Liturgical Notes
In the calendar month of February the Church celebrates The Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, one of the major feasts days of the Liturgical year. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Law, in fulfillment of the Law, was brought to the Temple and presented to the Lord in conformity with the rules laid down in the Old Testament. “The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to Me all the first born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast is Mine....”(Ex. 13:1-2). In obedience Mary and Joseph came after forty days of purification to the Temple to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledove, or two young pigeons”(Luke 2:24).
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and Said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word...”
This was the crossroads between the Old Testament and the New. St. Simeon symbolized the departing Old Testament, exemplified by men of righteousness and prophets who in spite of all their doubts and searchings entertained the firmest faith in what had been foretold of the promised salvation.
To Simeon the God-receiver was granted more than had been granted to any other man before him: he held the Almighty in his arms, and to him were revealed both the Glory and the Way of the Cross of his God: “...for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel ...and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed”(Luke 2:30-35).
Today we bring our children on the fortieth day to be presented to the Lord. By bringing our children to church like the Most-Pure Virgin Mary, we bind them over to God. Baptized and sanctified by grace, our children, by being made members of the Church, take their first steps upon the way of grece and the way of the Cross that lies before those who would follow Christ.
In February we begin the preparatory Sundays of Great Lent and on Feb 19 we say good-bye to the eating of meat and leave dairy products behind on Feb 26, Forgiveness Sunday. Following Divine Liturgy on this Sunday we chant the service of Forgiveness Vespers. Having forgiven each other we begin our journey to Pascha through Great Lent on Monday, Feb 27.
Parish Notes
Sunday, February 5, is the date of the Annual Parish Business meeting. It will be held following the meal in the church hall. The parish gathers to review our last year's objectives, financial status, elect officers for the coming year, and to decide the objectives for the coming year of 2012. It is the most important meeting of the calendar year and your input is very important. Please plan to attend! The proposed agenda is as follows:
Opening of meeting by President
Reading and approval of last year's minutes
Review of 2011 Financial report and acceptance
Election of new officers for 2012
Review of Old Business
Discussion of New Business and proposals
Other topics if necessary
Closing of annual business meeting
Several of our parish members and friends have special days this month.
Maximos Olsen Feb 3 Namesday
Ksenia Couch Feb 6 Namesday
Ksenia Fitzgerald Feb 6 Nameday
Theodore Morcan Feb 21 Namesday
Theodora Morcan Feb 24 Namesday
Nikolai Gaffney Feb 27 Birthday
May God grant them many years!
From the fathers
“The apostles of God taught others that which they themselves fulfilled in their own lives. When they had food and clothing, they were content. Even when it happened that they had neither food nor clothing, they were content, for their contentment did not emanate from the outside but from within. Their contentment was not so cheap as the contentment of an animal, but costly—more costly and more rare. Inward contentment, the contentment of peace and love of God in the heart—that is the contentment of greater men, and that was the apostolic contentment. In great battles, generals are dressed and fed as ordinary soldiers: they do not seek contentment in food or in clothes but in victory. Victory is the primary contentment of those who battle. Brethren, Christians are constantly in battle—in battle for the victory of the spirit over the material, in battle for the victory of the higher over the lower, and in battle for the victory of man over his beastly nature. Is it not, therefore, absurd to engage in battle and concern oneself not with victory but with external decorations and ornaments? Is it not foolish to give to one's enemies the marks of identification? Our invisible enemy, Satan, rejoices at our vanity and supports us in every vain thought. The invisible enemy occupies us with every possible unreasonable pettiness and idleness, only to impose upon our minds the heavy forgetfulness of that for which we are here on earth. The invisible enemy presents to us the worthless as important, the irrelevant as essential, and the detrimental as beneficial, only in order to achieve victory over us and to destroy us forever.
O Lord, Holy, Mighty and Immortal, Who created us from the mud and breathed the living soul into mud; do not, O Lord, allow the mud to overcome us! Help our spirit, that it always be stronger than the earth. To Thee by glory and praise forever. Amen.” from the Prologue of Ohrid for January 10,
St. Nikolai Velimirovic.
