May2016

No.114

TheOrthodoxParish
oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
Lancaster,U.K.

TheStavronian

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodia'

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxChristianArchdioceseoftheBritishIslesandIreland.
ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches.
ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch
(Acts11:26)

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

THEMODELOFPRAYER

! !

Chapter2;WhoartinHeaven

!
!
Hristos a nviat! Adevrat a nviat!
Le Christ est ressuscit! Vraiment Il est
ressuscit!
Cristo risorto! veramente risorto!
Cristo ressuscitou! Verdadeiramente
ressuscitou!
Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente,
ha resucitado!
Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist
wahrhaftig auferstanden!
Al-Masih-Qam! Hakkan Qam!

! !

The Father is enthroned above the

highest dominions of the cosmos. Deut.
26:15 and 1 Kings 8:30. He is in the
heavens; the word shebashamayim in
Hebrewthewordforheavenispluralnot
singular.Godisaboveus.Attheheartof
theLordsPrayerthereisatranscendence
that we must acknowledge. A main
principleinourOrthodoxfaithisthatwe
can know God through his energies,
energia,butnotinessence,ousia.InThe
Mystical Theology of the Eastern
Church,byVladimirLosskyhequotesSt
John of Damascus all that we say
positivelyofGodmanifestsnothisnature
butthethingsabouthisnature.
In Genesis we read how In the
beginningGodcreatedtheHeavensandthe
EarthbutsinceGodexistedbeforeall
time and space and since God is spirit
thereisaspiritualdimensionofwhereHe
is, unlimited by that which He has
created.BythegraceofGodtheheavens
aremaintainedandpreserved.OnlyGod
iswithoutbeginningandend.InBook2
Chapter 6 on the exposition of the
Orthodox Faith, St John of Damascus
saysconcerningtheheavens:Heavenis
the circumference of things created, both
visible and invisible. For within the
boundary are included and marked off
boththementalfacultiesoftheangelsand
alltheworldofsense.ButtheDeityalone
is uncircumscribed, filling all things and
surroundingallthings,forHeisaboveall
thingsandhascreatedallthings.
We view the physical heavens and
contemplatethevastnessoftheUniverse
butourcomprehensionislimitedtothat
whichisrevealed andexperienced; God
howeverisomniscientandomnipresent:
Isaiah55:8;Formythoughtsarenotyour
thoughts,neitherareyourwaysmyways,

declarestheLord.Forastheheavensare
higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts
thanyourthoughts.
We hear of St Paul speaking of
someone who was caught up into the
thirdheaven,2Corinthians12:2;Iknow
a man in Christ who fourteen years ago
was caught up to the third heaven.
Whetheritwasinthebodyoroutofthe
bodyIdonotknowGodknows.
InSt.JohnsGospelOurLordwhen
preparing his disciples in the farewell
discoursetellsthem,John14:1Letnot
yourheartbetroubled;youbelieveinGod,
believealsoinMe.InMyFathershouseare
manymansions.
For St. Isaac the Syrian the love of
Godiseverpresent.Hellisnottheabsen
ce of God nor the separation from the
presence of God; itis to experience the
LoveofGodeitherassomethingwhichis
wonderful or terrible depending upon
ones spiritual condition. Both Heaven
and Hell are conditions of relationship
with God either through theosis the
acquisitionoftheHolySpiritorperdition
whichisourchoice.Forthosewhohate
God it is suffering, it is self exclusion.
ThereisnoplacewhereGodisnot: God
is everywhere. There is no place God is
not You cry out to Him, Where art
Thou, my God? And He answers, I am
present,mychild!Iamalwaysbesideyou.
Bothinsideandoutside,aboveandbelow,
whereveryouturn,everythingshoutsGod!
InHimweliveandmove.WebreatheGod,
weeatGod,weclotheourselveswithGod.
EverythingpraisesandblessesGod.Allof
creation shouts His praise. Everything
animateandinanimatespeakswondrously
andglorifiestheCreator.Leteverybreath
praisetheLord! JosephtheHesychast,
78thLetter.
Psalm 96:11; Let the heavens rejoice
and theearth beglad. Angels inheaven
andmenandwomenoneartharecalled

