THE CANON St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church · Lorain, Ohio VOL. 46, ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2016 Father’s Message My Dear Spiritual Children, St. Paul calls on us to put to death what is earthly in us. One of the things he urges us to remove from our lives is anger. “But now put…away…anger.” (Col. 3:8). Yet elsewhere in his epistles Paul does not condemn anger. He writes, for exam- ple, in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” In other words, “If you are angry, be sure it is not out of wounded pride or bad temper. Never go to bed angry- don’t give the devil that sort of foothold.” First Paul says, “Put… away… anger.” Then he says, “Be angry but do not sin.” The two verses have puzzled many people. They seem contradictory, but in reality they are not. Anger has a definite place in the Christians’ life. In fact, the lack of it can even be an indication of spiritual weakness. Aristotle once said, “Anybody can become any-that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and in the right way – that is not within everyone’s power, and it is not easy.” Anger can be good or bad depending on what we do with it. Thre are times when it can be a great virtue. There are times when it ne0eds to be “put away.” St. John Chrysostom on Anger: Speaking on anger St. John Chrysostom said, “ We have anger given us, not that we may commit acts of violence on our neighbors, but that we may correct those that are in sin, that we may bestir ourselves, that we may not be sluggish. Anger is implanted in us as a sort of sting, to make us gnash with our teeth against the devil, to make us vehe- ment against him, not to set us…against each other…Are you prone to anger? Be so against your own sins: chastise your soul, scourge your conscience, e a sever judge, and merciless in your sentence against your own sins. This is the way to turn anger to account. It was for that that god implanted anger within us. The trouble with most of us is that we become angry with trifles. We are dress- ing in a hurry and our shoelace brakes. Or we miss a green light because of a slow driver in front of us. These things make us angry, but about the injustices and sins in our lives and in society we feel little or no anger.” “The size of a man can be measured by the size of the thing that makes him angry.” Sometimes we spend $1,000.00 worth of emotion to get rid of a five-cent irritation. One of the ways to dissolve anger is through forgiveness. When Leonardo da Vinci was working on his painting “The Last Supper”, he became angry with a cer- tain man. Losing his temper he lashed out at him with bitter words and threats. Returning to his canvas he attempted to work on the face of Jesus, but was unable to do so. He was too upset, he could not compose himself for the painstaking work. Finally he put down his tools, sought out the man, and asked is forgiveness. The man excepted his apology and Leonardo was able to return to his work shop and finish painting the face of Jesus. Forgiveness is one of the best remedies for anger. “But now put…away…anger.” (Col. 3:8) In Christ’s Love, +Fr. Michael
Transcript
THE CANON St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church · Lorain, Ohio
VOL. 46, ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2016
Father’s Message
My Dear Spiritual Children,
St. Paul calls on us to put to death what is earthly in us. One of the things he
urges us to remove from our lives is anger. “But now put…away…anger.” (Col. 3:8).
Yet elsewhere in his epistles Paul does not condemn anger. He writes, for exam-
ple, in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your
anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” In other words, “If you are angry, be sure
it is not out of wounded pride or bad temper. Never go to bed angry- don’t give the
devil that sort of foothold.”
First Paul says, “Put… away… anger.” Then he says, “Be angry but do not sin.”
The two verses have puzzled many people. They seem contradictory, but in reality
they are not. Anger has a definite place in the Christians’ life. In fact, the lack of it
can even be an indication of spiritual weakness.
Aristotle once said, “Anybody can become any-that is easy; but to be angry with
the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and in the right way –
that is not within everyone’s power, and it is not easy.” Anger can be good or bad
depending on what we do with it. Thre are times when it can be a great virtue.
There are times when it ne0eds to be “put away.”
St. John Chrysostom on Anger:
Speaking on anger St. John Chrysostom said, “ We have
anger given us, not that we may commit acts of violence on
our neighbors, but that we may correct those that are in sin,
that we may bestir ourselves, that we may not be sluggish.
