07/03/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Sunday 7th March 2020: Romans 8, 18-25; Matthew 6, 25-34)

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

Greece has many wonderful traditions. Some are deeply connected to religious festivals; some are not, and some fall in between. All of them touch in one way or another on family celebration or community gathering, which is why a second year of denial because of the pandemic is particularly challenging. Government restrictions to fight the virus are the very antithesis of everything it means to be Greek or to be living alongside Greek social customs. This is no criticism of the Government by the way, as they seem left with precious few choices than to prevent us all gathering socially.

This annual round of family, community and religious observances create the very character, spirit and identity of Greeks. Such observances are particularly frequent as we approach Lent, Holy Week and Easter, and this year because of the pandemic, we as Anglicans are observing the Greek Orthodox dates for these, rather than the Western church dates.

Thursday (4th March) was tsiknopempti – which could be translated as ‘charcoal Thursday’. On this day there is a chance to celebrate meat – not a day aimed at vegetarians or vegans. Even in central Athens barbecue grills will appear by the roadside, various meats or souvlaki will be grilled and shared with those who pass by. In villages the whole community will gather around a huge spit roast, bringing whatever is needed to accompany the meat. It may be called ‘Charcoal Thursday’, but this is not to be confused in any way with what may know as Ash Wednesday.

Today, the 2nd Sunday before Lent is referred to as ‘Meat Fare Sunday’. This Sunday introduces a gradual approach to the rigours of Lent, for from today onwards there is an abstention from eating meat. It is a step of preparation, so that the full immersion into fasting is not too much of a shock. It is also known as ‘Judgement Sunday’.

Stage 2 in this process is next Sunday, ‘Cheese Fare Sunday’, also the Sunday named ‘Forgiveness Sunday’. During the week between these two Sundays there have been two full Lenten Fasting days, Wednesday and Friday, and on these days even the Eucharist is not celebrated, hinting at the personal denials that are just around the corner.

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27/02/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Sunday 28th February 2021: 1 Samuel 3, 1-10; Mark 2, 23-3,6.

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days’ (1 Sam 3, 1) words that begin the story of the calling of Samuel.

We often have bible studies here in Athens, for the last year provided by Zoom gatherings, but previously in person. We invariably use a method of sitting with the scriptures called in Latin Lectio Divina. It is a method that allows silent reading of a passage of scripture, then reading it aloud, each person reading one or two verses each, then some silence, followed by each participant deciding on a single word or very brief phrase, which we then go on as a group to develop in conversation. It is a good, inclusive method of looking at scripture together. It allows us to ‘dig down’ into scripture, a helpful phrase that Deacon Christine gave us last week in her sermon.

This method of digging down into scripture originates in the monastic tradition, but is now commonplace in parish life for study groups.

If we applied this method of Lectio Divina to the passage from 1 Samuel, our OT reading for this Sunday, it would be interesting to see which word, or short phrase each person would chose.

I prefer when people just choose one word, but some latitude is needed, so for me, I would chose this short phrase, ‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days’.

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23/02/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Sunday 21st February 2021: ISAIAH 43: 18-25, MARK 2 :1-12

Deacon Chris Saccali – St Paul’s Athens

 

I speak in the name of the Triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit AMEN

In difficult times it is wise to think outside the box, I do not mean illegally, but to work with others for the common good and our own well-being. That premise stood well this week in the snow lockdown in our little cul-de-sac. When a few of us heard the bulldozer come to clear the road, we rushed out some with shovels others with grit to make sure the snow was not dumped in front of anyone’s gate so we could all eventually get out. Once we start thinking exclusively introspectively and selfishly, we have lost the ability to see the bigger picture and gain perspective and help ourselves and others.

 

In the all too familiar story of the paralysed man we heard today as recorded by Mark but also narrated in Matthew and Luke, we hear of four friends thinking laterally, out of the box. In this case, through the roof, literally digging down, the Greek verb  εξορυξαντες, the root of the word  ορυχειο mine, for there was no way they could enter the house in Capernaum through the door.

Presumably it was the same house belonging to Peter mentioned in the previous chapter where he healed the leper, to which Jesus had returned because of the crowds. And these pals were encumbered by carrying  their incapacitated friend on a stretcher. How could they circumvent this and get near the healer, whose reputation was rapidly spreading despite his insistence and instructions to keep things secret? This time the house had been turned into a teaching area with huge numbers listening in. Then someone or all of them had a bright idea. Lower the stretcher through the skylight. I don’t really think this was a big deal as there were probably steps up to the roof but it would certainly grab everyone’s attention and it would need steady, strong  hands and working in co-operation. This would also attract Jesus, the rabbi, expounding below and divert the listeners.

