Liturgy Intentions

January 19, 2014

Frank Milewski—Mr. And Mrs Anthony

Barrett

Marie Abda—Bonnie Bolus

January 26, 2014

Frank Milewski—Robert Grisko

Karen Murray—Mary Ann Marichack

E-Mail: scrantonmelkite@yahoo.com Web: http://melkitescranton.org Webmaster: Sal Zaydon

January 19, 2014

Tone 2 and Orthros Gospel 2 12th Sunday After the Holy Cross

Liturgy Schedule: Saturday Vesper Liturgy 4 pm Compline Weds 8:30PM

Sunday Orthros 8:55 am Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Holy Confession—before Saturday Liturgy, after Compline and by appointment

Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church 130 North Saint Francis Cabrini Avenue

Scranton, PA 18504

Rev. Father Michael Jolly— Pastor 570-213-9344 Reader Michael Simon Reader John Fitzgerald

Parish Office 570-343-6092

Parish Notes:

2014 Calendars and Envelopes are available in the

back of the Church along with copies of the Book of the Hours. One calendar per family and all may have the prayer book … an early Christmas present

The Qurban consecrated at this weekend’s liturgies was baked by Betsy Zaydon

House Blessings—The period after Theophany until the Presentation in the Temple is traditionally the time for blessing of your home. Contact Fr. Michael to arrange an appointment.

Cover Icon: Healing of the ten lepers.

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

Prokiemenon (Tone 4) How great are your works O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all.

Stichon: Bless the Lord, O my soul! You are very great indeed, O Lord my God!

Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians 3:4-11 Brethren, when Christ, our life, appears, then you too shall appear in glory. Put to death whatever in your

members is of the earth: immorality, uncleanness, lust, eveil desire, covetousness, which is a form of idol-

worship. Because of these passions, God’s wrath comes upon the sons of disobedience and you

yourselves once walked in them when they were your [way of] life. But now, you too put them all away:

anger, wrath, malice, abusive language and foul-mouthed utterances. Do not lie to one another. Strip off

the old man with his deeds and put on the new, one that is being renewed towards perfect knowledge

according to his creator’s image (Cf. Gn.1:26) Here there is no Gentile and Jew, no circumcised and

uncircumcised, no Barbarian and Seythian, no slave and freeman, but Christ is all things, and in all.

Alleluia (Tone 5) String your bow, go forth, reign for the sake of truth, meekness and righteousness and your right hand

shall lead you wonderfully.

Stichon: You loved righteousness and hated iniquitey: therefore God, your God, anointed you with

the oil of joy above your companions.

The Holy Gospel According to St Luke 17:12-19 At that time as Jesus was entering a certain village, there met him ten lepers, who stood afar off and lifted

up their voice, crying, “Jesus, master, have pity on us.” And when he saw them he said, “Go, show

yourselves to priests.” And it came to pass as they were on their way that they were made clean. But one

of them, seeing that he was made clean, returned, with a loud voice glorifying God, and he fell on his face

at his feet, giving thanks; and he was a Samaritan. But Jesus answered and said, “Were not the ten made

clean? But where are the nine? Has no one been found to return and give glory to God except this

foreigner?” And he said to him, “Arise, go your way, for your faith has saved you.”

Antiphons:

First Antiphon Through the prayers of the Mother of God

Tone 2

Pg.

11

Second Antiphon O Son of God, who are risen from the dead

Tone 2

Pg.

11

Hymn of incarnation Tone 4 Pg. 13

Third Antiphon Resurrectional Troparion

Tone 2

Pg.

16

Hymns

Resurrectional Troparion Tone 2 Pg. 16

Saint Macarios You appeared as a citizen in the wilderness, an angel in the flesh, and a wonder-

worker O God inspired Father Macarios. By fasting, vigils and prayer you received

heavenly gifts You cure the sick and the souls of those who run to you in faith. Glo-

ry to Him who gave you this power. Glory to Him who crowned you. Glory to Him

who through you performs healings for all.

Tone 1

Saint Joseph Tone 2 Pg. 16

Kontakion of the Presentation in the Temple Tone 3 Pg. 137

2nd Sunday before the Triodion

(Pentecost 29, St Luke 12)

The Leprous

Nature of Man CHRIST’S ENCOUNTER WITH THE TEN LEPERS

offers several points on which we can reflect. We

see that Christ heals, that He heals foreigners as

well as Israelites, and that the only one who

glorifies God is that foreigner, a Samaritan. Christ’s

response to the Samaritan, however, is a bit more

complicated and merits our attention.

