Just a few things:

1.  Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m.  Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

2.  This year, to honour our fathers for Father’s Day, Holy Cross will be making a special collection towards our building fund.  Donations can be made in memory of our fathers who may have passed away, are still with us, or are possibly fathers to be.  The collection will be made on June 20th.  We will also serve the Litany for the Departed at this service for our beloved fathers who have fallen asleep in the Lord.  Please pass along those names to Fr. Evan at this service so their names may be commemorated.  Those of you who would like to support Holy Cross but live outside of the city can mail your donation to Holy Cross Mission, 29 Dysart Road, R3T 2M7.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

3.  On June 20th will also be the Manitoba Marathon.  That means we have to take an alternate route to get to St. Andrew’s College as University Crescent will not be accessible for us.

Go to Dalhousie Dr., follow along to Silverstone Ave., and then turn left onto King’s Dr. and follow it to the campus. Turn right once you get onto the campus and follow along until you come to St. Andrew’s College.  I think we should alter the running route and have them come through St. Andrew’s College.  Who is with me?  It isn’t mischief or vandalism if we change a few signs or turn a few arrows around…think of it as “creative evangelism”.

4.   I was reading a booklet of essays by Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, a noted Orthodox writer called Prayer and Holiness.  I wish to share a few excerpts from his essay “Pure prayer, or prayer of the heart, and obstacles in the way”.

“Pure prayer is concerned with the reuniting of the mind (nous) and the heart.  Neither mind nor heart can be allowed to remain alone.  Prayer that comes only from the mind is cold; prayer the comes only from the heart is sentimental and is ignorant of all that God has given us, is giving us now and will give us in Christ.  It is prayer without horizon or perspective, prayer in which we do not know what to thank God for, what to praise Him for, what to ask Him for.  The man who prays in this way has the feeling of being lost in an impersonal infinity.  Such a feeling knows nothing of encounter with a personal God.  And thus it is not prayer.”

“We must also be quite clear that this meeting between mind and heart is not brought about by the ascent of the heart into the mind, but by the descent of the mind into the heart.  In other words, it is not in the mind that the heart finds rest; but it is in the heart (or rather where the depths of the heart meet the depths of God) that the mind finds the rest for which it is searching.”

“In the heart it finds the infinity of God.  It is not the heart that comes to rest in the mind, for that would mean that the feeling of the infinity of God had become a theory, chilled by thought.  It is not feeling that must be chilled by thought, but thought which must warm itself in the feeling of the heart in real contact with the infinity of God, and thus give this feeling a different content.”

Answer to last week’s question:
In John’s Gospel Jesus gave Himself a name by saying “I am…” seven times.  What was the second name? I am THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

This week’s question:
In John’s Gospel Jesus gave Himself a name by saying “I am…” seven times.  What was the third name?
See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – June 13, 2010

Just a few things:

1.  Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2.  Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m.  Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.  This Sunday is also kid’s sermon.  Yay!!!!!!!!

3.  In honor of Mother’s Day, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg.  The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named.  The items are to be new and include:  diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc.  Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30.  You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

4.  This Sunday is Holy Pentecost, or as I like to refer to it, Rider Sunday.  Why?  Because Fr. Evan gets to wear green and white vestments.  Woo-hoo.

I came across a quote by St. Gregory Nazianzus.  “So that by gradual increase…and progress from glory to glory, the light of the Trinity might shine upon the more illuminated…for this reason it was, I think, that He gradually came to dwell in the disciples.  He measured Himself out to them according to their capacity to receive Him:  at the beginning of the gospel, after the Passion, after the Ascension, making perfect their powers, being breathed upon them, and appearing in fiery tongues…”

I find the line “He meaured Himself out to them according to their capacity to receive Him” really interesting.  Each and every one of us is on an individual spiritual journey.  It is true that we come together in common confession of faith and belief that will shape our journey, that we can share that journey with family, with friends, but when all is said and done, the journey is a singular one.  Our Lord and Saviour is not only the Saviour of humanity as a whole, but is the Saviour of the individual.

