"O Forerunner, thou hast proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets, since thou wast granted to baptize in running waters Him who was proclaimed."

In This Issue

• Informative

• Free if you Haul

• Valiant Woman

• Philoptochos Board

• Graduates

• Yano

• Family Piety

• The Paschal Period

Click Here to view the calendar

PANGARI
June 7 Loretta Siotka
June 14 George Moustakis
June 21 Anastasia Spirakis
June 28 George Karukas

COFFEE HOUR
June 7 Alexa Polydor and family
June 14 Angie Karukas and family
June 21 Philoptochos ~ Father's Day
June 28 Bessie Farsolas & Helen F. McLain

PROSFORON
June 7 Ann Bazar
June 14 Kathy Paraschos
June 21 Angie Spyralatos
June 28 Vonnie Karetas

SUNDAY GREETER'S
June 7 Bill & Lisa Harman
June 14 Dorothy Radomsky & Anna Kouis
June 21 George & Linda Moustakis
June 28 Lou & Lorraine Kachulis


MEALS ON WHEELS
June 8 Elaine Karavan/Demitrios Tselides
June 9 Linda Moustakis/Anna Kouis
June 10 Loretta Siotka/Dot Radomsky
June 11 Kalla Szostek/Maria Veselinovich
June 12 Demitrios Tselides/John Popa

If you are unable to attend on the day you are assigned, please contact Linda Moustakis at 238-1473 as soon as possible.
 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Greek Open Golf Tournament, June 11th, 1:00 p.m.

If you're not a golfer, please give your registration form to someone who is and help to support this important fundraiser.

LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS Will have their end-of-year luncheon on Thursday, June 4th at 12 noon at the Olive Garden in Myrtle Beach. Please come and enjoy some fellowship and good food with your Sisters!

HOSPITAL VISITS If someone from your family is sick or in the hospital and desires a visitation, please notify Fr. Konstantine.

CASA: CITIZENS AGAINST SPOUSE ABUSE Is in need of paper products for the safe houses this month including paper plates, cups, towels and toilet paper. Any other items, new or used, you are able to donate are always welcome for either the safe houses or for sale at their store, "Used But Not Abused". Thank you for your generosity. ~ Mary C. Vaughan

THEE HOLY NOOK Offers imported Greek items including hand painted ceramic tiles and jewelry boxes, greeting cards, beautiful icon bracelets, pure olive oil soap, Greek coffee, "brikia" and delicious halva, as well as "A Voyage in Greek Cooking," St. John's parish cookbook. Please stop by, or you may contact Loretta Siotka at 399-8955. If you don't see what you're looking for, ask a Board member.

ADULT CONVERSATIONAL GREEK SCHOOL CLASSES will not be held June – August, but will resume during the second week of September. Please contact the office if you will be interested in attending.

There is an old desk and a computer table in the church kitchen that are no longer being used. These items are free to a parishioner if you will remove them. Call Donna at 448-3773 if you'd like to see them.

At Church Women United's "May Friendship Day" Celebration on May 2, 2009, Ms. Vickie Tsagatos is seen representing St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church at the Luncheon and receiving a "Valiant Woman" pin and certificate. Three other active women from area Catholic, Lutheran and Baptist Church communities were also recipients of this award.
Congratulations Mrs. Vickie!

On Family Piety

By Blessed Elder Paisios of Mount Athos (+ 1994)

A monk must neglect himself - and his life, too - for the sake of others. But a head of the family cannot do the same, because he has a wife and children and, in accordance with the law of God, must first of all take care of them, and only the remainder can be "spared" for others.

Abortion is a horrendous sin! Abortion is murder. May the most authoritative Christian physicians continue unfailingly to inform women that 95% of their wretched sisters who had abortions performed on them, now suffer from advanced cases of cancer. A woman's body at conception becomes tuned towards the development of a child. But when a woman aborts this child, all these processes are abruptly curtailed and there arise certain physiological consequences, such as cancer. Thus doctors should never cease to warn women of the grave harm and inherent dire consequences of abortion.

