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Recent Sermons

Sunday, January 8th, 2008

Holy Theophany

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

Too Busy for Christmas ?

Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

Lacking One Thing

Friday, September 30th, 2007

Giving Time

Sunday, August 5th, 2007

Courage

Sunday, June 17th, 2007

The Virtues

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

Holy Pentecost

Sunday, April 15th, 2007

Saint Thomas Sunday

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

Holy Annunciation

Sunday, March 4th, 2007

Second Sunday of Lent, ST. Gregory Palamas

Sunday, February 18th

Forgiveness Sunday

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

The Publican and the Pharisee

Father David's Address to the Parish at the Annual Meeting

Sunday, January 6th, 2008

Holy Theophany - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown 2008

Why was Jesus baptized of John in the Jordan? Did He need to be baptized? No, He did not, and John the Baptist, himself recognizes this when he comments to our Lord, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?” St. John knew who was approaching him in the Jordan. He knew that this was the savior of the world. This event is so significant and contains so much meaning that it is one of the only events of Christ’s earthly life mentioned by all four Evangelists. If it is that significant for them, how much more so should it be for us? What we do today carries with it the power of the transformation of - not only our bodies by drinking of the Holy Water, - not only the sanctifying of our homes by blessing them with it, - but the complete and total transformation of the entire universe. What begins, for us, as the act of the sanctifying of water, is in reality a change of all that is created, a change of cosmic proportions. Look again at the Forerunner’s question to Christ. It shows his own limited vision, his own limited understanding of what he was called to do. Yet, notice too, that he does not hesitate when Christ responds with His eternal reasoning. For what the Baptist did not know, Jesus explains to him and tells him, and by telling him, He tells us also, that His Baptism in the Jordan was done at that time “to fulfill all righteousness.” It is a completion, a climactic event in the history of salvation, a necessary action to complete God’s restoration of the world from its fallen state. It is as important for all of created matter as the death on the Precious Cross is for our own atonement. If we need a reference, look at John’s Gospel, 3:17; there, we are told that God sent His Son into the world not to condemn it, but that through Him, it might be saved. So we ask, what need do the rocks have for salvation? What need does the mountain have for salvation? Does a lion, or a mouse, or a viper, or a crow have need of salvation? The answer is yes, they all do, and more. Think that this is not so? Then why did Noah take such care of God’s command to put all of the animals into the Ark? Did God not care as much for them as He did for Noah and his family? Does He not have the same concern for us in our day? Where is the Ark today? It is the Church of Christ, established by God, Himself, and the gates of hell itself will not prevail against it! Where the water was once a weapon of destruction by God, today it is the very method by which we redeem all of God’s creation. It is the sanctifying fluid of salvation that prepares the cosmos for the coming of our Redeemer. When the Son of God descended the first time, He descended into a world where sin reigned from the time of Adam until He came. But as St. Paul reminds us, He has overcome the world. So it is now given to us to continue to prepare for His return, but continually renewing the world by this sanctifying spring that is renewed for us by the Holy Spirit at each celebration of Theophany, unbroken, uninterrupted, impassable by the powers of evil, but forever destroying that same evil by its use. So today, let us also take our place as the new Noah, and let us use our Ark to prepare for our Lord’s return by sanctifying all that we use, all that we eat, and all that we drink by the power of this H+oly Water.

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

Too Busy for Christmas? - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Today we come to that time of year when it seems that everyone takes time to think of others. The presents are shopped for with great fervor, wrapped just right, and have been given to those we love. People who otherwise would say nothing to those they do not know, offer holiday greetings to one another in the spirit of the season. Decorations are seen on houses, businesses, and shops, even whole towns show a spirit of celebration. Familiar songs of the season are sung, and everyone has a “favorite carol.” We knew this important time was coming because ever since early November the merchants have been reminding us of just how many shopping days we had left. Each night on the news, there was usually a story about how well the shopping was going, what was the best gift to get someone, or what toy was in short demand, or how well stocked the store shelves were. Charities, too, reminded us of their needs during this season of giving, just in case we wanted to know. In a recent poll, the Birth of Christ came in third in a list of reasons why we celebrate Christmas. This should really make us stop and take time to reexamine our own “spirit of Christmas.” Have we really come to the place where we are more concerned about who is giving what present to whom, instead of rejoicing in the Birth of our Savior? Has the true joy of Christmas been diminished to how much pleasure we receive from a sought-after gift? Has “Peace on earth” been replaced with a piece of earth? Do we put more effort into adorning our houses with lights than we put into illumining our hearts with God’s gift of love? Are we so busy with the hustle and bustle that we no longer have time for Holy Supper and the Christmas Vigil (there were seven people in the pews for that Vigil this year)? Is it more important to get the store before it closes, or the Church before services begin? Is the paper around a present more important than the pages in our prayer book? In his commentary on the Nativity of Christ, St. Nicholai of Zica says, “When men, in gladness of heart, give first place to glorifying God in the highest (and not some man-made god on earth, in the lowest), then this brings peace on earth – and both the one and the other produce good will among them. The Lord Jesus came on earth so that whole earth should raise up praise to God on high, and thus bring peace on earth and good will among men.” We list many reasons why this season is important. We all want the peace from God to come upon the earth. We all want the joy we feel from the Birth of Christ to be felt in every heart. We all want others to receive as much happiness from sharing the holidays with family and friends as we do, and yet as we gathered together today, we know that the peace Jesus spoke of eludes us, we know the joy of Christmas, as the world understands it, doesn’t last; we know that to be truly happy, we must have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, the joy of Christmas can be felt by all, but for that to happen, we must heed the words of St. Nicholai. When we put as much effort spreading the everlasting gift of God as we put into giving gifts that last for only a season, then we will know the true joy of Christmas. When we spend as much time on our knees in prayer as we spend in line at the shopping malls, then we will hear the words of God which bring peace. When we learn to give without expecting in return, then the spirit of Christmas will be in us, and the peace on earth shall become a reality.

Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

Lacking One Thing - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Lacking one Thing by Fr. David Mahaffey Today, beloved, we are faced with that all-important question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It seems that many people are preoccupied trying to seek an answer to this question. If we can understand what Jesus is trying say to us here, we can save ourselves a lot of anguish. The understanding is in the hearing, and hearing is in the way we examine our Lord's approach to this topic. Consider the type of person who comes to Jesus. He is a ruler, that means he knew a lot about law and judgment. He is rich, that means he wanted for nothing and had no worries about his daily life. In fact, after he asks his question and Jesus recounts the teachings of his own religion, he acknowledges that he has always kept them. If anyone should have been ready for eternity, it should have been this man. It is clear from his inquiry that he has a good grasp of what was necessary in life. He reads well, he practices his faith well, His financial base is sound, and yet he still has a question. Why is he troubled? Why does he want to ask Jesus this question? Does he really not know what it takes? Is he looking for a pat on the back, so to speak? Or is there something about the presence of Christ that makes one have second thoughts about his or her spiritual security? Let us approach this from three different perspectives. First, lets assume the ruler really doesn't understand. Despite his best efforts, he just doesn't feel comfortable, he's uneasy about his future. If that is true, then he must not know the Scriptures as well as the claims. He has not really understood what he read because he has a carnal and not a spiritual mind. In both the Old and New Testaments, we hear the phrase “They have eyes but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear.” Here, then, is a man who is spiritually blinded for some reason. Second, let's assume that he does understand, and just wanted reassurance from Jesus. If this is the case, then we have a man who is uncertain of himself. His faith is still lacking, for he reads and knows, yet he seeks a more concrete justification for his life. Following the Scriptures is not enough for this ruler, it would be better for him if he could actually hear it from God, Himself. Third, let's assume that he does understand but was looking for praise. In this case, we have the saddest type of person of all. For if we need to be praised by God for everything we do, then we do not understand the Gospel at all. Look at the references we had just a few weeks ago; in Luke, chapter 6, Jesus was asking “If you love expecting love in return, what thanks do you have, for even sinners do the same.” It doesn't work that way. Think of the Sunday of the Last Judgment and how the comparison Jesus gives is based on whether we have done things for the least in our society. Indeed, this last scenario seems closest to the truth because when Jesus tells this ruler he still lacks something, the man goes away sorrowful, for he cannot do the one thing that Jesus tells him he needs to do. The ruler's life is based on success and now he meets someone who shows him that success is not based on earthly accomplishments. There is something much more important, and when Jesus shows him the way, he turns back because he was not ready for such way of life. From the beginning to the end of this passage, we see that which is necessary to have eternal life. It comes from the doing of good deeds, from following the Scriptures, but it also comes from what we give, as much as from what we do. It is not enough for us to be keepers of the law, we must also be doers of the law, as well. And more than that, we need to be lovers of our brothers and sisters, those who are also created in God's image and likeness. The ruler failed in this one area, and it was enough to keep him from the kingdom of heaven. What is it that we lack? What do we fail to understand in Holy Scripture? What is our one, lacking grace? Most likely, we don't know what it is, really. Like the rich ruler, we may be unable to understand it until it is brought to our attention. Then, when we do know, will we be able to adjust, or will we go away sorrowful, as he did? It probably goes without saying that we are all here because we want to know the answer to this question. We want that security to know we are on the right path, the path of salvation and eternal life. Look again at the gospel lesson. On our own we will never be successful. If we have the rich young ruler as our example, then we will all fail and eternal life will be our of reach for us. However, if we listen to the Gospel, if we truly hear what it says, then we know that with God, all things are possible, and the kingdom of heaven is within our grasp; that is, if we live with faith in God and not in ourselves. Amen. "And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life" (Luke 18:18-27). One man, dear brethren, comes close to Christ. He is not an old man, but rather, young. He is not what might be considered poor. On the contrary, he is very wealthy … "for he was very rich." His character was not bad; and he was not at all like the other Jews who had tried to tempt and trap Jesus the Teacher. As Mark informs us, he immediately captured the love of Christ … "then Jesus beholding him, loved him" (Mark 16:21). He is a righteous young man, and he desires to become perfect. He lives on earth but contemplates the heavens. He possesses much property but he seeks the good things of heaven. He is inflamed with a thirst and intention towards eternal life. And so, the young man bows his knee and puts his question to Jesus Christ "…what should I do to inherit eternal life?" Eternity. Eternal life. This is the destiny of man. With St. Paul we also confess … "for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Heb. 13:14). It is upon this subject, dear brethren, that we are called to preach to you today. The most positive reality is death. All else is relative — wealth and glory; happiness and unhappiness; joy and sorrow; progress and regression. Death blows everywhere. You can fall asleep at night and not wake in the morning. You can travel by car, train, ship, to any place and there you might meet death. You pay a visit to the cemetery and see relatives buying a burial plot for a man who just yesterday contracted for land on which to build. You leave the noise and clamor of the city to catch your breath and you return home melancholy, because you witnessed an accident in which many people were killed. On the earth, the sea, and in the air — death hovers over all, waiting, sifting, sharpening its edges to rake in thousands every day. Paul calls death "…the last enemy whom only Jesus Christ will diminish in the consummation of the ages" (I Cor. 15). The Greek poet Valsoritis, in one of his poems, likens death to the farmer who, instead of furrowing, digs graves with his plow ... Death. Graves. They are everywhere. All over we can hear the tears of mourning. In the face of this horrible sight of death, man stops and asks: What lies beyond the grave? Is it more than just worms and decomposition? The answer of a materialist or an atheist, both of them answering negatively, would probably be, "pious and impious, righteous and unrighteous, St. Paul and Nero, society's benefactor and the town drunkard, all of them end up in nowhere ... in zero." Of course, the opinions of the materialist and atheist are unacceptable for us. Unacceptable not only for the faithful, but for all peoples morally and intellectually endowed. An intelligent scientist for example, when constructing a gigantic engine, never puts even one tiny wheel on the engine without a definite purpose. The millions of wires and complicated panel system of Apollo 15, as explained by experts on T.V. all served a separate and definite purpose. When man, dear brethren, is careful not to build anything useless, is it not also possible to believe that God, the All-Wise Creator, would be even more careful in creating all things with a purpose? The psychology of all the races affirms this. During the centuries, all mankind throughout the world, regardless of education or social conditions (including the semi-savage in the African jungles), has some innate proclivity affirming the idea of immortality. All religious cults have an equal purpose — to befriend the divine — in order to ascertain a forbearing judgment in the eternal life. One of the second century apologists of the Church wrote: "I am immortal, and even if I burn, or if vultures consume my flesh, leaving not one molecule of my bodily existence, still I exist and will continue to live in the treasure-house of the wealthy Lord." Thus it speaks to pure philosophy and its representatives. Cicero once said … "nature did not put us on this world to be residents forever, but for a short time. That day on which I will immigrate to the heavenly company, to that council of souls, and will leave far behind my troubles and the pollutions of the earth; that day is for me very desirable." Socrates, during the last hours of his life, locked in his jail cell, discussed the subject of death with his disciples. He tries to convince them not to worry, because as soon as he drinks the hemlock, he will leave and arrive in the land of prosperity and bliss, where righteousness reigns supreme. Socrates believes that he will meet judges bereft of human inabilities, unlike the judges of Athens. They will judge him with a righteous judgment which he failed to receive on earth. The philosopher believes that there he will meet Mino, the Rodamamthyn and Aiakon. They will judge him. With such faith in eternal life and the last judgment, Socrates closed his eyes to the earth, only to open them in the heavens. But, dear brethren, above the voices of logic, of conscience, of the universal witness of man; above the voices of the philosophers is heard one voice — the voice of the Only-Begotten, Jesus of Nazareth, descended from heaven. It is the voice of Jesus Christ, speaking repeatedly in the Gospels — please, I beg you, open it and you will see written many times — life everlasting, kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, blessedness, life without end, above Jerusalem, etc. Christ was on the cross and He called the repentant thief to paradise … "amen, I say that today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:3-4). What is paradise? And eternal life? Are they gardens and virgin forests, with running rivers, the land of milk and honey? Is it filled with fair-cheeked virgins, spicy foods, and plenty to drink? Of course not, my brothers. Christ assured us that there exists eternal life beyond the grave. But He also said that none of the mundane pleasures exist there, nor can they even compare with what does exist in life ever after. The Gospel does not afford us another description, because the Kingdom of God and life in that kingdom are beyond the description of words. For example, it would be like trying to explain to an illiterate villager in Africa, the twentieth century automation as enjoyed by a Fifth Avenue millionaire in New York City. I doubt that the villager would ever understand, even if he used his wildest imagination. St. Paul, because of his holiness and by the virtue of his invaluable service to the Church, was caught up by the Spirit in a vision of Paradise. But when he returned to earth, he was unable to explain with human understanding the condition of that life … "How he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (II Cor. 12:1-6). Elsewhere Paul writes: "But it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor Ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Cor. 2:9). Brethren, eternal life exists, but who from amongst us will attain it? Study this question before us. Now, the answer depends upon the examinations of life's trials and tribulations. Amen. By Fr. George Dimopoulis

