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GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY & PARISH

OF PROPHET ELIAS NORWOOD & EASTERN

SUBURBS INC.

87 BEULAH RD. NORWOOD SA 5067 P.O. BOX 277, KENT TOWN SA 5071
ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO THE HON. SECRETARY

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: 8362 4139 . 8431 7789 . 0412 710 037

31-03-13
30 . 1445

WEEKLY MAGAZINE

THE WORD OF GOD

PHONES: 8362 4139 H. 8431 7789 M. 0412 710 037

DATE 31-03-13
YEAR 30TH NUMBER 1445
WEB PAGE: WWW.PROPHETELIAS.ORG.AU
ONLINE MAGAZINE & RADIO PROGRAM: WWW.PROPHETELIAS.BLOGSPOT.COM
EMAIL: PROPHETELIAS@ESC.NET.AU

(. 2, 1-12) 31 2013

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2nd SUNDAY OF LENT (Mark 2, 1-12) March 31st 2013
The beautiful words mentioned in today's Gospel: "Son, your sins are forgiven
you." are the words that everyone would like to hear. As we all know, the
inhabitants of Capernaum when they had learned that Jesus was in their town all
rushed to Him, to see Him, to hear Him and so that He could heal their sick. We
also know about the four youths that brought their friend who was a paralytic and
lacked even the strength to open his mouth to Christ. And together with these
youths we eagerly await the divine intervention of the Lord for the healing of this
friends poor paralysed body.
Today if something similar was to occur, right in front of our eyes, it is probable
that we would also be filled with the same emotions and rush to make the same
actions, but it is unlikely that we would have the same expectations to achieve the
same results. Why not? Do miracles not occur in our day and age? Do we not
believe in miracles? Has God stopped miracles? - the imprudent person would say.
But this is not what we mean at all, miracles certainly do occur today even more
often and greater in magnitude. And we are certain that the Lord forgives the sins
of a repentant man. We must remind everyone, that the Orthodox Christian
already believes, so there is no need for him to witness miraculous events to
believe as was the case when the Lord was performing miracles, these miracles
were so that people would see and believe in the omnipotence of God. The
miracles were so that people could understand that the Lord has power over
everything, diseases, demons, the elements of nature and the whole of His
creation. More so it was to help people understand that it is not physical suffering

that torments man, but a rather a sinful life, and that physical suffering is a result
of spiritual neglect.
That which surprised the crowds was when Christ did not heal the paralysed bodyas they had expected- but the paralysed soul, and so their murmuring begun. The
omniscient Lord looked into the heart of the young man and saw, in detail, the
sins of his youth. The Lord made his diagnosis and found that the cause of the
mans physical paralysis was spiritual paralysis. Therefore, first it was necessary to
treat the infirmity of the soul and then in turn that of the body.
The paralytic man and the men that carried him all believed that Christ would
perform the miracle. They knew that they would have to suffer to reach Christ,
but they were sure that they would reach their goal and the paralytic would be
healed. Here we see the power of faith and hope. When a doctor informs us that
we will need to undergo surgery we ask about the chances of its success and we
want him/her to confirm that we will be made well, we also ask about the things
that could go wrong. In the case of the paralytic and the men that carried him,
there did not exist even the slightest doubt in their mind. They did not approach
Christ, before making the great effort of carrying the paralytic to Him, to confirm
that He could provide the cure etc. Quite simply they believed that the Lord
would validate His teaching with a miracle, just as He always did. So why was the
miracle not to cure the paralysis of the mans body? The men carrying the
paralytic and the whole crowd watching all shared the same thought, they did not
consider the treatment of the mans soul, their attention was fixated on the
physical aspect of the paralytic. Even today as our Church celebrates the
miraculous healing of the paralytic, our mind immediately goes first to the physical
and then to the spiritual paralysis. Brethren, due to our human weaknesses we
are concerned first with the physical and then with the spiritual. Today through
the Gospel we learn that first we need to clarify things within ourselves and
reprioritise things, the Lord came into the world not for the flesh, but to save our
souls. He tells us My kingdom is not of this world, but in heaven. And we confirm
this when we pray "... to judge the living and the dead whose kingdom shall have
no end." In the 101st Psalm King David declares: "Of old you laid the foundation of
the earth, And the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you
will endure. All Orthodox Christians know and believe that the immortal soul is
infinitely more valuable than our corruptible bodies. Why then do we continue to
be so concerned with the body while remaining indifferent when it comes to our
souls? Why is it that when our child suffers some serious physical illness we are
overcome with melancholy and worry and plead with God and humanity to cure

them, but if they are spiritually suffering we seek no such help for their soul? We
should think about this point more carefully. From where did this overprotective
and excessive interest in the health and comfort of the body on the one hand, and
the criminal disregard for the health of the soul on the other, come from? If the
Orthodox Christian used the intellectual abilities given to him by God, he would
easily discern the cause. This was one of Satans greatest achievements. When
Satan first attacked Adam and Eve he, in such a cunning way, made man choose
between that which is beneficial for his soul and food to nourish the body. In
other words man had to choose between food- the apple, or Gods
commandment. And unfortunately the guileless man chose the apple. Look
carefully and see how simply the arduous work of Satan is exposed. There may be
some people among us who say and believe that if they were in the position of
Adam and Eve they would have said no to Satan and yes to God's will.
Everyday our Church provides us with the examples of such intellectual Giants. But
what about the multitude of spiritual dwarfs? How could the people who prefer
the body and comfort over their eternal precious soul be convinced to change
their minds? What words can be used to help them to understand that abstinence
from the worship and sacramental life of our Church is disobedience and refusal of
the commandments of God, and obedience to Satan? What can be done to
awaken the modern youth from their spiritual lethargy? To the formerly sinful
man in todays Gospel reading God sent paralysis to bring him out of his spiritual
neglect. Perhaps we are waiting for the same thing to happen to us and our
children before we awake? Would it not be better for us to wake up before it is
too late? Is it not preferable for us to hear the words "Son, your sins are forgiven
you."?

