When You Pray (2-26-2017)

   Fasting, fasting, fasting. Great and Holy Lent starts tomorrow on Clean-Pure Monday. Perhaps, hopefully, you’ve thought about Lent, and if you have, what did you think about? Fasting? Probably because many of us have reduced Lent to fasting. Fasting from meat, starting on Meatfare last Sunday. Fasting from dairy starting today on Cheesefare Sunday. Fasting from sweets, soft drinks and all sorts of other stuff that we decide for ourselves, often instead of following the fast prescribed by the Church. Sometimes we are literally obsessed with fasting and we forget that fasting is only a tool to help us on our Lenten journey to Pascha. We forget that there exist two other major, more important things we need to work on during Great Lent. The first is almsgiving but we’re not going to talk about that today. We’re going to discuss the most important one today and that is prayer.

   Prayer, prayer, prayer! Today’s Gospel reading for Cheesefare Sunday is Matthew 6:14-21 and yesterday’s Gospel reading is the Saturday of Cheesefare comes right before today’s. In verses 1-13 Jesus gives instructions on prayer similar to His instructions on fasting. First, just like with fasting and almsgiving, Jesus says, “Whenever you pray” (v.5). In other words, He doesn’t say “if you fast” or “if you give alms” or “if you pray.” Rather, He says, “whenever you pray,” the implication is that we must pray, we must talk to God, we must direct all our hopes, trials, fears and thanks toward Him who is in Heaven. Prayer is not really a choice if we call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ. “Whenever” also implies not just sometimes when we pray, but at all times. So, the instruction that follows is to be applied every time we pray.

   Second, He says don’t practice your piety before other people (vv.1,2,3,4,5,6,16,17,18). Piety is what we do because of our faith in God. Piety is how we act-out or practice our beliefs. Fasting, almsgiving and prayer are pious acts, but if we do them in a manner that is meant to draw attention to ourselves, then pride has entered into our piety, and pride ruins everything. Because when pray to be seen by others to be praying, then we are no longer giving glory to God but rather to ourselves. We have made ourselves into an idol. The word idolatry literally means “worship of self.”

    Pray, pray, pray. Instead of parading our prayer before others, Jesus tells us to go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret (v.6). On one level the secret room implies going to someplace in our home or even at work that provides solitude, alone time with God, without any distractions. Hopefully, we all have altars in our home, and each person has an altar in their own room, whether that’s a bedroom or an office. At least once every day we should go to that room with that altar and shut that door to just pray and not do anything else. One a deeper level, the Church Fathers and Saints have traditionally interpreted this secret room as our heart. If we believe that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and that we are a temple of the living God, then God the Holy Spirit and God’s Son Jesus Christ live within us mystically, supernaturally.

   The place where we go to meet God in prayer is in our heart. There is no way for us to get our head into our heart unless we go someplace quite without distraction. On top of that however, we also need to quiet our mind and our heart. We do that by standing in silence before God, becoming aware of our thoughts and either dismissing them or offering them up to God. In that silence we also become aware of the emotions and the passions that fill our heart. Those also need to be offered up to God and healed. That is why the Sacrament of Confession is so important and necessary because that’s how we do mental, emotional and spiritual house cleaning in which the priest helps us allow God to unclutter our heart, mind and soul. Without out the Sacrament of Confession it is very difficult to pray with a heart drowning in emotion and the passions, with a mind crowded by all sorts of thoughts and with a soul in need of forgiveness.

   Pray, pray, pray! Thirdly, Jesus says, ⁷“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This instruction is directed to those who are like Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazaros, when it comes to prayer. Some of us approach prayer like it’s a task or a duty that must be done just like everything else on our checklist. Let’s get through it and get it done and get on to the next thing. But prayer is not something we just get through. Prayer is about slowing down and doing nothing else, to be like Martha’s sister who sat at Jesus’ feet and just listened. Therefore, prayer is not a monologue in which we drone on and on telling God everything that we want Him to do for us. Prayer is not about reading prayer after prayer and psalm after psalm from the Orthodox Prayerbook. God already knows what we need before we ask Him. The real question is do we know what we need according to God’s perspective?

