July2016

No.116

TheOrthodoxParish
oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
Lancaster,U.K.

TheStavronian

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodia'

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxChristianArchdioceseoftheBritishIslesandIreland.
ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches.
ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch
(Acts11:26)

THEMODELOFPRAYER
Chapter4;ThyKingdomComeThywill
bedoneonearthasitisinheaven
TheKingdomofGodortheKingdomof
Heavenisthatruleinpeoplesheartsover
the other kingdoms that superimpose
themselvesasnationsandempires.Rem
emberhowourLordwastemptedatthe
beginningofHisministryinLukeChapter
4:Thenthedevil,takingHimuponahigh
mountain,showedHimallthekingdomsof
the world in a moment of time. And the
devilsaidtoHim,AllthisauthorityIwill
giveYou,andtheirglory;forthishasbeen
deliveredtome,andIgiveittowhomeverI
wish.Therefore,ifYouwillworshipbefore
me,allwillbeYours.AndJesusanswered
andsaidtohim,GetbehindMe,Satan!
For it is written, You shall worship the
LORDyourGod,andHimonlyyoushall
serve.
In the Old Testament, the prophet
SamuelupbraidsthepeopleofIsraelfor
preferringakinglikeothernationsrather
thanthesovereignLordoftheUniverse(I
Samuel8:67).Later,theprophetDaniel
foretellsofasuccessionofkingdomsthat
wouldbedestroyedbeforetheruleofthe
Son of Man who would usher in the
Kingdom of God. This kingdom would
last forever. We see throughout the
historyofIsraelasuccessionofKingdoms
tryingtosubjugatethepeopleofGodin
the Old Testament; the Egyptians, the
Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babyloni
ans,thePersiansandatthetimeofOur
Lords own ministry on earth, the Rom
ans.
Theproblemisthatmanhasapro
pensityformakingpaleshadowsanddis
tortionsoftheheavenlyKingdom.Totali
tarian regimes and political ideologies
alwayscloakthemselveswithareligious
veneertogivetheillusionoftheutopian
idyll, when in reality such systems are

oftenbuiltonliesanddeception,reinfor
ced by violence and intimidation, fear
andsuspicion.Manywritersandphiloso
phershavetriedtoconstructtheirideaof
utopiatheidealstateandtheydisagree
withoneanother.Theydisagreebecause
theyallstartfromthewrongperspective.
They start with the proposition of the
perfectstatewithouttakingintoaccou
nttheimperfectpeoplewhoinhabitthis
Utopia.OurLordunderstoodthatitwas
necessarytochangethepersontofitthe
Kingdom of God. This is the revelation
thatChristcametobring.Itisnotmyste
rybutsecrecythatveilsthetruth.Myste
ryrevealstheTruth,secrecyalwayshides
it.Obediencehasadestructivecharacter
ofslavementalityifitproffersallegiance
tomanmadedogmas; ithasacreative,
freeingqualityifobedienceistothewill
ofGod.
IntheOldTestament,Godtaberna
cledortentedwithhispeople.Indeed,
St John in the opening Prologue of his
Gospel uses this same word translated
intoGreekwhenhesays:John1:14;The
Word became flesh and made his dwel
lingamongus.Beforethebuildingofthe
Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon,
theArkoftheCovenantwasthesymbol
of the presence of the Lord moving
amongstHispeople.TheArkwaskeptin
a Tent and the Hebrew people as a
nomadicpeoplealsolivedintents.Asa
familygrewlargerthetentincreasedin
size, but the larger thetent the greater
wastheriskofthewindblowingthetent
away,sincethewindhadalargersurface
areatoactupon.Thismeantthatthetent
requiredevenmoresecureanchorageto
the ground. The prophet Isaiah wrote:
Isaiah 54:2; Enlarge the limits of your
home, spread wide the curtains of your
tent,letouttheropestothefullanddrive
thepegshome.TheprophetIsaiahuses
thisprincipleofdrivingthepegshome
to illustrate the importance of securing
anddeepeningourspiritualresourcesas

