It’s What is Inside That Counts * (2-5-2017)

(from Fr. Anthony Coniaris book Sermons for the Church Year, p.99)

   The Pharissee who went up to the temple to pray was meticulously religious. He fasted, he prayer, he worshipped, he tithed. And he went to hell. Why did this super religious person go to hell?

   The Pharisees paid great attention to the externals, to the outward keeping of the Mosaic Law. However, Jesus rebuked them for this:

   ²⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25-26)

   Theophan the Recluse (+1894) expressed it this way:

“People concern themselves with Christian upbringing but leave it incomplete: they neglect the most essential and most difficult side of the Christian life, and dwell on what is easiest—the visible and external. This imperfect or misdirected upbringing produces people who observe, with utmost correctness, all of the formal and outward rules for devout conduct; but who pay little or no attention to the inward movements of the heart and to true improvement of the inner spiritual life.” *

   St. Macarios the Great (+392) said in one of his homilies:

“Within the heart are unfathomable depths. It is but a small vessel; and yet dragons and lions are there, and there are poisonous creatures and all the treasures of wickedness; rough, uneven paths are there, and gaping chasms. There likewise is God, there are angels, there is life and the kingdom, there is light and Apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasures of grace. All things are there.” *

   The spiritual classic titled “The Arena” by St. Ignatius Brianchininov (+1867) we read:

“As St. Clement of Rome expresses it, we are all in the same arena and involved in the same struggle. St. Paul talks of having fought with beasts at Ephesus (1Cor.15:32), and while he may mean a literal fight against animals in an outward arena, or a fight against bestial beings (Acts 19), his words also have a symbolic meaning: the struggle is always an inner one. And in the arena where the struggle with the beast takes place is the unseen realm of the interior life. Such, then, is Bishop Ignatios’ basic theme: he tells us of the struggle to be undertaken by every Christian in the spiritual arena. He speaks to all, whether monks or not, explaining how we may tame, control and transform the beast within—the lions and howling wolves of our inner jungle—and so build in our hearts Jerusalem, the city of peace and unity.” *

   In the story “Ninety-Three” Victor Hugo (1885) tells of a ship that was caught in a terrific storm. When the storm was at its height, the frightened crew heard a terrible crashing sound below. A cannon they were carrying had broken loose and was banging into each side of the ship as it tossed to and fro, tearing gaping holes in it with every smashing blow. Two me, at the risk of their lives, managed to secure the cannon again, for they knew that the cannon was more dangerous than the storm. The storm could toss them about, but the loose cannon within could sink them. Isn’t the same with our lives? The outside storms and problems aren’t our real danger. It’s the terribly destructive self, loose within us, that can send us to the bottom. Only a power greater than our own can save us from the wild enemy within us—our selfish self, our ego, our pride. That power is the Holy Spirit, the presence of God within us. *

   It takes two things to blow down a tree: 1) a heavy wind outside, and 2) rot or decay inside. So it is with each human person. The winds of adversity may cause him or her to bend, but if that person is strong and vigorous within, he/she will rise and grow to new heights after the storm passes. *

   If the greatest evil is to be found within us, the greatest good is also to be found there. “The kingdom of God is within you,” said Jesus (Luke 17:21). Jesus also said, ⁶But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6). God is to be found inside the closet of one’s heart through prayer and love. More often than we go to church, we need to enter the inner closet/church of the heart to commune with God. For the heart too, is a church with an altar before which we stand each day, pouring out our thoughts, emotions and experiences in praise to God. ⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1John 4:4). *

   St. Theophan the Recluse asks, “You seek the Lord? Seek, but only within yourself. He is not far from anyone. The Lord is near all those who truly call on Him. Find a place in your heart, and speak there with the Lord. It is the Lord’s reception room. Everyone who meets the Lord, meets Him there first. He has fixed no other place for meeting the soul of a person.” *

   A little boy stood watching a release of balloons as they soared up into the sky. He was fascinated and asked the balloon vender, who was holding a red balloon, “Will that one go as high as the others?” The vendor replied, “Yes son. It will go just as high but not because of the color. Rather, it’s what’s inside that makes them go high.”

