ORTHODOI CBlCBin MRICA

SS P E T E R AND PAUL C H U R C H 401 Hamilton St Syracuse NY 13204

THE ENLIGHTENER July 2019 www.sspeterandpaulsvracuse.com Vol 4 1 No 7

The Fullness of being an Orthodox Christian

A church is the true Church of Christ if it can show historically that it was founded by Christ and has maintained a living connection over the centuries with that early Church. We need this historical connection in order to be assured that the deposit of faith has not been tampered with but has been handed down to us in its entirety. "... the Orthodox Church is the true Church of God on earth and maintains the fullness of Christ's truth in continuity with the Church of the Apostles. This awesome claim does not necessarily mean that Orthodox Christians have achieved perfection: for we have many personal shortcomings. Nor does it

necessarily mean that the other Christian Churches do not serve God's purposes positively: for it is not up to us to judge others but to live and proclaim the fullness of the truth. But it does mean that if a person carefully examines the history of Christianity he or she will soon discover that the Orthodox Church alone is in complete sacramental, doctrinal and canonical continuity with the ancient undivided Church as it authoritatively expressed itself through the great Ecumenical Councils."

The Orthodox Church is the legitimate and historical continuation of the early Church. She has the same faith, the same spirit, the same ethos. "This is the Apostolic faith, this is the faith of the Fathers, this is the Orthodox faith, this faith has established the universe" (From the Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers).

Sometimes we hear people say, "It doesn't matter what one believes as long as he is sincere in his belief." This is quite naive because Hitler was sincere - very sincere in what he believed but unfortunately he had the wrong creed. Most of the trouble caused in the world today is caused by people who have the wrong creed whether it be communism, materialism, secularism or atheism. If we Christians believe that we have the right creed then we have an obligation to become better acquainted with it that we may translate it into deeds - deeds that bring glory to God. This is what creeds are made for: to be translated into life. It is a terrible thing to believe in many gods. If one believes in blind fate, in astrology, in lucky numbers and charms and mascots as well as in the Almighty Dollar, then one's heart is torn apart. There are too many gods to satisfy. "No man can serve two masters," said Jesus.

The Enlightener July 2019

Anything more than one God is too many. For there is only one true God. This was one of the most precious truths that God revealed in the Old Testament: "Hear, 0 Israel: the Lord our God is one God."

The Church is a source of strength because it is none other than Christ prolonging Himself through space and time; Christ continuing to be present with us; Christ continuing to save us; Christ continuing to fill us with the fullness of God's life.

There is a legend about Zacchaeus the dishonest tax collector whom Jesus called down from a sycamore tree one day to have dinner with him. Zacchaeus, as you recall, was converted as a result of this personal encounter with the Master. In later years, the legend says, Zacchaeus used to rise early every morning, carry a bucket of water to this tree and carefully water its roots. On one occasion his wife followed him and when asked the reason for this strange concern over an old sycamore tree, Zacchaeus replied, "This is where I found Christ." The Church is where we find Christ. There we are baptized. There we hear His word. There He comes to dwell in our hearts when we receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. This is why we love to go to Church. This is why we support it. This is why we work for it. This is why we go out into the world every Sunday to be the Church wherever we are.

Being an Orthodox Christian is far more than being able to produce a baptismal certificate; it is a personal experience of the Risen Christ, living and reigning in our lives. It is inner peace and freedom, a new sense of direction and purpose in our lives. When the Holy Spirit came to those gathered in the upper room on Pentecost, He brought a new and powerful experience of God's presence and power in their lives. They were never the same again. The experience of God in their lives through the Holy Spirit was powerful and personal. St Paul constantly proclaims "/ know Him in whom I have believed", "/ know that all things work together for good". Here is a faith that was born not of argument or discussion but in the inner experience of living by faith and prayer, obedience and love in the Holy Spirit. St Symeon said that it is not enough that the Christian believe that Jesus Christ or the Holy Trinity live in him. That presence must be operative in a way that is consciously experienced. We should be aware of that divine life moving and operating In us just as the pregnant woman is aware that new life stirs within her.

