The National HeraldThe National Herald T H E R N A TI ON A L H E A L D The National Herald wishes...

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TH

E NATIONAL HERA

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The National Herald wishes you a joyous

and healthy Easter!

Holy Saturday - Easter Sunday, April 11-12, 2015

Easter Special 20152 THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 11, 2015

The National HeraldA weekly publication of theNATIONAL HERALD, INC.

(ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ),reporting the news andaddressing the issues of

paramount interest to the GreekAmerican community of theUnited States of America.

Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris

Assistant to Publisher, AdvertisingVeta H. Diamataris

PapadopoulosSpecial Section Editor

Constantinos E. ScarosProduction Manager

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2001

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By Constantinos E. Scaros

I parked my car in front of my house on April 5 –Palm Sunday, in our Greek Orthodox Church – and asI exited was greeted by joyous shouts of “HappyEaster!” from my neighbors’ kids. Their parents fol-lowed – they were on their way to their grandparents’house a couple of blocks away. “Happy Easter,” saidmy neighbor. “I know it’s not your Easter, but –” I in-terrupted: “That’s ok, thank you, and happy Easter toyou, too.” Looking at my fistful of palms – I like tomake my own crosses, from scratch – she said: “So to-day’s your Palm Sunday – so, Easter next week, right?”I replied: “Yes. But we’re having dinner at my in-laws’today. Two Easters are better than one!”

My in-laws, by the way, are both Greek. My father-in-law, born in Greece, has always been Greek Ortho-dox. But my mother-in-law’s parents left the OrthodoxChurch when she was very young; they preferred aProtestant parish in their community, in Western Penn-sylvania. So, my wife and her two brothers were raisedin that denomination. It was not until my wife studiedin Greece for a year that she decided, at age 21, toconvert to Greek Orthodoxy.

So, our first of two Easter dinners was at my in-laws’ house, with 10 people around the table. TenChristians, five of them Orthodox, five not. Five withpalms, five celebrating Easter.

So what? Is having two Easters really such a bigdeal?

At this point in the United States, with so many

“mixed marriages,” two Easters is becoming more andmore commonplace. I imagine many of you reading thishave the same type of situation in your own families.

The way I see it, it’s twice the food, twice the laugh-ter, twice the love and good times.

I grew up in New York City with a lot of otherGreek kids, many of who would call our Easter the“real” Easter. Later in life, a Catholic friend joked tome: “why do you Greeks call our Easter ‘American’Easter – when it is the Easter celebrated everywhereelse in the world, except Greece?” Well, not every-where, but point well taken. It’s really “Eastern Easter”and “Western Easter.”

Would it be better if all Christians could come to-gether as one – and have one Christian Church as itwas originally, instead of thousands – yes, thousands!– of variations? Of course it would. But is it likely thatwe’ll see such a thing on our lifetimes? Probably not.

So, rather than complain, how about we just enjoythe advantage of two Easters. It’s like having twobirthday parties!

To those who are about to celebrate Easter, to thosewho already did, and to those who do not celebrateEaster at all (because you are not Christian), this Spe-cial Edition is for you – for all of you.

Enjoy!

Two Easters are Better than One

By Fr. Emmanuel ClapsisSpecial to The National Herald

Jesus ended His earthly lifeon the cross. He “uttereda loud cry, and breathedHis last” (Mk. 15:37).

With these words, the earliestGospel gives us a relatively barestatement of Jesus’ death. Hewas executed as a political rebelas the inscription on the crossindicates: “The King of theJews” (Mk.15: 26).

Crucifixion was a Romanform of execution mainly usedfor slaves. It was forbidden tocrucify Roman citizens. Cicerosays: “The idea of the crossshould never come near thebodies of Roman citizens; itshould never pass theirthoughts, eyes or ears.”

It is clear that by the time ofJesus’ arrest no major religiousgroup of His society was willingto intervene and save Him. TheGospels provide a minimal re-construction of his Crucifixion.

For reasons that are unclear,Judas, a disciple of Jesus, be-trayed his teacher and led aparty of Temple police to his ar-rest. After a hasty hearing be-fore members of the Sanhedrin,Jesus was condemned and thenhanded over to the Roman au-thorities. In the trial before theCouncil (Mk. 14:53-65), two el-ements seem to have been im-portant: the Messiah issue,which was important in the ac-cusation before Pilate, and Je-sus’ remark about the destruc-tion of the Temple. The secondwas designed to secure the con-viction of Jesus as a falseprophet and blasphemer, forwhich the penalty was death (cf.Lev. 24:16; Deut. 13:5-6; 18:20;Jer. 14:14-15; 28:15-17).

Pilate found Jesus to be asufficient threat to the public or-der to have Him executed bycrucifixion under the charge ofbeing a messianic pretender.Those who joined forces to killJesus acted as representative

sinners. Only one Roman soldierdrove a spear into Jesus’ corpse,but the words John quotes fromZechariah aim at everyone:“They shall look on him whomthey have pierced” (19:37). Forthe Christian church, Jesus’death is not just the doing ofJews and Romans, but the sav-ing act of God in Jesus’ volun-tary self-sacrifice.

The disciples of Jesus and theearly Church interpreted theCrucifixion of Jesus by remem-bering that in the Old Testamentexperience prophets were re-jected and killed; Therefore, Je-sus’ Crucifixion does not dis-prove the fact that He is theincarnate Logos of God. Thedeath of Jesus was understoodto be redemptive by remember-ing the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 52:13 - 53:12): “He was woundedfor our transgressions, he wasbruised for our iniquities; uponhim was the chastisement thatmade us whole, and with hisstripes we are healed” (52:5).

