INS IDE TH IS

I S SUE :

January

Calendar

2

President’s

Corner

3

Community

News

5

Stewardship

Update

6

Bookstore

News

7

Lives of the

Saints

9-

10

Test your

Faith

12

S A I N T G E O R G E G R E E K S A I N T G E O R G E G R E E K S A I N T G E O R G E G R E E K S A I N T G E O R G E G R E E K

O R T H O D O X C H U R C HO R T H O D O X C H U R C HO R T H O D O X C H U R C HO R T H O D O X C H U R C H

The Trophybearer J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

CHURCH

STAFF

• Parish Priest:

Fr. Michael

Constantinides

• Parish Council

President:

Mary Rankin

• Philoptochos

President:

Susan Matos

• Sunday School

Director:

Deacon

Paul Speed

• Caretaker:

Jason Leon

PASTORAL MESSAGEPASTORAL MESSAGEPASTORAL MESSAGEPASTORAL MESSAGE

Happy New Year! We are all filled with excited expectations for the coming year. It is a time of new begin-

nings, yet it is also a time of reflection. As we reflect on the happenings of last year, we are thankful for so

many blessings that have been bestowed upon each of us. The words “thank you” describe our gratitude for

the many occasions that we have helped or were helped by others. Let us take a moment to discuss what one

should be thankful for; why we were blessed with such good fortune; and how we should respond to those

that have helped us.

We should be thankful for the forgiveness of our sins. As Orthodox Christians, sin is considered a disease,

not a breaking of a law. For this reason, we must receive healing of our sins through Confession and Com-

munion.

By partaking in Holy Confession and Holy Communion, we strengthen our relationship with God and our fel-

low man. These sacraments allow us to restore and keep the image and likeness of God along with becoming

more God-like. We are called to become gods by grace. The only difference between God and man is that

man Needs God!

Each of us should also be thankful for our assistance on our journey to being God-like. Those people who

guide us along our way include our spiritual ancestors, bishops, priests, deacons and lay people. These role

models will help us, our children and grandchildren both spiritually and physically to become better Christians.

Why are people blessed with guidance from others? The answer is love. The topic of love is expressed in the

Eleventh Orthros Gospel, when Christ says to Peter, “Do you love me?” What is love? Love, agape, means

etymologically selfless love, maternal love, unconditional love. Love is the key to God, because God is love.

Our world was created in love. Adam fell because he had no love, or rather the wrong kind of love. The new

Adam did what God wanted because he had the right kind of love. Forgiveness is the ultimate example of love.

We should respond to acts of kindness by following God’s example of forgiveness. The Lord’s Prayer tells us

that before God forgives our trespasses, we must forgive those who trespass against us. We must listen and

honor those who lead their flocks. Our leaders are chosen by God and should be honored by all. In fact, we

should follow those leaders in: Fasting — which allows us to have a proper attitude towards our faith; Prayer

— which allows us to communicate with God; Confession — which removes the spirit of rejecting God’s

grace from us and Holy Communion — which puts God within us.

We indeed have much to be thankful for this year. We should be thankful for God’s forgiveness of our sins

and restoration of His image and likeness within us. We should be thankful to our leaders, who model for us

how to become closer to God and our faith. We should be thankful for the unconditional love that God gives

us everyday by calling us his children. Let us live as though we are forgiven, by forgiving others. In this way we

may, as St. Paul tells us, “Be all things to all people that in all ways we may save a few.”

Fr. Michael Constantinides

Parish Priest

January 2016

SundaySundaySundaySunday MondayMondayMondayMonday TuesdayTuesdayTuesdayTuesday WednesdayWednesdayWednesdayWednesday ThursdayThursdayThursdayThursday FridayFridayFridayFriday SaturdaySaturdaySaturdaySaturday

1

Fast Free

The Circumcision of

Our Lord

Saint Basil the

Great

Office Closed

8:30 a.m. Orthros

followed by the

Divine Liturgy

2

Fast Free

3 Sunday before Theophany Fast Free

8:30a.m. Orthros 10:00 a.m.