A certain married couple lived in great sorrow: many years had passed since their marriage, but they did not have any children. The doctors admitted that they could offer no help. The couple then decided to appeal to the elder:

The elder responded with the following comforting words:

- Do not be upset! Come to confession, (since they had not been to confession for years), partake of communion when your spiritual father tells you to, and God will grant you children. Pray to Him, and I will also pray.
The obedient couple followed the elder's advice, and right away God gave them children, just as the elder had promised. Today they are a wonderful family, joyous and happy, and the parents are doubly grateful to the elder: for having helped them come to Christ by means of church sacraments, and for being recipients of His generous gifts.
Thus the elder always gave people to understand that they should first of all - by means of the Church and the sacraments of confession and the Divine Eucharist - draw near to our kind Father. And then - even without our asking for it - He will grant us the gift we wish.

The absence of gifts, the elder pointed out, occurs not because God wishes it so, but because man has alienated himself from God, the Source of all bounties, and naturally, through his own fault, is deprived of the action of grace.

God takes care of all people and preserves them. I remember a certain Christian who had a large number of children. He once came to the all-night vigil with his wife and only two or three children. He was asked in church: "And where are your youngest children?" The father replied: "We left them at home. God sent an angel to look after our children, since we went out to the vigil and not to amuse ourselves." Do you see how this man reasoned? Thus we, humans, should do what we can and leave the rest to God.

In response to the question whether to baptize children who were born to parents not married in the church, the elder replied: "Why should any blame be attached to the poor babies? Let us consider the parents and determine the reason for their not having been married in church and, again, why they want to baptize their children. We will proceed from there. They, too, have their reasons. We must see what lies behind the parents' situation. It is possible that they have suffered through something and are now seeking help." Parents must give as much time as possible to their children, even to the detriment of their engagements and their work. And women should lead a simple life, so that they could spend time with their children whenever the latter require it.

One should be content with bare necessities and not make plans for grandiose projects, because then one will have more time to simply stay at home with one's wife and children, to engage in charitable activities, to pray and enjoy a warm family atmosphere, and not be under constant pressure to earn more and more money. I believe the most reasonable decision lies not in the earning of huge sums of money, but in setting up our lives in a Christian manner, for it was said to man that he should not concern himself about many things, but one thing is needful (Luke 10:41-42).

Christians should not place curses on others, because it should be kept in mind that occasionally God allows the curse to "take hold," whenever falsehood is involved. If falsehood is not involved, then the curse returns to the one who uttered it, and that person becomes subject to all its consequences. A similar situation obtains with binding words: if the word is truthful and spiritual, it "takes hold" immediately; otherwise, if it is unjust and unreasonable, then the same thing happens as with a curse.

When you have guests, and it happens to be a fasting day, be very attentive to the matter of food. If the guests wish for something non-fasting, let us tell them that we will gladly ask them to come another day. We, Christians, must be careful to safeguard the name of God from blasphemy.

The Paschal Period
By: Father Rostislav Sheniloff

Just as the Great Lent consists of seven weeks, which are like the seven steps of a ladder that leads us to the joy of Pascha, so the paschal period (from the Resurrection of Christ to the Pentecost) also consists of seven weeks – the seven steps of a ladder that leads us to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. At each step (i.e. each Sunday) of this period, too, the Church commemorates a special event or example which helps us to prepare ourselves properly for the great moment. With His Resurrection the Lord destroyed the power of hell and death, and opened the gates of paradise to us. Now, through church services, we continue to delight in the joy of Pascha and to prepare for the further joy and the indescribable and immeasurable gifts which the faithful receive from the Holy Spirit.

