December 2016 1 Archangel the Volume 17 Issue 10 December 2016 “Unless you become like a little child…” (St. Matthew 18:3) Once upon a time an arrogant young man who aspired to become a monk went to Mount Athos. He had been to several monasteries in the United States, but none of them appealed to him and he never felt that the abbots and other elder monks were wise enough to guide him in his spiritual endeavors. Upon entering the monastery to which he desired to live, he proceeded to tell the venerable abbot about him- self, his previous unfulfilled quests, and his thirst for spiritual guidance. He said, “Holy Father! My heart burns for the spiritual life, for asceticism, for unceasing communion with God, for obedience to an elder. In- struct me please, Holy Father, that I may attain spiritual advancement. Impart your sage and wondrous wis- dom so that I might truly come to know God and lead a spiritual life.” The abbot, upon hearing the young novice’s words, got up from his desk, went over to the bookshelf, and pulled down a copy of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. “Read this, my son. It will help you find your- self.” “But, Father!” objected the troubled novice, “This is heterodox Victorian sentimentality, a product of the Western captivity! This isn’t spiritual; it’s not even Orthodox! I need writings which will teach me spirituali- ty!” The abbot smiled at the young man and said, “Unless you first develop normal, human, Christian feelings and learn to view life as little Davey did – with simplicity, kindness, warmth, and forgiveness – then all the Ortho- dox spirituality and Patristic writings in the world will not only be of no help to you – they will turn you into a spiritual monster and destroy your soul.” Wow…what a wonderful lesson and admonition! Although it might be hard to recapture with exact unbound- ing joy how we felt in our youth as Christ’s Holy Nativity approached, this is still a season of childlike awe and wonder; one which envelopes all our senses. The inescapable Christmas music, the multicolored lights on houses, and trees decorated with festive pride. The revelry of carolers, the sweet, spice-filled aromas of home baking, and hand written greetings in cards sent through the mail. The joy of shopping for presents and the me- ticulous care we take in wrapping – adding love to the gifts we give. And of course the joyous Christmas Feast itself – with its traditional Holy Night’s Supper on the eve, the festive Divine Liturgy, and the exuberant ex- change of the greeting: “Christ is Born! Glorify Him!” May the anticipation of this year’s Nativity Feast not only bring us joy, but restore in us that childlike love, faith, and yearning for the New Born King that so governed us in our youth. For it is by type of faith that we will come to see God! Very Rev. Fr. John Memorich
Transcript
December 2016 1
Archangel the
Volume 17 Issue 10 December 2016
“Unless you become like a little child…” (St. Matthew 18:3) Once upon a time an arrogant young man who aspired to become a monk went to Mount Athos. He had been to several monasteries in the United States, but none of them appealed to him and he never felt that the abbots and other elder monks were wise enough to guide him in his spiritual endeavors. Upon entering the monastery to which he desired to live, he proceeded to tell the venerable abbot about him-self, his previous unfulfilled quests, and his thirst for spiritual guidance. He said, “Holy Father! My heart burns for the spiritual life, for asceticism, for unceasing communion with God, for obedience to an elder. In-struct me please, Holy Father, that I may attain spiritual advancement. Impart your sage and wondrous wis-dom so that I might truly come to know God and lead a spiritual life.” The abbot, upon hearing the young novice’s words, got up from his desk, went over to the bookshelf, and pulled down a copy of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. “Read this, my son. It will help you find your-self.” “But, Father!” objected the troubled novice, “This is heterodox Victorian sentimentality, a product of the Western captivity! This isn’t spiritual; it’s not even Orthodox! I need writings which will teach me spirituali-ty!” The abbot smiled at the young man and said, “Unless you first develop normal, human, Christian feelings and learn to view life as little Davey did – with simplicity, kindness, warmth, and forgiveness – then all the Ortho-dox spirituality and Patristic writings in the world will not only be of no help to you – they will turn you into a spiritual monster and destroy your soul.” Wow…what a wonderful lesson and admonition! Although it might be hard to recapture with exact unbound-ing joy how we felt in our youth as Christ’s Holy Nativity approached, this is still a season of childlike awe and wonder; one which envelopes all our senses. The inescapable Christmas music, the multicolored lights on houses, and trees decorated with festive pride. The revelry of carolers, the sweet, spice-filled aromas of home baking, and hand written greetings in cards sent through the mail. The joy of shopping for presents and the me-ticulous care we take in wrapping – adding love to the gifts we give. And of course the joyous Christmas Feast itself – with its traditional Holy Night’s Supper on the eve, the festive Divine Liturgy, and the exuberant ex-change of the greeting: “Christ is Born! Glorify Him!” May the anticipation of this year’s Nativity Feast not only bring us joy, but restore in us that childlike love, faith, and yearning for the New Born King that so governed us in our youth. For it is by type of faith that we will come to see God!
