St. Gregory’s Journal 

February, 2004 - Volume IX, Issue 2

St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Church - A Western Rite Mission of the Antiochian Archdiocese

 From a Homily of St. Cyril of Alexandria

Bishop and Confessor

d. 444AD

feast day - February 9

C hrist was carried into the temple, being yet a little child at the breast; and the blessed Symeon being endowed with the grace of prophecy, takes him in his arms, and filled with the highest joy, blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, Which Thou has prepared before the face of all the nations, the Gentiles' light for a revelation, and a glory of Thy people Israel.” For the mystery of Christ had been prepared even before the very foundation of the world, but was manifested in the last ages of time, and became a light for those who in darkness and error had fallen under the devil's hand. These were they “who serve the creation instead of the Creator,” worshiping moreover the dragon, the author of evil, and the impure throng of devils, to whom they attach the honor due unto God; yet were they called by God the Father to the acknowledgment of the Son Who is the true light.

F or very many were they that were astray, but were called through Christ; and again they are many as they were before; for they have been received and ransomed, having obtained as the token of peace from God the Father, the adoption into his family and the grace that is by faith in Jesus Christ. And the divine disciples were sown widely among the nations; and what is the consequence? Those who in disposition were far from God have been made near.

C hrist, therefore, became the Gentiles' light for revelation; but also for the glory of Israel. For even granting that some of them proved insolent and disobedient, and with minds void of understanding, yet is there a remnant saved, and admitted unto glory through Christ. And the first-fruits of these were the divine disciples, the brightness of whose renown lightens the whole world.

A nd in another sense Christ is the glory of Israel, for He came of them according to the flesh, though He be “God over all, and blessed for evermore. Amen.” [Romans 9:5]

F or Symeon also blesseth the holy Virgin as the handmaid of the divine counsel, and the instrument of the birth that submitted not itself to the laws of human nature. For being a virgin she brought forth, and that not by man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit having come upon her.

A nd what does the prophet Symeon say of Christ? “Behold This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken against.” For the Emmanuel is set by God the Father for the foundations of Sion, “being a stone elect, chief of the corner, and honorable.” [I Peter 2:6] Those then that trusted in Him were not ashamed; but those who were unbelieving and ignorant, and unable to perceive the mystery regarding Him, fell, and were broken in pieces.

A nd by the sign that is spoken against, he means the precious Cross; for as the most wise Paul writes, “to the Jews it is a stumbling block, and foolishness to the heathen.” And again, “to them that are perishing it is foolishness: but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God unto salvation.” [I Cor. 1: 23, 18] The sign, therefore, is spoken against, if to those that perish it seem to be folly; while to those who acknowledge its power it is salvation and life.

A nd Symeon further said to the holy Virgin, “Yea, a sword shall go through thy own soul also,” meaning by the sword the pain which she suffered for Christ, in seeing Him Whom she brought forth crucified; and not knowing at all that He would be more mighty than death, and rise again from the grave. Nor mayest thou wonder that the Virgin knew this not, when we shall find even the holy Apostles themselves with little faith thereupon; for verily the blessed Thomas, had he not thrust his hands into His side after the resurrection and felt also the prints of the nails, would have disbelieved the other disciples telling him that Christ was risen, and had showed Himself unto them.

T he very wise Evangelist, therefore, for our benefit teaches us all things whatsoever the Son, when He was made flesh and consented to bear our poverty, endured for our sakes and in our behalf, that so we may glorify Him as our redeemer, as our Lord, as our Savior, and our God; by Whom and with Whom to God the Father and the Holy Spirit be the glory and the power unto ages of ages. Amen.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, the “God-bearer”

Feast Day, February 1

T echnological advances in genealogical research have enabled many more people, in recent years, to discover the details of their family heritage. They are able to learn, not only of the lines of descent and relationships (the “begats”) of ancestors, but also to gain information about the occupations, travels, habits, and health of these family members.

T he desire to know one's family history is even greater in the family of God, the Church. For Christians, it is essential to know the stories of our spiritual ancestors and their relationship with God. These stories are provided in Holy Scripture, but our Christian family history does not end with the apocalyptic vision of St. John. Through knowledge of the fathers of the Church - those holy men who navigated the young church through the turbulent waters of persecution and heresy in the first centuries after the Resurrection of our Lord - we are able to maintain the faith of our fathers, to preserve it and pass it on to future generations.