Here salvific effects are attrib-uted to suffering, which benefitsothers and atones sin. New Tes-tament references to Jesus’death as ransom (Mk. 10:45)and expiation (Rom. 3: 25), asdeath for our sin (I Cor. 15:3),and as death “for many” (Mt.26:28; Mk. 14:24) reflect thisstrand of thought.

Did Jesus expect that Hewould suffer and lose His life?It must be assumed that Jesushad considered a violent deathas a consequence of His min-istry, for anyone acting as Hedid had to be prepared for ex-treme conse¬quences. From thebeginning of His ministry, Hefaced the charge of blasphemy(Mk. 2:7) and was accused ofalliance with the devil or magic(Mt. 12:24), and infringing thelaw of Sabbath (Mk. 2:23-24;Lk. 13:14-15). His enemieswatched Him to find groundsfor arraigning Him (Mk. 3:2),

The Death and the Resurrection of Jesus

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AHEPA is the prominent Hellenic American Organization since 1922 dedicated to Hellenism and Education. We are eternally greatful to having received such a rich heritage and we are commited to keeping the flame lit.

We welcome more philhellenes to come and help us carry the torch.

OFFICERS

Governor: Tom Dushas - [email protected]. Governor: Peter Vasilakos - [email protected]: Stefan Kalogridis - [email protected]: Ted Malgarinos - [email protected]

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AMERICAN HELLENIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATIONNEW YORK EMPIRE STATE DISTRICT SIX

wishesall of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

a Blessed Easter!

and it is clear that they tried totrap Him with trick questions(Mk. 12:13ff. 18ff; 28ff.).

Opting for Jesus does notmean peace but a break withthe status quo (Mt. 10:34; Lk.12:51). His message called fora total break with the presentage.

Thus, Jesus’ death flowednaturally from His public activ-ity. It was the inevitable resultof fidelity to His own preaching,given the failure of His messageto win general acceptance. Jesusfreely accepted His death, as themost radical consequence of themessage He had proclaimed andembodied in His deeds.

How does Jesus’ mission re-late with His death on theCross? How could the kingdomof God come when the forces ofthis world put its harbinger todeath? The preaching andpraxis of Jesus are called intoquestion. In the midst of thisdark and desolate experience ofbeing crucified, Jesus trustinglysurrenders Himself in faith,hope, and love to God the Fa-ther. The negativity of death istransformed by Jesus resurrec-tion into something positive as-sociated with the coming ofGod’s kingdom.

As St. Maximus the Confes-sor states: “He who penetratesbeyond the Cross and the tomband finds himself initiated intothe mystery of the Resurrection,learns the end for which Godhas created all things.”

The disciples of Jesus soonafter His death, proclaimed thatGod had raised him from thedead; that He who had beencrucified had proven to be liv-ing; and that He sent them, Hisdisciples, to proclaim this mes-sage to the world. On this mat-ter, all the New Testament writ-ings speak with a single voice;“Whether then it was I or them,so we preach and so you be-lieve” (I Cor. 5:11); “This JesusGod raised up, and of that weare all witness” (Acts 2:32). TheChristian gospel is disclosed inChrist’s resurrection. This is bestexpressed by St Paul who statedthat “If Christ has not beenraised, then our preaching is invain, and your faith is in vain.”(I Cor. 15:14; cf. 17:9).

His rising from the dead doesnot mean a return into the oldlife. He does not return to decayor corruption (Acts 13:34): “Forwe know that Christ being

raised from the dead will neverdie again; death no longer hasdominion over Him.... The lifethat He lives, He lives to God”(Rom 6:9ff.). The Resurrectionis not a resumption of the oldlife, but the beginning of newcreation (cf. I Cor 15:42ff.).

In the New Testament onecan find stories about Christ’sresurrection and appearancesand proclamations of the faithof Church about the importanceof his death and resurrection.

The Easter kerygma is re-vealed in brief, kerygmatic,liturgical formulations of belief.The most important witness ofhis resurrection, however, isfound in Cor. 15:3-8: “For Itransmitted to you as of first im-portance what I received: thatChrist died for our sins accord-ing to the Scriptures; and thatHe was buried; and that He wasraised on the third day accord-ing to the Scriptures; and Heappeared: first to Cephas, thento the twelve; and then He ap-peared to more than 500brethren at one time, of whommost remain alive until today,though some have fallen asleep.And He appeared: to Jamesthen to all the apostles; last ofall, as to one irregularly born,He appeared also to me.”

Although St. Paul wrote ICorinthians about the year 56A.D., he tells the Corinthians(15:3) that what he transmittedto them (presumably when he

first came to Corinth about 50A.D.) was information that hehimself had received” at an ear-lier period (in the mid 30s).

It is the appearances of therisen Christ that establish thefaith of the Church. It is essen-tial to distinguish between theemergence of the Easter faithand the basis of that faith, theResurrection of Jesus Himself.Resurrection is exclusively theact of God, for which there isno analogy that happens inspace and time and conse-quently it cannot be idealized,symbolized, or allegorized. Theeffects of Jesus’ Resurrectionsuch as the faith that arose inHis disciples, the formation ofthe Church, the continuity of Hisministry by His disciples and thedescent of the spirit must notbecome substitutes for the Res-urrection event.

The death of Jesus is consid-ered for the early Christians tobe a victory over the powers ofdarkness operative in this world.For St. Paul, the death of Christfrees us from sin (II Cor. 5:21),from the flesh (Rom. 8:3-8),from death (Rom. 6:1-10), andfrom the Law (Gal. 3:10-13;4:4-5).

The Cross reveals the uniquepower, wisdom and love of God(I Cor. 1:24). In virtue of thecross, God is revealed to be mostactive and present in those situ-

The Death and the Resurrection of JesusContinued from page 2

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By Constantinos E. Scaros

Easter has alwaysbeen a holidaythat I’ve en-joyed – just

like Thanksgivingand Christmas. Ofcourse, as yearswent by and Igrew from achild into anadult, the “ben-efits” ofThanksgiving(lots of goodfood!) be-came moreimpor tan tthan the onesat Christmas(gifts).

