Festival 2007

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Father Alex Delivers University of Miami Commencement Invocation

Text of the Prayer:

O all holy master, Lord our God, we gather together with excitement and thanksgiving on this commencement day for the gift of learning which we have received. We give thanks for those who have supported us in this endeavor: parents, teachers, friends, faculty and all the staff of this university that have made the gift of learning possible. But we also entreat you for these gifts:

Grace us with hearts that are intent only on doing what is right,

With minds that are completely animated by true devotion to you,

With wills dedicated to honesty and integrity,

And with reasoning that will not be enslaved to passion and emotions.

Give us health of mind and body together with tranquility of spirit, O Lord,

And flood our lives with the peace that only you can give.

Fill us with true faith, with living hope and confidence, with unfeigned love and patience.

Bless us with the light to perceive your marvelous works

And the right words to make them known and appreciated.

Then, always, and in all things, make us consciously ready and willing to do all that is right so that your gifts may blossom forth in each of us.

Amen.

You can also view the commencement clicking here. Fr Alex is after the National Anthem about 18 minutes into the commencement excercises.

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Festival Pictures

Tony Khoury, Council Chairman, works at the

St George Cathedral's 2006 Middle Eastern Festival

Our 2003 Convention banner came in handy

The teens preparing their routine

The hall begins to fill

The music begins

Antoinette and Salam

Osama with our teens - Kristen, Rana, Christina and Danielle

Khouriah Anna and Father Alex

Jamal, Cathy, and Darlene

Awsome food served by Jamal, Latyfe, Anna, and Lillian

A happy patron

Salma and Yolanda

St George and St Philip Teens enjoying the Hafli

Christina, Dimitri, Johanna, Monica, Mike, and Richard

A few of our hard workers:Shirley, Ivan, Mike (co-chair), and Najat

Monica and Ivan

Young Louis helping out Pat, Khouria Lorraine, and Big Louis

The Teens Perform

Nice scarf

The Hafli Huddle

Looks like fun to me

Irene, Ivan and Laura

Wrapping up

Mike thanking everyone

Presenting Salma (co-chair) with a bouquet of thanks

A job well done

Fr Alex saying a few words

The festival brought us very close to each other

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Forgiveness Sunday

Notes on the Sermon of March 5, 2006

Forgiveness - Practical Definition
1) Not wanting evil for evil (Matthew 5:38)
2) Desiring for the well-being of your injurer (Matthew 5:44)

Steps to forgiveness
1) Pray for the desire to forgive
2) Pray to understand the injurer, to see his wounds
3) Pray for the perception to see how your lack of forgiveness is affecting those around you
4) Pray for the well-being of your injurer

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Heaven and Hell

Thoughts from Sunday's sermon

The Orthodox Church teaches that after death all people will be in the presence of God. For some this will be experienced as paradise, and for others torment – in other words, heaven and hell. God does not send us someplace; it is we who choose. We begin that choice by how we live our lives now.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, in the late first and early second century, describe God as the furnace that a craftsman uses to temper a sword. When a properly prepared sword is placed within the fire, it makes it stronger and the sword takes on the properties of the fire, it gives off heat and light. However, this same fire will melt and destroy a sword that was not properly prepared.

St. Isaac the Syrian in the sixth century writes "Paradise is the love of God" and he also writes "...those who are punished in Gehannah, are scourged by the scourge of love". So the "fire" is the love of God, and we experience His love as either divine love, or as painful "scourge".

St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes about the Second Coming of Christ, "the sign of the Cross [at His returning] will be terror to His foes, but joy to His friends who have believed in Him".

St. John Chrysostom (AD 344-407) wrote [in homily LXXVI] "let us clothe ourselves with spiritual fire, let us gird ourselves with its flame. No man who bears flame fears those who meet him; be it wild beast, be it man, be it snares innumerable, so long as he is armed with fire, all things stand out of his way, all things retire. The flame is intolerable, the fire can not be endured, it consumes all. With this fire let us clothe ourselves, offering up glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever and world without end. Amen."

St. Basil the Great (fourth century) points out that the Three Children thrown into the fiery furnace were unharmed by the fire, yet the same fire burned and killed the servants at the entrance to the furnace. Read this story in Danie, chapter 3. The specific verses St Basil was referring to follow:
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, 20and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘True, O king.’ 25He replied, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.


According to St Gregory the Theologian, God Himself is Paradise and punishment for man, since each man tastes God's "energies" (His perceptible presence) according to the condition of his soul. St. Gregory further advises the next life will be "light for those whose mind is purified... in proportion to their degree of purity" and darkness "to those who have blinded their ruling organ [meaning the "mind"]...in proportion to their blindness..."

A prayer of St. Simeon the Translator goes: "...Thou who art a fire consuming the unworthy, consume me not, O my Creator, but rather pass through all my body parts, into all my joints, my veins, my heart. Burn Thou the thorns of all my transgressions, Cleanse my soul and hallow Thou my thoughts [etc.] ...that from me, every evil deed and every passion may flee as from fire…"

"Life" in the Orthodox Church as defined by the Fathers, is experiencing the perfect, pure and infinite love of God in ultimate harmony and intimacy for eternity, and "death" is experiencing God's energies in torment, darkness and disharmony for eternity. It is only through Christ that we come to that place of perfect harmony, in this life, in this world. The goal of the Christian is not to get to "heaven" in the after life, but rather to come to a state of constant communion with the Holy Spirit, beginning in this life. We may bask in the presence of God's glory here and now, and in the afterlife for eternity. – from an article by Peter Chopelas

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St George Festival

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And the fence came down

Sermon Outline from October 30
Gospel Reading: Luke 16:19-31

In many ways the hurricane cut us off from the world around us. No power. No lights. No TV. No news. No Gas or traveling.

But in another way I was more connected than ever... with my neighbor. The fence came down (literally) and my backyard neghbor said to me, "When did you move in?" "Three months ago," I answered. Another neighbor came over for coffee. I borrowed a wheelbarrow and a crowbar from another. Another neighbor gave us generator tips.

Does the TV really connect us to the world around us or does it in fact cut us off by making us feel indifferent to the miriad of activities that constantly occur on the planet? I recently came across the following prayer by Carl G Carlozzi:

Here before my electronic window on life,
I traverse the world in a short thirty minutes.
Wars are waged…And I dwell secure in peace.
Disaster strikes…And I sit comfortably in my chair.
Famine runs rampant…And I gorge myself with food.
Disease kills…And I rest confidently in health.
Mankind cries outAnd I tell jokes with my friends.…
It’s so easy Lord to be involved, but yet unengaged.
It’s so easy Lord to be informed, but yet apathetic.
It’s so easy Lord to be outspoken, but yet inactive.
It’s so easy Lord to be concerned, but yet pass the buck.
Help me, Lord, to see life through the window of your Holy Spirit.
Make it difficult for me to stand idle.
Help me, Lord, to be electrified by your Love.

The sin of the wealthy man in today's Gospel reading was not that he was wealthy, but indifferent. He had gotten to the point where he did not even notice the poor man at his door. He had ceased to care.

In the book The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis, a devil briefs his demon nephew, Wormwood, in the subtleties and techniques of tempting people. Through the letters the devil says that the objective is not to make people wicked but to make them indifferent. Satan cautions Wormwood that he must keep the patient comfortable at all costs. If he should start thinking about anything of importance, encourage him to think about his luncheon plans and not to worry so much because it could cause indigestion. And then the devil gives this instruction to his nephew:

"I, the devil, will always see to it that there are bad people. Your job, my dear wormwood, is to provide me with people who do not care."

We must be aware of the sin as well as the ease of falling into it. Lord, make it difficult for me to stand idle. Help me, Lord, to be electrified by your Love.

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Antiochian Village Changes Lives

Ivan Miranda telling the Congregation about Antiochian Village during Youth Month

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Christ is in our midst! He is and always shall be! Today I will be taking a few minutes of your time to talk about a place that means so much to me and I think is worth discussing. Some of you might be familiar with it and if you aren’t, I hope that after this you will be somewhat informed about this amazing place. This place has been referred to by many including myself as “Heaven on Earth”; this place is the Antiochian Village. The Antiochian Village is the main archdiocese's camp attended by hundreds of kids every summer. The mission of the Antiochian Village is to present to young people a living experience of the Holy Orthodox Faith, in their relationship with God and other campers in an orderly, natural environment.

I first attended the Antiochian Village back in the summer of 1996 when I was 12 years old. I was sent there by my priest at my old parish. I remember that I was scared about going, not because I was leaving home but because I was going to this new place that was “holy” and the Church and I weren’t really on the same page mainly because I wasn’t knowledged enough about it. So I went not knowing at all what to expect but going there ended up being a life altering decision. My first summer wasn’t exactly the best to be honest, I left camp telling myself that maybe I didn’t want to go back the following year, I think it was mostly because I was overwhelmed by everything that I had been exposed to and learned about the Faith. Eventually I did decide that I was going to give it another shot and it was pretty much smooth sailing from there on out.

