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Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church
The Fisherman’s Net Volume 10 Issue 1 February 2018
A special thank
you to all of you
who have, and
continue, to
sponsor The
Fisherman’s Net
May God Grant
You Many Years
Church
Council
John Parker-
President
Tedd Tripp- VP
Roy Peckham-
Treasurer
Beverly Parker-
Secretary
Andrew Mihaly-
Financial
Secretary
Trustees:
Carol Bodwalk
John Buckeye
Ann DeMelfi
JoAnn Hanna
Michael Goresh Thomas Macri
Great Fast
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…(Eph 6:10-18).
As we prepare ourselves for the great fast, I want remind everyone that the fast is not a punishment, but a tool intended to soften our hearts and assist us in purifying our hearts and minds. Fasting is not simply about abstinence from certain foods, but about fasting from sin. St. Mark the
Ascetic says ‘We plead with God to
deliver us from our sins, but we love
their causes.’ When we fast, during
Lent, let our eyes fast from improper
images. Let us fast from entertainment,
movies, TV, and frivolous time on the
internet.
Let our ears fast from listening to idle talk. Let us fast from impure speech, idle talk, etc. Let us learn to give alms to those in need and remember Matthew 25: When the Lord comes in glory with His Holy Angels He will separate the sheep from the goats based upon what they did or did not do. Let us visit the sick and the prisoner, feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
While we may want and desire to live a God pleasing life, we know from
experience that we often fail. It is like St. Paul accurately describes,
“For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15).
Because of our propensity to sin, the life in Christ involves, what the
Russians call, podvig. Podvig may be translated as spiritual struggle.
Archbishop Michael explains, “The great Russian Saint, Theophan the
Recluse, defines our entire Christian life as podvig. He explains that
while the spirit hates sin, the flesh may actually dwell in it. How then is
this battle within ourselves to be resolved? It is resolved
through podvig, the spiritual struggle of bringing the soul into mastery
over the body. The Church gives us directions for doing this through our
prayer rule, participation in divine services and Scripture reading,
fasting and abstinence, standing in worship and making prostrations,
giving alms to the poor, etc. All of these things strengthen the soul by
disciplining the body, and as we fulfill these ascetical practices, we will
indeed find that they help us draw nearer to our Creator and Savior.
During Lent in particular, we are called to deepen our souls in Christ, to
do more, to go beyond what the Church has already told us are the
necessary first steps. Podvig is precisely that "doing more.”
“One might ask, why should we do all of this? Why should we undergo
this Lenten “struggle,” this podvig, anyway? The answer is to achieve
our goal, the goal not only of Lent but of our entire lifetime – to come
closer to Christ, to become more like God, to enter into eternal
communion with the Holy Trinity. We want that because we know how
much Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior, has loved us – with that
love greater than any man has, to lay down His life for His
friends (John 13:35). And so, let us “Let us set out with joy upon the
season of the Fast, and prepare ourselves for spiritual combat” … let us
undertake our Lenten podvig … to show our love for the God Who loves
more than we love ourselves. To Him be all glory unto ages of ages!”
—Fr. Michael
PARISH HAPPENINGS
Birthdays in February- Zachary Beckley- February 5
Kathy Kessler-February 10
Gloria Kundrat- February 20
Mary Hinkle- February 23
Hannah Kessler- February 24
Anniversaries in February- John and Bev Parker-
February 13
Remember in your Prayers: Archbishop Nikon, Bishop Herman,
Priest Emilian, Priest John, Priest Nicholas, Priest James, Priest John,
Kathryn, Larraine, Jennifer, Rose, Effie, Christina, John, Christine, Ivy
Elizabeth, Yvette, Tyler, David, Marie, Jenny, Paul, Paul, Annie, Erin,
Clare, John, Dianne, Joe, Bryce, Luke, Melanie, Amailia, Stavro,
Thomas, Ethan, Emmitt, Mary, Jack, James, Alaina, Kyle, William,
Ron, Elizabeth, Christina, Missy, Bob, Carol, Leadeth, Linda, Korey,
Cathy, Maggie, Tom, Mike, Artem, Antonina, Elaine, Cali, Mariah,
James, John, Barbara, Tom, George, David, Charlie, Joseph, Heather,
Leyla, Nick, Jean, Andy, Nicole, Ally, Reagan, Tara, Sam, Ray, Bill,
Hannah, Edward, Rick, Roy, Mary, Michael, Taylor, Pamela, Jillian,
Jean, Jesse, Kurt, Nancy, Theodore, John, Finley, Michael, Paula,
Nathan, Noah, Nikki Ann, Matthew, Diane, Sarah, Martin, Iva,
Stephen, Rory, Thomas, Paul, Gloria, Justina, Jean, Keegan
SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: The Sacrament of Confession has always been a central part of an Orthodox
Christian’s journey in Great Lent and the preparation for Pascha.
