Do You Believe in Miracles?
Dear members of the Saint Demetrios Parish family,
What a game last night! I was at the Concert in honor of the nameday of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to also support the missions of the Patriarchate, especially those in Oceania. In the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, His Eminence Metropolitan of New Zealand Myron, Metropolitan Saba of the Antiochian Church and many Hierarchs, Priests, Deacons and Chanters, we all expressed our wish for our beloved NY Knicks to come back and win the game.
A true miracle happened in Madison Square Garden, like no other in past finals, against the odds (and the referees). I came home right on time for the 4th quarter. I put on the NY Knicks 2026 Easter Conference Championship jersey (thank you, Elaine Cassimatis, great gift) and I started praying as they were playing.
The score difference increased as all our prayers were answered with a miracle last seconds’ display of New York resilience and persistence. What a great lesson for our youth. The Knicks represent all Americans, all Greeks, all of us. Most of us start our lives with difficulties and obstacles. Very few are granted huge advantages; most young people start College in debt and get jobs that are often times filled with adversity, injustice and disbelief.
Just like the pundits and the “experts” who have been trying to convince us that our team does not stand a chance. Just like the referees who make mistake after mistake constantly in favor of the other teams. We start our lives in School and then in professional careers and we have to face adversity, disbelief and even injustice.
Not worthy for the comparison, but for theological purposes, I will mention a parallel for Branson:
JB was called short and slow. Not star material. Not worthy to build a team around him. Although he has been winning since high school and College, he had doubters and nay-sayers.
JC was called a false-prophet. Not Messiah material. Not worthy to build a Church around Him. Despite a message that is incomparable, miracles that are exceptional, He was Crucified; they thought they were done with Him. He had (and still has) doubters and nay-sayers.
Therefore, we teach our children to believe in Jesus Christ, to follow Him, not His doubters. We come to Church, especially during these beautiful, early-Sunday summer services. We receive the sacraments, to win our souls, one point at a time, one blessing at a time.
We come to our youth programs and our Schools. We learn. JB said that his parents prompted him to dedicate his life to two of three things: school, basketball or social life. He chose the first two. “You can’t do all three” they said. They are right. Young people, select your gifts, learn and cultivate them. Forget the expectations of the doubters and make your own expectations. Raise the bar to where you decide.
For this reason, we have our Schools in Church. Tomorrow, Friday, June 12th, we are celebrating the graduation of our Greek School at 6 pm (moving-up ceremony is on Tuesday, June 16th at 5 pm). We congratulate our Greek School graduates, and we wish them every success in the future endeavors (Regents examinations and all future accolades). And also on Tuesday, the Merrick Angels ceremony (10 am). And Sunday, June 14th is our June Birthdays Celebration. Please, call our office to give the names of your loved ones with a June Birthday
Greek education is of paramount importance and value. It is an additional language, the language of science, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, poetry, literature, psychology, political science, architecture, art and theology. Greek speaking children unlock additional brain pathways to elevate their intelligence and discover the wealth of our rich tradition. Sign up your children for Greek School and allow them to raise the bar of their life’s expectations to new heights. In Saint Demetrios, we believe in Christ, we believe in miracles and we invest in our youth. We wish our children every success and blessing.
And one more wish: GO KNICKS!
+Protopresbyter Nikiforos Fakinos
Knicks for Pauly
Dear members of the Saint Demetrios Parish family,
This Sunday, we are celebrating the moving-up ceremony and the graduation of our Church School. We will also recognize the accomplishments and future plans of our High School, College and Graduate School graduates. Please, send a summary of your child’s achievements to Mrs. Panagiota Perlegis at yiotaki1@icloud.com as soon as possible and be present on Sunday, early in the morning, as we have now assumed summer hours for our services.
The ceremony will take place right at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Religious education is an integral element in the growth of our students. I have been a Priest for 29 years and I have never had a professional ballerina or football player in the Community. Yet, all these thousands of children that I have met and baptized, have grown to become adults, commissioned with the task to raise families, make moral choices and live their lives in a very challenging world. Without faith, those choice and tasks will be impossible to navigate to a correct course.