Friday, September 30th, 2007

Giving Time - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Even if it is unintentional, this might be called “giving Sunday.” Look how great is the attention of both the epistle and Gospel on the act of charity. St. Paul says that we must become cheerful givers; and Christ tells us that we we are to be merciful. But how do we become merciful? Jesus says there are three ways to do this. He outlines each of them in this Gospel lesson. First there is love, then doing good, and finally, lending. Okay, is that simple enough? Love others, do good things, and lend without restrictions. Now, this sounds easy enough to do, but what is the real message contained in the dialog? Notice first that in each of the three examples that our Lord gives us, it is stated in a comparative way. If we love expecting love in return, are we different than anyone else? If we do good expecting others to do good to us, are we any different than those who are not of our faith? And especially if we lend and always expect a return, how would we be different than any organized financial institution? Well then, our Lord must have had something else in mind, and He did. And He makes it quite clear. It is not that when we do unto others and expect something in return we are no different than anyone else, that is not the comparison, it is that we are compared with those who are sinners! If we love, do good and lend to those who will do so in return, what thanks will we have, since SINNERS so the same. The emphasis is on who we are like, not what we do. The ability to love others, to do good, or to lend are not activities limited to members of the Christian Faith, they are the actions of all people in everyday life. These three common actions are so prevalent and adhered to by nearly every society that they form a type of universal behavior. This is the second fact we note about this passage, He is using the three most common ethical activities that most societies would point to to show their advanced culture ideals, and then he turns them on their heads by showing that they are no better than the common sinner. You see, these actions are not only known to nearly everyone, they are actually done by nearly everyone, as well. Now we learn the highest revelation that is given here. Any society of human kind can claim to have noble ideals they live by; they all have people who love each other, people who do good, and are practical lenders. That is not the exception, that is the normal of a society; in fact, we would be hard pressed to think of a society that did not have loving, caring and fair people. Jesus is not calling on us to be like others, He is definitely calling on us to be unlike others; to be more God-like in our dealings with others. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said it best, “It is not enough to give. We must have a heart that gives. In order to give, we must have a compassion deep enough for our gift to be forgiven, because if we give dutifully, if we are charitable only in our actions, the recipient receives humiliation and sorrow and pain together with our gift.” In other words, when what we have to offer others is only offered with some type of reciprocity, then it is not filled with God's love, or His goodness, or His mercy. It is not done willingly, and without attachment, then it gains us nothing. As the wise Solomon said in Proverbs, “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.” What Christ calls the Christian to is a live where love knows only giving, where goodness is its own reward, and where the act of charity is done for the relief of the recipient, and not for the benefit of the benevolent. And not only this, but as St. Paul reminds us, it must be done willingly and with joy. To have a genuine, authentic and God-like attitude towards love, good deeds and charity, it must be done in the complete freedom as members of a merciful God. Our goal, then, is not just to be more loving, or giving or better behaved, it is to do it in light of our imitation of Christ. Only then do we have access to an understanding of way we were created before the fall, before the infection of sin entered into the life of all human kind. That is why Jesus says, “even sinners do the same.” He expects no more of them than that, but for His beloved, He sets the example and desires us to follow. Nor must we think that this is a one time activity, it is to become our way of life. It is the life to which we have been called. As Archimandrite Sophrony tells us, “A man is not saved by having once shown mercy to someone, although, if he scorns someone but once, he merits eternal fire. For 'hungered' and 'thirsty' is said not of one occasion, not of one day, but of the whole life. In the same way 'ye gave me meat', 'ye gave me drink', 'ye clothed me', and so on, does not indicate one incident, but a constant attitude to everyone. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that He Himself accepts such mercy from His slaves (in the person of the needy).”

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Proverbs 11.24 24There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

Sunday, August 5th, 2007

COURAGE - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Courage! Courage! O People of God! For Christ will destroy our enemies since He is all powerful.

