30 pm Parish Bible Study 3 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Sts. Constantine & Helen 4 5pm Great Vespers 5 6 th Sunday of Pascha (Sunday of the Blind Man) 1:30pm Ladies Meeting :00 am Divine Liturgy Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist 8 9 7:00 pm Divine Liturgy The Ascension of Our Lord Last Day of Sunday School 12 7 th Sunday of Pascha Sunday of the Holy Fathers 5:00pm Fund raising dinner for the Life Giving Spring Monastery :30 pm Parish Bible Study :00 am Divine Liturgy- Commemoration of the Dead Pentecost Sunday & Kneeling Fast Free Week Service Father s Day Luncheon 21 Fast Free Week 22 Fast Free Week 23 Fast Free Week 24 Fast Free Week 10:00 am Divine Liturgy Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas 25 7:00 pm Skin Health Presentation & Dinner Fast Free Week 26 Sunday of All Saints 27 Beginning of the Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter & Paul 28 Apostles Fast 29 Apostles Fast 30 Apostles Fast Notes:

4 Icon of the Feast of the Ascension The icon of The Ascension of Our Lord is a joyous icon. It is painted with bright colors. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla. A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a symbol of teaching. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Chur ch, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work. The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the whiteness of the garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church.

5 The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. St. Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. A t that time, St. Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church. The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; it receives its commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit. O Christ our God, You ascended in Glory and gladdened Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Your blessing assured them that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world Altar Servers This Sunday 6/5 Mark Your Calendar St. James 11 th Annual Food Festival September 16, 17, 18 Happy Birthdays Antonio Khoury Lutfi Theodossy Laith Theodossy Attention Parents and Friends of 2016 Graduates! *** 2 Weeks Until Deadline *** Lubna Khadder 6/6 Isaac Halasa 6/7 Adrian Nassar 6/7 Savannah Raie 6/9 Markella Bosl 6/9 عقبال المئة سنة!!! You can post a FREE personal congratulation message to your graduates in the bulletin. Just your greetings to sjoc@earthlink.net Graduates: Please your graduation picture or regular pictures to sjoc@earthlink.net to be posted in the bulletin. Nadim & Samar Khoury 6/12 For Many Years! Graduates pictures and greetings will be posted during the week of June 22. sjoc@earthlink.net for your bulletin personal announcements, comments, or feedback.

6 True Beauty. Is it only Skin Deep? Dinner & Healthy Skin Workshop St. James Orthodox Church Saturday, June 25, :00-9:00pm $20 donation per person Dinner provided! True Beauty and real health, there is only one place where these two come together in a perfect blend; a glowing, vibrant skin. How can we create this perfect blend? Are expensive cosmetics the answer? Are there any other ways to build beautiful skin? Do your bathroom habits play any role? What is the one super food that makes all the difference? Get the answers to these and many more important questions on skin, hair, and nails health and beauty. Learn what are the myths and the reality of skin care and enjoy a great evening at the church. Come to this fun, entertaining, and above all educational lecture and bring a friend as well! Please contact Yanni (415) or Anna Keilo (650) to RSVP!

7 *** Food for the Soul *** Mark Your Calendar St. James Annual Christmas Party Saturday November 19, 2016 Scrip Scrip Scrip For Dads & Grads Father s Day and Graduations are just around the corner. Please consider buying Scrip gift cards for dads and your graduates. Big variety of restaurants and department stores. Complete list of retailers at Please allow one week for delivery. See or call Lilian (408) to place your order early. For The Whole Parish Every 1 st & 3 rd Thursday of the month Next Session Thursday 6/16/16 at 7:30pm Please come for some food for the soul. We will split into three groups in the church, hall, and upstairs, with Fr. Giris, Fr. Moen, and Dn. Joseph. Lunch This Sunday June 12 will be provided by Monty & Jehan Swaiss and family Thank you and God bless you. Congratulations To all our Sunday School students for completing another successful year of Sunday School with faith and spiritual education and fun! The school had a pizza party on their last day of school on Sunday June 5. Sunday School will resume again in September. Have a great and blessed summer! Special thanks to Sunday School teachers: Carol Kafeety Anna Keilo Mayce Keilo Marya Hussary Andrea Yacoub Luma Theodossy Heba Khoury for all the great work and determination to have a very successful Sunday School. May God bless you all and bless your efforts and hard work.

