Thinking About ‘Different Languages’

On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha, we celebrate the Great Feast of Pentecost–the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples to empower them to preach the Good News in different “tongues” so that people from all over the world could hear of God’s “mighty works” in their own languages.  In his homily, below, Fr James Graham emphasizes the gift of hearing imparted by the Holy Spirit.

Come and celebrate the Divine Liturgy for this great feast with us at 9:30 on Sunday morning.  After our lunch and social, we’ll return to the church for the Kneeling Prayers (from Vespers on Pentecost Sunday evening) that mark the end of the Paschal season.

THINKING ABOUT “DIFFERENT LANGUAGES”

Homily for Pentecost (Seventh Sunday after Pascha)

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11…………….John 7:37-8:12

     On Pentecost Sunday we celebrate God’s sending the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and disciples to give them power to proclaim “the mighty acts of God” to the whole world, summarized and symbolized in the list of peoples and places found in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles:  “Galileans . . . Parthians, Medes, Elamites . . . Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene . . . Rome, Cretans and Arabs.”  The fact that this happened when “they were all together in one place” and the sound “filled the entire house where they were sitting” tells us that they were being empowered to proclaim the Good News in unity with one another.

     We are always told that this event—the sending of the Holy Spirit—is the beginning of the Church and its mission of teaching, converting, and baptizing “all peoples.”  And it is.

     We are also told that this means that each one of us must be an apostle and proclaim the Gospel.  And it does.

     But there’s more, as we see when we read chapter 2 of the Acts carefully.  It says that people from “every nation under heaven” were in Jerusalem and that a large crowd gathered when they heard the sound (the rushing wind or the preaching that immediately began?).  It also says they were “bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.”  Amazed and astonished, the people in the crowd asked, “If all these guys are Galilean, how is it that we all hear them in our own languages?”  They wondered, “How can we hear them speaking in our own languages about the mighty acts of God?”

     It’s clear from this description that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is hearing.  People can’t come to know God, and can’t learn about God, unless they hear about God.

     And people have to hear a message they can understand.  Of course, this means language—English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Norwegian, Slovakian, and so on.  But it also means talking about things they understand—culture, life experience, personality, education, and so on.  An 85-year-old woman born in Palestine under the British Mandate has a different way of hearing than a 15-year-old boy born to immigrant parents in the USA when Barack Obama was President.  Parents born in Eastern Europe in the time of the Soviet Union hear differently from their children born 25 years later.  The Church needs different languages to talk to them so that they can hear about God’s mighty acts.

     Let’s think about the different “languages” in which we need to hear God’s message.

• A person who knows only about a harsh, rule-bound, judgemental God needs a language of love and mercy.

• A person who fears God and other parental and authority figures needs a language of God’s protection and guidance.

• A person who feels guilty, unworthy, and hopeless because of sin needs a language of forgiveness and salvation.

• People who have been oppressed, ridiculed, put down, and hated need a language of creation in God’s image and likeness.

• People living in doubt and unbelief need a language of God’s truth and power.

     The Holy Spirit gives the gift of hearing about God’s mighty deeds in “languages” we can understand.  Knowing about this gift is a relief to us who feel inadequate to be preachers and teachers, who don’t feel that we have the gift of speaking in different “tongues.”

     And yet the Holy Spirit also gives the gift of speaking God’s Word in all of these “languages.”  Some people who have the gift of hearing in one of these “different tongues” may find that they have the gift of interpreting or translating, and then become apostles, too—not to the Medes and Parthians and Elamites—but to immigrants or teens or geeks or abused spouses or ostracized outsiders.

     In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul says, “To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.”  If that manifestation is the gift of hearing God’s Word, the benefit is personal, first of all, but every gift is also for the benefit of the whole world, according to God’s will.  What we hear in a “different tongue” we can also then share in that tongue, so that others may hear and learn of God’s loving care.  So we rejoice in all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given to each one of us so that all people can hear of the mighty works of God and believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.  Amen.

Every Parish has Holy Fathers and Mothers

On the Sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Seventh Sunday of Pascha), between the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord and the Great Feast of Pentecost, the Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, which was convened by the Emperor Constantine in Nicea in the year 325.  The 318 bishops at the Council wrote the Creed–our Symbol or Profession of Christian faith.  (It was completed at the 2nd Ecumenical Council in 381, clarifying our belief in the Holy Spirit.)  As Fr James Graham notes in his homily, below, this day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the job of bishops but also applies to the leaders of every parish.

Join us on Sunday morning at 9:30 for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.  Because our pastor, Fr Christopher, is away this weekend on eparchial business, Fr James will celebrate the Liturgy with Deacon Tim, and will preach.  Under these special circumstances, the Holy Mystery of Confession will not be available this Sunday.