Anyone interested in participating in this Sacrament of
Confession and Reconciliation can plan on doing it after any
Lenten Service, or make set a time with Fr. Michael.
Church School News
January
Pre-Lenten Party
Friday, February 16th
@ 6 pm
“Howdy Partner”
Join us for a Wild West party! Dress up in very best
western gear, eat some grub, and have lots of fun!
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Deal with everything with love, kindness, meekness,
patience, and humility. Be rocks. Let all the waves
break over you and turn back leaving you untroubled.
You’ll say, “That sounds fine, but is it possible?” The
answer is, “Yes, always with the grace of God.” If we
look at things in human terms, of course things seem
impossible. But instead of affecting yourself adversely,
all these things can be of benefit to you, increasing
your patience and your faith. Because all the
difficulties that surround us represent a kind of
gymnastics for us. We exercise ourselves in patience
and endurance. St Porphyrios
Lenten Mission Vespers
Sunday of Orthodoxy … Wilkes-Barre Cathedral.
Saint Gregory …. St. John the Baptist in Nanticoke
Sunday of the Cross….Holy Annunciation in Berwick.
Saint John Climacus …. Saint Michael’s Jermyn.
Saint Mary of Egypt …. Holy Cross in Williamsport
Palm Sunday … Wilkes-Barre Cathedral.
All Church services are at 4:00 p.m.
TOOLS FOR GREAT LENT
The whole “spirit” of fasting is related to changing our
lifestyles for a period of time, as a means to help us
focus more on our pursuit for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore, along with giving some things up, why
don’t we try to add more spiritually edifying activities.
1. Be disciplined in saying your prayers every
morning and evening. 2. Come to Church every
Sunday, and even attend one of the extra Lenten
services through -out the week. 3. Read the Bible
every day. 4. Pray the Jesus Prayer daily, and sit in
silence and meditation for 10 minutes each day. 5.
Free up your schedule so you are not so busy. Make
time to think about what is truly essential in life. 6.
Talk less, gossip less, control your speech, don’t
participate in inappropriate talk or joking, and
instead, fill your mind with what is meaningful and
positive. PRAYER
24 HOUR HOLY MONDAY PRAYER CHAIN
During the first day of Lent (from April 1 at 7pm until
April 2 at 7pm) we will have our “24-Hour Prayer
Chain.” We are looking for 24 parishioners who will
each commit to pray in their homes for one hour a day
during this period. Each parishioner will commit to
praying at a different hour of the day and night. This
means that at every moment during the first day of
Lent someone from our Church Family will be lifting up
their voice in prayer. The purpose of our Prayer Chain is
twofold: to help the participants enter into the spiritual
life of Lent, and to get our Church Family to pray for
one another and all those who have special needs. If
you know someone who needs extra prayers, please
give their names to Fr. Michael. If you are interested in
participating in this Prayer Chain, please contact Fr.
Michael as soon as possible and he will provide you
with the prayers and the structure of how to pray for
one hour a day.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Adult ed. First two Sundays of the Month
Catechesis Tuesdays at 11:00 am
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Thanks to all the volunteers who
have come out to prepare and to serve our meals on the Second
Monday of each Month for all our guests!
Holy Annunciation
Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in
America 1228 2nd Avenue
Berwick, PA 18603
(570) 752-3184
www.orthodoxberwick.org Rev. Michael Demko, Rector