8 THE VICARIATE FOR Palestinian /Jordanian ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES IN AMERICA Monthly Schedule Sheet JUNE 2016 The Very Rev. Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Damaskinos Alazrai ======================================================================================================================= Saturday, June 4th, 2016 Spiritual Lecture 9200 White Ln, BAKERSFIELD, CA :00 am Sunday, June 5th, 2016 Divine Liturgy Orthodox Church of the Annunciation 2525 Etiwanda Ave. San Bernardino Ca :00 am Sunday June 5th, 2016 Spiritual Lecture 612S Birchleaf Dr. ANAHEIM Ca :00 pm Wednesday, June 8th, 2016 Sunday, June 12th, 2016 Friday, June 17th, 2016 Sunday, June 19th, 2016 Sunday June 26th, 2016 Divine Liturgy for the Feast Of The Ascension Divine Liturgy Trisagion Service For The Saturday of The Dead & Spiritual Lecture Divine Liturgy For the Pentecost Sunday 0 /.-,+ #*%)$ ($'&%$ #"! ('&%$ 92/%$ /1 0'A@%$ 0?>= <2/;:%$ Divine Liturgy St. Stephen Orthodox Church Hirschfeld Way Rancho Cordova Ca St. James Orthodox Church 195 North Main St. Milpitas, Ca St. St. Matthew Church th Street Ceres (SUBURB OF MODESTO) Ca Orthodox Church of the Annunciation 2525 Etiwanda Ave. San Bernardino Ca Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church 1924 Trinity Ave. Walnut Creek CA :00 pm 10:30 am 7:00 pm 10:00 am 11:30 am SUNDAY, JUNE 12TH, 2016 ARCHIMANDRITE DAMASKINOS WILL SERVE AT ST. JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH AND A ONE YEAR MEMORIAL FOR HIS BELOVED MOTHER THE HANDMAID OF GOD BAN JOSEPH RAZOUK TOMA ALAZRAI AFTER LITURGY To Contact The Very Rev. Archimandrite Damskinos 6$.543(2 10+/.-,+*% )( '&%$#"! Father Damaskinos Office Address: Justinian Dr. - Rancho Cordova CA Tel: Damaskinosalazrai@yahoo.gr Christ Is Risen Indeed He Is Risen ;:9 :>= <<< ;:9 8537%

9 Tuesday June 7 (5/25) Third Finding of the Precious Head of St. John the Baptist The Third Discovery of the Venerable Head of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John occurred in about the year 850. The head of St John the Forerunner was found in the city of Emesia during a time of unrest at Constantinople connected with the exile of St John Chrysostom. It was transferred to Komana during the Saracen raids (about ) and it was hidden in the ground during a period of iconoclastic persecution. When the veneration of icons was restored, Patriarch Ignatius ( ) saw in a vision the place where the head of St John the Forerunner was hidden. The patriarch communicated this to the emperor, who sent a delegation to Komana. There the head was found a third time arond the year 850. Afterwards the head was again transferred to Constantinople, and here on May 25 it was placed in a church at the court. Part of the head is on Mt. Athos. By giving your venerable head to a sinful woman, Herod broke the law of God. But we behold it and cry out for joy, And say to you, O forerunner: Pray to the Lord that He may grant mercy to us all! ان العمود االلهي الساطع الضياء في العالم والمصباح السابق الشمس العقلية. قد اظهر هامته االلهية المتشحة بالنور. فيتقدس بها الذين في اقطار االرض ساجدين لها. وهاتفين بايمان: يا صابغ المسيح الحكيم ابتهل ألجل خالصنا جميعا. Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Tyre Saturday June 11 (5/29) Saint Theodosia of Tyre lived during the third and fourth centuries. Once, during a persecution against Christians, which had already lasted for five years, the seventeen-year-old Theodosia went up to condemned Christian prisoners in the Praetorium in Caesarea, Palestine. It was the day of Holy Pascha, and the martyrs spoke about the Kingdom of God. St Theodosia asked them to remember her before the Lord, when they should come to stand before Him. Soldiers saw that the maiden bowed to the prisoners, and they seized her and led her before the governor, Urban. The governor advised the maiden to offer sacrifice to the idols but she refused, confessing her faith in Christ. Then they subjected the saint to cruel tortures, raking her body with iron claws until her bones were exposed. The martyr was silent and endured the sufferings with a happy face, and to a second suggestion by the governor to offer sacrifice to the idols she answered, You fool, I have been granted to join the martyrs! They threw the maiden with a stone about her neck into the sea, but angels drew her out from the depths. Then they threw the martyr to the wild beasts to be eaten by them. Seeing that the beasts would not touch her, they cut off her head. By night St Theodosia appeared to her parents, who had tried to talk their daughter into not going to the sufferings. She was in bright garb with a crown upon her head and a luminous gold cross in her hand, and she said, Behold the great glory of which you wanted to deprive me!

