St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

This Sunday is the Sunday of the Blind Man. Jesus does not restore his sight, but rather, gives it to him for the first time in his life. Living in darkness, marginalized from society, separated from his family, and finally finding hope, he encounters the Savior. The Christ. 

At the end of Chapter 8 in Gospel of Saint John, the Savior was disputing with the Pharisees in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. He told them, “Your father Abraham was glad that he should see my day; and he saw it and rejoiced” (John 8:56). The Jews said that Jesus was not even fifty years old, so how could He claim to have seen Abraham? The Lord replied, “Before Abraham was, I am.” I am, of course, is the name that God revealed to Moses in the Burning Bush. When the Jews picked up stones to throw at Him, He hid Himself and went out of the Temple.

We read in SaInt John’s Gospel (9:1-38): “As He passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth.” It might appear that Jesus was on His way to something or someone else, but in his Commentary on the Gospel of Saint John, the ever-memorable Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas, quotes from Homily LVI of Saint John Chrysostom: “that on going out of the Temple, He proceeded intentionally to the work, is clear from this: it was He who saw the blind man, and not the blind man who came to Him….”

Christ’s disciples asked Him who had sinned, the blind man or his parents that he had been born blind. Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be manifested in him” (John 9:3). It was thought that a person who had some affliction must have sinned (or his parents did) to deserve such punishment. In the Book of Exodus (20:5), God said that he would visit “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” This, however, applied to the sin of idolatry, if the children emulated their parents’ behavior.

The blind man was not born blind just so the miracle could be performed, but seeing the man in such a condition, the Lord decided to use him in a way that would manifest God’s glory. He Who is the Light of the world healed the blind man and enlightened him. Giving sight to the blind was one of the signs which would identify the Messiah (Matthew 11:4-6).

The Lord made clay when He spat on the ground and placed it in the man’s empty eye sockets and sent him to the pool of Siloam to wash. Most versions of the Gospels translate the word επεθηκεν as “anointed,” but it can also mean “to spread on,” or “to smear.” Siloam means “sent,” and in Saint John’s Gospel Christ says about forty times that He Himself had been sent by the Father.”

This manner of healing reminds us of the way God created man by fashioning him from the dust of the earth. In the Old Testament God created man from the dust of the earth, now Christ, the same God, fashions eyes from the clay and places them in the blind man’s empty sockets. At reading of the Oikos of this Sunday’s Matins, we hear “He receives physical eyes as well as those of the soul.” In the Verses of the Synaxarion: O Bestower of light. Who are Light coming forth from Light; You gave eyes to the man who was blind from birth, O Word.”

Jesus tests the faith of the blind man by sending him to the Pool of Siloam (which means “sent”). He respects the man’s freedom but asks for his voluntary and free participation in the miracle. The blind man, with faith, obeys God’s command. He goes and washes in the pool, and he returns seeing.

The former blind man’s life was not made easier, however. He becomes the object of the Scribes’ and Pharisees’ evil and hatred, those who believed in God and in the observance of His Law. They themselves were blind, yet they were suspicious of the formerly blind man, imagining that he only pretended to be blind and now was able to see. 

They questioned the man who was blind, but when they see the miracle before their eyes, instead of believing, they shut the eyes of their souls. Then the man’s parents were questioned. They were afraid to confirm the miracle that happened to their son who was born blind, because they did not want to be expelled from the synagogue. They tried to avoid trouble by concealing the truth. Therefore, they said, “He is of age, ask him!”

We who receive benefits from God every day are ashamed or afraid to confess God because of our lack of trust. We put our own interests above God, knowing that He will understand us! He will understand us, but He will also see our faith and what priorities we have in our lives. Christ will see what “gods” we have put in His place, but He will not cease to remind us that He is the light of the world.

The blind man was healed, not only in the eyes of his body but eventually in his soul as well. He recognizes Jesus as God, and does not hesitate to confess it before the religious rulers with courage that many of us would envy. Faith alone is not enough; we also need to confess our faith in order to become genuine children of God. When we confess Christ before men, He will confess us before His Father, as the Lord has promised us: “Everyone who shall confess me before men, I also shall confess him before my Father who is in Heaven; and whoever denies me before men I also will deny him before my Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

 With Love in our Risen Lord,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

“O Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ our God, the Source of life and immortality, I thank you, for blessing me with the gift of children.

I thank you and I pray: Bless these fruits of my body; favor them and animate them by your Holy Spirit, and let them grow healthy and pure bodies. Sanctify their bodies, minds, and hearts, and grant them intelligent souls.

Vouchsafe faithful angels, guardians of soul and body. Protect, keep, strengthen, and shelter these children until the hour of their death.

O Lord Jesus Christ to you I entrust my children. Through your Holy Spirit sanctify them so that they may be communicants of your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we approach this Sunday, our national observation of Mother’s Day, I invite you to meditate upon the above prayer. Chances are, many of you may have never read this prayer, or especially have not recited it. There are many prayers of the Church that are universal in scope. They encompass the needs of the world. General petitions. Prayers which cast a wide net in an appeal before our Creator. 