As for Easter, Iwas happy whenthe fast was overand it was time to diginto all that lamb!

Of course, as I grewolder the significance ofeach of those holidays –beyond the fringe benefits –became more meaningful to meas well. And most of my Eastermemories have been good ones.But this piece focuses on somebad ones – experiences of mine,all church-related, which de-serve mention so as to raise thecollective consciousness andhopefully prevent others fromhaving to endure them in thefuture.

BULLYINGWhile attending church ser-

vices with my family as a kid –probably around age 9 or 10 – Iveered away from the MidnightService on Holy Saturday, per-haps to use the rest room, to geta drink of water…I can’t re-member.

I came upon a group of boys,some my age and a few a lotolder. One of the boys, severalyears older than me and aboutfive times my size, had anotherboy cornered and was verballyberating him, threatening him,and otherwise humiliating him.I was heartbroken watching this– but too young, small, andpowerless to do anything aboutit.

As the months and yearspassed and I grew bigger andstronger, I often wished that I

had been that size then,so that I could have intervened.

Anyhow, back to that night –I remember after the Resurrec-tion, we all walked home –church was three blocks awayfrom our Washington Heightsbuilding, we lived on the thirdfloor, my aunt and her familyon the first.

We went to her house tocrack some eggs and nosh onsome midnight Easter snacks.Everyone was behaving in theusual mode – loud, laughing,bursting with energy, eventhough it was past 1AM by thatpoint.

I had a good time, too, or atleast tried to, but the memoryof seeing that poor boy humili-ated haunted me, and I thought:“if I feel bad about just havingwatched it, I can only imaginehow he felt experiencing it.Right now his family is crackingeggs too, and he’s probably feel-ing awful.”

BRAWLINGWith apologies in advance to

those Greeks for whom Easterincludes igniting firecrackers

outside the church, I find theentire tradition utterly annoyingand obnoxious. Want to see itdone right? Watch a fireworksdisplay on the Fourth of July –where the sky is lit with beauti-ful colors and patterns. But lis-tening to a barrage of loudcrackling is ridiculous. Might aswell pull up to the church in carthat has a hole in the muffler –same effect.

Well, it was on a Holy Satur-day night, either the year beforeor the year after the bullyingevent.

We were exiting the church– the crowd, both Greeks andNew Yorkers, and thereby a hor-rible combination in terms ofknowing how to wait their turn– part of the swarm of peoplepushing their way to the door.

That’s when we heard shoutsand screams – apparently, some-thing was going on outside –and the anxious crowd pushedfaster, sandwiching everyone intheir path.

Violations of Anthropia: My Bad Experiences at Easter

Continued on page 8

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Best Wishes to All Greek-Americans

for a Joyous and Blessed Easter

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ - ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ


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Best wishes to allon the glorious and life giving

Resurrection of our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ

Happy EasterΧριστός ΑνέστηPeter, Aphrodite, Constantina

and Nicholas Skeadas

201434/401

By the time I made it outside,I saw a man standing there,looking stunned. His whiteEaster suit had streaks of brightred blood on it, as he pacedaround, very agitated and emo-tional. Turns out, he had justbeen hit.

A firecracker-related fight(some were blasted too close tosomeone who didn’t take kindlyto it), and the big guy in thewhite suit tried to break it up –only to get punched in the face.A relative of his – a small, wiry,Greek fireplug, maybe his fatheror uncle – kept asking him, inGreek: “who did this to you?Who was it? Point him out – I’lltear him to pieces.”

It was comical and admirableall at once – this pint-sized manlooking to exact revenge – to goout and bloody those that daredto bloody his beloved (son ornephew).

The irony that this all hap-pened while “Christos Anesti-Christ is Risen” was chanted in-side – the epitome of turningthe other cheek, was not lost onme, even at that young age.And, once again, while my fam-ily cracked eggs and sipped ma-giritsa, I played those images inmy head over and over, and feltbad for that man who tried tobe a peacemaker (ok – at leastthat part fit the occasion).

I began to think (and again,I’m not sure which incident

came first): “this going to Mid-night service stuff isn’t reallyvery enjoyable.

“OH, GOD!”Several years later – I was in

my late teens by then, probablya freshman in college – I wentto receive Communion on HolySaturday morning. The clergy-man who administered it was a“rising star” in the Archdiocese’s“Who’s Who,” but based on hisactions that day, he did not im-press me very much.

There was no altar boy onhand, and so I had to hold thered cloth napkin under my chinand wipe my mouth, if neces-sary, after he spoonfed me theCommunion.

As I lifted the napkin to placeit under my chin, I bumped thebase of the Chalice that con-tained the Communion. Thatjerked the Chalice upward, andthe liquidy Communion insideswirled around, though none ofit fell out.

Anger immediately filled theface of this “man of God.” Hiseyes intensified, his browsscrunched, and with a look ofutter disdain, he said to me:“Oh, God!” I felt as if he hadjust shunned me from thechurch. As if I had set the build-ing on fire, for kicks – when allI did was bump the Chalice,which I wouldn’t have if he hadan altar boy there in the firstplace. In fact, I thought to my-self: “Seems like you have a

shortage of altar boys – hmmm,I wonder why…Could it be thatserving under you is no day atthe beach?”

Mind you, my interpretationof his reaction was not that of atoddler. I was already of collegeage: not quite a crusty old vet-eran, but my skin already had afew thick coats on it.

