Update for the week Friday, December 26, 2014 through Thursday, January 1, 2015
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
SATURDAY, 12/27 – Great Vespers 5:00pm
SUNDAY, 12/28 – Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; no Church School
WEDNESDAY 12/31 – Last chance! The Food For Hungry People Canned Food Drive ends on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2014. There's still time to bring in canned goods ONLY and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. They will be distributed to food pantries in our area. Since 1984, we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food.
+ Please return Pledge Cards, or pledge online at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship, by Wednesday 12/31.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PASTORAL CHALLENGES IN MARRIAGE – The Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will host a second conference on Pastoral Challenges in Marriage, January 28-31, 2015, at the Doubletree Hotel in Santa Ana, CA. This conference will offer resources and tools, along with discussion and networking opportunities for clergy and laity regarding some of the pressing pastoral challenges in marriage today. Early bird rate until December 30. For info and registration see http://www.family.goarch.org/oneness
CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR ORTHODOX YOUNG ADULTS – The diocesan FSJD is holding a Potluck Christmas Party for Orthodox young adults, ages 19-39, on Friday, January 2. This event will be held at Bishop JOHN’s home, 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough, MA. For more information contact Miryam Burshan at mbursh14@g.holycross.edu.
FASTING NOT REQUIRED - From Christmas Day until January 4, inclusive, there is a general dispensation from all fasting.
BLESSING OF HOMES – Fr. Antony will be blessing homes after Epiphany (January 6) and between Pascha (April 12) and Pentecost (May 31). We bless homes to reveal the home as what God created it to be, a way to heaven; to rid the home of every evil; to show that the family is a small church unit in Christ; to consecrate the home and all activity in it to God; and to fill the home and all who live in it with the fullness of God. To schedule the blessing of your home, please use the form in the weekly Bulletin or call the church office at 617-547-1234.
CALENDARS AND OFFERING ENVELOPES - New Church Calendars and 2015 Offering Envelopes are available for pick-up. The envelopes are on the desk in the Church Hall and the calendars are on the Bengarri. Please only one calendar per family.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at 7:30pm at the church.
PARISH COUNCIL WORKSHOP – The Diocese of Worcester and New England is holding a Parish Council Workshop at St. John of Damascus Church in Dedham, on Saturday, January 17, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
REMINDERS
PASTORAL VISIT – His Grace Bishop John will join us for a Pastoral Visit and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 4. Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be at 10:00am.
HOLY THEOPHANY – On Monday, January 5, we will celebrate the Feast of Holy Theophany with Divine Liturgy and Blessing of the Waters at 6:30 pm. There will also be a celebration on Sunday, January 11, with a second Blessing of the Waters.
BIBLE STUDY – The next meeting of the Bible Study group will be Thursday, January 8
at 7:00 pm in the church library, as we look at Deuteronomy using the podcast at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/deuteronomy-2/
The Bible Study at St. Mary meets every other Thursday, and is based on a very interesting course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mailto:mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (mailto:frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE – The next meeting of the National Convention committee is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2015. In case of snow, the meeting will be January 28.
PARISH MEETING – The Annual Meeting of St. Mary's Parish will be held on Sunday, January 25, immediately after Liturgy. (Snow date: February 1)
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Andrew Bargoot
Liturgical Service: The Crea family
Epistle: Teva Regule
Communion: Bob Kowalik, Melissa Nassiff and others TBD
Coffee Hour: Thanks to Teva Regule and Natasha Smith, there will be a coffee hour this Sunday after all. Everyone is invited/encouraged to bring Christmas leftovers to share. Please email Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) or Natasha Smith (nasmith05@gmail.com) to volunteer so they'll know how to plan. Thanks!
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY, December 28
Epistle:
... you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
- Galatians 1:11-19
Gospel:
When the wise men departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."... Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under... But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
- Matthew 2:13-23
REFLECTION
The adoration of Jesus by the wise men from the East is part of the Nativity celebration in the Orthodox Church. Whatever the actual historical circumstances of the event-- and Orthodox tradition takes them quite literally-- the spiritual and theological significance of the coming of the kings with their gifts is of paramount importance. …
The gifts of the Magi are of particular significance. They are interpreted symbolically in the liturgy of the feast. The gift of gold is taken as the sign that Jesus is the king of Israel, of the entire universe, and of the kingdom of God to come. This is a crucial part of the Christmas story in the gospels. It caused Herod to kill all the "male children in Bethlehem and in all the region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men" (Matthew 2:16). …
The gift of frankincense is taken by the liturgy to signify the fact that Jesus is God, since incense is for worship, and only God may be worshipped.
And the gift of myrrh is for the Lord Jesus who has come to die as the perfect sacrifice for the people. For the dead were anointed with myrrh, as Jesus Himself was anointed, according to the scriptures, at the time of His death (John 19:39-40).
In the gifts of the Magi, therefore, are contained all the mysteries of Christ's coming. They point to the purpose of His appearance on earth. He is the royal king, the Son of David, whose kingdom will have no end. He is the victim, the Lamb of God, who by His death takes away the sins of the world. And He is God Himself, the divine Son of the Father: "Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven..." as the Nicene Creed declares.
The contemplation of the wise men and their gifts is an integral and lasting part of the Church's celebration of the Lord's Winter Pascha.
The kings, the first fruits of the gentiles,
Bring You gifts at Your birth in Bethlehem
From a mother who knew no travail.
With myrrh they point to Your death,
With gold, to Your royal power,
With frankincense to the preeminence of Your divinity.1
When the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah,
Magi coming from the East
Worshipped God made man.
And eagerly opening their treasures,
They offered Him precious gifts:
Refined gold, as to the King of the ages;
Frankincense, as to the God of all;
Myrrh they offered to the Immortal One
As one three days dead.
Come all nations, let us worship Him
Who was born to save our souls.2
1Compline of the final day of the prefeast of the Nativity, December 24.
2Compline of the feast day of the Nativity.
- Fr. Thomas Hopko, The Winter Pascha