Divine Liturgy

Family Worship only

4

Fast Free

5

Eve of Theophany

Strict Fast Day

7:00 p.m. Vesperal

Divine Liturgy

followed by the

Blessing of the waters

6 The Theophany of

Our Lord Fast Free

8:30 a.m. Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy *Please Note: the Great Blessing of the Waters will occur following Orthros as is the ancient Tradition of

the Church*

6:00 p.m. Orthodox

Study Forum

7 The Synaxis of Saint John the

Baptist 8:30 a.m. Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy

8

Fast Day

9

10

Sunday after

Theophany

Parish Vasilopita 8:30a.m. Orthros

10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy

Sunday School Class

resume following

Holy Communion

Parish Council Oath

of Office

11

12

7:00 p.m. Parish

Council Meeting

13

Fast Day

10:00 a.m.

Orthodox Study

Forum

6:00 p.m. Orthodox

Study Forum

14

15 Fast Day

16

Oil and Wine

Allowed

17

12th Sunday of

Luke

8:30a.m. Orthros

10:00 a.m.

Divine Liturgy Sunday School Class

following Holy Communion

18

19

6:30 p.m. Prayer Ministry Meeting

20 Fast Day

10:00 a.m.

Orthodox Study

Forum

6:00 p.m. Orthodox

Study Forum

21

22

Fast Day

23

24

14th Sunday of

Luke

8:30a.m. Orthros

10:00 am.

Divine Liturgy

Sunday School Class

following

25

26

27 Fast Day

10:00 a.m.

Orthodox Study

Forum

6:00 p.m. Orthodox

Study Forum

28

29 Fast Day

30 The Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs 8:30 a.m. Orthros

followed by the Divine Liturgy

31

15th Sunday of

Luke

8:30a.m. Orthros

10:00 a.m.

Divine Liturgy

Sunday School Class

following

Holy Communion

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

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Parish Council

Elections

On December 6 the

following parishioners

were elected to two-

year terms to the Par-

ish Council: Brad

Crosson, Mariellen

Crosson, Mike Patra-

manis, and Ken Stiegel.

In addition, Dale Alli-

son, Dennis Spurgetis,

and Diana Spurgetis

have agreed to be ap-

pointed to vacancies

on the council after

January 1st. Those who

have a year remaining

on their current term

are Joe Burmeister,

Mary Kay Eckert, and

Mary Rankin. This

means there are two

more vacancies on the

2016 council, and if

any parishioner is in-

terested in serving in

this capacity, please

contact Father Michael

to learn more.

The parish council

wishes to thank Steve

Eckert and Gus Pappas

who are leaving the

council at the end of

December for their

many years of service.

Both Steve and Gus

will continue to be of

service on the festival

committee and other

endeavors.

Prayer Ministry to

Begin

Gus Pappas will head

this new ministry to

be instituted in 2016.

On January 19 a meet-

ing will be held at

church at 6:30 pm for

people who are inter-

ested in participating

in this endeavor. If you

would like more infor-

mation, contact Gus

or Father Michael. See

you on the 19th!

Council Thank You

Notes

The council would like

to thank all of the pa-

rishioners who have

supported the minis-

tries of St. George

throughout the past

year. We appreciate

the hard work of Fa-

ther Christodoulos

and Father Michael in

Christ’s vineyard!

Thank you to Jason

Leon for keeping the

premises so sparkling

and pleasant! Thank

you to the chanters,

choir members and

director, Sunday school

teachers, Prosphoro

bakers, youth workers,

handymen, Philopto-

chos workers, senior

outing organizers, fes-

tival workers, coffee

hour hosts/hostesses,

and on and on. Each

person’s contribution,

be it in time, talent or

treasure (or all of the

above!), is greatly ap-

preciated and furthers

the mission of the

church. Thank you for

a wonderful 2015!

Yours in Christ,

Mary RankinMary RankinMary RankinMary Rankin

Mary Rankin

Parish Council

President

Serving on

the Parish

Council is a

sacred

opportunity!

If you wish

to serve

please

contact

Father

Michael or

Mary

Rankin!