Anger is implanted in us as a sort of sting, to make us
gnash with our teeth against the devil, to make us vehe-
ment against him, not to set us…against each other…Are
you prone to anger? Be so against your own sins: chastise
your soul, scourge your conscience, e a sever judge, and
merciless in your sentence against your own sins. This is
the way to turn anger to account. It was for that that god
implanted anger within us.
The trouble with most of us is that we become angry with trifles. We are dress-
ing in a hurry and our shoelace brakes. Or we miss a green light because of a slow
driver in front of us. These things make us angry, but about the injustices and sins
in our lives and in society we feel little or no anger.” “The size of a man can be
measured by the size of the thing that makes him angry.” Sometimes we spend
$1,000.00 worth of emotion to get rid of a five-cent irritation.
One of the ways to dissolve anger is through forgiveness. When Leonardo da
Vinci was working on his painting “The Last Supper”, he became angry with a cer-
tain man. Losing his temper he lashed out at him with bitter words and threats.
Returning to his canvas he attempted to work on the face of Jesus, but was unable
to do so. He was too upset, he could not compose himself for the painstaking work.
Finally he put down his tools, sought out the man, and asked is forgiveness. The
man excepted his apology and Leonardo was able to return to his work shop and
finish painting the face of Jesus. Forgiveness is one of the best remedies for anger.
“But now put…away…anger.” (Col. 3:8)
In Christ’s Love,
+Fr. Michael
October 2018 OrthSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
AHEPA
6:60 PM
3 4
SENIORS
5:00 PM
5 6
7
Orthros 9:15
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
8 9
Philoptochos
7:00 pm
10 11
Parish
Council
7:00 pm
12 13
14
Orthros 9:15
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
15 16
AHEPA
6:30 PM
17 18
Night with
Father
7:00 pm
19 20
Philoptochos
Clambake
21
Orthos 9:15
Divine Liturgy
10:00 am
22 23 24 25 26
St. Demetrios
Orthros 9:30
Divine Liturgy
10:15 am
27
28
Orthros 9:15
Divine Liturgy
10: 00 am
OXI DAY
29 30 31
FIRST READ: Matthew 25:14-30
Q: What is the meaning of the
parable of the Ten Talents?
A: You are referring to Christ’s par-
able regarding a King (Matthew
25:14-30) who, before going on an
extended trip, gave three of his serv-
ants large sums of money to man-
age. To the one he gave five
“Talents” (a very large amount), to
the other he gave two talents (a
good sized amount), and to the third
he gave one talent (a smaller, but
still significant amount). The para-
ble’s purpose is to encourage the
right use of God’s gifts to us, regard-
less of whether we have been given
much or little. The important thing is
not the specific gifts we have re-
ceived – which can be any number
of different things, abilities, re-
sources, virtues, etc. But whether
we have used them as faithful serv-
ants of the Lord, in love for Him and
his servants our brothers and sis-
ters. It is not just developing them.
St. Paul said it well: “…do all for
the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians
10:31)
HAGIASMOS - Αγιασμός
There is the Small and Great
Hagiasmos, both signifying the
liturgical act by which water is
sanctified as a result of certain
prayers and the invocation of the
Holy Spirit, as well as by immersing
in it a small ceremonial cross. The
service is called Hagiasmos = sanc-
tification, because it is believed that
by being sprinkled with and by drink-
ing this sanctified water the faithful is
cleansed and sanctified. The Priest
prays that the sanctified water heal
soul and body and protects the faith-
ful against all adversary powers.
The use of sanctified water goes
back to the ancient Church. Ecclesi-
astical writers such as Epiphanios
and Theodoret mentions events in-
volving the use of sanctified water
for the purpose of restoring health in
people and of warding off epidemics
and other diseases. Sprinkling with
sanctified water (Holy Water) ac-
companied by prayers and sealing
with the Cross had already been
introduced into liturgical use in the
4th century for the purpose of healing
not only people but even sick ani-
mals, and for bestowing the blessing
of God on new homes and on new
buildings for public use.
Luke the Apostle and Evangelist
October 18
Luke was not a Jew, but understood the law of Moses and their customs.
