Post date: Jan 28, 2015 1:29:07 AM

Dear Church School parents and students,

This year, we will revive Godparents Day here at St. Nicholas!

Saturday, April 4th, the Saturday of Lazaros, will be our Godparent Saturday.

It will be a blessing if the godparents of our children are invited to the Divine Liturgy that day (Orthros at 9am and Divine Liturgy at 10am) so they may worship with our children and take them forward to receive Holy Communion. As usual, we will have the Saturday of Lazaros brunch following the Divine Liturgy and all are invited. As well, we will be making the palm crosses for the next day, Palm Sunday, during and after the brunch.

Please remember that the Saturday of Lazaros is one of the most important days in our liturgical year.

The Gospel lesson (from St. John) foretells the passion and resurrection of Christ that will occur the following week:

• • When Jesus tells the disciples on their way to Lazaros’ village, that “… I go to wake him up”, He is foretelling the resurrection from sin and death for all of us.

  • When Jesus sees the pain on the faces of Lazaros’ family, He recognizes His own pain at His friend’s death, and realizes the suffering He will soon endure, Christ weeps – foretelling the passion.

  • And when Jesus calls Lazarus forth, He foretells His own resurrection from the dead.

  • Furthermore, when Jesus returns to Bethany, Lazaros’ village, to visit him and his sisters, and where the woman anoints Jesus’ feet with costly ointment (foretelling His death and burial), many people come there not only to see Jesus, but Lazaros, too, whom had been raised from the dead.

So I hope and pray that this important feast day celebration is met with great enthusiasm and piety this year.

God bless,

Fr. Nick