His Eminence Metropolitan SABA Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, His Grace Bishop Alexander
Pastor: Fr John Vazquez | (518) 462-0579 | fatherjohnvazquez@gmail.com | stgeorgealbany.org | 1 St George's Pl Albany, NY
Office Hours: Mon/Fri 10am-5pm | Confessions: After weekly services (Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun) or by appointment
Beloved,
This week in our look at the creed we come to the words—Who proceeds from the Father—in speaking about the Holy Spirit.
This line from the creed has proved to be one of the most controversial points of contention between Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians. The words who proceeds from the Father come from John 15.26 when Jesus is giving a long discourse to the disciples covering many topics. This line confirms the Father as the Fountainhead, or Source, of the Trinity. This identification of the Father as the Source is in keeping with the teaching of the Church—set forth by Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa among others—that each person of the Trinity has one feature that sets it apart from the others: the Father is the source, the Son is begotten and the Spirit proceeds. All other features, aspects, energies, activities or operations are shared.
This very important part of the creed was amended by adding the words and the Son (filioque in Latin) by the western Church (I saw western Church because at this point in history there was not a "Catholic Church" and "Orthodox Church") in an effort to fight the heresy of Arianism that had reared its head again in the western potion of the Roman Empire in the people of the Goths who had been largely received into the Faith by Arian bishops. Now, some may argue that this is a perfectly legitimate reason to change the creed—to fight heresy. However there are several reasons why this change is inappropriate and uncalled for.
First, this change has repercussions for how the Holy Trinity is expressed and presented. With this addition, the Father and the Son share something that the Spirit does not (the procession of the Spirit), creating a kind of subordination within the Trinity itself. We can remember from above that each person of the Trinity has one distinguishing feature (hence how we can claim that there are 3 unique persons in the Godhead) while sharing every other aspect of the Godhead. Secondly, this move by the western Church to insert this “clarifying” word into the creed is inappropriate and uncalled for because this change to the creed was made without consulting the rest of the Church,—a departure from the conciliar model established from the earliest days of the Church when it comes to making dogmatic and doctrinal decisions of the Church (Acts 15). There are more reasons that this change to the creed was inappropriate that are a bit more theologically complicated. A final reason I want to point of why this change to the creed was inappropriate and uncalled for is that by introducing the word filioque into the creed something was brought into the creed that belongs not to the experience of worship and the scriptures but instead to a debate.
With this last point you may understandably object—isn’t the whole creed about a debate about Arianism and whether or not Jesus is a creature or God? This debate was indeed the impetus for the council and in explaining the creed over these last months I have presented the lines from the creed in this context, however it very important to point out that what is included in the creed is founded upon the experience of Christ, which happens in the life of the Church—through worship, through the reading, preaching and teaching of the Holy Scriptures and through our prayer and ascetical lives. So while it may sometimes appear that all of these dogmatic statements found in the creed are not related to our lives in any way there is actually nothing further from the Truth. What we say about God is directly related to our lived experience. In the life of the Church we try to line up our lived experience with the lived experience of the Church so that we can be joined to Christ who is the Truth (Jn 14.6)
With love in the risen Lord,
Fr John
Services and Events
Friday, November 8th—8am—Orthros
Saturday, November 9th—5pm—Great Vespers with Bible Study to follow
Sunday, November 10th—Orthros and Divine Liturgy POTLUCK AND PIES AFTER DIVINE LITURGY (FEAST WITH US AND JOIN IN A PIE CONTEST BEFORE THE NATIVITY FAST BEGINS)
Monday, November 11th—8:15am—Coffee with the Fathers at Alias Coffee on North Pearl St in Albany.
Education
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Pet 3.18
READ METROPOLITAN SABA'S WEEKLY TEACHING—A Christian Response to Crisis Part III HERE
Get some caffeine for the soul with Coffee with the Fathers. Join us at ALIAS COFFEE on N. Pearl St in Albany as we study Hymns on Paradise by St Ephraim the Syrian.
Study the Scriptures with us—Bible Study Saturday evenings at 6pm after vespers as we continue to study the Gospel of Matthew.
Sunday Education—learn with us about a topic for the week after the dismissal. Talk with me if you are interested in teaching a lesson.
Click HERE for some resources for learning about our Faith
Click HERE for a great article on advice for mothers.
Did You Know...that Christ is Risen!...and...
*DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WE WILL BE COLLECTING SOCKS AGAIN FOR THOSE IN NEED. PLEASE HELP US AS WE ENTER INTO ANOTHER SOCTOBER.