wegrowinfaith.Faithmaybethepass
portbywhichweenterintotheKingdom
of God but we are called to employ all
our spiritual resources to establish the
KingdomofGodonearth.
ThemysteriesoftheKingdomareset
outinaseriesofparablesinStMatthews
GospelinChapter13.OurLordpresents
theKingdomintermsofmetaphors:The
KingdomofGodislike.Thisisnotin
order to confuse or to pose intellectual
riddles; quite the reverse! Christ paints
simple pictures in words from everyday
life. Parables are then for the simple
hearted and innocent who are open to
receive the mystery of the Kingdom of
God with faith through such images
whichareinvestedwithtruth.TheKing
dom is a gift; for the proud and those
who will not receive this gift, parables
remainriddles.
When religion assumes the garment
of worldly power, when it espouses
secularauthority,whenitembracesrele
vance and relativism, it ceases to be a
prophetic and authentic voice. Holiness,
particularlyinthewestisoftenviewedas
archaic and embarrassing. Indeed, piety
has a negative connotation and so new
ways which borrow from and which
appealtothesecularmodelarefoundto
dilute to popular taste returning the
wine which Christ had changed from
waterattheweddingofCanainGalilee
back into its original state. False King
doms are built on false teaching. Force
andviolenceleadtoadeath;mercyand
loveleadtoLife. John16:2; yes,the
timeiscomingthatwhoeverkillsyouwill
thinkthatheoffersGodservice.
OurLordJesusbeganHisministryby
declaring himself to be the Son of Man
and that the Kingdom of God was at
hand. The consummation of that
Kingdomwillbeattheendoftimeatthe
second coming or parousia of our Lord;
but our confession of this hope is not
based on an eschatological perspective

but a present reality, because the king

dom has already begun on earth its
inauguration came with the Incarnation
oftheMessiahChristwhoistheWaythe
TruthandtheLife.
Wearefreetochooseandtoaccept
citizenship of the Kingdom of God.
ArchimandriteVasileiosinhisbookThe
Christian in a changing world, p. 51,
illustratesthischoicethatGodgivesus:
Andsomeoneusedtosaythatinparadise,
God will say to everyone Come into
Paradise.Whathappensthere?theywill
ask. There is praise of God, there is a
climate of love, of interpenetration. So
thispersonsays,Noway,thatshellIm
going.Andthatisthewaythatonegoes
tohell,whichisthelackoflove.

Notmywillthisistheaxialphrase
uponwhichtheLordsPrayerbalances.It
isatthispointthatwearesetfree.Itisat
this moment that the prayer as it were
takesoffasanaeroplanetakesoffonthe
runway.Whenanaeroplanetakesoffand
landsthelittlewheelstakealltheweight.
The thrust of the engines, the law of
aerodynamics will complete the lift and

when inflightmodethe wheels are not

required. It strikes me that we too are
small,butarerobustenoughtotakethe
weightofGodswilltobeartheload.If
ourprayeristotakeoff,wewillneedto
absorbtheWillofGodwhenwearein
prayerthenwewillbeinflightwiththe
angels, yet like an aircraft in flight our
movementwillbeimperceptible.Prayeris
both movement and stillness or rather
being carried by the Holy Spirit who
directs us as on eagles wings. Isaiah
40:31; buttheythatwaitupontheLord
shall renew their strength; they shall
mountupwithwingsaseagles,theyshall
runandnotbeweary,andtheyshallwalk
andnotfaint.StPorphyrioswrites:The
soul of the Christian needs to be refined
andsensitive,tohavesensibilityandwings,
to be constantly in flight and to live in
dreams,toflythroughinfinity,amongthe
stars, amidst the greatness of God, amid
silence. St Porphyrios, Wounded by
Love.
Waiting upon God in prayer is the
veryoxygenoflifelikebreathinginand
out;takinginthegraceofGodexhaling
oursins.Prayershouldbecomeasnatural
asbreathing;forsurelywithoutitwedie
inwardly.
Wewishtoliveoutourearthlylives
according to his model (since we are
madeinHisimage),accordingtoHiswill,
whichisalwaysgood,andforustostrive
forperfection(Romans12:2).Obedience
isbeautifulandtruefreedom.Byobeying
thewillofGod,weestablishtheKingdom
of God on earth and imperceptibly we
changewithinourselves.
Ecclesiastes3:11;Hehasmadeevery
thingbeautifulinitstime.AlsoHehasput
eternityintheirhearts,exceptthatnoone
canfindouttheworkthatGoddoesfrom
beginningtoend.ChristsLightshinesin
ourhearts,wemaynotseeitinourselves,
weseeourselvesastheworstofsinners;
butotherswillseetheLightofChristin

usbecauseLightdoesnotbringattention
toitselfbutdispersesitselfsothatbyit
we may see everything else. A small
candleinadarkroomwillrevealallthe
obstaclesbeforeus.Weseeanexpression
of this understanding within the Holy
LiturgyitselfandwithintheChurch:St.
Germanos of Constantinople said The
ChurchistheEarthlyHeaven,inwhichthe
HeavenlyGoddwellsandmoves.
Forourindividualneeds,theweight
of Gods will may be difficult to
comprehendfullywewouldratherhave
ourfreedom;wewouldratherhaveour
will donebyGod.Sometimeswe tryto
makeadealwithGodIwilldothatfor
you,ifYouwilldothisforme.Goddoes
notdodeals,Herevealslikewiseweare
calledtoinspireratherthanconspirewith
others.