According to St Luke, when the Samaritan returns

glorifying God, Christ responds, “Arise, go your

way; your faith has made you well” (Lk 17:19 New

King James Version). Is Christ referring to the

original healing in which all ten lepers were

cleansed or does the Samaritan receive something

else because he came back glorifying God?

Some popular English versions offer interesting

alternative translations which suggest an answer.

“Thy faith hath made thee whole” says the original

King James Version. The New American Bible and

the Jerusalem Bible translate this phrase “Your faith

has saved you.”

The Greek verb in this sentence is sesoken, a form

of the word soson which we regularly translate in

our prayers as “save.” It may be translated as

“heal,” “make whole” or “save” depending on the

context. In such a case it is wise to consult the

Tradition for the best interpretation. Early Church

commentators on this passage suggest that the

Samaritan received more that the physical healing

of his disease: he found salvation. As St Athanasius

wrote, “This one was given much more than the

rest. Besides being healed of his leprosy, he was

told by the Lord, ‘Stand up and go on your way.

Your faith has saved you’” (Festal Letter 6).

In his Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke Blessed

Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

writes that “This miracle also signifies the common

salvation that came to the whole human race. For

the ten lepers represent all of human nature – it was

leprous with wickedness, carrying about with it the

ugliness of sin, passing its life outside the heavenly

city on account of its uncleanness, and standing

afar off from God.” The complete healing of

mankind is, in fact, what we refer to as “salvation.”

It is not uncommon for people to be asked by some

Christians (usually Evangelicals or Pentecostals),

“Are you saved?” By this they generally mean

something like, “Have you personally appropriated

the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ?”

Their point is similar to that made by Blessed

Theophylact. The ten lepers all were cleansed but

only one personally appropriated what Christ had

done by returning and glorifying God.

What Does It Mean to Be Saved?

When Western Christians talk about salvation they

often think of it as described in the fourth-fifth

centuries by St Augustine and in the eleventh

century by Anselm of Canterbury. In their view all

mankind was unrighteous and unclean through the

original sin of Adam. It was necessary that

mankind make atonement through a well-pleasing

sacrifice. That sacrifice was made on the cross, by

which Christ offered Himself for the sins of Adam

and of the entire human race.

As this view was developed, the West focused

increasingly on the cross. Christ’s death was the

sacrifice offered to atone for sin and ransom

mankind. Some saw the cross as an instrument of

the Father’s wrath originally meant for us, now

taken out on His Son! Others thought of Christ’s

death as a ransom paid to the devil in whose power

mankind had fallen. These views took Western

Christians further and further from the thinking of

the early Church.

The Eastern Fathers had a different view of sin and

salvation. Instead of atonement and sacrifice they

stressed the loss and restoration of relationship with

God as the heart of the question of sin and

redemption. The original sin, the sin of Adam, was

a break in relationship with God. Adam declines to

heed God’s warning and eats of the tree,

determining for himself what is good rather than

heeding God. Going it alone, Adam no longer

“walked with God” but hid from Him (Gen 2).

In Christ God enters the world to become one with

mankind once more and, through this complete and

eternal union with Him, to deliver it from eternal

death. The Son of God becomes like us in all things

except sin and in Him God and man are perfectly

united. Once again God is fully in communion with

a Man, the Lord Jesus, and through Him with all

mankind

Since being human means to endure suffering and

death, Christ shared in those things as well. What

was unique about Christ is that He did not remain in

death but, once He had experienced it, He triumphed

over it.

And so Christ’s death on the cross is not emphasized

in the Christian East as a sacrifice to atone for

original sin; rather it is as the inevitable

consequence of His desire to become one of us.

Christ’s death on the cross is an unavoidable result

of His being fully human because all humans die.

The Lepers: an Icon of Salvation

As Blessed Theophilact observed, the lepers

represent all humanity, scarred by their common

affliction but still dear to Christ. “He healed the

whole leprous nature of man, when, for every man’s

sake, He took flesh and tasted of death.”

Without a doubt all ten welcomed their cleansing

from leprosy; they accepted the gift but ignored the

Giver. Only one retuned to Christ, glorifying God.

He not only received the blessing of health, he also

enjoyed a relationship with the Healer. He

welcomed, not only the cleansing from leprosy but

also the presence of the One who brings wholeness

and salvation to all who accept Him in their lives.

His physical healing is the prelude to his

communion with Christ in which is his – and our –

salvation.

