Yes, Jesus said, “Go to Church”

I can’t count how many times I have heard, “Father, I don’t have to go to Church to worship God, because He is everywhere.” While we do believe God is everywhere, the idea of not going to Church has never been part of the Christian point of view. In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the story of the Ten Lepers who came to Jesus who, “lifted up their voice and said, ‘Jesus, Master; have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17.13-14)

Of course, this was not an isolated incident. The Old Testament is filled with commandments for the people of God to go to the Temple for healing and to receive the blessings of God. The Church is a holy place where God continues to meet His people. There is blessing in the Church. There is peace in the Church. There is healing in the Church. There is salvation in the Church.

God established His Church, the people AND the Temple, as a place of salvation. Our journey as Orthodox Christians is not as lone rangers, but a community of faithful dedicated to living in communion with God. When God commanded the Ten Lepers to show themselves to the priests, He was offering the Lepers the blessing, and ultimately healing, of being part of the People of God. Had they said, “We don’t need to go to Church…” they would never have been healed.

It doesn’t end with “just going to Church” for us today. When Jesus cleansed the lepers, He merely spoke to them, but we receive an even greater gift when we come to Church. We have the awesome blessing of receiving Holy Communion to cleanse our souls. As we approach the chalice, we hear the words, “For the remission of sins and life everlasting.” We can speak to God anywhere, but we can only receive His Precious Body and Blood IN the Church during Divine Liturgy.

It was the one leper who turned back, praised God with a loud voice; and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, and gave Him thanks. These are all liturgical actions which we can, and should, include these action when we come to Church.

 Dear St. Nicholas Cathedral Family,

As we continue our journey through the great Feasts of our Church, today we will speak about Pentecost! The Feast of Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The way it all falls on the calendar, it is always celebrated on a Sunday.

Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, which in its origins is a festive day for those of the Jewish tradition. Pentecost for the Jewish religion was on the fiftieth day after the Passover as the culmination of the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks began on the third day after the Passover with the presentation of the first harvest sheaves to God, and it concluded on Pentecost with the offering of two loaves of unleavened bread, representing the first products of the harvest (seen in Leviticus 23:17-20; Deuteronomy 16:9-10).

 It also celebrates the establishment of the Church through the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of the thousands who on that day believed in the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. In Acts Chapter two, we are told that the Apostles of our Lord were gathered together in one place. Suddenly, a sound came from heaven like a rushing wind, filling the entire house where they were sitting. Then, tongues of fire appeared, and one sat upon each one of Apostles. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as directed by the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

Since the Jewish Feast of Pentecost was a great pilgrimage feast, many people from throughout the Roman Empire were gathered in Jerusalem on this day. When the people in Jerusalem heard the sound, they came together and heard their own languages being spoken by the Apostles (Acts 2:5-6). The people were amazed, knowing that some of those speaking were Galileans, and not men who would normally speak many different languages.

Peter preached to the people regarding the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He spoke about Jesus Christ and His death and glorious Resurrection. Great conviction fell upon the people, and they asked the Apostles, "What shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38-39).The Bible records that on that day about three thousand were baptized. Following, the book of Acts states that the newly baptized continued daily to hear the teaching of the Apostles, as the early Christians met together for fellowship, the breaking of bread, and for prayer. Let us too continue to pray and learn more about our faith and nurture our spiritual lives.

Memorials

8:15 AM Divine Liturgy (Greek) 

Pantelis Demedis - 9 Days

Ionnis A. Boulafentis - 40 Days

Euterpe Papatheodorou - 40 Days

Apostoles Angeles - 6 Months

Demetra Mechas - 1 year

John S. Koulias - 1 year

Theodoros Papastavrou - 5 years

11:00 AM Divine Liturgy (English)