Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Holy Week begins tomorrow with Lazarus Saturday. We are going to ask everyone to offer their Typika on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday (hymns and homilies are included in this week’s newsletter), and then we will begin streaming the Holy Week services on Sunday evening with the first Bridegroom Orthros (instructions for signing in for those services are attached to this newsletter).
Reminder: the emailed version of this newsletter includes updates exclusive to St. John parishioners. If you believe you should be receiving that newsletter, please contact Fr. Aidan.
St Thomas School is Back!
All the classes will meet on ZOOM for as long as the current situation lasts. We will get back to our face to face format as soon as we can, but, in the meantime, here’s the information you’ll need to log on to the streaming service:
Mike Brown is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting for the St Thomas school. (See newsletter for details.)
Time: Apr 11, 2020 4:00 PM Central Daylight Time
And here’s a summary of the material that will be discussed: The Age of the Ecumenical Councils (Vol 1, Ch 2, pages 55-80)
The Pascha Book Study
The book that the group will be using is called The New Media Epidemic. The deacons of our parish will be leading the group through the streaming service ZOOM. The instructions for participating in the group are attached to this newsletter.
And here is the schedule of readings that they will be using:
April 22 (Introduction - Chapter 4)
April 29 (Chapters 5 - 7)
May 6 (Chapters 8 - 10)
May 13 (Chapter 11)
May 20 (Chapters 12 & 13)
You can still purchase the book at Christ the Lightgiver Bookstore, and, when you pick up a copy, this is what you have to look forward to:
“A society, growing sicker and sicker, yet ever more powerful, has remade the reality of the world to be the backdrop for its own sickness.” So begins The New Media Epidemic, a jeremiad levied against the corrosive effects of digital technology upon our minds, hearts, relationships, and souls.
The well-known author of multiple English-language Orthodox books such as Therapy of Spiritual Illnesses, Life After Death, and Theology of the Body - the French Orthodox theologian, Dr Jean-Claude Larchet - trains his keen psychological and theological sights on the current modern milieu of the West which has been invaded by various forms of technology that, while revolutionizing communication and improving lives across the globe, yet also endangers the genuine and human relationships we have with each other, with God, and with ourselves.
Dr Larchet diagnoses the pathologies that the new media is able to produce and how they may develop in every area of society as well as in all aspects of one’s personal life. From confusing the medium for the message to the destruction of interpersonal relationships to mental disorders and the impoverishment of spiritual life, the author relentlessly analyses the effects of the new media in all its forms, offering at the end, from an Orthodox standpoint some opportunities of prevention and treatment.
Financial Update
Many of you have asked about how you can get your offering to the parish when you aren’t able to actually visit the parish. We appreciate all of you who are taking that responsibility seriously, and we now have several options for you:
You can send a check to the parish via the United States Postal Service. Just use the following address:
St John Orthodox Church 800 West Park St Cedar Park TX 78613You can use any number of bill paying services that are available online. If you have questions about how that works or how to get it started, you can check with one of our Finance Guys, Nick Crown, Arun Jacob, or Michael Ruse
You can use the new Paypal donation button which was installed on our website this past week (thanks, Seth Hart!)
And, of course, if you are able to get out and visit the parish, you can continue to place your gifts in the offering bowl when you enter the narthex. But whichever method you choose, we want to say thanks to all of you who are continuing to give faithfully and generously.
The Scripture Lessons and Hymns of the Week
There will be two Typikas this weekend: one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Here are the Scripture Lessons for Lazarus Saturday (Hebrews 12.28-29, 13.1-8; St John 11.1-45) and Palm Sunday (Philippians 4.4-9; St John 12.1-18) . Here are the hymns that you can use with the Typika Service for Lazarus Saturday:
O Christ our God, when Thou did raise Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion, Thou didst confirm the Universal Resurrection. Wherefore, we like children, carry the banner of triumph and victory, and we cry to Thee, O Conqueror of Death, "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. "
Christ, the Universal joy, the truth, the light, life, the resurrection of the world, has by His goodness appeared to those on earth. He is the archetype of the resurrection, granting divine forgiveness to all.
And for Palm Sunday:
O Christ our God, when Thou did raise Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion, Thou didst confirm the Universal Resurrection. Wherefore, we like children, carry the banner of triumph and victory, and we cry to Thee, O Conqueror of Death, "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. "
In Heaven, He is seated upon a Throne and on earth He rides upon a foal. O Christ our God, accept the praise of the Angels and the hymn of the Children who cry out to Thee, "Blessed art Thou who cometh to recall Adam.
Attached to this edition of The Happy Priest is a letter from Bishop Basil which includes a letter from The Patriarch of Antioch.
an unworthy priest
aidan