While ascending the ladder of the Great Lent, we held onto the handrails of penitence and prayer, by means of which we were purified and spiritually uplifted. During the paschal period we hold onto the handrails of faith, which quickly and easily transports us from earth to heaven. Each Sunday the Church offers us wonderful examples of this faith and shows us the amazing results of it. The second paschal Sunday (the first being the day of Pascha itself) is dedicated to Apostle Thomas and is, therefore , called the Sunday of Thomas. Apostle Thomas was an unbeliever in an empirical sense; he was like modern scientists – curious about everything, but wanting to experience it through his five senses before being able to believe or accept anything. Such was his reaction to the news of Christ's Resurrection. And the Lord deliberately appeared to His disciples on the first day of Thomas' absence, in order to give the doubting apostle a chance to believe in Him by way of the heart. However, in view of Thomas' absolute need to reach faith by way of the mind, the Lord again appeared to His disciples a week later, and charitably allowed Thomas to touch His wounds, so that this unbeliever, who required physical proof, could rapturously cry out together with the others: "My Lord and my God!" However, in replying to the apostle, the Lord pointed out that faith through the heart is so much more preferable, and left consolation for the faithful of all ages by saying: "You believe because you have seen; but blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

The third paschal Sunday commemorates the holy Myrrh-bearing Women, those truly wondrous women whose love and devotion to Christ surpassed even that of His disciples, and for which they were the first to hear of Christ's Resurrection from the angels sitting at the tomb of Christ. And having heard this amazing news, the myrrh-bearers believed it right then and there, not doubting for a single moment and, filled with great joy, went off to share the news with the apostles. The myrrh-bearing women are an example of absolute and perfect faith, which accepts spiritual manifestations instantly and without doubt, and which does not demand any proof. This kind of faith also receives the highest reward: the holy women, while on their way to the apostles, were also the first to see the Resurrected Lord Himself.

On the fourth paschal Sunday the Church offers us the example of the Paralytic, who lay in his terrible condition for 38 years without getting any help. The paralytic suffered for his sins, but the Lord visited the house of mercy where this sufferer and others like him lay, and healed him by His word, ordering him to take up his bed and go. The paralytic believed the Lord and went off, obeying the Lord's command even in the face of reproaches from the Jews, who were upset that the healing took place on a Sabbath. The example of the paralytic shows us how faith helps to overcome sin and the consequences of sin – suffering and illness.

The fifth paschal Sunday is dedicated to the marvelous Samaritan woman, who is an example of simple-hearted and enthusiastic faith. Such faith can completely transform even a sinner and bring him to a state of righteousness, as the Church shows us in the Samaritan woman's touching conversation with the Lord at the well. The Lord once came to a city in Samaria called Sychar, where there was a well that had been given by Jacob to his son Joseph and the latter's descendants. Wearied from His journey, Christ providentially sat to rest at the well, while His disciples went to town to buy food. At that time a certain woman came from the city to draw water from the well. The Lord asked her to give Him to drink. The woman was surprised by such a request, since the Jews normally had no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus said to her: if only you knew Who is speaking to you, you would ask Him yourself to give you to drink, and He would give you living water. The Samaritan woman was even more amazed: how could Jesus give her living water, when He did not even have anything to draw it with? The Lord replied to her that those who drink water from the well would thirst again, while the water which He gave (i.e. His teaching) would become a source of eternal life. Then the Lord, knowing full well that the Samaritan woman, though secretly living in sin, nevertheless had a very ardent faith in God and firmly awaited the arrival of the Messiah, gradually revealed to her that He Who was talking with her was, in fact, the awaited Christ. Then the Samaritan woman, overcome with joy, threw down her pitcher and ran to the city to urge her fellow-citizens to come out to meet Christ, and because of her testimony many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus Christ on that day. The blessed woman herself, who had had the great honor of conversing with the Lord, became a martyr for Christ during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Nero. Her name is holy martyr Photinia (Svetlana).

