St Barbara

St Barbara is commemorated today in the Church’s prayer of the Divine Liturgy and the Hours.

There is little doubt that the legendary story of the Holy Martyr Barbara was embellished a bit by early hagiographers. There is no reason for this, since the mere fact that someone who comes to faith in Christ is willing to lay down their life for him. For this reason, the more plausible facts of her life are a beacon for us who struggle in and for the faith. Her story tells us that she was a philosopher, a “lover of wisdom.” It was her love of wisdom, guided by grace that brought her to faith in the one true God in the Holy Trinity.

It is a reminder that our faith is not blind, it is rational, based on an authentic consideration of reality. Clement of Alexandria was one of the first Christians to see the value of Greek philosophy for the Christian faith, and on this same day, December 4, we celebrate the memory of Our Holy Father John Damascene, who wrote a massive work, the Fount of Wisdom, reasoning about our faith.

St. Barbara, however, shows that once we believe in the true God, it becomes more than just an intellectual exercise, but it changes and transforms our whole life, so that we cannot live any other way, and so she gave up her life for her faith. The story also tells us that it was her very own father who executed her. This is plausible. We know, as Christ told us, “From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke12:52-53).

What does family truly mean in our faith? What does it mean to be a father? Should not a father encourage his daughter to become her own person, and not simply to imitate his way of life? A beautiful idea, but how do we carry it out in practice? What if the roles had been revered and the father was a Christian and his daughter would want to revert to paganism? Would he then be justified in his actions? I think some of us might say yes. We have difficulty, I think, separating sin and sinner. We say, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner,” but we have difficulty distinguishing the two, and we end up hating the sinner double. The father would not be justified in killing his daughter, even if she was wrong, and even less, of course, because she was right.

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St. Andrew

The feast of St. Andrew is the beginning of a new relationship of God with his people. He is the first-called, the first follower of Christ particularly as Rabbi, as Messiah and Savior. What does it mean to be Christian? It means to follow Christ without hesitation and without selfishness. This feast is truly a reflection of Christmas. Jesus is the first-born of the Father, the first-born of all creation, the new Adam, the re-Creator of the human race.

Andrew is the first-called, but he is simply the forerunner of all who choose Christ, in a world that is hostile to Christ and his renewal. On this feast, we also begin the singing of Christmas stichera. At Psalm 140 of Vespers, we see that Bethlehem is filled with the fire of the Godhead, “Isaiah, dance for joy: receive the word of God. Prophesy to the Virgin Mary that the bush burning with fire will not be consumed by the radiance of our God.” At the Apostichera, we question the righteous Joseph, “Tell us, O Joseph: How is it that you bring the Maiden which you received from the Temple to Bethlehem pregnant?” Through divine intervention, the sending of an angel, he sees through to the holiness of his wife. The stichera at Vespers tells us that the Light that never sets has come into the world in the town of Bethlehem, and is worshiped by the angels, the shepherds and the Magi, a theme to be repeated frequently in the Christmas feast.

For us to recognize Christ, we must follow the first-called Andrew, whose first question was, “‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” [Jesus] said to them, “Come, and you will see.” This is Christ who was to say later, ““Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head. (Luke 9:58)” We have no comfortable place in this world. On Christmas, we “come and see” the Word of God in poverty, in a cave, rejected and persecuted by the world.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras

St Catherine of Alexandria

Troparion for St Catherine:

By your virtues as by rays of the sun you enlightened the unbelieving philosophers, and like the most bright moon you drove away the darkness of disbelief from those walking in the night; you convinced the queen, and also chastised the tyrant, God-summoned bride, blessed Catherine.

You hastened with desire to the heavenly bridal chamber of the fairest Bridegroom Christ, and you were crowned by Him with a royal crown; standing before Him with the angels, pray for us who keep your most sacred memory.

Soup, oatmeal and milkshake collection Saturday Nov. 26

Dear Friends,

I hope you are well and that you are surviving Thanksgiving Day in good health and humor.