Later on, I thought to myselfabout what I should have saidto him: “Look, dude, I know youvalue the liquid contained inthis cup, I do, too. Otherwise, Iwouldn’t be here to receive it.But the biggest picture of God’smessage is love. These ritualsare fine, but it’s all about love.And you displayed no love to-ward me whatsoever with yourreaction to an innocent mishapthat didn’t even cause anyharm.”

I told one of my cousinsabout the incident, who, unlikeme, was somewhat mesmerizedby this clergyman’s buddingstardom. “He broke one of theTen Commandments,” she said,with a smile, acknowledgingthat his reaction was inappro-priate (she meant the ThirdCommandment: “You shall nottake the name of the Lord yourGod in vain.”)

“SUUUSSS!!”More than a decade later – I

was probably in my early thirtiesby then – at another Midnight



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HELLENIC AMERICANBANKERS ASSOCIATION

wishes all

Happy Easter

www.haba.org


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Join us in celebrating our 9rd Anniversary at theNational Convention July 1-5, 2015

Embarcadero Hyatt, San Francisco, CA

93 Years of Service to the Community

www.ahepa.org • [email protected]

AHEPA Headquarters 1909 Q St., NW, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20009 • Phone 202.232.6300 • Fax 202.232.2140

To join AHEPA, visit www.ahepa.org

Over $500,000 donated to Apostoli

and to the IOCC for the purchase of Food

for those in need in Greece and Cyprus

Purchased shipping for over $7 Million

in medical equipment

and materials to Hospitals throughout Greece.

Donated Millions in Educational and Charitable

funds in our local communities

AHEPA Supreme Lodge and all National officers

wish everyone a Happy Easter


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EISEMAN LEVINELEHRHAUPT

& KAKOYIANNIS, P.C.

805 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022Tel.: (212) 752-1000

Peter Kakoyiannis, Partner

Καλό Πάσχα

Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL)P.O. Box 6954

West Palm Beach, Florida 33405-6954Tel.: 877-585-0245 • Fax: 561-547-9362 • E-Mail: [email protected] • Visit us at: www.ocl.org

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

George Pontikes, PresidentAndrew Kartalis, Vice PresidentPeter J. Petkas, Vice PresidentWilliam Souvall, Vice PresidentGeorge Karcazes, TreasurerRoy Snyder, SecretarySusan W. Haikalis, Past PresidentNicholas KarakasAnthony KasmerAlice O. KopanPeter N. MarudasMichael PacurarEllen PandazisArgo Georgandis-PyleJohn ReguleDr. Gayle E. WoloschakPeter Zarras

ADVISORY BOARDCharles R. AjalatSonja AndersonAnthony G. AndrikopoulosGeorge AravosisEvan ChrissFr. Timothy B. CremeensBishop Michael DahulichJim DemetrionAlbert FoundosBrian GerichDr. Peter HaikalisV.Rev. Thomas HopkoJohn KaloudisJim KoulogeorgeJohn MaddexFr. Michael MassouhFrederica Mathews-GreenRon MuresanDr. Nicholas PappasArchbishop Nathan PoppRobert S. PoydasheffTeva ReguleBrian SmithHarry SpellDr. William J. TenetDianne Nickols ThodosV Rev. Gordon Thomas WalkerRev. Steven J. VlahosAlin Voicu-ComendantChris Xeros

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORGeorge E. Matsoukas

OPEN LETTER TO THE ORTHODOX FAITHFULFROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY

CHRIST IS RISEN!“… move beyond words to actions…putting our theology into practice…

moving beyond what is mine and yours, to what is ours.”

This important message was conveyed by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the Assemblyof Orthodox Bishops at their fifth official meeting which was held in Dallas, Texas on September 15-19, 2014.Unfortunately, the various proposals that were presented by the bishops defer the establishment of an auto-cephalous Orthodox Christian Church in the United States of America for at least another ten years.

The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) movement has been an outspoken advocate of Orthodox Christian Unityin the United States for more than 25 years. OCL understands that the present existence of multiple, over-lapping “jurisdictions” with multiple Bishops presiding over the same territories is contrary to the OrthodoxChurch Canons. OCL has repeatedly called for the administrative union of the 14 Orthodox “jurisdictions”in the United States under a single Synod of canonical bishops which would elect its own presiding hierarch.

The Orthodox Church meets the criteria required for an autocephalous church in the United States. Thereare three theological schools, more than 70 monastic communities, approximately 2,300 parishes, 58 canonicalbishops and an estimated three million Orthodox faithful.

The (OCL), therefore, respectfully calls upon the Mother Churches and the Assembly of Bishops to hastentheir deliberations and seriously consider adopting the following measures:

• Declare that all of the Orthodox parishes in the United States of America are part of an Autocephalous Orthodox church in the United States of America.

• Declare that the Assembly of Bishops is the Synod of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in theUnited States of America.

• Convene an Orthodox Assembly of representatives from all canonical Orthodox parishes in theUnited States of America to debate, modify and adopt measures proposed by the Synod of Bishopsfor the structure and regulation of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the United States ofAmerica.

• Submit a proposed structure and regulations adopted by the Orthodox Assembly to each Ortho-dox parish in the United States of America for review and adoption at a parish assembly heldspecifically for that purpose.

The OCL Board of Directors commends the Mother Churches who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to call forthe convening of Assemblies of Bishops around the world. We pray that our bishops vigorously heed the ex-hortation of His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew to move beyond what is “mine and yours, to what is ours.”We encourage the laity to contact their bishops and urge the bishops to adopt these measures.

Yours in Christ

Board of Orthodox Christian LaityGeorge Pontikes, President___________________________

JOIN THE GRASSROOTS UNITY NETWORK BY VISITING www.ocl.org for more information and SEND AN E-MAIL TO [email protected]

ations where He, at least exter-nally, appears to be inactive andabsent.

