The Messenger July 2020 _______________________________________________________________________
St. Thomas Orthodox Church 1100 Jones St. - PO Box 1042 – Sioux City, Iowa 51102 (712) 258-7166 – info@stthomassiouxcity.org www.stthomassiouxcity.org
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Our Mission St. Thomas Orthodox Church is a community of Christians who proclaim the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as handed down by the Apostles. We are committed to bringing the Light of Christ to all of Siouxland in thought, word, and deed. At St. Thomas Orthodox Church, you will find Holy Orthodoxy—ancient and alive. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Schedule Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Vespers Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. Great Vespers Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Birthdays July 4 Becky Jacobs 10 Judy Stevens 18 Dave Suhr 19 Barbara Lammers 30 Elisa Stickney 2
Freedom/License Montague Brown For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. — Galatians 5:13 (RSV)
Freedom: acceptance of a wide range of behavior Freedom is taking responsibility for our own life. Insofar as it is compatible with the common good, people should be allowed to choose freely how they want to live. Freedom, within the context of mutual respect, leads to independent and energetic action. This is certainly preferable to forced conformity. It is good for individuals and the community. If I can choose to become a teacher or a doctor or an entrepreneur rather than being forced into some job, I will be happier in my work and more likely to succeed. This certainly benefits me, but it also benefits the community. Of course, freedom is not an absolute: if my free action seriously violates the common good, it should not be permitted. Freedom is a positive force in many areas. In writing a paper for history class, a certain independence in choosing the topic and method aids the learning process. A coach has to give her athletes a degree of freedom to make decisions in a game, for new situations will arise that demand creative solutions. In government, the freedom to vote gives people a stake in their future. In all of these examples, self-discipline and responsibility are required if the freedom is to be fruitful. Freedom refers to self-determination…. To the extent that we can determine for ourselves who we shall be, we are responsible for our lives. — Germain Grisez and Russell Shaw, Beyond the New Morality
License: self-abandoment License is the throwing off of all responsibility. It is a carte blanche to do as we feel. As such, it is incompatible with virtue and destroys community. License, as the throwing off of all responsibility, leads to absurd and dangerous action. On the personal level, license leads to moral chaos. If my actions are based merely on whim or the impulse of the moment, they are completely unpredictable, even to me. On the social level, license leads to anarchy—the lack of all dedication to the common good. This is obviously bad for the community, but license is also bad for those who exercise it. I strive to be free from responsibility rather than to be free to take charge of my life. License can cause damage in the very places where freedom enriches. If license rules in choosing topic and method, a history paper might not even remotely relate to history. Athletes cannot succeed in a sport by acting on mere whim, for each sport requires discipline, and team sports demand a high degree of cooperation. If the members of a society ignore all restrictions of law, that society will not survive. License abandons personal responsibility and so loses the creative energy and fruitfulness of freedom. None can love freedom heartily but good men; the rest love not freedom but license. — John Milton, Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
St. Thomas on the Internet Until now, the main presence of the parish on the Internet has been our Web site at http://stthomassiouxcity.org but, over the next few weeks, you’ll see some major changes happening there as we overhaul the site. While it’s being renovated, you can still stay updated by visiting our various social media pages: Our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/St.ThomasOrthodoxChurchSC/
Our new Siouxland Orthodox https://www.facebook.com/groups/689850188457371/ Group: Our Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/sathorch/
Our SoundCloud page:
https://soundcloud.com/sathorch
Our Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/sathorch
Our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIkvjWIH3zMELHkelZ36kRA
Your personalized parish Web site can be found at https://stthomassiouxcity.churchtrac.com/
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Parish Council Fr. Peter has periodic requests for financial help from people who approach the Church because of an urgent need. The Parish Council has established a system to make it easy for him to respond to such requests. We provide him with a sum of cash that he can use as he deems necessary. We call it the Benevolent Fund. We want to show Christ’s love to the needy in a tangible way. If you would like to donate, put it in the offering plate designated for Benevolence.