He had studied medicine, he was a painter, and he became one of the 70
apostles, after he had seen and heard Jesus in Galilee. After the crucifix-
ion, Luke was walking to Emmaus, from Jerusalem, with Cleopas, and Je-
sus appeared to them in another form and traveled with them un-
recognized. Beginning with Moses and the prophets, Jesus showed them
passages that foretold His coming. When he went in and broke bread with
them, they recognized him and He vanished from before their eyes. The
two went to tell the other Apostles but Simon had already seen Jesus.
Then Jesus appeared in their midst and showed them his wounds. Luke
headed for Antioch after the Ascension of Jesus. En route, he stopped in
Sebaste and there found the relics of John the Baptist. He tried to take
them back to Antioch, but was prevented from doing so. Instead, he de-
tached and took John’s right arm the Jesus had bowed his head under when
He was baptized. He traveled with the Apostle Paul to Greece. Then Luke
established the church of Macedonia alone for several years. Luke was the
first iconographer. He showed the Theotokos threes icons that he had paint-
ed of her and Jesus. She blessed them and said, “May the Grace of Him
who was born of me and my mercy be with these icons!” Luke again trav-
eled with Paul to Palestine and Rome, where Paul; was imprisoned. Luke
would never abandon Paul. In Rome, Luke wrote his gospel and the book of
the Acts of the Apostles, and these were both reviewed and approved by
Paul. After Paul was martyred in Rome, by Nero, Luke taught in Italy, Dal-
matia, Gaul, Macedonia, Achaia, and Egypt, where he was ordained as bish-
op. At the age of 84, he was crucified on an olive tree in Achaia. His relics
produced a multitude of healings, and especially healing of the eyes. In the
fourth century, his relics were transferred to Constantinople by Emperor
Constantine. En route, an imperial eunuch, with an incurable disease,
helped carry Luke’s relics. When he had gone only a few steps, he was
healed. Luke is buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles with Apostles Tim-
othy and Andrew.
MARTYR OURAROS AND SIX MONK MARTYRS
WITH HIM
OCTOBER 19
He was a Roman officer in Egypt in the early fourth century, a time of
Christian persecutions. Ouraros was a secret Christian. On one occasion,
there were seven Christians imprisoned, and their courage inspired Ouraros.
One of the prisoners died, and when only six were brought before the judge,
he demanded to know where the seventh was. Ouaros chose that moment
to step forward to confess his faith. He was flogged and then tied to a tree
and cut to pieces. A widow from Palestine secretly buried his relics in her
home. Under the guise of taking her husband’s body to her homeland, she
instead took the relics of Ouaros and built a church to house them. When
the church was completed, she invited the bishop as well as other clergy and
the town’s people to the consecration and festivities. Afterwards, the widow
went into the church and prayed to Ouaros to intercede on her behalf before
God for what was best for her and her son who was in the army. The son
grew sick that day and died by midnight. Overwhelmed, she railed at the
saint until she was overcome by a light sleep. There, she saw Ouaros and
her son in a vision, both resplendent in appearance. Ouaros told her that
her son was now in God’s army, but if she preferred, he would come right
back to the king’s army. Her son turned to Ouaros and told him not to listen
to his mother. She was overjoyed at this and the two appeared to her many
times again in the church.
MATRONA THE RIGHTEOUS OF CHIOS
OCTOBER 20
Mary, as she was called, was from the island of Chios in the fifteenth century
and one of seven daughters. When it came time for her to marry, she fled
wanting to remain a virgin and so become a bride of Jesus Christ. She fled
there secretly and lived alone on a mountain in fasting and vigils. Her par-
ents found her, and she returned in humility and was obedient to them.
However, she refused to marry and they gave her their blessings in this re-
gard. She distributed her belongings to the poor, widows, and orphans, and
went again to her retreat. Her sister would bring her food periodically. After
three years, she sought out a small convent and was obedient to the abbess
there. She was tonsured a nun and given the name Matrona, and as her
fame spread, others came to live and struggle near her. When conditions
grew crowed there, she sold her own land and used the money to enlarge
the convent. When the laborers found gold, Matrona asked God if this was
from Him or the devil. The gold turned into burned out coals and the devil
was shamed. Matrona became the abbess when her elder died. Once
when barbarians attacked Chios, a nun of the convent was molested, and
God promptly struck him dead. Matona prayed and he came back to life.
