Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church

December 1, 2019

25th Sunday after Pentecost

The Holy Prophet Nahum

December 1, 2019Schedule of services for the week of December 2 - December 8

Wednesday, December 4 The Holy Great Martyr Barbara; Our Venerable Father John of Damascus6PM – Holy Mystery of Confession / Emmanuel Moleben

Thursday, December 56PM – Great Vespers with Lytia

Friday, December 6 Our Holy Father Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Wonderworker9AM – Divine Liturgy

Saturday, December 7 Our Holy FatherAmbrose, bishop of Milan9AM – Divine Liturgy Heath and Blessing for Lucas Bloom; Req: Frank & Laurel Tombazzi5PM – Great Vespers

Sunday, December 8 26th SundayafterPentecost;Maternity of St. Anne8:40 AM – Third Hour9AM – Divine Liturgy For all parishioners

GodWith Us ONLINE Upcoming ProgramsLive webinars, free of charge.

Register at EasternCatholic.org/events

THE GIFT OF GOD: Preparing for the Feastof the Nativity by Fr. David AndersonWednesday, December 16 @5:00-6:00 pm PST

BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST: The Mystery ofInitiation & Identity of the People of Godby Fr. Sabastian CarnazzoWednesdays January 8, 15,&22@5:00-6:00pmPST

St. Nicholas ProgramAll the ECF students are asked to go tothe website: Bitsko.weebly.com/ECF topractice the songs for the St. Nicholasprogram next week. Parents, pleasemake sure your child is prepared for theprogram!

Teaching LiturgyOn Sunday, December 22, Thevesting prayers and the Prothesis(preparation of the bread and wine) willbe done at the tetrapod for all to seeand to hear the prayers of preparation.

Ethnic Foods preparation this week:Monday - 10AM Kolač

We welcome all visitors and guests.Please join us in our hall for refreshments and fellowship after the Divine Liturgy!

There is a currently listing of parishionersavailable in the Narthex and the ChurchHall. Please check your family entry in thedirectory and make any updates to yourinformation. Please mark your entry with“OK if there are no changes. If you are notlisted, please see Fr. James for a parishregistration form.

On December 8, St. Nicholas will visit theparish. We will have a pot-luck that day. Pleasecheck the sign-up sheet in the church hall to seewhat you can sign up to bring to the celebration.

The Mission Society of the Mother ofGod of Boronyavo

is again offering their ByzantineChristmas cards.They are a pack of 5 for $12. The moneyraised this year is for the shrine beingbuilt on the site of the first attack leadingto the martyrdom of Blessed TheodoreRomzha, in Ivanovci, Ukraine. This yearis the 72nd anniversary of his martyrdomat the hands of the Soviets.See display in the hall for more details.

Parish Giving TreeStarting next week there will be a “GivingTree” in the church hall. On each leafthere will be something that the parishneeds. Please look at the various itemsand consider helping out.

About ChristmasWith all the hustle and bustle thatrevolves around Christmas and withall the temptations to spend the day“doing our own thing”, let’s not forgetthat Christmas is a Holy Day andbelongs to the Lord Jesus; family,work, travel, entertaining, cooking,presents, etc., all come second toGod. Bad habits? Break themand startgood new ones.

There is still a need for someone to Hostone Sunday a month. Please see JanetGreenwell for more information.

Sayings ofMother Gavrilia (+1992)• Any Placemay become a place of

Resurrection, if theHumility ofChrist becomes theway of our life.

• Man wants his freedom.Why? Sothat hemay be a slave to his ownpassions.

• “Be still and know”… there is nobetter school than this “stillness”.

• We are the first to feel the joywhenwe give to others.

• God’s gifts to us blossomonly ifwatered with the water of Love.

• Whoever lives in the past is like adeadman. Whoever lives in theFuture in his imagination is naïve,because the future belongs toGod. The Joy of Christ is foundonly in the Present, in the EternalPresent God.

