St Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church

March 10, 2018 · 6:46 pm

WEEKLY CHURCH PROGRAM | 4 – 10 MARCH 2018

SUNDAY 4 MARCH
† Second Sunday of Lent, St Gregory Palamas | Mark 2: 1-12
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy

Today’s readings:

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March 4, 2018 · 12:19 pm

The blessed Eldress Theosemni

Humble, Merciful, and Ascetic

Let us have a humble spirit. May we be careful to never see the sins of others, only our own sins. We, however, want to fix other people, but don’t want to fix ourselves. Eh…does this happen, though? No, we don’t fix ourselves! Our brother is not to blame for whatever happens, our spiritual condition is to blame. It’s this condition of ours that upsets us, which makes us judgmental, which causes us to get angry. We mustn’t blame others for these things. The causes are within us. If we ever do or think something good, let us not regard it as our own achievement, but the achievement of God. And let us say, “You, my God, You gave it to me. It’s yours and You allowed it and gave me the strength to do it.” In this way, we chase thoughts of vainglory far from us. Continue reading →

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March 4, 2018 · 12:09 pm

Overcoming Paralysis Through Humility: Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent in the Orthodox Church

2nd Sunday of Lent, St Gregory Palamas, Mark 2:1-12

“And though every day a man lives may rightly be a day of repentance, yet is it in these days more becoming, more appropriate, to confess our sins, to fast, and to give alms to the poor; since in these days you may wash clean the sins of the whole year.” – St. John Chrysostom, “The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers”

If we were not aware already that we have much in common with the paralysed man in today’s gospel reading, the first two weeks of Lent have surely opened our eyes a bit to that truth. The struggle to embrace spiritual disciplines quickly shows us that we typically do not control ourselves very well at all. We find it so hard to turn away from our usual self-centred habits when we seek to give more attention to prayer, fasting, and generosity. We are so weak in our ability to stay focused in opening our hearts to the Lord and guarding them from evil thoughts. We have so little strength to resist our addiction to our stomachs and taste buds, and basically to indulging our desires for pleasure in whatever form we want it. We often feel powerless in our struggle to forgive others and mend broken relationships. Taking even small steps to reorient our lives to God through spiritual disciplines should open our eyes to the paralysis of our souls. Continue reading →

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March 4, 2018 · 11:50 am

WEEKLY PROGRAM 25 FEBRUARY – 3 MARCH 2018

SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY
† First Sunday of Lent, Sunday of Orthodoxy | John 1: 43-51
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Continue reading →

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February 25, 2018 · 12:46 pm

WEEKLY CHURCH PROGRAM | 18 – 24 FEBRUARY 2018

SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY
† Cheesefare Sunday | Matthew 6: 14-21
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy

MONDAY 19 FEBRUARY
† CLEAN MONDAY – FAST FOR GREAT LENT BEGINS
• 5.00pm Service of Great Compline with 1st section of Great Canon Continue reading →

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February 18, 2018 · 1:19 pm

WEEKLY PROGRAM | 11 – 18 FEBRUARY 2018

SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY
† Judgement, Meatfare Sunday | Matthew 25: 31-46
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy

This week’s readings:

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February 11, 2018 · 1:58 pm

On DESPAIR

St Seraphim of Sarov writes on despair: ‘As the Lord works for our salvation, so the devil, that killer of men, works to lead man into despair.’ Judas the betrayer was little of soul and untested in battle, and therefore the devil, seeing him in despair, attacked him and forced him to suicide. But Peter, the firm rock, when he fell into great sin in the testing time of battle, did not despair nor lose the presence of the Spirit, but wept bitterly from a full heart, and the devil seeing this, fled from him as from a flaming fire. And, my brethren, St Antiochus teaches that, when despair descends upon us, we must not surrender to it but, strengthened and protected by our holy Faith, say resolutely to the wicked spirit: ‘What hast thou to do with us, thou who hast fallen away from God, thou fugitive from heaven and slave of wickedness? Thou darest in no wise do us harm, for Christ the Son of God has dominion over us and over all. But thou, O thou murderer, get thee away from us! Strengthened by His precious Cross, we trample upon thy serpent head!’

Source:
Bishop St Nikolai Velimirovic, Prologue from Ochrid

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February 11, 2018 · 1:32 pm

The “Last Judgement”: Meat-Fare Sunday

~ Matthew 25:31-46
~ “When the Son of Man shall come” Matthew 21:31-46

Dear brethren, today’s gospel reading tells us about the Second Coming of Jesus. When Christ came the first time, He came as a very humble infant to the stable of Bethlehem. The second time He will come in His glory and in His dignity. The first time He came, many people did not notice His arrival and instead of giving Him a throne to sit on they put Him on the cross. Next time He will come sitting on the throne of His glory to judge the living and the dead. Upon His first arrival angels escorted His entrance into the world. Upon His second coming angels will accompany Him again, “And all the angels with Him”. Continue reading →

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February 11, 2018 · 1:28 pm

St. Kosmos: Hatred is the Devil’s Poison

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

Even if we perform upon thousands of good works, my brethren: fasts, prayers, almsgiving; even if we shed our blood for our Christ and we don’t have these two loves (love of God and love of brethren), but on the contrary have hatred and malice toward our brethren, all the good we have done is of the devil and we go to hell. But, you say, we go to hell despite all the good we do because of that little hatred?

Yes, my brethren, because that hatred is the devil’s poison, and just as when we put a little yeast in a hundred pounds of flour it has such power that it causes all the dough to rise, so it is with hatred. It transforms all the good we have done into the devil’s poison.

~ St. Kosmas Aitolos, The Life of St. Kosmas Aitolos Together with an English Translation of His Teaching and Letters, Translated by Nomikos Michael Vaporis

“The outward man perishes through fasting and self-control, but the more he does so, the more the inward man is renewed…”

~ St. Gregory Palamas, “Homilies”