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14/02/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Zoom Service 14th February 2021: 2 Cor 4, 3-6; Mark 9, 2-9

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

Masks have always been an inspiration for literature, film, and stage.

Jim Carey starred in the 1994 film, simply called ‘the Mask’. Michael Crawford made the half mask memorable in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber stage production of ‘Phantom’. In the 1840’s Alexandre Dumas wrote his novel about an enigmatic French aristocrat, called ‘Man in an Iron Mask’. The list goes on, and we will all be able to think of examples.

One of my favourite authors on themes of classical history is Mary Reanualt. In her novel ‘the Mask of Apollo’ the setting is the 4th Century BC. The principal character of her historical novel is Nikeratos, an actor in Greek tragedies who tours with a travelling acting company. Renault offers great insights into the life of a stage actor.

Ancient Greece was famous for its theatre productions. These were normally linked in some way to religious festivals, and the touring groups of actors would move from city to city to coincide with celebrations of the local patron god.

In Greek theatre productions the acting group was small in number, maybe three maximum. There would be the principal actor, the prot-agonist, a second actor, the deuter-agonist, and possibly a trito-agonist. Each would play several roles, and would be enabled to do so by wearing different masks. For principal characters the mask was always very stylized and identifiable. Each actor would change mask on-stage, as it were at the skene, and it was considered shameful if the real face of the actor was revealed during the changing of the mask.

The word used for the mask is prosopeion, a derivative from the Greek word prosopon meaning a face, or countenance. This word is still in use today when a modern Greek refers to the face, prosopo, but it can also mean a person. In a cast list for a play we might be used to the heading dramatis personae. In classical Greek theatre the word would be prosopon, with this rather double meaning of person and literally ‘face’, because the mask identifies the character.

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05/02/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Zoom Service 7th February 2021: : Colossians 1, 15-20; John 1, 1-14

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

One of the daily walks taken by our dog Hektor, takes us past a statue of a great Philhellene President of America, Harry S. Truman. With fountains both sides of it, it is an impressive sight, but the lovely fountains and water features were hidden because the hedges had overgrown, and the trees were in need of a good trim.

One day we noticed that everything was being cut back, tidied up,  revealing the full impact of what had been hidden. Then one day, in another part of this little garden some workmen appeared and started to build a modest marble plinth. Day by day we have seen the work developing, and suddenly a statue appeared on the top of the plinth. I say a statue appeared – it hasn’t really because at the moment it is covered over by protective covering, so we await the day when it is uncovered.

As we await this revelation, this manifestation, we become more and more intrigued as to the identity of the hessian clad figure. It is a mystery waiting to be revealed; so much work over so many weeks, craftsmen working on their craft, so much unseen work by a sculptor in a workshop somewhere, then more cryptic weeks. The imagination is running riot – what sort of creation will be unveiled? In fact the statue is very close to the Indian Embassy, so we are speculating if it is connected to India – might it be Ghandi, or the saint, Mother Theresa, or who? We wait with baited breath for the final act, the birthing of the statue, the genesis when the covering is removed and we will all have an epiphany.

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02/02/2021 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for Candlemas Sunday 31st January 2021: MALCHI:3 1-5 , LUKE: 2 22-40.

SHINE BRIGHT CANDLEMAS – Deacon Christine Saccali St Paul’s Athens

 

May I speak in the name of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Our Christian ancestors would have been very excited today, on this great feast of Candlemas. Imagine that we are a congregation of say 600 years ago- no zoom then. It is 40 days after Christmas and it is the last great feast of the Christmas cycle before we start to turn slowly this year from the crib to the cross. We have been fasting before this feast but we are looking forward to one of the great and elaborate processions of the year, a highlight, in fact. It is a day when every parishioner is obliged to carry a candle and to offer it to the priest along with a penny- a great sacrifice in those days and in winter. Afterwards though big parish feasts were held. Now don’t we long for those days of our parish breakfasts and look forward to enjoying our get togethers again as Fr Leonard mentioned in his sermon last week on the feast of St Paul, our patronal.

 

I love candles and my study and prayer desk, reflecting as they do the light of Christ. In our days of electricity we forget how precious candles were and still can be in a power cut. If you have a candle handy I suggest you light it now and that is a way of connecting us and we can extinguish them at the end of the service. But don’t go away – you can always do it later as an exercise of reflection on Candlemas and the close of the Christmas and Epiphany season. It is also the beginning of the days noticeably drawing out and retreating darkness which our prayers today echo on this great feast.

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