In this email
Message from Fr Alexander — Judgment
News …
Organising the Parish
Wednesdays at 7 pm on Zoom
WhatsApp Group
Twitter Feed
Names for prayer
Monastery of St John the Baptist talks
Archimandrite Philip: Ten at Ten
Lockdown Response
Live stream information
Resources
Saints and Feasts — 4th–11th March
Offer of help
Dear Friends
Judgment is here. Each of us does not know the hour the Lord will return nor the length of our earthly life. We should be preparing now to meet our Maker. This coming Sunday the Church reminds us of this in her hymns and services and the Gospel reading, to prepare us for the Great Fast, is stark.
The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
— Matthew 25:31–46
How will the Lord decide if I am a sheep or a goat? To our mind, so far disassociated from the world of farming, this can come across as an arbitrary decision: but this is not the case. The difference between the two is of humility or of pride: when presented before the Lord on that Last Day, will I recognise my Master or will I respond “why do I need you?”
Notice, too, the criteria for judgment. They are not “Do you know the Creed? Can you make the Sign of the Cross? Do you believe in God?” They are all, essentially, “Do you show hospitality?” The Creed, the Sign of the Cross, belief in God are all important, but if they do not include hospitality they are meaningless and for our condemnation.
Do you, my dear brothers and sisters, cultivate humility in your lives? Do I? Do we express our humility through our hospitality and generosity? Or do we offer only our excess, what we no longer need or want?
Lord, as thou knowest, have mercy!
News
Organising the Parish
We are putting together a constitution for our new parish. This should, ultimately, allow us to open a bank account and allow us to make dealings with potential landlords and take out the insurance necessary to open a community.
We will need to organise a meeting, perhaps in our present situation this will be online, where we can formally come into being. Then we can start the process of getting a bank facility.
Keep a look out for news on this: we will need you. And please pray!
Wednesdays at 7 pm on Google Meet
We are saying together the Paraklesis—the Canon written in honour of the Mother of God—asking her prayers before the Lord that the Coronavirus Pandemic may be lifted from our world. Would you like to join us?
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.
Lockdown Response
We are in lockdown and our Metropolitan has given a clear directive that churches which cannot maintain enough social distancing in the Archdiocese are to be closed until mid-March. Our Archdiocese, without judging what others are doing, has taken the position that we do not want any transmission to take place in our churches and we want to keep everyone safe.
This is not what any Church wants to do: all want to welcome people for worship; yet our worship is not the totality of what we do as Christians and now is an opportunity to make even more use of other aspects of our Faith. Pray. Really pray. Make prayer a regular part of your life. Study. Read the Scriptures, read what the Fathers say about the Scriptures. Give. Give to the poor and needy. Give you time to a friends: call them and say hello.
I am here for you: get in contact if you would like help and support. Together, by the grace of God, we can emerge with a stronger Faith.
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 4th March — St Gerasimus of the Jordan.
Friday 5th — St Conan the Gardener. St Mark the Acetic. St Prian, Hermit in Cornwall (c 480).
Saturday 6th — Forty-two Martyrs of Amorion. The Finding of the Precious Cross by St Helen. Sts Kyneburga, Kynewide and Tibba, Abbesses of Castor (c 680).
Sunday 7th — Sunday of the Last Judgment. Seven Hieromartyrs of Cherson. St Easterwine of Wearmouth (686).
Monday 8th — St Theophylact, Bishop of Nicomedia. Holy Apostle Hermas of the Seventy. St Felix, Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia (c 648). Hieromartyr Theodoret of Antioch (4th).
Tuesday 9th — Forty Martyrs of Sebastia (c 320). St Constantine of Cornwall (6th).
Wednesday 10th — Holy Martyr Kodratos of Corinth and his companions (3rd).
Thursday 11th — St Sophrony, Patriarch of Jerusalem. St Gerald, Abbot of Mayo (732).
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]