I ended up going summer after summer, each summer I learned so much more about what the Church was all about and I also learned more about myself. Going to camp was very important to me when it came to enhancing my knowledge about the Orthodox Faith mostly because I didn’t have the resources here at home as I did at camp. In the 50 weeks out of the year that I wasn’t at camp, I took that time to use what I had learned at camp for those two weeks and expand on it so that when I went back, I was better prepared to learn more.
My last summer at the Village as a camper was in 2000, that was an amazing summer, being in the oldest cabin, getting together with all the people that I had grown with in all my years as a camper and enjoying our last year together was amazing. The year after in 2001, I went to camp as a Counselor in Training and that’s where I experienced life at the Village from a different point of view other than a camper, I learned responsibility that summer and it taught me more about myself and about my strengths and weaknesses.

Now this leads me to this summer, the best summer of my life. This summer by the Grace of God, I was selected to be on staff, which had been a dream since I had been a camper. My whole objective of the summer was to show all of my campers the same love that all my counselors had shown me as well as to teach them everything I had learned and more. This summer changed my life completely. It made me realize what life is really about, made me realize what we live for, and that is God. God taught me this through each and every single one of those kids that was put under my care, I realized this when I knew I was being a parent for two weeks at a time for each one of them. Knowing that they looked up to me for guidance, and this being my opportunity to teach them the Christ like way of living our lives, simply through my actions and love. Just being able to spend such an extended period of time at camp was a blessing in itself. Having the opportunity to go to church twice a day, which is something we might take for granted sometimes, was such an amazing thing. I can honestly say that when I returned home, I missed going to church for Matins and Vespers everyday mainly because that was such a great time to pray and thank God for everything that I had been blessed with.

So this brings me to my last point, I invite everyone here present to take time to learn about the Antiochian Village, to give your children the opportunity I had to experience everything this wonderful place has to offer. It is a great learning opportunity for both children as well as adults with the Village offering Summer and Winter camp but also Family camp which is a great opportunity to experience our Orthodox faith from a completely different perspective as a family. So I offer my knowledge to everyone, please feel free to approach me to learn more about the place called “Heaven on Earth” May God Bless you all! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Incense rising during noontime prayer

Let my prayer rise like incense before you

(Psalm 141:2)

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Special Olympics Sunday

Dimitri Kouri, Vice President of our Teen SOYO group, gave the following sermon on Special Olympics Sunday.

Good morning.

Today in the church is known as Special Olympic Sunday. Most of you probably don’t fully understand what Special Olympics is. Before I left, I had no idea either. Over the summer I went to the Antiochian Village to coach Softball at the Special Olympics. Basically, it’s a camp that takes place at the Antiochian Village where people with mental handicaps can come together and play sports. The winners of the sports then progress to the states level, and then from there, the nationals, and after the nationals, the internationals. These athletes must suffer from mental retardation, live in Pennsylvania and be older than 13 years old. Over the summer, I was a coach at the Special Olympics.

Even when I first arrived at the Village, I had no clue what to expect. SOYO teens from all around the country attend as coaches. I learned from the others that every cabin has 2 coaches. One coach is a SOYO coach, and another is from SOPA, which stands for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Also, the cabins usually have two to four campers. All but one of the campers in my cabin had Down's Syndrome, which was by far the most common disability. I could not believe how happy they were.

One camper, Michael, was 42, had Down's Syndrome. He was legally blind, legally deaf, and could barely walk. He couldn’t talk in sentences that were more than three words, but when I let him listen to music off my mp3 player, he could name the band and the name of the song - no matter what song it was (he was very partial to the Eagles). He was always smiling and never was upset. I couldn’t understand what he had to be so happy about, but it made me look at myself and say, "What do I have to be upset about?" If the people at the Special Olympics can make the best out of their lives, why can't we?

The motto of the Special Olympics is “Let me win, but if I cannot, let me be brave in the attempt.” I think we can all learn from that. To me, it says that we should try our best at whatever we do, but if something unexpected happens, we shouldn’t make a big deal about it. We should look to God and have him show us the way.

Special Olympics is so important to them. It’s a place where they can have fun, avoid the stares, play with their friends, and get away from their busy lives. It’s their favorite time of year. They look forward to going every year. One athlete, Bobby, had to leave a day early. I’ve never seen anyone cry that hard. He genuinely hated leaving. Today the teens will be giving out icons as a token of our appreciation for your support in this wonderful program. Also, there will be a luncheon in the hall, and all the proceeds will be going to the Special Olympics. In the 25th chapter of Mathew, the Bible says “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me.” When we help someone in the special Olympics, we help Jesus. For more information, go to http://www.specialolympicspa.org/, or www.antiochian.org/specialolympics2005. Thank you.

Icon of the "Great Saints of the Church of Antioch" that the Teens passed out

Our youth collecting for Special Olympics

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Our Teens - helping others

On Saturday afternoon, the teens gathered to put together Health Kits for the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. They also prepared for Sunday's Luncheon which will benefit Special Olympics.

Click the Read more! below to see some pictures.

The teens made 40 health kits that will be sent to Houston to help the Hurricane victims. Pictured above are Alissandra, Lourice, Danielle, Nicole, Christina, Nicolas, and Rana

Each Health Kit contains toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, fingernail clippers, bandaids, face cloth, hand towel and a personal note from our teens.

Jesse and Alissandra

Rana, Crystal, and Christina

Anthony, our fearless president

Lourice, Christina, and Kristen

Star of the day

Anthony with Jamal

Dimitri

Nicolas, Danielle, and Lourice

Alissandra, Lourice, and Nicolas

Stephen, Dimitri, and Rana

Anthony and Jamal with Kristen in the background

Getting ready for customers

The preparation is done. On Sunday we serve the meal.

The Parish really supported the project

The teens raised over $1300 all for Special Olympics

...and everyone enjoyed their meal.

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Worship, Witness, Service, and Fellowship

Good morning everyone,
My name is Anthony Khoury, and this year I have been elected president of the Teen SOYO. Like many of the organizations in the Church, the teens reach out to those who are in need, whether they are in our community, or perhaps another country. However this organization is unlike that of others because it is based around four themes: Worship, Witness, Service, and Fellowship. Although we all strive to fulfill these themes throughout the year, the month of October is the youth’s time to shine. During Youth Month members of the Teen SOYO demonstrate their love for humanity by actively participating in the Church. We will be reading the weekly epistles, delivering sermons, collecting trays, as well as ushering. Not only will we be participating in Church, but we will also be showing our support for others by hosting the annual Special Olympics Luncheon this month. It is important for us all to carry out these topics not only within our parish, but beyond the church walls as well.

So, you all are probably wondering how these four themes apply to our organization. First of all, there is worship. When thinking of this, love, praise, and respect are only just a few things that come to mind. As Christians there is nothing on this earth that we worship but for God Himself. Obvious examples of our compassion and devotion toward God include prayer, serving in the altar, singing in the choir, and teaching Sunday school to spread God’s wisdom. Secondly, there is witness. When we witness we openly show our faith in God, for example letting others know our faith when we are asked. Service is the third theme. In our teen SOYO, service is one of our main priorities. Whether we are fundraising to make baskets for orphans in Guatemala, or singing Christmas carols in the hospital we are continuously serving the community. Finally, none of these themes would be able to come together without Fellowship. Because strength comes from numbers, we are all able to work together to accomplish the will of God and spread his word. Over the years, the experiences we have encountered have strengthened the bonds of friendship, both spiritually and socially.

This month, the Teens have planned several activities. On October 9th, we will be hosting the Special Olympics Luncheon after liturgy. A collection will also take place after the service, and we will be handing out icons. Because we would like to contribute as much as we can toward the Special Olympics a sponsor for the luncheon would be extremely helpful. Also this month we are going to start one of our many fundraising ideas for the victims of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Red Cross is asking for health baskets to hand out to victims. A copy of this is found in today’s bulletin. It mentions the items needed, as well as the church to send it to. If you would like, you may donate a basket, or supplies. And for all new teens, to expand our teen SOYO, we will have a sign up sheet in the hall. If you would like to join our organization, feel free to sign up. On behalf of all the teens, I would like to thank you for all your contributions.

Thank you and have a good day

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Benefit Dinner

Tony and Hiam were the perfect hosts for an evening to support the Cathedral.

Please click the Read more! below to see more pictures from the evening.