I n the first century A.D., St. Ignatius, the third bishop of our patriarchal city of Antioch (St. Peter being the first, and Euodius the second), brings our family history alive and present through seven letters which he wrote on his way to receiving the crown of martyrdom in Rome around the year 106.

T radition tells us that Ignatius was the young child which our Lord held in his lap when he admonished his listeners that “whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” [Matthew 18:4] We know nothing else of his life until his journey to Rome, when he wrote the letters to the various Christian communities which sent representatives to greet him and encourage him on his way to martyrdom.

T he letters tell us much about the plight of Christians during the rule of the Emperor Trajan [emperor, 98-117]: Persecution was evidently selective - at this time, Antioch was singled out more than other cities along Ignatius' travel route; important people, no matter what their age (Ignatius was in his 80's) were used as examples to deter other, more vulnerable souls; sometimes the condemned were taken to Rome with a military escort who, in Ignatius' case, were hostile and taunting; the condemned were often sentenced to be fed to the hungry lions in the amphitheater for the entertainment of a jaded public.

H owever cruel and distasteful this picture is, we learn from the letters that a faithful Christian leader so condemned rejoiced in his opportunity to be united to Christ in dying for His sake. Bishop Ignatius (who called himself “Theophoros”, “God-bearer”) begged the Roman Christians not to try to have his sentence reversed, knowing that by his example of courage, many others would be heartened. In his famous words, “Let me be fodder for wild beasts - that is how I can get to God. I am God's wheat and I am being ground by the teeth of wild beasts to make a pure loaf for Christ.” [Letter to the Romans]

T hrough these letters, we also learn something of the assaults on Orthodox Christianity from those who claimed to be within the Church, but who preached a perverted version of Christianity. The heresies that Ignatius warned against included Docetism, the denial of the true humanity and suffering of Christ. In the saint's words, “Pay close attention to those who have wrong notions about the grace of Jesus Christ, which has come to us, and note how at variance they are with God's mind. They care nothing about love: they have no concern for widows or orphans, for the oppressed, for those in prison or released, for the hungry or the thirsty. They hold aloof from the Eucharist and from services of prayer, because they refuse to admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.” [Letter to the Smyrnaeans]

T here were also those who still clung to the idea that Christianity was a Jewish sect, even though that issue had been settled at the council of Jerusalem (described in Acts 15) which set the pattern of conciliar decision-making for the Church. These Judaizers continued to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath and to accept only the Hebrew scriptures. “Do not be led astray by wrong views or by outmoded tales that count for nothing. For if we still go on observing Judaism, we admit we never received grace.” [Letter to the Magnesians] In admonishing the people to resist all heresy, St. Ignatius presents simple, basic creedal statements - no doubt those used in catechizing new converts - statements which preceded the formulation of an official Creed for the Church at the Council in Nicaea in 325. “Be deaf, then, to any talk that ignores Jesus Christ, of David's lineage, of Mary; who was really born, ate, and drank; was really persecuted under Pontius Pilate; was really crucified and died, in the sight of heaven and earth and the underworld. He was really raised from the dead, for his Father raised him, just as his Father will raise us, who believe on him, through Christ Jesus, apart from whom we have no genuine life.” [Letter to the Trallians]

S t. Ignatius' remedy for dissension and heresy was unity under the bishop. “You should act in accord with the bishop's mind...Your presbytery, indeed, which deserves its name and is a credit to God, is as closely tied to the bishop as the strings to a harp. Wherefore your accord and harmonious love is a hymn to Jesus Christ. Yes, one and all, you should form yourselves into a choir, so that, in perfect harmony and taking your pitch from God, you may sing in unison and with one voice to the Father through Jesus Christ.” [Letter to the Ephesians]

W e learn through several letters that the persecution of Antiochene Christians ended, even as its most illustrious victim was still on his way to execution. The prisoner and his entourage of escorts arrived in Rome around the year 106 toward the end of the season's “games.” The old man, weary from the long journey, was thrown into the arena and immediately devoured by the lions.

O ur father in God, Ignatius, added a generation to our Church family tree and, through his letters and his example of courageous martyrdom, he has provided us, his spiritual descendants, with wonderful knowledge to aid us in maintaining the Orthodox faith. Blessed Ignatius, pray for us.

