John Simmons

April, 2025

A Paschal Appeal Letter for 2025

Christ is Risen!

Dear Faithful Parishioners and Friends in Christ,

As we approach Pascha, the most profound time of joy and hope in the Church year, we are reminded of the transformative power of our Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and His third-day resurrection. At St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, we celebrate this momentous occasion every year with a special offering, and we invite you to join us in sharing in this act of faith and generosity.

This Pascha we are particularly focused on bringing our income levels up to match the needs of our bare-bones budget. Additionally, we are looking at some major improvements to be made in the very near future, such as buying, shipping, and mounting our brand-new cupola to replace the ancient and completely irreparable original one. The buildings and grounds will need some attention as well as the year marches on. Your gift, no matter the size, will help us continue to serve our community and spread the message of God's love.

We are grateful for your ongoing support and partnership in making a difference in the life of the parish and in the lives of others. Your generosity and your charity allow us to continue the church's salvific work here in the Silicon Valleyand beyond. Please consider making a special Easter offering to help us continue this important work. You can give online at www.stnicholassaratoga.org,  or by placing your offering in the collection plate during any of the services or mail it in using the envelope provided. May your Pascha be filled with the joy of the Risen Christ.  Christ is Risen!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Archpriest Basil Rhodes – Rector

[PayPal Donation Link]

Other Notes

We can use more flowers to beautify the temple for Pascha. We can use red or white: carnations, roses or lillies. Donations for flowers are also acceptable.

We are still taking sign-ups in the hall for Holy Saturday readings, Agape Meal help (Pascha afternoon), and the all-night psalter reading on Holy Friday.  We must fill in all hours, or we will have to cancel this wonderful prayerful practice, so please consider signing up.

Did you know that in addition to this newsletter by email, that you can also sign up to receive or occasional paper mailings (e.g. "snail mail")? You can sign up for both at this page (scroll down for the paper mail sign up):

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2025 Paschal Season Services Schedule

Saturday, April 12 – Lazarus Saturday
10:00 AM – Divine Liturgy
6 PM - Great Vespers

Sunday, April 13   PALM SUNDAY
10 AM - Divine Liturgy followed by Procession and BAKE SALE
7 PM - Bridegroom Matins

Monday, April 14   Holy Monday
7 PM - Bridegroom Matins

Tuesday, April 15   Holy Tuesday
7 PM - Bridegroom Matins

Wednesday, Apr 16   Holy Wednesday    (wine, oil)
10:00 AM – Presanctified Liturgy
6 PM – Sacrament of Holy Unction

Thursday, Apr 17   Holy Thursday    (wine, oil)
10 AM – Vesperal Liturgy of the “Last Supper”
7 PM – Matins with Twelve Passion Gospels

Friday, Apr 18   Great and Holy Friday  (Strict Fast)
8 AM - Royal Hours
2 PM - Burial Vespers (Taking Down from the Cross)
7 PM - Matins with Lamentations/Praises (with procession)

Saturday, Apr 19   Holy Saturday    (wine)
11 AM –       Vesperal Liturgy (with 15 Old Testament Readings)
11:15 PM – Nocturns/Matins/Liturgy for PASCHA (with procession) and Blessing of Baskets

Sunday, Apr 20       PASCHA
2 PM – Vespers   (Followed by Agape Lunch (Potluck)

 

Upcoming Events

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March, 2025

Focus on the Faith

The Meaning of Great Lent by Fr Thomas Hopko

The season of Great Lent is the time of preparation for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. It is the living symbol of man’s entire life which is to be fulfilled in his own resurrection from the dead with Christ. It is a time of renewed devotion: of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of repentance, a real renewal of our minds, hearts and deeds in conformity with Christ and his teachings. It is the time, most of all, of our return to the great commandments of loving God and our neighbors.

In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent is not a season of morbidity and gloominess. On the contrary, it is a time of joyfulness and purification. We are called to “anoint our faces” and to “cleanse our bodies as we cleanse our souls.” The very first hymns of the very first service of Great Lent set the proper tone of the season:

"Let us begin the lenten time with delight . . . let us fast from passions as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit, that we may be granted to see the holy passion of Christ our God and his holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.”

"Thy grace has arisen upon us, O Lord, the illumination of our souls has shown forth; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the time of repentance" (Vespers Hymns).

It is our repentance that God desires, not our remorse. We sorrow for our sins, but we do so in the joy of God’s mercy. We mortify our flesh, but we do so in the joy of our resurrection into life everlasting. We make ready for the resurrection during Great Lent, both Christ’s Resurrection and our own.

