TSN1222

1 THE SHEPHERD • DECEMBER 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO FROM THE DESK OF FATHER ANDREW www.theshepherdnews.com The Shepherd Newsletter My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, e following Katavasia is the rst hymn chant- ed during the Orthros / Matins for the feast day known as the Entrance of the eotokos into the Temple [Εισόδια της Θεοτόκου], which is celebrated each year on November 21st. Christ is born; therefore, glorify, Christ is come from heaven; encounter Him. Christ is on earth; arise to Him. Sing to the Lord, all you who dwell on the earth; and in merry spirits, O you peoples, praise His birth. For He is glo- ri ed. e Katavasia are a set or body of seasonal doctrinal texts put to music. at season can last a week, or in this case, several weeks. We have already begun to chant the Christmas Katavasia starting on November 21st and will do so until the celebration of Christmas. We will then begin to chant the Katavasia for Epiphany and so on with each approaching feast day; the Church will chant its respective Katavasia. e Katavasia basically consists of eight short hymns, again, chanted during the Orthros / Matins services of the Church. e Katavasia are doctrinal in nature and speak about the unchanging truths of God, in this case, the truth surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. e truth about the birth of Jesus is that it is an ever-present reality. It takes place today not sometime in the past: Christ is born and our response to this great gi is for us who believe to o er glory toward God. Christ is come from heaven and we are called to encounter Him. Christ is on earth and we are called to arise to Him . We are called to joyfully sing and praise the Lord for He has been glori ed . ere are many ways to o er glory to God. ere are many ways to encounter God. ere are many ways to arise to God. ere are many ways to o er up praise and song to God. e one constant for us as Orthodox Christians is to at least be present for the Di- vine Services of the Church, especially during the Major feast day periods of the Church, i.e., Christmas/ e Nativity of Christ. Orthodox Christianity requires the faith- ful to be active and not passive. Preparation and participation are required from us if we are to experience the ever-present reality of Christ’s glorious Incarnation/Birth. We are called to do something and preparation is the key to encounter Jesus Christ on a regu- lar basis. How many of you had even heard of the Katavasia and the spiritual truths they relate before reading this piece? And yet, at every Orthros service they are chanted of- fering us divine illumination and spiritual nourishment. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the hymns of the Church, including the Katavasia, are taken from the pages of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. ese biblical truths are put to music for our spiritual ed- i cation that the Church uses as one of her tools for worship, illumination and spiritu- al growth. However, all this requires some preparation from us. We must know a little bit about Scripture in order to put all the pieces together. So, I encourage you and/or your family to cultivate and grow in your Or- thodox faith through reading the Bible and other spiritual books and through constant preparation including personal and commu- nal prayer. e Church has many other tools to help the faithful grow spiritually. I pray that you will continually seek them out. It is also my prayer that coming out of covid you will all make a concerted and dedicated e ort to be present for the divine services of the Church; continues 6 IN THIS ISSUE FR. ANDREW ............................................. p. 1 PRESIDENT OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, ALTAR BOYS, WOMEN OF THE WORD p. 2 NEWS FROM THE LOFT, DIVINE SERVICES, HOLY SACRAMENTS, DEATHS, MEMORIALS, STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE...............................................p. 3 YOUTH MINISTRIES ................................ p. 4 GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL, .............. p. 5 BOOKSTORE, SENIORS, PANARCADIANS....................................... p. 6 PHILOPTOCHOS ..................................... p. 7 ZATHAS FOUNDATION........................... p. 9 PARISH CALENDAR.................................. p. 10 A TASTE OF GREEK CHRISTMAS ORDER FORM .......................................................... p. 11 CONTACT INFORMATION ...................... p.12 The Shepherd The official newsletter publication for the parish of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego I S S U E 3 1 9 • D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 2 Christ is born! Glorify Him! Σ Σ Γ ! ∆ Ξ Σ !