The barbarians fled, and when they returned to the island, they were re-
spectful and also avoided the convent. Matrona fore knew her own death by
seven days and she prepared herself and the nuns. God glorified her relics
and they became a source of many miracle healings.
The Story of OXI Day
The free world watched as one by one countries across Europe surrendered to Hitler’s Axis forces. At 3:00 a.m. on October 38, 1940, a representative of the Axis forces arrived at the Greek Prime Minis-ter’s residence and demanded Greece’s surrender. The Prime Minister replied with on single word. OXI – NO.
A few hours later, the Axis forces descended on Greece expecting that it would quickly fall, but the Greek resistance forced Hitler to change his plans. They not only chased the Axis out of Greece but all the way back to where they came from. News of Greece’s vic-tory flooded the radio airwaves and covered the front pages of National Newspapers and Magazines around the globe. A grateful world celebrated – no one expected such a small nation to derail the seemingling unstoppable Axis.
“We say that Greeks fight like heroes… TODAY we say that heroes fight like Greeks.”
Prime Minister Winston Church-ill
28η
ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ
ΟΧΙ
Σήμερα η Πατρίδα μας
Φορεί τά γιορτινά τ΄ς
Κα απ’ άκρη σ’ άκρη αχολογούν
Τά κατορθώματα της
Σάν σήμερα οι Έλληνες
«ΟΧΙ» ,βρογτοφωνάξαν
Αψήφησαν τόν κίνδυνο
Καί τ’ αρματα αρπάξα
Κυννήσαν τού Ιταλούς
Νίκησαν! ΄΄Οπως πάντα
Κι έδειξαν σ΄’ολους, τί θά ‘πει
Τό «ΟΧΙ» τού Σαράντα
Εχθοροί, δέν θά περάσετε
Ποτέ μες στήν Ελλάδα
Γιατί είνα γή τής λεβεντιά
Της Λευτερίας Λαμπάδα!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Fall Festival: Our Fall Festival has come and gone leaving us with a feel-
ing of accomplishment. It was a successful event because we worked very
hard and we worked together for St. Nicholas.
I would like to thank the Parish Council, the Chair People and their Com-
mittees and everyone for working the long hours before, during and after
the Festival. (Preparing the food, sauces and dressing, cooking, baking
pastries, working the grills, serving the food, the Silent Auction, and setting
up and cleaning up… etc.)
No names have been mentioned, because of your great love and
support for the Church, your names are written in the BOOK OF
LIFE.).
It couldn’t have been done without you!!! I cannot thank you enough for
your hard work and labor of love and dedication to St. Nicholas.
Καί τού Χρόνου!!!
+Fr. Michael
Seniors: Our first Senior Meeting will
take Thursday, October 4th at 5:00 p.m.
We kindly ask that you bring a side dish
to share with our meal.
Sympathy: Our deepest sympathy
Caroline Simon and her family upon the
death of her mother Olga Delis who fell
asleep in the Lord on August 28, 2018.
+May God Rest Her Soul and grant
peace and comfort to her family+
Baptism: Congratulations to Mr. &
Mrs. Nicholas Myers (Astacia Vagotis)
upon the Baptism of their Son Luca
who was baptized on September 1,
2018, his Godmother was Christina Vagotis.
Νά μάς Ζήσει
NIGHT WITH FATHER: We will start up our talks with Night With Father on
Thursday October 18th at 7:00 p.m. We will be taking a walk through the
Divine Liturgy explaining what we see do. Let us learn all we can about
our Faith and Traditions. “Come and see.” John 1:46
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Saturday, October 20th. Buckeye Clambake and Tailgate
Saturday, December 8th St. Nicholas Church Dance
Sunday, December 9th Metropolitan Savas- visit
Monday, December 31st New Year’s Eve Party with BASILE