ChrististheWaytheTruthandthe
Life,theAlphaandtheOmegaandevery
kairos moment in between. We have to
realise the Kingdom of Heaven and to
understandthateverythingwedoisfor

that goal. Towards the end of the Holy

Liturgy in the Ektenia before the Lords
Prayerwemakethispetition:
PRIEST: AskingfortheunityoftheFaith,
andthecommunionoftheHolySpirit,let
uscommendourselvesandeachother,and
allourlifeuntoChristourGod.
CHOIR:Tothee,OLord.
God does not want us to be luke
warm,halfhearted,fairweatherfollow
ersinnameonly.Revelation3:1618;So
then, because you are lukewarm, and
neithercoldnorhot,Iwillvomityououtof
Mymouth.Ifwetrytofollowtheworlds
agenda or try to be relevant which is
the new shibboleth of political
correctness,towhatortowhomarewe
meant to be relevant? It is a form of
idolatry.Popularrelativismmayappealto
the urban jungle, but we will find
ourselves in a spiritual desert. The
hallmark of a secular understanding of
theworldisthatittrivialisesmagnitudes
andmagnifiestrivialities.AimatHeaven
andyouwillgetEarth'thrownin':aimat
Earth and you will get neither. C.S.
Lewis,TheJoyfulChristian.
God invites us to respond to His
initiative in synergia whereby we work
out and work at the details of His will
beforeusinthatlargerframeofgrace.
Inmychildhoodjigsawpuzzleswere
popular. I was taught by my parents to
lookforthestraightedgesfirsttoacquire
theoutline the frameand then look at
themodel,copytheprototypeinorderto
make a facsimile. As Christians we are
called to imitate Christ: Ephesians 5:1;
Therefore be imitators of God as dear
children. It is not always easy to find
where a piece fits but with help and
encouragement we will complete the
image.Sometimesaspiritualfathermay
offerhelpwithanobservation:Ohlook

that piece of the jigsawpuzzle fits

there!.
Goddoesnotdodealswhywould
HedodealswhenHeofferstheKingdom
for free anyway? Like Adam we want
thingsourway,wewanttobelikeGod
knowing everything. When we say Thy
WillbedonethenGodsWillmaycome
asashocktoourexpectationsandtoour
comfort zone. It will shake us out of
complacency and self satisfaction and
createinusanewheartandmoveusina
directionwhichisneedfulforoursalvati
on.WestrivethentoattaintheKingdom
and to actualise it in ourselves. Luke
17:2021;NowwhenHewasaskedbythe
PhariseeswhenthekingdomofGodwould
come, He answered them and said, The
kingdom of God does not come with
observation;norwilltheysay,Seehere!
orSeethere!Forindeed,thekingdomof
Godiswithinyou.
AnoldEnglishnurseryrhymedating
back to an actual event in the reign of
QueenElizabethI(15531603)goeslike
this:
Pussycat,pussycat,wherehaveyoubeen?
I'vebeentoLondontoseethefairQueen.
Pussycat,pussycat,whatdidyouthere?
Ifrightenedalittlemouse,underherchair.
Thelastlinesometimessungas:
I chased a little mouse right under the
chair
Thestory goes that a ladyinwaiting, a
courtieratthecourtofQueenElizabethI
ofEnglandhadapetcatwhichshetook
intotheRoyalPalace.Thecat,following
instinct spotted a mouse and leaping
from the womans arms, chased the
mouse under the Royal throne upon
whichtheQueenwasseated.Thecatwas
notinterestedintheQueen,onlychasing
the mouse! Likewise those who chase
moneyandwealth,powerandstatus,will
notpayattentiontothepresenceofthe

King or His Kingdom they are only

interested in building their own little
empires. Luke 16:13; No servant can
servetwomasters; for eitherhewillhate
theoneandlovetheother,orelsehewill
holdtotheoneanddespisetheother.Ye
cannotserveGodandmammon.
IfwearetomaketheKingdomcome
onearth,thenwehavetoseizeitbyforce
(Matthew11;12)wearetobeearnestin
our endeavours, single minded, zealous,
exertingalloureffort,braveandcourage
ousinspiritandtotallycommitted.When
weprayThywillbedoneandmeanit,
thenGodreducesouroptionsuntilthere
isonlyonewayforwardHisway!