P A G E 4 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

Epistle Readers Sunday,

January 3, 2016

Sunday before

Theophany

Alexa Florence

Sunday,

January 10, 2016

7th Sunday of Luke

Michael Pyevich

Sunday,

January 17, 2016

12th Sunday of Luke

Michael Gust

Sunday,

January 24, 2016

14th Sunday of Luke

Angela Spurgetis

Sunday,

January 17, 2016

hosted by:

Open

Sunday,

January 24, 2016

hosted by:

Open

Sunday, January 3, 2016

hosted by:

Open

Sunday, January 10, 2016

hosted by:

Open

Sunday,

January 17, 2016

Brad Crosson,

Mariellen Crosson

Mike Patramanis

Sunday,

January 24, 2016

Mary Kay Eckert and

Mary Rankin

Sunday,

January 3, 2016

Brad Crosson,

Mariellen Crosson

Mike Patramanis

Sunday,

January 10, 2016

Mary Rankin,

Joe Burmeister, Ken Stiegel

Parish Council Sunday Duty

Coffee Hour Hosts for January 2016

Sunday,

January 31, 2016

Mary Rankin,

Joe Burmeister, Ken Stiegel

Sunday,

January 31, 2016

15th Sunday of Luke

Kay Coin

Sunday,

January 31, 2016

Open

Fellowship

and fun!

“O Lord, open my lips and

my mouth shall show forth

your praise!”

Anyone interested in being

an epistle reader should

contact the church office!

Hospitals: 3

Shut-in: 9

Please

keep the

sick and

the shut-

ins in your

prayers!

Monthly Pastoral

Visits

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

Community News THEOPHANY

CELEBRATION

SCHEDULE

•On Tuesday, January 5, the

Eve of Theophany, beginning

at 7:00 p.m. we will have the

Vesperal Divine Liturgy fol-

lowed by the Great Blessing

of the Waters

•The Great Blessing of the

Waters on the Feast Day of

Theophany, Wednesday,

January 6, will take place fol-

lowing the 8:30 a.m.

Orthros, as is the ancient

Tradition of the Church (not

following the Divine Liturgy).

HOUSE BLESSINGS

Call Father Michael if you

wish to have your house

blessed. Father Michael will

be blessing homes from

Wednesday January 6

through the beginning of

Great Lent. All appoint-

ments are on a first call first

served basis, so telephone

today

SUNDAY SCHOOL

NEWS

Classes resume on Sunday

January 10, 2015

PARISH COUNCIL

NEWS

The Parish Council Oath of

Office will be administered

and the Election of Officers

will occur on Sunday January

10, 2016, following the Di-

vine Liturgy

VASILOPITA

CELEBRATION

Our Parish Family will be

celebrating our Annual Vasi-

lopita Celebration on

Sunday, January 10, 2016.

HOSPITAL VISITS

If you or a family member are in the hospital, please call

the office. Ever since the change in the privacy laws, hospitals are reluctant to call churches. Please call us so that we can avoid missing our parishioners in their

time of need.

PRAYER MINISTRY

We are announcing a minis-try that we are beginning here at Saint George that involves us praying for those who have needs, just as the Lord instructs us to. For information and to partici-pate please contact Gus

Pappas.

SHUT-IN VISITATIONS

Father Michael would like to know if anyone needs a home visit because they are not able to come to Church. Father visits with them once a month. Please call the church office if you know of

anybody who needs a visit!

Our Saint George Parish Community

PRAYERS FOR

OUR SHUT-INS

Have we taken for

granted our health?

Some of our mem-

bers who are no

longer able to

come to church

would always ap-

preciate a phone

call just to say

hello.

Anne Allen

Ted Bagatelas

Xenia Bagatelas

Helen Corelis

Stella Cudworth

Jim Patton

Xenia Patton

Janice Smirles

Pat Grevas

Election News Thank You!

Thank you to the 2015

Parish Council whose

terms expired. They

were:

Mary Rankin, President;

Mike Patramanis,

Vice President;

Brad Crosson, Secretary;

Mary Kay Eckert,

Treasurer;

Joe Burmeister

Steve Eckert

Gus Pappas

We thank you for your

Service to our Saint

George Family.

2016 Parish Council

Congratulations to the

2016 newly elected Parish

Council:

Joe Burmeister

Brad Crosson

Mariellen Crosson

Mary Kay Eckert,

Mike Patramanis

Mary Rankin

Ken Stiegel

P A G E 6 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

Sunday School News The New Year shows

promise for the St.