To Whom Was the “Ransom” Paid?

St Gregory the Theologian asks this question to

demolish what he felt were false ideas about our

salvation.

“To whom and why is this blood poured out for us

and shed – the great and most previous blood of

God, the High Priest and Victim? We were in the

power of the Evil One, sold to sin, and had brought

this harm on themselves by sensuality. … If the

price of ransom is given to none other than him in

whose power we are held, then I ask, to whom and

for what reason is such a price paid?

“If it is to the Evil One, then how insulting is this!

The thief received the price of ransom; he not only

receives it from God, but even receives God Himself.

He receives so large a price for his tyranny that it

was only right to have mercy on us.

“If to the Father, then, first, in what way? Were we

in captivity under Him?... And secondly, for what

reason? For what reason was the blood of the Only

Begotten pleasing to the Father, who did not accept

even Isaac, when offered by his father, but

exchanged the offering, giving a lamb instead of the

reasonable victim?

45th Oration on Holy Pascha

Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt was

born around 331 in the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. At

the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was

soon widowed. After he buried his wife, Macarius told

himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your

soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.”

The Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, but from that

time the memory of death was constantly with him,

impelling him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence.

He began to visit the church of God more frequently and

to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, but he did

not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the

commandment to honor one’s parents.

Until his parents died, St Macarius used his remaining

substance to help them and he began to pray fervently that

the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation.

The Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the

desert not far from the village. The Elder accepted the

youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of

watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the

handicraft of weaving baskets. After building a separate

cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in

it.

The local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor and, knowing

of the saint’s virtuous life, ordained him against his will.

St Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his

silence, and so he went secretly to another place. The

Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with

the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and

suggesting sinful thoughts. St Macarius repelled the

attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the

Sign of the Cross.

Evil people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing

a woman from a nearby village. They dragged him out of

his cell and jeered at him. St Macarius endured the

temptation with great humility. Without a murmur, he

sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support

of the pregnant woman.

The innocence of St Macarius was manifested when the

woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not

able to give birth. She confessed that she had slandered

the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. When

her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and

intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Though St

Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the

praise of men. He fled from that place by night and settled

on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert.

Thus human wickedness contributed to the prospering of

the righteous. Having dwelt in the desert for three years,

he went to St Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian

monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the

world, and he longed to see him. Abba Anthony received

him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple

and follower. St Macarius lived with him for a long time

and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to

the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). He

so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a

young Elder,” because he had distinguished himself as an

experienced and mature monk, even though he was not

quite thirty years old.

St Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him.

Once, he was carrying palm branches for weaving

baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to

strike him with a sickle, but he was not able to do this. He

said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I

am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do.

You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I

never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.”

When the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained

to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living

in the desert of Skete. During these years, St Macarius

often visited with St Anthony the Great, receiving

guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Abba

Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of

St Anthony and he received his staff. He also received a

double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as

the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the

grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he

dropped from the fiery chariot.

St Macarius worked many healings. People thronged to

him from various places for help and for advice, asking

his holy prayers. All this unsettled the quietude of the

saint. He therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and

hid there for prayer and meditation.

St Macarius attained such boldness before God that,

through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. Despite

attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to

preserve his unusual humility. One time the holy abba

caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near

the cell. Without revealing that he was the owner of these

things, the monk began to help tie up the load. Having

removed himself from the world, the monk told himself,

“We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not

possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord

for all things!”

Among Today’s Saints

Once, St Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying

upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” The skull

answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you,

Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.”

The monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are

sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not

see one another. When you pray, we begin to see each

other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.”

Having heard such words, the saint began to weep and

asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” The

skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the

Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His

commandments. They endure even more grievous

torments.”

Once, while he was praying, St

Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius,

you have not yet attained such

perfection in virtue as two women

who live in the city.” The humble

ascetic went to the city, found the

house where the women lived, and

knocked. The women received him

with joy, and he said, “I have come

from the desert seeking you in order

to learn of your good deeds. Tell me

about them, and conceal nothing.”

The women answered with surprise,

“We live with our husbands, and we

have not such virtues.” But the saint

continued to insist, and the women

then told him, “We married two

brothers. After living together in one

house for fifteen years, we have not

uttered a single malicious nor

shameful word, and we never quarrel

among ourselves. We asked our

husbands to allow us to enter a

women’s monastery, but they would

not agree. We vowed not to utter a single worldly word

until our death.”

St Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord

seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither

monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent,

accepting it as the deed itself. He grants to everyone’s free

will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an

individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be

saved.”