The reason I make mention of this is that the spiritual journey that each of us is on is not always going to be easy.  There will be moments that we will feel that we are totally closed off from God, that our prayers go unheard, that we will feel that we have not deepened our spirituality, failed in our ascetic attempts.  And then there will be days that we will feel like the Apostles on Holy Pentecost, feel the power of the Holy Spirit, that we will be bursting with love and joy.

What we have to remember and hold onto each and every day of our life is that just as Christ Himself gradually came to dwell in the apostles, so to does Christ gradually come and dwell in us.  As we mature spiritually our capacity to receive Christ into our hearts grows.  There will be times in our life when our capacity to let Christ fill our lives will great, and there will times when it is not so great.  That is why constant prayer is so important.  Prayer is our asking Christ to be a part of our life because we are engaging Him, asking Him to fill us.  Holy Confession is so important.  It is realizing that we have filled our heart, filled our soul with so much sinful junk that we have made it impossible to allow Christ in.  Holy Confession is the emptying out of the bad to allow the good in.  The Holy Eucharist is so paramount to our spiritual health because it is the actual filling of the vessel that is us with Christ Himself.

What we have to remember is that it is progression.  Just as it was for the Apostles, so too it is for us as well.  I guess what I really want to say is, never get discouraged, never give up.  Christ is there, Christ is always there and He responds to our needs in the most perfect way, His way.

5.  Don’t forget!  Holy Cross has a newly designed webpage. Check it out.  You can download any missed bulletins.  Maybe make a collection of them.  Get them bound in fine Corinthian Leather or genuine Saskatchewan Seal Skin, gold lettering on the cover, and Fr. Evan will personally autograph each copy.  Our website is: www.holycrosswpg.ca Take a look, post a comment, let us know what you think.

Answer to last week’s question:
Jesus only once gave someone a name in His parables.  Who was it?  Lzarus the beggar.

This week’s question:
How many loaves of bread did Jesus use to feed the 4000?

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – May 23, 2010

Just a few things:

1.  Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2.  Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m.  Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

3.  In honor of Mother’s Day, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg.  The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named.  The items are to be new and include:  diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc.  Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30.  You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

4.  These following words are from the writings of Fr. George Florovsky.  I hope you will take the time to read them and reflect upon them and if you learn one thing from them, hopefully it will be that you are valued and that you matter.  I don’t mean in it the way that we may think of ourselves as a “big deal”, but that we are loved and that we are valued by Christ, by God, and that on the day of Ascension, which our holy church has just celebrated, humanity ascends with Christ.

In the Ascension resides the meaning and the fullness of Christ’s Resurrection.

The Lord did not rise in order to return again to the fleshly order of life, so as to live again and commune with the disciples and the multitudes by means of preaching and miracles. Now he does not even stay with them, but only “appears” to them during the forty days, from time to time, and always in a miraculous and mysterious manner. “He was not always with them now, as He was before the Resurrection,” comments St John Chrysostom. “He came and again disappeared, thus leading them on to higher conceptions. He no longer permitted them to continue in their former relationship toward Him, but took effectual measures to secure these two objects: That the fact of His Resurrection should be believed, and that He Himself should be ever after apprehended to be greater than man.” There was something new and unusual in His person (cf. John 21:1-14). As St John Chrysostom says, “It was not an open presence, but a certain testimony of the fact that He was present.” That is why the disciples were confused and frightened. Christ arose not in the same way as those who were restored to life before Him. Theirs was a resurrection for a time, and they returned to life in the same body, which was subject to death and corruption – returned to the previous mode of life. But Christ arose for ever, unto eternity. He arose in a body of glory, immortal and incorruptible. He arose, never to die, for “He clothed the mortal in the splendor of incorruption.” His glorified Body was already exempt from the fleshly order of existence. “It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (I Cor. 15:42-44). This mysterious transformation of human bodies, of which St Paul was speaking in the case of our Lord, had been accomplished in three days. Christ’s work on earth was accomplished. He had suffered, was dead and buried, and now rose to a higher mode of existence. By His Resurrection He abolished and destroyed death, abolished the law of corruption, “and raised with Himself the whole race of Adam.” Christ has risen, and now “no dead are left in the grave” (cf. The Easter Sermon of St John Chrysostom). And now He ascends to the Father, yet He does not “go away,” but abides with the faithful for ever (cf. The Kontakion of Ascension). For He raises the very earth with Him to heaven, and even higher than any heaven. God’s power, in the phrase of St John Chrysostom, “manifests itself not only in the Resurrection, but in something much stronger.” For “He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).