togiveglorytoGod.Indeed,theheavens
themselves declare in silent witness the
gloryofGodandproclaimthroughtheir
vastnessandgreatnessthepoweroftheir
Creator.
StJohnChrysostominhisHomily19
onStMatthewsGospelpointstothefact
thatChristwhenheteachesOurFatherin
heavenisnotseparatingGodandcutting
Himofffromusasaremotefigurebut
rathersothatwehumansmaywithdraw
fromtheearthinprayerandfixourgaze
on the heavenly realms. Indeed, every
DivineLiturgyistheturningofourselves
toGodandanexperienceoftheKingdom
of Heaventhe intersection of past and
future,eastandwest,heavenandearth.
OurveryorientationandpostureisTheo
centric.Inthewest,forthemostpart,the
pastor faces thepeople in ananthropo
centric gesture, but in the East for the
most part, the priest faces Godwards.
Thisisnotinsignificant.
We are convinced that during this
Divine Liturgy, we have once again been
transferred spiritually inthree directions:
towardthekingdomofheavenwherethe
angelscelebrate;towardthecelebrationof
the liturgy through the centuries; and
towardtheheavenlykingdomtocome.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew dur
ingtheDivineLiturgyonthefeastofSt
Andrew,Nov.30,2006.
Indeed,duringtheDivineLiturgywe
arecalledtolayasideallearthlycareat
thesingingoftheCherubicHymnandto
mystically represent (more accurately
become anikon of) the Cherubim in
Heavenaswetoochantthethriceholy
hymntothelifecreatingTrinity.Wedo
thissothatwemayreceivetheKingof
all, escorted invisibly by the hosts of
angels.TheChurchonearthistransform
ed and transfigured joining with and
becomingonewiththeheavenlyChurch
Triumphant.Thechurch'sliturgicalsong
iscoordinatedwiththeangels'heavenly
doxology,andthepriestandpeopleenter

intoaradiantinvisibleandsacredLight.
We should not be surprised if we see
angelsorhearthemattheHolyLiturgy.
ElderIakovossaid:Peopleareblindand
dontseewhattakesplaceinchurchduring
theDivineLiturgy.OnceIwasservingand
IcouldntmaketheGreatEntrancebecause
of what I saw. I suddenly felt someone
pushing me by my shoulder and guiding
metowardtheholyprothesis.Ithoughtit
wasthechanter,andsaidtomyself:'The
blessed one, such irreverence? He entered
throughtheBeautifulGateandispushing
me?'. I turned around and saw a huge
wing that the archangel had laid on my
shoulder,andthathewasguidingmeto
make the Great Entrance. What amazing
things take place in the altar during the
DivineLiturgy.
When Christians fall asleep in the
Lordanddepartthislifetheyawaitthe
Resurrection of the Dead. As Christians
we believe in Resurrection not in the
platonicimmortality ofthesoul.Christi
ans remain a vital part of the Body of
Christwhichspansheavenandearth.We
are registered in heaven (Hebrews
12:23)withthegreatcloudofwitnesses
whichsurroundus.Heavenisthegather
ing place of the Church inhabited by
angels and men. Heaven does not
separatethesoulfromthebodybutitis
where humanity is invigorated by the
Holy Spirit and where it is transfigured
and perfected. Consider how august a
privilegeitis,whenangelsarepresent,and
archangelsthrongaround,whencherubim
andseraphimencirclewiththeirblazethe
throne,thatamortalmayapproachwith
unrestrainedconfidence,andconversewith
heaven'sdreadSovereign!O,whathonour
was ever conferred like this? St John
Chrysostom,OnPrayer.
Psalm19:1;Theheavensdeclarethe
gloryofGodandthefirmamentshowsHis
handiwork.Thisthenistheproclamation
oftheheavenlyrealmforthegloryofGod

theirCreator,amplifiedandtranslatedon
earthbythepreachingoftheGospelby
theApostles.Romans10:18;Theirsound
has gone out to all the earth, and their
wordstotheendoftheworld.
Godspeaksandtheheavensandthe
earth come into being,butthevoice of
Godisnotamonologueitisadialogue
withHiscreation.Christwhositsatthe
righthandoftheFatherandwhoisthe
WordoftheFatherspeaksfromHeaven
andtheUniverseisfullofHisglory.
Tobecontinued.
FrJonathan

ISEUROPESTILL
CHRISTIAN?
Recenttragiceventsandthegeneralpoli
tical crisis on European soil, prompted
me to reflect more upon its Christian
rootsandtheroleithadandstilldoes
ontheformationofourcommonidentity.
Christiantheology,ourownunderstand
ingofourfaith,hasoftenrelied onthe
believersacceptanceofthepresenceof
antinomiesorparadoxes;both,indogma
ticdefinitionsandthespiritualformation.
For example; Christ is fully divine and
fully human, Mary is both Virgin and
Mother,andGodisatthesametimeOne
and Three. AllgreatOrthodoxtheologi
ans, from the Cappadocian Fathers up
until 20th century Russian thinkers like
Fr. Pavel Florensky and Vladimir

