Update for the week Friday, December 3, through Thursday, December 10, 2015
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
THURSDAY, 12/3 – The Bible Study group will meet this Thursday, December 3, at 7:00 pm in the church library. Our discussion will conclude an introduction to the prophets and begin exploring the prophecies of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in Isaiah 53, using the podcasts at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/introduction-to-the-prophets-part-2/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/isaiah-53-part-1/
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:mksayeg@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome.
SATURDAY, 12/5 - You're invited to a Christmas Pops and Sing Along with the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, to benefit St. John of Damascus, Dedham, on Saturday, December 5, 6:00-9:00 pm. Cocktail hour and hors D’oeuvres, coffee and pastry, $15 Adult, $5 Children. Purchase tickets online at www.stjohnd.org/pops.
+ There will be no Vespers at St. Mary until further notice.
SATURDAY and SUNDAY, 12/5 & 12/6 – A Christmas Concert, sung by the combined choirs and chanters of the Diocese of Worcester and New England, will be held on Saturday at 6:00 pm at St. George Cathedral in Worcester immediately following Vespers, and on Sunday at 3:00 pm at St. John of Damascus in Dedham. Mark Haddad, choir director at St. John’s, will be conducting the Diocesan Choir with Charles Marge of St. Mary’s conducting the Diocesan Chanters. Net proceeds will benefit IOCC's Syrian Relief Fund. For more information or questions, please contact: Mark Haddad at mhh42@me.com or Charlie Marge at marge@alum.mit.edu.
SUNDAY, 12/6, FEASTDAY OF ST. NICHOLAS – Adult catechism 9:00; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00; Church School lesson 10; St. Nicholas festivities; Pageant rehearsal #1;
+ Parish Christmas card deadline is this Sunday. Please use the form in the Sunday Bulletin
MONDAY, 12/7 - The St. Mary Women’s Club will be going out to the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill for a holiday dinner meeting Monday at 7:00. We welcome all women of the parish to join us! Any woman interested in going out, please call Marilyn Robbat (781-729-3033) or the church office (617-547-1234)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANGEL TREE THANK YOU- Thank you to all who helped support the children of parents in prison through the Angel Tree Ministry once again this year. Your generosity is truly appreciated by those whose lives you touch. Deliveries will be made during the upcoming weeks by those who have offered to assist. Thank you for all these aspects of giving here at St. Mary.
CHRISTMAS COFFEE HOUR - The Church School parents will sponsor the annual Christmas Coffee Hour on Sunday, December 20. We are asking that all Church School parents please bring in a coffee hour item. It can be any of the items listed in the Sunday bulletin, or anything else that you would like to contribute. (We will also take food contributions from non-Church School parents as well!) Please contact Barbara Shoop at barbara@dsaarchitects.com or 617-547-1234 with what you will be bringing. We will need help setting up and cleaning up as well. Please volunteer by letting Barbara know.
NATIVITY SERVICES – On Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, we will have Royal Hours for the Nativity at 9:00 am, Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil at 11:00 am; Orthros at 6:45 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at 8:00 pm. There will be no services at St. Mary on Christmas day.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 13 at 7:30 pm at the church.
TEEN SOYO PROJECT: Health and Hygiene Kits for Syrian Refugees - The teens of St. Mary's are looking for your support. Throughout the month of December and into early January, our teens will be collecting items and putting together hygiene and health kits to send to refugees in Syria. We are in need of the following donations:
- Individual hand towels
- Individual washcloths
- Combs
- Metal nail files and/or nail clippers
- Bars of soap
- Toothbrushes
- Band-Aids
Basic items like this may seem small, but putting them together can have a major impact to those in need. Please bring and place donations in the marked bins located in the room next to the church kitchen. If you have any questions, please ask a member of Teen SOYO.
REMINDERS
CHURCH SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PAGEANT - If your child is interested in participating in the Christmas Pageant, please see Sarah Byrne-Martelli or e-mail her at sarahebyrne@gmail.com . We also need parents to assist at all rehearsals, which will take place this Sunday, December 6 during coffee hour; Sunday, December 13 during coffee hour; and Saturday, December 19, 2:30 – 4:30pm (dress rehearsal). The Pageant will be on Sunday, December 20 after liturgy.
CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON – The Syrian-Lebanese Women's Club is sponsoring a Christmas luncheon on Saturday, December 12 at noon at St. John of Damascus Church in Dedham. Donation: $25, with all proceeds going to the Scholarship Fund. Come and join us for an elegant afternoon of fine food, pastries and fellowship. Reservations and questions: Carolyn Ganim, 781-329-0830, or Norma Janvrin, 781-326-5131. Tables of 8 may be reserved.
DONATIONS FOR THE HOLY NATIVITY - If you would like to donate toward the Poinsettias and Nativity decorations for the Nativity services please use the form printed in the Sunday bulletin. Deadline is December 14, 2015. Please pass it in with your check at the Bengarri on Sundays or mail to: St. Mary Church, 8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139-2407. Donations will be printed in the December 20 bulletin.
NATIVITY FAST - The Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent, continues until December 25. This is the forty days of fasting and prayer in preparation for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Once again St. Mary's is holding its annual Canned Food Drive: October through December 31, 2015. Since 1984, we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food. Please 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.
WOMEN'S CLUB MEETING - The next meeting of the Women's Club will be Monday, January 11, at 7:30, at the church.
