Dear all.
Gospel Reading
Yesterday’s gospel reading of the Gadarene demoniacs (Matthew 8:24 – 34; 9:1) left me asking myself ” Why did Christ permit the Demons to go into the herd of swine and not simply eliminate them?” After all, are not these fallen angels the sworn enemies of Christ and do they not engage with us on a daily basis to bring us down?
After reflection, I realised that nowhere does Christ exercise the power to take away life from anyone. The great commission relates to, amongst other things, casting out Demons and not simply disposing of them. True, Christ in numerous places warns us of the consequences should we disobey his gospel. But, we the listeners to that call are the ones that choose life or death for ourselves.
This brings us to the matter of free will. If left to our own devices, without protection, we would all be condemned to spiritual death. Why? Because we are no match for the wiles of the tempter. That is why we pray for “an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies”. Without divine assistance we are all outmatched.
Christian understanding, limits the existence of a rational soul only to humans. Christ permitted the entry of the Demons into the herd of swine because they could do no harm at a spiritual level, yet, they drove the swine mad which resulted in they, and the swine, perishing. In a real sense, these Demons bought their own demise.The herdsman who begged Christ to leave their neighbourhood made their choice about what Christ did. We too, must make our choice about Christ. Christ, who does not desire the death of even demons, does not condemn us. We do through our choices. Thus we come to the nub: do we choose eternal life by accepting Christ or do we choose eternal death by rejecting Christ?. Each of us must choose.
Programme for the week
The programme for this week is as follows:
- Tomorrow evening, Tuesday adult education class continues on the theme of “Who do you say I am?” This week will continue looking at St Ignatius the Christ bearer, Polycarp and his martyrdom and if time permits will look at the martyrdom of saints Perpetua and Felicitas. From 6:45 PM to 7:30 PM and from 7:30 PM to 8 PM we exercise fellowship. Please bring a plate to share.
- Saturday morning (7th of July) been the feast day of St Kyriaki we commence matins from 7:30 AM (in Greek) 9 AM to 10:15 AM divine liturgy (in English).
- Saturday afternoon (the 7th ) children’s religious class continues 3 PM to 5 PM. Mothers please bring a plate to share.
Food store
We have now begun, thanks be to God, our food store. This is permanent and open to all. Yesterday (first July) we celebrated the feast day of St Cosmas and Damianos. ” Freely They Received and Freely They Gave.” That is an excellant motto. Those who have, give, and those who need, receive. You can provide money to assist in the purchases from Food Bank. The Church Philopotoho account is with the NAB : BSB 082057 account 616004624. You can give money to me directly to put into the account. You can purchase foodstuffs for the food store that have a long shelf life and are nutritious. No snack foods or biscuits please. If you know of anyone that needs assistance please let me know. All matters are, of course, confidential.
July luncheon
We have commenced selling our tickets for our luncheon which is held jointly with the Florina brotherhood of Western Australia. The luncheon is on Sunday, 29 July at the Hellenic Macedonian centre – ” Alexander the Great” and commemorates the feast day of St Pantelemonas. Tickets are $25 adults and $15 for children. Please support your Church and the Florina brotherhood. A special thank you to Zak and the Souvla boys who will be barbecuing our lunch.
Thought for the week
Thought for the week: we have the freedom to choose whatever we may. That is our right. The consequences that flow from our choices are our responsibility. We cannot be seen to complain if the end result is not what we had anticipated.
Till next week.
In Christ.
Father John Athanasiou 0411 061 554
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