The food was delicious and bountiful

Bp Demetri blesses the food

Bp Demetry with Fr Alex

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Becoming His Disciple

Sermon Outline for September 18

And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Mark 8:34

Discipleship is not only for 12 men of first century Palestine but for all of us. Jesus, in this passage gives us a 3 step procedure in becoming a disciple. What are those steps?
1. Deny oneself
2. Take up ones cross
3. Follow Christ

What do these steps entail?

Deny Oneself
People usually think of abstaining from deserts or meat when we hear this phrase. In other words: self-denial, something a person might “give up” for Lent. But Jesus is more concerned about what we are, not what we do. This passage is not talking about giving up things but about denying oneself. This is very different. Denying Oneself means to forego our natural feelings about ourselves, the rights that we feel are due us, the right to run our lives as we want to. St Paul says it this way: "You are not your own; you are bought with a price," (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a). If you want to follow Jesus, you no longer have the rights to yourself; he does. You do not belong to yourself. You belong to Jesus. It means denying the desire of pride and jealousy, of making myself more important at another’s expense. It means giving of my time, talents and treasures to the church and those around me in need. Read what St John of Kronstadt said:

Oppose everything that the enemy suggests to you. He suggests that you hate those that offend you - you must love them; bless those that curse you, and do not trouble those who take away your property, but give it away willingly. When you want to laugh, weep; when you feel despondent, endeavor to be glad; when you feel envious, rejoice at the prosperity of others; when you are inclined to contradict and disobey, agree and submit at once; when impure thoughts occur to you, be zealous for the purity of your heart, represent to yourself the high destiny of a Christian, made godly in Christ Jesus, and call to mind that our members are the members of Christ; when you feel proud, humble yourself; when spiteful, be particularly kind; when irritable keep calm; when mean, be generous; when distracted, at once close your feelings to all outward things, and meditate on the one thing needful; when you feel doubt or unbelief, call firm faith to your help, remind yourself of the examples of faith, of the miracles accomplished by faith, and so on. Do thus, and do not give way to the enemy; for all vice, ever evil and foolish, is of his imagining.

From The Spiritual Councils of Father John of Kronstadt, page 134

Take up ones cross
Most people think of the cross as any type of hardship that we must endure. But the cross means much more than that. Death by the cross, crucifixion, was a painful and humiliating form of capitol punishment. It began with verbal abuse, and then whipping and flogging. Then the condemned had to carry his cross (in his weakened bodily state) through a crowd of mockers to the place of execution. Once there, he would be nailed to the cross but would not immediately die. He would hang there for hours while the crowd around him made fun of him and spit in his direction. The Cross, therefore, does not only represent the death of Christ but his humiliation and abasement as well. The cross here represents those events in our life which humble us, expose us, and even shame us. These events tend to reveal the evil that is in us – exposing it to ourselves, and therefore we are called to welcome it. Embracing this cross goes against the very grain of modern society. It is not easy to do, but Jesus calls us to do this if we want to be his disciple. Again, from St John of Kronstadt:

When you are disturbed and sick at heart because you are slandered, it shows that pride is in you, and that it must be wounded and expelled by outward dishonor. Therefore do not be irritated by scorn, and do not bear malice towards those who hate and slander you, but love them as your physicians, whom God has sent to instruct you and to teach you humility, and to pray to God for them. Thank God for outward dishonor; those who endure dishonor here will not be subjected to it in the next world.

From The Spiritual Councils of Father John of Kronstadt, page 171

Follow Christ
To follow Christ means to follow his teachings – to obey him. Many people call themselves Christians but have no desire to be obedient to the teachings of Jesus. Following Jesus means to choose to do and say what Jesus commands us to do and say. And we do this with God’s help. When Jesus fed the multitude with the bread and fish, he commanded his disciples to give the food to the people. They obeyed his command, but only with what Jesus first supplied. It is the same with us. We must follow him, yet he gives us the ability to do so.
This is what the Christian life is all about – following Jesus – following his commands. When he said, “Love your enemies,” (Matthew 5:44) he was not just saying some cute religious saying. He meant it and he expects us to follow it. It is the same with, "Pray for those who hurt you," (Matthew 5:44) and, "Forgive those who offend you." (Matthew 6:14-15) When we are tempted to be angry and spiteful toward someone who has offended us, Jesus tells us, "Be kind to the ungrateful and the selfish." (Luke 6:35). When we want to elevate ourselves above others we hear, “outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 1:10) When we notice other peoples shortcomings, yet overlook our own, Jesus tells us, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3) There are many other passages like this and they are meant to be taken seriously. When we begin to take them seriously, we begin to become his disciples.

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Feast of the Cross

O you who have given us the gift of this precious cross on which your only son was sacrificed: renew the spirit of fervor deep within us, and enable us to put our unruly passions to death at every moment of our lives. By the blood that was shed on that wood, cleanse us and make us grow in repentance, that we may attain a greater and greater awareness of you with every passing day.

Prayer on the Feast of the Cross

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The Parish Assembly

I gave the following presentation to help our parishioners appreciate and understand the current state of the parish. It is essential that we are aware of the accomplishments and the challenges we face as a parish.

Please click on the "Read More!" below the slide to see the whole presentation.
You may click on an individual slide to enlarge it.


We are the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church started by Jesus Christ. By joining the Church, we join the Body of Christ and continue the mission of Christ: to bring salvation to the world. The Orthodox Church is the consistent and continuous Body of Christ remaining unchanged in its essential truths over the centuries. Other Christian bodies have diverted from the Apostolic teachings in smaller or greater ways but the Orthodox Church had remained constant.


The Church is made up of 16 independent (Autocephalous) sister churches around the world. They include the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Moscow as well as Romania, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Poland, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Sinai, and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). We are within the Patriarchate of Antioch.

The Patriarch of Antioch consists of many Archdioceses throughout the Middle East, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. Each Archdiocese is led by an Archbishop. All the Archbishops together make up the Holy Synod of Antioch and meet regularly. The head of the Synod is the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius IV. The first leader of Antioch was St Peter. Both St Peter and Paul were very active in the ancient city. In fact, the disciples of Christ were first called Christians here (Acts 11:26). Our Archdiocese is known as the Self-ruled Archdiocese of North America and is led by Archbishop Metropolitan Philip.

Our Archdiocese is made up of smaller Dioceses each designed to be led by a Bishop. Currently we have 9 Dioceses. Some Bishops are "doubling up" because we currently have more Dioceses than Bishops. The Dioceses cover the US and Canada from New England to California and from Alaska to Miami. We are within the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast. Our Bishop is Bishop Antoun.

Our Diocese covers the Southeastern section of the US including some 40 parishes and missions. Every summer our parishes from the Diocese meet at a family conference for fellowship, education, and Diocesan work. Bishop Antoun travels the Diocese throughout the year visiting his parishes. His main parish, the see of the Bishop, is St George Cathedral in Coral Gables. The word cathedral comes from the Greek word for seat. the Cathedral is where the Bishop's main throne is located.

Though our parish is the Cathedral parish of the Diocese, we are not the largest. Consisting of some 100 contributing families we are led by Father Alex Kouri. The pastor of a cathedral is has the title Dean. We consist of an elected and appointed Parish Council representing the parish to make decisions with the clergy for the well-being of the parish. In addition, there are several organizations and ministries that make up the Parish Community.

The purpose of the community is to be a center for worship for the Body of Christ for Sunday, Festal, and daily devotions. In addition the Church gives meaning to the most important times in the lives of its people including birth, marriage, and death through its celebration of the sacraments. The clergy also visit the faithful especially the sick and elderly. The church is also responsable for the Christian Education of its people through Church School, Retreats, and a variety of classes. As the Body of Christ we are called to fellowship with each other in order to develop supporting relationships. The church must not be concerned only with itself but must alos outreach through evangelism and charitable activities. In this way we express our calling as the church.

During the past year we have seen our community grow. Our attendance has risen. The number of families that have chosen to make a pledge commitment to the parish has risen 111% from 35 families to 74 families. This is very good news for our community.

In addition, our weekly pledges have increased. Though we are still far from the 10% tithe that we are asked to contribute, our annual pledge has gone up 192% from $27,620 to $80,545 this year. This is a very positive movement for our Cathedral. These are the amounts that have been pledged for this year- not contributed.

If we compare the contributions received for the first 6 months of 2004 to those received in the first 6 months of 2005, we see a dramatic increase. Our weekly pledges have increased by 65% and our building fund pledge has increased by 30%. All this is very good news for St George and shows that many more have taken the responsability as parishioner more seriously.