ANNUAL MEETING – The Annual Meeting of St. Mary's Parish will be held on Sunday, January 24, 2016 (snow date: January 31.) At this time we will vote on the budget for 2016, among other things. It is important that all members of St. Mary’s Church attend this meeting. Note: Only members of the parish may vote. If you are a parishioner but not yet a member, please consider becoming a member and pledging. See Fr. Antony, Deno Takles or Barbara Shoop for a Member Packet or if you have any questions. Member packets are also available on the wall to the right of the Bengarri.
FAMILY SHELTER: PLEASE HELP - The Women’s Club provides the Cambridge YWCA Family Shelter with baskets filled with household goods, to help residents ready to move to their own apartments. We ask for your help by providing monetary donations to offset the cost of the items. Please give your donation to Marilyn Robbat or Barbara Shoop or mail it to the Church office c/o the Woman’s Club.
COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s will be offering a delivery service through “Instacart”, for the basic foods necessary to host a Coffee hour. Simply select a date, mail a check to the office and we will order the food and have it delivered to the church on that Sunday between 9:00 and 10:00 am. You will need to be at the church to accept the order and you will be required to set up for the coffee hour and clean up both the kitchen and hall at the end of the coffee hour. Two menus will be offered. Menu one will include: bagels, mini muffins, fruit, hummus/Syrian bread, juice and coffee for $160. Menu two will include: bagels, juice and coffee for $70. Prices DO NOT include a 20% tip for delivery and are subject to change based on current market pricing of items. Cream cheese, peanut butter, jam and coffee creamer are included with each menu. As usual, St. Mary’s will provide the plates, cups, napkins, utensils, serving platters, and sweetener for coffee. If you are interested in taking advantage of this service and signing up for a coffee hour please contact the office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
NEW YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY – A new Young Adult Ministry (for ages 19-35) is being established in our Archdiocese. The mission of the Young Adult Ministry is to aid in the spiritual growth of the young adults between the ages of 19-35 within the Archdiocese, bringing them to a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To accomplish this mission we will foster a balance among the following areas of living the Orthodox faith in Christ:
Worship through the full life-cycle of the Church including attending weekday services together, gathering at a local parish for its Feast Day, and the combined services at Diocese and Archdiocese gatherings.
Spiritual Renewal and Education through retreats, conferences, speaker series, pilgrimages, and Bible studies which are aimed at the needs of our young adults.
Service through short-term mission trips and volunteer activities on a local level.
Fellowship through social outings, conferences, and gatherings.
We are looking for dedicated and energetic young adults to take on leadership and coordinating roles with our Diocese Young Adults. All interested young adults are encouraged to attend a planning meeting to be held at the Diocese Chancery (2 Lydias Path, Westborough, MA) on Sunday, December 20 at 7:30 pm. At this meeting, we will hear a vision for the Young Adult Ministry in our Diocese from His Grace Bishop JOHN and from Fr. Nicholas Belcher (new Diocese Spiritual Adviser for the Young Adults). Please join us for our this opportunity to gather together with young adults from throughout our Diocese as we begin to develop this new ministry in our Diocese. For more information, please contact Fr. Nicholas Belcher (nbelcher@hchc.edu ), Brendan Ferguson (Diocese Fellowship President brendanferguson76@gmail.com ) or Khalil Samara (NAC Fellowship President khalilsamara@yahoo.com ).
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: George Mayah
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: James Wilcox
Procession: Rahel Mahari, Tirhas Gebru, Joseph Keamy, Ava Keamy, Matthew Keamy, Gabi Popa
Communion: James Wilcox, Aura Brosnan, Linda Arnold, Diana Iovan and TBD
Coffee Hour: The Winstanley and O’Connor families, in loving memory of Kenneth Simmons
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
Brethren, obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.... Now may the God of peace Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
- Hebrews 13:17-21
Gospel:
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
- Luke 13:10-17
REFLECTION
The Incarnation of the Word, and His assumption of human nature, took place for the overthrow of death and destruction and of that envy nourished against us by the wicked serpent, who was the first cause of evil. This is plainly proved to us by the facts themselves. And so He set free the daughter of Abraham from her protracted sickness, calling out and saying, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." A speech most worthy of God, and full of supernatural power, for with the kingly inclination of His will He drives away the disease. And He also lays His hands upon her and immediately, it says, she was made straight. And from this, too, it is possible to see that His holy flesh bore in it the power and activity of God.
- St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke
If you wish to heal the infirm, know that the sick are in greater need of loving care than of rebuke. … The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of the infirmities of men. For, he says, 'Let the strong bear the infirmities of the weak', and 'Restore him that has fallen in the spirit of meekness.' The Apostle numbers peace and patience among the fruits of the Spirit.
- St. Isaac of Syria
Zeal is not reckoned among men to be a form of wisdom, but one of the illnesses of the soul, namely narrow-mindedness and deep ignorance. The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities of men. For, he [the Apostle Paul] says, "let the strong bear the infirmities of the weak," and "Restore him that has fallen in the spirit of meekness." The Apostle numbers peace and patience among the fruits of the Spirit.
- St. Isaac of Nineveh
The one who has come to understand the weakness of human nature has had experience of the divine power, and such a person who because of it has succeeded in some things and is eager to succeed in others, never looks down on anyone. For he knows that in the same way that God has helped him and freed him from many passions and hardships, so can He help everyone when He wishes, especially those who are striving for His sake. Although for his own reasons He does not deliver all from their passions right away, still as a good and loving physician He heals in His own good time each one of those who are striving.
- St. Maximus the Confessor, Four Centuries on Love