And with Christ, man’s nature ascends also.

“We who seemed unworthy of the earth, are now raised to heaven,” says St John Chrysostom. “We who were unworthy of earthly dominion have been raised to the Kingdom on high, have ascended higher than heaven, have came to occupy the King’s throne, and the same nature from which the angels guarded Paradise, stopped not until it ascended to the throne of the Lord.” By His Ascension the Lord not only opened to man the entrance to heaven, not only appeared before the face of God on our behalf and for our sake, but likewise “transferred man” to the high places. “He honored them He loved by putting them close to the Father.” God quickened and raised us together with Christ, as St Paul says, “and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephes. 2:6). Heaven received the inhabitants of the earth. “The First fruits of them that slept” sits now on high, and in Him all creation is summed up and bound together. “The earth rejoices in mystery, and the heavens are filled with joy.”

5.  Don’t forget!  Holy Cross has a newly designed webpage. We have pictures. (Please try to not laugh at the ones of me.  My mommy says I am very handsome.  So there.) We have our bulletin on-line.  You can make comments.  You can let us know what you think.  If you are coming to Winnipeg and would like to visit with us, pray with us, there are directions on the website.  And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to come and hang out with the coolest all English mission parish in the UOCC?  And heck, if you can’t come to us, we will come to you.  Just send us an invite and we will pack up our little mission into the Kitzul van and into Sylvia’s hummer and we will come and visit you.  We will bring strudel and Fr. Evan will bring his finger puppets.

Answer to last week’s question:
True or false:  Jesus told a story about a housewife who lost her ring.  FALSE.  It was a coin.  (Luke 15:8)  Congratulations to Doctor Scott who answer correctly.

This week’s question:
Jesus only once gave someone a name in His parables.  Who was it?

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross

Just a few things:

1.  Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2.  Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m.  Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

3.  In honor of Mother’s Day, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg.  The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named.  The items are to be new and include:  diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc.  Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30.  You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

4.  “As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, ⁷but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. ⁸We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. ⁹Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.”  (1 Thessalonians 2:6-9)

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, or, as I like to refer to it, the day I thank my mom for bringing me home from the hospital instead of a puppy like my sister Tania asked for.  Although, she did teach me to fetch, roll over, and play dead…except she never really wanted me to come back alive.  “Roll over Evan.  Play dead.  Stay…stay… oooo, Flintstones are on.  See you later.”  I would still be there to this day if my mom had not come by and said, “Evan, you know you are not a dog, right?”  Thanks mom.

The scripture passage is from St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.  St. Paul compares the work done by the Apostles to the the role of a mother. St. Paul is talking about how the Apostles treated and acted among the faithful and states that they were gentle like a mother caring for her little children.  St. Paul talks of the joy that comes from sharing the Gospel of Christ, which is a message of sacrificial love, much like the joy a mother must feel about sharing their love with their child’s.  A mother’s love for her children, for her family, is a sacrificial love.

St. Paul talks about the toil and hardship, how they worked night and day.  Much like a mother who has to stay up until 3:00 in the morning typing up a social studies report on Hawaii (thank you for that mom), a mother will toil, will suffer hardships, and do so willingly and in silence for her child.  The sacrifices are done out of love.  The toil and the hardship, the working day and night, is a mother’s preaching of God’s gospel of love to her children.

So, to all the mom’s that read this bulletin, happy Mother’s Day.  Thank you for everything you have done for us, given us, sacrificed for us.  Thank you for showing us God’s love through your love teaching us that we are valued—no matter what.