Invest in the faith of your children. Ensure they participate in the religious education and youth ministry programs of the Church. The youth will be able to receive much-needed guidance, knowledge of the faith and create ever-lasting friendships, in a support system of like-minded youth. For this reason, we teach our children about philanthropy. We are not the center of the universe, we care for others and we help those in need. That forms and informs our actions and our character, to be empathetic, loving and caring.
Such was the example of Paul Pavlou. Even in the hardest time of his life, he cared about others, especially children. And, 24 years ago, we, the friends of Paul Pavlou, came together and fulfilled his last wish. Pauly, a 14-year-old altar server, with his last breath in the hospital, asked us to help the children stricken with leukemia. 24 years later, we have extended our loving hand to more than 600 families hurt by the dreadful diseases. Many of the children, who are now adults, are contributing as well and they are grateful for the benevolence of the Pins for Pauly Foundation, Continuing the Fight Against Children’s Leukemia.
On Saturday, June 6, we will have our Hoops for Pauly event, our 1st Annual Hoop-a-thon, starting at 11 am (until 5 pm), in our brand-new athletic facilities. We invite you all to participate, attend, support and contribute. Entry fee is just $10, but we can all give what we are able to for a very worthy cause. Each participant will take 25 shots, and we can pledge a minimum of $5 per shot to support the cause. The more we score, the more children win and are healed! See you all on Saturday for Hoops for Pauly, and on Sunday of All Saints, with the Church School graduation. And one more wish: GO KNICKS!
+Protopresbyter Nikiforos Fakinos
Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is the Birth-day of the Christian Church. The Lord had promised that the Holy Spirit, the Paraklete, would be sent after His Ascension to guide and to illumine the Apostles. Fifty days after the Resurrection (and ten days after the Ascension) His promise was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father, illumined and inspired the disciples to become Apostles, “to go therefore to all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them whatsoever the Lord had commanded them.” The Gospel of salvation is being preached for two millennia by the Orthodox Church, without interruption and without confusion. The Orthodox Church is the only Christian denomination that has not been divided neither has it changed the principles and the precepts of the original, apostolic and evangelical faith.
On Sunday, on the feast-day of Pentecost, we bow our knees to request the inspiration and the divine illumination of the Holy Spirit. We, as members of the Body of Christ, receive the divine Grace through the participation in the sacramental life and the spiritual experience of the Church. Therefore, we need the illumination of the Holy Spirit to be guided on the footsteps of salvation, to be graced with the virtues of the faith, and to be taught the commandments of God.
The Apostles established Churches in Asia, Africa and Europe. The Church of Jerusalem is a fine example of the fact that the Orthodox Church exists for more than two thousand years, and was instituted at 33 A.D. Thus, it is our holy task and our sacred vocation to follow the example of the Apostles and to convey the message of the Gospel to the modern world. Our tradition is beautiful and the apostolic faith is the sweetest nutrition for the human soul. Christ entrusts us with the responsibility to continue their ministry, as their successors and as their spiritual children. Such a task may be only accomplished through the Grace of the Holy Spirit that unites and preserves the Church. “For the peace in the whole world, the stability of the Holy Churches of God and the unity of all, let us pray.”
+Protopresbyter Nikiforos Fakinos
ΤΑ ΓΕΝΝΕΘΛΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ
Η Γεννέθλιος ημέρα της Εκκλησίας μας είναι η Πεντηκοστή ημέρα μετά την Ανάσταση του Κυρίου Ιησού Χριστού. Το Πανάγιον Πνεύμα, το εκ του Πατρός εκπορευόμενον, εφώτισε και ενέπνευσε τους Αγίους Μαθητάς και Αποστόλους του Κυρίου για να εκπορευθούν εις πάντα τα έθνη και να διδάξουν το Ευαγγέλιο της σωτηρίας. Αυτό το Ευαγγέλιο πρεσβεύεται για δύο χιλιετηρίδες από την Ορθοδοξία, την μοναδική Χριστιανική ομολογία που ανόθευτα και αδιάκοπα διαμηνύει το αναστάσιμο μήνυμα της λυτρώσεως, κατά την αποστολική ομολογία και κατά την αγιοπατερική παράδοση.