Lossky, affirmed that this is the safest

wayoftheologisingfortheChristians
the way that will help them avoid the
pitfallofconceptualidolatry:thetempta
tion to construct our own supreme
knowledgeofthedivinerealitiessimply
throughtheuseofeverydayhumanlogic.
Antinomies are therefore important, to
remind us that God is far beyond our
immediate comprehension, and they
shouldhaveapowerfuleffectofhumbl
ing minds and hearts in the face of
eternal and the most holy mysteries of
IncarnationandRedemption.
Thisreflectivetensionthatdefinesall
Christiantheologyshouldalsobepresent,
Ibelieve,inthecorrectinterpretationof
the Holy Scriptures as well as their
implementationinourdailylives.Inthe
Bible ingeneral, and intheNew Testa
mentinparticular,thereisastrongsense
of Gods desire for human or Israels
selfaffirmation and selfexpression, as a
signofHisinfiniteloveandinexhaustible
mercy for us. At the same time we are
also very much aware of the ever
increasing need for selfgiving,almostto
the point of the total selfdenial. An
example given by Christ is more than
sufficient to inform us, how serious we
musttakeGod'scommandmentregarding
the love for our neighbour, and shock
ingly,evenforourenemies!Atthispoint,
youmaynaturallyask:whathasallthis
hastodowiththeChristianrootsofthe
commonEuropeanvaluesandOURway
oflife(Imadeanassumptionthatsucha
thing exists, as a more or less unifying
factor, but you may still disagree). The
paradox of coexisting affirmative and
expressive drives in the Christian story,
sidebysidewiththegivingandsacrificial
sideofit,hasleft,inmyview,aperma
nent mark on European soul, shaping
foreverherspiritualcharacterandgiving
theflavourtoherwayofunderstanding
theuniverseanditsmeaningforus.

ThesecularEuropeanproject,which
haddesertedandpurposefully forgotten
theChristianfaithoftheforefathersstill
couldntfullyescapeitslifegivinginflu
ence. Beneath the agnostic sediment of
human rights and freedom of expression
type of rhetoric, there is still hidden
somethingoftheChrists divineempathy
and the acceptance of the sinner. His
graciousforgiveness andHisrespectfor
uniqueness of the person, however de
privedtheyare,resonatesdowntheages
anditcanstillbefaintlydetectedinthe
individualcentred attitudes of postEn
lightenment, European intelligentsia.
However, the Russian Orthodox 19th
century writer, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky,
reminded us of the dire consequences
that Godamnesia has upon the indivi
dualandthesocietyasawhole.
Even before the hypersecular 20 th
century,heprophesisedinhisnovelsthat
godlessideologiesleadtoutterconfusion
andeventuallytoperditionofcivilisation.
Evenwhenencouraginghumancreativity
through politics, science and arts, by
ignoring the religious nature of the
Person;theyareunwittinglycreatingthe
cultural vacuum that will be filled with
destructive and antihuman forces. In
theirdelusionandblindness,evenwhen
offering the power to the individual to
determine herself: in the long term,
without fully internalising Christs
corrective ofselfemptyingandfreeGift
it will all fail as a victim of onesided
Humanism;onethatfindsitsfreedomin
this world, and not in the Kingdom of
Heaven. Europe will rediscover her ne
glected soul once again through the
divine antinomies/paradoxes of Christs
Godmanhood;oftheOnewho affirms in
GivingandexpressesbyLettingGoofall
thatisnotGodswillandjoy.Europewill
then,onceagain,findhertruecalling.
AleksandarMiljkovic
London

NAMESOFDEPARTED
LOVEDONESTOBE
REMEMBEREDTHISMONTH

Crosswillbereplacedeventuallywithan
Icon of the Mystical Supper that Pater
EustathiosfromCyprushaspromisedus.
Photos of the Readers stand and the
iconostasisfollow.

May26:Paraskeui
MEMORY ETERNAL!
Pleasesendusthenamesofyourdepar
ted loved ones and dateof their depar
tureinorderforthemtoberemembered.