   The Pharisee in today’s Gospel lesson was praying only with his body, only with his lips, not with his heart. But the Publican tax collector, who knelt down in the corner beating his chest saying, “Lord, be merciful to me the sinner,” was praying with both his body and his heart. *

   The revolutions of the world throughout history try to destroy the outer evils of their rulers but they cannot touch the inner evil in a person’s heart. That is why they are doomed to failure. The only true revolution is the one instituted by Jesus Christ—the revolution of repentance. Only repentance can destroy the inner evil and create a new person, and through that renewed person, a new society, a new world. *

   Jesus came into the world to cleanse the inside of each one of us. He came to make the human heart a throne for the King of Kings. He came to remake the human body into a temple for the Holy Spirit. He came to fill us with the fullness of God’s presence inside (Ephesians 3:19) so that when the pressures of life squeeze in on us, what spills out may not be bitterness but love, not hatred but forgiveness, not weakness but power. *

   What life does to us depends not so much on external events but what lies within us. If God is in us, then, to use the words of St. Paul, ¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (2Corinthians 4:16). Keep God inside, and He will keep all evil, all temptations on the outside. Not all the water in the world can sink a ship unless it gets inside. If God is in our ship, in our heart, not only will He keep the water out; He will transform our heart into a temple, a church, where we shall be able to stand daily in the His presence, communing with Him and receiving from Him the power to be more than conquerors as we face the many challenges of daily living. * Amen!

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER

www.stgeorgegoc.org

February 12, 2017                                                                               SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON

TODAY’S EVENTS: GOYAL Basketball Tournament in Rochester;Greek School & Choir Practice 12pm; Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS 4pm; Greek Dance Practice 4:30pm.

Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati                                                      Prosfora: Rita Kanavati

Fellowship: Katherine & Steve Ryan, Lily Zahariades                     Head Usher: Jim Theros

Monday       02-13     Catechism Class: Church I-Birth, Mission, Structure w/ Fr. Ted Wojcik                    7:00PM

Thursday     02-16     OCF at University of St. Thomas                                                                             12:00PM

                                      AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope meeting                                                                7:00PM

Saturday      02-18     VESPERS                                                                                                                     5:00PM

                                      GOYA youth event at the Depot skating rink in Minneapolis                                     7:00PM

Sunday         02-19     ORTHROS (8:15 am) & DIVINE LITURGY – JUDGMENT SUNDAY                                9:30AM

                                      Greek School                                                                                                              12:00PM

                                      Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN                                                                                          4:00PM

                                      Greek Dance Practice                                                                                                      4:30PM

Monday       02-20     Catechism Class: Church II- Councils, Creeds, Bible, Tradition w/ Fr. Houck                   7:00PM

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Welcome! To Fr. Paul Hodge of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in West Saint Paul who is substituting for Fr. Rick today, who is at the basketball tournament in Rochester, MN.

Memory Eternal: Mrs. Ingrid Larson fell asleep in the Lord on February 6^th. Visitation this Wednesday Feb.15^th 5-7pm at Grandstrand Funeral Home in Lindstrom, MN. The Orthodox Funeral Service is Thursday Feb.16^th 11am at the United Methodist Church in Taylor Falls, MN. Makaria-Memorial Luncheon at church following burial. Our sympathies and condolences to her husband John and their adopted son, Tobias.

Baptism Invitation: the Eliou family would like to extend an open invitation to members of the parish for the baptism of Eleanore Pendeli Eliou this Saturday, February 18^th 11-1:00 pm. Food and drinks will be served in the social hall following the service. Please RSVP only if attending by calling Pendy & Jeanne at 651-245-0750 or by emailing jeliou@comcast.net.

Think About It: God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or anyone else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves.                                    St. John Chrysostom (+407)

FOCUS MN Spelling Bee: tomorrow Feb.13^th at St. Mary OCA Cathedral beginning at 6pm. This is the second annual and promises to be just as fun as last year and a great way to support all the things that FOCUS does for the poor, needy, hungry people of our community. For more info: www.focusmn.org.

Triodion Has Begun: This is a friendly liturgical notice from the Church to let us know that Great Lent is approaching, starting February 27^th.  Thus, we should start preparing by planning our schedule around worship services, getting ready for the Sacrament of Confession and fasting according to our Orthodox Tradition.

