Friday, March 22, 2019

Great Compline / Απόδειπνο

• Mondays March  11, 18, 25, and April 1, & 8, at 6 pm. 

Great Compline is prayed in monasteries on a daily basis before one retires for sleep. It is prayed in our churches during the Great Lent.  This 45 minute-long service consists mostly of Psalm readings and prayers and ends with the very powerful hymn, “Lord of the Powers, be with us” The service  allows us an opportunity to pray and reflect, seek God’s mercy and forgiveness, and to acknowledge that all our hopes and salvation must be placed in God’s hands. (Bilingual booklets will be available for congregational reading & singing. Please see George Dalagelis if you would like to participate as a reader/singer at the cantor’s stand).

Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts / Λειτουργία των Προηγιασμέμων Δώρων

• Five consecutive Wednesdays starting March 13 and alternating 6 pm, and 9 am every other week. 

Since the Divine Liturgy is a festive and joyous celebration, it is not celebrated on weekdays during Lent, except on the Saturdays of the Souls and the Feast of the Annunciation. However, because Lent is a period of fasting, it should also be a period of more frequent reception of Holy Communion. There is no consecration of the Gifts at this Liturgy (hence the name Pre-sanctified). They have been consecrated on the preceding Sunday at a regular Divine Liturgy. It lasts just over an hour and contains the service of the Ninth Hour and the Vespers, with Holy Communion added at the end. Those who choose to keep the entire fast are encouraged to attend this service and to receive Holy Communion as a way of sustaining the fast by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ even more frequently during this period of spiritual discipline.

The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God / Ο Ακάθιστος Υμνος εις την Υπεραγία Θεοτόκο

• Five consecutive Fridays beginning March 15, at 6:30 pm.

This service consists of hymns and prayers addressed to Christ and the Theotokos. It is a beautiful poem of praise and devotion to the Mother of our Lord. It was sung in the year 626 in the Church of the Theotokos in Constantinople on the occasion of the deliverance and freedom of the City from the barbarians. It is comprised of 24 stanzas, each beginning with a letter of the Greek alphabet from Alpha to Omega. It is divided into four parts, one part sung on each of the Fridays of Lent (Salutations) and on the fifth Friday, the Hymn is sung in its entirety. It is called "Akathist" because the people, out of love, devotion and gratefulness to the Theotokos, stood during the entire Hymn.

Priest: Let us lift up our hearts! (Ἄνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας.)
People: We have them (lifted up) with the Lord. (Ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Κύριον.)
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord! (Εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ.)
People: It is proper and right. (Ἄξιον καὶ δίκαιον.)

This part of the Pre-Anaphoral Dialogue is common to the traditional Eucharistic Prayers of both East and West. And it reminds me of a vital aspect of any Christian prayer, or of any prayerful life, – that when we “lift up our hearts to the Lord,” we do so “in to,” and via, gratitude, or “giving thanks” to the Lord. It is gratitude that lifts up our hearts, like nothing else, and overcomes that which weighs them down most of all, like fears of not being loved (enough), or of not being financially secure (enough). It also overcomes the resentments we might harbor, as a result of these fears, toward others or even ourselves, for not doing or accomplishing enough, for us, in these areas.

Today let me carry in my heart an “Amen” to gratitude, or an “It is meet and right" to gratitude, which is just a different way of saying “Amen.” Let me embrace gratitude, for my here and now, in which I am OK, and have “enough” for today, by God’s grace. I have also had “enough” in the past, through which God has sustained me all the way up to today, regardless of my shortcomings, or those of others. Today, as we prepare to be “lifted up” into the springtime of Lent, let me not have my heart weighed down. Let me pray and forgive, both myself and others, in gratitude for everything. “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, …Watch, therefore, and pray always that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21: 34, 36) Today I stand before You, Lord, in humble gratitude for it all.

-From Sister Vassa’s “Daily Reflections” 

Celebrations, Milestones, Gratitude, Comfort & Support

Pastoral care: If you or someone you know is sick, homebound elderly, or scheduled for surgery, please call the church office to let us know so Fr. John can make a pastoral visit, or to add someone to the prayer list.

Let us pray to the Lord for the health and salvation of: Suffering and persecuted Christians in the Middle East and the non-Christian world,  Polly, Debra, Antonios, Sophia, Stephen, Gina, George, Chryssie, Sandra, Donna, Anthony, Alice, Eugene, George, Patrick, Anne, Virginia, Irene, Konstantinos, Sophia, Dimitrios, Yianni, Matina, George, Madison.

Names will be kept on this list for approximately 3 months. Please resubmit Names if needed. Fr. John will include the submitted names at the Psokomide “Offering of Gifts” during the first part of the liturgy when he prepares the mystical gifts of bread & wine. Please lift these names up to the Lord in your personal prayer life as well.

Prayer for healing: Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent our Lord to heal every sickness. Visit and heal us. Grant patience in this sickness, the strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us to pray for each other that we may be healed. We pray that You heal, guide and protect your servant (s) (pray by name for those who are sick) and grant them the gift of complete health. You are the source of healing and to You we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Χρόνια πολλα!  Happy birthday!   God grant you many years!  To those celebrating this week: Paul Anagnostakos,  Eleni Konugres, Andrea Merrick, Stamatia Pries, Pablo Vargas, Marina Blackton, Zoe Gimbel, Christopher Gardner, Zoe Holahan, Angela Ilisco, Theodore Makris, Kevin Nikolas McKendry, John Samaras, Michele Klebanoff, Regina Rodenhausen, Konstantinos Vafiadis, Jamie Kostas, Stephanie Scheuring, Debra Exarchos, Emily Moscow, Leontios Diamantas, George Millili, Niko Stoupakis.

Dear Parishioners, the objective of the 50th Anniversary Campaign is to Build the Future of our Church by providing resources so we can start new activities.  Last week I wrote about our efforts to create a Facilities Master Plan, basically a roadmap of improvements such as an elevator to the Social Hall and improvements to bathrooms, classrooms and the Social Hall.  Additionally, and perhaps even more important, we must provide and expand ministries and programs that help our Parishioners on their Christ-centered journey and help them with their spiritual and educational needs.

If we are serious about ensuring the future of our Church, we must expand ministries and programs for our youth, and they must be designed in a way that attracts and interests the youth.  Older parishioners, especially those who find themselves alone, need ministries and programs that help them stay active and involved socially.  We need to provide ministries that help families and individuals in need, whether it is grief counseling, avoiding or dealing with substance abuse and addiction, or financial assistance in tough times.  The ministries we create should be both Christ-centered and community-centered to help both our Parishioners and our local communities.

We must also make it easier for our Community to participate in religious and community life.  I’m sure many of us have used smartphones and apps such as Facetime to stay in touch with loved ones both in the US and in Greece.  Wouldn’t it be great to offer weekly Bible study through video conferencing?  If that would enable more people to participate it would be a good thing.  Technology such as podcasting would give Father John the ability to reach more Parishioners with more messages and prayers.  Even ministry and organizational meetings would be more productive and efficient through the use of technology.

These are some broad ideas of what we would like to build to ensure the spiritual health of our community.  If you have ideas or would like to participate in creating ministries and programs, please contact Father John, Cathy Avgiris, John Avgiris, or Paul Fisfis.

Thank you for your support in building the future of our Church!

Dean Dalson

50^th Anniversary Campaign Chairperson

• Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey
• April 7, 2019, Greek Independence Day Parade Invitation
• April 8, 2019, Celebration with the Evzones Invitation