You may wish to click the above slide to see the details of our income. This was the approved budgeted income for 2005. It was approved by the parish during our January 2005 General Assembly. Please note the total Budgeted income: $365,451

Now you may wish to click on the above budgeted expense. Again, this was the approved budgeted expense for 2005. It was approved by the parish during our January 2005 General Assembly. Please note the total Budgeted Expense: $416,918 We budgeted expenses over income leaving us with a deficit of $51,647 for the year. And this is not the first year this has happened. In the past, however, the church was able to rely on surplus funds from the Building Fund, Miami Convention, and various stocks. This surplus money has all been used, and now the deficit is making it self known.

If we subtract our liabilities from our assests, we see that the Cathedral has a substantial net worth. Yet, since we have used up all our surplus funds and are running under a deficit budget, we have very little money in the bank. Actually, at the end of August, we had only $3000 in our checking account. And that is with over $25,000 worth of bills. Click on the slide above to see what some of those bills are. This is a serious challenge to the parish. At the end of August, our oustanding bills were $25,000. If we do not find a solution, by the end of September, our outstanding bills will be well over $30,000. This number will continue to grow.

There are several long term solutions in the works right now. We have two major functions scheduled for next year as well as a March Festival. In addition, we are planning Haflis, a golf tournament, and a campaign to reach out to non-members. But Long Term solutions will not solve our immediate problem. We are asking the Parish community for help. Firstly, please be praying that our community overcomes this financial hurdle. Secondly, some may be able to pay their pledge early. This would help the church with our present cash flow problem. Some can increase their pledge by giving a special donation. For others, this may be the first time for them to pledge at all. Our Orthodox faith is a gift that enables us to live our lives more fully and to help others in need. Please consider making this important step.

The above presentation shows that there is a lot of good happening at St George Cathedral. Our membership has increased. Our pledge income has grown. Attendance has risen. We are looking forward to some exciting ministries to helping those in need. Yet we also see that we have some great challenges. We ask for your help. We are called to be a family. When the family is in need, the family members come together to work out a solution. It is time to come together.

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September Hafli

Pictures from the Hafli

Click "Read More!" below to see all the pictures

Our Workers

The Music

The Dancing

The Fellowship

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Celebrating the Birthday of the Virgin Mary

On September 8, we celebrate the Birth of the Mother of God. For our sister parish, Our Lady of Regla, this is the parish Feast Day. On the Eve of the Feast, they celebrate the Liturgy and have a grand procession through the streets of Little Havana carrying an image of the Theotokos along with a band and flag bearers representing many nations. Here are some pictures:

The Church of Our Lady of Regla - Notice the large cross over the window. This used to be on St George Cathedral and was a gift to our sister parish.

Inside the Church

The Altar

Archdn David, Fr Alexander, Fr Alex, and Dn Nazme during the Liturgy

Fr Alex hands out Holy Bread following Liturgy

The Procession Begins

A band accompanied the Procession

Archdeacon David, Fr Elias, Fr Miguel, Fr Alex, and Dn Nazme

Yolanda, carrying the flag of Lebanon

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Ecumenical Team Evacuates Hundreds From New Orleans Airport

Baton Rouge, LA (IOCC) - An ecumenical response team made up of personnel from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) negotiated their way from Baton Rouge, La. to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport during the early hours of Sunday morning to evacuate 340 people in need of urgent medical care.

Along the way, the group described the heroic efforts of countless people - from the bus drivers who made the journey to medical personnel at the airport - and the frayed nerves of people doing their best to cope and survive.

The airport’s baggage claim area, serving as a triage facility where hundreds of people were receiving attention from medical personnel, was crowded with stretchers on carousels, the wheelchair bound, and people with broken limbs and other ailments.

Medical staff at the airport expressed relief at the sight of buses which took those in need of medical attention to the Louisiana State University Field Hospital in Baton Rouge, La. Physicians at the airport recounted the 36 hour period prior to their arrival when attempts made by other buses to access the facility had been turned away.

Traveling in a convoy of ten school buses provided through the Disaster Recovery Center and accompanied by students from local universities, the team made its way to the airport through complete darkness and uncertainty during a journey that was at times made tense by the lack of clear communication on the ground – especially at the checkpoints.

“As we approached New Orleans there was a stench in the air,” described Leonidas “Lee” Kapetanakis, an IOCC Emergency Response team member from Houston, Texas. “It was an eerie scene as we negotiated our way through four checkpoints, escorted by military personnel and police officers.”

The operation began as an effort to evacuate a group of 300 Vietnamese who reportedly were stranded at the airport. Based on the information they had, the team met with officials at the Disaster Recovery Center in Baton Rouge to organize their transportation.

When the group arrived at the airport, they found that only 15 Vietnamese remained, but that there was an immense need to relocate more than 2,500 people with medical needs.

As the team returned to Baton Rouge with 340 of the sick and injured, the uncertainty of the journey and concern for the fate of those left behind turned to hope when they passed as many as one hundred buses headed toward the airport. By the next day the impasse had been broken and nearly all of the medical patients had been transported from the make-shift facilities at the baggage terminal to the field hospital.

The group’s efforts were spearheaded by Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans chief executive officer Jim Kelly, who himself was displaced from his home by Hurricane Katrina’s onslaught. Kelly was supported by former CRS executive and IOCC consultant Frank Carlin, Rev. Fr. Peter-Michael Preble of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of America, head of disaster response for CRS Pat Johns, IOCC disaster response team member Leonidas Kapetanakis and Rev. Fr. Pham a Roman Catholic priest and medical doctor.

In addition to the evacuation, the interfaith effort is warehousing and distributing relief arriving to Baton Rouge. Hygiene items, oral electrolyte solutions for children and adults, diapers, water, food, blankets and hygiene kits have been provided by the collective efforts of the group.

“This is an incredibly inspirational ecumenical effort here in Baton Rouge,” said Frank Carlin, a former CRS executive with 37 years of domestic disaster and international relief and development experience who is working with the IOCC Emergency Response Team and Catholic Charities. “In addition to the convoy, we are providing ongoing aid to those who have been displaced from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and filling gaps in services.”

Contributions to IOCC’s Hurricane Disaster Response Fund may be sent to IOCC, “Hurricane Relief,” P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at www.iocc.org or by calling toll-free 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).

Founded in 1992, IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). Catholic Charities in the United States started in New Orleans and has been helping clothe, feed, educate and care for the needy for decades. CRS, founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States, is the official international relief and development agency of the US Catholic community.

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Relief following Katrina

IOCC Emergency Response Network Aiding Distribution of Relief

By NTOM Staff
Sunday, September 04, 2005
A disaster response team deployed last Wednesday to Baton Rouge, La. by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is aiding in the efforts being mounted to assist survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Fr. Peter Preble, a Romanian Orthodox priest and qualified emergency first responder from Southbridge, Mass., and IOCC board member Lee Kapetanakis of Houston, Texas are identifying the most urgent needs of the thousands of people displaced by the storm and setting up a logistics and distribution center for aid arriving to that city. The pair has also been joined by Frank Carlin, an IOCC volunteer with more than 30 years of domestic and international relief and development experience with Catholic Relief Services.
In a telephone report given Friday the team described a scene that is still quite chaotic with insufficient aid available.
‘Grocery stores are trying to restock, but the population of Baton Rouge has swelled so dramatically in the past few days that provisions are in short supply,’ reported Kapetanakis. ‘The biggest need right now is to help people need basic needs ‘ water, hygiene items and diapers.’

Over the next few days, the team will focus on providing essential care and support items to people who are desperately in need of assistance.
IOCC staff in Baton Rouge are coordinating the pan-Orthodox effort in close cooperation with Catholic Charities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, Church World Service and local partners.
In Houston, Texas, IOCC is coordinating a pan-Orthodox effort to respond to hurricane survivors arriving daily to that city. An operations center is being established in Houston and is expected to become operational by the end of the week.
Other members of the IOCC Emergency Response Network are also preparing for deployment in the coming days.
In addition to the efforts being made to provide material aid, Orthodox clergy participating in the IOCC Emergency Response Network are providing pastoral assistance to the devastated communities. Clergy and parishes throughout the Gulf Coast region have been contacted by IOCC.
On Sunday, less than a week after the hurricane, Fr. Peter Preble, one of the few priests currently able to access the affected region, will celebrate Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Chapel, 2510 Stevendale Road in Baton Rouge. Following Liturgy the IOCC team will be working with the community to assess their needs.
The IOCC team has urged all Orthodox parishes to assemble and send personal hygiene kits containing basic items such as soap, a washcloth, toothpaste and a toothbrush, as part of IOCC’s ongoing ‘Gift of the Heart’ program run in cooperation with Church World Service (CWS). The kits should be sent to the CWS warehouse in New Windsor, Md. The address and required contents of the kits may be found on IOCC’s website at http://www.iocc.org/kits.
Contributions to IOCC’s Hurricane Disaster Response Fund may be sent to IOCC, ‘Hurricane Relief,’ P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at http://www.iocc.org/ or by calling toll-free 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).
IOCC’s emergency response network, comprised of trained Orthodox clergy and their U.S. parish communities, provides emergency services to people struggling to recover from natural or man-made disasters.
Founded in 1992, IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).