AgainandagainwehavefoundthatC.S.
Lewis articulates a vision of Christian
truth which a member of the Orthodox
Church can whole heartedly endorse. His
startingpoint may be that of a Western
Christian, but repeatedly his conclusions
areOrthodox,with alargeaswell asa
smallo.
MetropolitanKallistosWare

Tobecontinued
FrJonathan

REMEMBERTHESIGNS
But,first,remember,remember,remem
berthesigns.Saythemtoyourselfwhen
youwakeinthemorningandwhenyou
liedownatnight,andwhenyouwakein
the middle of the night. And whatever
strange things may happen to you, let
nothing turn your mind from following
the signs. And secondly, I give you a
warning. Here on the mountain I have
spokentoyouclearly:Iwillnotoftendo
so down in Narnia. Here on the moun
tain, the air is clear and your mind is
clear;asyoudropdownintoNarnia,the
air will thicken. Take great care that it
does not confuse your mind. And the
signs which you have learned here will
notlookatallasyouexpectthemtolook,
whenyoumeetthemthere.Thatiswhyit
is so important to know them by heart
and pay no attention to appearances.
Remember the signs and believe the
signs.Nothingelsematters.
C.S.Lewis,TheChroniclesofNarnia

ELDERSTAVRONIAN
IwasseekingfortheTruthfor70years
andfinallyIhavefoundit!
BarnabasDickinson
OnSaturdaythe11thofJune(bythenew
Calendar)theOrthodoxChurchcelebra
tedthememoryofHolyApostleBarnabas
oftheSeventy,thestalwartcompanionof
ApostlePaulinhismissionsaround the
world.Atthisdaytheeldestmemberof
ourParish,Barnabas(Stanley)Dickinson,
celebrateshisNameday.Thesmalldele
gationheadedbyFrJonathan,consisted
alsofromKleio,myhusbandDmitryand
me,wenttocongratulatehimonMonday
13thofJune.
Barnabaslivesinasmalltownsouth
from Lancaster called Chorley. Actually,
the only time in his almost century life
(heisnow93)whenheforalongtime
was out from Chorley was during the

Second World War. Barnabas is one of

the few still living participants of the
operation in Normandy in 1944. He
explored the presents of the Orthodox
Church atthesametimewhenFrJona
thandidsoandjoinedhimonthePilgri
magetoOrthodoxy.Heliterallystandsat
thecradleofourHolyCrossParish and
remember those times as the happiest
partofhislonglife.
The Holy Communion for Barnabas
wasofcoursethecentralpartofourvisit.
WhilehewasreceivingtheHolyCommu
nionweweresurroundedbythevariety
ofbeautifulOrthodoxIconsonthewalls
ofhisliving room and of historic books
abouttheSecondWorldWarlyingevery
where.Formethisbackgroundpresented
thekeypointsofBarnabaslifeveryclear
lyandprecisely. Laterheconfirmed my
feelingbysayingthatofcoursetheWar
wasaturningpointinhislife,however
the main and most important one hap
penednearly30yearago,whenhewas
chrismatedintoOrthodoxy.
AftertheHolyCommunionwehada
little festal meal. We brought with us
some cakes and Barnabas made a very
tasty mint tea. It should be mentioned
separatelythatinhis93Barnabaslivesa
fulllifewatchingoverhishouse,cooking
forhimselfandworkingwithmanydocu
ments. Our meal was accompanied by
BarnabasandFrJonathansmemoriesof
theirfirststepsinOrthodoxy,andIthink
allofusmentioned how Barnabaseyes
wereshiningbrighteverytimehespoke
aboutOrthodoxyandtheOrthodoxFaith.
FromthepagesofthisStavronianwe
want one more time to wish our dear
Barnabas"Manyyears"andinviteyouto
accedetothesewishes!
EkaterinaShushkina

FrJonathanandBarnabasathishousein
Chorley

THEPRESCIENTPRIEST
Hewasaconverttoo.Hiseyeswereby
farthemostplayfulIhadeverencounter
ed! Clean and fresh like an ocean
breeze,magical,charming,fairylike,spri
ghtly, with elfin grace, conjuring deep,
greenforestsandstarrynights!Whosaid
that holiness is forbidding and austere?
Thispriestisthemosthumbleandwel
coming I have ever received a blessing.
Youfeellikeaninnocentsmall child in
hispresence.Still,heissootherwordly,
lightandfree!Literallyfloating!

