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RESOURCES
FOR
LENTEN
RECIPES
www.kalofagas.ca/2015/02/21/greek-lent-sarakosti-recipe-round-up/
www.dianekochilas.com/the-greek-lenten-table/
thegreekvegan.com/tag/orthodox-greek-lenten-meals/
www.mygreekdish.com/category/collections/traditional-greek-easter-lent-recipes/
www.kopiaste.org/2009//03/nistisimes-syntages-food-for-the-soul-lenten-recipes/
SAVE THE DATE
FOR THE
ANNUAL PHILOPTOCHOS
PLAKI DINNER
SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2018
St. Nicholas greek orthodox church February 2018
Volume 46 Issue 2
THE CANON “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…”
Matthew 3:8
My Dear Spiritual Children,
In the hymns and services of the Triodion period and at the entrance of this holy season of
Great Lent, we are called to repentance. We are invited to come before God in the humility of
the Publican. We are beckoned to return to His dwelling and His compassionate embrace as
the Prodigal Son. We are confronted with the causes of our separation from god and our need
for His great mercy. It is truly a time of repentance as we prepare to commemorate and con-
template all that has been done for us through Christ our Lord.
This solemn and reflective journey is not one of despair. This is not a time of inconsolable
grief or deep anguish and anxiety. Holy and Great Lent is a time of spiritual renewal in which
repentance finds forgiveness and grace, engenders hope, strengthens our faith and leads us to
abundant and eternal life.
First, we know through the Gospel that genuine repentance receives forgiveness and grace.
The sincerity of the Publican expressed in his cry, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”, was recog-
nized by God, and his sins were forgiven. (Luke 18:13). John the Baptist preached “Repent, for
the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, calling people to prepare to receive the One who was com-
ing in grace and truth (Matthew 3:2). The Cross of our Lord is before us offering by the grace of
God a way to salvation through repentance.
Second, repentance nurtures hope. As the power of God’s grace transforms us, as we see
the blessedness of life restored to communion with Him, we experience the joy of hope. For the
Prodigal Son it was the journey to return to the house of his father, hoping that something better
awaited. At the beginning of this holy season our repentance leads us on the path of hope,
knowing that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts.” (Romans 5:5)
(Continued on page 3)
February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Seniors
5:00 pm
2 Presentation of
our Lord
Orthros 9:30
Divine Liturgy
10:15 am
3
4
Orthros 9:15
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
5 6
AHEPA
6:30 PM
7 8
Parish Council
7:00 pm
9 10 Saturday
of the Souls
Orthros 9:30 am
Divine Lit 10:15
Apokreatiko
11
Orthros 9:15 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
12 13
Philoptochos
7:00 pm
14
Valentines Day
15 16 17 Saturday of
the Souls
Orthros 9:30
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
18
Orthros 9:15 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
19
Great Lent
begins
Presidents Day
20
AHEPA
6:30 PM
21 22 23
Heretismi
7:00 pm
24 Saturday of
the Souls
Orthros 9:30
Divine Liturgy
10:15 am
25
Orthros 9:15 am
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
26 27 28
11
COMMUNITY NEWS
(Due to an over sight in a past issue the following
information was omitted. – Please forgive the er-
ror)
Sympathy: Our deepest sympathy to Aneta Fine
and her family upon the death of her mother –
Vasiliki Ioannidis who fell asleep in the Lord on No-
vember 25, 2017
+May God rest her soul and grant peace and com-
fort to the family+
Congratulations to our new Parish Council:
Bill Tsardoulias – President
Doug Bowman- Vice President
Pamela Koutsaftis – Treasurer
Annie Peskiris – Secretary
Kris Kramp
Donna Miller
Kosta Antoniou
Vasilios Boumis
Beth Bowman.
May God give them the strength and wisdom to
lead His Church.
Seniors: Our next Seniors’ meeting will be held
here at the church on Thursday, February 1 at 5:00
p.m. (Please bring a side dish to share with our
meal.)
Coffee Hour:
February - Philoptochos
March – G.O.Y.A.
April – Seniors
May- Philoptochos
Thank you: I would like to thank everyone that
brought an item for my Mon’s 40Day Memorial.
Also, thank you to Philoptochos for their assis-
tance.
