Church guide

Here are the Saints, Feasts and Scripture readings for APRIL 3, 2019, the 4th WEDNESDAY of LENT. Let us be attentive! Saints and Feasts: Nicetas, Abbot of the Monastery of Medicium, Joseph the Hymnographer, Theodosia and Irene the Martyrs. Strict Fast - Refrain from meat, fish, oil, wine, dairy, and eggs. Old Testament Readings: Isaiah 26:21-27:9 For behold, the LORD is coming forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed upon her, and will no more cover her slain. In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day: “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest any one harm it, I guard it night and day; I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would set out against them, I would burn them up together. Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.” In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit. Has he smitten them as he smote those who smote them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? Measure by measure, by exile thou didst contend with them; he removed them with his fierce blast in the day of the east wind. Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be expiated, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing. Genesis 9:18-10:1 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was peopled. Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave. God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.” After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty years. All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died. These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; sons were born to them after the flood. Proverbs 12:23-13:9 A prudent man conceals his knowledge, but fools proclaim their folly. The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. A righteous man turns away from evil, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. A slothful man will not catch his prey, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. In the path of righteousness is life, but the way of error leads to death. A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. He who guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. A righteous man hates falsehood, but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully. Righteousness guards him whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked. One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man has no means of redemption. The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

The drunkenness of Noah, and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Mosaic, late 11th century Monreale, Sicily — at Duomo di Monreale.

A Lenten recipe you may wish to try..... Red Lentil Soup by Martha Verlinich (makes 8 servings - about 1 cup each) 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 32 oz. carton or can vegetable broth 9 oz. can of tomato sauce 3/4 cup dried red lentils (can be found in the bulk food section of supermarket) 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped 10 oz. package frozen squash 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Juice of half a lemon (40g) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Cook onion and garlic with a little broth or water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomato sauce, lentils, carrots, squash, cumin, and cayenne. Increase heat to bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. I like to puree it in the pot with an immersion blender to a smooth consistency.

The Lenten Retreat at St. Demetrios scheduled for this Saturday has been cancelled.

A Spiritual Vitamin from Fr. Dean Kouldukis Why the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy During Great Lent? Why is Communion distributed during Great Lent on Wednesday’s and Friday’s at the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified gifts? To answer this question, we must consider the Orthodox understanding of Communion as the source and the sustaining power of our spiritual effort throughout the fast. If Holy Communion is the fulfillment of all of our efforts, the goal toward which we strive, the ultimate joy of our Christian life, it is also and of necessity the source of our spiritual effort itself, the divine gift which makes it possible for us to know, to desire, and to strive for a “more perfect communion in the day without evening” of God’s Kingdom. For the Kingdom, although it has come, although it comes in the Church, is yet to be fulfilled and consummated at the end of time when God will fill all things with Himself. We know it, and we partake of it through the Eucharist in anticipation; we partake now of the Kingdom which is still to come. We foresee and foretaste its glory and blessedness but are still on earth, and our entire earthly existence is thus a long journey toward the ultimate Lord’s Day. On this journey we need help and support, strength and comfort. In this journey, our main help is precisely the Body and Blood of Christ, that essential food which keeps us spiritually alive and in spite of all temptations and dangers, makes us Christ’s followers. And if Lent and fasting mean the intensification of the journey to ward off evil and all its power in our lives, we are therefore especially in need of the help and power of that Divine Fire, the Holy Eucharist; hence, the special Lenten Communion with the Pre-Sanctified Gifts; the Gifts consecrated at the Eucharist on the preceding Sunday and kept on the altar for distribution at the Liturgy on Wednesday and Friday. The Eucharist is at the very center of our fasting efforts, it is indeed the heavenly manna that keeps us alive in our journey through the desert of Lent. Excerpt from Great Lent: Journey to Pascha by Alexander Schmemann. Pages 47-49.

Here are the Saints, Feasts and Scripture readings for APRIL 2, 2019, the 4th TUESDAY of LENT. Let us be attentive! Saints and Feasts: Titus the Wonderworker, Theodora the Virgin-martyr of Palestine, Amphianos & Aedesios the Martyrs of Lycia. Strict Fast - Refrain from meat, fish, oil, wine, dairy, and eggs. Old Testament Readings: Isaiah 25:1-9 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For thou hast made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify thee; cities of ruthless nations will fear thee. For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the blast of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry place. Thou dost subdue the noise of the aliens; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Genesis 9:8-17 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” Proverbs 12:8-22 A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of perverse mind is despised. Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread. A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits has no sense. The strong tower of the wicked comes to ruin, but the root of the righteous stands firm. An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble. From the fruit of his words a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent man ignores an insult. He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan good have joy. No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

On APRIL 2 the Orthodox Church commemorates...

God sets a rainbow in the heavens as a sign of his covenant with Noah and his family and all the earth, in a mosaic from around 1200 in the Basilica of San Marco, Venice, Italy.

On Saturday, Sept. 13th, we had a Family Day in Mt. Rainier’s Arctic Zone. It's amazing what you might see when you go for a hike with your friends...