In the Cross, God is found tobe active and present in themidst of extraordinary evil, suf-fering and death – drawinggood out of evil, salvation outof suffering, and new life out ofdeath. There is no area of lifethat falls outside the presenceand activity of God.

The death of Christ puts anend once and for all to the sug-gestion that God is indifferentto the pain and suffering of hu-manity. God revealed in the Cru-cifixion of Jesus is the compas-sionate God Who is movedand touched by the suffer-ing and death inflicted byhumanity on Jesus. Godthe Father is not indifferentto the suffering and deathof His Son.

The resurrection of Je-sus has brought salvationto the world: “If you con-fess with your lips that Je-sus is the Lord and believein your heart that Godraised Him from the dead,you will be saved” (Romans10:9). It signifies that thenew creation has alreadybegun. Jesus is the first tobe raised from the dead(Acts 26:23; I Cor. 15-20ff.;Col. 1:18). Jesus’ Resurrec-tion is attributed directly toGod (cf. I Cor. 6:14; Rom.10:9; I Cor. 15:15; et al.):“[You] killed the Author oflife, whom God raised fromthe dead” (3:15; cf. 2:23ff.5:30). The raising of Jesusfrom the dead is an act ofdivine power, an act of “theworking of His great might”(Eph. 1:19ff; cf. Col. 2:12), anact of His glory (Rom. 6:4) andHis Spirit (Rom. 8:11; I Pet.3:18). The Resurrection revealsWho God is: the One Whosepower embraces life and death,existence and non-existence. Itreveals the future of the worldaccording to God’s love and will.Jesus is raised as the first fruitsof those who have fallen asleep(I Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:18; Acts26:23; cf. 3:15; Rev 1:17ff).

The resurrection of JesusChrist has universal conse-quences and significance for itis the prefiguration and foreglimpse of the new creation, the

new world that God has desiredand made possible through Hislove, the sending of His Son andthe Holy Spirit. This new cre-ation, the active presence ofGod’s kingdom in the world, isstrongly determined by negationof the negative and openness tothe development of the positive.The negation of the negative isdescribed in Revelation 21:4,“God will wipe away every tearfrom their eyes, and death shallbe no more, neither shall therebe mourning nor crying nor painanymore.”

The openness and the devel-opment of the positive comeswith the establishment of a newrelation of God with the world

and the total renewal of theworld by God: “They shall behis people, and he himself, Godwith them, shall be theirGod...And he who sat upon thethrone said, ‘Behold, I make allthings new’” (Rev. 21:3, 5). Godhas given to the world, throughcrucified and risen Christ a fore-taste and a promise of all thatis yet to come.

Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis is theArchbishop Iakovos Professorof Theology at Holy Cross GreekOrthodox School of Theology inBrookline, MA. He is also thePriest of the AnnunciationGreek Orthodox Church ofWoburn, MA.

The Death and theResurrection of Jesus


Easter Special 2015THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 11, 2015 11a

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The president ,the Parish council and all the parishioners Of the Greek Orthodox Church Of Greater Salt lake

Holy trinity CathedralProphet Elias Church

Wish the Greek American community

a Happy Easter

HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL 279 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1797 • Tel.: (801) 328-968

2021

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THE FEDERATION OF HELLENIC MEDICALSOCIETIES OF NORTH AMERICA

Dr. Spyros G.Ε. Mezitis, MD, PhDPresident

wishesthe Hellenic Community

a Happy and Healthy Easter

Our mission is to strengthen the network of Hellenic physicians

who serve our community

New York Montreal/Quebec

Philadelphia Toronto/Ontario

Chicago/Midwest Boston/New England

California Washington, DC

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www.hellenicmedical.com

Service, a different “important”clergyman presided over theLiturgy. The moment had come– the church lights were out,and hundreds of congregantswaited for him to emerge fromthe altar with the light of theresurrection. And he did, andimmediately after the first verse:“Defte Lavete Fos-Come Receivethe (Holy) Light,” he immedi-ately unleashed, at the top ofhis lungs, a big “SUUUSSS!!” –he meant “Shush” but beingGreek-born, struggled to pro-duce the “sh” sound. I kid younot – a big “SUUUSSS!” in be-tween the first phrase and thesecond – “Ek tou Anesperou Fo-tos – From the Unwaning Light.”And he did so with the intensityof any Greek – any boorish one,that is – in a position of author-ity barking out a command: aparent to a child, a teacher to astudent, a boss to an employee,an airport customs officer to atraveler…

In between the two phrases– at the climax of the entire 40-day event! Talk about ruiningthe moment!

Granted, this clergyman hada point. The crowd was chatter-ing, and they shouldn’t havebeen.

In fact, at that particularchurch (not the same one frommy childhood), they are one ofthe worst crowds I have everseen in terms of turning a ser-vice into a coffee klatch. But tolose one’s temper while at thealtar, once again, at the precisemoment of the culmination ofJesus’ message of love and ac-tions of tolerance, is thesupreme height of irony.

NO MORE!I could have used this space

to write a feelgood story aboutmy countless wonderful Easterexperiences. And I have plenty.But the warm and fuzzy Easterstories are commonplace.

However, there are notenough of the ones like sharedhere. And there need to be. Be-cause only then – with height-ened public awareness and in-creased sharing of suchincidents – can we really makea statement about “anthropia –human decency.”

I do not judge people by how

much money they have, howmany doo-dads (houses, cars,speedboats) they own, howmany jewels they have on theirpriestly attire, or what “Highand Mighty Muckety Muck” titleis bestowed upon them by somebanana organization. I judgepeople by how they treat oth-ers.

These are four incidents thatall happened on or aroundEaster. Four violations of an-thropia. You will notice, I didnot name the violators (some ofwhose names I don’t know, any-way), because it is not my desireto make them look bad – what’sdone is done. Instead of theirnames, I share their acts, be-cause unfortunately, these typesof acts – these anthropia viola-tions – are not done. They con-tinue.