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St Moses the Ethiopian

St. Moses the Ethiopian was a former gang leader, murderer, and thief in ancient Africa. However, he became a model of transformation. His is one of the most inspiring stories among the African saints.

Moses, an escaped slave, was the leader of a group of 75 robbers. He was a large and powerful man, who with his gang terrorized the entire region. Moses was transformed after he and his group attacked a monastery, intending to rob it. He was met by the abbot, whose peaceful and warm manner overwhelmed him. He immediately felt remorse for all his past sins, sincerely repented, and begged to remain at the monastery.

Moses was tortured by his past and for years was tempted to return to his old ways. One day, as he was confessing his sins to St. Macarius, an angel appeared to him in a vision with a tablet full of his sins. As he confessed, the angel began wiping the tablet clean. The more he confessed, the more the angel wiped, until by the end it was completely clean. After meeting St. Macarius and St. Isidore, he completely left his old ways behind him and became a monk.

Later, St. Moses was ordained to the priesthood -- a rare honor among the Desert Fathers -- and founded a monastery of 75 monks, the same number as his former group of thieves. He was known for his wisdom, humility, love, and non-judgment of others. Once a brother had been caught in a particular sin, and the brothers asked St. Moses to come to the church and render judgment. He came reluctantly, carrying on his back a leaking jug of sand. When he arrived, the brothers asked him why he was carrying such a thing. He simply said, "This sand is my sins which are trailing out behind me, while I go to judge the sins of another." At that reply, the brothers forgave the offender and returned to focusing on their own salvation rather than the sins of their brother.

In 405 A.D., at age 75, St. Moses suffered a martyr's death, when his monastery was attacked by a group of barbarians. He is remembered on the 28th of August.

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The First Stress Reducer

Sermon Outline for August 21


My wife Anna and I went to a play last week at the Miracle Theatre, a few steps away from the church. I was surprised at the cell phones that were ringing during the performance. They ring during plays, during movies, and during Liturgy. We have become so busy that we can be reached at any time and any place. As lives get busy, so does of level of stress.

I read the following from the Reader’s Digest:

Blue Monday, that post-weekend, down-in-the-dumps day, may indeed be dangerous to your health. More men die suddenly of heart disease on Monday than on any other day of the week, reports a group of University of Manitoba researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A long-term follow-up study of nearly 4,000 men found that 38 had died of sudden heart attacks on Monday while only 15 died on Friday. For men with no history of heart disease, Monday was particularly dangerous. Among that group, an average of 8.2 heart attack deaths occurred on each of the other six days of the week, while nearly three times as many occurred on Monday.

Certainly Christians are not immune from stress. Jesus and his apostles certainly dealt with it as well. Let’s look at today’s reading.

At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
Matthew 14:22-27

Matthew says the apostles were terrified. This was a very stressful moment. They are miles from land, their boat was being beaten by the waves, the wind never went where they hoped, and it was the darkest part of the night. Jesus calms them by announcing his presence. It is essential that we know the presence of Christ, to be aware that we are never alone. Jesus taught this to his friends. "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

Jesus also endured stressful situations. Eventually his troubles led to his execution. Very stressful. Christians don’t avoid these situations, but they learn how to live through them in a healthy way. Jesus focused on being aware of his Father’s presence. What does the scripture tell us Jesus did before he walked on the water?

…he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
Matthew 14:23

If Jesus, who is the perfect human, needed to pray, why do we think we do not? Earlier in the same chapter, our Lord learned that his friend John the baptizer had been beheaded for speaking the truth. We read:

[The] disciples [of John] came and took the body and buried it; then they went
and told Jesus. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a
deserted place by himself. Matthew 14:12-13

We may surmise that Jesus again went to pray.

Stressful situations will not go away. They can not be avoided, but we can deal with them in healthier ways. One import part of dealing with stress is regular prayer. Learning to be conscious of God’s presence in our life and focusing on that presence on a daily basis is essential for peaceful living.

I found the following list of helpful tips to reducing the stressors of everyday life. I hope you find them useful.

Proven Stress Reducers

1. Pray daily.
2. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointments, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc.
3. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning so you don’t start the day feeling frazzled.
4. Keep a duplicate car key in your wallet.
5. An instant cure for most stress: 30 minutes of brisk walking or other aerobic exercise.
6. Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and erring, for sometime in life you will have been all of these.
7. Say “No, thank you” to extra projects you don’t have the time or energy for.
8. Set up contingency plans—just in case, “If either of us is delayed,” “If we get separated in the Mall, here’s what we’ll do...”
9. Put brain in gear before opening mouth. Before saying anything, ask yourself if what you are about to say is 1)True, 2) Kind, and 3) Necessary.
10. Stop worrying. If something concerns you, do something about it. If you can’t do anything about it, let it go.
11. For every one thing that goes wrong, there are 50 to 100 blessings. Count them.
12. Learn to live one day at a time.
13. Every day, do at least one thing you really enjoy.
14. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
15. Laugh!
16. Remember that the best things in life aren’t things.
17. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
18. If an unpleasant task faces you, do it early in the day and get it over with.
19. Do one thing at a time.

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The Dormition

Sermon from Sunday, August 14



In celebrating the Dormition, we confirm our belief in seeing what we cannot see. For instance in the icon of the Feast, we see Mary, the Theotokos lying dead on a funeral bier. Her friends are gathered around her. I am sure this is exactly what had happened. This is what they all saw. But in the icon, we see more. We see Christ holding Mary’s soul in is hands receiving her into his Kingdom. If her friends and loved ones saw this, it was with the eyes of faith. They saw, and, if they lived in the presence of Christ, they saw even more.

Look how this is shown to us in the Gospels. In Mark’s Gospel we read the story of a blind man named Bartimaeus being healed by Jesus:

As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
Mark 10:46-52

As we first read it, it seems like simply a physical healing of the man’s eyes. Now read a passage from John’s Gospel after Jesus heals a blind man. John not only tells the story but also interprets it for us. Jesus says to the man who had previously been blind:

‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains.
John 9:35-41

…that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.

Seeing is not just something we do with our eyes, but with our heart and soul. It is wonderful when the eyes of faith see what the physical eyes cannot, like in the Dormition icon. It is very sad when we feel we are at a point that there is nothing more we need to see, when we think we see everything already. “that…those who do see may become blind.” People who think that they see everything already - that there is nothing more – are spiritually blind. Believe it or not, this happens with church people as much as anybody else. It dulls our senses into a feeling of apathy. We do not need to know anything more – we know plenty. We do not need a greater understanding – people need to understand us. We do not need to change ourselves (repent) in any way – we are fine the way we are. Spiritual Blindness.

Look again at the Mark’s story of the healing of Bartimaeus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man responded, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus asks us this same question every day. Unblock your ears to hear it. And then let Jesus heal your eyes by asking him for the gift of true sight. It is important to see that Jesus asks before he heals. He expects us to respond as well.

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Children we sponsor

Our Parish currently sponsors 3 children from Lebanon through the Children's Relief Fund: Magy, George, and Nicolas. This charity began in 1982 to help children that were victims of the Lebanese war. These pictures along with their letters came in today. May God bless them and protect them along with all those who are the victims of war and civil strife throughout the world. Please click on their letters next to their picture to read what they have sent us.

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Paraklesis

We sing the Paraklesis service during the first 2 weeks of August to prepare for the Feast of the Dormition (August 15). The Feast of the Dormition or Falling Asleep of the Theotokos commemorates the death, resurrection, and glorification of Christ's mother. To help us in our preparation of the feast, it is preceded by a two week fast. As with the Nativity of the Virgin (September 8) and the feast of her Entrance to the Temple (November 21), the Feast of the Dormition also comes from the Tradition of the Church and is not found in the scriptures.
There we learn that Mary died as all people die because she had a mortal human nature affected by the corruption of this world. The Church proclaims that Mary needed to be saved by Christ just as all of us are saved from trials, sufferings, and death of this world. Having truly died, she was raised by her Son as the "Mother of Life" and already participates in the eternal life of paradise which is prepared and promised to all who "hear the word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:27-28) Finally, we celebrate the fact that what happens to Mary happens to all who imitate her holy life of humility, obedience and love.

Click here to listen to the beautiful music of the service.

Click here to see the church schedule.

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The Encounter

Sermon from Sunday, July 31

Communion (or Eucharist) can be difficult to understand, - not only for us but for the early disciples of Christ as well.