Την Κυριακή, στην περιώνυμο ημέρα της Πεντηκοστής, κατά τον πανηγυρικό Εσπερινό του Αγίου Πνεύματος, ή άλλως αποκαλούμενον και Εσπερινόν της γονυκλυσίας, συγκύπτουμε εις τα γόνατα για να αιτήσουμε και εμείς, οι διάδοχοι και τα πνευματικά τέκνα των Αγίων Αποστόλων, την επιφοίτηση του Αγίου Πνεύματος. Το Πανάγιον Πνεύμα να οδηγεί τα διαβήματά μας σε οδό λυτρώσεως. Να φωτίζει τη νόσησή μας με τα νοήματα του Παραδείσου και την μνήμη της αιωνίου κρίσεως. Να χαρίζει την ζωηφόρο και θεόδοτο Χάρη στην Εκκλησία του Χριστού.
Πεντηκοστήν εορτάζομεν και υμνούμε τον «ευλογητόν Χριστόν, τον Θεόν ημών». Οι Άγιοι Απόστολοι, οι ιδρυτές της Εκκλησίας μας εις την Ιερουσαλήμ, την Αφρική, την Ασία, την Ελλάδα, την Ευρώπη, μας εμπνέουν να κηρύττουμε το Ευαγγέλιο εις πάντα τα έθνη. Για εμάς, τους Ελληνορθοδόξους της Διασποράς, αυτό είναι το κάλεσμα και η ευθύνη μας. Να γίνουμε ιεραπόστολοι του Ορθοδόξου δόγματος, της Ορθοδοξίας. Να πρεσβεύσουμε τα ιδεατά της πατροδιδάκτου παραδόσεώς μας. Να καλέσουμε όλα τα τέκνα του Θεού, πάντων των εθνοτήτων και γλωσσών, να γευτούν από την γλυκυτάτη τράπεζα της αιωνίου Βασιλείας και να πορευτούν στα σκαλοπάτια των Ουρανοδρόμων αρετών. Έτσι θα εορτάζουμε ευσυνειδήτως την Αγία Πεντηκοστή. Γένοιτο!
+Πρωτοπρεσβύτερος Νικηφόρος Φακίνος
Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Celebration of Saints Constantine and Helen
The Ascension of the Lord
The 7th Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the commemoration of the 318 Holy Fathers who convened in Nicaea for the First Ecumenical Council. On May 21st, we celebrate Saints Constantine and Helen the Great God-Crowned Royals and Equal to the Apostles. It was Saint Constantine who called the Council of Nica, an initiative that aimed to put an end to heresies and Christian divisions, first among them Arianism. An imperial directive resulted in the formation of the Nicene Creed, the summary of the dogmas of our faith. We are Orthodox thanks in great part to the Nicene Fathers, as well as Saints such as Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, Saint Helen, the first Christian royalties and leaders.
Saint Helen organized the first archaeological excavation in history to recover the Precious Cross of Jesus Christ. She also commissioned the erection of many Churches, and the architectural motif, “σταυροειδής ναός μετά τρούλου,” Cross-shaped nave with a dome, is also the inspiration of our own Saint Demetrios Church in Merrick. Their initiatives put an end to Christian persecutions by the Roman State and allowed Christianity to be celebrated and observed with complete freedom. The edict of Milan was the prelude to the American constitutional right of freedom of religion, credited entirely to Saint Constantine.
