The Basil Leaf January 2017 Volume: 6 Issue: 1

ST. BASIL THE GREAT ORTHODOX CHURCH

1520 Todds Lane

HAMPTON, VA 23666

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SAINT BASIL THE GREAT ORTHODOX CHURCH

1520 Todds Lane, Hampton, VA 23666

Email: stbasilonlineva@gmail.com

Phone: 757.223.4159

www.stbasilonline.org

Dates to remember 2017

Great Vespers, Saturdays 6:30 PM. Matins, Sundays, 9:25 AM.

Divine Liturgy, Sundays, 10:30 AM.

Sunday School & Adult Ed, Sundays following Liturgy.

Jan. 15 Children’s Nativity, Play after liturgy

Antiochian Woman’s meeting, after coffee hour

PORT: Feeding the homeless with Sts. Constantine & Helen at

Tabernacle Baptist church in Denbigh, 6pm

22 Sunday School & Adult Ed resume.

Girls’ guild will meet after Sunday School

Feb. 1 Feast of Christ’s Entrance into the Temple: Vesperal Liturgy, 6:30pm

5 Parish Council, 12:30

19 Meatfare Sunday

Antiochian Women’s meeting, after coffee hour

26 Cheesefare Sunday

Forgiveness Vespers, after coffee hour and Sunday School

27 Lent Begins

Notes from the Parish

January began, as it always does, with the celebration of

the Feast of St. Basil. On Dec. 31st we celebrate Great

Vespers for the Feast with Litia and Artoklasia. On

Sunday Jan. 1st we celebrated the Feast of St. Basil and

the Circumcision of Christ. Carrie Holmes provided us

with vasilopita to celebrate St. Basil. On the Evening of

Jan. 5th we celebrated the Feast of Christ’s Holy

Theophany. We blessed the waters and thanked God for

revealing Himself to us as our Triune God.

With Theophany comes house blessings. Fr. James has

assigned each parishioner/family a day and time for

their house blessing. This year we have more homes to

bless, but less time to do it in, so please keep your

scheduled time so we can complete house blessing before Lent (Feb. 27th). Met. JOSEPH and Bp.

THOMAS have called for every house to be blessed each year at this time. So far we are nine homes

into the house blessing season and counting!

On the evening of Dec. 18th several of us went to Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church

to help provide food for and assist with sheltering the homeless and needy. The next opportunity will

be with Sts. Constantine & Helen at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Denbigh Jan. 15th.

The Antiochian Women held their Christmas celebration at a local Thai restaurant Saturday Dec. 17th.

The ladies exchanged gifts, enjoyed great food, and discussed their ministries.

The children have been working to prepare a beautiful Nativity program, and we thank Sarah

Simerick for her organization and direction of the play again this year! Regular Sunday School

classes will resume on Sunday, January 22.

Missions and Evangelism completed its initial role out of the “Becoming Truly Human” program.

The effort was very successful and the concluding movie is especially moving. After the viewing of

the movie everyone sat in silence, they were so touched. Missions and Evangelism will showcase the

“Becoming Truly Human” movie to the entire parish in the very near future, and will open up the

program to the public. Stay tuned!

Needless to say, the snow has been a big story. About ten inches fell throughout Hampton Roads, and

forced us to cancel vespers, matins, and liturgy the weekend of Jan. 7-8. It’s a reminder for us all to

be cautious whenever we have snow (and hurricanes). Hampton Roads is great, but not it’s equipped

to handle the snow

Remember, visitors continue to come to St. Basil. Some are passing through, or visiting family. Some

are interested in Orthodoxy, but aren’t sure. Others are looking for a parish home. Please continue to

welcome them with open arms. If someone is sitting near you that you don’t recognize offer them

antidoron, invite folks to coffee hour, introduce them to others, and make a connection. The warmth

of a parish is far more important than the sermon, or how well the choir sings, or the depth of our

programs.

Building Construction Update

First electrical inspection…

The week after Nativity we had our initial electrical

inspection, which we did not pass. The inspector requested we

hang the conduit more “rigidly.”