Baby boy, Alexander Michael, son of Deacon Joseph and Kyra (Visocky) Shaluha, born November 11, 2016.
As Many as Have Been Baptized into Christ...
Monica Josephine Allen, daughter of Nate and Paula (Dzmura) Allen, baptized on November 19, 2016.
May God Grant Them Many Years!
Blessed is the Way in Which Thou Shall Walk Today, O Soul:
Elizabeth Shostak, died November 25, 2016, buried November 30, 2016.
Memory Eternal!
AMAZON SMILE Do you frequently shop on Amazon? Now, all of that shopping can help benefit our church – as we are now signed up with Ama-zon Smile – a program in which Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to the charity of your choice. Archangel Michael Orthodox Church is regis-tered as an approved charity. Visit smile.amazon.com, use your Amazon login credentials, search for our church name and start shopping! It’s that easy. For more information, call the church office and Phil can help you through it!
FRIDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB If you are a book reader, and would like to share your love of books, please plan on joining us in the New Year. Our meetings tend to be at church on or around the third Friday of every other month at 7 pm. Some-times we meet at a member’s house or we might go see a movie as a group. If you are at all interested in joining our group, please contact Ma-tushka Jani for more information or just show up on the night indicated in the bulletin. Below is our schedule for 2017. January 20: Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer March 17: The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley May 15: Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard July 21: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty September 18: The Great Reckoning by Louise Penny November 17: The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kel-by
December 2016 3
How it Works: Donations & Pledge Tracking When it comes to donations and pledge monies to the church, it is of the utmost importance to keep track of everything properly. We have recently upgraded our Giving System software and this upgrade now allows us to do a lot more with regards to tracking, reporting, etc. This upgrade was much needed, and required by the company. Every parishioner is assigned a Giving Number. Married couples share a number, and the youth of our parish receive a number once they make their first confession. These numbers are used to track donations, pledges and any other monetary gifts made to the church by an individual/couple. These numbers are printed on your monthly envelopes that you receive in the mail (more on that in a moment!). Once the collection is done each Sunday, the church Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer total the donations and make the weekly deposit. There are special cases in which the money is not counted on a Sunday (Pascha, Christmas, etc.) and may be deposited the following week, but those instances are rare. The donations / pledges are then recorded into the Giving System. Our new system allows for a memo line. In some cases, you may see a memo on your statement. For instance, if you give $3 for candles on a Sunday, the memo may read “Candles / Prayers on DATE”. This not only helps us keep track, but allows you to see more detail about each donation. Loose cash donations that we don’t know who to credit are applied to a “Visitor” account. This is also the case for Candle Desk Receipts and non-parishioner donations. The only donations credited to an individual’s ac-count MUST have some indication as to who made the donation. All others are marked as “Visitor.” As far as the monthly envelopes are concerned, many parishioners have opted to NOT receive the monthly en-velopes, but rather have their financial institution send a check weekly or monthly directly to the church. Those donations or pledges are collected throughout the week and added to the next Sunday’s deposit. This is a great way to help save the church extra money on printing and postage of those envelopes. For those individ-uals who choose to do this, it is important to inform the church office, so we can stop sending the envelopes. Also, please make sure in the Memo Line, you indicate your Giving Number. One disadvantage however, is that you do miss out on receiving the special envelopes such as Easter Offer-ings, Christmas Offering, Special Occasion Offerings, etc. You can still make donations to those areas, just please mark clearly on the envelope which “fund” you would like that donation credited to. For more information, or if you have questions, please contact me at the church office – 440.526.5192 or [email protected]
Phil Tesar
CONGRATULATIONS to Bob Macko and Mickey Macko who were presented with a Diocesan Gramota on November 13 by His Grace, Bishop Paul, for faithful-ly serving as greeters at Archan-gel Michael Orthodox Church. It was a great honor that they were recognized for their dedication and service to our parish and wel-coming so many guests, visitors and parishioners for so many years.
