“On Sundays and feast days come to church, and falling down with reverence before God, be mindful of all the mercies you may ever have received from Him. Thank Him for them with all your heart, and as a sign of your thankfulness, promise to live as He has commanded you. This is a sacrifice most pleasing to God.” – St. Theophan the Recluse
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I love the above quote by St. Theophan in that he calls the faithful to action in our walk with Christ. Be mindful of God’s blessings, be thankful for His mercies, be attentive to His actions and fulfil your promises towards Him. And how do we accomplish this? Come to church!
“On Sundays and on feast days, come to church…”
Our divine services, most especially the Liturgy, are our blessed opportunities to encounter the living God who continually pours out His indescribable mercies upon us. Our very salvation was earned on the Cross of Christ, and sacredly perpetuates in the bloodless sacrifice of each Eucharistic celebration. And it is a celebration.
As Orthodox Christians, we mark time and construct the actions of our faith around a sacred calendar. Time is divided into hours, days, festal periods, seasons and annual commemorations. In God’s time (Kairos) there is no confined understanding of time. There is no past, present, or future, just…God. In our time (Chronos) we look back on the past, realize the present and contemplate the future. Our understanding of time is circular, yet linear. It operates in cycles, yet races past us, as a speeding train on an infinitely long, straight track. A mystery to be sure.
Although that speeding train never slows, it does have stops along the way. In the Orthodox Calendar, all expressions of the human condition are exercised and piqued along the way. The sorrows and the joys; the fasting and the feasting; sunrise and sunset; death and life. We live these realities simply by observing our Sacred Calendar, and actualizing what the calendar says on any particular day. How?
“On Sundays and on feast days, come to church…”
Consider the events of this week’s end and the beginning of the next. This Sunday afternoon, we will come together as a Christian family in celebration of our parish Name Day and Matron Saint Anna, the mother of the most holy Theotokos. As you’ve heard me mention several times before, it is a unique set of circumstances (all involving the calendar) that requires us to celebrate our parish Feast a month after the actual day. Between Pioneer Day (the secular calendar) and the fast/feast of the Theotokos in August (the sacred calendar) the scheduling of our events, and the living of our lives are affected.
And when we do come together for our parish picnic, the calendar says it’s a day of celebration. Fried chicken, carnival games, laughter, social interaction and multiple family gatherings will define the day. I am so looking forward to an afternoon in honor of St. Anna and the Greek Orthodox parish which God established in her name. Joy. Happiness. Fun.
Then, my Beloved in the Lord, the calendar flips – the page is torn off; the new day is tapped. It’s no longer August 28th. It’s August 29th. The church picnic is wrapped up, and we move onto one of the most sorrowful days in the course of the year. The calendar informs us of this day, the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.
“On Sundays and on feast days, come to church…”
Phyllis Meshel Onest thusly describes this solemn day: “In Matthew 14:1-12 we read about the cruel death of John the Baptist. John had publicly reprimanded Herod for taking his brother’s wife as his own, so Herod had him imprisoned. Although Herod really wanted John dead, he feared the many people who believed John to be a prophet. [Indeed, we in the Orthodox Church consider him to be the last of the Old Testament prophets.]
During his riotous birthday party, Herod was so pleased with the dancing of his wife’s daughter Salome that he promised her anything she wanted. Her mother prompted her to say, “the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” Even though Herod regretted his promise, he had to abide by it because his guests had heard him. So he commanded that John be beheaded and that the head be given to Salome, who in turn, gave it to her mother.”
On Sunday morning, the Day of the Lord, we will celebrate the Divine Liturgy commemoration of the Resurrection. A heavenly Banquet.
On Sunday afternoon, still the Day of the Lord, we will joyfully gather at Canyon Rim Park at 3:00 pm for our Name Day Picnic. Please don’t miss out on this opportunity to participate in our family day.
The calendar, the Sacred Calendar turns.
On Monday, August 29th, Orthros is at 9:30 am and the Divine Liturgy is at 10:30 am. We remember the unjust and violent death of the Baptizer. One of the three, strictest fast days of the Orthodox Church. How do we know this?
Check your calendar.
With Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony