Dec. 15 – 25th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8

Prophet Habakkuk (7th c. B.C.). Martyr Myrope of Chios (251). Venn. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus of Egypt (4th c.). Ven. Jesse (Ise), bishop of Tsilkani in Georgia (6th c.) (Georgia). St. Athanasius, recluse of the Kyiv Caves, whose relics are in the Near Caves (1176). St. Athanasius, recluse of the Kyiv Caves whose relics are in the Far Caves (13th c.).

Eph. 4:1-6; Lk. 18:18-27;

Dec. 22 – 26th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 1

The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos. Prophetess Anna (Hannah) (1100 B.C.), mother of the Prophet Samuel. Saint Sophronios, Archbishop of Cyprus (6th C). Ven. Stephen the "New Light" of Constantinople (912).

Eph. 5:8-19; Lk. 17:12-19;
Gal. 4:22-31; Lk. 8:16-21

Апостол і Євангеліє - Gospel and Epistle of the Day

Дивіться у вказівках - See propers here

The Rich Young Ruler, Luke 18:18-27

What's the point? Being free enough to give – that is the gift Jesus gives.

In this story a man comes to Jesus and says, "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus says, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

Who is God in this story? It's Jesus. Jesus IS God. Jesus does not say, "do not call me good because God is the only one who is good." Jesus says, "Why do you call me good?" Jesus knows that this man suspects Jesus is God himself. And Jesus wants to push the man to go further.

This man who comes to Jesus wants to receive things. He wants the secret code to get eternal life. He wants a backstage pass. He wants into the VIP section, where the cool kids hang out. It's like you might see in the movies a night club and there are like 100 people standing in line to get in, and a celebrity drives up in their limo, and get let in ahead of everyone else. No waiting in line for Beyoncé.

Maybe he was even prepared to pay for it. He knows that Jesus has something special, and this man just wants some of it. But Jesus wants this man to stop thinking about what he can buy or get or inherit. Jesus wants the man to give.

He says sell everything  you have. All of it. Jesus wants this man to find freedom from his possessions. He wants to free this many from the loneliness of having something everyone else wants, and never knowing if your friends like you as much as they like your money. He wants to show this man how good a time you can have waiting in line with everyone else. He wants to give this man community, family, brotherhood, self-respect. And above all he wants him to have a purpose in life.

We can all see ourselves in the young rich man. We come to Jesus to get, and not to give. We come to get an experience of a familiar church service on Sunday. But often we don't come prepared to give our time, money, and energy to give  to others.

Or we come to church to receive the true facts, the right arguments, but when we go about our lives during the week, we never give out anything like kind words, prayers and blessings.

A few weeks ago, we read the gospel passage about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was the bad guy in the story because he didn't feed Lazarus. Last week the rich guy was the bad guy because he horded his wealth. Now the rich man is – kind of – the bad guy in this story because he won't sell his goods and distribute the money to the poor.

"It's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So all of these Gospel readings basically say that rich people have to help poor people. There's no way around it. That's what they're saying. I would be lying and hiding the truth from you if I didn't discuss this.

The relationship between rich people and poor people is a really complicated thing. In the earliest church Christians lived in a community that had all possessions and all money in common. That was what was expected. Not only did people give all their money to the church, and live in community with everyone else, they also bought the freedom of slaves. And they took in unwanted children.

In the Roman empire, people would take unwanted children and leave them outside in the woods to die of exposure, or to be eaten by the animals. They reasoned, "if the gods want this child to live, let the gods take care of the child." This happened more to girls than boys.

Christians would rescue the girls and take on the responsibility of raising the girls. And so there were a large number of women who, ironically, had found their freedom in the church. Because their biological parents gave them up, the women were not under any obligation to marry someone chosen for them. The could choose not to marry, something novel. And in this group of women we see the beginnings of female monasticism.

Salvation for someone who was a slave, and is no longer a slave, or for a child that was rescued from the woods, that kind of salvation is very practical. People felt that God had done a miracle for them. And God had done a miracle for them. But God also did a miracle for the rich people. God freed the rich people in these communities from slavery to their money.

When Jesus says, "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God," he doesn't mean, "God is going to be sitting at the gate of heaven and refusing entry to all the rich people." He doesn't say they can't get into heaven. He says it is hard for them to enter the Kingdom of God. But the Kingdom of God within us, in our midst, it is the Church, the redeemed family of God. It's not just about where you end up in the afterlife, it's about what community you enter into now.

It is hard for rich people to find themselves truly a part of same family as the poor. Jesus is saying salvation for the rich is when they are freed form the tyranny of their possessions.

It is truly difficult for rich people to break free. It's hard to train your mind to think differently. To truly care about other people. To give up power and influence. To give up comfort. To give up financial security.

Jesus knows it's hard. He is not saying, "you're not good enough, rich person." He is saying, "I understand that it seems impossible for you to actually follow me to the cross. But my strength is made perfect in weakness. You are not alone in this struggle. I am with you. And with God it is possible!

But this takes us back to what we said in the beginning – do we really think Jesus is God? When we really do trust in Jesus we trust that investing our time and money in the church is a good investment for our children, just as good as a stock portfolio, or a trust fund or private schools.

The greatest possession you can have is to do the work of Jesus Christ. The greatest financial freedom you can ever achieve is the freedom to give fearlessly. The greatest success you can ever have is to obey Jesus Christ. The richest people in the world are the ones that know they need God.

What Saint Nicholas Really Looked Like

In 1953, church staff in Bari, Italy, opened the tomb of St. Nicholas to begin the process of mitigating water damage to the crypt over nearly a millennium. When the restoration was completed, in 1957, an Italian professor of anatomy named Luigi Martino was the first modern researcher – and the only researcher known to date – to perform a complete osteological analysis of the saint's bones. His anatomical discoveries reveal a different picture of what "Santa Claus" looked like than what is usually seen in popular culture.

He made a conclusion about the saint's illness.

The damaged joints, spine and sternum bear witness to the torments Saint Nicholas suffered in prison – he was tortured by stretching, like many other Christians during the persecution. Radiological examination of the skull revealed a large internal compression of the bones of the skull. Professor Martino believes that these changes are caused by long-term effects of imprisonment, cold and dampness.

Later that year in the journal Bolletino di San Nicola, Martino presented his findings from X-rays and bone measurements.

They represented the remains of a man who was over 70 years old at the time of his death. He was of average height for that time, only 167 centimeters, slim to average build. The short, broad face of St. Nicholas had broad cheekbones, a broad forehead, and a slightly protruding chin. The medium-width nose showed signs of a healed fracture. As is common with people of advanced age, Saint Nicholas had many decayed teeth, as well as chronic arthritis of the spine and pelvis.

As a result of the study of the remains, Professor Luigi Martino determined that the face shown on the icon fully corresponds to the appearance of the reconstructed face of the relics in Bari: "According to the structure of the skull and skeleton, the saint was of medium height and dark skin, high forehead, had protruding cheekbones and a chin , a skeleton of medium strength."

Anthropological studies of the remains indicate that he did not eat meat, but only plant food. The height of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is also determined: 167 centimeters.

Using modern computer technologies, an artist tried to depict the face of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

From orthochristiantools.com

Як справді виглядав св. Миколай?

У 1953 році співробітники церкви в Барі, Італія, відкрили гробницю Св. Миколая щоб розпочати реставрувати крипт який був пошкодженний водою протягом майже тисячоліття. Коли реставрація була завершена, в 1957 році, італійський професор анатомії на ім'я Луїджі Мартіно був першим сучасним дослідником - і єдиним дослідником, відомим на сьогоднішній день - який виконав повний остеологічний аналіз кісток святого. Його анатомічні відкриття показують іншу картину того, як виглядав "Санта-Клаус", ніж те, що зазвичай спостерігається в популярній культурі.

Він зробив висновок про хворобу святого.

Пошкоджені суглоби, хребет і грудина свідчать про муки, які святий Миколай зазнав у в'язниці - його катували розтягуванням, як і багатьох інших християн під час переслідування. Рентгенологічне дослідження черепа виявило велике внутрішнє стиснення кісток черепа. Професор Мартіно вважає, що ці зміни викликані довгостроковими наслідками ув'язнення, холоду та вогкості.

Пізніше того ж року в журналі Bolletino di San Nicola Мартіно представив свої висновки з рентгенівських променів та вимірювань кісток.

Вони представляли останки чоловіка, якому на момент його смерті було більше 70 років. Він був середнього зросту на той час, лише 167 сантиметрів, стрункий або середній статур. Коротке, широке обличчя Св. Миколая були широкі вилиці, широкий лоб і злегка виступаюче підборіддя. Ніс середньої ширини мав ознаки загоєного перелому. Як це було прийнято для людей похилого віку, у Святого Миколая було багато попорчених зубів, а також хронічний артрит хребта та тазу.

В результаті вивчення останків професор Луїджі Мартіно визначив, що обличчя, зображене на іконі, повністю відповідає зовнішньому вигляду реконструйованого обличчя реліквій у Барі: "Відповідно до структури черепа та скелета, святий був середнього зросту та темної шкіри, високого чола, мав виступаючі вилиці та підборіддя, скелет середньої сили".

Антропологічні дослідження останків показують, що він не їв м'ясо, а лише рослинну їжу. Також визначено висоту Святого Миколая Чудотворцем: 167 сантиметрів.

Використовуючи сучасні комп'ютерні технології, один художник намагався зобразити обличчя св. Миколая Чудотворця.

Перекладено із orthochristiantools.com

Fall 2024 Kitchen Sessions (Updated 11/27)

December

Wednesday 12/18 6-7pm 2 men to load roasters in ovens and juice them

12:00 midnight – Turn ovens on (375 degrees)

Thursday 12/19 7:00 - 2 Men to take holubtsi out of ovens

8:00 Holubtsi Packing – Roaster washing

Friday 12/20 10:00 Holubtsi/Pirohy Bagging

Saturday 12/21 10:00 - 12 noon Holubtsi/Pirohy Sale (Need 9:00 attendance)

Ukrainian Orthodox League
Thanksgiving Project

November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving and also the month we commemorate the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine. The UOL National Executive Board has decided that our yearly recommended Thanksgiving Project will focus on bringing a greater awareness of the Holodomor while helping the hungry in our communities now and in the future. In our remembrance, we strive to combat hunger in the present.

Please donate non-perishable foods in the bin in the vestibule. Each item will be labeled with a sticker that says:

In 1932, 10 million people perished in an artificial famine in Ukraine.
We pray no one ever goes hungry again.

#Holodomor #UkrainianGenocide #NeverForget

All donations will be given to Our Lady of Sorrows food pantry. If you would like to write a check, please make it payable to OLS Food Pantry. We will collect food and donations until Sunday Dec 15th.

Let's remember the innocent victims of the Ukrainian Holodomor, honor their memory, and help those in need within our own community at this time of giving!

Let's Help Ukraine!

St. John's Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund is accepting donations to help Ukrainians during war. Donations will go to provide food and other humanitarian needs.

To make donation online click here

We accept checks as well.

Please make the checks to St. John Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund

Mailing address:

1 Saint John's Parkway
Johnson City NY 13790
 

Cash is accepted in church

Pray for Ukraine!

Prayers for Ukraine are done during each service. To see the schedule click here.

Молитви за Україну проводяться під час кожної служби. За розкладом дивіться тут.

May God bless and protect Ukraine!

Happy Birthday

• December 20: Mrs. Anne Kinney

* If your or someone else's birthday is missing or incorrect please let Fr. Ivan know right away.

Please Pray for the Servants of God

Rose, Marlyn, Bob, Nadine, Dannette,
John, Jane, Mary, Zenna, Douglas,
Melanie, William, Marion, Helen,
Mariann, Robert, Jean, Ronald, Brian,
Fr. James, Scott, Andriy, James, William,
Peyton Mary, Pipinos, Sharon Italiano

Upcoming Readings