Aneta Fine and Family
Don’t forget to make your reservations for the
Apokriatiko Glendi which will be held on Satur-
day, February 10th
Ακολουθίες:
Η Υπαπαντή : 2 Φεβ. - Ορ.9:30 π.μ. Θ.Λ. 10:15
π.μ.
Ψυχοσάββατο: 10,17,24 Φεβ. – Ορ. 9:30 π.μ.
Θ.Λ 10:15 π.μ.
Α΄Χαιρετισμοί 23 Φεβ. 7:00 μ.μ.
3
Third, as through repentance we receive forgiveness and grace and our hearts are filled
with hope, our faith is strengthened. As we prepare to celebrate the fulfillment of God’s prom-
ise to defeat death, restore us to life, and led us to the Resurrection, our faith in Him grows.
Finally, in the sacred time of prayer and reflection, our repentance leads us to salvation.
Through repentance our eyes are opened, we turn from darkness to light so that we “may re-
ceive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in
Christ.” (Acts 26:18). Through the revelation of the absolute truth by Christ and his Cross and
Resurrection, we know where our repentance leads, and we know that ultimately we enter the
ineffable realm of a saved life with the perspective of eternity.
At the beginning of the Great Fast and Holy Lent, let us contemplate the power of repent-
ance and take this opportunity to examine our hearts and minds. Let us pray in humility seek-
ing the forgiveness and grace of God, returning to communion with Him. Let us find renewed
hope in the light, peace, and joy that comes from our Crucified and Risen Lord.
Kali Tessarakosti Καλή Τεσσαρκοστή!
Ιn Christ’s Love,
+ Fr. Michael
(Continued from page 1)
Don’t forget to fill out and return your
Stewardship Card
For 2018
The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sun-
day of Great Lent. The dominant theme of this
Sunday sin 843 has been that of the victory of
the icons. In that year the Iconoclastic
(destroyers of icons) controversy, which had
raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to
rest, and icons and their veneration were re-
stored on the first Sunday in Lent. Ever since,
this Sunday has been commemorated as the
“Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt
predominantly with the controversy regarding
icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It
was convened in Nicaea in 787 by Empress
Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of
Constantinople. The Council was attended by
367 bishops.
Almost a century before this, the iconoclas-
tic controversy had once more shaken the
foundations of both Church and State in the
Byzantine Empire. Excessive religious re-
spect and the ascribed miracles to icons by
some members of society, approached the
point of worship (due only to God) and idola-
try. This instigated excesses at the other ex-
treme by which icons were completely taken
out of the liturgical life of the Church by the
iconoclasts. The Iconophiles (lovers of icons)
on the other-hand, believed that icons served
to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the
Church; they considered icons to be man’s
dynamic way of expressing the divine through
art and beauty.
The Council decided on a doctrine by
which icons should be venerated but not wor-
shipped. In answering the Empress ‘invitation
to the Council, Pope Hadrian replied with a
letter in which he also held the position of ex-
tending veneration to icons but not worship,
the last befitting only God.
The decree of the Council for restoring
icons to churches added an important clause
which still stands at the foundation of the ra-
tionale for using and venerating icons in the
Orthodox Church to this very day. “We define
that the holy icons, whether in color, mosaic,
or some other material, should be exhibited in
the holy churches of God, on the sacred ves-
sels and liturgical vestments, on the walls,
furnishings, and in houses and along the
roads, namely the icon of our Lord God and
Savior Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the The-
otokos, those of the venerable angels and
those of all saintly people. Whenever these
representations are contemplated, they will
cause those who look at them to commemo-
rate and love their prototype. We define also
that they should be kissed and that they are
an object of veneration and honor (timitiki
proskynisis), but not to real worship (latreia),
which is reserved for Him Who is the subject
of our faith and is proper for the divine nature.
The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect
transmitted to the prototype; he who vener-
ates the icon, venerated in it the reality for
which it stands.
A Regional Synod was called in Constanti-
nople in 843. Under Empress Theodora. The
veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed
at the Ayia Sophia Cathedral. The Empress,
her son Michael III, Patriarch Methodios,
(Continued on page 5)
THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY
9
The Ladies Philoptochos So-
ciety is proud to share with you
the success of our recent Vasilo-
peta Luncheon. It was a success
not only in net profit but in the
collaboration of efforts of many
dedicated people. The support of
the parish on this cold wintry
weekend was great.