America has an odd view of the poor. It is a viewthat reveals much about the underlyingtheological assumptions that create and supportour culture. I will quickly quell any protestsabout the mixing of theology and politics bysaying, everything, even politics is rooted intheology. More about that later on…In general terms, when Americans encounter thepoor, our first thoughts go to the individual andhis/her story. What happened to them? Whatdecisions did they make? Why are they stuck inthis situation? Our stories of success do the samething. We see the rich and focus on theirindividual accounts of luck, entrepreneurship,and brilliance. It is an analysis and a culturalreflex that is of a piece with Adam Smith’smusings about economics and commerce.Classically, it is called Capitalism.We have a hard time in American culturemanaging a critique of Capitalism. The wordacquired almost deified valuation during the ColdWar. In the American mind, Communism wasbad and Capitalism was good, and there was littlenuance in the sentiment. Adam Smith did notwrite in a vacuum. He was a major figure in theScottish Enlightenment (1700’s), perhaps themost rigorous and thorough application of reasonand individualism the world has ever known. Oneauthor has described it as the movement that gavebirth to modernity.Reason and individualism, though rarelyidentified as such in contemporary parlance, areat the very heart of American consciousness.When we see the poor, our individualism drawsour attention to each single instance. Ourrationality asks questions regarding thatindividual’s choices, virtues and failings.Occasionally that same individualism andrationality turn their attention to God and wonderwhy He allows such problems to exist.Adam Smith’s contribution to economic theorywas rooted in “rational self-interest.” It was putforward that if markets are free, rational self-interest will be the engine of success andprosperity. It is an idea that is so current that itstalks the hallways of government to this day. It

operates as a general assumption – somethingthat need not be defended because it appears to beself-evident truth.It is not God’s truth.The closest thing to an economic theory in theScriptures is embodied in the laws of the SabbathYears. Every seven years, Israel was required toallow the ground to lie fallow, to give it a rest.There was then a cycle of seven Sabbath years(49 years) at the end of which (the 50th), all debtswere canceled, slaves were freed, and land wasreturned to its original owners.This radical reset of the economy has a particularinsight into the role of structures in the life of apeople. The laws regarding the poor (therequirement to allow the poor to “glean” thefields) makes no distinction about thecircumstances of their poverty. It doesn’t matterhow you became poor, there are structuresestablished for your protection. The Jubilee issomething of a structural protection againstrational self-interest. There is no doubt thatpeople will act in their own self-interest. It isinherent in sin. Left unchecked, that self-interestalways yields the same results: a decreasingminority accrues the wealth while others aredeprived. Self-interest is inimical to equality andrarely produces justice.God is not a Communist. However, He reveals tous the role played by the structures of our world.There is no level playing field. There is such athing as privilege and it is written into thestructures of every society. Without intervention,those structures become engines of an inequalitythat crushes the weakest, the least talented, theunlucky, and the feckless. So, God intervened.The economic ideas of our culture are deeplytheological. In popular American Christianity,salvation is seen as a matter of rational self-interest. It is more accurate to say that rationalself-interest was a theological concept before itbecame a part of Adam Smith’s economics. Therole of decision-making and the will, in theiralmost limitless conception, are endemic toAmerican religion. In the “hour of decision,”God is a choice. This over-emphasis on a

God’s Un-American View of the Poor and Why It MattersNovember 30, 2017 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

rationalized concept of the will distorts the wholeof the American gospel. I think it’s why we are sofascinated with hell.For example, the arguments surrounding hell andits eternal necessity, are deeply grounded (inmodern times) within our need to safeguardrational self-interest at all costs. Without such alooming consequence, who would ever rationallychoose good over evil? Or so we think. This is aterrible distortion of the will. We certainly have awill, and it has some measure of “freedom.” Butthe playing field of the human soul is not level.The ancestral nature of our existence (no one startsfrom scratch) has tilted the field of the human soulfrom the beginning. We are not “totally depraved”as some would say, but we are all a bit depraved.The Orthodox account of human sin is notgrounded in the will. It is grounded in mortality.Adam and Eve are not punished by beingconsigned to a world of rational self-interest.They simply enter mortality. It is death that is ourproblem. The “sins” we commit, even throughthe poor use of our will, are ultimately aconsequence of living in a world where “deathreigns” (Rom. 5:17). The Orthodox proclamationis that Christ defeats death: the playing field istilted in the other direction.Christ’s descent into Hades and His resurrectionfrom the dead are God’s cosmic Jubilee. Indeed,Christ links His entire ministry with a cosmicJubilee:And He was handed the book of the prophetIsaiah. And when He had opened the book, Hefound the place where it was written:“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,Because He has anointed MeTo preach the gospel to the poor;He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,To proclaim liberty to the captivesAnd recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are oppressed;To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”Then He closed the book, and gave it back to theattendant and sat down. And the eyes of all whowere in the synagogue were fixed on Him. AndHe began to say to them, “Today this Scriptureis fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk. 4:17-21)