These words conclude the final Stichira for last night’s Vespers. By now most, if not all of you, know of Matushka Karen’s situation. After a valiant effort by both doctors and the primary patient, her treatments have come to an end. There are no more chemo or radiation therapy options available that will have any effect on the growth of Matushka’s cancer. After a very troublesome week in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed by 11 days in Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, she was brought home last Wednesday evening and placed under Palliative Hospice care. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this term, palliative care means that treatment is limited to the comfort, pain control and peace of the patient; and all other types of treatment or diagnostic measures are not used; nor are any heroic or life-extending efforts applied. Matushka will live out her days in peace and without pain as much as medical science and common sense will permit. The nurses and staff of the Pottstown Home Hospice Health Care are the same people who took care of Mr. Eker’s wife in her final days, so I have complete confidence that she is now in good hands. The days ahead will be difficult ones, of that there is no doubt. They will be difficult for Matushka because she must endure a level of discomfort and pain that we can only imagine. They will be difficult for me because I must stand by and watch the very source of my life, the truly best half of my being, be given up to the world beyond. They will be difficult for my children because they are losing their mother, who gave them life, loved them, nourished them, and raised them to an honorable state, to a terrible disease over which they have no control. But I know they will be difficult days for you, as well. They will be difficult for you because you not only are loosing your “little mother,” as the word Matushka implies, but you also must observe and feel the effects that all of this has on the one who is supposed to be your “father in Christ”, your spiritual director and advisor, namely me. It will be my loss, but it will be your loss as well. So how are we to discover the best way to deal with all of this? It is certainly new territory for both of us. I say both of us because you and I spiritually joined together through Jesus Christ and the Holy Orthodox Church by virtue of my being installed as Rector of this parish. In a real, atop of a symbolic way, we are family, a family linked together through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, with an earthly Father, an earthly Mother, and a multitude of children, all united in love by the heavenly Father and Mother. Let us ask a few basic questions to see if we can find a way to cope, and more than cope, to be victorious at the conclusion of this struggle. What does a Matushka look like when she approaches death? I can tell you what this one looks life, she looks beautiful; but then, she always looked beautiful to me. But now she has a beauty that is nearly indescribable, for it is a beauty founded in a commitment to Christ that began many years ago and has never wavered. If anything, she is more radiant today than the day of our wedding, she possesses a spiritual glow that only the righteous receive by God’s grace. What does a priest look like whose wife is losing her battle with cancer? Well, I guess he looks like me, sometimes sad, sometimes lost in despair, sometimes weeping uncontrollably, often in prayer, but always obedient to the will of God, even when I cannot comprehend it. As my favorite expression on this subject by St. Gregory says, it is the “Incomprehensible logic of God.” Some things are not meant for us to understand in the simplistic way we comprehend simple sciences, such as planetary movement, or molecular cell structure, or even brain surgery, not that we will never understand them, but that in the present, in the now of our existence, we find no plausible answer for these events. In this case, our understanding requires patience, diligence, vigilance, fortitude and, as the verse above says, courage; Lots and lots of courage. And remember, we are not born with courage, it is something we discover in the heat of the battle, when the fighting is at its highest pitch. It is then that we discover what we are made of, the reality of our being and how it is either attached to the being of God, or to the being of the world; but make no mistake, it is joined to one or the other, and as the Scriptures say, we cannot serve God and mammon. From the beginning of my ministry here at Holy Trinity, I have always said that I believe this is where God wanted me to do His work, to practice my vocation for His glory unto the end of my days as a priest. That belief is not changed by the current events, it is only reinforced by them. Let me explain. Had not my wife had cancer in the first place, I would probably not have left my former parish for any reason. Part of our deciding to move was based on a factor unrelated to any parish, per se, but a necessary condition that needed to be addressed for us. That necessary condition was the proximity of a melanoma clinic in the event that Matushka’s cancer returned. The entire time she was treated in Scranton, they doctors all said the same thing, ‘they have no other cases of this type of cancer to learn from.” They relied on Philadelphia or New York cancer centers to give them advice. Because we came to this Parish, we were able to place Matushka into a clinical trial that held the most hope for her type of cancer. Unfortunately, it did not control or diminish the growth of the cancer at all. By the time this was realized, there were no other treatments options available. Sitting in that hospital room last week and realizing our lives were about to be tested and changed in a permanent way, we prayed together, we were strengthened by the word of God and His precious Body and Blood and we resigned ourselves to the reality of our situation. We did not desire it, we did not ask for it, but it is what we have been given, and so we will make the most of it and give God the glory. Matushka is a brave soul whose love of God has never waived. She expressed to me the details of the arrangements for her repose and funeral. As I listened and wrote them down, I found it difficult to write, but it was her strength that make me strong and to prepare what was needed. She spoke of her wishes for this even with all the clarity of her decisions at our son’s wedding last fall. She is truly an amazing woman with few equals. Now, let us return to the opening words of this epistle. Why are the words of courage offered to the Christians? It is because the Church knew what troubles lay ahead for all of the faithful, she understood completely that life will be cruel and harsh at times, and so she calls us to courage, as people of God, that our souls may be saved. Saved how? By the victory of Christ, by our remaining faithful to His will and realizing the ultimate victory is not where we are, but where we are going. ”Since Christ will destroy our enemies.” We have a common enemy in this current battle, the enemy is death. How is he defeated? By all of us remaining true to our cause and never wavering from the fight that is at hand. By supporting Matushka and praying for her as she moves from glory to glory. By not letting this event be the end of anything but the end of suffering of a very beautiful and courageous women who can teach us all a lesson in humility and love of God and others. But, we do not deceive ourselves in all that will happen. None of us will be the same after this, we shall all be changed in different ways. If we come together as the family of God that I believe we are, then we shall be a stronger and a more vibrant Parish, a true weapon of God against his enemies. If we have the love for one another that I believe is already there, then that will not only sustain us, it will make us bold and increase our love for our fellow brothers and sisters who do not know Christ. This is an event not unlike the coming feasts of the church, Transformation, because the Lord is transforming all of us into better lovers of his will and better doers of that same will. As we observe the falling asleep of the Mother of God, we will draw near to the falling asleep of our own mother and be changed by her love for all of us. And we will behead that evil that thinks it can win against such a people as we are, for it cannot. It cannot because Christ is destroying our enemies for He is all powerful! Thus, will the victory be ours and the life and future of this Parish be grounded in a firm foundation that is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. To God be the glory for all things!

In Christ, August 5, 2007 Fr. S David Mahaffey

Sunday, June 17th, 2007

THE VIRTUES - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, June, 2007

Let us begin today to examine something worthwhile for our summer gatherings around the Holy Chalice. The Gospel today says we are not to worry about what we need in life, for God already knows we are in need; rather, we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. How do we accomplish this? What does seeking the kingdom of God mean? Is there a road map, a set of instructions or some other indicator? Or, is it a matter of us taking up a way of life that leads to righteousness? I believe it is in the latter that we will find the way to righteousness, it is in the way we live, as true images of that Divine Image, that we will find the way to righteousness. So, let us begin to discover our way in this path and see if we can follow it into the kingdom. To be righteous means to have a right way of living. Not just a correct way, but a way that is full of all the right things; we must have the right words, the right actions, the right thoughts, the right prayers, the right attitude, the right type of sight, even the right way of thinking is necessary. How do we acquire these? By practicing the virtues. But, what are the virtues? According to the Catholic Dictionary, Virtues are the habitual, well-established, readiness or disposition of man's powers directing them to some goodness of act. Said another way, virtue is the moral excellence of a man or woman. So when we practice the virtues, we are becoming morally excellent, or morally perfect; a command that our Lord gave us, to be perfect, as He is perfect. So what are the virtues we should practice? While it is always a dangerous thing to quantify a spiritual grace, for it can lead to many sins, such as prelest, the feeling that one is spiritually superior to others because of the way we live, or the feeling that we have done all we need because we assess our spiritual life in how many tasks we achieve. But accepting this danger, here is a list of spiritual virtues, or as they are often called, fruits of the Holy Spirit :

• Faith - The weakness and absence of faith in God is rooted in sin, impurity and pride.

• Hope - Hope is the assurance of the good outcome of our lives lived by faith in God.

• Knowledge - Knowledge of God is the aim and goal of man's life, the purpose of his creation by God.

• Wisdom - The wise man is the one who sees clearly and deeply into the mysteries of God.

• Honesty - To be truthful at all times and lacking in hypocrisy.

• Humility – (Meekness) To see reality as it actually is in God. It means to know oneself and others as known by God.

• Obedience - To do the will of God is glory and life.

• Patience (Diligence) - To put up with one's self and others, growing gradually in the grace of God through the daily effort to keep His commandments and to accomplish His will.

• Courage - To not be afraid, even unto martyrdom.

• Faithfulness - The spiritual person is faithful to his calling, fulfilling every good resolution, and bearing fruit patiently with the gifts and talents given by God.

• Temperance (Self-Control, Chastity) - To be moderate in all things. Like patience, it comes from the grace of God; one must seek it from the Lord.