It is our duty, our obligationas God’s children, as students ofChrist’s example, to strive aboveall for anthropia, and to havezero tolerance for any violationsthereof.

Accordingly, I invite all ofyou to share with us your “an-thropia violation” experiences,too.




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We wish youa Happy & Blessed Easter

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LYNN: One Andrew Street, Lynn, MA 01901 • Tel.: (781) 598-0820

PEABODY: 32 Central Street, Peabody, MA 01960 • Tel.: (978) 968-2222

SOMERVILLE: 377 Summer Street, Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144 •Tel.: (671) 539-8570

ONLINE: www.myccu.org

wishes

Α Happy EasterTO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

Dr. Nicholas Sarantopoulos, President /CEO

Εις μνήμην Στέλλας Κράρα

The Kraras FamilyReading, PA

and Wildwood, NJ3028/91

The Supreme Lodge Officers of the Pan-Rhodian Society of America «Apollon», Inc.

Steve Pelardis (President) | Yiannis Lyristis (Vice President)

Panayiotis Fotinis (Treasurer) | Vasilios Angelis (Secretary)

Christ is Risen - Truly He is Risen

PAN-RHODIAN SOCIETY OF AMERICA«APOLLON»

3629

/102

HELLENIC RELIEF FOUNDATION, INC. P.O.Box 735 MINEOLA, NY 11501

Tel.: (347) 201-1821

www.hellenicrelief.orgA Non-Profit 501 c (3) Organization

This announcement is sponsored by the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Relief Foundation. The donations are used exclusively to purchase foods for the needy in Greece.

201862/161

The Board of Directorsof the Hellenic Relief Foundation

wishes you a Happy Easter.This year please consider a gift

of giving to the familiesin need in Greece.

a b

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox ChurchΕλληνική Ορθόδοξος Κοινότης Αγίας Τριάδας

10 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804 • Tel.: (914) 235-6100

~ ~ ~

The Clergy,the Parish Council,the Philoptochos

and all Community Organizations

wish you alla Blessed Easter

~ ~ ~200638/250

By Anna Skamangas-Scaros

Are you celebrating Easterat someone else’s house thisyear? If so, your typicalquestion to the host(ess)would be: “what can I bring?”

Surely, you won’t beexpected to be the one to cookthe lamb. “Bring a side dish”might be the most commonresponse. Well, here are someside dishes to help you along– along with appetizers, adessert, and even a couple ofalternative entrees (becausesome people – believe it or not– don’t like roast lamb).

Of course, these are just astasty if you make them athome – on Easter, or anytimereally.

APPETIZERSFeta Cheese Bites

I’m always looking for inter-esting ways to use Feta cheese.These tasty bites combine someclassic and interesting ingredi-ents to make the perfect appe-tizer bite.Serves 6Ingredients:4 ounces cream cheese,softened4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled1/2 teaspoon soy sauce1/3 cup Kalamata olives, finelychopped1 tablespoon scallions, finelychopped1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 cup fresh parsley, finelychoppedDirections:

Combine first 6 ingredientsin a food processor until wellcombined. Cover and chill untilfirm, about one hour.

Roll cheese mixture into 1-inch-round balls. Roll each ball

in the chopped parsley to covercompletely. Serve immediatelyor cover and chill until ready toserve.

Greek Yogurt KalamataOlive Dip

A twist on classic tzaziki, thisdip has a pungent bite from theKalamata olives and is the per-

fect appetizer to a large meal.Serves 10Ingredients:2 cups plain, full fat Greekyogurt1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds1/4 teaspoon thyme1/4 teaspoon Greek oregano2 teaspoons olive oil1 cup Kalamata olives, finelychopped1/4 cup toasted, chopped

pistachios1 cucumber, washed andsliced, skin onPita bread torn into large bitesized piecesDirections:

Combine first 6 ingredientsin a bowl and mix well. Chill forat least an hour to allow flavorsto blend.

Drizzle with olive oil. Sprin-kle with pistachios. Serve withcucumber slices and pita bread.

Beef Asparagus WrapsWith asparagus plentiful this

time of year, try to find local asit will be fresher and more ten-der. These wraps are low incalories since there is no breador cracker. Yummy!Serves 8Ingredients:16 asparagus spears

Easter Meal: the Secret is in the Side Dishes


From The National Herald Family


Easter Greetingsfrom

ALEX and FAYE SPANOSand Family

a b

3240/174

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POLES TUBLINPOLES, TUBLIN, STRATAKIS & GONZALEZ, LLP

46 Trinity Place, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10006

Tel.: 212-943-0110

New York

www.polestublin.com

Providing legal services to the Greek American community since 1957

New Jersey

Best Wishes for

a Happy Easter

Maritime • Real Estate • Corporate • Estates 3327/440

By Lauren Loeffler

If you’re reading this beforeEaster Sunday, you’ve still gottime to get to the wine store andpick up one or more of thesewonderful bottles – which willcomplement just about any ver-sion of your holiday meal.

But even if you’re readingthis after the fact – save this ar-ticle for next year. And in themeantime, pick up these bottlesthroughout the year, and pairthem with your favorite dishes!

MAGIRITSA: GAIA NOTIOSAGIORGITIKO 2013

For a hearty, rich, magiritsa,a deeply layered, soft red is anice pairing. The Gaia NotiosAgiorgitiko fits the bill. Juicy,ripe plum appear here, with alush mouthfeel. Baking spiceand a touch of earth comethrough on the mid palate andfinish. This is an elegant Agior-gitiko which keeps its universalappeal but takes its characterfar above a basic table red.