Lost & Found Items: Please check the box near the coat rack, and the kitchen counter near the microwaves, for items that may belong to you. Items not claimed by March 1 will be donated.

Fresh Phyllo-for your holiday baking. Philoptochos is once again taking orders for FRESH phyllo following liturgy on February 12, 19 and 26. Fresh phyllo will be ready for pick up March 12. If you have any questions, please contact Presbytera Jane at janedono1@gmail.com.

The Church Fathers Speak: One who does not have a spiritual father as an advisor will get confused, weary, delayed and find it difficult to reach his destination on the journey of life. The most necessary thing today is for people to find a spiritual guide and establish a rule of prayer and study. Then, if they go to church on a regular basis and receive Holy Communion, they have nothing to fear in this life.      St. Paisios the Athonite (+1994)

Youth: GOYA will be meeting at the Depot in Minneapolis this Saturday, February 18 at 7pm, immediately following Vespers. Our annual Oratorical Festival will be held February 26, after Divine Liturgy. For materials or questions, please see your child's Sunday School teacher or Nathaniel. Collection baskets have been placed in each Sunday School class for children's participation. Parents now have the option to donate after Divine Liturgy, or send their generous donations with their child to Sunday School, where their child can actively be involved in the giving to the church.

Next Philoptochos Meeting: is scheduled for Sunday, March 5, following liturgy, in the conference room.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers: If you show mercy to someone, mercy will be shown to you. If you show compassion to the suffering, you will be numbered among the martyrs. If you forgive one who has insulted you, then your sins will be forgiven and you will become a child of God. If you pray from your heart for salvation, you will be saved. If you rebuke yourself, accuse yourself, and judge yourself before God for your sins, with a sensitive conscience, you will be made righteous.                             St. Moses of Optina (+1862)

Daughters of Penelope: and AHEPA will meet this Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 7pm at Church.

Lenten Meals: please see sign-up sheet in social hall and consider volunteering individually or with a group to host a meal in March or April.

Stewardship 2017: Our theme is You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World: As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You (John 20:21). We have received 77 pledge cards for 2017 with a total of $132,541and an average of $1,721. When pledging be sure to increase your pledge, even if only a few dollars. This reflects spiritual growth and overcomes stagnation. We encourage everyone to give a minimum of 2% pledge of gross yearly income to become a self-sustaining community. This is far less than the biblical ideal of tithing, giving 10%.

Roselawn Cemetery Lots: are still available for parishioners at a 15% discount off list prices. 2017 discounted prices are: Monument Lot (2 graves) $5,865.00; Flat Lot A (2 graves) $3,485.00; Flat Lot B (1 grave-limited availability) $2,040.00. If interested in learning more or to purchase a lot, please contact the church office.

Patristic Wisdom: “Zeal for You house has consumed Me” (Ps.69.9). Do we ever thing how great the Lord’s zeal and longing is for His house, that is our heart? He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Rev.3:20)    Archmandrite Ioannikios Kotsonis

Holy Land/Russia Pilgrimage Fall 2017: next upcoming meeting at St. Mary's OCA on Sunday February 26, 11:00am. Holy Land portion of the tour is 9 days and costs approximately $1,300.00 plus air, travel insurance and tips with a minimum of 20 participants. Russian portion of the pilgrimage is before Holy Land trip, cost TBA. Several options available. Pilgrimage hosted by Icon Art Studios under the leadership of Tom Rudquist at abousean39@gmail.com and Deb Korluka akorluka@aol.com.  Registration meeting TBA in March.

Pictorial Directory 2015 One free copy for every family who sat or submitted a photo. Contact Julie to obtain your free copy. Otherwise, $10 per copy with one copy limit per family available in the bookstore.

Save the Date! The St. George Greek Festival will be August 19-20. 2017. A Festival Committee meeting date will be announced in the next few weeks. More volunteers are always needed to serve on committees; if you are interested, please contact Jon Kennedy, Phyllis Kapetanakis or Alexis Bighley.

Giving Options w/ Tax Advantage: There are some simple ways to make stewardship contributions with significant tax savings. One is to transfer appreciated stock to the church claiming full value of donation and avoiding capital gains tax. 2016 has been a very good year in the market and this may be a simple, easy way to fulfill your stewardship pledge early in the year. Transfer forms are available by request. We recommend that everyone consult an accounting and/or tax professional for the best personal advice. Thank you!