During the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens

(364-378), St Macarius the Great and St Macarius of

Alexandria was subjected to persecution by the followers

of the Arian bishop Lucius. They seized both Elders and

put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only

pagans lived. By the prayers of the saints, the daughter of

a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. After this,

the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were

baptized. When he heard what had happened, the Arian

bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to

return to their monasteries.

The meekness and humility of the monk transformed

human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius,

“makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad

things good.” When the monks asked him how to pray

properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many

words. It is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and

as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” If an enemy should

fall upon you, you need only say,

“Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows

that which is useful for us, and grants

us mercy.”

When the brethren asked how a monk

ought to comport himself, the saint

replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a

monk, but I have seen monks. I asked

them what I must do to be a monk.

They answered, ‘If a man does not

withdraw himself from everything

which is in the world, it is not possible

to be a monk.’ Then I said, ‘I am weak

and cannot be as you are.’ The monks

responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the

world as we have, then go to your cell

and weep for your sins.’”

St Macarius gave advice to a young

man who wished to become a monk:

“Flee from people and you shall be

saved.” That one asked: “What does it

mean to flee from people?” The monk

answered: “Sit in your cell and repent

of your sins.”

St Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to

praise the dead. Then he asked him what they said to him.

The young man replied, “They were silent to both praise

and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead.

Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when

praised.” And further: “If slander is like praise for you,

poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you

shall not perish.”

The prayer of St Macarius saved many in perilous

circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and

temptation. His benevolence was so great that they said of

him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not

chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his

Devotions and Readings for this week Jan. 20 Holy Father Euthymios the Great 2 Cor 4:6:15 Lk 6:17-23

Jan. 21 Holy Father Maximus the Confessor; the Holy Martyr Neophyte

Phil 1:12-20 Lk 12:8-12

Jan. 22 Holy Apostle Timothy; Holy Martyr Anastasios the Persian

2 Tim 1:3-8 Mt 10:32-33;37-38; 27-30

Jan. 23 Holy Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra; Holy Martyr Agathangel

Phil 3:2012;4:1-3 Mk 2:23-28; 3:1-5

Jan. 24 Venerable Mother Xenia the Roman Gal 5:22-26; 6:1-3 Mt 25:1-13

Jan. 25 Gregory the Theologian, Patriarch of Constantinople Heb 7:26-28,8:1-2 Jn 10:9-16

neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without

seeing, and heard without hearing.”

The monk lived until the age of ninety. Shortly before his

death, Sts Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him,

bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in

nine days. After instructing his disciples to preserve the

monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, he blessed

them and began to prepare for death. St Macarius departed to

the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my

spirit.”

Abba Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being

dead to the world. He spent most of his time in conversation

with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. But he never

ceased to weep, to repent and to work. The saint’s profound

theological writings are based on his own personal

experience. Fifty Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic

Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual

wisdom. Several prayers composed by St Macarius the Great

are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and

also in the Morning Prayers.

Man’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with

God, is a primary principle in the works of St Macarius.

Describing the methods for attaining mystical communion,

the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of

Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. The way

to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with

God is revealed to each believer’s heart.

Earthly life, according to St Macarius, has only a relative

significance: to prepare the soul, to make it capable of

perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the

soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland.

“For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change

and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into

another, divine nature, and to be fashioned anew by the

power of the Holy Spirit.”

This is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God

and have observed all His holy commandments. If one

betrothed to Christ at Baptism does not seek and receive the

divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when

he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of

darkness on the left side. He does not enter into the

Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil

and his angels” (Homily 30:6).

In the teaching of St Macarius, the inner action of the

Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine

truth and love. Each of us acquires salvation through grace

and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, but to attain a perfect

measure of virtue, which is necessary for the soul’s

assimilation of this divine gift, is possible only “by faith and

by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the

Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by

truth.”

Salvation is a divine-human action, and we attain complete

spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but

also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” On the other

hand, it is not just within “the measure of freedom and

purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, it is not

without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” The

participation of man determines the actual condition of his

soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the

world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for

great faith and for prayer, and does not strive for the oneness

of divine communion, then it is unfit for the heavenly

kingdom.”

The miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded

in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, and his Life was

compiled by St Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt),

one of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth

century. His holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.

Your Heart and Home: Your Hall

of Judgment

It is true that much of Byzantine spiritual and ascetical

literature was written by monks and for monks, and not

for the non-monastic reader whether clergy or lay. Still,

there are many passages in this literature which all of us

can benefit from, even when we have to translate the

stories or advice into patterns of thought that can be used

by or made sense by the rest of us.