Electrical rework to meet city inspection discrepancies is

95% complete. Second inspection will be scheduled for week

of January 16th along with framing inspection. If all goes well,

we can finally close up all walls and ceilings with sheetrock,

which will mean we can finally finish out the spaces.

Cabinets for the classrooms have arrived and will be installed

as time permits after the electrical issues are resolved.

Chuck and Company continue to work hard at the usual

times: Mon., Tue., Thus., from 6pm-9pm, and Saturdays from

9am-2pm. Our clean up crews come in at 3:30pm on

Saturdays. Please join either the work or clean up crews. We

need your help.

Carrie Holmes made three loaves of vasilopita to commemorate our beloved St. Basil.

Pastor’s Note

At the grocery store I saw a man circling the parking lot for a reasonably close space. He must have

passed by me two or three times in his sedan as I waited in the car. On his last go around he saw an

opportunity. A car was backing out. He waited patiently, inched closer and made his intentions known to the

other drivers. Then it happened! Another driver in a white SUV dangerously cut him off, almost causing and

accident, and took the spot. Horns honked and unpleasantries were loudly exchanged between the two men

before the driver of the sedan was forced to continue his search.

It’s shocking sometimes to see how people can treat one another; how they talk to one another,

their tones and word choice, the silent treatment, facial expressions, the things they do, or don’t do to each

other. They all have reasons for the behavior. They’re scared, hurt, angry, jealous, insecure, impatient,

prideful, maybe because they had a past trauma, don’t know any better, just aren’t paying attention, or maybe

they’ve been burned before. Who knows, but we aren’t surprised when we see others exhibiting such

behavior from time to time. What is worse, and truly sad, is when families act that way towards each other.

Family is a funny thing. We often find our greatest joy coming from family, while also experiencing

deepest pain as a result of the same people. Often, our family members treat us as if we were the man in the

sedan. They cut us off, act recklessly towards us, and are impatient. We all too easily do the same to our

families; talk nasty, do unkind things, neglect, and so on. And for what? So we can get our own way, flex our

ego, satisfy our pride, avoid our fear and insecurities, is that why? Is it worth it? Do we not know that we will

die, that our transitory life is short!? Yep, family is a funny thing, and so are we.

In February we celebrate the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. The Theotokos and St. Joseph

brought their Son, Jesus, to the temple and presented Him to Simeon. This is a perfect image of family,

parents bringing their child(ren) to Church and to The Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us present not only present

ourselves to God, but let us also present our loved ones too. What does that look like?

It looks like this: pushing your patience to another level and putting away nastiness, and facing your

own brokenness. It looks like doing some soul-searching to discover how your Christian witness falls short

(“others are so un-Christian, but we’re…” type of comments); better to judge yourself than to judge others. It

means dealing with your anger without blaming others for it. It’s expecting to find sinners everywhere (in

your family, at work, at Church, and in the mirror). It requires letting petty squabbles (they’re probably about

something deeper anyway) and grudges go. It means stop expecting others to fawn all over you. Presenting

your spouse, child(ren), or anyone to God means making serious sacrifices for them (financial, time, home).

It looks like forgiveness; after all, God has forgiven us for much more.

A new year means making cliché resolutions, sure, but give it a whirl. What will your year look like,

more of the same nastiness? Or, will it look like Mary and Joseph, who instead of putting themselves on

display, presented their loved one before all and for all?

Your unworthy Priest,

Fr. James

Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

January 6

From OCA.org

Theophany is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism

of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the

Son, the Son was baptized by the Saint John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the

Son in the form of a dove. From ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the

Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in

the region of the shadow of death” (Mt.4:16), and to save the fallen

race of mankind by grace. In the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize

catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is

revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind.

The origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times,

and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13).

From the second century we have the testimony of Saint Clement of

Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord,

and the night vigil before this Feast.

There is a third century dialogue about the services for

Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and Saint Gregory

the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to

ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the

Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of

Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany.

The monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios

composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at

Orthodox services even today. Saint John of Damascus said that the

Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but “to bury human sin by water,”

to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify “the nature of

water” and to offer us the form and example of Baptism.