*DECEMBER 7TH WE WILL HOST OUR SECOND ANNUAL NATIVITY FAST RETREAT ON PRAYER AND OUR LIFE IN CHRIST. COST IS $20. LUNCH DINNER AND CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED. SIGN UP HERE
*Our church is need of some smaller items—speak with Fr John if you are interested in helping meet a need of the Church.
*We are planning to schedule a meeting with the representatives from Merrill Lynch to discuss if we should make changes with out investment. Please reach out if you are interested in attending this meeting and having your voice heard.
Parish Prayer List
"Remember Me O Lord When You Come Into Your Kingdom." Lk 23.42
Please include in your daily prayers the following. Contact me to have someone added to the list. These are the names that will be remembered during the Divine Liturgy.
Living:
Bishop Alexander, Fr Gregory Potter, Fr Joseph, Dn Jorge, Dn Horia, Leila, Helen, Lew, Marsha, Mary, Anastasia, Hassib, Georgette, Jess, Nadia and Alex.
All those suffering from illness, violence and want in this country and throughout the world and especially those in Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Lebanon and the middle east
Departed:
Fr Gregory DesMarais, Fr Alvian, Selena, Sayid, Hanna, Raymond, Helen, Selena those who have lost their lives and who have no one to pray for them, those who have passed in the conflicts in Ukraine and the middle east.
Divine Liturgy Variables on Sunday, November 10, 2024
Tone 3 / Eothinon 9; Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
& Eighth Sunday of Luke
Apostles Olympas, Rodion, Sosipater, Tertios, Erastos and Quartos of the Seventy; Great-martyr Orestes of Cappadocia
During the Little Entrance, chant the Resurrectional Apolytikion. The Eisodikon (Entrance Hymn) is “O come, let us worship… save us, O Son of God, Who art risen from the dead…” After the Little Entrance, chant these hymns in the following order:
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE THREE
Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm. He hath trampled down death by death, and become the first-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
Now sing the apolytikion of the patron saint or feast of the temple.
KONTAKION OF ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS IN TONE FOUR
(**Thou Who wast raised up**)
The sacred treasury of God’s holy glory, * the greatly precious bridal chamber and Virgin, * the Savior’s most pure temple, free of stain and undefiled, * into the House of the Lord * on this day is brought forward * and bringeth with herself the grace * of the Most Divine Spirit; * her do God’s Angels hymn with songs of praise, * for she is truly the heavenly tabernacle.
THE EPISTLE
(For the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost)
O chant unto our God, chant ye. Clap your hands, all ye nations.
The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (1:11-19)
Brethren, I would have you know that the Gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people; so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when He Who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other Apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
THE GOSPEL
(For the Eighth Sunday of Luke)
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (10:25-37)
At that time, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read?” And the lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” But the lawyer, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The lawyer said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom continues as usual.
THE DISMISSAL
Priest: May He Who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-immaculate and all-blameless holy Mother; by the might of the Precious and Life-giving Cross; by the protection of the honorable Bodiless Powers of Heaven; at the supplication of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious and all-laudable apostles; of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, whose Divine Liturgy we have now celebrated; of the holy, glorious and right-victorious Martyrs; of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers; of Saint N., the patron and protector of this holy community; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; of the Apostles Olympas, Rodion, Sosipater, Tertios, Erastos and Quartos of the Seventy; and Great-martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, whose memory we celebrate today, and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, forasmuch as He is good and loveth mankind.
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us.
Parish Giving Summary—Fiscal Year 2024/25
Help us Reach our Goal of $132,000—Our estimated budget for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ST GEORGE!
Giving for Week of 11.3.24—$864
Online Donations for Week of 11.3.24—$194.26
Total Giving for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—$4854.76
Families who have contributed for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—25
Families who have contributed over $5,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)
Families who have contributed over $1,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—
*You can set up a recurring monthly donation to the Church by clicking HERE
A Note to our Visitors
WELCOME!
We are blessed by your presence! Join us for fellowship after. Please note, in the Orthodox Church only baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared can partake of the Holy Eucharist. All others may come forward for a blessing with the chalice held over their head and receive a piece of blessed bread from the altar servers.
From a Father of the Church
St THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE
Commentary on the Good Samaritan Passage
One who hearkens to the word of God gathers bright understanding of all that is in him, what is near to him, and what is above him; he clarifies his obligations in all aspects of life, and holy rules, like valuable pearls, are strung onto the thread of his conscience, which then precisely and definitely indicate how and when to act so that he please the Lord. He tames the passions—something reading the word of God always acts to assuage. No matter what passion troubles you, begin to read the word of God and the passion will become quieter and quieter, and at last it will be entirely calmed. He who enriches himself through knowledge of the word of God is overshadowed by the pillar of cloud which guided the Israelites in the desert.