But some prayers are deeply intimate. Exceedingly personal. Prayers that saturate our every being even before the words leave our lips. We exist within the balance between the anticipation of an answered prayer, and the fear that we are not worthy to ask for specifics. Prayer is powerful. Prayer is communication with God. Conversations with the saints.  Prayer is the lifeblood of a Christian existence.  Of course, prayer should never be self-centered. Refer, once again, to the above prayer.

The prayer of an expecting mother is among the most self-emptying of anything we can offer God through our words. Every syllable that comes from the prayerful breath of a pregnant woman is, by nature, the most selfless prayer that can be offered. Her sacrifice is unparalleled. That which grows within her is fused to her soul and dependent on her to the molecular level. As the baby grows, so does the mother. As the child is nourished, Mom is depleted. When that which is in the womb is distressed, the mother feels it as soon as, if not before the baby. 

The glory, dignity, pain, and celebration of motherhood are, simply defined, through inexhaustible love and self-sacrifice. Only a mother can read the words of this prayer, and feel the words, literally moving inside of them. Only a mother can literally identify with God’s act of creation. Only a mother can pray on behalf of another, while simultaneously praying for herself. 

This is a great mystery. This is a fantastic gift. This is the ministry of the Theotokos and role of every mother. Even the saint commemorated on this the 5th Sunday of Pascha, St. Photine, the Samaritan Woman at the Well was eventually and ultimately martyred together with her children. In gestation, in birth, in life, and even, at times in glorification, mother and child are connected physically, spiritually, experientially and emotionally.  

I pray that all of our precious moms will enjoy a day of recognition, appreciation, and celebration. For those who have or have had an incredible mother in your life, please give thanks to the Lord for her every day. Maybe your mother could not live up to such ideals and is/was a continual disappointment. I pray that the Mother of God, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary will fill that void and exceed every want. She is the Mother to us all. She does not disappoint. She does not turn away.  If your mom is no longer with us in this world, have comfort knowing that she continues to pray for you in the glory of the Resurrection.

And to the moms, themselves. Thank you. Bless you. May God always protect you.   

With Love and Respect in our Risen Lord, 

Fr. Anthony Savas

Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

I pray you are well as we continue to celebrate the joy of Christ’s Holy Resurrection. As we have moved past the Sunday themes that are directly related to Christ’s Resurrection, Itself, the Church now makes the transition into teaching us lessons on the fruits of His life-giving miracle. 

On the Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Church remembers the man who lay paralyzed at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, waiting for someone to put him into the pool. The first person to enter the pool after an Angel troubled the water would be healed of his infirmities, but someone always entered the pool before him. Seeing the man, the Lord felt compassion for him and healed him.

Many miracles in the Old Testament involve water. To name but a few, the water of the Nile turned to blood after Moses lifted his rod and struck the water before Pharaoh and His servants (Exodus 7:20). Not only was the Nile turned to blood, but also “their rivers, their canals, their ponds, and all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone” (Exodus 7:19).

In chapter 14 of Exodus, Moses divided the waters of the Red Sea, and the Hebrews passed over as if on dry land. When they were safely across, the waters came together, and their Egyptian pursuers were drowned.

On their forty year journey to the Promised Land, the Hebrews camped at Rephidem, but there was no water for them to drink. The people murmured against Moses, asking him why he had led them out of Egypt. God told Moses to strike the rock at Horeb. Then water came out of it so that everyone could drink (Exodus 17:6).

In Judges 6:36-40 we read about Gideon and the dew on the fleece. When Gideon squeezed the fleece, there was enough to fill a bowl with water.

The Lord healed the paralytic during the days of the Passover, when He had gone to Jerusalem for the Feast, and He remained there teaching and working miracles. According to Saint John the Theologian, this miracle took place on the Sabbath.

Like some Old Testament miracles, many of Christ’s miracles also involved water, and they prefigure the Church’s Baptism, which cleanses us of every sin. In the Sheep Pool, once a year, only one person was healed, but Christ saves endless multitudes by divine Baptism. Sometimes, as in the case of Saint Vladimir (July 15), Baptism can also heal our bodily infirmities.

In the Canon for the Paralytic, the Angel who stirred the water in the Sheep Pool is identified as the Archangel Michael. Some of the Troparia call him “Leader of the Angels,” and “Supreme Commander” (Ode 1). In Ode 3 we ask him to “protect us from falling into the passions of life.” In Ode 6, we ask Saint Michael to guide us on the paths of life.” In Ode 8, we ask him to pray with all the Bodiless Hosts, that we may be granted deliverance from our offenses, correction of our life, and the enjoyment of eternal blessings.

As we remember the paralytic, let us ask Christ to “raise up our souls, paralyzed by sins and thoughtless acts” (Kontakion of the paralytic).

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!
Truly He is Risen!