   Pray, pray, pray! Fourthly and finally, Jesus does not only tell us how to pray but He gives us a prayer to pray. That prayer of course is what we know as the Lord’s Prayer, the “Our Father,” the quintessential prayer of Christians. We don’t have time today to go into an extensive review and explanation of the Lord’s Prayer. But let’s review it and make a few points. “Our Father” (v.9). God is not only the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He adopted us as His children when we were baptized and chrismated. He is not just Father “Patros or Patir” but “Abba”, “Baba”, “Daddy”, near and dear to us.

“Your kingdom come” (v.10). The kingdom of God is not just a future heaven but a present reality on earth. When we pray, either alone at home, before a meal with our family, with a person in need, or together at Church, we are entering into the Kingdom of Heaven that is already on earth but we also make it stronger when we pray. “Your will be done” (v.10). Prayer is about discovering God’s will in order to do it. Prayer is not about telling God to do what we want done. “Give us our daily bread” (v.11). In the early Church, the Eucharist was celebrated daily, today it is celebrated on Sunday’s and weekdays. God cannot give us our daily bread unless we receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

 “Forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (v.12). Today’s Gospel passage started with this verse, ¹⁴“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

This is why Cheesefare Sunday is also called Forgiveness Sunday and why every parish holds Forgiveness Vespers this evening before we enter Great Lent tomorrow.

   “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” (v.13). Does God tempt us? The short answer is yes or at least He allows it.  But as the Apostle Paul says, God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength in order to endure it, or He will provide a way out away from it (1Cor.10:13). This He does to help us grow and mature. “From evil” should be translated as “from the evil one” because the evil one, Satan, the devil is real and he’s ready to take anyone down at any time. We must be aware and ready and careful because Satan is cunning and crafty.

   In conclusion, let us remember to pray, pray, pray, every day, may times a day. It’s not if you pray but whenever you pray. Let us remember to pray without pride in secret. Let us seek to be physically alone in prayer but not lonely in prayer, knowing that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are just inside the door of our heart. We must go to meet them there. Let us remember to pray like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, waiting silently for His word and His will to be given to us. And finally, let us remember to pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  ¹³And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” Amen!

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER

www.stgeorgegoc.org

March 5, 2017                                                                                      SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

TODAY’S EVENTS: Procession of Icons 11am; Greek School, Youth Ministry meeting; Philoptochos meeting 12pm; Pan-Orthodox Lenten Vespers at St. Mary OCA Cathedral; Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS 4pm.

Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati                                       Prosfora: anonymous

Fellowship: Elizabeth & Paul Poulios                                                                                             Head Usher: Jim Theros

Monday            03-06   GREAT COMPLINE (by readers)                                                                                6:00PM

                                       Catechism Class: Sacraments I-Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Unction          7:00PM

Wednesday     03-08   NINTH HOUR                                                                                                              5:30PM

                                      PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY                                                                                          6:00PM

                                       Lenten Meal & Lecture on Modern Heresies with Fr. Richard Andrews                        7:30PM

Thursday        03-09   MEOCCA Meeting at FOCUS MN                                                                                 12:00PM

                                      OCF at University of St. Thomas                                                                                12:00PM

Friday              03-10   AKATHISTOS / SALUTATIONS                                                                                    6:00PM

                                        Lenten Retreat- Why Orthodoxy? with Fr. Barnabas Powell                                       7:30PM

Saturday         03-11   Lenten Retreat- Discussions with Fr. Barnabas Powell, Potluck Lunch                       10:00AM

                                       GREAT VESPERS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3:00PM

Sunday          03-12   ORTHROS (8:15 am) & DIVINE LITURGY – ST. GREGORY PALAMAS                           9:30AM

                                    Pan-Orthodox Lenten Vespers & Reception here at St. George Greek                            4:00PM

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

May Her Memory Be Eternal: Nick & Katherine Boosalis ask that everyone please pray for their daughter, Kathleen Niki Boosalis Rogers, who passed away ten years ago today.

Lenten Retreat: this Friday & Saturday Fr. Barnabas Powell is our guest speaker. The theme will be "Normal Orthodox--Healthy Church: Knowing the True Faith in Order to Practice it Truly." On Friday evening come hear how a former Protestant Pentecostal pastor learned about and embraced the Orthodox Christian Faith. On Saturday, learn from his insights about how to help our parishes become healthier and grow. Youth activities will be provided during the retreat so parents can attend the lectures. Saturday lunch is potluck.

Think About It: Whoever fears God doesn’t fear anything else.                     Elder Epiphanios of Athens (+1989)

Pan-Orthodox Vespers: our parish hosts next Sunday, March 12^th. Service begins at 4pm. Volunteers needed to help host the meal afterwards. Please contact one of the parish council members.

Oratorical Festival: Congratulations to all who shared on February 26^th. Andrew Hattling took first place in the Junior Speech division, followed by honorable mentions Jonathan Paraschou and Manoli Mastrogiorgis. In the Essay divisions, we congratulate first place finishers Parry Paraschou (Senior), and Dinah Lampros (Junior). All participants did exceptionally well, and we thank each one of them for participating.

St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church: is moving after fourteen years of service in the Eagan area to a property and building on St. Paul’s west side (125 Congress St. E, St. Paul, MN 55107). To see the full announcement or to donate to the renovation fund, visit http://www.seocc.org/announcement.html.

Greek Cookbooks: various vintage hardcover editions in Greek are available in the bookstore.

Be the Bee Retreat: On Saturday, March 18 all youth (k-12), parents, and youth workers are invited to join us at St. Mary's in Minneapolis for the Be The Bee BEETREAT, a day of engaging workshops, activities, and great opportunities to explore our faith. JOY, Jr. GOYA, and GOYA will be separated into their own retreats. Come see what all the fuss is about! Workshops are from 9:30 to 5:00. To register, go to BeTheBee.goarch.org/retreats

The Church Fathers Speak: If you ever want to be freed from all the vices simultaneously, renounce self-love, the mother of all evils.             St. Thallasios of Libya (7^th cent.)

Parent Volunteers Needed: We are looking for a parent for both Saturday of Lazarus and Holy Friday to coordinate the potluck meals. The sign-up sheet is located in the social hall. Thank you!

Daughters of Penelope: the Thursday, March 16^th meeting has been cancelled.

Lenten Lectures: Our 16th annual Lenten Lectures series' themes will be "Modern Heresies" on Wednesdays and "The Torah-Pentateuch" on Fridays. Fr. Rick will speak on Weds. about secularism, humanism, rationalism, pluralism and phyletism. On Fridays various presenters will speak about the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Law of Moses and their relevance for modern readers today.

Philoptochos Meeting Today: following liturgy, in the conference room.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers: A holy person cares for his neighbor, where the homeless will spend the night, how the hungry will be fed, with what the naked will be clothed. He cares and prays for the salvation of his neighbors, that their hearts may be filled with love towards God, that their minds may be directed towards God, that the wicked may turn from the paths of wickedness, that the firm may persevere, that the departed may behold the face of God, and that the living may be written in the Book of Life in the Kingdom of Light.        St. Nikolai Velimirovic (+1956)

Greek Independence Day Lunch: St. George AHEPA will sponsor the annual Greek Independence Celebration lunch on Sunday, March 26^th. Tickets will be available at the door in the social hall following Divine Liturgy. See insert for details.

Lenten Meals: please see sign-up sheet in social hall. You can volunteer individually or with a group.

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 87 pledge cards for 2017 with a total of $145,696 and an average of $1,674. 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%.

Patristic Wisdom: Fasting is wonderful because it tramples our sins like a dirty weed, while it cultivates and raises truth like a flower.                                                                           St. Basil the Great (+379)

Holy Land/Russia Pilgrimage: Sept.27 – Oct.11 2017. Holy Land trip is first 9 days and costs $1,300/ person. Russian trip is afterwards for 6 days at $1,550/person. Prices do not include air, travel insurance and tips. 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.

Pictorial Directory 2015 is now available for $5 per copy. They can be purchased either from Julie in the office or in the bookstore (limit, one per family).

Palm Sunday Fish Lunch: on Sunday, April 9, following the Divine Liturgy.  Tickets will be available at the door in the social hall.

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.

Summer Camp Dates: St. Mary’s summer church camp will be held this year on July 1-7. Future dates are as follows: June 30- July 6, 2018; June 29-July 5, 2019; June 27 – July 3, 2020; July 3-9, 2021.

Save the Date! The St. George Greek Festival will be August 19-20. 2017. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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