One of the brightest examples of faith is the Blind Man, to whom the sixth paschal Sunday is dedicated. The Lord once came upon a man, blind from birth, who sat and begged for alms. Knowing that this man had been born blind for the sole reason that God be glorified through him, Christ spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with this clay. Then He said to the blind man: go and wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man went and washed and came back seeing. The Pharisees, who observed the law of Moses with hypocritical strictness, did not believe in the healing and went out of their way to discredit the miracle. At first they expressed doubt that the blind man had actually been born blind, and so they questioned his parents extensively, and later questioned the man himself. Then they began saying that Whoever healed the blind man could not have come from God, since He did not observe the Sabbath (i.e. He healed the blind man on a Sabbath!), that only Moses communicated with God, and they did not know from whence this Man came. The man who had been blind was not afraid of the Pharisees, but boldly answered them: "It is truly amazing that You do not know from whence He comes, and yet He has opened my eyes; from the beginning of time it has never been heard that any man opened the eyes of one who was born blind, so if this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." Then the Pharisees became enraged and cast him out. Jesus Christ, hearing that the blind man had been cast out, found him and said to him: Do you believe in the Son of God? The blind man asked: And who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him? Jesus said: You have seen Him and it is He Who is speaking with you. Then the blind man exclaimed: Lord, I believe! and worshipped Him.

This moving story shows us the example of a man who through his faith received total sight – both physical and spiritual. He earned this miracle by suffering and patiently enduring his blindness for many years, and now suddenly both his physical and his spiritual eyes were opened, and he simultaneously saw the sun in nature and the spiritual Sun – the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, the blind man was not afraid to declare his faith openly, fearing neither any man, nor harassment, nor persecution for his faith. In this he shows us the way, since we, too, live in a world that is just as hostile to Christ and to true faith in God as were the Pharisees who cast the blind man out from their midst.

The story of the blind man also gives us great comfort: it clearly indicates to us that innate physical defects are not specifically given as punishment for sins, but often to demonstrate God's grace. When the disciples asked Christ: Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? – the Lord said to them: neither this man sinned, nor his parents, but this was given so that the works of God should be manifest in him.

On the seventh paschal Sunday the Church unites all the examples of faith in commemorating the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who welded this faith into a single, harmonious and Orthodox doctrine. The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 in the city of Nicea, in order to examine the false teaching of Arius. Arius rejected the divinity of Christ and taught that Jesus was not the Son of God, but only a supreme form of creation. Arianism has lived on in various forms to this day, and in our times it is being propagated extensively. The Holy Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council, which included such holy men as Saint Nicholas, who even slapped Arius in the face for latter's insolent blasphemy against the Lord Jesus Christ, roundly condemned Arius' false teaching and composed the first eight articles of the Creed, in which they clearly and concretely explained the tenets of the Orthodox faith.

Amalia Willett - Graduating from North Myrtle Beach High School; will attend Coastal Carolina University	Alexandra (Alex) Merisotis - Graduating from St. James High School; will attend the University of South Carolina
Callie Burgess - Graduating from Myrtle Beach High School; will attend Coastal Carolina University	Marguerite (Maggie) Dunn - Graduating from SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics; will attend Clemson University

My dear Spiritual Children,

"Grow in Grace and Knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
(2 Peter 3:18)

I wanted to take this opportunity to convey my personal congratulations with paternal love and my hierarchal blessings to all our graduates. As your Hierarch and Spiritual Father, I am full of pride for your accomplishments and I congratulate you on achieving this milestone in your life. I know that your families and your Parish communities are also very proud of you and I share in the pride and the excitement of your achievement. I am confident that all of you will certainly succeed in whatever you undertake because God has given you the gifts and talents necessary for success. Moreover you have learned from your parents and your Parish family the foundation of Christian understanding and Truth as taught by our Holy Orthodox Church.

So I pray that you will enjoy the spiritual riches of God's Grace and Love always, as you enter a new chapter of your life in Christ! While you continue your life's journey, may God keep you under His Divine Providence and Protection always!

ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta

Quotes for Graduates …

"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."
~Eleanor Powell

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream."
~Author Unknown