God grant you all many years.
(Love you mom, thanks for bringing me home)

Answer to last week’s question:
True or false?  Jesus was sold into slavery by His brothers.  False.  That was Joseph in the Old Testament.  (And believe me, my brother would regularily quote this passage to my dad about getting rid of me.)

This week’s question:
True or false:  Jesus told a story about a housewife who lost her ring.

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – May 9,2010

Just a few things:

1.  Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2.  Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m.  Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

3.  Mother’s Day is fast approaching.  In honor of that, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg.  The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named.  The items are to be new and include:  diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc.  Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30.  You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

4.  So, driving home from my banjo lesson, I passed by a church and the message it had on the outside announced the upcoming Sunday’s sermon topic:  “Encounter Christ – Walk away changed”.  It got me thinking as I was driving home and thankfully took my mind off the fact that I did not play the “Stitches in my britches” polka very well.  Although my banjo instructor said I played very well.  His words of encouragement were, “You have improved Evan.  It doesn’t sound like you are hurting the banjo anymore.”

If one encounters Christ, do they walk away different?  Does something change?

The answer, at least from a scriptural point of view, is yes.  Take a look at the Sundays that follow the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
St. Thomas Sunday - Thomas won’t believe until he can physically see and touch Christ.  Once he does, he is changed.
Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women - They encounter Christ as they make their way back from the empty tomb.  They get to share the good news of the resurrected Christ with the Apostles.  These women, after encountering Christ, their lives are changed.
Sunday of the Paralytic - The man encounters Christ and is healed, his life is changed.
Sunday of the Samaritan woman - She encounters Christ at the well, and she comes to realize that she has met the Messiah and she shares that information with her fellow people.  Her life and the lives of those around her are changed by their encounter with Christ.
Sunday of the Blind Man - A man who had been blind since birth, encounters Christ, and his sight is restored.  His life is changed.

Anyone who encounters Christ in Holy Scripture walks away changed.  Every healing Christ did changed a life.  Every sermon He gave changed a life.  Every parable, every action, all of these encounters changed lives.

In each of these Sundays listed we can find ourselves.   We are like Thomas who doubts.  We are like the myrrhbearing women who walked with fear and uncertainty of the unknown.  We are like the paralytic when we become paralyzed by sin, by fear, by anger.  We are like the samaritan woman who did not understand why this man she encountered at the well would talk to her, a “second class citizen”, that she believed herself not worthy.  We are like the blind man, except our blindness to God’s love and mercy is a result of us looking at everything else instead of God.

But in each case, an encounter with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ changed all that and it can be the same for us if we truly open our lives to God’s love, to God’s commandments, to the teachings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Doubt is erased.  Fear is overcome.  The spiritual, emotional, and mental paralysis as a result of sin on our part is healed.  We learn that in God’s eyes, we do have a value, we do have worth.

I sometimes wonder if we try and avoid Christ.  We try to do everything in our power to not encounter Him.  Get lost in the crowd, hide away at home, try to avoid where He will be.  Truth is, we can’t hide from Christ.  We can choose to ignore Him, close our eyes and pretend He is not there, close our ears and not listen to anything He says, but the reality is that we are just fooling ourselves.  We can’t hide from Christ.  And the awesome thing about that is that it is a good thing.  We are so loved by God, that He sent His only begotten Son among us for the sole purpose that we would encounter Him and we have the evidence of what the results of those encounters were like.

Make that effort to encounter Christ.

Answer to last week’s question:
What sin was Jesus condemning in His parable about the Pharisee and the tax-collector?  Pride

This week’s question:
True or false?  Jesus was sold into slavery by his brothers?

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

May 2010 Calendar

The Way of the Cross – May 2, 2010

Just a few things:

1. Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2. Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

3. Thank you all that came out for Fr. Michael’s farewell barbecue. Fr. Michael will be making his way back to Australia next week. Please keep him in your prayers. It was a joy and a blessing to have him visit our mission and pray with us and hear his words of encouragement for us.