Monastic advice often treats the cell of the monk or nun,

their private prayer and living space, as a very special

place that can teach the monk all they need to know

about following Christ in a monastic manner. In some

ways the cell is simply the “closet” to where Christ

instructs all of us to withdraw in order to pray:

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the

door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and

your Father who sees in secret will reward

you.” (Matthew 6:6)

Since many spiritual teachers in Orthodoxy say the heart

is that closet to which we can withdraw at any time we

choose, the heart and the cell can be considered two ways

by which we can refer to a spiritual space for

prayer. The space, whether the cell or the heart, is

metaphorical. As such, every Christian can withdraw to

this space for prayer - whether it is a room where we can

pray undisturbed or whether we withdraw into the heart

to pray. In one lesson in the desert fathers, we find advice

on what this ‘cell’ should be for the monk, but which

really describes a spiritual space that every Christian

needs, whether it be in one’s heart or in one’s home.

And make your cell a hall of judgment of yourself,

and a place for striving against devils and evil

passions, and let there be depicted therein the

kingdom of heaven, and Gehenna, and death and life,

and sinners and the righteous, and the fire which

never is quenched, and the glory of the righteous, and

the outer darkness, and the gnashing of the teeth, and

the light of the righteous, and their joy in the Holy

Spirit, and the Passion of our Lord, and the memorial

of His Resurrection, and the redemption of

creation. (adapted from The Paradise or Garden of

the Holy Fathers (Volume 2))

Our prayer room, our prayer closet, our heart, is to be a

hall of judgment, decorated not with icons or paintings of

heaven and hell, but spiritually with images of the

Kingdom and of Gehenna. We are to remember both in

prayer. We are not trying to forget our struggle on earth,

nor are we trying to forget hell, nor to be taken solely

into heaven. When we remember both hell and heaven,

we are brought to think about forgiveness and

repentance. We remember that we will face God’s

judgment and so should forgive those who have offended

us in order that we might be forgiven by God. In

forgiving others, we open heaven not only to ourselves,

but to them for God will forgive them as we forgive

them. We remember hell is where we go when we fail to

love others, and so hell is a reminder to repent of our sins

and to love others, including our neighbors and

enemies. We remember heaven and that there we will be

if we forgive others their sins against us and if we repent

of our own sins. Hell reminds us of the sorrow of sinners

which we do not want to experience for all eternity, and

so we don’t wish it for anyone else either. Heaven

reminds us of the joy of the righteous, and that to attain it

we must forgive and love and pray for all. So, in the

writings of the desert fathers, the question is asked:

What is the kind of prayer which is not acceptable

before God?

And the Elder replies that we should not pray for …

The destruction of enemies, or for evil things to

come upon those who do harm to us, or for the health

of the body, or a multitude of possessions, or an

abundance of off spring. Prayers for these things are

not acceptable before God. But if God bears with us

while we are sinners and commit offences against

Him, how much more is it right that we should bear

with each other? ( adapted from The Paradise or

Garden of the Holy Fathers Volume 2)

OK, we know there are some things for which we should

not pray, but what are things we should pray before God?

The Elder replies that we should pray…

For the return of sinners, and the finding of the lost,

and the bringing near of those who are afar off, and

friendliness towards those who wrong us, and love

towards those who persecute us, and a sorrowful care

for those who provoke us to wrath. If a person does

these things, repentance is in their mind, and sinners

will often live and their souls will be redeemed in

life. For the prayer which our Lord delivered unto us

for the need of the body is a word which covers the

whole community, and was not uttered solely for

those who are strangers to the world and who hold in

contempt the pleasures of the body (i.e. Christ’s

teachings are not just for monks! They are directed

to everyone). For the person in whose dwelling the

kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof are

found lacks nothing, even when he doesn’t ask for

anything. (adapted from The Paradise or Garden of

the Holy Fathers Volume 2)

Modifying Type A Behavior:

Learning to Listen, Learning

to Love

Getting personal projects done on time and done well are

important aspects of life for those with Type A

tendencies, sometimes so important that they eclipse

everything and everyone else. And yet we all know that

life is so much greater than any of our present projects

and that a flourishing life needs something more than

projects that are bigger and better. The Gospel is clear.

