“The good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
Dear to Christ those who hears the Word of God,
The Word of God comes to us every day in the Bible, it is very important to read and listen to the Word of God. The Word of God comes to us in the Eucharist, Christ the Incarnate Word of God comes to us in Holy Communion. We can’t bring spiritual fruits without being rooted in Christ.
Happy Thanksgiving. This Monday as we gather (this year is going to be special since gathering is limited), let us give thanks to God in the midst of this pandemic that He has been with us. Although we have experienced many losses, Christ is with us and He was walking with us in these difficult times.
Thursday October 15th at 7:30 PM, I will have a general meeting to discuss our future spiritual activities. Zoom meeting ID 9567220617, password 123.
Soul Saturday: Saturday October 24th at 10 AM we will start with Orthros and we will commemorate all the departed. Bring the names with you and attend the Liturgy.
Memorials: I would like to encourage people to do their memorials for their loved ones on Saturdays at Vespers specially if you are expecting a large number of people to attend.
Do you know: Baptizing infants must take place within the first 40 days. Since the “Baptistry” used to be outside the church building, babies were baptized within the first 40 days. When a baby is churched, he/she must be baptized already. The godparents must be Orthodox in good standing, that means they attend the services of the Church and must go to confession before they can stand as Godparents.
A gentle reminder: we don’t kneel on Sunday. We don’t shake hands or exchange kisses (even between husband and wife) during “Let us love one another”.
Fr. Philip LeMasters writes: ” So even if we have horribly neglected our spiritual garden, even if our souls are so full of weeds that we cannot see a sprout, much less bear fruit in our present condition, we still have hope because at the heart of the mystery of the Kingdom of God is divine mercy toward sinners like you and me. The good news is that in Christ Jesus there is always hope, there is always the promise of a new life with the blessing and peace of the Kingdom. We may all become good seed by turning away from distractions and excuses as we do what needs to be done to serve Him faithfully with repentance, humility, and love. As Christ said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Do you want to see and hear the Word of God? come to church this Sunday. Arrive early at 9 AM for Orthros. In Christ,
Rev. Fr. Dr. George Dahdouh, Priest
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
9116 Bayview Ave.,
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3M9
Office: 905/731-7210, Cell in case of Emergency: 416/937-6301
~Pastor’s Message of October 11, 2020~