EVERY PARISH HAS HOLY FATHERS AND MOTHERS

Homily for the Sixth Sunday after Pascha

Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 27-36…………….John 17:1-13

    Today the Church celebrates the memory of the 318 bishops who attended the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicea in 325, and when we hear, in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the words of St Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus, we can easily understand how they apply to the Holy Fathers of that council.

     The job of bishops is to watch over the Church as shepherds watch over their flocks of sheep, guiding them to good pastures, guarding them from dangers, protecting them from wolves and robbers, taking care of them when they’re sick, keeping them from wandering off and getting lost, helping them raise their lambs, and teaching the lambs what they need to know as part of the flock.  It’s a big job.  Shepherds basically have to devote their whole lives to their sheep.

     But it would be a mistake if we thought St Paul’s words applied only to bishops.  The original Greek says that “he called the “presbyterous” of the church in Ephesus to him.”  The word “presbyter” means “elder,” but came to mean “priest” very early in Christian history.  It also says that the Holy Spirit has made them “episkopous” in the flock.  “Episkopos” means “overseer” or “supervisor,” but soon also came to mean “bishop.”  At the time when Paul was speaking, these words probably meant “leaders of the community” more than specifically priests or bishops.  And Paul’s words still apply today to the leaders of each Christian community.

     Our little Christian community is blessed with many “presbyters”—elders (and some not so old!) or leaders—with a lot of faith and wisdom and experience.  They are our holy fathers and mothers.  All of us are called to keep watch and to be shepherds of our flock, working together, giving for the common good, and not worrying about receiving something in return.

     As St Paul warns, we have to guard against “savage wolves” from the outside who try to attack the flock, as well as against some members in the flock who might try to divide the flock with false teachings and gossip and rumors and accusations.

     In a small church community, just as in a small flock of sheep, each member is more important than in a large group.  When one is absent, he or she is missed.  When one complains or accuses, he or she has greater influence.  When one doesn’t do his or her share of the work, it gets noticed and probably something doesn’t get done.  When the group depends on one or two to do almost all the work, they will get tired or will even burn out.

     In a small community, each one’s gifts and abilities and contributions are important and needed.  In this small community, we have a lot of needs—and some problems—but we also have a lot of people who can meet those needs and solve those problems.  But each of us has to contribute unselfishly, without seeking to have our pride satisfied.

     There is a lot of talk in the Church these days about “synodality”—about involving all of the people cooperatively in discerning the needs of the community and in working together to meet them.  The First Ecumenical Council was an exercise in synodality, like the other six ecumenical councils, the many general councils throughout Church history, diocesan assemblies, and parish councils.  The Eastern Churches, especially, have practiced synodality in Church governance since the time of St Paul and the other Apostles and of the ecumenical councils.  And we should think of our own parish operation as an exercise in synodality—our Holy Fathers and Mothers working together to build up and to defend this flock.

     All of us have different gifts.  The parish priest has the job of “episkopos”—of seeing the big picture of what the parish needs.  From within the community comes the leadership to plan how to meet those needs—and how to pay for them.  Also from within the community comes the talent, the resources, and the energy to do the work.  If you have the talent, or the resources, or the energy to work on something the parish needs, don’t wait for an invitation; volunteer to help.

     We know some of our major needs—education for children and adults, activities for families, maintenance of our property, financial resources to take care of ourselves and to help others, planning for the future.  We know that we can meet those needs.  We need to know who will do what to meet those needs.

     We have the answers, and we have, as St Paul says, the message of God’s grace to build us up.  So let us all pray together that God will show each of us what we need to do to take care of God’s community here and to give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.  Amen.

Bulletin for 5 May 2024 – Sunday of the Man Born Blind

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen!

Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese!

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

SUNDAY of the MAN BORN BLIND Sunday May 5th 2024.

Dear Friends,

We have many things to motivate and inspire us over the next two weeks.

Today’s Gospel highlights one of the greatest miracles Christ worked. No one EVER healed a man born blind in the Old Testament. We do read of Tobias was cured of this blindness, but, he was not born blind. Therefore, as a miracle never seen before (pun intended), this miracle stands out as one of the greatest any Prophet had worked.

It is also striking that the One who claims to be the Light of the World, is the one who brought light to this man. By Baptism, which we call illumination, we have all been enlightened by Christ. Let us pray that his teachings and miracles truly enlighten our minds and hearts!

St John Chrysostom writes concerning the blind man healed in John Ch. 8 verse.9: “He was not ashamed of his former blindness, nor did he fear the wrath of the people, nor did he decline showing himself that he might proclaim his benefactor.”

