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N EWEST N EWS

Cultivating Faith in a Time of Fear

By Fr Jeremy

During this Lent, we all face an extra challenge to our faith. We shouldn't pretend that the new coronavirus isn't a threat; neither should we give our hearts over to fear. With God's help, we must find a way to grow in faith, even as chaos seems to swirl around us. If we do, we might actually grow us closer to God through this crisis.

Here are some suggestions:

Stay informed, but don't obsess about the news. Give only as much attention to the news as is necessary to make responsible decisions. Fixating on the news feeds into worry and fear; it doesn't make you safer. It also wastes a lot of time, which you could be using for the following spiritually fruitful activities.

Reach out to others who might be lonely, isolated, or vulnerable—especially the elderly. Call and check on them; set aside time to have a good chat. Try to alleviate the emotional toll of social distancing.

You can also help practically through our Lenten Projects: "Social-Distancing Deliveries" and the "Grace Home Virtual Giving Tree" (you can find details below).

Use your extra time to grow spiritually— learn about our faith . Here are some resources:

Ancient Faith podcasts
daily readings from Antiochian.org
Holy Ascension's library of homilies
my classes on YouTube
recordings of my classes on "The Creed", "The Sacraments", "Practical Christian Life", "Liturgy & Worship", "The Lord of the Rings and the Spiritual Life"

Make sure to pray. Along with your daily prayers and the Jesus Prayer, use the "Prayer during the Threat of Coronavirus" (For another set of prayers specific to this crisis, CLICK HERE).

Since you can't attend Sunday Divine Liturgy, say the Typika Service at home. For the time being, I'll keep this service posted on our website and update it each week for the coming Sunday: normanorthodox.church/typikaservice.

You can find other services for each day at www.antiochian.org/liturgicday. You can also read Compline at home, using these Compline Instructions.

Social-Distancing Deliveries

Health officials say that certain at-risk individuals should now stay home as much as possible—especially older people. We would like to compile a list of volunteers who are willing to run errands (like shopping and picking up prescriptions) for older members of our congregation. If you can help, please email Stephanie Jones by clicking here. She will then contact you when there is a need. (Please do not make deliveries if anyone in your house has symptoms of coronavirus: fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.)

Grace Home Virtual Giving Tree

During this lenten season, we invite you to participate in a "Virtual Giving Tree" to support Grace Home. In lieu of collecting physical items, please use the link below and sign up to help meet various needs with a monetary donation. You can then donate through their website or mail a check to Grace Home, P.O. Box 385, Blanchard OK 73010.

Click here to sign up.

Donate through the Grace Home website.

Grace Home is a maternity home in Blanchard that serves women ( ages 18-30) during unplanned pregnancies. These young women are allowed to live in the home during their pregnancy and for up to a year after giving birth. The program provides for all their physical needs and those of their baby. This ministry also assists them as they develop their life skills and meet education goals, so that, when they leave, their future looks brighter and more doors are open to them.

Fasting Guidelines

Throughout Great Lent, it is traditional to abstain from meat, fish, dairy products (including eggs), and alcohol, with the following exceptions:

on Saturdays and Sundays, moderate alcohol is allowed;
following Liturgy on March 25, fish and moderate alcohol are allowed, in honor of the Feast of the Annunciation.