George Parish Sunday

School. We have started

the year well, and it is safe

to say our numbers are up

and our teachers are do-

ing a great job. We will

take a short break for the

holidays, on December 27

and January 3. We will

have a teacher available,

however, for activities if

we have any children in-

terested in gathering.

All of this has been said

before, but our children

have a lot of competition

for Christ's message.

Nickelodeon has done a

survey saying children av-

erage 35 hours of time in

front of a TV a week.

Web MD will tell you our

children need at least nine

hours of sleep a day, or 63

hours a week. The school

day runs close to 40 hours

a week. This very rough

estimate tells us they have

about 30 hours a week for

everything else in their

lives.

That very rough estimate

tells us how vital it is that

our children are church

every Sunday (and other

services when possible),

and in Sunday School. We

have little time to pass on

our faith to the next gen-

eration; let's not allow a

single opportunity to pass

us by.

We will have some special

events for Sunday School

children in the coming

spring; be ready to take

advantage of these oppor-

tunities to nurture our

faith in the next genera-

tion.

Deacon Paul

St. Philip the Deacon

is the patron saint of

Religious Education.

He was an inspired

evangelist and

teacher whose mis-

sionary work brought

a multitude of new

believers to Christ in

Samaria and other

cities. along the coast

of Palestine

Vasilopita 2016

On Sunday, January 10,

2016 Vasilopita will be dis-

tributed at the end of lit-

urgy in honor of St. Basil

and best wishes for a

healthy, peaceful New

Year, 2016. In addition to

a gift of a slice of this fa-

vorite sweet bread, some

lucky person will be the

recipient of a hidden Vasi-

lopita coin. Tradition tells

that this coin will bring

you a blessed new year.

Of course, in honor of St.

Basil a special collection

will be taken at the end of

liturgy to help support the

academy bearing his name

in Garrison, New York.

And if this isn’t enough,

we will also hold a raffle

for the extra loaves of

bread. Each loaf will con-

tain a wrapped coin to

share with your family.

Tickets will be sold at the

bookstore (Stavro Logo

for those who do not re-

member our name) begin-

ning Sunday, January 3rd

and following liturgy Sun-

day, January 10th. Father

Michael will draw the win-

ning ticket(s) in the green

room. Cost of each

ticket is one ticket for

$5.00, three tickets for

$10.00.

Please join

Father

Michael in

welcoming

a new

family

among us:

John and

Jennifer Kay

as well their

children!

Welcome!