24 ,
. . Melissas Cocca.
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Bible Study
Every Wednesday evening from 7 pm 8 pm in the rooms of the Prophet
Elias Community Centre, there are studies relevant to the Orthodox faith.
Discussion is in English and everyone has opportunity to listen, ask
questions and contribute. Many interesting topics are covered, with the
intent of enriching the spiritual knowledge of every Orthodox Christian.

News from our Community-Parish

Baptism
Last Sunday 24th March, the son of Mr. Michael and Mrs. Melissa Cocca
was baptized in our Church. The godmother Stefania Cocca gave him the
name George. May the parents and godparents of the newly-enlightened

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one raise and guide little George according to the holy commandments of
the Lord Jesus.

Exhibition of Orthodox Books and Byzantine Icons

On Friday 22nd March, His Grace Bishop Nikandros of Doryleon led the
service of First Salutations. Afterwards, His Grace cut the ribbon and, with
Agiasmos and the Cross, officially opened the Exhibition 2013. Exclaiming
enthusiastically, the crowd entered, astonished by the bright and beautiful
display. They congratulated the Philoptohos, the Executive Committee and
the Youth. Some teachers and educators confessed they had not come
across such an exhibition. His Grace was completely satisfied by the
faultless presentation and congratulated the Priest and the talented ladies
of the Philoptohos who crafted it. Afterwards, our ever-hospitable
Community-Parish offered a light but plentiful meal which His Grace
blessed. It was indeed a superb presentation, prepared without fuss by the
blessed hands of the ladies of our Philoptohos with the help of members of
the Executive Committee. Our Newsletter Committee congratulates
everyone without exception who contributed to the success of such an
important cultural, religious and national Exhibition. Although the Exhibition
contained a large collection of spiritual books in the English language, not
many young people have passed by yet to see this treasure. Therefore, the
Exhibition Committee has decided to keep the Exhibition open until this
evening.

25th March 1821

Last Sunday, we celebrated with grandeur the heroes of 1821. Holding aloft
the white-and-blue and the Australian flag with pride, the students of our
school entered our Church which was beautifully decorated and bedecked
with flags. Respectfully, they followed the Doxology for the National

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Anniversary. Our Church was filled with glorious foustanellas, caps and
costumes in the Greek colours. Enthusiastically and bright-eyed with
patriotic fervour, the teacher from Greece Mrs Aleka Tamvakos recited the
panegyric of the day and to her , the crowd enthusiastically rejoined
. Afterwards, the children recited their special poems. We
congratulate them because time was pressing and they were forced to
compact thirty-five poems into ten minutes! Afterwards, there was the
Procession of the Holy Icons. The flag-bearers led the procession, followed
by the students of our School and then the Priests and the congregation,
holding with devotion the holy icons. After a light lunch, the children
boarded the bus for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the city. The
official service for the Heroic Fallen was again conducted with
magnificence, led by His Grace Bishop Nikandros of Doryleon and assisted
by the Holy Clergy of our Holy Archdiocese. Hundreds of our compatriots
and schoolchildren started singing emotionally as soon as they heard the
first strains of the National Anthem played by the military band. The
politicians, military and Greek leaders of our city, led by the Premier, placed
wreaths and made their mark of respect to the heroes of 1821. About 1.30
pm, we returned to the Church, where the children and adults who had
taken part discussed in the highest terms both our own celebration and the
City march. We congratulate the teaching-staff for their marvellous school
presentation, in Church, in the Procession of the Holy Icons, and in the City.
Many congratulations to the children and their parents that they came and
beautified our celebration by their presence. May the Lord grant us health
next year so we can celebrate again, as we should, our national
anniversary.

Donation

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Despina Tsambarlis (Philoptohos, in memory of her husband)

$50

Thank you to Mrs. Tsambarlis and may the Lord grant rest to the soul of the
departed.

Bible Study
Every Wednesday evening from 7 pm 8 pm in the rooms of the Prophet
Elias Community Centre, there are studies relevant to the Orthodox faith.
Discussion is in English and everyone has opportunity to listen, ask
questions and contribute. Many interesting topics are covered, with the
intent of enriching the spiritual knowledge of every Orthodox Christian.

Pilgrimage
Next Sunday afternoon 7th April Third Sunday of Lent (Veneration of the
Cross), there will be a pilgrimage, organized by the Central Philoptohos, to
the Serbian Holy Monastery of the Birth of the Theotokos, in Inglewood, a
little out from the north-eastern metropolitan area. There will be Contritional
Vespers followed by tea, coffee and light fasting repast. Transport is free
and will depart from the grounds of Prophet Elias around 2.30pm 3pm.
For more information, please ring our Community-Parish, 8362 4139 or
0412 710 037.

Afternoon Tea in aid of the Mission to Madagascar

On Sunday 14th April at 3pm, the Committee of the Mission to Madagascar
is organizing an afternoon tea to raise funds for the completion of the
second floor of the Orphanage of Madagascar. This is a sacred effort of the
Mission to relieve the pain and misery of the people who are dependent on
our prayers and our practical help. On Sunday 14 th April, here in our
Community Centre Hall in Norwood, we have the opportunity to put into the
Orphange of Madagascar a door, a window, a bed. We look forward to
seeing you there

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