What a blessing it is to greet and communicate with you in the absolute joy of the Resurrection. I am so grateful for all of the leaders, volunteers, and brother clergy who worked so hard to bring dignity to our Lenten services, solemnity to our Holy Week experiences, and lavish elation to the commemoration and celebration of Pascha.

Now that things are beginning to normalize a bit, I’d like to call your attention to some important aspects of our worship. Our time together within the holy sanctuary that is our St. Anna church, is our introduction to, and experience of a heavenly eternity. As a people, we are as we worship. I’d like to share some reminders and introduce you to some directives that have come to us from His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver.

As for the reminders: as you see and experience each and every Sunday, we can get quite crowded. This is a good thing. And the reality is that we do have room for everyone. It just takes some patience and awareness on all our parts.

Whether you are a couple, or a family, please be courteous of fellow worshippers and use only one chair per person. Don’t spread out, save seats or not allow people to take seats around you. Please, move to the center of the church and keep the outside seats available to people who come in after you. It just takes a bit of perception and courtesy to make room for everyone.

Hey, remember that we are “congregational singing church?” We are! Please, I want to hear you all singing out and following along with the choir, especially in the common parts that repeat. We chose our specific hymnal because it makes it possible for people in the congregation to sing along with the choir. Don’t be shy. Sing your praises on high!

I ask this personally. I love the fact that we have so many children, especially babies and toddlers in church. You know I am an absolute advocate for our families worshipping together. Baby sounds and even upset-baby sounds are normal, and within reason, are quite acceptable. But especially during the reading of the Epistle and Gospel, and during the Sermon, please, if your child is getting really fussy and getting very loud, the considerate thing to do is to quietly go into the lobby for a while where you can still hear everything in the overflow space. Come back in when things have quieted down. It is very difficult to concentrate and speak when in competition with a little person who does not know any better and can’t control him or herself.

Hey, another reminder: the andidoro, or blessed bread that we receive, either following Communion or by the hand of the priest as we depart from Liturgy is blessed. There should be no crumbs on the ground following worship. Please, reverently cup it in your hands, consume the blessed bread, and try not to allow any portion of it to fall to the ground. It may be a small gift, but it is not an insignificant one.

More ushering stuff – and maybe I have already, sort of mentioned it. I am working with the ushers to be, and I have to admit, this has been my instruction, to be “pleasantly aggressive.” I know, that sounds worse than my intended desire. When an usher comes to a row with one or a couple of people that need to be seated, and there are seats available on that row, but you are already standing in those spaces, please move to the center of the church, rather than having people feel badly that they showed up and have to climb over you. It really is so much easier to just slide over. We all leave at around the same time anyway.

Please do not let young kids climb in, on or around the Baptismal Font. I am in the process of designing a cover that will go over the top of it, but still, those few stairs can be dangerous. And the adult Baptismal Font is a sacred church object, not a jungle gym. Please be mindful of its intended purpose.

Also, if you see anyone saving spaces, allowing their child to scream or jump off the Baptismal Font, please also refrain from nasty comments or dirty looks. We are all here together, for the glory of God and in celebration of His love for us. Let’s keep it chill. Love on another.

As we are crowded during Sunday worship, if for any reason you need to stand in the back row, please refrain from leaning back against the wall. In the very near future, all walls will be covered with iconography. And it’s not like they aren’t designed to be in an active space. The paint is durable and can stand up to a normal amount of co-existence with people. But leaning back on the sacred images is not normal wear and tear. Let’s be aware of the space around us.

Did I mention you are all invited to sing with the choir? I did? I did. So again, feel free to sing!

Once the Resurrection season has completed, we are accustomed to resume the practice of kneeling at the Epiklesis, or the time of the Liturgy when we call upon the Holy Spirt to descend and transform the bread and wine offering into the Body and Blood of Christ. I will get into the historic and theological reasons at another time. But, His Eminence has instructed us that we will be returning to a more ancient, and yes, the more correct practice of not kneeling in the church on Sundays. Again, I will take the time to educate us all on the practice later on. But for now, please be aware that this is coming. To people more new to the Faith, perhaps you have read about Sunday kneeling. If you are 90 years old and grew up in a Greek Orthodox parish in the United States, chances are, that is the only practice you have ever known. His Eminence desires to bring our Metropolis into unity with best practices and proper traditions.

He has also instructed us to have non-Orthodox worshippers and Catechumens receive blessings as we depart from the Liturgy rather than in lines for Communion. Again, best practices and commonality within the Church.

Please enter the church during worship at the appointed times and follow the instructions of the parish council and ushers in the narthex. Exiting the church sort of goes by the same guidelines, but I understand that needing to leave for a minute is not as predictable and scripted as when we enter. Please, just limit the movement as much as possible for the sake of the focus of fellow worshippers.

Please, my beloved in the Lord, take these requests as they are intended; to make our worship experience as smooth as possible. All to God’s glory. I remain,

With Love in our Risen Lord,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

Χριστός Ανέστη!

Αληθώς Ανέστη!