• Generosity (Kindness) – It is shown by care and concern for the well-being of others.

• Gratitude (Contentment) - The spiritual person is the one who is grateful for everything.

• Love - The greatest virtue of all is love. If we do not love one another, we cannot love God, for God is love.

So, beloved, let us take a closer look at these fruits over the next few weeks and see if we can partake of this wondrous fruit that is given to us by our Lord. Let us do, as today’s Gospel commands, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

From Orthodox Wiki: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Virtues

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

HOLY PENTECOST - by Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, May, 2007

Today, the Holy Scriptures relate to us the wondrous event of the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. The reading from Acts says that they were all in one place and of one accord, that is to say that they were all of the same mind, the same belief, the same will and purpose as followers of Christ. It was at this time that the Spirit came upon them in a way that nearly defies description. That is why the terms “a great rushing of wind” and “fiery tongues” are used, for they are the closest ideas we can give to the power that came upon them. And not only this, but what happened to them when this power came was also beyond comprehension. They spoke in languages or tongues that were not of their upbringing. They began to communicate to those who had gathered in Jerusalem so that each person, no matter what country or language he knew, heard and understood what was said. The word of the Lord on that day became not just the word of the Jew, but of the gentile and anyone else that God had put upon the earth, as well. They were able to hear the saving word of God for themselves, as God had intended them to hear. As he spoke to His disciples in the end of the Gospel of Matthew, go into all the earth teaching whatsoever things I have commanded you, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If we look at this from our own perspective, we can see that God did not intend for us to just take in the Gift of the Holy Spirit as it is given by the Church, and do nothing else. That same Holy Spirit that came upon the Apostles at Pentecost, also comes to us today with the same power and energy. It is the same Holy Spirit that we receive when we are Baptized and Chrismated, given to us by God to become not only the keepers, but the doers of His word. When we realize that the Holy Spirit is within us, we should be bursting at the seams to use it to help others. We should be anxious to speak to those around us of the great power and salvation we have in Jesus Christ, through this newly-given power of the Holy Spirit. But it seems that that is not the case. We seem to lack the perception for this saving power of the Holy Spirit. It does not seem to change us much at all. We have come here today to be a part of this Holy Pentecost, and yet most of us will change very little because of our being here. Is it because we are not of one accord? Is it because we want to wait to see what everyone else does before we act? Is it because we have somehow come to deny the affects of our own baptism? Our own Chrismation? What ever the reason, if we do not see any other benefit for our being here today than what we might get out of this sermon, then let these words be the ones we ponder on for this week. When the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles, they did not just say wow, now I am complete, or now I know I’m saved, they did not blurt out babbling in some strange tongue which no one else understood, the began immediately to tell others about the saving words of Jesus Christ, even though they knew it might mean their own death. They were so moved by the power of that Holy Spirit that they could not contain themselves, they knew they had to tell others, and they did. So what about us? Do we think that we do not receive that same Holy Spirit? Do we think that ours is a lesser cause than theirs? Do people today not need to hear about the Lord? Do we not see that the Holy Spirit is given to us with the same purpose in mind? We cannot keep it to ourselves, we must feel compelled to share it with others, for it is only when we give it to others that it gains any real and lasting value for us. So let us too, this day, say unto the Lord, come Holy Spirit to us, and abide in us forever. Amen.

Sunday, April 15th, 2007

SAINT THOMAS SUNDAY - By Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

In the reading from Acts today, we hear these words: “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” This was spoken to the Apostles who had been thrown into prison by an angel of the Lord who had come and released them from their prison cell. This was after they had been taken prisoner by the high priest due to their speaking out in the Temple. They were being asked to go right back into the very place that had got them in trouble in the first place and continue to preach the words that would bring salvation to those that would hear them. These are the followers of Jesus who had witnessed the resurrection and could not keep silent about who Jesus was. They needed to spread the word and tell everyone that Jesus had come to save them all. Why is it that the high priest and those with him do not want the Apostles preaching in the Temple? Why do they seek to imprison the disciples? Aren’t they simply doing what Jesus wanted them to do? Are they not the ones in the bests position to explain the good news about Jesus and His plan of salvation for all? Why would not these Sadducees and the high priest be interested in hearing what the Apostles were telling them? The answer is simple; they did not want to lose their power over the people. They felt threatened by these followers of Jesus and their ability to perform many miracles. So strong was Peter’s power that if even his shadow passed over someone they could be healed! The Scripture says that all that came to them were being healed of all their ailments. Yet, the high priest does not want this, he is filled with indignation! This word translated as indignation comes from the Greek word meaning “an envious and contentious rivalry.” He does not have the same power and lacking in this way, he seeks only their removal so he can again be in control. What he truly fears, he does not know; he only knows that these men of Jesus are not helping him in the least, so they must go. Notice how the Apostles’ are given the command. They are not told to go back and ask the priest’s forgiveness. They are not told to go back and heal more people, although that may have happened, instead, they are told to go back to the Temple and give the people all the words of life. Nothing is more important than that. Their own lives are not as important as the message of life that they can give to others. Even St. Thomas, a man who first seeks to see for himself Jesus in the resurrected state, quickly changes his own doubt into a wonderful proclamation of who Jesus is, His Lord and his God. The message is what is important, not the messenger. The words of life are what should matter, not who says them. Often, we find ourselves caught up in the ways of the world. We want things to go our own way. We seek not the will of God, but our own wants, our own desires. We doubt, we lose hope, we think that if God really wants us to change, then we will be given a miraculous event to tell us to change. When we act this way we fail to see the Gospel for what it is, the very words of life. They are all here to be read by all. They are given to us each week to ponder and to meditate, but ultimately, we each must decide how they will be used, or not used as the case may be. Just as the first Apostles were not afraid to go out and proclaim the risen Lord, so too, should we not be afraid to proclaim the words of life of our savior. We do not need to wait to see the holes in His hands, nor the pierce of His side before we act, we are freely able to speak these words at any time and in any place. No one is going to imprison us; no one is going to take away our life, yet we still remain silent. We have the words of life, let us be sure to use them to help bring life to others, as well. Christ is risen!.

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

HOLY ANNUNCIATION - By Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Today, we proclaim the beginning of our salvation, that is what we say in the Troparion. How does it begin? With the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel unto the Holy Virgin Mary. He says to her, “rejoice, highly favored one!” This statement gives us cause to inquire about Mary. We ask what was it about her that made her highly favored? From our Orthodox understanding, we state that she was ever-virgin and most pure, but we do not say that she was in some way different from you and I either in her conception, or in her birth. She was most pure, because she kept herself that way. From the time she was very young, she maintained an attitude about her soul that saved her from the perils of the world. She remained in the Temple from a very young age, she spent her time contemplating the Divine and Holy things, she was fed on the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures and she was also fed by angels. In this way, by her own efforts and her own struggles, she remained in a grace-filled state that prepared her for her special calling from God. We must be careful that we do not ascribe her state of grace as being somehow unattainable by anyone else, that her calling, while it is totally unique in the sense that only one person needed respond to that call, could not have been fulfilled by another person at another time, for indeed that would be possible. We must also be careful not to diminish what she has done by thinking in this manner, for indeed she has earned a place in salvation history second only to our Lord, Himself. The point is, Mary has accomplished what no one before her had managed to do. She maintained a God-fearing, God-centered, God-revealing and God-receiving life, in such a way, that God had no need to look anywhere else for the receptacle of His Only-begotten Son, for He had found it in Mary. All of the other Old testament women, Holy though they were, were not prepared, as was Mary for the calling to which she responded. If we think that she did not maintain a natural state of human development through all this, one only need look at her first response to the Archangel’s words. When he has told her that she will conceive a special Son of God, Mary responds by doubting that it can take place for, as she says, “I know not a man.” Here, we see how only a person who was totally human, even though fully inspired by the grace of God, could respond in this way. What we learn from her statement is how fully her humanity is intact. In other words, she is the same as you and I. Which leads us to another question, if the Archangel came to make such an announcement to us, would we be able to respond as the Virgin Mary did? Have we lived our life in such a way, that we would be a fitting receptacle for the Son of God? Before we answer that question, let us contemplate what it is we are really saying. Could the Son of God dwell within us? Has the son of God ever dwelt within us? What do we think that Holy Communion is? Is it not the very flesh and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? It is our “Annunciation” if you will, our gaining a favored status with God. Sometimes we seem to forget that Mary’s role has two levels to it. On the one level, her participation in the Divine Plan for Salvation was unique and needed only once. Her prayerful life and humble nature made her singly and uniquely qualified to be the womb that would hold its creator. But on another level, she became the first to receive Christ into her body, the first to have Christ dwelling and mingling the Divine blood with her own blood. It is that same blood, that same flesh that we experience through our own preparation, our own participation, and our own, “yes” to the invitation of the Holy Spirit. We may not be like the Holy Virgin Mary in many ways, we may find ourselves lacking in many of the features that made her the Birth-giver of God. But what is the same about us is the desire of God to be one with us, to enter into our soul and dwell within us. We no longer wait for the Archangel Gabriel to come make the announcement, for the Church makes that announcement to all of us at each divine liturgy, the only question that remains is shall we answer “yes”, or shall we answer “no.” Do not be afraid to answer yes, for as the scripture tells us today, with God nothing is impossible. Amen.

Sunday, March 4th, 2007

Second Sunday of Lent, ST. Gregory Palamas - By Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Everyone loves a crowd, that is, as long as it’s a crowd for something that appeals to us. We can imagine how crowed that house was for people to go so far as to tear up the roof to get this sick man near Christ. There are many places in the New Testament where we hear of the great crowds that follow Christ; the Sermon on the Mount, the Sea of Galilee when he had to go out in a boat to be able to speak to the people. And of course, Jerusalem after the raising of Lazarus, all places and times that showed how popular Jesus was when He was healing the sick or preaching about the coming kingdom of God. But what happens to the crowd when He speaks about the necessity to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood? What happens to the crowd when He is brought before Pilate for trial? In the former case, they all left Him because they could not comprehend His words, in the latter case they turn on Him and call for His death. But in both cases, we see how the will of a crowd can change when what they want and what they get are two different things. We speak about this today because this particular Sunday is about following our hearts and not the crowd. This Sunday is about a life of prayer that leads to our salvation, and it can only come about when we pray not aloud in the market, but from the depths of our soul. It is about listening to the inner voice that cries out to God from within, and it is a voice that no one else can cry with. St. Gregory Palamas is most remembered for his contribution to this particular type of prayer, called the prayer of the heart. Its words are simple; they can be committed to memory easily and repeated at any time during the day or night, while at work or at leisure. We need no book to remind us of what exactly to say, no choir to give us the melody, no priest or deacon to begin the prayer, for it is a prayer that is borne of our own sincerity and love for God. Unlike the prayers we use while at one of the beautiful divine services, this one requires only our own desire to speak to God for it to rise up and enter the realm of the inner speech, that realm where we control all of its motives and desires. We can speak to ourselves about any number of subjects, all the while being completely oblivious to our surroundings. No matter how may people may be near us, no matter what the crowd might be shouting at that particular moment, we can open that direct connection that is uniquely ours and say those simple words which carry so much weight and effect, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner.” In that moment, we transport our spirit from the din of the crowd to the oasis of God’s nurturing love and we begin within our bosom the cry of the penitent reaching out above the crowd for the saving grace of God. We sometimes get bogged down during lent with all the distractions that are constantly around us. The noise of the television, the attraction of the theatre, the smell of some forbidden food, the gossip of a friend, they all become instruments of the devil to take us away from our appointed task of renewing not only our life, but reclaiming our spiritual values and preparing ourselves for the coming day of resurrection. You see, lent is not just about giving up some food, or watching less television, it is also about increasing our attention to prayer, to the divine services and to the health of our soul. It is not our bodies that need healing right now, it is our inner self, our spirit and our soul that cries out for renewal, and that is what our Lenten journey is about as well. So as we continue now into the third week of our Lenten journey, let us forget about what the crowd is doing, and concentrate on what God wants us to be doing, falling down on our knees and crying out to Him, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Sunday, February 18th, 2007

