TIME FOR
SPRING CLEANING
Fr.
Alex Chetsas, Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church, Tallahassee,
FL
een
checking out the garage
lately? Maybe you were searching for an Easter basket last month and
stopped for a moment to check out those giant cobwebs and
disorganized boxes of who knows what — and maybe you genuinely
feared one of those wild dust bunnies might run you over! And what
about your husband’s beloved — and massive —collection of ancient
fishing magazines? Or your wife’s shrine to old shoes that haven’t
seen the light of day for years? What’s with that, anyway? Or maybe
while frantically in search of some financial receipts on April 14th
you stumbled into that dreaded “catch-all” box each of us has. This
is the dirty little secret of your home: piles of unwanted books,
abandoned exercise equipment, games that never caught on with the
kids … and lots of junk. This is the room you hide from guests (you
know the one). You’ve been thinking, for years, about what a great
den or game room this would make, if you could just find time to
attack it. Or maybe you’ve dared to look into that attic recently —
a place that hasn’t been cleaned or organized since the day you
moved in twenty years ago. You say to yourself, “Let’s not even go
there….”
But even though it’s not
pleasant to go there, now is the time to go there. This is the
season of Pascha! This is the ultimate time of brightness and
renewal. This is a time for positive and energetic change in our
lives. It’s the time of the year, too, when the earth comes back to
life: birds chirping, gardens greening, flowers blooming. This is
the time of year for spring cleaning. Time to brighten that
basement, chase away those cobwebs, and get your home fresh and
re-organized. Time to let the sun in and allow a fresh breeze to
invigorate your senses and stimulate your homelife.
And there’s more. This idea of
spring cleaning applies to our hearts and souls as well. There are
neglected places — places where it is not pleasant to go, but where
we should be going: there are places in our consciences we should be
exploring but have been avoiding. There are feelings of anger,
disappointment, confusion and despair that have been buried but are
still very much a part of us. There is doubt; there is fear; there
is guilt. There are relationships we need to be working on or that
trouble us—we think about them often, know we should be acting to
heal old wounds, yet we do nothing. There are bitter memories that
gnaw at us; we replay them over and over, like an endless film, in
our minds. There is much baggage, much baggage we need to be free
of. But we are not free: we are loaded down, smothered,
suffocating.
Again, though it’s not pretty —
or easy — now is the time to go there. Because a painful, loaded
down, smothering and suffocating existence is no life at all. The
Lord hung on the cross for us to take away our burdens and free us
from bondage; He doesn’t want us to suffer and be miserable. He
wants us to feel free, to be happy, to be joyous, to be at peace, to
be thankful for every breath we take … and most of all to love Him
and always be with Him.
It may seem impossible, but we
can have these things, these things that He wants for us. But it’s
not easy; it takes courage, commitment and faith. We have to go to
these dark places in our hearts, these neglected rooms of our
consciences, and we have to face what’s there. We have to face the
pain; we have to face regret; we have to face our failure; we have
to face anger; we have to face despair. We have to look in the
mirror, and we have to face ourselves. We need reality. We need
clarity. We need a real starting point if we are truly going to
clean house.
And then we need to let God help
us, to let Him take these things away from us. We have to trust Him
and take His hand, allow Him to help us up out of the dirt, let Him
wipe away the tears. He can help us repair the broken relationships
in our lives, and blow a fresh summer breeze through the neglected
and stale places of our hearts. He can thrust open those heavy
windows in the attic of your conscience through Holy Confession, and
you’ll watch with relief and thanksgiving as the shadows of pain and
regret are chased into oblivion by the brilliant sunlight. He can
teach us to recognize true priorities in our lives, and the junk and
useless distractions in that catch-all room of your soul will be
no more—clarity
and holy organization will rule!
You’ve put it off long enough.
It’s time for spring cleaning. Get to work!
(From the Atlanta Metroopolis Website Bulletin for last
Sunday. Fr. Alexander Chetsas was Fr. Harakas’ Altar Boy,
many years ago at Annunciation Church, in
Newburyport, MA. He now serves a parish in Tallahassee, FL.)