What we need is God and our neighbor. We need to learn

to step out of ourselves and out of our own little worlds

and into the world of God and the world of our neighbor,

beloved of God. This suggests another kind of

intervention to modify the Type A behavioral pattern that

complements the more private interventions that we have

been discussing until present, interventions such as such

as prayer, gratitude, fruitful repentance instead of barren

self-criticism, memorizing helpful Scriptural passages,

and altering patterns of thinking, talking, and even

eating.

According to an article entitled “The Empirical Basis for

Cardiac Psychology”, authors Robert Allan and Stephen

Scheidt note “Social support, or the degree to which one

is connected to others in the community, has emerged as

an inverse risk factor of considerable magnitude, not only

for CHD [coronary heart disease] but for morbidity and

mortality of all causes. Of all psychological risk factors,

the social support literature appears the most consistent

in establishing a relationship between heart and mind.” In

an earlier post on “no man is an island” we discussed this

empirical finding that coincides beautifully with the

spiritual truth expressed in the words of Psalm 133,

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to

dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment

upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even

Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his

garments.” Practically speaking how are those

accustomed to living according to the rules of a dog-eat-

dog world to start living in the pastoral unity of the

Davidic psalm?

A first step suggested by psychologists is on a daily basis

to express genuine warmth, appreciation, affection and

gratitude to others with the spontaneity of a child. They

also suggest asking a family member about his or her

day’s activities and actually being interested in them!

This could then be extended to listening to others talking

about their own concerns and their life experiences,

rather than talking only about one’s own current projects

and goals. Paul Tillich once said, “love is listening” and

that suggests an even higher goal in modifying Type A

time urgency, overt hostility, and competiveness. And

that goal is love.

Saint Augustine once wrote, “We are commanded to love

one another, but the question is whether human beings

are to be loved by other human beings for their own sake,

or for the sake of something else. If it is for their own

sake, we enjoy them; if it is for the sake of something

else, we use them.” (On Christian Doctrine, Book 1,

Chapter 22). Those with Type A tendencies often view

others as means to further their own projects. Something

they need to learn is to simply enjoy their brothers and

sisters, because they are who they are. Elsewhere, the

Saint further comments, “Christ has thus given us a new

commandment, that we should love one another, as He

also has loved us. This is the love that renews us, making

us new, heirs of the New Testament, singers of the new

song. It was this love, beloved, that renewed also those of

olden time, who were then the righteous, the patriarchs

and prophets, as it did afterwards the blessed apostles…

Because of this, the members of the Body of Christ have

a mutual interest in one another; and if one member

suffer, all the members suffer with it; and if one member

be honored, all the members rejoice with it” (Tractate 45

on John).

Saints and psychologists both counsel that we be

interested in one another and that we enjoy each others’

presence, which presupposes that we learn to listen to

one another. Saints and psychologists both recommend

that we be kind to one another and that we empathize

with one another, which in the language of Scripture

means that we “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep

with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). The Church

further advises us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so

fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). And that law is:

“That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye

also love one another.” This is, perhaps, the ultimate

intervention for the Type A Behavioral Pattern, an

intervention that not only protects our physical hearts,

but also opens our spiritual hearts to all the joy, peace,

and love that the Gospel of Christ offers those with ears

to hear.

Prayer

Requests Rev. Deacon John Karam

Rev. Basil Samra

Rev. Michael Skrocki

Rev. Father David White

Rev. Deacon Richard Downer

Rev. Deacon Gregory Haddad

The Weekly Quiz What was Ruth's relationship to King David?

Grand daughter

Aunt

Grandmother

Great grandmother

Last week’s answer: Q. Which prophet declared himself to be "a

man of unclean lips"? A. Isaiah

Parish Calendar

February

9 Parish Council Meeting

22 Saturday of the Dead

23 Meatfare Sunday

March

2 Parish Ice Cream Social /

Forgiveness Vespers

Michael Abda Karen Haddad

Marie Barron Yolande Haddad

Nikki Boudreaux Thomas Lambert

Lucille Bsales Niko Mayashairo

Jayne Buckley Mary McNeilly

Chris Carey Mary Lou Mooty

Betty Clark Alan & Pat Morley

Dr. Frances Colie Marie Patchoski

John Colie Ruth Sirgany

Mark Dillman Kennedy Stevenson

Margaret Dillenburg Jane Warn

Carol Downer Boots Zaydon

All those Serving in our Armed Forces

The Christian Community in the Middle East

Sacrificial Giving

Jan 12, 2014

Weekly $ 714.00

Monthly $ 40.00

Holyday $109.00

Candles $ 5.00