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

P A G E 8 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

2015 Stewards

Tony and Candace Elias

Paul and Cathy Farrell

Edward Filip

Scott and Alexa Florence

Elaine Froumis

Jim Gartelos

John and Randi Gartelos

Carol Gillian

George Gnatovich

Steven Goodell

Nick Grevas

Pat Grevas

Mary Jane Griffin

Michael Gust

Pete and Arlene Gust

Gus and Irene Harb

Nidal Harb

Vanessa Hayden-Porter

J.P. and Andrea Jacobs

Nick and Claudette Jannes

Tim and Kathy Joannides

Scot and Adrienne Johnson

Candice Kalman

Georgia Kalomas

Louis and Amanda

Kantzavelos

George and Diane Karoules

Chris and Lennice

Kavallieros

John and Jennifer Kay

Ermioni Keber

Quinn and Anne Kirkpatrick

Deborah Kutsunis

George and Linda Kutsunis

Ted and Debra Kutsunis

Chris and Nikki Lebessis

Jennifer Lensgraf

Joan Lensgraf

Jason Leon

Von Lillios

Darlene Lingris

Tassos Liras

Dena Manta

Emmanuel and Tracy

Mathews

Nancy Mathews

Peter and Susan Matos

John and Linnea Mekus

Helen Moorhead

Steve Morgan

Ken and Pam Mott

John Natsis

Marguerite Nelson

Anthony and Marianne

Nichols

Pauline Nichols

Scott and Leesa Palmer

Demetrios and Kathy

Papageorgiou

Maria Papageorgiou

Chris Pappas

Gus and Kerri Pappas

Judy Pappas

Matt and Lori Pappas

Nick Pappas

Tim Pappas

George and Alexia

Patramanis

Mike and Vickie Patramanis

Angela Perantinos

Marina Pikis

Demetrios Pliakos

Mike and Vickie Pyevich

Mary Rankin

Jovanka Rastovic

David Ray

Alex Reese

Dennis and Marina Reese

Effie Skafidas

Frank J. and Mary Jane

Skafidas

Janice Smirles

Gordon and Helen Smith

Randy and Chris Smith

Angela Spurgetis

Colette Spurgetis

Dennis and Nancy Spurgetis

Father and Presbytera

Michael Constantinides

Deacon and Deaconess

Paul Speed

Father and Presbytera

Chris Matos

Jorg and Basema Alias

Anne Allen

Marcia Allen

Ray and Connie Allen

Dale and JoElaine Allison

Jeff and Elaine Amidon

John and Pat Andrews

Mike and Nancy Avgenackis

Paul and Christine Baga-

telas Polly Bagatelas

Ted and Karen Bagatelas

Tom and Jenny Bakeris

Georgena Barnes

Pascal Booras

Frances Bourboulas

Spiro Bruskas

Elaine Burmeister

Joe Burmeister

John and Darcy Callas

Emily Caras

Peter and Becky Caras

Carol Chickris

George and Nancy Coin

Harry G. and Susan Coin

Harry S. and Paula Coin

Nick and Nancy Coin

Stan and Kay Coin

Helen Corelis

John and Shan Corelis

Brad and Mariellen Cros-

son Cleo Dalamaggas

Mrs. Sam Demou

Niki Doty

Angeline Douglas

Angela and Sean Doyle

Steve and Mary Kay Eckert

Daniel and Mari Elias

Maurice and Sue Elias

We are deeply

grateful to our

Lord Jesus

Christ for our

faithful and

committed

Stewards.

Listed here are

the individuals/

families who

pledged their

commitment

in 2015!

Diana Spurgetis

Helen Spurgetis

Lucille Spurgetis

Mary Spurgetis

Nick and Fran Spurgetis

Ken and Helen Stiegel

John and Martha Stratton

Marge Stratton

Marlowe Suess

James and Elizabeth Teros

Veronica Tolescu

Gus and Virginia Tripilas

Ellen Tsagaris

James Tsagaris

Ted Vlahos

Frank Vretis

Bill and Diane Whitehead

Kim and Mary Winters

Kulla Wiss

John and Joanna Zaimes

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

2016 Stewards

Scot and Adrienne

Johnson

Georgia Kalomas

Louis and Amanda

Kantzavelos

George and Diane

Karoules

Jason Leon

John and Jennifer Kay

Deborah Kutsunis

Ted and Debra Kutsunis

Von Lillios

Darlene Lingris

Nancy Mathews

John and Linnea Mekus

Anthony and Marianne

Nichols

Pauline Nichols

Dimitri and Kathy

Papageorgiou

Mike and Vickie

Patramanis

Jimmie Pliakos

Mike and Vickie Pyevich

Mary Rankin

David Ray

Effie Skafidas

Randy and Chris Smith

Angela Spurgetis

Colette Spurgetis

Dennis and Nancy

Spurgetis

Ken and Helen Stiegel

John and Martha

Stratton

Marge Stratton

James and Elizabeth

Teros

Veronica Tolescu

Frank Vretis

Bill and Diane

Whitehead

Kim and Mary Winters

Father and Presbytera

Michael Constantinides

Deacon and Deaconess

Paul Speed

Dale and JoElaine Alli-

son

Jeff and Elaine Amidon

John and Pat Andrews

Mike and Nancy

Avgenackis

Tom and Jenny Bakeris

Diane Breckon

John and Darcy Callas

George and Nancy

Coin

Harry G. and Susan

Coin

Nick and Nancy Coin

Helen Corelis

John and Shan Corelis

Brad and Mariellen

Crosson

Cleo Dalamaggas

Steve and Mary Kay

Eckert

George Gnatovich

Mike Gust

Pete and Arlene Gust

Nick and Claudette

Jannes

Tim and Kathy

Joannides

There is your

brother,

naked and

crying! And

you stand

confused over

choice of

floor

covering.