Atabreakbetweentalks,Iwhisperto
afriend ofmine:Letusgoandgethis
blessing!Heissuchaholyman,sospecial
and close to God! She readily agrees.
Beforehoweveramoveismadeoralook
isexchanged,somethingmostunexpected
happens.Hecouldnothavelistened!He
isfaraway,acrossthehall!Andyet,the
moment my words are uttered, he
suddenlyfixeshiseyesmeaningfullyon
me, smiles mischievously with elfin
delight, apparently most proud at his
practicaljoke,andstartstomakeafunny
pantomime,asifheisescapingfromus!

For more vignettes from the Antiochian

Conference,gotoThePending,thePro
selyteandthePrescientattheOrthodox
cityhermitbloghere.

NAMESOFDEPARTED
LOVEDONESTOBE
REMEMBEREDTHISMONTH
July9:MetropolitanMethodiosFougias
MEMORY ETERNAL!
Pleasesendusthenamesofyourdepar
ted loved onesand dateoftheirdepar
tureinorderforthemtoberemembered.

Waitaminute!Thiscannotbehap
pening! I run to his side and ask him:
How on earth, pappouli, did you hear?
Orknowwhatwewereplanningtodo?
Youcanthavepossiblyheardusatsucha
distance! Of course, I can, he answers
smilingevenmoreelfishly.Iamsoproud
and conceited that I am always eaves
dropping,eagertolistentootherpeoples
praises!
Heisnottellingthetruth,ofcourse.
And his blessing is a small miracle that
sealsmyparticipationatthisconference.
Eversince,Ifeelhisprayers,andblessthe
Lord for allowing me to see through a
glass,darkly;butthenfacetoface,for
catchingaglimpseofOrthodoxyinGreat
Britainthroughtheeyesoftheprescient
priest."
KleioKechagia

PARISHNEWS
ByGod'sgraceandwill,weareblessedto
receive more relics of Saints to our
Parish.ElderSymeonfromtheMonastery
ofAgiosGeorgiosofMavrovouni,Larna
ka,Cyprus,sentuswithRamyAlHaddad
threerelicsofthefollowingSaints:
*St.HabakkukofKalamithasi(Dec.2nd)
*StArseniusofCappadocia(Nov.10th)
*StGeorgiosthenewmartyrofEphesus
(Apr.5th)
YoumayreadtheletterofelderSymeon
senttoFrJonathanhere.Formoreinfor
mationabouttheMonasteryitself,please
clickhere(inGreek).

TheiconofStGeorgefromtheMonastery
ofAgiosGeorgiosofMavrovouni,Larnaka,
Cyprus

STAVRONIANCORNER
We are so very grateful to those who
remember us in their prayers and show
theirloveasgenerousbenefactorsofour
Parish. We would like to thank Ioana
Plater and her family for cleaning the
priestlyvestmentsandformakingcloths
fortheCrossandHolyIcons.Thankyou
also to a beloved Cypriot family who
wishestoremainanonymousforagene
rousdonationtoourCommunity.

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS
MONTH
st
1July:CosmasandDamiantheHoly
Unmercenaries

nd
2July:St.JohnMaximovitch,Bishopof
Shanghai&ArchbishopofSanFransisco
(1966);St.Juvenal,Protomartyrof
AmericaandAlaska(1796)
rd
3July:StGermanusBishopoftheIsleof
Man(474)
th
4July:St.AndrewofCrete,authorof
theGreatCanon
th
7July:GreatmartyrKyriake
th
11July:GreatMartyrEuphemiatheAll
praised;St.Olga,equaltotheApostles,
PrincessofKiev
th
13July:SynaxisofArchangelGabriel
th
15July:HolyEqualtotheApostles
GreatPrinceVladimir,inBaptismBasil,
EnlighteneroftheRussianLand
th
17July:GreatMartyrMarinaofAntioch
andChildMartyrPrinceKenelm
th
20July:HolyGloriousProphetElijah
th
25July:DormitionofrighteousAnna,
motheroftheMostHolyTheotokos
th
26July:HolyMartyrParaskeue
th
27July:GreatMartyrandHealer
Panteleimon
st
31July:StJosephofArimathea

For the lives of Saints please visit the

CalendaroftheGreekOrthodoxArchdi
oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

ServicesatStMartin'sinJuly*
Sat.2nd
13:00 Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.3rd
10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.9th
13:00 Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.10th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.16th
13:00 Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.17th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.23rd
13:00 Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.24th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.30th
13:00 Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.31st
10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
*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.