Service
Hours: Sundays and Feast Days: Orthros at 9:30 am; Divine Liturgy at
10:00 am
Evening Services as Announced
Today’s Saints: Isidore, Martyr of Chios (+251);
Holymartyr Therapon, Bishop of Cyprus (+806); John & Mark,
Neomartyrs; Leontions, Archbishop of Jerusalem (+929).
4th SUNDAY AFTER PASCHA – SUNDAY
OF THE PARALYTIC
GOSPEL ENTRANCE AND OTHER HYMNS
Dismissal Hymn after the Doxology
Sing “Christos Anesti” Hymnal 103 & Christ is Risen
(sheet in the pew).
Dismissal Hymn for Pascha
Sung in Greek before the Entrance ("Christos Aneste…").
Priest’s Entrance Hymn: In the congregations bless God, the
Lord who springs out of Israel. Priest & People: Save us o
Son of God who did rise from the dead, we sing to You, Alleluia.
Dismissal Hymn - 3rd Tone
(Sing in English after the Entrance)"Let all things
rejoice"). Hymnal, 83-84.
Dismissal Hymn of the Presentation of Christ (Sing)
From the sheet in the pew.
Kontakion for Pascha
(Sung) by the Leaders in Greek (“Ei kai en tafo”)
(Read) Even though You descended into the grave, /
O immortal One, / You destroyed the power of Hades; / and You arose
as victor, / O Christ our God, / saying to the myrrh-bearing women,
/ “Hail!” / and to Your Apostles granting peace; / You also grant
resurrection to the fallen.
Return
to page 26 for “Holy God” and for the Epistle and Gospel Readings
EPISTLE – Acts
9:32-42 (Paralytic)
n those days, as Peter
went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints
that lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been
bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him,
"Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And
immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw
him, and they turned to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a disciple
named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was full of good works and
acts of charity. In those days she fell sick and died; and when they
had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near
Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to
him entreating him, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter rose
and went with them. And when he had come, they took him to the upper
room. All the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing tunics
and other garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. But
Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning
to the body he said, "Tabitha, rise." And she opened her eyes, and
when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and lifted
her up. Then calling the saints and widows he presented her alive.
And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the
Lord.
GOSPEL – John
5:1-15 (Paralytic)
t that time, Jesus
went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a
pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda which has five porticoes. In these
lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting
for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down
at certain seasons into the pool, and troubled the water; whoever
stepped in first after the troubling of the water was healed of
whatever disease he had. One man was there, who had been ill for
thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been
lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the
pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps
down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and
walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and
walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man
who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry
your pallet." But he answered them, "The man who healed me said to
me, 'Take up your pallet, and walk.' "They asked him, "Who is the
man who said to you, 'Take up your pallet, and walk'?" Now the man
who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had
withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found
him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more,
that nothing worse befall you." The man went away and told the Jews
that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Changes Later In the
Divine Liturgy
In the place of “Truly it is proper. . .” (p. 54)
The Leaders (Sing) “O Angelos eboa . . .
“Symphonos Parthene ”
Translation: “With one voice, O Virgin, we the faithful call
you blessed. / Rejoice, O you who are the portal of the Lord; /
rejoice, you who are a living city; / Rejoice, O you through whom
shines on us today, / the light of your Son’s Resurrection from the
dead.”
In the place of the Communion Hymn (Praise Him . . . )
(Sing) “Soma Christou” . . . Body of Christ
. . . Hymnal, p. 104
In the place of “We have seen the true light; (Sing) “Christos
Anesti,” Christ is Risen . .
ANOINTING FOR HEALTH will follow after the Divine Liturgy
today.
TWO
TRAYS TODAY – 1) Stewardship & Visitors’ Offering; 2) Building Fund
TODAY, MOTHER’S DAY: Following the Divine Liturgy the
Men’s Club of the parish will serve breakfast to all Mothers in
attendance as well as all others in attendance at Christ the Savior
Church. The menu will consist of Scrambled Eggs or Egg Beaters,
Bacon, Toast, Coffee, Danish and Donuts. Many thanks to the
Committee; Spiro Lemonedes, George Nikas and Bill Pasisis. Mothers
Free! All others, Free Will donation!