10 The Holy Martyr Theodosia of Tyre suffered for Christ in the year 307 or 308. On May 29 we commemorate the transfer of her relics to Constantinople and Venice. She is also commemorated on April 3 Through your striving, O venerable Theodosia, You inherited a life of peace. By shedding your blood, you vanquished the enemy of the Church of Christ. As you rejoice now in His presence, ever pray to Him for us all! انك بأوجاعك ورثت الحياة التي ال وجع فيها و بدمائك خنقت الون عدو كنيسة المسيح يا كلية المديح. واآلن فبما انت ماثلة لدى المسيح مسرورة ال تنفكي مبتهلة من اجلنا On the Sin of Anger By Father George Calciu 1 The Savior warns us in severe terms concerning anger that gives birth to verbal conflicts and the use of abusive words. I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:22). See, therefore, that Jesus sanctions neither anger expressed outwardly nor anger in one's thought. No one thinks evil without corrupting the heart in which God should dwell. Whoever is angered in thought against his brother tears apart a sacred tie between him and the other. And this tie is difficult to reestablish, because the demon of anger, once it has penetrated the heart, fabricates numerous arguments in your defense that stop you from reconciling. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the holy Apostle Paul gives a series of counsels to the inhabitants of the city of Ephesus and emphasizes the sin of anger in a special way. Knowing that man gets angry for many reasons and that this anger has the tendency to remain in the heart of man and to transform it into hatred (or at least to dig a gulf between us), the Apostle counsels us not to allow the sun to go down upon our anger. Through this counsel, the power of anger--which often hurts and eventually becomes a deep-rooted sin--is swept away and its power dissolved. I am concerned about the sin of anger as an everyday sin committed against those who are close to us: against our family, friends, colleagues, and anonymous strangers who happen to cross our path. In an instant, anger expressed through fiery words against our wife or husband wounds the sensitive bond between the married couple. In the mystery of marriage, the Bridegroom is the symbol of Jesus, and the Bride is the Church. The holy Apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the Ephesians--the Epistle that is read at the crowning service [the marriage ceremony]--in this sense speaks about the family as a family church in which the bridegroom loves the bride with the love with which Jesus loves the Church, and the bride loves the bridegroom with the love which the Church loves Christ. 1 Father George Calciu, Interviews, Homilies and Talks, pp , published by St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, translated from Romanian.

11 If the husband and wife would ponder on their marriage as the relationship between Christ and Church, the sun would never set upon their wrath, and they would never separate. Neither would the children be delivered over to state or private institutions, like some worn-out objects no longer needed by these two, separated through the sin of anger, which was not extinguished at the setting of the sun. The love of their family becomes a hollow word, which no longer matters before the demon who took complete mastery. A word said in anger wounds just as seriously as a physical blow. If he who wounds does not rectify the spiritual damage, little by little, a gulf is dug between the two, a deadly coldness kills the sentiment of love and respect appropriate between husband and wife; time deepens and enlarges the gulf. Later it is very difficult for them to be able to throw a bridge across it--only with great effort and suffering. I have seen spouses--who had maintained a good marriage for many years--divorce after many years, causing pain for their children, who were, perhaps, already married. I have also seen happy spouses divorce after a short time, all caused by anger over time, leaving small children to grow up in frustration and confusion, not understanding who is father or mother. Later, following the example of their parents, they no longer consider marriage to be a sacred bond, like that between Christ and the Church. I have seen brothers who loved each other in Romania, but after arriving in America became estranged due to the pressures of being in a foreign land and the difficulties of adapting. They remained enemies until death, because their anger burst out fiercely into strong words and because they allowed the sun to go down upon their anger. An Arabic proverb says that when you become upset, count to ten, and if you are roused to anger, to count to one hundred. I do not know how effective this solution is, because it does not contain a mystical element; it merely appeals to the reason to moderate the outward expression of anger. I counsel my penitents that before they express their anger, be it in speech or gestures, be it only mentally, to utter three or five times, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And if they say the prayer quickly and inattentively under the oppression of anger, then they should concentrate with humility upon the word "sinner," and their anger will abate. Many of them have succeeded in making their life, their family relationships, their relations with other people, and even their interior life change for the better. All the conflicts in the world have their origin in unabated anger. One is angry and wounds the other, who then responds with greater violence and strength. Once this chain is begun, it cannot be stopped except through the appeal of prayer--genuine prayer. Change the conditions of this equation and substitute groups of people for individuals and you will realize the immense dimension of the disaster spawned by anger. Try to put an unshakable obstacle before the demon of anger. Put a guard on your mouth (Psalm 140:3) and change the evil thoughts originating from the impulse of anger, and your interior life will be transformed. The blessing of the Lord will work in your heart, your tongue will no longer be so sharp, and the Jesus Prayer, uttered at the necessary times, will convince you of your sinful state, thus stopping you from either exteriorizing anger or keeping it in your mind and heart. The name of Jesus is sweet to utter. It casts out the demons and brings the angels back into the heart, into the mind, and you will bear yourself in meekness before others.

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