On the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime

mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess

and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Indivisible. It exposes and overthrows the errors of

ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms.

The Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a

sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches

that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit,

therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean

this priceless garb, for “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27).

On the day of Theophany, all foods are permitted, even if the Feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday.

Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist

John January 7

From OCA.org

In the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the

Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those

saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day

following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who

participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand

upon the head of the Savior.

Saint John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, whom

the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, concludes the history of

the Old Testament and opens the era of the New Testament. The holy

Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. Saint John

was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the

Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism.

The holy Prophet John was related to the Lord on His mother’s side, the son of the Priest

Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth. The holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before

Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to

Zachariah that a son was to be born to him.

Through the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. Saint

John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting,

prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people.

At the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He appeared on the banks of the

Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. In church

hymnology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance

of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of

the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Having baptized the sinless Lamb of God, Saint John soon died a martyr’s death,

beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. (On Saint

John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-

20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34, 3:22-26). The Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy

Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner

against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios:

The body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. The holy

Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where

they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized

the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch.

When the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy

hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of

the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter.

In the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of

Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. From the

Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the

Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to

Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France.

The right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the

beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos

monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor

Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred

objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept under lock in the imperial

treasury.

In the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the

holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of

Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied

himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan

Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the

island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to

Malta.

When the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in

honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and

the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of

Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic

threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were

transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter

Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast.

Besides the Synaxis of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the

Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: September 23, his

Conception; June 24, his Nativity; August 29, his Beheading; February 24, the First and Second

Finding of his Head; May 25, the Third Finding of his Head; October 12, the Transfer of his

Right Hand from Malta to Gatchina (1799).

Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs

January 30th

“Three Guiding Lights of True Faith”

by Very Rev. Stephen Rogers

from The Word, January 2001 (retrieved from Antiochian.org)

As the month of January draws to a close, the Church calls us on the 30th to celebrate the

Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John

Chrysostom.

In celebrating these three great teachers of the Church, the Church in its hymnody refers to

them as “harps of the Spirit,” “rays of light,” “scented flowers of Paradise,” “instruments of grace.”

The Gospel read at Divine Liturgy is that of the Good Shepherd (John 10:9-16). This gospel, always

appointed to be read on feast days of canonized bishops, speaks to us of the God-given role of the

episcopacy to watch over our souls.

In these three great shepherds of the Church, we see both a commonality and differences that can

enlighten us in how we lead our lives as Christians. Honored as supreme representatives of both the

Church’s doctrinal and pastoral ministries, these men give us true examples of what it means to be

Orthodox.

St. Basil the Great (330-379), though known throughout Orthodoxy because of the Divine

Liturgy that bears his name, was perhaps first and foremost a man of charity and compassion. Known

as a protector of the weak and defender of the poor, St. Basil built hospitals, organized charities, cared

for orphans and widows and emphasized acts of mercy on the part of all Christians.

A great defender of the faith in powerful writings and homilies, and known as an organizer

and reformer of monasteries, St. Basil more than anything else burned with a heart of compassion,

living out the words of Christ, “Inasmuch as you do it unto one of these little ones, you do it unto

me.”

St. Gregory the Theologian (329-389), a friend and classmate of St. Basil, was made a bishop

against his wishes. Facing many challenges in the see of Constantinople, St. Gregory spent the final

years of his life in retreat. Out of his meditations on God came beautiful poetry and some of the most

powerful defense of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity ever written. While active as a powerful and

compassionate bishop in the world, St. Gregory never lost sight of “the kingdom of God within you.”

A man of prayer, inward spirituality and meditation, St. Gregory produced the fruit of the “hidden life

in Christ” which each of us must develop within our own hearts.

St. John Chrysostom (345-407) became bishop of Constantinople after 12 years of priesthood

in Antioch. Perhaps the greatest preacher the Church has ever produced, St. John’s lifetime of

sermons emphasize Christian morality and how we should conduct ourselves as Christians in the

world. For St. John, our Christian faith encompasses every aspect of our lives and is to be manifested

in every “word, deed, and thought.”

