Archpriest

David Brum, Rector

Protodeacon

Alexis Washington

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church

1614 E Monte Vista Road

Phoenix, Arizona 85006

602-253-9515

Regular Services

Saturday:  

   5:00 PM  Great Vespers

Sunday:

    9:00 AM  Divine Liturgy

© 2010 - Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church    602-253-9515                    All rights reserved.

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Though Christ Jesus was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.

Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In his letter to the Philippians, the Holy Apostle Paul reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ was willing to accept human death –  even the painful and humiliating death of the cross – and so enter into His glory.  It is this Glory that we commemorate each year when we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  Through this annual commemoration we are able to honor the Cross as the instrument of our salvation, the “weapon of peace” and to reflect upon the Cross and the ways in which it makes itself present in our own lives.  

This special feast commemorates the finding of the Cross of our Savior by Saint Helen and the “lifting up” or “exaltation” of the Cross for our veneration.  The miraculous discovery of the cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Saint Constantine, while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is the origin of the  tradition of celebrating the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on this date. Constantine later built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the site of her discovery of the cross. On this same pilgrimage Saint Helen ordered two other churches built: one in Bethlehem near the Grotto of the Nativity, the other on the Mount of the Ascension, near Jerusalem.   

Today the Cross has become a universal Christian symbol. When people sneeze or yawn and cross themselves or when we observe athletes making the sign of the cross before or during play, we recognize them immediately as Christians. Ornamental crosses are fashionable today in the form of necklaces, broaches, earrings, ornamental wall decorations and the like. A crucifix (the Cross with an image of Christ's body upon it) identifies a church as a Christian church. Likewise, crucifixes or crosses placed in our homes is a constant witness and reminder of our faith in Christ who died on the cross to set us free. These are all useful and important ways of proclaiming and lifting high – exalting-  the Holy Cross of Christ. The Cross is not just a piece of wood. It is a symbolic summary of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ by which we have been redeemed. It is a symbol of our faith in the Crucified and Risen One, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught us that the Cross should be a constant feature in the daily lives of his followers: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). To take up the Cross in this way means more than wearing the image of the Cross or placing it in our surroundings. To lift up the Cross the way Jesus asks us to do is a way of life. It is to accept self-denial and sacrifice as part of our daily lives. Sacrifice means to give up something that is of value to me for the sake of God and the benefit of my neighbor. Another word for it is love. Love is measured by sacrifice. People who love much sacrifice much. Yet sacrifice does not make us poorer but richer. This is what we see in Christ. This is what we see in the lives of the saints. This is what we are all called to be. Let us all today resolve to embrace the Lord’s Cross, to accept its presence in our own lives, and thus come to the glory of eternal life with our Lord Jesus Christ,

With love in the Lord,

Father David

ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES

Adult Education Classes will resume Wednesday, September 22.  “Back by popular demand,” the Fall Series will focus on the Divine Liturgy, the history of its development into its present form, and the ways in which we can better benefit through active participation in all the Divine Service of the Orthodox Church.

RETREAT, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

The first anniversary of the repose of Archimandrite Gabriel (Cooke) is September 10th.  A panikhida for Father Gabriel will be served after the Divine Liturgy on September 12th.  The anniversary of the repose of Joseph Kurowski will be commemorated on Sunday, September 19th.

BEGINNING OF CHURCH SCHOOL – Blessing of Students and Teachers

Announcements for September