Orthopraxis - Lenten Fasting

A special word must be said about fasting during lent. Generally speaking, fasting is an essential element of the Christian life. Christ fasted and taught men to fast. Blessed fasting is done in secret, without ostentation or accusation of others (Mt 6.16; Rom 14). It has as its goal the purification of our lives, the liberation of our souls and bodies from sin, the strengthening of our human powers of love for God and man, the enlightening of our entire being for communion with the Blessed Trinity.

The Orthodox rules for lenten fasting are the same for laity as they are for monastics. No meat is allowed after Meatfare Sunday, and no eggs or dairy products after Cheesefare Sunday. These rules exist not as a Pharisaic “burden too hard to bear” (Lk 11.46), but as an ideal to be striven for; not as an end in themselves, but as a means to spiritual perfection crowned in love.

Let us fast with a fast pleasing to the Lord. This is the true fast: the casting off of evil, the bridling of the tongue, the cutting off of anger, the cessation of lusts, evil talking, lies and cursing. The stopping of these is the fast true and acceptable (Monday Vespers of the First Week).

The lenten services also make the undeniable point that we should not pride ourselves with external fasting since the devil himself never eats!

The ascetic fast of Great Lent continues from Meatfare Sunday to Pascha, and is broken only after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. Knowing the great effort to which they are called, Christians should make every effort to fast as well as they can, in secret, so that God would see and bless them openly with a holy life. Each person must do his best in the light of the given ideal.

In addition to the ascetic fasting of the lenten season, the Orthodox alone among Christians also practice what is known as eucharistic or liturgical fasting. This fasting does not refer to the normal abstinence in preparation for receiving the holy eucharist; it means even fasting from the Holy Eucharist itself.

During the week days of Great Lent the regular eucharistic Divine Liturgy is not celebrated in Orthodox churches since the Divine Liturgy is always a paschal celebration of communion with the Risen Lord. Because the lenten season is one of preparation for the Lord’s Resurrection through the remembrance of sin and separation from God, the liturgical order of the Church eliminates the eucharistic service on the weekdays of lent. Instead the non-eucharistic services are extended with additional scripture readings and hymnology of a lenten character. In order that the faithful would not be entirely deprived of Holy Communion on the lenten days, however, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Even during Great Lent, Saturday (the Sabbath Day) and Sunday (the Lord’s Day) remain eucharistic days, and the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On Saturdays it is the normal Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, usually with prayers for the dead. On Sundays it is the longer Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great.

The well-known teaching that Saturdays and Sundays are never days of fasting in the Orthodox Church, an issue emphasized centuries ago when controversy arose with the Latin Church, refers only to this eucharistic-liturgical fast. During Great Lent, even though the eucharistic fast is broken on Saturdays and Sundays, the ascetical fast continues through the weekends since this fasting is an extended effort made from Meatfare Sunday right to Easter itself.

Upcoming Events

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February, 2025

On the feast of the Meeting of the Lord

Today is the leave taking of the feast of the Meeting of the Lord. I love this feast, and was saddened to have to miss it due to illness, but was grateful to Fr. Basil and Maria who sang the Vespers, so that I could pray along from home. There are a few things that I am reminded of every year.

No, not because the feast is also Groundhog Day! It was on this feast that I arrived at St. Nicholas 22 years ago, so I am reminded of the beginning of being a part of this parish family, which is so precious to me.

This is also one of the feasts which have permeated the Western culture, with an expression in the arts. J.S. Bach wrote his beautiful cantata “Ich Habe Genug” (I have enough) - a poetic expression of the words and thoughts of the righteous elder Simeon.

You can listen to it here, sung by Hans Hotter - a version which drew Fr. Seraphim Rose to Orthodoxy, when he was in college.

listen on YouTube

read the lyrics in English here

I may be repeating myself with all this, but some things are worth repeating.

The third thing, which bears frequent repetition, at least for me, is this sermon by St. Theophan for this feast. I’ve shared it before, and Fr. Basil read it on the feast day. I feel like if I were to read this Sermon daily for a month, it would not be too much repetition. The whole thing is good, but one section in particular starts with this sentence:

“If anyone complains that he would like the fruit but the labor it takes to get it is too hard, the answer is: Good. There is an easier method, a method simpler than the one laid out.”

Why do I like this section so much? Perhaps for the same reason that some of you will. We live in the world, in Silicon Valley. We are constantly busy with a variety of activities and responsibilities. We find it challenging to maintain the variety of activities associated with the spiritual life. We long to go deeper, but find it challenging, even without kids. WITH kids, it is an even greater challenge.

And yet earlier this month, the feast of St. Anthony the Great, the real father of monasticism in its most extreme form reminded me of a story from his life. He asked the Lord if there were any ascetics who were his equal. The Lord revealed to him that there was - a busy doctor in the midst of the city, who merely sang the thrice-holy hymn, the Trisagion in his heart all day. This is very much like the constant inward attention that St. Theophan recommends. Despite its simplicity, this inward activity can accomplish much. It creates a type of leverage in the soul that other, even heavier ascetic activities don’t have. But there is some work involved in making this constant remembrance of God a habit.