The “Acceptable Year of the Lord” is the cosmicJubilee.In His descent into Hades, Christ “loosed thebonds of the captives.” The narrative of Paschagenerally makes no mention of rational self-interest. Scandalously for many, it says nothingabout the role of the will in those who aredelivered. This indiscriminate generosity isdeeply troubling for many and almost alwaysfinds some response that re-establishes theprimacy of the will. We agree that the bonds ofthe captives are loosed, but they really have towant their bonds to be loosed.As a culture, our myth of rational self-interest hasmade us leery of any scheme that attributessuffering to the structures of society. Suchnarratives carry a tint of Marxism for most andthreaten to undermine our cherished individualism.Imagine, if you will, a proclamation that all collegedebts were to be forgiven. The response, I suspect,would be to complain that some of the debts wereacquired foolishly and without concern forconsequence. Those who are foolish or stupid mustbe made to pay. Imagine a fifty-year cycle in whichthe accrued wealth of all was re-distributed. Thecards are re-shuffled and the game of Monopolycan begin again.I hear the protests already. But I am not writing tomake economic suggestions. That would be auseless exercise. However, I do write to suggestthat our theology has been co-opted by a falsenarrative that skews our thinking about the wholeof our faith. Rational self-interest (even whenmarried to hell and heaven) is not a proper basisfor Christian thought. The narrative that is ourinheritance in Christ is found in Pascha. It wasfound in Passover before that. What decisionswould a culture make about its problems if itsthoughts were governed by Christ’s Pascha? Howwould it view the poor? What would it do with thestructures that tilt the field and lock the door?Dear America, What would Jesus do? No, Whatdid He do?

– Fr. Stephen Freeman

In the Bible footnotes supplied by the StAthanasius Academy for Hebrews 5:11-14 and6:12 we learn that “when Christians are notgrowing spiritually, doctrine is difficult to explainto them. Let us repent of being dull of hearing -a constant criticism Christ and the prophetshad of God’s people – and habitually andvigorously exercise ourselves in spiritualmatters.” St John Chrysostom taughtpersistently that “The primary spiritual exercise isthe study and knowledge of the Scriptures.”Like the physical growth of our bodies, or the

development of our feelings-emotions andthoughts- minds, our growth “in life, in faith andin spiritual understanding” also comes inoverlapping stages.STAGE 1. Our "Everyday Time" is interrupted

now and then by "Church Times". “When do Ihave to go to church?” is a big deal at this“spiritual baby” stage of Christiandevelopment. This is done when – if we areable to – we go to Church on Sundays and noton all of the 12 major Feast days, but onlysome of them, which are called “holy days ofobligation”. Also, very important at this stageare the questions, “When is the service goingto begin?” “When is the service going to end?”“Why is it so long?” Our involvement staysutterly passive. The underlying motivation forattending church services and living a Godlylife is like that of having an uncomfortable jobworking in a factory, but one that pays my bills,so: I’m not attached to this factory and willwork here only so long as the benefits aregood to me; I don’t know, and don’t reallywant to know the boss or owner, all I want is topunch the time clock so as not to get intotrouble; I get it over with, out of the way, assoon as possible; this is what I have to do inorder to get back to the things I actually likeand want to do; tell me what is the least that Ihave to do in order not to get kicked out, etc.We are still so infected with modern spiritualillnesses (for example: minimalism, individualismand hedonism) that we do not yet even realizethat we are suffering from them.STAGE 2. When we becomemore actively

involved in worship and prayer, we are like“spiritual children”. We start attending servicesregularly. We celebrate days other than merelythe “Obligatory” Sundays and feasts, forexample: All Soul’s, Wednesdays and Fridays of