Several days ago I put out an email about collecting dried soups. We need soups with high protein things like beans and meat would be good.

The advice of a friend Steve and Sean we are looking into securing bulk soups. We need EVERYONE’S help to feed our Ukrainian friends.

With the good advice of our friend and coworker Jayne, the collection will also collect dried oatmeal like Quaker’s High Protein Oatmeal which is a very good, nutrient dense food. Each packet has 10 grams of protein.

Also, Carnation’s Breakfast Essentials (a milkshake) would also be good.

No date for sending these goods to Ukraine has been established, yet. Soon something will be decided.

In the meantime, I will be at St Michael’s church hall (569 George St, New Haven) on Saturday, 10-12Noon, to receive the above items. So, only dried soups, high protein oatmeal and the breakfast essentials. No expired foods, please.

Other collection days will be scheduled.

Peace,
Paul Zalonski

Thanksgiving Day 2022

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” (Meister Eckhart)

Thanksgiving is a time for us to recall and to deeply live the blessings of our lives, and to give thanks to God for His many gifts.

Let’s be grateful for what we have been given, both spiritually and materially, as we strive to courageously live the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Ukrainian Catholics. Thank you for your stewardship and all you do to serve the Lord and others in St Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church and community!

We are particularly inspired by the superlative work done for our brothers and sisters in our beloved land of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Relief Project New Haven has been working incredibly hard and with great success. The work of so many near and far is truly a gift to relish and to keep perspective. We are grateful!

Let’s be grateful for the gift of the Eucharist that we receive when we come to the Divine Liturgy. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” Indeed, what a superb blessing it is to be able to receive the Lord – body, blood, soul, and divinity – in the Holy Eucharist! This spiritual food strengthens us in our daily lives and on our daily journey to the Kingdom. The Eucharist informs and forms our lives to be fully alive in God.

Please know that you and your loved ones will be remembered in our prayers in a special way on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

May Saint Michael the Archangel intercede for you and May God bless you!

Father Iura and Juliana

Saint Philemon and companions

Today the Church commemorates the memory of one Saint Paul’s close collaborators in preaching Savior’s Good News. He was born in Turkey and died in Colossae.

One of Saint Philemon’s biographers writes:

These four Apostles were all disciples of the Apostle Paul, and are mentioned individually in his Epistle to Philemon. In the first verse of this epistle, he writes: “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker – also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier — and to the church that meets in your home.”

Philemon was made the Bishop of Gaza by the Apostle Paul. He drove away from the inhabitants the darkness of ignorance and illuminated them with the light of the knowledge of God. Then he and his wife, Apphia, with the Apostle Archippus his son, ministered to the town of Colossae from its Christian center, Philemon’s home. There also they preached the word of truth.

During a pagan feast to the goddess Artemis, the Christians of Colossae had gathered in Philemon’s home for prayer. When the pagans learned of it they became enraged and raided the home and took the Apostles Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus to be killed. The other Christians managed to flee in fear. At first, they were whipped and afterwards they were buried up to their waists and the pagans began to stone them. They then killed Philemon and Apphia by laying them on the ground and beating them with sticks. Archippus they removed from the pit barely alive and left him to the amusement of the children. The children pierced him throughout with knives, and then he was stoned to death.

Claudio Gugerotti returns to the Vatican

The Holy Father nominated today the Prefect for the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, until now Nuncio to Great Britain, and previous Nuncio to Ukraine.

Archbishop Gugerotti, 67, has an earned doctorate from the Pontifical Oriental Institute (PIO) in Rome and a former student and colleague of the late Archimandrite Robert F. Taft, S.J. Gugerotti is a specialist in Armenian Liturgy and theology. He’s been a priest for 40 years and a bishop for 20, he’s from the Verona Diocese. He begins his new ministry in January 2023.

He’s a TERRIFIC choice to replace Cardinal Sandri!!!! Sandri, 79, (his birthday was just on November 18) and a native of Buenas Aires, has served at the Prefect of this disaster since 2007.

May God grant His Excellency many healthy and fruitful years!