4. Mother’s Day is fast approaching. In honor of that, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg. The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named. The items are to be new and include: diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc. Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30. You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

5. On the Sundays that follow Holy Pascha we have our Provody or Graveside services. On these Sundays, the priest will go out to the cemeteries, do a Panakhyda/Litia service during which the deceased members of that congregation, of that cemetery are commemorated. Growing up, I always had mixed feelings about it. It meant that the service would go longer, that we would have to drive to the cemetery, it would be hot, and I would just want to go home. But then my baba would give me a plastic bag and I would make my way with my sister and we would go and get “goodies” from the different memorial offerings: cookies, candies, fruit. It was almost like…Orthodox trick or treating.

As I have “matured” (I know, I couldn’t even write that with a straight face), and have had
the opportunity to serve these services, I have a real deep appreciation for the spiritual and emotional importance of these services.

The Holy Orthodox Church teaches that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the body. We are against cremation.

If anyone wants to know how we, as Orthodox Christians, are to understand death, the value of the body, all one has to do is attend the services of Great Friday, the commemoration of our Lord and Savior’s death. Christ’s body is taken down from the Cross with great care, His body is wrapped in linen, anointed with tears, placed in a new tomb.

The Orthodox Church has unequivocally taught since Christ’s crucifixion that the proper way to treat the dead is a reverent burying of the body in the ground, in the context of a proper funeral and prayers for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. We are called to be imitators of Christ, to live as Christ did, and that includes His death as well. We follow the template that Christ established with His own death.

And like the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body, to pay respect to one whom they loved, we too return to the cemeteries and pay respect. We pray for those who no longer can pray for themselves. That is true love. That is how we honor those who have passed away. That is how we keep their memory alive, keep on loving them. We pray for them and ask our Lord and Saviour to grant them peace.

Graveside services are a communal event. It should be attended by all the members of a parish regardless if you have a deceased family member resting in the cemetery or not. We join with those who have lost someone dear to them and by our presence and our prayers we pay respect and testify to the victory of Christ over death.

Answer to last week’s question:
True or false: In Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel, Jesus says He is the light of the world? True. John 9:5

This week’s question:
What sin was Jesus condemning in His parable about the Pharisee and the tax-collector?

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – April 25, 2005

Just a few things:

1. Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday.

2. Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and the reading of the hours at 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

3. This Saturday is the WOCA Sponsored Youth Bowling Tournament at Roxy Lanes on Henderson Hwy. 2-4 p.m. Please come and join us for a really fun afternoon. If you have any carpentry work to be done, let Fr. Evan know, because he will be hammering pins all afternoon long.

4. Mother’s Day is fast approaching. In honor of that, Holy Cross will be collecting baby layette items for new mothers in need for the Thelma Wynne Project located in Winnipeg. The Thelma Wynne Project has been in existence in one way or another for over 50 years. For much of that time it has been located within St. Matthew’s church building. Dedicated women from Anglican churches in the city make or collect items and then prepare layettes for newborns. The layettes are distributed through social agencies in the city to new mothers who need them. The project has evolved somewhat over the years but originally was started by Thelma Wynne after whom it is named. The items are to be new and include: diapers, blankets, sleepers, caps, booties, baby soap, lotions, etc. Holy Cross will be collecting these items for the month of May until May 30. You can bring your donation to Holy Cross on Sundays or you can contact either Fr. Evan or Sylvia Kitzul at 256-8370 and we can arrange a pick up.

5. I often wonder what it must have been like, those first few days after Christ’s crucifixion. The confusion, the sense of despair, the fear. The disciples going into hiding, wondering if the man they chose to follow was truly the Messiah, the Son of God or did they “back the wrong guy”? I understand the going into hiding. They were scared. They knew they would be “guilty by association”. Heck, even Peter, they disciple who answered Christ’s question,”Who do you say I am?” with “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” would end up denying that he knew Christ. Everything in their world was turned upside down and the feelings of comfort and understanding that they might have had from the words we hear in the Gospel of John, chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 were forgotten. The very words Christ spoke to His apostles, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” John 14:1 Their hearts were troubled, they could not trust.