Later in the Week we will celebrate the feast of the Ascension. For us, the humanity of Christ being taken up to Heaven is a pledge that we too will follow after Him; and that His glory covers our humanity. What can be for us a burden and a source of sin, can share in His glory. This of course, is the work of grace and God’s love in and for us.

Although the Apostles were (understandably) saddened at the physical loss of Christ, He had after all, at the Mystical Supper, foretold them that sadness would full their hearts; and also told them that eventually joy would fill their hearts when the Holy Spirit would come.

Christ, also, gave them a remedy for when they would be saddened: He commanded them to gather together and to wait and pray for the Paraclete, the Comforter, the Advocate sent to strengthen them in their mission to convert the world.

After the Ascension we see “Mary, the Mother of Jesus, praying with the Apostles in the Cenacle,” as St Luke tells us in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. She shows the power of her intercession which united the Apostles and brought down the fullest blessing of the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

May Mary’s example of prayer inspire us to pray a novena, that is nine days of prayer, so that the Holy Spirit be poured out on us and the parish.

Lastly, next Sunday (May 12th ) we will celebrate the Fathers at the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea. To this day we recite the Nicean Creed at every Divine Liturgy. We celebrate the Holy Spirit aiding the Fathers to define for us who Christ is. Essentially we have our faith defined and over time handed down to us in this Tradition which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church.

News of the parish:

Here is a rundown of this last week: The legal matter being disputed is in the Lawyer’s hands. Please continue to pray for a favorable outcome. Please keep Darlene Jansen in prayer, she may not be able to have the surgery which means a slower healing. I will be absent on Thursday through to Sunday evening. In my absence Fr James will celebrate and preach on Sunday May 12th . At the request of the Chancery, I have been asked to replace Fr Arturo in New Mexico. Fr. Arturo is going to Rome to represent all four Eparchies and profit by the occasion and visit his family in Hungary. As a Ukrainian citizen, Fr Arturo has not been able to visit his family for some years.

• Last Week’s collection amounted to $ with xx in attendance. Many thanks!
• Hospitality: in addition to the hospitality sign up there is a ‘clean up’ column. Please sign on as you can.
• Prayer requests. Darlene Jansen and Gary Stewart. Troy who called during the week asking for prayers. Please pray for Fr Milan Kasperek, a priest of the Eparchy presently serving in the Middle East.
• Please also pray for the following: Fr. Michael, Fr. Marcus, Fr. Chris, Fr. Randall, Fr. Michal, Fr. Patrik, Fr Christopher, Fr Theodore, Sr. Patricia, Margaret, Gary and Ingrid, Slawomir and Oceana, Darlene, Becky, Alexis, Marion, Curtis, Ronald, Jeanine, Taylor, Lorrie, Frances, Alex, Leroy, Michael, Thomas, Michael, Jennifer, John, Elizabeth, Judy, Ruth, Dimitri, Christie, Viktoria, Margaret, Patricia. Nadezda, Doug S, Murin family, Aisha, Faustyna, John, Maia, Najwa, Nadia, Favin, Nazmin, Barbara, Trish, Shalom World, Jesse, Charles, Monica, Matt, Jackie, Tim, Edward, Don S, Monica S, Rachel Pineda and family, John, Kazu, Jacob, Brent. Karen and Raymond Vincent and family. Mark Lopez. Dan and Sherrin. The Lauffer and Attias families in Jerusalem. Jacob Gonzales. Sarah. Theresa V., David. Lilly.

Liturgical Schedule:

Sun, May 5	8:30 am confessions 9:30 am Divine Liturgy	Sunday of the Man Born Blind	Festal Tone. Reader: Victor
Mon, May 6	6:30 am Divine Liturgy	Job the Long Suffering
Tue, May 7	5:30 pm Divine Liturgy	Leave-Taking of Pascha
Wed, May 8	5:30 pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy	Ascension of our Lord
Sun, May 12	8:30 am confessions       9:30 am Divine Liturgy	Sunday of the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council	Festal Tone.  Reader: Richard
Wed, May 15	5:30 pm Divine Liturgy	Pachomius the Great, Venerable
Fri, May 17	5:30 pm Divine Liturgy	Leave-Taking of the Ascension
Sat, May 18	9:00 am Divine Liturgy	5th All Souls Saturday
Sunday, May 19	8:30 am confessions       9:30 am Divine Liturgy Kneeling Prayers following Hospitality (about 11:30 or12)	Pentecost	Festal Tone.  Reader: Victor

Confessions: are available before all Liturgies or arrange a visit. Phone number (916) 452-1888.