ALL SAINTS: NOTICES — SAINT THOMAS SUNDAY, 2025
CHRIST IS RISEN!
THREE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
SATURDAY, 3rd MAY - DIVINE LITURGY at 10:00
SUNDAY, 11th MAY - PARISH PICNIC following the holy services (Father Jakob's TENTH ANNIVERSARY as Priest of ALL Saints)
SATURDAY, 17th May - PARISH YOUTH TRIP (details to be confirmed)
Beloved Christians,
Saint Thomas does nothing wrong when he reacts to the news of the Lord's resurrection with a desire for 'proof'. After all, surely, it is to be expected to ask pertinent questions, and seek after proofs, when one is confronted with a surprising and improbable claim? And this is not all negative: Thomas's incredulity benefits us all.
Thomas's reaction is not outright disbelief nor a hostile 'doubting' but is rather a benign scepticism and a desire to learn.
Our Lord grants to Thomas the special privilege of meeting him face-to-face. He does so not because of Thomas's rationality but because He (God) is merciful and loving.
THE LIMITS OF SEEING
Thomas has a desire to see the newly-risen God. But we ought to recognise that our rational intellect is rather a faulty and inefficient mechanism when it comes to dealing with the overwhelming presence of God and the immensity of the Holy Resurrection.
God is always greater than our understanding. God is greater than our capacity to understand Him.
Saint Thomas gives to us the proof of the Risen Lord
WE, TOO, MAY MEET CHRIST...
We, who have such a desire as that of Thomas, will meet God in our heart, in the depths of our soul, and in the spiritual-bodily form of the Holy Eucharist. Christ is the healer of the illnesses of our spirit and body*. He will heal us, IF we have faith and love in abundance.
* ψυχοσωματικός - psychosomatikos- psykhē "spirit", "mind" + sōmatikos, from sōma (genitive, sōmatos) "body".
TRUTH
The desire of Thomas to see, and meet, and to touch the Risen Lord, enables the verification of the Lord's Holy Resurrection. People of faith do not need secular "scientific proof", we do not need proof that love exists, or beauty, or Christ's humble omnipotence- these things simply are. And yet, because of Saint Thomas's simple desire, we are confronted with the irrefutable physical reality. Christ is resurrected from the dead. Flesh and blood. Not a ghost or an apparition, but a real, living person: God and man.
In the west Saint Thomas is called "doubting Thomas". This is an insult. For us, orthodox Christians, Thomas is the one who was privileged to touch the Risen Christ. The one who, for us, confirms the TRUTH of Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead.
ALL GLORY TO GOD!
All those who bring food and drink to share.
Angel - for the gift of the table-coverings in the holy altar.
Tom, our choirmaster - his name day, today. Many Years!
Aidan - for bringing Charlie (seeker) to the holy services.
Anon.- who showed exceptional kindness and consideration to the priest, but asked not to be named and thanked.
YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
Please pray for --
Ted, Joshua - facing challenges. May God give strength.
Lorraine - tending to her elderly father (John).
The Orthodox Youth Camp (this weekend), especially for Daniel C. and other organisers and helpers.
Perra - reposed in the Lord. Memory Eternal!
Andrew (non-orthodox, Natasha's father) - remains seriously ill; brain haemorrhage; on feeding tube.
All who are new at All Saints. May God guide and give the strength to endure.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
With love in the Risen Lord,
Father Jakob
Sinner and unworthy presbyter
Please feel free post online and share with friends and family
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LOOKING AHEAD -- TWELVE GREAT FEASTS
To help you plan ahead, for those of you who are able to take time off work, etc., here are the dates of GREAT FEASTS for the year ahead.
These are dates upon which we should try to be in Church (sadly, many of us do not always have this choice).
These are days upon which the Divine Liturgy should be served at All Saints. Servers, singers, helpers- please do what you're able.