Forgiveness Sunday - By Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

When you go home today, I want you to take out your checkbook, look at your balance (if you have one) and write a check out for the entire amount. Don’t even leave one penny in that account, but write the check for the whole thing. Then, when you have written the check, where it says pay to the order of, write in there one word, make it payable to one person and you spell his name G-O-D. Then, put it in an envelope and make sure that you put the right address on it. Since the check is written out to God, you are going to have to send it to His address, which, of course, is heaven. Now, I don’t know the zip code for heaven, but maybe you could ask a postman, like Diane Reinwald, and I’m sure she can tell you. Now why would I want you to do that? This may be proof enough for your suspicions about my mental health, but before you call for the men in the white suits, just think about what this exercise really means. Over that last few weeks we have seen a variety of illustrations about how we achieve salvation, first, we had Zacchaeus who restored his wrongs fourfold to receive salvation, we saw the Prodigal Son come to his sense after he had squandered all his money and received the forgiveness of his loving father, then we had the publican who came to the temple to ask forgiveness and he received it. Then, we were taken to the Last Judgment, and saw that salvation depends on how we treat others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves. Now, today we come to that last lesson concerning our salvation, and the instructions from the Lord are quite clear. He has made it very plain that our salvation also depends on where we put our focus. In this gospel we see that it has three main points of attention. Forgiveness, fasting and finances, let’s call them the three “F’s”. It is how we focus on these three F’s that shows the Lord how serious we are about our faith and our attaining of salvation. We can say all the prayers we want to, we can cry to others about how sorry we are for our sins, we can be in church for every service, but if our actions do not reflect our words, then we are no further advanced towards salvation than anyone who has never even uttered one word in prayer. In fact, we may even be worse off, because at least the one who never prays has not promised God that he would do anything! It is only when we put our minds to the task of contemplating the degree of faith we are trying to obtain that we give our words their needed meaning in terms of salvific action. Remember the check book, what would mean more to God than an honest effort to prove our heart and our mind are in the same place as our words? When we can trust God so completely that we would no longer feel the need to store up for ourselves in this earth, it is then that we would truly discover the power of the words of our Lord when He says, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” You see, we use the analogy of finances because it is the one we participate in on a daily, almost an hourly basis. We stop for a coffee on our way to work, we use our finances, we order a new appliance, we use our finances, we talk to our insurance agent about our life insurance policies, we use our finances, we go to the grocery store, we use our finances, we stop to pick up some medicine and we use our finances, we look at the mail and organize our bills, again, we use our finances. We carry then around with us in our wallets and purses, we store them away in banks and investment companies, we stuff our mattresses with them. We will miss appointments with our hairdresser, our dentist, even our doctor, but we will not miss depositing our paycheck in the bank on time. Now, if we would have a faith strong enough to empty our checking account for God, and rely totally on Him to replenish it, then we could also do the other two F’s with the same vigor. We could overcome our weaknesses during the great fast and endure pangs of hunger, pass on a trip to the movies, turn off the television, or avoid a succulent dessert. We would find the time to pray more, to be in church more, to read the Bible more, or any other spiritually beneficial activity. Which now brings us to the last of the three F’s. Admittedly, it is perhaps the hardest one to accomplish. Because it requires of us more than just time or money. It requires a change in our hearts towards someone who may have offended us, or insulted us, or said hurtful things about us, or lied to us, or attacked a member of our family, or worst of all, acted towards us with friendliness, but when we aren’t around spoke evil about us to others. We might be able to pray more without too much effort, we might be able to fast more by altering our eating habits, we might be able to easily turn off the TV for an extra hour each night, these we can do first because they require little financial involvement. We may not be so inclined to part with our entire worth so easily, but we all know this, that it is easier to empty our checking account of all its worth than it is to forgive a person in total for an offense that has cut us to the heart. But what we also know is this, we can pray harder, fast more, and seek fewer pleasures, we can even give away all our money, but if we cannot forgive even one person for one offense, then we fail to do that which God wants from us first. For if we look at the Gospel, it starts with forgiveness, and that is exactly how we begin our Lenten Journey, by forgiving one another. For if we can forgive each other, then we are truly laying up our treasures in heaven, and our heart shall be there also. Amen.

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

The Publican and the Pharisee - By Fr. David Mahaffey, Pottstown, 2007

Clearly, we see the difference between the two prayers offered up by these two men. Clearly we see the difference between the intent of the Publican and the intent of the Pharisee. Clearly we understand why Jesus gives us this example. It is to show us what He is looking for in the person who desires salvation. The words offered up by the Pharisee have no penitential value, they are simply an example of self-praise and contain no redemptive quality. The words of the Publican, who again is a tax collector, show his penitential nature, his desire to seek the forgiveness of God. What we don’t see quite so clearly is just as important as what we do, and it is this hidden teaching of the parable that we shall examine today. While we are shown the significance of how to properly pray, we also are shown something else, and if we miss this something else, we miss something just as important, and just as necessary for salvation. Today, instead of looking at what is said, let us look at where it is said. Notice, how the parable starts out, “Two men went up to the Temple to pray.” Here is the first clue we have as to the second significant teaching of this parable. Jesus does not give us any further statement about this part of the parable, he simply goes from this into who the men were and what they said. But that does not mean that He didn’t think it was important. Consider this, if it didn’t matter where they prayed, could He not just as easily began the parable by saying “Two men prayed to God and this is what God heard”? Could the setting not have been their morning or evening prayer? Could it not have been something they said before or after meals? The important fact here is that it is exactly the location of the prayer that makes it significant, He meant for us to understand what these men already knew, that needed to go to the Temple for this type of prayer. It was in the Temple where, before the entire community of believers, they could make their supplication to God. It was in the coming together of the whole community of believers that the prayer of the faithful gained its value. It was when a person stood with his fellow believers that he discovered his true connection to God and to his fellow man. It was when he realized that God was there not just for him, but for all, that he understood the need for his public confession and profession of faith. Last week, we saw that Jesus spoke of the salvation of that tax collector and his family only after He heard the confession of Zaccheaus to right his wrongs. This week, we see another tax collector seek God’s forgiveness, and again, when does this man find his salvation, when does he find God’s redemptive grace? Look again at the end of the Gospel, Jesus says, “this man went down to his house justified.” It was only after he completed his prayer before the Lord, in the Lord’s Holy Temple, that after he has finished his prayer and he heads back to his home does he receive the benefit of his actions. In our modern age of electronic media, we are often tempted to simply watch some televangelist speak to us while we sit in the comfort of our home perhaps while still in our sleeping clothes. Perhaps we are tempted to simply listen to a broadcast of a Divine Liturgy over the radio, or to just put some recording of sacred music on our stereos, and consider it a good substitute for our attendance at the Divine Services in Church. For more on this examination of prayer and the popular media, see my article in the Diocese magazine titled: “Tommy Can you Hear me? Or When is a Prayer not a Prayer?” Unless we are in a condition which medically prevents us from attending church, we should not be tempted into thinking that any of these practices will help us to gain salvation. What Christ is showing us today, is not only do we have to think about what we say when we pray, we must also think about where we are when we say it. God freely offers His salvation to each and every one of us, but unless we realize that it is offered to all of us together, as the church and not as individuals, then we put ourselves in danger of not achieving that for which we pray, and we will not go to our homes justified as we might pray to be.

Father David's Address to the Parish at the Annual Meeting - Sunday, January 28th

