2716 North Dobson Road Chandler, AZ 85224 (480) 899-3330
Rev. Fr. Philip S. Armstrong, Presbyter
2716 N. Dobson Rd.
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 899-3330
(Located South of Elliot Rd on Dobson Rd)
Church e-mail : office@st-katherine.org
Email Fr. Phil : skpriest@yahoo.com
Summer Office hours:
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 9:30am - 3:30pm
Closed from 12:00 to 1:00pm for lunch.
Inquirer’s Classes Offered (Contact our Church Office).
Sunday Service Schedule:
8:30 AM Orthos
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church Chandler AZ 85224
For 5-26-19
A Church Guide
CHURCH EVENTS/ NEWS
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MESSAGE FROM FATHER
“The Resurrection Calls us to a New Way of Life”
Christ is risen! Truly, he is Risen!
A short few days ago, we celebrated the glorious feast of Holy Pascha. For the
next 40 days we will exchange with one another the paschal greeting “Christ is
risen!”, to which we respond “Truly, He is risen!”. The joy of this festive period is second to none.
This joyous proclamation is a constant reminder to us that God is alive and has made provision for
our eternity. No longer do we have to be paralyzed by fear of death. The empty tomb is a harbinger
of immeasurable joy. Our souls cannot contain this powerful force. All our tears go away as we are
invaded by this powerful joy. The joyous Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is
an invitation to us to enter a new way of life. This new life is infused with Christ and His life-
changing message. Jesus’ own words assert this: “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25). Life
is more than living in anticipation of our next meal. Our Lord said, “life is more than food and the
body more than clothes” (Lk. 12:23). It is to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). St. Paul captures
the essence of this new life in his words in his Epistle to the Galatians: “I have been crucified with
Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
In order for this new life to be realized in us, we must embrace a new way of thinking. In Romans
12:2, St. Paul shows us how. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Elsewhere, we are told to “put on the mind of Christ” (I Co. 2:16). Literally, we are to think as God
thinks. In order for this to occur we must cultivate our souls so that we may hear the still, small voice
of God in our hearts.
The saints teach us not to be too hung up on this life. St. Peter reminds us that we are sojourners here
on earth (I P. 2:11); we are just passing through. We must be so careful that we don’t fall into the trap
of consuming our lives and energies amassing our worldly kingdoms here on earth forgetting to
adorn our souls with virtue and holiness. St. Paul notes, “having food and shelter be content” (I Tim.
6:8). The holy ones would prefer that we use our time to cultivate the “inward man” (II Co. 4:16).
We must learn to live by faith not by worry. The closer our lives draw to God we will become keenly
aware that it is God who provides our needs and sustains us. Just as Israel in its forty year wandering
in the Sinaitic Peninsula was trained to trust in God’s provision, so must we. In the Old Testament,
God was called “Jehovahjirrah”. Translated from the Hebrew, this means “God who is our Provider”.
He, too, will provide for the faithful in our present day.
As we ponder the message of this new life that is afforded to us as a consequence of our Lord’s third
day Resurrection, let us embrace it. We are children of the Resurrection. Life is all about Christ and
the new life we have in Him.
In closing, I wish you a blessed Paschal season! Bathing in the light of His Resurrection,
In Christ’s love, +Fr. Phil
Orthodox Christian Network Radio
Monthly Calendars
For May 2019