4 The Archangel
QUESTION: What ever happened to the gifts that Jesus was given by the Three Wise Men? ANSWER: According to the gospel, the Wise Men specifically brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and presented them to the Christ Child (Matt. 2:11). Over the years many biblical scholars have as-cribed meaning and/or symbolism to these gifts, yet it should be noted that all three were ordinary offerings typical for a king. St. John Chrysostom, however, preached that these gifts were not only fit for a king, but for God Himself, suggesting that even the Magi were worshiping Jesus not as king, but as God. The early Christian writer, Origen, links the Magi’s gifts to being prophetic: “gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who is mortal; and incense, as to a God.” This interpretation is even alluded to, in the popular Christmas carol, We Three Kings, in which the Magi glorify the Christ Child as “King and God and sacrifice.” Although many fanciful theories and pious stories have been put forward over the centuries, what actually happened to those gifts must remain a mystery because nothing further is mentioned in scripture. However, one might logically assume that the gold was used by Mary and Joseph to finance their travels as they fled with the Child to Egypt.
Fr. John
In The Darkness of the Night
In the darkness of the night A star Bright Guides Wise men to the site Wisdom Might All bow before the sight In fear And fright Dare they approach the Light? Gifts meet And right Magnify His glory, foreshadow His plight All witnessed Kept tight In the darkest hour of this night. Fr. John Memorich
Christmas 2015
The More You Know: “...and when they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation.” (Acts 15:30-31) Here is one of the first instances in which we hear of apostolic epistles (letters) being sent to various congrega-tions and the impact it had on those churches. This is precisely why we still continue the tradition of reading portions of these exact same epistles during our Divine Services. We include them as Holy Scripture not only due to the fact that the Apostles wrote them, but because their voice continues to instruct us; imparting words of wisdom and encouraging us in our present-day quest for salvation.
Fr. John
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On Children and Church By Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann As a general rule, children like attending Church, and this instinctive attraction to and interest in Church services is the foundation on which we must build our religious education. When parents worry that children will get tired because services are long and are sorry for them, they usually sub-consciously express their concern not for their children but for themselves. Children penetrate more easily than do adults into the world of ritual, of liturgical symbolism. They feel and appreciate the atmosphere of our Church services. The expe-rience of Holiness, the sense of encounter with Someone Who is beyond daily life, that mysterium tremendum that is at the root of all religion and is the core of our services is more accessible to our children than it is to us. "Except ye become as little children," these words apply to the receptivity, the open-mindedness, the natural-ness, which we lose when we grow out of childhood. How many men have devoted their lives to the service of God and consecrated themselves to the Church because from childhood they have kept their love for the house of worship and the joy of liturgical experience! Therefore, the first duty of parents and educators is to "suffer little children and forbid them not" (Matt. 19:14) to attend Church. It is in Church before every place else that children must hear the word of God. In a classroom the word is difficult to understand, it remains abstract, but in church it is in its own element. In childhood we have the capacity to understand, not intellectually, but with our whole being, that there is no greater joy on earth than to be in Church, to participate in Church services, to breathe the fragrance of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is "the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit." Church attendance should be complemented from the earliest days of childhood by the home atmosphere, which precedes and prolongs the mood of the Church. Let us take Sunday morning. How can a child sense the holiness of that morning and of that which he will see in Church if the home is full of the blare of radio and TV, the parents are smoking and reading the papers, and there reigns a generally profane atmosphere? Church attendance should be preceded by a sense of being gathered in, a quiet, a certain solemnity. The lighting of vigil lights before the icons, the reading of the Scripture lessons, clean and fresh clothes, the festively tidied-up rooms – so frequently parents do not realize how all these things shape the religious consciousness of the child, make an imprint which no later tribulations will ever efface. On the eve and on the day of Sundays and Church feasts, during Lent, on the days when we prepare ourselves for Confession and Communion, the home must reflect the Church, must be illuminated by the light that we bring back from worship. And now let us speak of the school. It seems self-evident to me that to organize so-called "Sunday School" les-sons during Divine Liturgy is in deep contradiction with the spirit of Orthodoxy. The Sunday Liturgy is a joy-ful gathering of the Church community, and the child must know and experience this long before he is able to understand the deep meaning of this gathering. It seems to me that the choice of Sunday for church school is not a very good one. Sunday is primarily a liturgical day; therefore, it should be Church-centered and Liturgy-centered. It would be far better to have church school on Saturdays before the Vigil or Vespers service. The argument that parents cannot and will not bring children to church twice a week is merely admitting indolence and sinful negligence of what is important to our children. Saturday evening is the beginning of Sunday and should be liturgically sanctified just as much as Sunday morning. Why, in all Orthodox churches the world over Vespers or the Vigil is served on the eve of Feasts and Sundays. There is no reason why we too cannot arrange our church life according to principle: School—Vespers—Liturgy, where School would be for chil-dren the essential preparation and introduction to the Day of the Lord, His resurrection.