53 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with
him.
John 6:53-60, 66

His disciples were expecting to learn something about God through Jesus’ teachings. But Jesus offered them something more then a theology lesson. He invited them to encounter him in a deep and profound way. While intellectual learning has its place, it is only through the encounter with Christ that renewal takes place.

The Eucharist is central to Christ – central to the church as well
For this reason the Liturgy is celebrated with 2 parts. The first section, the Liturgy of the Word centers on the readings and the sermon. This is the part where the intellectual learning takes place.
The second part, centered on the eucharist, is about the encounter, our encounter with God. The funny thing is that if we are not looking for that encounter with Christ, if we are not expecting it, it probably will not happen.

A Chance Encounter
One day I was talking to a wonderful man, an older priest, Fr Demo Makris and he mentioned that his granddaughter married Alexander Rodriguez, the highest paid and one of the most well-known baseball players in the Major League. A few weeks ago, this pastor of pastors, and mentor of mine, Fr Demo, fell asleep in the Lord. Many people in the South Florida area, who were close to Fr Makris and his family visited the family home. I happened to go, along with Archdeacon David.
An interesting thing about Alexander Rodriguez is that he really does not stand out. Sure I have seen him on television during a game but in person it is different. He is not some large football player or a tall basketball player. He is a baseball player. And when he is standing right in front of you, wearing jeans, sneakers, and a knit shirt, he looks like a lot of other regular folk. It was around that time that Archdeacon David whispered to me, “That’s Alex Rodriguez.” I shook his hand and even though he played for the Yankees I was happy I did.

Because I was not expecting an encounter with this famous man, I almost missed it. This happens in the Church as well. To experience Christ in our life, to encounter him, we must expect the encounter. We must look for it. During Liturgy we must focus on it. And when our attention is distracted, we must pull ourselves back – over and over again if need be. When the deacon says, “With the fear of God, faith and love draw near,” this is a special moment when we realize we are about to encounter Christ in a deep and profound way.

Unfortunately, what I notice is that Jesus is the last ting on the minds of many people. They get in line and greet people, saying “hello,” “where have you been,” “good to see you,” “hope it’s a good coffee hour today – I’m starving” and so on. If we do this we will miss the encounter, even though we receive communion.

Let us attend!
Communion is not magic. It is not going through the motions. It is an encounter with the living God. Focus your attention. When distracted, come back. That is why we say, “Let us attend” so often. It means, “Pay attention.” The encounter with Christ is not a chance encounter – it is what we were created for.

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Archdiocese Convention in Dearborn Michigan

Father Alex, Metropolitan Philip, and Archdeacon David
St George of Troy Michigan during the Vespers service
The teens helped with the singing
Our Bishops are lined up on the left and the right with Metropolitan Philip speaking in the middle

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Gabriel and Coribel

O Lord our God: Crown them with glory and honor! (cf Psalm 8:5)

Congratulations and may God grant you many years!

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Thoughts from the Elder Ambrose of Optina

Ambrose was the monk from Optina monastery on which Dosteyevsky based his character, Fr Zosima

On Sinful Thoughts
"Sinful thoughts continually disturb a man. But if he does not cooperate with them, then he is not guilty of them."

"One ascetic woman was besieged for a long time with unclean thoughts. When the Lord came and cast them away from her, she called to Him: 'Where were you before now, O my sweet Jesus?' The Lord answered: 'I was in your heart.' She said then: 'How could that be? For my heart was full of unclean thoughts.' The Lord said to her: 'Know that I was in your heart, for you were not disposed to the unclean thoughts, but strove rather to be free of them; and when you were not able to be free, you struggled and grieved. By this you prepared a place for Me in your heart.'"

On the Power of Repenance
About the power of repentance, the Elder said: "One man sinned but repented, and this continued all his life. Finally he repented and died. An evil spirit came for his soul and said: 'He's mine.' The Lord said, 'No, no, he has repented.' 'But he repented and then sinned again,' said the devil. The Lord said to him: 'If you, being evil, take him back after he repented to Me, then how can I not accept him if after sinning he has turned to Me in repentance? You forget that you are evil, and I am good.'"

On Laziness and Depression
About laziness and depression the Elder said: "Boredom is the grandson of depression, and laziness is the daughter. To send her away, labor actively--do not be lazy in prayer, then boredom will pass and zeal will come. And if you add to this patience and humility, then you will escape much evil."

On Almsgiving
On almsgiving the Elder said: "St. Dimitry of Rostov wrote: 'Even if a man comes to you on a horse and asks you for alms, give it to him. You will not have to answer for how he uses it.'"

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Ripple Effect

Sermon outline for July 17

Everything we do affects others. Like a pebble thrown into a pond - the ripple travels in every direction. Jesus says that our light is to bring goodness into the lives of others. Here is our Gospel reading from Matthew 5:14-16:

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

let your light shine ...

But what can I do? I can't change the world. I can't have much effect on the world. My light would be very small. More like a tiny birthday candle.

Actually, a tiny birthday candle can do a lot. With a tiny birthday candle we can burn down a house or read a chapter of the scriptures in a dark room.

Whether we like it or not, wht we say and do - who we are affects others. We choose whether it will be positive or negative.

Fr Zosima, in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's book, The Brothers Karamazov, is a wonderful character based on Elder Ambrose of Optina Monastery. In the book, fr Zosima says,

Every day and every hour, every minute, walk round yourself and watch yourself, and see that your image is a seemly one. You pass by a little child, you pass by, spiteful, with ugly words, with wrathful heart; you may not have noticed the child, but he has seen you, and your image, unseemly and ignoble, may remain in his defenceless heart. You don't know it, but you may have sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you were not careful before the child, because you did not foster in yourself a careful, actively benevolent love." (Click here to read the whole chapter)

Do we foster and actively benevolent love? What do we do with our light, even if it may be a small light?

Read what St John Chrysostom said about our purpose on earth:

Christ left us on earth in order that we should become like beacons of light and teachers unto others; that we might act like leaven, move among men like angels, be like men unto children, and like spiritual men unto animal men, in order to win them over, and that we may be like seed, and bear abundant fruit. There would be no need for sermons, if our lives were shining; there would be no need for words, if we bore witness with our deeds. There would be no pagan, if we were true Christians.

...if we were true Christians. Lord, let this be our prayer today.

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Picking Blackberries

Sermon Outline for July 10

Sunday’s Gospel passage - Matthew 6:25-33
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I would like to focus on the last verse, Matthew 6:33 - But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Things in life, choices in life, have a natural order. There are those of first importance and those of second importance. Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of God is of first importance. When we seek after that, the lesser goods will follow.

I read a poem recently by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It has the third chapter of the book of Exodus in mind and it also connects with the above Gospel passage. Read the poem, then Exodus, then look at the poem again.

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes - The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Exodus 3:1-6

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes - The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

What Elizabeth Barrett Browning noticed was that Moses had a choice to see the divine presence in the bush or simply the blackberries. Now blackberries are good, but the presence of God is the greater good. Too often we settle for the lesser good and then usually end up enjoying neither.

Looking back at the passage from Exodus, I think there are several things we can learn – how we can see how Moses put first things first.

1. he looked, and the bush was blazing… Watch for God’s initiative. God is present at all times and so often wants to show us something, but since we are not looking, we do not see.
2. Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro… Moses was not at a Church convention, a Bible study, or at a worship service. He was working, tending sheep. It was here that he became conscious of God’s presence. Do not discount the common activities of life. It is often here that God speaks to us.
3. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’… We must ask God to open our eyes that we might see him working in our life.
4. When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’… God calls all of us. We must ask God to open our ears that we might hear his call to us.
5. And he said, ‘Here I am.’ … Moses responded to God’s presence and call. He took this opportunity and moved towards God. When God works in our life- when events occur that cause us to choose, do we choose to respond as God would have us? Do we move in his direction? Or perhaps we simply pick the blackberries.

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Praying with the Scriptures

Sermon for May 29, 2005

Power of the Scriptures
The other day, the Pest Control man came by the house and he started asking me about my faith. It was he, a Mormon, who began the conversation. Had a pretty good knowledge of the scriptures but was clearly ignorant about the Orthodox Church. I wondered to myself: If the Pest Control man came to a parishioner’s house, would they be able to hold a scriptural conversation? I seriously doubt it for most of us. We have Bibles but how often do we read them? Using the scriptures in prayer is very important. Our prayer is hindered when our spirits are “Bible Deficient.”

St Epipanius once said: Ignorance of the Scriptures is a precipice and a deep abyss.

The Bible has the power, over time, to change us, to mold us into the people we are called to be. This will not happen if we remain willfully ignorant of its contents.



Abba Poeman, who was a true believer in the slow but steady absorption of the Scriptures, said,

The nature of water is soft, that of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above the stone, allowing the water to fall drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but the person who hears the word of God often opens his heart to the fear of God.