14th SEPTEMBER -- EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
21st NOVEMBER -- ENTRY OF THE THEOTOKOS INTO THE TEMPLE
25th DECEMBER -- NATIVITY OF CHRIST
6th JANUARY -- HOLY THEOPHANY
2nd FEBRUARY -- PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE
25th MARCH -- HOLY ANNUNCIATION
13th APRIL -- ENTRY OF OUR LORD INTO IERUSALEM*
20th APRIL -- HOLY PASCHA*
29th MAY -- HOLY ASCENSION*
8th JUNE -- HOLY PENTEKOST*
6th AUGUST -- HOLY TRANSFIGURATION
15th AUGUST -- HOLY DORMITION
[ * The dates of these feasts vary from year to year. ]
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ORTHODOXY 101 : ATTENDING THE DIVINE LITURGY
Christianity is experiential; it is not just 'read about', it must be lived. The Holy Eucharist is at the centre of our worship, at the centre of our Life in Christ.
We come to the Church, we remain in the Church in order that our souls be saved. That is all. It is our soul's salvation - there is nothing else.
The Holy Services are a store-house of spiritual treasures. To be saved, we need to gain knowledge of ourselves. We do this by discovering our sins and weaknesses, and by fighting against their pull. Our faith is war on personal pride. When our pride is wounded in the course of Church life, we should thank God!
We fight best when we are supported. For support we have the Holy Gospels; the Holy Fathers, their Lives and Teachings; we have God and we have each other.
The Church Community (both living and departed) is our Family in Christ. Our God is LOVE. And we are giving of our best, when we give love to God and to each other.
The Holy Eucharist is the body and Blood of Christ. It is life itself, it is Salvation. It is our treasure: "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also"(Matthew 6:21). We spend time with - we are attentive to - the people, the things we love the most.
Canon LXXX (Sixth Oecumenical Council) reads, "A cleric or layman shall not go three consecutive Sundays without attending church, unless some necessary business requires him to leave his town. The usual penalties apply: deposition for a cleric; excommunication for a layman".
It is not always possible to come to every holy service, but our good practice, and simple good manners, is to notify the priest of our absence, or if we have moved away. Notification demonstrates love and humility, and allows the priest and community to pray for us, for example - when we are sick.
We pray for those who are absent from the divine services for legitimate reasons. The others, who come infrequently or have not attended for long periods, have become prodigal sons, wanderers. They have distanced themselves from Christ and from their Christian family. Their love has become luke-warm. A full and proper return to Church requires a full and proper repentance, taking responsibility for our failings.
Church life is about responsibility. It is about stepping up and being adult. This is done by singing, standing throughout the holy services, fasting, making regular confession, reading in Church, serving, cleaning and tidying, cooking, reading the morning and evening prayers every day, preparing properly for confession and communion. Above all it is about praying.
To be blunt, Church (parish) life is about giving time and money to the glory of God. Church life is about commitment. Without commitment, we will never become deeply Orthodox or even remain Orthodox.
Love of God and love of neighbour are entwined. We cannot love God if we do not love our neighbours, especially our fellow Christians; and we cannot love our neighbours if we do not love God (1 John 4:20).
We spend time with God, we spend time with each other. We do so not because we feel 'obliged' or even because we 'want to' but simply because our heart draws us, and we follow Christ's new commandment (Luke 10:27): "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself".
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AΓAΠH = CARITAS = CHARITY = LOVE
John 4:16: Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη (koine Greek) = Deus caritas est (Latin) = God is Love (English)
GIVING TO OTHERS
All glory to God! Our small parish has been able in little ways to help the poor, offer love to the stranger, to help heal the wounded.
GIFTAID
This past year we received £2,000 back from the UK government. Our parish trustees have authorised this and future monies raised through giftaid to be passed on to our poorer neighbours. If more of us donated by giftaid we could do even more to help the poor, the wounded, and the marginalised who are our neighbours.
'HOW CAN I HELP?'
Every penny helps! Donate to our parish via gift aid. If you pay tax in the UK you can use giftaid. It's free, it's easy, and as you can see above, it helps us to help others. The UK government pays us back for what you give to us via gftaid. This is the only official help that UK charities receive.
Our hope and ambition is that every penny given to us by you comes through giftaid.
LAZAROS, OUR NEIGHBOUR
The dying Lazaros is lying outside our door (Luke 16:20). We Christians have a duty of care (John 21:17), this is a constant in our life (Matthew 26:11), we must not ignore him (1 John 3:17). Let us do all that we are able to help to help our neighbour (John 15:12). May I ask you - please make a start, and donate to the parish by giftaid.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
In the Risen Lord,
Father Jakob
Presbyter, All Saints North Benfleet
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