Lent, minor feast days, Major Feast days thatare not obligatory, etc. We begin andmaintain a daily discipline of prayer. We onlyjust begin to realize that God has a time all Hisown that is different from our own time andthat even if we have not yet figured it all out,our intuition tells us that God has a goodreason for it, and it has nothing to do with Hisbeing a Taskmaster, or factory foreman, overus. It begins to dawn on us that wemay havepicked up willy-nilly from our surroundings some“spirits” (i.e. ideas) which are inconsistent with atrue Life in Christ, for example: individualism(What’s in it for me?), hedonism (If it feels good,do it, if it feels bad, run from it!) and minimalism(What’s the least I have to do in order to be amember of the Church and to squeeze intoheaven?). It begins to dawn on us that weneed to do something about disentanglingourselves from “the spirit of this age” because itis not at all a healthy way of being, thinking,feeling, etc.STAGE 3. We start accepting – rather than

explaining away or fighting against – therebeing a “God’s time” and “our time” whichare different. This reality becomes OK with us.We no longer fuss over it, but live by twocalendars: our "Everyday Calendar" and our"Church Calendar." At first, one of thecalendars will dominate. We are like “spiritualteenagers”, not yet really adults, but not reallychildren anymore. Gradually we begin to putthe two calendars together through (a) dailyprayer, (b) regular and willing attendance atmost worship services, which we now begin tounderstand and participate in, (c) seeking todo the will of God at all times. Good deedsand the so-called “Precepts of the Church”start becoming more andmore second natureto us, rather than being a target, which wemerely hit every now and then. We choose tofight daily against the prevailing evil spirits ofour day and age: the spirits of minimalism,individualism and/or hedonism. We do notpray, fast and accomplish works of mercybecause we have to, but because we chooseto do them for the glory of God.

STAGE 4.We become fully “orthodox”(true in faith, relationship with Christ isrelationship with Truth itself, I believe what Hebelieves) and catholic (universal in love,relationship with Christ is relationship with Love

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN WE SAY:“I am maturing in LIVING THE CHURCH’S LIFE”? or“I am learning how to “LIVE THE SACRAMENTS”?

itself, I love the way He loves). Pope John PaulII, specifically said that our Ukrainian CatholicChurch is called to be, in his words, “orthodoxin faith and catholic in love” when he spoke tous at our Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral inBuenos Aires, Argentina, on April 10, 1987. It isthe will of God that all of us are meant tobecome “spiritual adults” who have reachedfull maturity: “the stature of the fullness ofChrist” (Ephesians 4:13 and Hebrews 6:1-3). Ourcalendars should be integrated as one. In thisstage of growth we become aware of howthe "Church Time" penetrates the "EverydayTime". Our "Church Time" informs and bringshope of the Kingdom to our "Everyday Time".The practice of the Theological and CardinalVirtues, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah11:2-3) and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit(Galatians 5:22-23) becomemore andmorereal in us.Thus, Living the Church’s Life, or Living the

Sacramental Life, is about integrating aprocess, or what St. Paul calls “working outone’s salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil.2:12). Those who teach that salvation is alegalistic event, or a magical moment, or aone-time declaration of faith in Christ oftenintimidate unprepared Catholics andOrthodox by saying “Are you saved?”, butthey are unfortunately quite mistaken. Weshould learn to respond to such bully tactics by“living the Truth in Love” (Ephesians 4:15),saying firmly, but kindly, that:“I was saved when Jesus died for me on

Calvary, I am being saved to the degree that Iparticipate in the life of Christ and that of HisBody, the Church, and I will be saved whenJesus returns to judge heaven and earth and itis He who will proclaim definitively that I didaccept and live a real Life in Christ.”A mature Life in Christ is about consistency

and persistence in repenting for our sins as aresult of embracing belief in the message of HisHoly Gospel. Every baptized and chrismatedCatholic Christian, is called to this Spirit-filledLife in Christ. It is not just for “professionalChristians”, like priests, deacons or monastics.Jesus described the Kingdom of God as a

seed. How is that seed implanted and nurturedin us? How does the seed grow, so thateverything in our lives becomes a "means ofgrace"? How does the seedmature so that wesee the whole world as a "sacrament" of God?How does the seed grow andmake uspartakers of the Kingdom of God? The answeris ... by our regular and faithful participation in

the Sacramental Life of the Church! Throughthe "leaven" of the Holy Mysteries-Sacraments,our lives are filled with the Life of God, theworld is transformed into God's Kingdom, andour reality is transfigured to reflect the reality ofthe radiance of the Glory of God.If not the warning of Hebrews 5:11-14 and