Here is the sermon:

https://orthochristian.com/44773.html

I’m going to personally make a challenge to you and myself: to read this sermon every day from now until the beginning of Lent, striving to put into daily practice, the simple method that St. Theophan lays out. What do you say? Will you join me?

Happy Feast!

In Christ,

John

Upcoming Events

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January, 2025

Burns Supper Fundraiser, January 23rd

The Burns Supper is coming up! Go to this page to get your tickets, and extra (PDF) flyers to share

Orthopraxis

House Blessings and Theophany

On January 6th, Orthodox Christians attend the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of the Water service to celebrate the great feast of Theophany, also called the “Feast of Lights.”  It was called the Feast of Lights from ancient times, since on this day many catechumens were “illumined” by the light of Holy Baptism and held their lit candles during the services. The feast commemorates the baptism of Christ and the revelation of God in three persons. That's why the Feast is called “Theophany,” meaning “Revelation of God.” We attend church not only to celebrate the Feast and receive the Holy Eucharist, but we also hope to be blessed by and to receive the special holy water which is blessed following the Liturgy.   Most parishioners bring their own bottles or jars from home in order to fill them up with the blessed water to take home. It is the pious practice of many Orthodox to take a little holy water and some of the blessed bread (antidoron) from church every morning before eating or drinking anything else, as a blessing for the day. In most churches in America the blessing of water is held indoors, in the temple itself, and the water is contained in a large urn. Some communities hold outdoor celebrations by a body of water.

Blessing of the Home

It is customary, to invite your priest to bless your home with holy water within the few weeks following Theophany and before the beginning of the Great Fast (Lent.). Prepare by cleaning the house and opening the doors and turning on the lights in  all the rooms.

What you need for the house blessing:

  • An icon corner or wall, or at least an Icon of Christ and the Mother of God
  • A small table, preferably covered, in front of your home icon corner.
  • A candlestick with a new candle in it, placed on the otherwise cleared table

Using  an aspergelus (a special brush-type sprinkler) the priest will go to each room and sprinkle it in the four corners blessing the home with the grace of the Holy Spirit which also protects you from evil spirits. If you were unable to attend the Theophany Liturgy, the priest will bring extra Holy Water so that you may keep some at home, near your icons. Please have a dedicated jar or vessel prepared for this water. It can only be used for Holy Water thereafter. For House Blessings, it is appropriate that all family members are in attendance, but if this is not possible, at least those who are home should participate in the service. All TV's, electronics, music, etc., should be turned off. House Blessings are a yearly tradition.

Personal Use of Holy Water

According to Orthodox doctrine, holy water has the power to sanctify and heal. Have each family member drink a small amount of the holy water from Theophany. Keep the unused holy water in your home icon corner (krasny ugol) for future use: times of adversity, before starting a new venture or trip, to give thanks, or when someone is ill. You may drink it or anoint yourself when you feel spiritually afflicted. It should be taken when fasting, if at all possible. To rid the house of evil spirits, it should be sprinkled in the four corners of each room, so no one will step on it. In the countryside, the holy water is often sprinkled in the fields and on the animals.

If you would like to have your home blessed, please contact Fr. Basil or use the Sign-up sheet at the candle desk in the Narthex of the church.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events this month are in the online calendar, which you can subscribe to on your phone or tablet. Use the print button on the calendar to print a copy.

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Christmas Message from Father Basil

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church,

Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Христос рождается! Cлавите его!

“Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon the earth and man gone up to heaven. Today for man’s sake is seen in the flesh He who by nature is invisible. Therefore, let us also give glory and cry aloud to Him: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace! Which Thy coming has bestowed upon us O Savior, glory to Thee!” (Litiya Verse for Nativity)

Dear Ones,

The Feast of the Nativity of Christ has come! Christmas has arrived! What does this mean to Orthodox Christians? Does it mean a celebration of love and family? Does it exist primarily to promote commercial success? Is it a time for single and heartbroken women to find love again during the “holidays?” No, no, no! My late seminary professor, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann wrote:

“With the words ‘Christ is Born! Glorify Him!’ something changes in our life, in the very air we breathe, in the entire mood of the Church’s life. In them we perceive… the first light of the greatest possible joy — the coming of God into His world. They proclaim the reconciliation of mankind with God, for the birth of the Son of God as a child is the beginning of the saving ministry which will lead Him, for the sake of our salvation, to the ultimate sacrifice of the Cross.”

May God Bless You and Yours with Every Good and Perfect Gift that Comes from Above this Christmas!

Archpriest Basil Rhodes

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