St. Gregory of

Nyssa

P A G E 1 0 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

The Circumcision of the Lord (January 1)

On the eighth day after His

Nativity, our Lord Jesus

Christ was circumcised in

accordance with the Old

Testament Law. All male

infants underwent circumci-

sion as a sign of God’s Cove-

nant with the holy Forefa-

ther Abraham and his de-

scendants (Gen. 17:10-14,

Lev. 12:3).

After this ritual the Divine

Infant was given the name

Jesus, as the Archangel

Gabriel declared on the day

of the Annunciation to the

Most Holy Theotokos (Luke

1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers

of the Church explain that

the Lord, the Creator of the

Law, underwent circumci-

sion in order to give people

an example of how faithfully

the divine ordinances ought

to be fulfilled. The Lord was

circumcised so that later no

one would doubt that He

had truly assumed human

flesh, and that His Incarna-

tion was not merely an illu-

sion, as certain heretics

(Docetists) taught.

In the New Testament, the

ritual of circumcision gave

way to the Mystery of Bap-

tism, which it prefigured

(Col. 2:11-12). Accounts of

the Feast of the Circumci-

sion of the Lord continue in

the Eastern Church right up

through the fourth century.

The Canon of the Feast was

written by St Stephen of the

St Sava Monastery (October

28 and July 13).

In addition to circumcision,

which the Lord accepted as a

sign of God’s Covenant with

mankind, He also received

the Name Jesus (Savior) on

the eighth day after His Na-

tivity as an indication of His

service, the work of the sal-

vation of the world (Mt.1:21;

Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke

10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Phil 2:9-

10). These two events, the

Lord’s Circumcision and

Naming, remind Christians

that they have entered into a

New Covenant with God

and “are circumcised with a

circumcision made without

hands, in putting off the body

of the sins of the flesh by the

circumcision of Christ” (Col.

2:11). The very name

“Christian” is a sign of man-

kind’s entrance into a New

Covenant with God.

The Circumcision

of the Lord

Thoughts to Ponder Wherever we live, we

observe two common

items made of glass: win-

dows and mirrors. We

look through a window but

at a mirror. A mirror sim-

ply reflects what is in

front of it. We look, in a

mirror to see how we

look, but we don't need a

mirror to see how other

people look; we need a

window.

Our life style can be like

a window or like a mir-

ror. "Window" people

look beyond themselves,

at other people, at the

world. "Mirror" people

see only themselves.

There in l i e s the i r

misery.

Christ and His followers

are "window" people.

T h r o u g h Ch r i s t i a n

stewardship they find

life's highest joy in help-

ing support God's work

in the world through His

Church

…Send your

treasures to the

heavenly storage

room. Deposit

your wealth in

God’s Bank,

distributing it to

the poor, the

orphans and the

widows, so that

you can receive a

million times more

in the Second

coming of Christ…

Saint Joseph the

Hesychast

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

The Theophany of the Lord (January 6) Theophany is the Feast

which reveals the Most

Holy Trinity to the world

through the Baptism of

the Lord (Mt.3:13-17;

Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-

22). God the Father spoke

from Heaven about the

Son, the Son was baptized

by St John the Forerunner,

and the Holy Spirit de-

scended upon the Son in

the form of a dove. From

ancient times this Feast

was called the Day of Illu-

mination and the Feast of

Lights, since God is Light

and has appeared to illu-

mine "those who sat in

darkness," and "in the re-

gion of the shadow of

death" (Mt.4:16), and to

save the fallen race of

mankind by grace.

In the ancient Church it

was the custom to baptize

catechumens at the Ves-

pers of Theophany, so

that Baptism also is re-

vealed as the spiritual illu-

mination of mankind.

The origin of the Feast of

Theophany goes back to

Apostolic times, and it is

mentioned in The Apos-

tolic Constitutions (Book

V:13). From the second

century we have the testi-

mony of St Clement of

Alexandria concerning the

celebration of the Baptism

of the Lord, and the night

vigil before this Feast.