Fr. Michael led the prayer and
singing of the New Year’s Kalan-
da with the rhythm section of
our youth. What a wonderful op-
portunity to share another of our
great traditions.
We thank the efforts of Petros
and Elena Nicolaou, Dennis
Christo, Lee Koutsaftis, and
Bessie Aslanidis who worked
hard and sacrificed their time to
present this delicious meal along
with the dedicated Philoptochos
Membership.
We pray that St. Basil will bless
all with a happy and healthy New
Year.
Clean Monday-
Monday, February 19, 2018
6PM
Forgiveness Service
Followed by
A Lenten Potluck
Come begin the Lenten Journey
together at church with prayer and
love.
Bring a Lenten/Vegan dish to share.
We should focus on the path to Pascha
by seeking forgiveness and granting for-
giveness. After the service we will share
a meal and discuss a variety of topics.
Help each other with Lenten meal plan-
ning. Bring a copy of the recipes you
made.
5
monks and clergy came in procession and
restored the icons in their rightful place. The
day was called “Triumph of Orthodoxy.” Since
that time, this event is commemorated every
year with a special service on the first Sunday
of Great Lent, “The Sunday of Orthodoxy.”
(Continued from page 4)
Sunday of Orthodoxy
February 25, 2018
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Orthros: 9:15 a.m. D. Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
St. Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church
St. George Serbian Orthodox Church
SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church
SS. Cyril and Methodius Orthodoxy Church
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
Following services a Lenten Luncheon will be served.
What better way to commemorate the First Sunday of
Great Lent- all Orthodox Christians of Lorain joined
together as one family in Christ.
Ψυχοσάββατο/ Saturday of the Souls
February 10, 17, 24
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7
The Sunday of Forgiveness is the last Sun-
day prior to the commencement of Great Lent.
During the pre-Lenten period, the services of
the Church include hymns from the Triodion, a
liturgical book that contain the services from
the Sunday of the publican and the Pharisee,
through Great and Holy Saturday. On the Sun-
day of Forgiveness the focus is placed on the
exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of
Eden, an event that shows us how far we have
fallen in sin and separated ourselves from God.
At the onset of Great Lent and a period of in-
tense fasting, this Sunday reminds us of our
need for God’s forgiveness and guides our
hearts, minds and spiritual efforts on returning
to Him in repentance.
The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the
preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has
two themes: It commemorates Adam’s expul-
sion from Paradise, and it accentuates our
need for forgiveness. There are obvious rea-
sons why these two things should be brought
to our attentions as we stand on the threshold
of Great Lent. One of the primary images in
the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise.
Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and
Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting
with them for the sins that have deprived us of
our free communion with God. But Lent is
also a time when we are preparing to celebrate
the saving event of Christ’s death and rising
which has reopened Paradise to us once more.
(Luke23:42). So sorrow for our exile in sins is
tempered by hope of our re-entry into Para-
dise.
The second theme, that of forgiveness, is
emphasized in the gospel reading for the this
Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special
ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of
the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we
enter the Lenten Fast, we are reminded that
there can be no true fast, no genuine repent-
ance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are
at the same time reconciled with one another.
A Fast without mutual love is the fast of de-
mons. We do not travel the road of Lent as
isolated individuals, but as members of a fami-
ly.
The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us
to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation
from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel les-
son sets the conditions for this liberation. The
first one is fasting- the refusal to accept the
desires and urges of our fallen nature as nor-
mal, the effort to free ourselves from the dicta-
torship of the flesh and matter over the spirit.
To be effective, however, our fast must not be
hypocritical, a “showing off”. We must “appear
not unto men to fast but to our Father who is in
secret.” (Matthew 6:16-17)
The second condition is forgiveness – “If
you forgive men their trespasses, your Heav-
enly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew
6:14-15) The triumph of sin, the main sign of
its rule over the world is division, opposition,
separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break
through this fortress of sin is forgiveness- the
return to unity. To forgive is to put between me
and my enemy the radiant forgiveness of God
Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless
“dead-ends” of human relations and to refer
them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breaking
through” of the Kingdom into this sinful and
fallen world.
THE SUNDAY OF FORGIVENESS