But Christ’s death and burial affected not only His apostles, but all those who followed Him. And we see a contrast between the actions of the apostles and the myrrh-bearing women whom we commemorate this Sunday. The apostles ran and hid. The myrrh-bearing women, on the other hand, went to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body, to fulfill the traditions of anointing the dead, to give Christ the honor and respect due to Him. These women show great courage, great love and great devotion to Christ.

Often in life, when we are faced with troubles, the fight or flight instinct kicks in. One of two things will happen. We will face the problem or we will run from it. We will lock ourselves behind a big door, with a big lock, and hope the problem will not get to us, that it won’t find us. That is what the apostles did.

Or we can fight. We can be like the myrrh-bearing women and we can walk that path to the tomb of Christ. I don’t know if they were scared. I think they were. All the events that preceeded the crucifixion, the arrest, the trial. I believe it was not an easy journey. To go to the tomb of the man they believed was the Messiah, the Saviour, and they were going to annoint His dead body. It required courage to go to that tomb.

And their courage was rewarded. They were the first to hear the good news, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

We will all face troubles in our life. We will have the choice to run or fight. We can face those difficulties because we have heard the angel’s voice, “He is risen. He is not here.” Every day of our life is a journey to the tomb of Christ, and the path will not always be easy. There will be dangers in many different forms, dangers that will challenge our faith and our conviction, undermine our trust. But we carry the knowledge and the comfort of knowing the tomb is indeed empty. That our trust has been rewarded, like that of the myrrh-bearers. “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death. And upon those in the tombs, bestowing life.” That, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is where we get our courage from.

Answer to last week’s question:
How many times is Jesus called “Son of David” in Matthew’s Gospel? 10 times.

This week’s question:
True or false: In Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel, Jesus says He is the light of the world?

See you in church.

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

1.  Holy Pascha:  Paschal Matins: 5:15 a.m., Divine Liturgy to follow.  We will be breaking the fast after the Divine Liturgy in the multi-purpose room at St. Andrew’s College.  You are all invited to join us.

2.  Agape Vespers:  April 4th, 4:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Metropolitan’s Cathedral.

3.  Usually this is where I try and share some inspired words of wisdom with you.  I am going old school on this one letting St. John Chrysostom take this one:

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefor. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

4.  To all the members and friends of Holy Cross, to all of you that read these bulletins, I greet you with the joy of this day.  The feast of feasts.  The triumph of our Lord and Saviour.  The victory of life over death, of truth over deceit, of love and forgiveness over anger.

If someone were to ask me what I want for my parish, for the members, their families, the friends of Holy Cross, it is just one thing:  Carry the joy of Holy Pascha with you in your heart.  It is my hope and prayer that you will carry the joy of today with you every day.

Answer to last week’s question:
What are the final words of Jesus, as recorded in the Book of Acts?
“You will be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

This week’s question:
Complete the sixth Beatitude, “Blessed are the pur in heart…”

See you in church!  www.holycrosswpg.ca

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – April 4, 2010

April 2010 Calendar

1. Great Vespers at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday. We are back. Woo-hoo! There will be a special choir rehersal at 3:00 for specific parts of the Holy Week services. At 4:00 there will be a general choir rehersal for everyone interested in learning some of the basic melodies for the Holy Week services. Make sense? I hope so because I have a head cold and things are a bit fuzzy for me right now.

2. Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. with the hearing of confessions and the reading of the Hours at 9:30 a.m. Please be advised that we will be blessing the pussy willows at the beginning of the service so that you may hold them during the liturgy, and espeically during the reading of the Gospel, “13. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”, we can all wave our pussy willows and proclaim with joy the entry of our Lord King into His city.