ROASTED LAMB: ARGATIAXINOMAVRA 2009

Produced from fruit grownin the Naoussa region, this is anelegant and just-bold-enoughred wine to pair with roastedlamb. Its black and red cherryfruit create a lush feel on thepalate, and the spice and aro-matic herbal tones add charac-ter, dimension, and a style thatis a great companion to the gar-lic and crusted herbs in the dish.

A balancing acidity and linger-ing finish are sure to please inthis wonderful expression of aquality indigenous varietal.

SIDE DISHES/COCKTAILWINE: GAIA ASSYRTIKO

WILD FERMENT 2014The Assyrtiko varietal is ca-

pable of producing fabulouswhite wines. Crisp and racy, thisGaia Assyrtiko shows citrus,some white fruit, and lovelyminerality. The “wild ferment”refers to wild yeasts and fermen-tation that occurs in barrel with-out manipulation. This winewould pair well with a roastedpotato side dish, the mineralityplaying nicely with the crispyoutside of the potatoes, and isalso enjoyable on its own formilling about before the meal.

DESSERT: GAVALAS WINERYVINSANTO

Produced from Assyrtiko,Aidani, and Athini, this dessertwine is precisely what you needto round out your koulourakia,kourambiedes, and tsourekia.The grapes are left on the vineto an optimal level of ripenessto allow a good amount of sugarto develop, and then the grapesare dried before vinification.Rich, sweet, raisin notes are im-parted from this winemakingtechnique. Toasted caramel,honey, and botanicals show upon this sweet, syrupy dessertwine.

STIN YGEIA SAS!

Easter Wines

4 ounces soft goat cheese,room temperatureSea salt and pepper to taste16 Bibb lettuce leaves, washedand patted dry with a papertowel8 thin slices deli roast beef, cutin half16 slices cucumber, skin on16 fresh chives, whole

Directions:Cut off and discard tough

ends of asparagus leaving 3-4inches of tip.

Steam asparagus for 2-3 min-utes until tender. Immediatelyplace in ice water to stop thecooking process. Drain and patdry with paper towels.

Spoon goat cheese into a pip-ing bag. Pipe cheese down cen-ter of each lettuce leaf. Sprinklewith salt and pepper.

Arrange 1 roast beef slice, 1asparagus spear, and 1 cucum-ber slice in each lettuce leaf.Wrap sides of lettuce aroundroast beef and vegetables andtie together with a chive.

Cheddar Cheese SticksThese snacks are great for

entertaining. They are full of fla-vor and will keep them comingback for more!Makes about 8 dozenIngredients:1 1/2 cups butter, softened1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese,shredded

Easter Meal: the Secretis in the Side Dishes




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a b

Best wishes for a blessed and joyous Easter to All

Christ is risen

The Behrakis Foundation


3039/398

a b

Dr. Ahmed Mohiuddin, MD, FACCPresident and CEO

Medical Center of Boston International, Inc.Contact information:

Medical Center of Boston International, Inc. 411 Waverly Oaks Road, Suite 333, Waltham, MA 02452

Tel.: (781) 894-8858 • Fax: (781) 894-8856

Best Wishes for a Very Blessed and Joyous Easter

to all our Greek-American friends


201590/513

Best Wishes for a Blessed and Joyous Pascha

FromThe Founders of FAITH:

An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism

This Spring, the Founders of FAITH are pleased to announce the continuation and expansion

of the annual scholarship programs through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:

1. FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence – A series of merit-based and need-

based scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors for their university

studies. In 2012, we inaugurated the FAITH Scholarship for Excellence in STEM

(science, technology, engineering, and math)

2. FAITH Ionian Village Travel Grants– A series of financial aid awards for young

people who wish to participate in the Ionian Village Summer Camp

3. FAITH St. John Chrysostom Festival Scholarship Awards – A series of scholarships

awarded to the top ranked festival participants

4. FAITH sponsored US-Greece Fulbright Scholarships – Scholarship opportunities

for graduate students and/or professional scholars/lecturers to travel to Greece for re

search

The core mission of FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism is to promote

excellence, Hellenism and an understanding of the Greek Orthodox faith through a series

of high quality educational programs and cultural initiatives for young people through

an endowment for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. For more information

about these programs and the application process, please visit: www.faithendowment.org

or 212-644-6960


1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt1 teaspoon ground redMombassa or cayenne pepper1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika4 cups flourDirections:

Preheat oven to 350 degreesF.

Combine the first 5 ingredi-ents in a food processor untilwell blended.

Add flour, a little at a time,until just combined.

Roll into long strips. Place onparchment paper lined bakingsheets. Cut into 3-inch pieces.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, oruntil lightly browned. Removeand cool completely before re-moving from cookie sheet.

Keeps for one week in an air-tight container.

SIDESHot Potato Salad

This dish mimics a tradi-tional potato gratin that youmight find on your holidaytable. This super easy recipe cantake the gratin’s place or showup at your backyard picnic. Serves 8Ingredients:1 pound Velveeta8 Yukon gold potatoes1 1/2 cups mayonnaise1 cup half-and-half1/2 cup chopped yellow onion1/2 cup Kalamata olives,choppedGrape seed oil8 bacon slices, cut into 1-inchpiecesDirections:

Freeze cheese 45 minutes to1 hour.

Cook washed potatoes inboiling water 25 to 30 minutesor until tender. Drain and cool.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Grate frozen cheese, usinglarge holes of a grater.

Preheat oven to 325 degreesF. Combine mayonnaise andhalf-and-half in a large bowl.Stir in onion, olives, potatoesand cheese until blended. Addsalt and pepper to taste.

Grease a 13 x 9-inch glassbaking dish with grape seed oil.Spoon potato salad into the bak-ing dish and top with bacon.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 55minutes. Increase oven temper-ature to broil and broil 5 min-utes or until bacon is crisp. Coolfor 10 minutes before serving.