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

Father David's Address to the Parish at the Annual Meeting

Archpriest David Mahaffey, Acting Rector

Dearly beloved in Christ, This is my first time to stand before you as your Father in Christ. I have only been here for a few days, actually, and already I have participated in a baptism, and two interments. Quite frankly, this is more like my old parish than I would like, but if it is God’s will, I do my utmost to fulfill it. There are many areas of Parish life that I would like to address in our brief time together today. Let me begin with what I feel, and have always felt is our most important duty, as Christians to fulfill. St. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing; this is understood in many different ways. To some it implies the Jesus prayer, a private and personal continual prayer that is beneficial to the person who is praying in that fashion. To others it is the worldwide, continual prayer of the Church that is ongoing in one area or another of the world as the sun travels form east to west. But there is yet another way to understand this prayer and that is in the community to which we all belong, right here in Pottstown; it is our prayer, prayed by all of us at various times of the day and evening that brings us together in Christ and is the cause of our growth both individually and collectively. Without this constant attention to prayer, either corporate or private, or in better words, cenobitic or idiorythmic, we cannot expect God to bless even one of our endeavors. If we want spiritual growth, at the personal level, it requires prayer; if we want growth as the Body of Christian believers, it requires our prayer; if we want growth for Orthodoxy as a whole, then it requires prayer. Consider these words of our Lord in St. John’s Gospel, the 14th chapter: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” To our ears it sounds too simplistic to be true, yet, we know our Lord is not capable of lying, so there must be another way to understand what He is telling us. There is. We cannot expect God to bless our activities if we do not have prayer as a priority. So let us pray together, often. Let us pray for each other, that we may grow in love of Christ and in love of each other, for again, our Lord’s words command us, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Jn 13:34-5 If we want this Parish to grow, if we want the Lord to bless what we do, then we begin by asking Him to show us how to love each other, as He loves us. This is how others will know we are of God, when they see us love each other. Next, we need to be mindful of the many blessing we have already received and be good stewards of them. This church building, the Rectory, the Cemetery, they are all entrusted to us like the men in the parable of the talents. Being mindful, again, of our Lord’s command, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” This does not mean we all become “bean counters”, as it where, but quite the opposite. As with the parable of the talents, we must take what we have been given and multiply it. How do we do that? By becoming involved and active in the church in a beneficial way. We all have talents we were given by God, it means we must use them for His benefit as much as possible. We will speak more on this a little later on, but for now, let us think on how God has blessed us with our many gifts and how we can use them for His glory. Now, let me briefly comment on the general operation of the Parish, as I see it, and then conclude by speaking of our future together. Over the next few months I will be making some changes to the Liturgical life of the Parish. For example, now that we will be having Vespers every Saturday evening, I see little need to hear confessions on Sunday mornings and I think we can all adjust to coming to Vespers often enough for proper preparation for Holy Communion. For those who have a distance to travel I will make allowances, but for the most part I do not think it is too much to ask that we come to Vespers if we wish to receive Holy Eucharist. I have some ideas for involving more people in the Divine Services and have always felt that the more people are involved in worship, the more they will want to do so. I am grateful for the work of young John Black with the choir. I understand that he receives no remuneration for his work. I ask that we consider some stipend, even if only a token one, to show our appreciation for his sharing of his talents with the parish. I do not mean to make him an employee of the parish, per se, but that we should be willing to at least address his travel expenses and preparation for the many services he prepares. In addition, whoever is the chanter for a funeral should expect to receive an honorarium for their work and I ask the parish to establish a set fee for the chanter’s duties associated with funerals and Parastas services. The By-Laws for both the Parish and the Cemetery need examined and updated, I ask that we commit to reviewing and renewing them to reflect the changes that have occurred in recent times. What is missing from the beginning of our services? What sound is absent when we start to pray? There is no Trezhvon! I would like to make it a priority, once we are on track financially and without debt, to seriously examine the building of a bell tower, and to teach our youth especially, on how to ring bells. Bells are as necessary to Orthodox Worship as is a choir. We have a beautiful choir, so all we need now is to have beautiful bells. Now, let me change gears and speak to another Important area of the church. According to the Barna Group, an organization which studies and gathers statistics for churches, those churches who experienced growth, regardless of denomination, are the ones that committed a substantial portion of their budget to evangelization and growth, usually around 25%. When we review our budget today, let us think of this statistic and how it should apply to us. Having said this, I do not want us to make the mistake that all parish meetings are about money. Just think back to my opening statement and apply it to all operations of parish life, we begin by praying and then all other actions follow. The Gospel imperative, read at every Baptism, is to preach the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them into the Church. The command is of God, the leadership is from the bishop and priest, but the activity is the duty of all of us together. We know what we need to do, we just need to figure out how to do it. Let us do this together and see what blessings God has in store for us. What I have noticed so far, and that isn’t for very long, is that this parish has great potential and together we can accomplish much. It is our Divine call to duty and it is a call that includes all of us, no exceptions. The old, the young, the weak, the strong, and all those in between, all are needed to do the work of the Lord. If we never forget this, we will always be His servants and He will always be faithful to His promise to us. If, instead we choose to act independently, then we loose the power of the Gospel and the blessings of God; then we loose more than we can afford. So, let us all be mindful of our place in the Church, how we are all part of God’s family, He loves us, we love Him, and we need to be sure to love each other. If we do this, only God knows what we can do, If we do not do this, then only God knows what will become of us. In conclusion I ask for your continued prayers for my ministry and I shall continually pray for you all. May God grant us all to pray, love, and grow in Christ all the days of our life. Amen.

August 2006

The Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord
Our Lord Reveals Himself

Have you ever tried to look directly at the sun? Its blazing brightness blinds the one who attempts to peer at it.

One day Jesus appeared as bright as the sun to His Apostles. The Church calls this event the "transfiguration" of our Lord.  It is one of the major feast days celebration during the Liturgical year. The calendar date is August 6th ( Julian Calendar- August 19th). 

Here are the facts of the event.

Christ gathered His Apostles one day and asked them a question. "Whom do men say that I am?"  Before  His suffering on the Cross, Christ wanted them to be certain that He was God the Son, the promised Savior of mankind. The Apostle Peter answered the question saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus was pleased with his answer and said, "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jona!  For flesh and blood has not revealed  this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church. Jesus meant that His Church is founded upon the truth of what Peter confessed, that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of God.

After this our Lord began to mention His death. Before these tragic events would take place, Jesus wanted  to show His Apostles that He was truly God. He took Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor. There they would see an awesome event that would never forget.

While they were on the mountain, the Apostles saw an unusual change  come over Christ as He prayed. His face became as birght as the sun and His garments became white as light. The Apostles had been with Christ several years, but they never saw anything like this. They couldn't stand the blaze of light. It was the uncreated light, the glory of God shining in Christ. Until now, Christ's divinity was hidden  beneath the veil of His humanity, but now His Divinity ws set forth in glorious splendor.

Something else was revealed during Jesus' Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah were on either side of Christ speaking with Him. They represented the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament. It was a taste of heavenly glory and Peter wanted to stay. He offered to build three tents. One for Christ and for Moses and Elijah.

But at that moment another awesome event. A bright cloud  came over them and the Apostles were afraid. Out of the cloud there came a loud voice, the voice of God the Father, saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well please. Listen to Him!"  In fear, the Apostles fell on their faces. When the looked up again, they saw Christ alone.

The same message Christ gave to His Apostles He gives to each of us as we celebrate His Transfiguration. The message, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well please.  Hear Him!

The Troparion and Kontakion for this Feast tell us: " Thou wast transfigured on the Mount, O Christ God, revealing Thy glory to Thy disciples as far as they could bear it. Let Thine everlasting light shine upon us sinners! Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Giver of Light, glory to Thee!

" On the mountain Thou was transfigured , O Christ God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, and would proclaim to the world that Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father."

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Old and New Testament Scriptural Background to Read

Exodus  24:12-28.    33:11-23.   34:4-6                                                  2nd Peter 1:10-21
I Kings 19:1-18                                                                                     Matthew 17:1-13

Life is Like A Day...

 A day is the symbol of the temporariness of earthly life.

It begins with the morning, then comes the day itself, followed by evening, and, with the coming of the night, the  whole day is passed away.  So, likewise, life passes away. First, childhood, like the early morning; then, adolescence and manhood and womanhood, like the full day and noon; and then old age, like evening, if God grants it; then our entry into life eternal.