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In Memoriam Remembering those who reposed in the month of July Moses Abdouch, Charles Abdouch, Darrah Abdouch, Abe Saunto, Salin (Sam) Samore, Lula M. Abdouch, Millie Jaksich, Fr. Michael Yanney, George E. Headid, Carl Love, Boutrous P. Boutrous, George Williams, Rosa Lee Groepper, Geraldine Melham, Betty L. Weeks, Hazel Ferris, Donna R. Ferris, Bernice Murad, Philip Stevens, Michael J. Davenport, Vitali Zhylka, Ayette J. Kivlighn, Viktar Pauliushchyk. ________________________________________________________________________________
Ladies Club At this time we are trying to keep ourselves safe and asking God to watch over us. Keep reading the Bible and check the Antiochian Womens website. God Bless us. _________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday School No Report. _________________________________________________________________________________
SOYO No Report _________________________________________________________________________________
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Meditation Diluted Medicine “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) It goes without saying that diluted medicine isn’t as effective in curing disease as the full strength version. I know this from personal experience—I tried watering down my medication once when I couldn’t afford a new prescription. So much for that experiment. Diluted medicines don’t heal our physical diseases, so why do we suppose that diluted spiritual medicine can heal our inner lives? In today’s lesson, Jesus doesn’t say we should try to be the light of the world, or attempt to be a city that cannot be hidden. He simply declares that His true followers will be these things. You see, your fidelity to the Faith and your active participation in the life of the Faith makes you the light of the world. And this purposeful Orthodoxy provides spiritual medicine for others at full potency, rather than presenting people with a diluted version that doesn’t have the strength to save, heal, and guide. Today: Have you ever wondered why some find it so easy to abandon the Orthodox Church? Could it be that they have been inoculated by a diluted witness of the Faith? How sad that we insist on potent medicines for our physical ailments but accept watered-down medicine for our souls. Truly, we must be willing to go to Him who offers us the full potency of wisdom, faith, and love. As the light of the world, we are to attract wounded people to the only city that safeguards the medicine needed for their healing. Fr. Barnabas Powell _______________________________________________________________________________ “Liturgy is the immersion in the great narrative of creation and salvation; a participation in the formative energy that made and saved the world, and which, in its ever-renewed epiphany, reorientates the individual and community to the authentic springs of their being.” Fr. John A. McGuckin 6
OLD TESTAMENT
DAY 225
Lk 18:18–43
Ps 97; 98
Pr 21:6–10
Lk 19:1–27
Ps 99; 100
Pr 21:11–15
Lk 19:28–48
Ps 101:1–15
Pr 21:16–20
Lk 20:1–26
Ps 101:16–29
Pr 21:21–25
Lk 20:27–47
Ps 102:1–12
Pr 21:26–30
Lk 21:1–19
Ps 102:13–22
Pr 22:1–5
Lk 21:20–38
Ps 103:1–18
Pr 22:6–10
Lk 22:1–23
Ps 103:19–35
Pr 22:11–15
Lk 22:24–46
Ps 104:1–15
Pr 22:16–20
Lk 22:47–71
Ps 104:16–27
Pr 22:21–26
Lk 23:1–25
3Kg 19:10—21:22
DAY 252 DAY 253
Pr 21:1–5
3Kg 17:1—19:9
DAY 250 DAY 251
Ps 96
3Kg 14—16
DAY 248 DAY 249
Lk 18:1–17
3Kg 12:26—13:34
DAY 246 DAY 247
Pr 20:21–25
3Kg 11:1—12:25
DAY 244 DAY 245
Ps 95
3Kg 8:53—10:33
DAY 242 DAY 243
Lk 17:20–37
3Kg 7:1—8:52
DAY 240 DAY 241
Pr 20:16–20
3Kg 4—6
DAY 238 DAY 239
Ps 94
3Kg 2:26—3:27
DAY 236 DAY 237
Lk 17:1–19
3Kg 1:1—2:25
DAY 234 DAY 235
Pr 20:11–15
2Kg 23:8—24:25
DAY 232 DAY 233
Ps 93:16–23
2Kg 22:1—23:7
DAY 230 DAY 231
NEW TESTAMENT
2Kg 20; 21
DAY 228 DAY 229
PROVERBS
2Kg 18:19—19:44
DAY 226 DAY 227
PSALMS
3Kg 21:23—22:50
The Orthodox Study Bible: Two-Year Reading Plan
Page 9 of 261
OLD TESTAMENT
DAY 254 DAY 255
DAY 282
Pr 23:13–18
Jn 1:1–28
Ps 106:1–14
Pr 23:19–23
Jn 1:29–51
Ps 106:15–30
Pr 23:24–27
Jn 2
Ps 106:31–43
Pr 23:28–32
Jn 3:1–21
Ps 107
Pr 23:33–36
Jn 3:22–36
Ps 108:1–20
Pr 24:1–6
Jn 4:1–26
Ps 108:21–31
Pr 24:7–12
Jn 4:27–54
Ps 109; 110
Pr 24:13–18
Jn 5:1–15
Ps 111; 112
Pr 24:19–23
Jn 5:16–47
Ps 113:1–11
Pr 24:24–27
Jn 6:1–21
Ps 113:12–26
Pr 24:29–34
Jn 6:22–50
Ps 114
Pr 24:35–39
Jn 6:51–71
1Ch 4:1—6:33
DAY 280 DAY 281
Ps 105:32–48
1Ch 1—3
DAY 278 DAY 279
Lk 24:36–53
4Kg 23:21—25:30
DAY 276 DAY 277
Pr 23:6–12
4Kg 21:1—23:20
DAY 274 DAY 275
Ps 105:16–31
4Kg 19; 20
DAY 272 DAY 273
Lk 24:1–35
4Kg 17:24—18:37
DAY 270 DAY 271
Pr 23:1–5
4Kg 15:1—17:23
DAY 268 DAY 269
Ps 105:1–15
4Kg 12—14
DAY 266 DAY 267
Lk 23:26–56
4Kg 10; 11
DAY 264 DAY 265
Pr 22:27–31
4Kg 8:7—9:37
DAY 262 DAY 263
Ps 104:28–45
4Kg 6:1—8:6
DAY 260 DAY 261
NEW TESTAMENT
4Kg 4; 5
DAY 258 DAY 259
PROVERBS
4Kg 1—3
DAY 256 DAY 257
PSALMS
1Ch 6:34—8:40
The Orthodox Study Bible: Two-Year Reading Plan
Page 10 of 26