Bulletin for Sunday, July 25, 2010

(link above to oca for daily saints commemorated)

This Week in Our Community

TUESDAY, 6:30 pm, Parish Council Meeting

THURSDAY, 7:00 pm, Apostolic Fathers Study

FRIDAY, 6:00 pm, Catechumen Preparation

SATURDAY, 11:30 am, Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation, followed by luncheon

6:30 pm, GREAT VESPERS

SUNDAY, 9:30 am, General Repentance Prayers, Sacrament of Confession (First Sunday) / Reading of Hours

10:00 am, DIVINE LITURGY, and Coffee Hour

Notes and Details

TODAY... is our annual Blessing of Vehicles in commemoration of the Prophet Elijah. We also celebrate the Dormition of the Righteous Anna, Mother of the Theotokos, and extend greetings to our neighbors from St Ann Church on the feast of their patron.  We welcome St Ann parishioners to today's Coffee Hour and thank them for inviting us to share in their parish picnic this afternoon in their outdoor pavilion.

PARISH COUNCIL continues to solicit volunteers to "do a project" from the projects list on the bulletin board.  See Dylan or Randy at Coffee Hour if willing to assist.  The Council will hold its monthly meeting this Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 pm.  Direct any parish-related concerns to be addressed to any Council member. 

CATECHUMENS:  The sacramental reception of our catechumens into the Orthodox Church is slated for this Saturday, July 31 at 11:30 am.  We encourage all parishioners to make an effort to be present to offer your prayerful support at this joyous event in the life of Holy Cross: a vibrant testimony to the continuing ministry of Our Lord among us, "adding to His Church!"  We're pleased to announce that our Bishop Tikhon will be joining us to preside in the sacraments.  His presence will certainly add to our joy!  A luncheon in the Fellowship Center will follow the services in honor of our new members.  See Donna or Barb for details.  There'll be a brief 'rehearsal' for the catechumens and their sponsors on Friday at 6 pm.  

LOVE OFFERINGS:  Our July LOVE offering is designated for the parish discretionary fund: used by the parish office throughout the year to assist in special/emergency needs.  As many in our area face extended unemployment, we urge your generous response to the love offering so we can offer help, specially to those among us.

AUXILIARY NEWS: The Annual Auxiliary Benefit Drawing will be held at our Parish Picnic on August 15.  TICKETS are available!  See Chris or Donna at Coffee Hour and sell what you can. We've got several dozen perogi and quarts of lentil soup available (frozen).  Just ask!  The perogi crew is on a well- deserved break and will resume monthly projects on Friday, September 10!  Plan on it!  Upcoming Sundays are open for folks to host our weekly Coffee Hours.  Sign-up!

LAWN MOWER!  The new lawn mower is here and resting snugly in the shed.  Volunteers can check it out and see Sean for operating instructions.  The mower cost $1,800.  We thank those making special donations for its purchase (and invite others to do likewise!). 

DORMITION FAST:  The brief lenten season honoring the Most Pure Theotokos begins on August 1 and concludes with the celebration of the feast of her Dormition on Sunday, August 15.  Observe the fast in Orthodox fashion, contemplating "the Mother of Life" and entreating her intercessions before her Son and Our God.

FAMILY NIGHT:  Thanks to those who came to our monthly Family Night yesterday. As always, good food and fellowship.  Family Night will defer to the Parish Picnic in August and resume on September 11.

VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL:  Our annual Holy Cross Vacation Church School will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, August 4/5 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm for ages 6 -16.  Our theme is "Joseph: The Beloved Son."  Fliers and registration forms are available in the Fellowship Center.  We'll have worship, games, crafts, lessons, and lunch.  It's fun and it's FREE!  But students must register by August 1.  Some volunteer parental assistance would be appreciated.  See Fr Dan.  Kids, bring your friends -- all are welcome! 

TRANSFIGURATION:  The Transfiguration of Our Lord will be celebrated in services on Thursday and Friday, August 5 and 6.  The festal Liturgy will conclude with the traditional blessing of fruit. 

ANNUAL PICNIC:  Our parish picnic will be held after the festal Liturgy for the Dormition of the Theotokos on Sunday, August 15.  There's a sign-up for food/drink items on the bulletin board. We'll crank up the new grill and share lunch about 12:30, followed by the Auxiliary Drawing, fun and fellowship.  Bring a change of clothes, lawn chairs, games and friends (of course, to the Liturgy first!) and plan to spend the day with "the family."

ALTAR BOYS!  Our Deanery will host an Altar Boy Picnic on Thursday, August 19 in Olyphant PA from 11 am to 3 pm.  Fr Dan will transport boys to and from Holy Cross.  Contact him if interested in attending.

Apostolic Fathers Study

Parishioner Ed Hunter leads this Summer study series on the Apostolic Fathers on Thursdays at 7 pm.  Since Ed has to work this week, Fr Dan will fill in this Thursday in leading the study.

Ed's Corner

In our study of St. Ignatius' writings last week, we found Ignatius concerned about boasting and spiritual pride.  St. Paul treats a similar theme in his Epistle to the Romans.  In fact, this language of boasting being associated with pride is fairly common among the early Fathers.

It is true that St. Paul speaks of boasting on behalf of other people in some places and that he also speaks of boasting in Christ in a positive way, but by and large when he and the later Fathers speak of boasting, they are referring to boasting of one's self and one's deeds and they do not take a positive view of such things.

It is a sad but true human phenomenon that when we find ourselves to be something or to have done something that we deem to be good, we often take our spiritual gaze off of the beauty of Christ and start to admire ourselves instead.  Of course this is the utter height of folly, because such an attitude misses the obvious truth that everything which is good about us is there because of God's grace and mercy.  Yet we are often so thankless in our earthly sojourn that we suppose that if we are intelligent, beautiful, witty, kindhearted, hospitable, loving, persevering in prayer, generous in giving, or any manner of other good thing whether supposedly "secular" or "spiritual," we are such because of our own merit and work and not because of God's grace.  This is most easily exposed as foolishness when we look at our natural attributes.  Take for instance a woman of great beauty.  Has she done anything to make herself beautiful?  Perhaps she has applied those feminine arts which can enhance that which is already there or hide that which is deficient, but the beauty is there not by her own doing but by the grace of God.  Yet how many women who find themselves in this condition will refrain from boasting?  How many will give thanks to God in quiet solitude and how many will indeed attribute their beauty constantly to the beauty of the Infinite God and find themselves to be ultimately without any sort of comeliness that really matters?  And if a woman of simple, earthly beauty will fall prey to such traps, how much more a person of intelligence and wit or one who does extraordinary works?

My brothers and sisters, we must ever be on our guard against spiritual pride and its child, boasting, for it is a great trap of the devil.  Let us rather be imitators of St Paul and St Ignatius, who constantly urge us to boast in our own weakness because they know of the all-surpassing power of Jesus Christ, Who worked in them to bring them to perfection, and indeed will work in us, if we would only be humble and willing.

Ancient Wisdom -- with Contemporary Relevance!

from St John Chrysostom (4th century)

Should we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor?  Should we require soldiers to come and seize the rich person's gold and distribute it among his destitute neighbors?  Should we beg the emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone?

Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm.  Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again.

Worse still, the rich whose gold was taken away would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor who received the gold from the hands of soldiers would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift.  Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm. 

Material justice cannot be accomplished by compulsion, a change of heart will not follow.  The only way to achieve true justice is to change people's hearts first and then they will joyfully share their wealth.

Webcasts on the Book of Jonah

Four lectures on the Book of Jonah by Bishop Tikhon are now available on our diocesan website: doepa.org.