There is a third century

dialogue about the ser-

vices for Theophany be-

tween the holy martyr

Hippolytus and St Gregory

the Wonderworker. In

the following centuries,

from the fourth to ninth

century, all the great Fa-

thers of the Church:

Gregory the Theologian,

J o h n C h r y s o s t om ,

Ambrose of Milan, John of

Damascus, commented on

the Feast of Theophany.

The monks Joseph the

Studite, Theophanes and

Byzantios composed much

liturgical music for this

Feast, which is sung at Or-

thodox services even to-

day. St John of Damascus

said that the Lord was

baptized, not because He

Himself had need for

cleansing, but "to bury hu-

man sin by water," to fulfill

the Law, to reveal the

mystery of the Holy Trin-

ity, and finally, to sanctify

"the nature of water" and

to offer us the form and

example of Baptism.

On the Feast of the Bap-

tism of Christ, the Holy

Church proclaims our

faith in the most sublime

mystery, incomprehensible

to human intellect, of one

God in three Persons. It

teaches us to confess and

glorify the Holy Trinity,

one in Essence and Indi-

visible. It exposes and

overthrows the errors of

ancient teachings which

attempted to explain the

Creator of the world by

reason, and in human

terms.

The Church shows the

necessity of Baptism for

believers in Christ, and it

inspires us with a sense of

deep gratitude for the illu-

mination and purification

of our sinful nature. The

Church teaches that our

salvation and cleansing

from sin is possible only

by the power of the grace

of the Holy Spirit, there-

fore it is necessary to pre-

serve worthily these gifts

of the grace of holy Bap-

tism, keeping clean this

priceless garb, for "As

many as have been bap-

tized into Christ, have put

on Christ" (Gal 3:27).

On the day of Theophany,

all foods are permitted,

even if the Feast falls on a

Wednesday or Friday.

The

Theophany

of our Lord

Feeding the

hungry is a

greater

work than

raising the

dead.

St. John

Chrysostom

P A G E 1 2 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

The Apostle Timothy (January 22)

The Holy Apostle Timothy

was from the Lycaonian city of

Lystra in Asia Minor. St Timo-

thy was converted to Christ

in the year 52 by the holy

Apostle Paul (June 29). When

the Apostles Paul and

Barnabas first visited the cities

of Lycaonia, St Paul healed

one crippled from birth. Many

of the inhabitants of Lystra

then believed in Christ, and

among them was the future St

Timothy, his mother Eunice

and grandmother Loida (Lois)

(Acts 14:6-12; 2 Tim. 1:5).

The seed of faith, planted in St

Timothy’s soul by the Apostle

Paul, brought forth abundant

fruit. He became St Paul’s dis-

ciple, and later his constant

companion and co-worker in

the preaching of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul loved St

Timothy and in his Epistles

called him his beloved son,

remembering his devotion and

fidelity with gratitude.

He wrote to Timothy: “You

have followed my teaching,

way of life, purpose, faith,

longsuffering, love, and

patience” (2 Tim. 3:10-11).

The Apostle Paul appointed St

Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus,

where the saint remained for

fifteen years. Finally, when St

Paul was in prison and await-

ing martyrdom, summoned his

faithful friend, St Timothy, for

a last farewell (2 Tim. 4:9).

St Timothy ended his life as a

martyr. The pagans of Ephesus

celebrated a festival in honor

of their idols, and used to

carry them through the city,

accompanied by impious cere-

monies and songs. St Timothy,

zealous for the glory of God,

attempted to halt the pro-

cession and reason with the

sp i r i tua l l y b l ind ido l -

worshipping people, by

preaching the true faith in

Christ.

The pagans angrily fell upon

the holy apostle, they beat

him, dragged him along the

ground, and finally, they

stoned him. St Timothy’s mar-

tyrdom occurred in the year

93.

…If you

change from

inhumanity to

almsgiving,

you have

stretched forth

the hand that

was withered.

If you

withdraw from

theaters and

go to church,

you have cured

the lame foot.

If you draw

back your eyes

from a

harlot ... you

have opened

them when

they were

blind ... These

are the

greatest

miracles.

