Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
Nativity Lent begins this coming Friday, November 15. Please read through this entire newsletter so that you can take full advantage of all the blessings that this season has to offer.
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
Wednesday, November 13, and then, on Friday, November 15, the Nativity Fast begins. This Fast is divided into two periods: The first is November 15th through December 19th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil) is observed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with a blessing for wine and olive oil (some also permit fish) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and for fish, wine, and olive oil on Saturdays and Sundays. The second is the period of the Forefeast, December 20th through 24th, when the traditional fasting discipline is observed Monday through Friday, with a blessing for wine and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday. Many American Orthodox Christians also take a break from the fast on Thanksgiving Day (the emphasis there being on the word ‘day’), but if you need to modify the fast in any way, please speak to your spiritual father as soon as possible.
Daily Services
Monday, November 11-Friday, November 15:
Orthros 5am;
Vespers 5pm
(Due to Father Aidan’s teaching schedule, starting this Tuesday evening, September 24, he will not be able to serve Daily Vespers on Tuesday and Thursday evening until mid-December; the services will simply be read privately. Also, please don’t forget that since life in our parish community can be pretty busy, sometimes the starting times for the daily services has to be shifted. So, if you know ahead of time that you will be attending a particular service, it’s always a good idea to send Father Aidan a note at fraidan@austin.rr.com to confirm when the service will actually begin.)
Wednesday, November 13
Fall Theological Seminar 7pm at the parish house, in Georgetown, and in Harker Heights. We will be discussing Chpt 19-The Epilogue pgs 209-238.
Saturday, November 16
St Thomas School 4pm John Bell will lead the discussion of Chapter 2, pgs 46-76 on Baptism and Chrismation
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, November 17
9th Sunday of St Luke
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
This Week at St. Thomas School
Chapter 2: Baptism and Chrismation
Alexander Schmemann in Of Water and Spirit, said, “When the real fight begins the bright and colorful uniform is of no use and is replaced with battle fatigues.” What does baptism and battle have in common? Metropolitan Hilarion quotes him to explain that the fight for our own soul begins with baptism and chrismation.
In St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s Catechetical Lectures, he exhorts catechumens to take confidence in the sacraments, “the devils tremble and angels recognize the seal of the Holy Spirit’s saving seal.” In the Orthodox understanding of baptism and chrismation, these entry sacraments into the Church require the body, physical elements like water and oil, and also a believing heart of the newly illumined Christian. Why do we have to use water and oil? St. Cyril of Jerusalem says in anticipation that water purifies the body and the Holy Spirit the soul. We are saved body and soul, since God made both of them to be unified.
The Fathers of the Church understood water’s symbolism well. It was a “noble elements” of the world along with earth, wind and fire. It is also rich in symbolism when the Scriptures are read in line with Orthodox Christian services of baptism and chrismation. Genesis and the Holy Spirit, Elijah and his river crossing, the Red Sea, and the Jordan all contain water as a washing and new, good beginning, not to mention the ritual washing of clothing in Leviticus and Numbers. But baptism is also a Janus word, which has a dual meaning. It signifies both life and death. That’s what Christian baptism does: we die in Christ and we are given life in the Holy Spirit.
In Greek, baptism means, a plunging or immersion. We’re plunged into death just as Christ Jesus was plunged into Hades and resurrected from the dead. We are dead to passions in baptism. Not only that, but we are also dead to a sinful way of looking at ourselves, the world and people. We’re then sealed in the Holy Spirit to live a spiritual life. But nowadays we might forget that we also have to denounce another way of life that is based on our former sinful life and the author of the first sin, the devil himself. This renunciation of Satan explains why we are exorcised at baptism and chrismation and when we become a catechumen. We have to know not only the good that we stand for but the evil that stands against us before and after baptism. We also have to believe that “the mystical seal” will be recognized by the Master at the end of time.
This chapter also explores other questions like, how many baptisms are there? Is it a good idea to delay baptism or baptize infants who do not intellectually understand baptism? Other forms of baptism are recognized: martyrdom by blood, repentance and the gift of tears, and by the Holy Spirit.
Chrismation, Chrism and Christ are etymologically related to each other in the Greek language. We are anointed with holy oil called chrism and Christ means Anointed. The other topics of the chapter cover rituals and sacraments associated with baptism and chrismation such as formulae, order of the service, choosing a baptismal name, white robes, water blessing, immersion, anointing of the oil, baptismal procession, and the symbolism of the eighth day tonsure of the catechumen. Join us all this Saturday at 4:00p.m. and find out how to prepare and enter into the Church, into the battle, and into a new spiritual life that is as real as the elements of the world.
Coming Up
Please remember that we need to have all the 2020 Commitment Cards turned in by Sunday, November 17. That way the Finance Folks can make any adjustments that are necessary to the 2020 Budget. If you have misplaced your Commitment Card, you can get one of those from Nick Crown, or you can simply send that information to Father Aidan. Please go ahead and get all that taken care of because on Monday, November 18, we don’t want you to wake up with that reminder email in your inbox.
On Thursday, November 21, we will celebrate the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. We will serve Great Vespers on Wednesday, November 20 at 7pm, and then, on the day of the feast, we will offer Orthros at 5am and Divine Liturgy at 7am. The Feast of the Entrance is a beautiful celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos, so please plan on joining us during those services.
We will be serving the Nativity Paraclesis on most Wednesday evenings during the Fast. There will be four opportunities to participate in this lovely service, so we should all be able to make at least one of those. We will offer the service on November 27 (which will be Thanksgiving Eve and a wonderful way to start that holiday) and on December 4, 11, and 18.
As you begin your holiday shopping, don’t forget about Christ The Lightgiver Bookstore. The bookstore has lots of great gift items in addition to a wide selection of books and icons. The store is open every Sunday during Fellowship Hour, but you can always get in touch with our hard-working manager, Stephanie Crown, and ask a question or place an order during the week.
Every year, we have a presentation from the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center about how to recognize and prevent child abuse. It’s not a fun topic, but for families and godparents and parish communities, it’s an extremely important topic. This year’s program will be on Sunday, November 24; it will take place during Fellowship Hour; it will be presented in the common room of the parish house, so plan on taking forty-five minutes out of your Sunday to learn more about how we can spot and deal with this great evil.
Our Moment of Grace and Courtesy
When people need to return items that they have borrowed from someone else, they often bring those items with them to the divine services. However, if the person that you need to give the item to isn't at the service, please be sure and take the item home with you and try to make the connection another time; do not leave the item at the parish in the hopes that the person will eventually stumble across it. Here at St John's we try to assist and support folks in lots and lots of different ways, but we simply cannot be the drop off point for dishes, clothes, books, shoes, produce, shower gifts, toys, baby equipment, birthday presents, tools, movies, home school curricula--you get the idea.
Don’t forget to turn in your 2020 Commitment Card! The deadline is this coming Sunday, November 17.
Attached to this edition of The Happy Priest is a copy of our Quarterly Liturgy Prayer List. Please download it to your phone or print it out and place it in your icon corner so you can remember all of those folks in your daily prayers.
an unworthy priest
aidan