Where to begin
Let us remember what prayer is not. It is not treating God as our butler and telling him what to do. Prayer is about a relationship, a mutual relationship, a developing relationship. As Thelma Hall said in her wonderful Book, Too Deep for Words, “We go to prayer to give ourselves in love, and not as mercenaries seeking rewards.” It is best to choose a regular time and place, even if it is only for a few minutes. Calm your spirit, perhaps by focusing on an icon of the Lord and lighting a candle. You might begin by saying an introductory prayer such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father…) or the Trisagion Prayers (Holy God, Holy Might…). Then stand or sit with your back erect (we don’t want to nod off) and begin by reading a short passage from the scriptures.
Read slowly.
Very slowly.

Start with the 1)Gospels, 2)the Psalms, 3)the New Testament letters, or 4)the Book of Proverbs. The passage does not have to be long. Realize you are in God’s presence and he is speaking to you. While you are reading listen with your heart and with full attention. Reread a verse that particularly strikes you. Be quiet with it for a few moments and let it sink in.
You may want to close your time of prayer by thanking God for his abundant blessings and asking that he particularly bless those people you may call to mind: family, friend, and foe.

Purpose of Prayer
The purpose of prayer and in particular, praying with Scripture, is to develop our relationship with Christ and get to know him better. We want to welcome him into our life and open up to him with greater trust and confidence. The following illustration, also from Thelma Hall’s book, is helpful.

Suppose I were in a bookstore and happened to open a book written in Greek or Japanese or Hebrew. I would not only not know the alphabet or the language, I would not even know whether it was to be read from back to front, from bottom to top, or from left to right. It would in other words, be “a closed book” for me no matter how much I might want to understand it. But if a clerk happened by and sensing my dilemma volunteered that the same book was available in an English translation which he then handed to me, I could immediately connect with the meaning conveyed on every page.

So too God in himself is “another language” for us, for he is incomprehensible in his fullness to our finite human intellect and understanding. But he has translated himself into our humanity, in Jesus. In this man, who lived and experienced to its greatest possible depths the human life we share, God stands revealed to me in flesh and blood. Jesus is the revelation of God in a language I can understand and in a person I can know and love, not only as one who lived and died in history, but one who lives now, in my world, in my heart, and forever. And through the promised gift of the Spirit, which has been given, he truly speaks to me.

A Short Exercise
Read the following passage from the 14th chapter of John’s Gospel and imagine that it is addressed to you personally. You might even try to put in your name at the asterisks.

6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me (*), you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him (*), because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

The scriptures are read in different ways: sometimes for study, sometimes for communal worship, and sometimes for personal prayer. They have the power to soften our hearts and mature us spiritually. They are a gift from God that we may use on this wonderful journey we call the Christian life. It is a journey that is both personal and communal. Let us support and encourage each other on the way.

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Colin's Baptism

Colin, his Godparents, Diana and Charles, and Fr Alex preparing for the Baptism

"The servant of God, Colin Michael, is baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"

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St Mary Magdalene

On Sunday, May 15, I preached on the Life of Mary Magdalene since she was remembered on that day as one of the myrrh bearing women. The following article by Karen Rae Keck sums up much of what I said. - Fr Alex

On the Life of Mary Magdalene

St. Mary Magdalene, called by the Orthodox Church both Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostle, is commemorated on July 22, as well as with the other Myrrh-bearers on the second Sunday after Easter. Born in the seaport town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, she played an important role during Christ's ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.

The Gospels provide the little that we know about St. Mary Magdalene, from whom Christ cast out seven demons. St. Mary and other wealthy women followed Christ and "provided for them out of their means" (Luke 8.1-3). According to the Gospel accounts (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15.40; Luke 23.49; John 19.25), she and other women followers were present at the crucifixion. They watched where Christ was laid, and made plans to come to the tomb on the following day to perform the ritual for anointing the dead and preparing the body for burial.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, St. Mary and the women with her are instructed by the angel at the tomb to go and proclaim the good news of the resurrection to the male disciples. St. Mark, in his Gospel, recounts that St. Mary was the first to see and speak with the risen Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus Himself tells her to go to the apostles with the gospel; (thus, many call her the "Apostle to the Apostles"). Her meeting with the risen Christ outside His tomb is one of the most touching scenes in the Gospel of St. John: (This scene is depicted in the icon above)

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me
where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). (John 20.15-16)

St. Gregory the Dialogist (Pope Gregory the Great) is believed to have begun the tradition in the Western Church, not accepted in the Eastern Church, which identified St. Mary with the "sinful woman" in the seventh chapter of Luke. There are two possible reasons for this misidentification: (1) St. Mary was from Magdala, a port city that had a reputation for unsavory goings-on, and the reputation of the city may have been transferred to St. Mary; or (2) St. Mary is first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke directly following the account of the sinful woman (Luke 7.36-50) and so was associated with her. Further parallels can be drawn from the fact that the sinful woman is sometimes called a myrrh-bearer, because she anointed Christ's feet with ointment and wiped them with her hair. St. Gregory also supposed that Mary of Bethany was the same person as St. Mary Magdalene. (Mel Gibson added to this mis-information by portraying her as the prostitute in the John 8. The Bible and the Church has never made this claim - Fr Alex)

For the Orthodox Church, little more is known of her life beyond the Gospel accounts. After Christ's ascension, she is believed to have gone to Ephesus and evangelized with St. John the Theologian. There she died and was buried near the entrance to the tomb of the Seven Sleeping Youths. During the reign of the Emperor Leo (which one is uncertain), her relics were transferred to the monastery of St. Lazarus, where an annual synaxis was celebrated for her. By the Gospel accounts, we come to know the reality of St. Mary Magdalene's love for Christ and her fidelity to Him during His passion, death, and resurrection. The Church has recognized her as a disciple and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and we ask for her continuing intercessions for us.

(There is a tradition/ledgend concerning Mary Magdalene saying that she was a woman of some wealth and social status. Following Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by Emperor Tiberius Caesar. When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed "Christ is risen!" Caesar laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house.Today, Orthodox Christians end the Easter service by sharing bright red eggs and proclaiming to each other, "Christ is risen!" The eggs represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb. The color represents the blood of Christ shed at his crucifixion. This began one tradition of coloring red Easter eggs. - Fr Alex )

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Jane and Joseph

May God grant them Many Years!
Jane and Joseph along with Fida Irene, Elaine, George, Widaa, and Laura

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Dispositions for Prayer

Dispositions for Prayer - Sermon Outline for May 8, 2005


Preliminaries
We have already discussed the importance of choosing a place and time for prayer. Consistency is of vital importance. The length of time we pray is not nearly as important as the commitment to pray for some time.

State of mind
But there can be various states of mind that might hinder our prayer. Should we pray when we are angry or unfocussed or sleepy or preoccupied? Some might say no. We are insulting God by not giving him our best. Or perhaps we are not good enough to pray during these times. Are we trying to hide our mean or lazy side from God?

What does God think of us?
Do we think that God sees us only when we are praying? He knows us. He knows that we are angry or fearful or not feeling very religious – whether we pray of not. And the truth is, for the majority of the time, we are not at our best. If we only pray when we are “in the mood” then we will rarely pray. Do I want my children to converse with me only when they are in the best state of mind? Of course not. I want to communicate with them at any and all times.

Look at these words from the first six verses of Psalm 139:

O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my
tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and
lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high
that I cannot attain it.

The Lord knows our state of mind and we must pray however we happen to be feeling. God wants us to pray, to learn how to be conscious of his presence at all times. Sure there may be states of mind that make prayer more difficult. We develop ways of overcoming these obstacles by working through them with commitment – not avoidance or neglect. There should be no obstacle that stops us from prayer.

The smoking monk
I heard a story about a monk who spotted a brother monk saying his daily rule of prayer while smoking a cigarette. “What are you doing?,” asked the first monk. “I am praying,” came the response. “You can’t smoke while you’re praying.” The smoking monk thought a moment and asked, “But can I pray while I am smoking?” Knowing that we should be in continuous prayer the first monk said “Yes, you can pray when you smoke.” Our smart smoking brother concluded, “Then I am not smoking while I’m praying. I am praying while I am smoking.”

While I don’t encourage anyone to pray and smoke (or smoke at all for that matter) we should not allow any obstacle or any disposition to stop us from praying.

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Holy Saturday

The great Moses mystically foreshadowed this day, when he said: God blessed the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day of rest, on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works. He kept the Sabbath in the flesh, through the dispensation of death. But on this day, He returned again through the resurrection. He has granted us eternal life, for He alone is good, the lover of man.