Roman law changed to gradually eliminate slavery, allow women to select their husbands, own and run businesses, inherit properties and even hold public office. The examples of great empresses, such as Irene of Athens, Pulcheria, Theodora and so many Byzantine women of the era were inspired by the Christian belief that all people are children of God, equal, and granted the freedom to live and lead with respect and honor.
We celebrated the Apodosis of Pascha, 40 days after the feast of the Lord’s Resurrection, and the day after (this year May 21st) the Ascension of the Lord. Christ taught for 40 days after His Resurrection, appearing to hundreds of people and directing His disciples how to administer the sacraments and preach the Gospel of the Truth. He also promised that He will send the Paraklete, the Holy Spirit, which is the next great feast, Pentecost, coming up the following Sunday (the day before is the Saturday of the Souls of Holy Pentecost). And then, the Monday of the Holy Spirit. Great celebrations of the faith, replenishing His blessings to all of us.
Protopresbyter Nikiforos Fakinos
The Blind Man Who Saw the Light
For centuries, medical science attempts to find a cure for blindness. A blind person is limited to experience only a fragment of the beauty of creation; furthermore, blindness compromises the professional abilities and other talents that sight enhances. The pain of a blind man was felt and empathized by Christ. The Lord miraculously healed the blind man by placing clay on his face, where his eyes were supposed to be. When the blind man washed off his face, his sight was restored. Some of his acquaintances could not even identify him, since he now received a new expression, a new “look.” His parents recognized the miracle performed in him. And the ex-blind man accepted Christ as a prophet, but, more importantly, Jesus revealed His divinity to him. This is the second Sunday on a row (after the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman), that Christ reveals His Divinity to a mere human being. The blind man could now see, not only with his eyes, but also with the eyes of his soul. He sees the Θεάνθρωπος, Perfect God and Perfect Human, the Word of God, the Son of God, Christ!
God used clay to create human beings. Now clay is implemented again to re-create eyes and to restore the fallen nature of a human being; after the fall of Adam and Eve, corruptibility, illness and death entered the realm of human existence. Christ restores our brokenness; He pays off our debt and He offers His eternal blessings abundantly to us. Christ signifies and reveals with this miracle that He is the One who also created us and made the world. He is the One who turned lifeless clay into life, containing His sacred breath our soul, which is eternal. Science validates that the elements of the earth (soil and water=clay) are the ingredients of our human body. But our compilation of all these elements, from the microscopic cells all the way to the spectacular organs and the way they work together is harmony and great wisdom, are guided by the one undefined element, our soul. We are unique in the Universe of this reason, we are cells that we can contemplate about our cells. No other creature or organism can accomplish that. We can contemplate the meaning of our existence, not just the instincts to stay alive, but why, and how and with whom; even unto eternity!
God is the Creator and Maker of the Universe. Christ reveals His Divinity to the blind man to indicate that he is not just a prophet or teacher as people thought him to be. He cures blindness and, most significantly, spiritual blindness from the darkness of sin and corruption. The Lord reveals the Resurrectional light of faith that radiates the virtues of hope and salvation. Clay can break and deteriorate. The immortal and heavenly God, though, renews the clay of our nature so that it may live forever. We are baptized in the fountain of incorruptibility, as the blind man was baptized in the fountain of Siloam (which means, the One who is sent).
There are many people who have the gift of vision. However, we should ask ourselves: do we see with the eyes of our souls as well as the Blind man of the Gospel? Do we see God in our lives? Before we do, say, or think something, do we try to see what is God’s will? There are still persons in the world who suffer from blindness. But the worst illness is spiritual blindness, because it may cause eternal death… The symptom of spiritual blindness is when we see nothing but ourselves and we fail to see God’s will and the needs for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Spiritual blindness makes people egoistical and arrogant; they often times think they are right, even when they commit mistakes. Reading the Gospel narrative of the Sunday of the Blind Man inspires us to open the eyes of our souls and to try and find the will of God in our lives. This is what a blind man teaches us, a blind man who could see!
+Protopresbyter Nikiforos Fakinos