November2016

No.120

TheOrthodoxParish
oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
Lancaster,U.K.

TheStavronian

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodia'

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxChristianArchdioceseoftheBritishIslesandIreland.
ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches.
ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch
(Acts11:26)

THEMODELOFPRAYER
Amen
Like most Jewish and Christian prayers
TheprayerendswithAmenwhichisnot
translated into Greek or English. This
adverb meanstruly orsurely. Itisa
response to the aforesaid prayer as a
confirmation.WhenChristwaswishingto
makeadistinctpointtohisdisciplesHe
oftenbeganhissentencewithAmenTruly
Isaytoyou
Amen is from the root word aman
meaningtosupportandmakestrong.The
wordforfaithfulnessisrelatedemunah.
Make strong our prayer O Father,
may our prayer be supported and
nourished by Him who is our Salvation
evenyourSonJesusChristthatwhatwe
say with faithful lipswe may believe in
our hearts and show forth in our lives
throughthepoweroftheallHolySpirit.
Amen,Amen,Amen.
Doxology
AftertheLordsPrayerattheHolyLiturgy
thereashorthymnofGlorytotheHoly
Trinity intoned by the priest.This isan
ancientheritage,andwasrecited inthe
Synagogues at the time of Our Lord; a
doxology following the Lords Prayer is
found in some ancient manuscripts of
Matthew Chapter 6; The priest says:
GlorytotheFatherandtotheSonandto
the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and
untotheagesofages.Amen.
Thisdoxologyalludestotheformin
1Chronicles29:1112; Thine,OLord,is
the greatness, and the power, and the
glory,andthevictory,andthemajesty:for
allthatisintheheavenandintheearthis
thine;thineisthekingdom,O,Lord,and
artexaltedasheadaboveall.Bothriches
and honour come of thee, and thou
reignest over all; and in thine hand is
powerandmight;andinthinehanditisto
make.

Epilogue
WeshouldperhapsremembertheLords
Prayer is the preserve of all Christians
whoprofessthatname.TheOurFather
thereforeisnotlimitedtotheEast.The
Love of God for all His people is a
Mystery; not only beautiful and
undeserved but also powerful and
unreserved. The family of God is
increasing like the mustard seed in the
parablewhichgrowsandgrows.Iaman
English OrthodoxChristianliving inthe
West.Tosomepeoplehereandtosome
cradle Orthodox brought up in
traditionally Orthodox countries it is
oftenapointofcuriosityitshouldnot
be.Godskingdomrecognisesnonational
borders.St.Paulsawthatthefuture of
the Church lay with the Gentiles and
madeithismissiontobringtheGospelto
thenations.Iamnotsomefragmentof
thediaspora,Iampartofthegathered
communityoftheKingdomofGodasare
allwhoconverttoChristandarereceived
into His Church. Luke 13:29; And they
shall come from the east, and from the
west, and from the north, and from the
south,andshallsitdowninthekingdom
ofGod.
InthisprayerwhichOurLordtaught
usweshouldprayitwithchildliketrust.
Ifwecometohimwithheartsuplifted,
thentheprayerwillgeneratepower.The
prayer thus prayed brings hope and
fellowship and is the springboard for
implementing in our own lives those
thingsbeneficialforoursoul.
The Fathers teach us the fruits of
prayerare:
1.DiscretionandKnowledgeofMysteries
2.Zealforpreachingdivinethings
3.MagnanimityofHeart
4.Easeandcomfortforthesoul
5.LoveofGod
6.MeeknessandHumility
7.Chastity