Need Counseling? Fr. Rick is always available by appointment for pastoral counseling. He will soon become a Licensed Associate in Marriage & Family Therapy (LAMFT). To complete his doctoral internship, Father needs a certain number of hours counseling individuals, couples and families. His program allows pastoral counseling to count towards those hours. Fr. Rick has nearly 22 years of parish priest experience as well as doctoral training in MFT. Help him to help you. All counseling is strictly confidential. Fr. Rick is also a certified Seminar Director for the Prepare-Enrich program (www.prepare-enrich.com), the premier pre-marital and marital counseling assessment tool in the world. This enables him to train others to become facilitators, certified to use Prepare-Enrich as a tool in counseling with couples.

Recycle Icons- please do not throw icons, including printed Sunday Bulletins, in the trash. They are holy and sacred images of the saints. Please return them to the church office or social hall to be given to those in need. 

Help us Go Green! Please let us know how you would like to receive our monthly newsletter Glad Tidings and other parish related communications: 1) printed copy by US mail; 2) digital copy by email listserv; 3) both. Call or email the office at office@stgeorgegoc.org with your preference.

Wear the Faith! Visit OrthdoxRings.com (also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest) to see a full line of high-quality Orthodox Christian rings with ancient Christian symbolism for wedding bands, promise rings, class rings, gifts for baptisms, chrismations and anniversaries.

Original Materials: must stay on church premises. It is a policy of our parish that no original material (paper, photos, electronic, etc.) is to leave the church. If someone wants or needs something, a copy will have to be made if one does not already exist. This applies to bookkeeping documents, archives and all church records.

Let Us Commit Ourselves and one Another: We cannot neglect the task of practical preparation to enhance our liturgical participation. Commitment to God and His family (the Church) requires advance planning and sacrifice. It behooves all of us to take seriously our Orthodox Christian Faith by participating the Sunday Divine Liturgy and weekday Lenten services. Let us commit ourselves and one another and our life to Christ our God!

Fr. Rick in Social Hall: The Parish Council is encouraging everyone to allow Father Rick to interact with all parishioners in the social hall after liturgy on Sundays. To accomplish this, if you have a serious or more involved issue, please call him or make an appointment with him during the week. Please do not stop him in the exonarthex.

Rise and Shine! Orthros is the sunrise service in the Orthodox Church but probably one of the most neglected. Every individual and family should make an effort to participate periodically. At least, plan to arrive at the beginning of Divine Liturgy. Like Vespers, Orthros has many profound hymns about Jesus' Resurrection and the Saints or Feast of the Day along with petitions, prayers and readings. Orthros begins Sunday morning 8:15am.

Welcome Visitors Thank you for joining with us in prayer and fellowship. The worship of the Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in and very similar to that of the early Christian Church. Unique sensory stimuli and mystery are elements that go back even to the liturgy of the Jewish temple. Everything in an Orthodox Christian church communicates the majestic presence of God the Holy Trinity with His Saints. It is literally heaven on earth. It is a sad consequence of the divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend a general invitation to receive Holy Communion. Visitors are invited to receive the blessed bread (antithoron) at the conclusion of the liturgy. We pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all Christians. If you are interested in learning more about Orthodoxy, please contact Fr. Rick at fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org. We are proud of our Greek heritage but one does not have to be of Greek descent, nor speak Greek to be a Greek Orthodox Christian.

Note to Orthodox about Holy Communion: Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is one of the most Holy experiences for a Christian in order to be granted the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We are never worthy to partake of Divine Nature. Yet, it is essential that we prepare ourselves for this sacred Communion by constant prayer, reading the Scriptures, regular fasting and periodic Confession. At a minimum, we should fast all morning before Communion, arrive at the beginning of Liturgy, and come for Confession at least once a year. In addition, we should not have separated ourselves from the Church through serious sin. Otherwise, please refrain from Communion to avoid “judgment…not discerning the Lord’s body” (1Cor. 11:29). Contact Fr. Rick for pastoral guidance.

Glad Tidings deadline: The 10th of each month. Glad Tidings email: gladtidings@stgeorgegoc.org  Sunday Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday Noon each week.  Email: office@stgeorgegoc.org