ALL SAINTS: NOTICES - - FEAST of ALL SAINTS of THE BRITISH ISLES and IRELAND, 2025
'REJOICE AND EXULT, FOR GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN THE HEAVENS'
Whilst today's repetition of the Epistle-reading (Apostolos) (Hebrews 11:33-12:2a) from the Feast of All Saints (Sunday, 15th June) underlines the difficulty of achieving sainthood, today's Holy Gospel (Matthew 4:25-5:12a), The Beatitudes, elucidates the priceless joys of life-in-Christ. When we read The Beatitudes, we should proceed to grasp that the opposites are not blessed; in fact, these are rejected and damned because they are things which exclude us from God: wealth, pride, a lack of compassion and mercy, selfishness, impurity of heart, aggression, violence... Such things, our Lord tells us, will bring their own consequences.
The Beatitudes tells us of those who are μακάριος (makários: "happy", a beatific happiness not a mere worldly/emotional happiness). Why are the poor or the meek happy? Because they are blessed. Because their chosen poverty and meekness is blessed, they are happy.
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ON THE BRITISH ISLES
'THE CHURCH IN THE BRITISH ISLES WILL ONLY GROW WHEN SHE BEGINS, ONCE AGAIN, TO VENERATE HER OWN SAINTS.' - Saint Arsenios of Kappadokía +1877
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ON THE ENGLISH
'NON ANGLI, SED ANGELI, SI FORENT CHRISTIANI.' ('Not Angles [English], but angels...if they were Christian.') - Saint Gregory ("o Dialogos"), Pope of Rome (author of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts) +604
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The Feast of the SAINTS OF BRITAIN is NOT the Feast of "BRITISH" SAINTS
Into 'the circus tent of a hurricane' (Sylvia Plath) that is this secularised Britain, the Orthodox Church has miraculously been re-planted, transplanted like a tender but vigorous vine (cf. Psalm 79:8 LXX). We, Orthodox Christians, in Britain are now blessed with several cathedrals, a famed monastery just a few miles away, clergy and monastics and holy elders, hermits living lives of hesychasm, and hundreds of communities and parishes across the UK. Glory to God for all things! It is truly providential that fresh waves of immigrants have arrived to invigorate and re-evangelise the people of these islands, to introduce Orthodox Christianity for a third time. Clearly, God has not abandoned Britain!
Let us avoid becoming part of a sad diaspora which is doomed to be absorbed and digested by mainstream, secular, Britain; let our love, let our commitment to God and to our local saints, be an eikon to our children and to our neighbours. May we all be graced to be made worthy of the transformative love of our Lord and Saviour, and to become future saints of Britain.
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A POET SPEAKS...
'For it is not enough to say what you are; you must also be what you say. Without putting into effect God’s commandment to love, man will never change, and neither will the world. Our only hope lies in this simple thing, which is also the most difficult thing of all. The world would change in one instant if we were able to love, if we could change the inner man...' - Zissimos Lorenzatos, +2004
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
For the All the Saints of the British Isles and Island. And for the Litany, read every year, in its entirety, in our parish.
All who tithe, sing, serve, clean, bake, bring food & drink to share, and pray for us poor sinners.
Reader Aaron - coming to the end of his first year of theological study.
Ted & Elizabeth - for hosting us yesterday, at Bradwell, and for those who sang, served, helped.
For our children's magazine - 140 weekly issues published!
Anamaria & Andrei - for beautiful gifts to Father & Presbytera.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
All Christians, in particular Orthodox clergy and laity, suffering in Ukraine, in the middle-east, In Kosovo, and elsewhere.
Charlie (katechumen) - may God bring strength.
Patricia (non-Orthodox) - job interview.
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SAINTS OF THE BRITISH ISLES AND IRELAND, PRAY TO GOD FOR US SINNERS!
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In Christ God,
the sinner and unworthy presbyter, Father Jakob
Please feel free to 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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