8.FerventWorship
9.AHappyend.
StIsaactheSyrianinhisHomilyon
the Discernment of Different Degrees
writes:Thereisadifferencebetweenthose
who are immersed in the affairs of this
world and those engaged in theoria
(mysticalcontemplation).Thewaysofthe
former begin in jollity, glee and pleasure
butendinbitterness,gloomanddarkness.
Ontheotherhand,thoseofthelatterbegin
inbitterness,sadnessanddarknessbutend
injoyandhappiness.Hewhohastrodden
bothwayscanappreciatethevalueofthese
words. TopraytheLordsPrayerwithall
ourheartandmindandsoulwillinvolve
us in a struggle. Worship is both
exhilaratingforthesoulandtiringforthe
body;butitisbettertobetiredwithGod
andatpeace,thantiredwithoutGodand
anxious.OnlybyGodsgraceareweable
to bear the little martyrdoms that will
cometousfromtheworld,thefleshand
thedevil.Sucharmourthatprayeraffords
providesprotection.
ChristintheLordsPrayeropensour
wayinto theFatherspresence. Itisthe
gateway into the Kingdom. Prayer gives
manwingstoflythatbringusnearerto
the throne of grace and away from the
burden of sin. The greatest gift we can
givetosomeoneistoprayforthem,for
then we enter into the dynamic of the
Holy Trinity. We pray to the Father,
throughtheSonintheHolySpirit.God
communicateswith Hiscreationand we
are called to communicate with Him in
fellowship. The beloved John in his
epistlewrites:Andourfellowshipiswith
theFatherandwithHisSonJesusChrist.
1John1:3.
Dedication
Thispoorofferingisdedicatedtomydear
spiritualchildrenwithloveaswesupport

one another whilst looking unto Jesus

theauthorandfinisherofourfaith.
FrJonathan

QUESTIONSOFPURPOSE
WhengivingadvicetostudentsatSchool
about revision for examinations on any
topicIusedtosay:Ifallelsefails,apply
the Five ws to the subject. Who? Why?
Where?What?When?Soforexampleif
thetopicwas TheTransfigurationofOur
Lord,somesimplesalientfactscouldbe
garnered by applying the five ws. Who
were present at this event? Why were
theythere?Whereisthesceneset?What
isthepointoftheMiracle?Whendidit
takeplaceinourLordsMinistry?
We could apply these same re
vision questions to ourselves for self
examination.
WhoamI?
WhyamIhere?
WhereamIgoing?
WhatdoIhavetodotogetthere?
WhenamIgoingtodoit?

So many lives arelived withouta

senseofpurpose.WearechildrenofGod,
createdbyGodandforGodandourlives
reach a purpose only when they are
directedtowardsourCreator.Christsays
I go to prepare a place for you so that
where I am you may be also. Our
destinationinthenextlifedependsupon
ourdirectioninthisone.
Weallwantprogress,butifyou'reon
thewrongroad,progressmeansdoingan
aboutturnandwalkingbacktotheright
road;inthatcase,themanwhoturnsback
soonest is the most progressive. C. S.
Lewis. Repentance for the Prodigal son
wasnotonlycomingtohisrightmind,it
wasamovementbacktohisfather.
The Temple (Church) is the place
wherewefindsalvation,tobehealed,to
be forgiven, to worship, to enjoy
fellowship. Living our life in holiness is
not easy. The spiritual battlefield is a
struggle which requires persistence and
courage,asopposedtotheeasydriftof
survival from the one shortterm search
forgain,distraction,comfortandpleasure
tothenext.Wearebiggerthanthat;we
weremadeformorethanthat.Whysettle
forsinwhenonecanattaintotheimage
ofGod? Putting faith into actionmeans
(asOurLordsaid)LovingGodandloving
our neighbour This is how we effect
change and find fulfilment. And if not
now,whenWhenarewe goingtodo
it?Now,todayistheintersectionoftime
and eternity. 2 Corinthians 6:2; For He
says:InanacceptabletimeIhaveheard
you, and in the day of salvation I have
helped you. Behold, now is the accepted
time;behold,nowisthedayofsalvation.
ThereisastoryaboutAkiva,arabbi
wholivedatthetimeofOurLordJesus
ChristinthefirstCentury.Hehadbeenin
the village to gather some supplies.
Walking back to his cottage, lost in
thought, he absentmindedly took the
wrong path. Suddenly, a voice came

throughthedarkness:Whoareyou,and
why are you here?. Shocked to
awareness, Akiva realised he had
wanderedintotheRomangarrison,and
the voice had come from the young
sentrykeepingguard.Butbeingarabbi,
he answered the question with another
question:Howmuchdotheypayyouto
standguardandaskthatquestionofall
who approach? The sentry, seeing that
this was not an intruder but a rabbi,
answered,Fivedrachmasaweek,sir.
Atthatpointtherabbisaid,Young
man,Iwilldoubleyourpayifyoucome
withme,standinfrontofmycottage,and
ask that same question to those who
approach:Whoareyou,andwhyareyou
here?
Fr.Jonathan