6:12, then at let us at least heed the warning ofSt. Gregory the Dialogist (Pope St. Gregory theGreat of Rome), +12 March 604, given in his“Sermon on the Gospels, Matthew 22:1-13,”paragraph 8:“And it should not frighten you that in the

Church the bad are many and the good few.For the Ark, which in the midst of the Flood wasa figure of this Church, was wide below andnarrow above, and at the summit measuredbut one cubit (Genesis 6:16). And we are tobelieve that below were the four- footedanimals and serpents, above the birds andmen. It was wide where the beasts were,narrow where men lived: for the Holy Church isindeed wide in the number of those who arecarnal minded, narrow in those who arespiritual. For where she suffers the morals andbeastly ways of men, there she enlarges herbosom. But where she has the care of thosewhose lives are founded on spiritual things,these she leads to the higher place; but sincethey are few, this part is narrow. Enter by thenarrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad isthe way that leads to destruction, and thereare many who go in by it. How narrow is thegate and difficult is the way which leads to life,and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13-14)!” The Ark is made narrow at the summit, sothat it is but one cubit wide: because, of thosein the Church, the holier they are, the fewerthey are. She reaches her highest perfection inHimWho alone amongmen was born Holy,and there is none to be compared with HimWho, in the words of the Psalmist, has becomeas “a sparrow all alone on the housetop (Ps.101 8).” And so the more must we suffer themin patience; for on the threshing floor few arethe grains carried into the barns, but high thepiles of chaff that are burned with fire.”

Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church2235 Galahad Road

San Diego, CA 92123-3931Fr. James Bankston, AdministratorFr. Deacon Jonathan A. Deane

Rectory/Office: 858-277-2511 Social Hall/Ethnic Foods: 858-268-3458Email: PastorHASD@gmail.comWebsite: www.HolyAngelsSanDiego.comFacebook: Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church

All those requesting Holy Mysteries must be parishioners for at least six months.

Mysteries of Initiation: Requires Pre-Baptismal instruction. The Mysteries of Initiation arecelebrated on Saturdays or Sundays within the Divine Liturgy. At least one sponsor must be aCatholic and the other a practicing Christian. Both sponsors must present documentation thatthey are in good standing with their church.

Mystery of Crowning:Requires Pre-Marriage instruction. Consult Fr. James at least six months priorto making wedding plans. Marriages cannot be celebrated during the fasting seasons of the Church.

Funerals: Contact Fr. James.

Liturgy, Panachyda and Eternal Lamp Intentions: Schedule with Fr. James. It is “holy andwholesome thought to pray for the dead” (2 Maccabees 12:46) especially on the 9th and 40th days,and on the anniversary of their falling asleep in the Lord.

Holy Mystery of Confession: First Wednesday of the month from 7PM - 8PM. Also availablebefore all services or by appointment. Confessions end 15 minutes prior to services.

Sick calls / Holy Anointing / Hospital Visits: Requested by parishioner, friend, or family.

Please submit all Bulletin announcements to Fr. James for approval by Wednesday of each week.

Last Sunday’s bulletin is available in the Narthex or on our website.

Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 10:AM - 5PM. Please call ahead to make sureFr. James is on-site. Call anytime in case of an emergency.

Bless, O Lord, the worship and Stewardship of your faithful servants:LastSunday: attendance: 92;AdultTithes: $1415.00; Improvement Fund: $70.00;Non-Parishioner: $288.57;Total: $1773.57

Vocation Icon: This week (December 1): The Greenwell FamilyNext week (December 8): The Lucero FamilyPlease sign up in the narthex to host the vocation icon.