(All quotations from Early Christian Fathers, edited by Cyril C. Richardson)

T wo new missions of the Western Rite Vicariate have been begun in the last several months. Fr. Peter Jacobsen began holding services and classes in Bullville, NY, in the fall. As reported in the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, NY, on November 3:

More than 1,500 years of church history were on display in an hour yesterday, as the first liturgy of the Antiochian Orthodox Church Mission of the Hudson Valley was held in Bullville. At 10, after the United Methodist Church held its regular, austere service, the Rev. Peter Arthur Jacobsen and an assistant transformed the church, adding the trappings of the earliest days of Christianity. Jacobsen put two large icons (Jesus and Mary) in front, and two in the back. Then he placed eight large, white candles on the altar, and helped arrange the large, gold and jeweled censors filled with incense. Just outside the door, two men rehearsed the traditional Gregorian chants...

F r. Peter had placed a full-page newspaper notice advertising this first service, and more than fifty people - many disaffected Roman Catholics and Episcopalians - came to experience the ageless beauty of the Liturgy of St. Gregory. Those who have returned (including some Orthodox who prefer an English language service) have formed the nucleus of the mission. Fr. Peter is being assisted by St. Vladimir’s Seminary student Benjamin Anderson (a member of St. Mark’s in Denver).

A cross the country in Wichita, KS, another mission has just been formed. Fr. John Flora and many members of the Episcopal parish he served for 21 years began worshiping as a community of catechumens in the chapel of St. George Antiochian Cathedral on January 4. With the aid and encouragement of Bishop BASIL, Fr. Paul O’Callaghan of the Cathedral and the proprietors of Eighth Day Books, among many others, Fr. John and his people have made this journey into Orthodoxy. Their hope is that he will be ordained as an Orthodox priest soon and that they will be given the name St. Michael the Archangel for the parish.

M ay God continue to bless these newest missions, as they offer the spiritual health of the Orthodox Church in the language of the Orthodox West.

Parish News

O ur annual Parish Meeting was held following the Liturgy on Sunday, January 25. Reports were made by the Parish Council Chairman, Jim O’Neill, and treasurer, Karl Tsuji; new Council members, Keivan Shahrokhi and Jerry Chiles, were elected (with thanks expressed for the work of outgoing Council members Bryan Puterbaugh and Camrim Emmons-White); there was discussion about our search for a more permanent home; and Fr. Nicholas gave a “state of the parish” address.

P lease note that our web address has changed: www.stgregoryoc.org will now lead you to our home page which we are working to expand and improve.

W e begin the month of February with the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple (also called the “Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and “Candlemas”) on February 1 (anticipated, according to Archdiocesan directives). At this service, we bless the candles which will be used in church during the next year, recalling the words of St. Simeon describing Christ as “a light to enlighten the Gentiles”.

O ur Lenten fast also includes liturgical “fastings” (from singing the Gloria and Alleluia; from adorning the church with flowers; from colors more festive than purple) and this paring down starts in the three Pre-lenten Sundays - Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima - which begin on February 8. We will celebrate the special Liturgy appointed for Ash Wednesday at 7:30 on February 25, and on February 29, we will join with our fellow Orthodox Christians of every jurisdiction for the Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at St. Sophia’s Cathedral.

O ur “Food for the Hungry” drive resulted in 83 pounds of canned goods which you brought in to be donated for the needy. As in the past several years, we will deliver this food to Wanda’s Kitchen, a food pantry of the nearby Christmas in April office.

Psalm Prose for the Presentation of Our Lord

O wondrous interchange! The Creator of mankind, taking upon him a living body, vouchsafed to be born of a pure Virgin, *

and by his Humanity, which was begotten in no earthly wise, hath made us partakers, of his Divinity.

W hen thou wast born all ineffably of a Virgin, then were the Scriptures fulfilled; * thou camest down like the dew upon the fleece of wool, to bring salvation unto all mankind; we praise thee, O our God.

I n the bush which Moses saw unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of the glorious Virgin: * holy Mother of God, intercede for us.

T he Root of Jesse hath budded, the Star hath come out of Jacob, the Virgin hath borne the Savior: * we praise thee, O our God.

L o, Mary hath brought forth the Savior, of whom when John saw him he did proclaim, * Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. Alleluia.

(From The Antiphoner. These antiphons are sung as needed before and after the Psalms of the Day or before the Psalms as a Prose.)

Confessions may be made during the Psalms at Matins,                              Coffee Hour follows Liturgy on Sunday mornings

after Vespers, or by appointment