In the lives and ministry of these three men, we see the fullness of what it means to be a

Christian. In St. Basil we see mercy and compassion. In St. Gregory we see the development of an

inner life grounded in an abiding personal relationship with Christ. In St. John we see a faith that

permeates every aspect of our lives and calls us to conduct befitting the name Christian.

Are we a people of mercy and compassion? Are we a people who seek a personal inner life of

prayer and meditation? Are we a people who live the life of a Christian rather than being a Christian

in name only?

As we celebrate the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, let us be inspired by these great teachers of

the Church to strive toward the “prize of our high calling” and place Christ at the center of all we are

and all we do.

The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple

February 2 by Archpriest Steven Rogers

from The Word, February 1999

On February 2, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. This great feast, which commemorates that

event at which Mary presents herself and her child in

the temple for purification prayers forty days after

the birth of her Son, is the culmination of the

celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Once again, this

feast reminds us of the Incarnation of God. As a

man, Christ is submitting Himself to the Law that all

might be fulfilled. We are confronted again with the

amazing truth of the Incarnation —that God lowered

Himself to become a man so that man might be lifted

up out of his sin. Christ was truly a man, “like us in

all respects save sin,” says St. Paul.

While remaining fully God, He submits

Himself to the Jewish law as a man, “For I come not

to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.” Upon their

arrival at the temple, Mary presents the Christ Child

to the Elder Simeon. It is this “meeting” that the

feast celebrates. The second person of the Trinity

“meets” his people as represented by Simeon, allowing mankind to embrace its creator and

the author of its salvation.

Simeon knew it was his salvation he embraced and for him, life was now complete.

“Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word. For mine eyes

have seen Thy salvation which Thou has prepared before the face of Thy people; a light to

lighten the gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.”

How many times have we heard those words uttered in church? Countless times, no

doubt, for they are uttered at every Vespers service and at the churching of infants. Perhaps

we have heard them so many times that the words flow right past us.

But listen! Do you really hear what is being said? Simeon the Elder, he who

originally spoke these words, certainly knew their import. In fact, Simeon is asked to explain

in one of the hymns of Great Vespers preceding the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord:

“Simeon, tell us: whom dost thou bear in thine arms, that thou dost rejoice so greatly in the

temple? To whom dost thou cry and shout — Now I am set free, for I have seen my savior?”

And Simeon responds: “This is He who was born of a Virgin: this is He, the Word, God of

God, who for our sakes has taken flesh and saved man. Let us worship him.” (Great Vespers

sticheron.)

It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had

beheld “the Lord’s Christ.” Simeon knew what he beheld. Simeon knew he could now

“depart in peace,” for he had encountered his salvation, the source of his eternal peace. He

knew once he had embraced His savior, that life was fulfilled and death was nothing to be

feared. Upon meeting Christ, his joy was complete.

In Simeon, we see the response of a man who has encountered his salvation. Let us ask

ourselves, what do we encounter when we enter the Temple? Who is it we expect to see?

Who is it we embrace as Christ is presented to us?

Each time we enter Christ’s Church, we are offered the opportunity to embrace our

Savior. Through the services and the sacraments, He is a living reality, the savior of our

souls, the granter of eternal peace.

Do we receive Him? Or do we allow the distractions of life to cause Him to pass by

unnoticed? Simeon shows us the way — He is faithful, he is patient, he is obedient to be

where he needed to be in order to embrace his salvation.

Like Simeon, let us embrace our salvation. Like Simeon, let us be at peace with God,

with all men and with ourselves. God has come in the flesh and allowed us to embrace Him.

So intimate is his love for us that He allows us to carry Him within us, even as Simeon

carried Him in his arms. Christ is among us! “Let the choir of angels be amazed at this

wonder and let us mortal men raise our voice in song, beholding the ineffable condescension

of God. Aged arms now embrace Him before whom the powers of heaven tremble, He who

alone loves mankind” (Orthros of the feast).

The Meeting of the Lord Mary and Joseph present Jesus to Simeon the priest. How can we show Jesus

to others?