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Palm Sunday - Whatever is True

Palm Sunday

The children hold palms as we make the Great Entrance.

The procession to the Altar with the offerrings of bread and wine

Palm Sunday Procession on Palermo Avenue

"Glory to thee, O Christ our God, glory to thee!"

Sermon Outline for Palm Sunday - 2005
Humility
Along with accepting Christ as King, humility is a major theme on Palm Sunday. Not only in seeing Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey rather than a chariot (as would most conquering kings) but humility as understood as seeing things as they truly are. Seeing God, others, and ourselves in a truthful and honest way.

When we can see things as they truly are, there is no need for competition in our spiritual lives. The Pharisee (in the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee) chose to look at others rather than himself. He was in competition. He could not see joy outside of himself because that would mean something or someone else was better than him.

We do this in the church as well. Afraid to see the good outside of us, we knock others down. If someone says that there is something good in a religious leader not from our tradition, we look at them with puzzlement or even accuse them of heresy.

The fact is that humility is not afraid to see the good wherever it may be and to rejoice in it. Wherever there is goodness, God is present - in the Orthodox Church or elsewhere.

This is how St Paul put it in today’s epistle reading:

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Other Religions

It is all right to see goodness wherever it exists, even in other religions.
Justin the martyr, a well-known Church father of the second century said that God can reveal himself in the non-Christian world. He stated, “All those who have lived by the Logos, are Christians, even if they have been taken as atheists, like Socrates and Heraclitus.” (Apology i. 46)

It is important to recognize goodness where we see it.

• The Buddha said that absolute detachment from material things is essential to achieve a blessed state. We believe that.
  
• The Jews say that we should worship the Lord God with all our heart mind soul and strength. We believe that.
  
• Mohammed said that compared to God we are nothing, like gnats. We believe that.
  
• Ancient Greek Philosophers said that there is great intellectual difficulty in comprehending God. We believe that.
  

We know that within the church, we have the most beautiful and sacred things – art, music, scriptures, ethics and morality. But it would be untrue to say that we were the only ones to have these things. One does not need to throw away the thoughts of others to be a Christian.

What is Unique about Christianity?

If God works in other places, then why be a Christian? What is unique about Christianity? If not art, music, scriptures, ethics and morality – then what?
The answer is Jesus Christ. He is unique. Neither the Buddha, nor Socrates, nor Mohammed, nor Moses, nor Abraham said what Jesus said.

I am the door. John 10:9
He who sees me sees him who sent me. John 12:45
I and the Father are one. John 10:30
Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:58
All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son
except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the
one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Matthew 11:27
… all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. John 5:23

Jesus was not arrested and executed because he was a nice man or a good teacher. He was not condemned because he claimed to be the Messiah. There were many who claimed that but were not killed. He is the only one who identified himself with the Father.

Conclusion

We do not have to reject others to be a Christian. We can even recognize God’s goodness working through others and all creation. Yet there is only one who made the claims that Jesus did. If he knew the claims were not true, then he was a liar. If he only thought they were true, then he was a lunatic. If they are true, then he is Lord. If we are humble enough to see the goodness in others, then we ought to be humble enough to see that Jesus was more than a good teacher; he is the Son of God.

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St George Cathedral, Coral Gables, Florida 

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Time for Prayer

Outline of April 17, 2005 Sermon

Consumer Society- Being Productive
Our culture believes in being productive.
Our Consumer society values those that are productive and marginalizes those that are not. Unless one must deal directly with these people, they are insignificant to us – non people – the old, children, handicapped, unemployed, homeless, the poor.

Our value in society is defined by what we contribute. Even if we really do not believe this is true. Even if our perception is different, this philosophy is deeply ingrained within us and haunts us.

Is Prayer Productive?
When you have decided to take the time to pray, you may have these feelings. It is sometimes hard to start because we do not feel prayer is something productive. In a way, prayer is countercultural. We may even feel guilty that we are taking the time to do it.

On the other hand, we may choose to look at prayer as something that is productive, “I am getting something out of it” “It makes me a better person.”

Remember our working definition of prayer - Prayer is our relationship with God.

Think of the image of marriage again. John falls in love with Mary. He asks her to marry him. Why? Because he will get something out of it? It will make him a better person?

Yes…but.. the main reason he wants to get married is to be with that person. There is little doubt that he will get something out of it, and will be a better person, but they are consequences of their love, not the reason for it.

If we focus on what we get out of prayer, we give up on love before we start. How can we love God if we only approach him in terms of what he can do for us?

Selecting a time
One you can keep
Regular – every day, same time
When you get up, after breakfast, before bedtime…
Flexibility –if you have small children that need your attention, the time for prayer may not be something you can ridigidly hold on to. Be flexible.
Quiet place
Do not skip because of company, or you oversleep, or you have a cold, or your child has the flu – say it when you can. If you do skip for a day…or a month… or …. Begin again!

Selecting the amount of Time
Perhaps ten minutes
Perhaps 30
Regularity is more important in sustaining prayer than the length of time. Like exercise…

Do not become overwhelmed
For those for whom taking prayer time is new or who are beginning again, do not become overwhelmed. A little everyday is more important than doing nothing – which is what usually happens. I have found the following story helpful. It was originally told by an Abba to a young monk who had gotten away from his monastic disciplines, including prayer, and was discouraged to begin again.

A man had a plot of land. And through his carelessness brambles sprang up and it became a wilderness of thistles and thorns. Then he decided to cultivate it. So he said to his son: 'Go and clear that ground.' So the son went to clear it, and saw that the thistles and thorns had multiplied. He said: 'How much time shall I need to clear and weed all this?' And he lay on the ground and went to sleep. He did this day after day.

Later his father came to see what he had done, and found him doing nothing. When his father asked him about it, the son replied that the job looked so bad that he could never make himself begin. His father replied, 'Son, if you had cleared each day the area on which you lay down, your work would have advanced slowly and you would not have lost heart.' So the lad did what his father said, and in a short time the plot was cultivated. So the Abba told the discouraged brother, “Do a little work and do not faint, and God will give you grace.”

The discouraged monk began his rule of prayer again with patience and without trying to do everything. This is good advice for us as well.

Conclusion
Remember what prayer is – Prayer is a gift for us. Prayer is not a test of your character or an endurance contest.
You are learning who God is and who you are. You are learning to love God and his world.

If you miss a day, start over…
We are in this for the long run.

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Personal Prayer

Personal Prayer - Sermon Outline from April 10, 2005

Two types of prayer
1) Communal - such as the Liturgy and other services at church
2) Personal - daily prayer when we are alone

Both important to Jesus and apostles

Communal - They attended sabbath services. Prayed as community. Paul gave instructions on how the church should pray together. In the letter to the Hebrews (10:24-25) "...let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some..."

Personal- Jesus would go off by himself to pray. He said that we should pray privately, without others watching (Matthew 6:6)

Over the next few weeks, exploring personal prayer.

What is prayer - the loving relationship you have with God

Effort necessary - A relationship consists of two necessary parts: Me and the Other. For a relationship to be healthy, both need to put in effort. For example, Marriage. Both parties need to put in effort. Perhaps effort was not as necessary at the beginning, but if the relationship is to grow and mature, effort over time is needed. Sometimes people quit because they do not want to put in the effort.
Same with prayer. Effort is needed because it is a relationship. On God's part, his grace is constantly flowing to us. On our part, effort needs to be made.

Everyone is different - Each person may have their own way of expressing their personal prayer. Take this example from the fathers:

There once was a pilgrim who came to see Abba Arsenius at his monastery. The visitor was brought to the Abba’s room by one of the young monks. Having knocked
on the door, they entered, greeted the elderly man and sat down without saying
anything. Then the young monk said, "I will leave you. Pray for me." Now the
visitor, not feeling comfortable with Abba Arsenius (since from the time they
arrived he had not said a word), said to the young monk, "I will come with you,"
and they went away together. Then the visitor asked, "Take me to Abba Moses, who used to be a robber."

Where Arsenius had not so much as spoken to them, Moses was happy to see them, welcoming them warmly. Someone who saw all this take place wondered about it, and he asked God for an explanation. He prayed, “Lord, for your name's sake one Abba flees from human beings, and the other, for your name's sake, receives them with open arms.”

Then two large boats were shown to him on a river and he saw Abba Arsenius and the Spirit of God sailing in the one, in perfect peace; and in the other was Abba Moses with the angels of God, and they were all eating honey cakes.

Common Elements - While prayer is different for everyone, there are some common elements that we need to be aware of so that we may be faithful to a prayer commitment. Over the next few weeks, we will look at some of these elements of the practice of prayer: finding time to pray, our disposition when praying, using Scripture and other books in prayer, praying in silence and conversation, religious experience, and the importance of persistance in prayer.

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