PARISHNEWS
CristaMorgan haskindlyofferedtotake
SundaySchoolonthe2ndand4thSundays
ofeachmonth.CristaisaPrimaryJunior
Schoolteacherandsoisamplyqualified
to take charge of our little ones. The
Sunday School will begin at 10.30 a.m.
andbefor45minutesuntil11.15a.m.on
theseSundays;theywillthenjointherest
ofthe Congregation atthe Holy Liturgy
for Holy Communion. They will be
meetingintheVestry;itmaybeagood
idea to bring a cushion! This is the
practiceatourCathedralofStGeorgein
London when Samira brings out about
40 children from Sunday School to
receivetheHolyMysteries.WeaskGod's
blessing.Matthew19:14;ButJesussaid,
Letthelittlechildren,andforbidthemnot,
to come unto me: for of such is the
kingdomofheaven.
Wethank Tony Plater forhislovely
work for God, constructing our new
Readers Stand as well as for the
embellishmentsabovetheHolyDoorsand
frameworkforthe Platytera Banner.The

We also thank Kostas Papaconstantinou

fromCyprusfortheparceloftheincense,
charcoalandEasterprayercards,Ioanna
Nassiopoulou from Athens for the
Liturgical books in both English and
Greek, the candles, incense and candle
holders, Nikolaos Georgopoulos from
Athens and Christodoulos Skempes and
Konstantinos Voutzoulides from Patmos
fortheboxofcandlesandincense,and
Apostolos and Kleio Kechagia from
ThessalonicaforthebeautifulIconofSt
Paisios,thecasefortheSaint'srelicsand
standaswellasthelovelyPersiancarpets

forthechurch.Finally ourthanksgo to
thechoirfromThessalonicaforenhancing
with such beauty our Paschal worship.
WegivethankstoGodforallgifts!

STAVRONIANCORNER
DearFatherJonathan,
We hope you are doing well. We
wouldliketosendgreetingstoLancaster
Orthodox community and share some
pictures,maybeyouwilllikethem.We
hadsnowlastweekend(April9and10)
andsomefrost;temperaturewas6Cat
nightand4CatdayinMichigan,instead
ofspringflowersandsunshine.Itisgood
thatfruittreesarenotblossomedyet,so
possiblywecanhaveapples,peachesand
famous Michigan cherries at summer.
Nowwehavesunshineandtheypromise
warmweatherthisweek.Iattachedsome
pictures.
Thankyouforyourprayers,kindness,
support.
Withlove,
Alla,AndreiandMasha

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS
MONTH
st
1May:GreatandHolyPascha
nd
2May:StGeorgetheGreatMartyrand
Triumphant
th
8May:St.JohntheTheologianandSt.
ArseniustheGreat
th
11May:Sts.CyrilandMethodius,
EqualtotheApostles
st
21May:St.ConstantineandHelen
EqualtotheApostles
rd
23May:TheretrievaloftherelicsofSt.
JoachimofIthaca

For the lives of Saints please visit the

CalendaroftheGreekOrthodoxArchdi
oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

ServicesatStMartin'sduringMay*
Sun.1st
Sat.7th
Sun.8th
Sat.14th
Sun.15th
Sat.21st
Sun.22nd
Sat.28th
Sun.29th

15:00
13:00
14:00
10:00
10:30
13:00
14:00
10:00
10:30
13:00
14:00
10:00
10:30
13:00
14:00
10:00
10:30

HolyPaschaVespersofLove
ConfessionsandSynaxarion
GreatVespers
Hours
HolyLiturgy
ConfessionsandSynaxarion
GreatVespers
Hours
HolyLiturgy
ConfessionsandSynaxarion
GreatVespers
Hours
HolyLiturgy
ConfessionsandSynaxarion
GreatVespers
Hours
HolyLiturgy

*Helpsettingupthechurchisgreatlyappreciatedandstartsfrom9.30a.m.

Godcaresforeveryone.Despairisineffectalackoffaith
St.GeorgeKarslides

Forfurtherinformationpleasecontact:
FatherJonathanHemmings
67SibseyStr.,Fairfield,Lancaster,LA15DQ
Tel:+441524840759,+441524580600
Email:frjah@yahoo.co.uk
www.orthodoxlancaster.org.uk
www.antiochianorthodox.co.uk
ThefollowingblogsofOldStavroniansareavailableinRomanian,ConstiintaOrtodoxa,in
English,Orthodoxcityhermit,andinGreek,Orthodoxyrainbow.

TopandbottomsketchesarecreatedattheHolyMonasteryofTheAnnunciationoftheTheotokosChios,Greece,courtesyofFrTheodosiosDendrinos,Ithaca,Greece.
ThesketchofChristbyPhotisKontoglouwasscannedfromtheOrthodoxcalendaroftheApostolikiDiakoniaoftheChurchofGreece.