St Basil wrote, "As our body cannot live without breathing, so our soul cannot keep alive without knowing the Creator; for the ignorance of God is the death of the soul." The Apostle John writes. "And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent". The supreme blessing of the human soul is that it can know God. The supreme tragedy is that often it does not want to know Him, being distracted by the things of this world. Finallly, the Catechism tells us that we were born for nothing else. We live for no other purpose than to know, love, and serve God on earth, and to enjoy Him for all eternity. various excerpts from introducing the Orthodox Faith by Anthony Coniaris

The Holy Prophet Ezekiel -July 21 The Holy Prophet Ezekiel lived in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. He was

born in the city of Sarir, and descended from the tribe of Levi; he was a priest and the son of the priest Buzi. Ezekiel was led off to Babylon when he was twenty-five years old together with King Jechoniah II and many other Jews during the second invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnessar.

The Prophet Ezekiel lived in captivity by the River Chebar. When he was thirty years old, he had a vision of the future of the Hebrew nation and of all mankind. The prophet beheld a shining cloud, with fire flashing continually, and in the midst of the fire, gleaming bronze. He also saw four living creatures in the shape of men, but with four faces (Ez. 1:6). Each had the face of a man in front, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back (Ez. 1:10). There was a wheel on the earth beside each creature, and the rim of each wheel was full of eyes. Over the heads of the creatures there seemed to be a firmament, shining like crystal. Above the firmament was the likeness of a throne, like glittering sapphire in appearance. Above this throne was the likeness of a human form, and around Him was a rainbow (Ez. 1:4-28).

According to the explanation of the Fathers of the Church, the human likeness upon the sapphire throne prefigures the Incarnation of the Son of God from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who is the living Throne of God. The four creatures are symbols of the four Evangelists: a man (St Matthew), a lion (St Mark), an ox (St Luke), and an eagle (St John); the wheel with the many eyes is meant to suggest the sharing of light with all the nations of the earth. During this vision the holy prophet fell down upon the ground out of fear, but the voice of God commanded him to get up. He was told that the Lord was sending him to preach to the nation of Israel. This was the beginning of Ezekiel's prophetic service.

The Prophet Ezekiel announces to the people of Israel, held captive in Baylon, the tribulations it would face for not remaining faithful to God. The prophet also proclaimed a better time for his fellow-countrymen, and he predicted their return from Babylon, and the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple.

There are two significant elements in the vision of the prophet: the vision of the temple of the Lord; full of glory (Ez. 44:1-10); and the bones in the valley, to which the Spirit of God gave new life (Ez. 37:1-14). The vision of the temple was a mysterious prefiguring of the race of man freed from the working of the Enemy and the building up of the Church of Christ through the redemptive act of the Son of God, incarnate of the Most Holy Theotokos. Ezekiel's description of the shut gate of the sanctuary, through which the Lord God would enter (Ez. 44: 2), is a prophecy of the Virgin giving birth to Christ, yet remaining a virgin. The vision of the dry bones prefigured the universal resurrection of the dead, and the new eternal life bestowed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel was condemned to execution because he denounced a certain Hebrew prince for idolatry. Bound to wild horses, he was torn to pieces. Pious Hebrews gathered up the torn body of the prophet and buried it upon Maur Field, in the tomb of Sim and Arthaxad, forefathers of Abraham, not far from Baghdad. The prophecy of Ezekiel is found in the book named for him, and is included in the Old Testament. (from oca.org)

July 2019 Bulletin Board

READERS SCHEDULE

July T Hours: Elena Kantor

Epistle: Henry Dotterer

July 14'̂ Hours: Bill Helwig

Epistle: Matt Chupeck

July 21'' Hours: Rachel Sahm Epistle: Tim Chupeck

July 28'̂ Hours: Sophia Sahm Epistle: Adam Kantor

August 4*̂ Hours: Bill Helwig

Epistle: Henry Dotterer

August 11*̂ Hours: Henry Dotterer Epistle: Matt Chupeck

August 18'̂ Hours: Elena Kantor Epistle: Tim Chupeck

August 25'̂ Hours: Sophia Sahm Epistle: Bill Helwig

Food Pantry Donations

are accepted and appreciated all year round!

.Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Level I Formation Training

Monday - Friday, Aug 12-16.2019

St Tikhon's Seminary Register at nynjoca.org.

Upper NY State Church School

Teachers Conference August 10, 2019

10 a m - 2 pm Ss Peter & Paul Church

Endicott NY Is the continuation of

the Progrann explored last year:

Catechesis of The Good Shepherd

This presentation will focus on Level II

Ages 7-9

Upper NYS Youth Day Sponsored by the Diocese of NY & NJ

Thursday, Aug 22, 2019 10 am -6 pm at Seabreeze

Amusement and Waterpark In Rochester NY.

Registration is required and will be available on the

Diocese of NY & NJ website. The day begins at St John the Baptist Church, Rochester NY

with 10 am Pancake Breakfast.

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS

July f^- Gressels July 14'̂ -Szymaniaks July 21'*--Nadia, Kara,Becky July 28'̂ - Dotterers Aug4*- Batons Aug I f ̂ —Ko n d a koff/S weet Aug 18*̂ - Swifts Aug 25*' - Weisners

Next Parish Council Meeting

postponed until further notice

Volunteers needed by the Cemetery

Foundation Please call John Soltis

or John Daniel (315) 391-5694

for details.

Camperships for our children

to attend a session at St Andrew's Camp

are available. Contact Fr John

or a Council Member.

Bottle and Can Drive

i is on-going to benefit our Youth Programs

D e i f i c a t i o n

Our life as Christians is guided by the belief that we are called " to become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). We are invited to live the very life of God and to become intimately related to Him. This seems too daring an expression for many people, but the Spirit of God is daring in the vision it sets for us as we travel on our path. Our closeness to God is described as that of branches with the vine (John 15:4), comparable to the union of the Father and the Son (John 17:22-23).

"In Christ the fullness of deity resides In bodily form. Yours is a sharing of this fullness, in Him who is the head of every principality and power" (Coiossians 2:9-10).

We can approach the Unattainable God with the intimate confidence of children to their abba/Father (Romans 8:14-17). It is with this confidence that the Fathers affirmed, "God became man so that man can be made divine"

This was God's plan from the beginning. And so the human race was; ® Created in God's Image and Likeness (Genesis 1:26-28) - capable of living in harmonious

relationships with others; like the Trinity, In whose image we are. ® Fallen, but Recreated in Christ - "Through the fall our nature was stripped of divine Illumination

and resplendence. But the Word of God had pity upon our disfigurement. In His compassion He took our nature upon Himself, and on Tabor He manifested It to His elect disciples clothed once again most brilliantly. He shows what we once were and what we shall become through Him in the age to come, If we choose to live our present life as far as possible In accordance with His ways" (St. Gregory Palamas)

« Gifted with Eternal Life - even now, by being physically united to Christ and to have the Holy Spirit dwell within us through the Holy Mysteries.

"What is this mystery all about me? I had a share in the image; I did not keep it And now He partakes of my flesh that He may both save the image and make the flesh immortal. He unites with us in a second way more marvelous than the first." (St Gregory the Theologian, Oration 33:12).

July 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

4 Independence

Day

5 pm Great Vespers Confessions

8 10 11 3rd Sun 9:30 am

Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour

"A house is not built by beginning at the top and working down. You must begin with the foundations to reach the top. The foundation is our neighbor, whom we must win, and that is the place to begin. For all the commandments of Christ depend on this one."

—Saint John the Dwarf

12 IS

5 pm Great Vespers Confessions

14 4th Sun Holy Fathers of

the first six Ecumenical

Councils 9:30 am

Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour

15 16 17 18 19 20

5 pm Great Vespers Confessions

21 22 5th Sun 9:30 am

Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour

24 25

28 29 6th Sun 9:30 am

Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour

so SI

Burning incense represents the prayers and good works offered by the faithful to God.

27

5 pm Great Vespers Confessions