3. Just a reminder of the schedule of services:
Holy Wednesday, (March 31) – Holy Unction at 7:00 p.m. at All-Saints in Transcona
Holy Thursday, (April 1) – Reading of the 12 Gospels at 6:00 p.m. at Holy Cross
Holy Friday, (April 2) – Shroud Service at 3:00 p.m. at Holy Cross
Holy Saturday, (April 3) – Vesperal Liturgy at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross
Holy Pascha, (April 4) – Paschal Matins at 5:15 a.m., Divine Liturgy to follow. We will be breaking the fast together in the multi-purpose room in the basement at St. Andrew’s College so you are invited to stay.

4. Holy Cross has a new webpage/blog set up. Thanks to the hard work of Bob Kaminsky, we have revamped our web-page. Now you can be up to date on everything that is happening in the wonderful world of Holy Cross, and let’s be honest, your lives were just a little bit empty not knowing, right? No? You were doing okay? I don’t believe you. You are all just putting on a brave face. You can check out the new site at www.holycrosswpg.ca

Anyhoo, we have revamped the site. You can now check out pictures of some of the activities Holy Cross has been involved with. You can catch up on missed bulletins. Heck, you can now collect them all, maybe get them bound in a book, put it on the shelf. If you ask nicely I will even autograph it for you. No, no one is asking? Anyone? did I mention that the site is www.holycrosswpg.ca?

Check it out. We would love to hear from you. If your own parish has a webpage let us know so that we can post a link to it. Let us know what is going on in your parish, in your part of the world. www.holycrosswpg.ca

5. Came across an interview that I wanted to share a portion of with you. The interview is with Ed Dobson, who is the subject of the book, “The Year of Living Like Jesus”. The book records his journey of eating kosher, attending synagogue, observing the Sabbath, celebrating feasts and festivals, and trying to think and act like Jesus Christ. (sounds like he was trying to be, oh I don’t know, say…Orthodox?)

One of the quotes from the interview that struck me as really interesting is this one: “When I pastored at Calvary Church (Grand Rapids, MI), we canceled all programs for a year – all youth activities, outreaches, Christmas and Easter programs, everything. We only had Sunday and Wednesday services. We read the Bible, shared the faith, and invested in relationships. We lost hundreds of members who were attached to the programs.”

One of the big things a priest will be asked is, “How active is your parish?” Do you have a Sunday School program, Bible Study, Catechism Classes, an active women’s group/sisterhood, an active men’s group? Do you have youth programs? Do you have an outreach program? And if the priest says no then the priest is seen as a failure. That the church is dying. And here we have a pastor that cancelled all of that and got down to what is the basic fundametal activity for a Christian: Worship and glory of God.

In my humble and sinful opinion I think the success of a church is not in the financial success of the perogie dinners it puts on, it is not in number of members in the women’s organization, it is not even in the number of paid members.

The true measure of the life a church, its health, is on that Sunday morning, or at the various other opportunities that we are called to come together and worship and give glory to God and whether or not the faithful come to that. You will have many that will say, “I do my part. I express my devotion to the church in the kitchen, in the meetings, etc.” They are sadly, attached to the programs…and not the church.

Pastor Ed Dobson tried to reverse that trend in his church. He spent a year eating kosher. For Orthodox Christians, the equivalent is following our fasting guidelins. He attended synagogue. For Orthodox Christians, the equivalent is attending the Divine Liturgy. He observed the Sabbath and celebrated feasts and festivals. For Orthodox Christians the equivalent is actually making an effort to participate in the liturgical calendar of our Holy Church. He cancelled the programs and told his flock that it was time to get down to basics.

It is time for all of us to get attached to our Church again it is time for us to get to the basics again. To make the worship and glory of God the reason for attending and allowing the joy and spiritual fulfillment that comes from it, then, and only then, inspire everything else we do in God’s name.

Answer to last week’s question:
Who did Jesus say would be remembered whenever the gospel was preached throughout the world? The woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head.

This week’s question:
What are the final words of Jesus, as recorded in the Book of Acts?

See you in church!

In Christ,

Fr. Evan

The Way of the Cross – March 28, 2010