LANDSCAPEWITHOUTFEAR
Iamcontemplatinglandscape
InameitLandscapewithoutFear
Alandscapedevoidofdarkpremonitions
Impossibilityoflosingofanyonewhosdear
Iamponderingatmeadow
Thisgreenedeniclawn
Andnotformoment,notforasight
Myhearthastrembledwiththemortalsplight
Iamnowgazingupontreetops
Withthegazeofgrandandmoststeadyhope
Whileallmyingrainedsurvivaldefences
Surrendertotheknotsontheprayingrope
Iamalsoconsideringasinglewhitecloud
Andthegreatlightcapturedinitsbulgingmass
Asvoiceraisesloudinexultation
Timeisfallen!Itwillsurelypass!

AleksandarMiljkovic
London

THOUGHTSFROMTHE
CELTICFATHERS
From the life of Saint Ita of Killeedy,
Ireland: Saint Ita was enduring a great
painfortheloveofGod.Abugwason
her body and itwasdrinkingher blood
and nobody knew that until it became
hugeasastone.SaintIta,didn'twantto
removethebugfromherbodysayingthat
the bug could live thanks to her blood
andifitwasremoveditwoulddie.
ChristosVasilopoulos
Kozani,Greece

NAMESOFDEPARTED
LOVEDONESTOBE
REMEMBEREDTHISMONTH
Nov.12:SirJohnTavener
Nov.29:Ioanna
MEMORYETERNAL!
Pleasesendusthenamesofyourdepar
ted loved ones and dateof their depar
tureinorderforthemtoberemembered.

OLDSTAVRONIANCORNER
We would like to thank Christodoulos
Skempes from Patmos, for sending
candles for the church, and Georgios
VerrasfromAthens,forthekinddonation
toourchurch;wehaveusedpartofitto

hosttheReadersAssociationandHellenic
SocietyonOct.21st.
FrJonathanreceivednewsfromour
OldStavronian(200607),nowDiaconisa
Lauren Macrina (Rucker) Pulley from
Richmond,Virginia,USA.Itissojoyfulin
Christtoknowthatherhusband,Patrick,
graduatedfromStVladimirsSeminaryin
May, and was ordained to the Holy
Diaconate in August. He has been
assignedtoservetheParishatStCyprian
of Carthage Church in Richmond. We
praythattheirjourneyintotheOrthodox
Faith will be blessed in our Lord and
SaviourJesusChrist.
IrynaMinakova,BartLambrechtand
familyvisitedUkraineinAugustandsent
usthefollowingphotosoftheirpilgrim
age. They visited the caves of Kiev
Pechora Lavra, founded in 1051, where
now more than100relics ofSaintsare
kept!TheyalsoveneratedtherelicsofSt
BarbaratheGreat,thatarenowkeptin
StVladimirsCathedral.

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS
MONTH
st
1Nov
:StsCosmasandDamian,theHoly
Unmercenaries
th
8Nov:SynaxisofArchangelMichael&
GabrielandtheotherBodilessPowers
th
9Nov:St.Nectariosthewonderworker,
MetropolitanofPentapolis
th
10Nov:St.ArseniusofCappadocia
th
11Nov:St.MartinofTours(397)
th
13Nov:St.JohnChrysostom,
ArchbishopofConstantinople
th
14Nov:St.GregoryPalamas,
ArchbishopofThessalonica
th
15Nov:BeginningoftheNativityfast
th
16Nov:HolyApostleandEvangelist
Matthew
th
17Nov:St.Hilda,AbbessofWhitby
(680)
st
21Nov:TheEntryofourMostHoly
LadytheTheotokosintotheTemple
rd
23Nov:St.AlexanderNevsky
th
25Nov:GreatMartyrCatherineof
Alexandria
th
30Nov:HolyApostleAndrewthefirst
called

For the lives of Saints please visit the

CalendaroftheGreekOrthodoxArchdi
oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

ServicesatStMartin'sinNovember*
Sat.5th
13:00 Memorial,Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.6th
10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.12th
13:00 Memorial,Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.13th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.19th
13:00 Memorial,Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.20th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgy
Sat.26th
13:00 Memorial,Confessions,SynaxarionandGreatVespers
Sun.27th 10:00 HoursandHolyLiturgyfollowedbyParishlunch
*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.