6 The Archangel
St. Michael's Day Hierarchical Liturgy and Banquet On Sunday, November 13, His Grace, Bishop Paul, celebrated a Hierarchical Liturgy at our parish in honor of our Patronal Feast. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Grace presented Special Diocesan Awards (Gramota) to Michael Macko and Bob Macko for their many years of serving as greeters of our parish. After this presentation, our annual St. Michael's Day Banquet was held at Woodside Event Center where we honored Bill and Pauline Mehalik as a 50th anniversary couple. Much thanks to Natalie Boyd and Lisa Lyon - aka "The Sekerak Sisters" who again co-chaired this event and delighted us with their comedic stylings. A wonderful time was had by all!
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8 The Archangel
Sunday School Yolka Following Divine Liturgy on December 4, 2016, our congregation went down to Woodside Event Center to share a meal and watch the Sunday School children perform in our Annual Christmas Yolka. After the meal the children put on skits which recalled the upcoming Nativity Feast, the meaning behind the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the Junior/Senior high class' self-written play about why we come to church. Everyone did a great job and we ended the day with a visit from Santa who gave gifts to all the Sunday School kids!
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10 The Archangel
HEALTH HINT 107 – DECEMBER 2016
12 Days of Holiday Health 1. Hand Washing
Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spread-ing germs to others. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based product
2. Bundle Up for Warmth
Cold temperatures can cause serious health problems, especially in infants and older adults. Stay dry, and dress warmly in several layers of loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing.
3. Manage Stress
The holidays don’t need to take a toll on your health. Keep a check on over-commitment and over-spending. Balance work, home, and play. Get support from family and friends. Practice time manage-ment. Keep a relaxed and positive outlook.
4. Don’t Drink and Drive
Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. Don't drink and drive, and don't let someone else drink and drive.
5. Be Smoke-Free
6. Fasten Seat Belts While Driving
7. Get Exams and Screenings
Schedule a visit with your health care provider for a yearly exam. Ask what tests you should get based on your age, lifestyle, medical history, and family health history.
8. Get Your Vaccinations
9. Monitor the Children
Children are at high risk for injuries that can lead to death or disability. Keep a watchful eye on your kids when they’re eating and playing. Keep potentially dangerous toys, food, drinks, choking hazards (like coins and hard candy), household items, and other objects out of kids' reach. Learn how to pro-vide early treatment for children who are choking. Make sure toys are used properly.
10. Practice Fire Safety
Most residential fires occur during the winter months. Keep candles away from children, pets, walk-ways, trees, and curtains. Never leave fireplaces, stoves, or candles unattended. Don't use generators, grills, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning devices inside your home or garage. Install a smoke de-tector and carbon monoxide detector in your home. Test them once a month, and replace batteries twice a year. Leave the fireworks to the professionals.
11. Prepare Dinner Safely
As you prepare holiday meals, keep you and your family safe from food-related illness. Wash hands and surfaces often. Avoid cross contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs (including their juices) away from ready-to-eat foods and eating surfaces. Cook foods to the proper temperature. Refrigerate promptly. Do not leave perishable foods out for more than two hours.
12. Eat Well and Get Moving
With balance and moderation, you can enjoy the holidays the healthy way. Choose fresh fruit as a fes-tive and sweet substitute for candy. Select just one or two of your favorites from the host of tempting foods. Find fun ways to stay active, such as dancing to your favorite holiday music. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day.