St. John

Chrysostom

The Apostle

Timothy

Church Etiquette

In the Orthodox Church, there

are many customs and tradi-

tions that are an important part

of our worship. Some are cul-

tural and some are pious cus-

toms. Some are essential and

some are not. From time-to-

time, we need to address some

of these various etiquette issues

to better inform the faithful

THE IMPORTANCE OF

PUNCTUALITY

The time to arrive at Church is

before the service starts. If you

arrive after the Divine Liturgy

begins, try to enter the Church

quietly and observe what is

happening. If the Epistle or Gos-

pel is being read or the Little or

Great Entrance is taking place,

wait until it is finished to quickly

find a seat. Try not to interrupt

the Liturgy by your entrance.

The best way to avoid this

situation is to arrive on time.

“LET US ATTEND”

In some Orthodox cultures,

crossing one’s leg is taboo and

considered to be disrespectful.

In our American culture, while

there are no real taboos, we

tend to cross our legs to get

comfortable when sitting.

Crossing one’s legs in Church is

not permitted, not because it is

“wrong”, but rather because it

is too casual and relaxed for

being in Church. Remember,

sitting in Church is a conces-

sion, not the normative way of

prayer. You surely do not want

to get too relaxed and let your

mind drift off. In fact when you

do sit in Church, you should sit

attentively. Keep both feet on

the floor, ready to stand at at-

tention, which is what “let us

attend” means.

P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E 6 I S S U E 1

Answers to Last Month’s “Test Your Faith…”

Service and Liturgical

Books

Across

3. The service book con-

taining the canons and

hymns of the eight tones

or modes of Byzantine Mu-

s i c i s c a l l e d t h e

_____________.

5. This liturgical book con-

tains instructions about the

order of the various

Church services and cere-

monies in the form of a

perpetual calendar.

6. A brief biography of a

saint read in the church on

occasions of his feast day is

called the __________.

8. This liturgical book con-

tains all the prayers, hymns

and services performed

during the period of fifty

days between Easter and

Pentecost.

9. This liturgical book

contains the prayers and

ceremonial order of the

various church services

including the Divine Lit-

urgy for the priest.

10. The Greek term for

the Gospel Book is the

____________.

Down

1. A liturgical book con-

taining the hymns,

prayers and services of

the movable feast before

Easter, beginning with

the Sunday of the Publi-

can and the Pharisee un-

til Easter Sunday.

2. The liturgical Book

containing the various

Apostolic (Epistle) Read-

ings is cal led the

_________.

4. The Liturgical book

containing the different

services and prayers of

the hours of the day is

called _________.

7. A liturgical book con-

taining the lives of the

saints and the special

hymns (Stichera) for the

feast-days of the Ortho-

dox Saints. It is divined

into twelve volumes, one

for each month.

P A G E 1 4 T H E T R O P H Y B E A R E R

TRUE OR FALSE

1. In the Orthodox

Church, we feel that mate-

rial things are bad and only

spiritual things are good.

2. The bishops acting

within the church are not

capable of making mis-

takes—they are infallible.

3. The Orthodox Church

believes that God is one in

substance but three in per-

sons.

4. Christ was born perfect

God and perfect man.

5. The Orthodox Church

allows only one baptism.

6. The Virgin Mary is the

Birth-giver of Christ the

Man and not of Christ

God.

7. The salvation of man

needs the cooperation be-

tween God and man.

8. We fast because we are

commanded to do so by

Christ; fasting starves the

body to feed the soul and

brings us closer to God.

TRUE OR FALSE

The book of the Acts of the

Apostles tells us how the first

Christians lived and wor-

shiped God. Mark True or

False after the following sen-

tences:

1. The first Christians “were

of one heart and soul.”

_________

2. They shared everything

they had. _________

3. They had their worship

gatherings only in the

Temple of Solomon.

_________

4. The Feast of Love (Agape)

was a part of their wor-

ship. _________

5. The Feast of Love was a

Jewish custom that the

Christians kept.

_________

6. They kept the Sabbath as

the most important day of

their public worship.

________

Below are some of the names

of the disciples. Can you find

them in this puzzle?

Andrew – James – John –

Judas – Matthew – Peter –

Philip – Simon – Thomas

S A M O H T

P H I L I P

W J S R E L

E P A T C J

H N E M O W

T R S H E G

T W N R Q S

A T D C R O

M N O M I S

A S A D U J

Test Your Faith...