Kritharaki and SpringPea Salad

This is the perfect side dishin any holiday meal. Spring peasbrighten it up and balance thepasta with a nice crunch!Serves 6Ingredients:2 teaspoons lemon zest1/2 cup fresh lemon juice8 ounces uncooked kritharaki(orzo) pasta1/4 cup minced red onion2 tablespoons extra virgin oliveoil1 tablespoon Dijon mustardSea salt and pepper to taste

2 cups snow peas or sugar snappeas, blanched and chopped1/2 cup yellow squash, dicedand lightly steamed.1/2 cup chopped dill1/2 cup chopped parsleyDirections:

Prepare pasta according topackage directions. Whisk to-gether onions, olive oil, mus-tard, salt, pepper and lemonjuice. Toss together pasta andonion mixture. Cover with plas-tic wrap and chill at least onehour. This step can be done twodays ahead.

Toss together pasta, snowpeas, squash, dill, parsley andlemon zest just before serving.Add salt, pepper, and additionallemon juice to taste.

ENTREESGarlic-Herb RoastedChicken

For a holiday dinner that de-viates from the traditional lambor ham, this roasted chickendish is bursting with flavor andremains deliciously juicy.Serves 6Ingredients:4 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon chopped freshthyme1 tablespoon chopped freshparsley1 tablespoon chopped freshrosemary1 teaspoon sea salt1 teaspoon freshly groundpepper1 whole roasting chicken, (4-6lbs.)Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine first ingredients. Rinse chicken and pat dry

with a paper towel. Loosen theskin from the breast and legswith your fingers. Be careful notto detach the skin. Rub herbmixture evenly underneath skin.

Place chicken, breast side up,on a wire rack in a shallowroasting pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce

heat to 350 degrees F and bake45 minutes or until a meat ther-mometer inserted in thigh reads180 degrees F.

Remove from the oven, coverand let the chicken rest for 15minutes before slicing.

Mustard SmotheredRack of Lamb

Another twist on the tradi-tional roasted leg of lamb, therib portion of the lamb is quitetender and flavorful. Serve thisat your next gathering to wowyour guests.Serves 8Ingredients:2 (8-rib) lamb rib roasts,trimmed1 teaspoon sea salt1 tablespoon freshly groundpepper4 tablespoons grape seed6 tablespoons whole seedDijon mustard1 cup herbed panko breadcrumbsDirections:

Rub lamb evenly with saltand pepper.

In a cast iron skillet, heat oiluntil hot. Cook lamb in the skil-let, about 3 minutes on eachside until browned.

Place lamb, fat side up, on arack on a broiling pan.

Bake at 400 degrees F forabout 20 minutes or until ameat thermometer inserted inthe thickest part registers 135degrees F.

Remove lamb from oven,cover loosely, and let rest for 10minutes.

Generously slather lamb withmustard and cover with bread-crumbs. Return lamb to theoven and bake until golden,about 5 more minutes. Removefrom oven. Let rest for 5 min-utes.

Cut into chops, and serve.

DESSERT

Decadent ChocolateCake

A moist chocolate cake is sohard to find, but this is the bestchocolate cake recipe ever! Aperfect ending to a holidaymeal.Serves 10-12Ingredients:2 cups all-purpose flour2 cups evaporated sugar canejuice3/4 cup unsweetened cocoapowder2 teaspoons baking powder11/2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon sea salt1 teaspoon espresso powder orfinely ground coffee beans1 cup milk1/2 cup grape seed2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanillaextract1 cup boiling waterDirections:

Preheat oven to 350 degreesF. Prepare two 9-inch cake pansby buttering and lightly flour-ing.

In a bowl, combine flour,sugar, cocoa, baking powder,baking soda, salt and espressopowder.

Add milk, oil, eggs, andvanilla to flour mixture and mixtogether with a hand mixer onmedium speed until well com-bined. Reduce speed and care-fully add boiling water to thecake batter. Beat on high speedfor about 1 minute to add air tothe batter.

Distribute cake batter evenlybetween the two prepared cakepans. Bake for 30-35 minutes,until a toothpick inserted in thecenter comes out clean.

Remove from the oven andallow to cool for about 10 min-utes, remove from the pan andcool completely.

Chocolate ButtercreamFrostingIngredients:1 cup unsalted butter, softened3 1/2 cups powdered sugar1/2 cup unsweetened cocoapowder1/2 teaspoon sea salt2 teaspoons vanilla extract4 tablespoons heavy creamDirections:

Cream butter for a few min-utes in a mixer with the paddleattachment on medium speed.Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cupspowdered sugar and cocoa intothe mixing bowl. Turn yourmixer on the lowest speed untilthe sugar and cocoa are ab-sorbed by the butter. Increasemixer speed to medium and addvanilla extract, salt, and creamand beat for 3 minutes. You canadd more powdered sugar orcream if you want to thicken orthin your frosting.

Place the bottom layer of thecake on a serving dish. Ice thetop and place the second layeron top. Frost the rest of yourcake with the remaining frost-ing. Place the cake in the refrig-erator to store. Remove from therefrigerator 1 hour before serv-ing.

2017

90/3

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Easter Meal: the Secret is in the Side DishesContinued from page 16


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“Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ

who according to His abundant mercy

has begotten us again to a living hope

through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

(I Peter 1:3)


Drs. Spiro & Amalia Spireas

and

Sigmapharm Laboratories

Wish youa Happy Easter

Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC3375 Progress Drive, Bensalem, PA 19020Tel.: (215) 352-6655 - Fax: (215) 352-6644

www.sigmapharm.com

Innovative Pharmaceutical Formulations, Maximizing Drug Therapy.

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