In this email
Message from Fr Alexander — Angels and Demons
News …
Report of First Parish Meeting — Saturday 13th March
Lent online Meetings — 7pm Wednesdays and Fridays
WhatsApp Group
Twitter Feed
Names for prayer
Monastery of St John the Baptist talks
Archimandrite Philip: Ten at Ten
Live stream information
Resources
Saints and Feasts — 18th–25th March
Offer of help
Dear Friends
One of the Great Feasts of the Church, the Annunciation of the Theotokos, typically happens during Lent. It is celebrated at about the equinox—where hours of daylight and of darkness are equal—yet in the springtime, the light is beginning to gain prominence, the Saviour is come and the darkness cannot withstand the onslaught.
The Apostle Luke narrates to us the event.
In those days, Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias conceived and for five months she hid herself, saying, “Thus the Lord had done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
— Luke 1:24–38
Our world would find this a very strange event because our world has rejected belief in angels and the spiritual world. Indeed, many who call themselves Christian have rejected them—”Angels are fine for moral stories, fairytales on the level of Aesop’s Fables,” they tell themselves, “but have no place in our modern understanding.” They may have reasoned: “We will be ridiculed if we believe in angels.”
But this is not the view presented in the Bible. If the Resurrection is true, if we believe that though we die we will rise again, then angels must be true. God in his mercy set angels over Creation to govern each aspect, to lead us to the Truth. But humanity, when they encountered these spiritual beings, offered them worship rather than worshipping the Creator; the nations of the Earth rejected the Creator for the sake of worshipping created beings. We know of some of these events from antiquity, written from the perspective of the “victor”—for example, the overthrow of Cronus where one of the sons of God, Zeus, usurped his father’s place.
We can go further, if angels are real then so are demons—fallen spiritual creatures. And in their fallen state they wish to corrupt the image of God within humanity: out of jealousy, they despise that we may replace them in God’s Divine Council where we take up our places as Sons of God because we have been baptised into Christ who is the true Son of God.
Yet God, in his love for us, did not forsake us: he was able to find one who would offer worship to God and not to creatures, Abraham. And from Abraham came Isaac, and from Isaac Jacob, and from Jacob came the Twelve Patriarchs and a new nation who was called to remain faithful. And out of this new nation came one who could say in all purity and holiness to the Archangel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
My dear brothers and sisters, the Theotokos was not shocked to see an angel before her: she knew of their existence and of the existence of demons also. And by her word the Word became human that we might become divine. Pray that we too may be aware of angels and demons that we may ask the prayers of the former and contend against the latter.
News
First Parish Meeting — Saturday 13th March
The first Parish Assembly met online on Saturday. We accepted the Constitution and elected our first Councillors: since the meeting their appointment has been confirmed by our bishop, Sayidna Silouan. If you would like further information then please let me know.
There is still much work to do. The Parish Council will be working to open a bank account so that, once we are able to find a location, we will be able to get on with making it suitable for worship.
We still need your prayers to make this happen: please pray.
Lent online Meetings — 7 pm Wednesdays and Fridays
We try to deepen our Faith during Lent, one way is by attending more services. While it is not currently possible to attend in person, we will be having Great Compline on Wednesday evenings and the Salutations to the Mother of God (sometimes called the Akathist Hymn) on Fridays. You would be most welcome to join us—strengthen your faith in the course of the Great Fast!
Get in touch and I will send you the details: [email protected].
WhatsApp Group
A new WhatsApp group has been created for the Twelve Apostles community: would you like to be a part of this? Let me know!
Twitter Feed
I have also created a new Twitter account for the community: do follow us @12ApostlesHants.
Names for prayer
If you have not yet done so, please do send me a list of those whom you would like me to pray for at the Liturgy. Please separate them out into four groups:
Living who are Orthodox
Living who are not Orthodox
Departed who are Orthodox
Departed who are not Orthodox
Just their Christian (first) names are needed. Please include your own names at the top of the list.
Monastery of St John the Baptist talks
Each Sunday evening, 5.30–7pm, the Monastery in Essex, founded by St Sophrony, produces a talk on Zoom. Up until now these have been given either by Archimandrite* Peter, the abbot, or by Archimandrite Zacharias. You need to register for these in advance.
If you would be interested in joining the talks, please get in contact and I can send you the registration details. They are of great benefit.
[* Archimandrite is a title for a senior priest who is celibate.]
Archimandrite Philip: Ten at Ten
Also online, Archimandrite Philip of the monastery of our Archdiocese in Shropshire produces a Bible-study every weekday at 10 am from his YouTube channel—if you cannot watch live they are archived. Although called Ten at Ten, its length is somewhat a changeable feast.
You can reach his YouTube channel by clicking here or by searching “Archimandrite Philip” on YouTube.
Live stream
The Monastery of Saints Antony and Cuthbert, Shropshire, is live-streaming its services for all who are unable to go to their own churches. These are over YouTube and can be accessed here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfWMaefJYqFEZkYiK2WmeEw
Usually Vespers on Saturday evenings at 5 pm and Matins and Liturgy on Sunday mornings from 7.30 am.
Resources
Have a look at our website — orthodoxeastleigh.uk
If you click on the “Blog” link, or directly here, you will see all past emails as well as sermons etc.
Our Facebook Page, facebook.com/orthodoxeastleigh, too, has daily additions during the week as well as on feast days. Please do like and share our page and content so we may reach a wider group of people.
Our community has a Twitter handle, @12ApostlesHants.
Do you receive the weekly (on Fridays) text message? If not, then let me know.
Saints and Feasts
Thursday 18th March — St Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (386). St Edward the Martyr, King of England (c 978). St Egbert of Ripon, the Confessor (c 720).
Friday 19th — Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria.
Saturday 20th — Commemoration of the Miracle of Kollyva wrought by St Theodore the Tyro. Holy Fathers of the Monastery of St Savas. St Photini the Samaritan Woman. St Cuthbert the Wonderworker, Abbot of Lindisfarne (687). St Herbert, the Hermit of Derwentwater (687).
Sunday 21st — The Sunday of Orthodoxy. St James the Confessor.
Monday 22nd — Hieromartyr Basil on Ancyra.
Tuesday 23rd — Holy Martyr Nicon and his 199 disciples.
Wednesday 24th — Forefeast of the Annunciation. St Artemon the Confessor.
Thursday 25th — The Annunciation of the Theotokos.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the mission?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]