Dear all.
Gospel Reading
Yesterday’s gospel reading (Luke 1:1 – 25, 57 – 68, 76 – 80) of the conception and birth of St John the Baptist is intimately intertwined with that of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Indeed, the first chapter of Luke is arguably the most poetic and lyric of all the Bible.
In that chapter we have two receptions of the good tidings of Gabriel. On the one hand, the scepticism of Zachariah: “how shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years” and on the other the declaration by the Virgin Mary: “behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”
St John was full of the Holy Spirit from the womb. From Elizabeth this most wonderful response to the greeting of the Virgin Mary: “blessed are you among women, and bless it is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.”
St John and our saviour. Cousins through the line of Mary. St John born before the Saviour and willingly made the way straight for our Lord. St John the baptiser of our Lord, and finally, St John who bore witness to the coming of the kingdom.
If one looks at the calendar as a clock face with the 1 representing January then one can discern a clear pattern. If the line is drawn from the number 12 (December) to the number 6 (June) and a further line is drawn from September to Easter one has the shape of a cross. That is how intimately interrelated the forerunner is with our Lord. No wonder Christ declared: “truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
Programme for the week
The programme for this week is as follows:
Tuesday, 26 June (tomorrow evening) Christian education class continues: this week the topic is “the early church, Clement, Ignatius (and if time permits, the martyrdom of Polycarp)”. From 7:30 PM to 8 PM we have fellowship. Please bring a plate to share.
Friday, 29 June the feast day of St Peter and St Paul: matins from 7:30 AM;
Saturday: 30th June synaxis of the 12 apostles: matins from 7:30 AM to 9 AM, Divine liturgy in English 9 AM to 10:15 AM.
There is No Children catechism class this Saturday as our church is required for a wedding at 3 PM. The next catechism for children is Saturday, 7 July at 3 PM to 5 PM. Mothers please bring a plate to share.
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.
Food store
Our Food Store is now open. We have commenced this ongoing ministry in response to the call by Christ to feed his sheep: “truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, then you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40). We’re all called to do our bit. If you wish to support the food ministry then you can do so by either providing foodstuffs that have a long shelf life such as tinned ham,casseroles,soups etc. Please bring your donations to the church. You can also provide money to assist in the purchases from Food Bank. The Church Philopotoho account is with the NAB : BSB 082057 account 616004624. Also, if you know of anyone that needs assistance please let me know. All matters are, of course, confidential.
We hope, with the grace of God and your assistance, to expand this ministry by providing clothing and other services in the future. We are excited and motivated. The rich may exist for the sake of the poor but it is the poor that exist for the sake of the salvation of the rich. Think about it!
Thought for the week
The difference between God and Mammon – you expend your money and you have less; you expend your love but you never have less. One cannot call oneself authentically human unless there is love. It is love that transforms us from the material to the divine.
Till next time.
In Christ.
Father John Athanasiou 411061554
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