In loving memory of Valerie Principi (1 yr), by her husband, Mark Principi.

Αιωνία η μνήμη - Eternal Be her Memory.

What is Disability Theology?

https://www.goarch.org/ro/-/what-is-disability-theology-and-introduction-by-dr.-petra-maican

Feed the Hungry Ministry

Thank you to the family, who wishes to remain anonymous, for fulfilling our June and July sandwich obligations at Dorothy Day Hospitality House. We are very grateful for their kindness and generosity. 

Coffee will be available after Divine Liturgy

Please gather outside at the Parish Office entrance. 

Our Ladies Philoptochos will be hosting a reception following Great Vespers on August 14^th, in honor of our Church’s Feast Day.

Please consider bringing a Lenten food item (no meat, fish, dairy, or egg - oil is okay), ready to be served.  Some ideas include fresh fruit, dips as guacamole or hummus, vegetables (cooked or raw), desserts and beverages. We ask for help with set-up and clean-up.   Set - up will be around 5 or 5:15 PM. Please sign up here:    https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084DA4AF22A7F94-57612115-panagia

FOT 2025, Saturday November 8: If you are interested in hosting a table or offering a raffle item kindly sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084DA4AF22A7F94-57612503-fotladies Paid reservations will open in late September.

THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE CHURCH’S UNITY

Paul seeks to heal the behaviors threatening the unity of the Church of Corinth in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. He calls for harmony and unity, while expressing sorrow over the discord caused by selfish attitudes and conduct. He teaches that we all belong to Christ, having been baptized in His name, andtherefore it is impermissible to be attached to individual persons whose various gifts impress us who are entrusted with our spiritual guidance.

The issue of division has troubled the Church from the very beginning, as many undermined her unity. This same problem continues throughout her historical journey, validating our Lord’s profound concern, who, in His hour of deep agony, prayed fervently for the preservation of unity within her fold
(John 17:11). Drawing from Paul’s words, we will highlight the factors that act destructively upon the unity of the Church.

Schisms and heresies
The first factor of division is schism. These are fractures of an administrative nature, stemming from the egotism of their instigators but also from the cultivation of a climate of religious fanaticism and an unjustified ultraconservatism. Such attitudes lead to the questioning of ecclesiastical order and to disobedience toward the canonical Church leadership. Even if schisms do not directly damage the unity of faith, they distort the very nature of the Church and injure love. That is why Saint John Chrysostom observes that: “Nothing provokes God more than the division of the Church; there is nothing worse than strife, conflict, and the rending of the Church and of Christ’s tunic, which even the thieves crucified alongside Him dared not tear and divide into many pieces.” He further stresses that “not even the blood of martyrdom can erase the sin of schism.”

The second factor is heresy. Heresies violate the principles of faith and distort right doctrine, as preserved in Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition. They lead to error, which destroys the prospect of salvation. A late university professor once remarked, “Nothing threatens our faith and salvation more than error.” Error – every kind of error – obscures or falsifies themfaith, leading to a form of “belief” that cannot save, cannot unite a person with the uncreated grace of the Triune God, because it functions as blasphemy. There is the “spirit of truth,” which comes from God, and the “spirit of deception,” which comes from the devil (1 John 4:6). The purpose of pastoral ministry of our Church is to safeguard man from the “spirit of error.” For, as Saint James the brother of God says (5:20), “he who brings a sinner back from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

Elderism as a factor of division
The third contributing factor is elderism. This refers to the tendency to group members of the Church, not under the protection of Christ, but around a single elder – a spiritual father who is considered the ultimate authority, whose word is treated as “gospel.” Often, this phenomenon is stoked by the elders themselves, who thereby gratify their vainglory. However, the role of an elder should not be to create followers, but to lead his spiritual children toward Christ. He himself ought to be the ladder that unites the faithful to Christ, breaking down the walls raised between them by sin.

From the above, it is concluded that great discernment and attentiveness are needed to avoid the temptations that threaten the unity of the Church and that take on various forms at different times. Let’s not forget that we do not belong to humans but to the Savior Christ. We do not follow fanatical or subjective human teachings, but the Gospel of Christ, which lives and remains uncorrupted through the ages.

Archimandrite E. Oik.

The VOICE OF THE LORD - www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr

A weekly pamphlet of Orthodox faith and life of the "Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece"

Our Greek School program is looking for teachers for the next school year. If you have experience working with children and would like to share the love of our Greek language and culture with children, please contact [email protected].

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