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SS. kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)
703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529
http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org
[email protected] Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz,
Proistamenos
/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
,
,
, ,
,
.
Through your cross you destroyed death and opened paradise
to the thief. You transformed the sorrow of the
Myrrh-bearers,
Christ our God. You commanded the apostles to proclaim
that you have risen from the dead, and granted great mercy
to
the world.
,
.
Lord save your people, and bless Your inheritance. Grant
victory
to the faithful against the enemies of the Faith, and protect
Your commonwealth by your Holy Cross.
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY
Ti ypermacho stratigo ta nikitiria, os lytrotheisa ton deinon
efharistia, anagrafo si e polis sou
Theotoke, allos ehousa to kratos aprosmahiton, ek pantinon me
kyndinon eletheroson, ina
krazo si, Here nymfi anymfefte.
O Champion Leader, we your faithful inscribe to you the prize of
victory as gratitude for being
rescued from calamity, O Theotokos. But since you have
invincible power, free us from all
kinds of perils so that we may cry out to you: Rejoice, O Bride
unwedded.
3rd
Sunday of lent: veneration of the holy cross
Agapius the Martyr & His Companions, Manuel the New Martyr
of Crete,
Holy Apostle Aristobulos of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain
March 15th, 2015
+Fast: Wine/Oil Allowed+
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Todays scripture readings
Epistle reading
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6
BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of
God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high
priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen
from among men is appointed to
act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and
sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently
with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with
weakness. Because of this he is
bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those
of the people. And one does not
take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as
Aaron was. So also Christ did not
exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him
who said to him, "Thou art my
Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another
place, "Thou art a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek."
Gospel pericope
Mark 8:34-38; 9:1
The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his
cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose
it; and whoever loses his
life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it
profit a man, to gain the
whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in
return for his life? For
whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and
sinful generation, of
him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the
glory of his Father with
the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you,
there are some standing here
who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come
with power."
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Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
Mon. Mar. 16th: Great Compline, 6pm
Mon. Mar. 16th: Mental Disorders and Spiritual Healing Class,
after Compline Service
Wed. Mar. 18th: Pre-sanctified Liturgy & Lenten Potluck,
6pm
Wed. Mar. 18th: Parish Council Meeting, after Potluck
Thurs. Mar. 19th: St. Philothei Project, 6pm
Fri. Mar. 20th: 4th SALUTATIONS to the Holy Theotokos, 6pm
Fri. Mar. 20th: GOYA Lock-in
Sat. Mar. 21st: Baklava Baking, 10am **WE NEED
VOLUNTEERS!!!**
AHEPA Annunciation Luncheon: Please join us for our annual AHEPA
Luncheon on next Sunday,
March 22nd in commemoration of Greek Independence Day and the
Feast of the Annunciation. Menu will
include a Mexican Fajita Bar w/ fire roasted veggies &
shrimp, apple jalapeno salad with cilantro lime
vinaigrette, pico rice, and non-dairy churros!
Important Baking Date: we need as many volunteers as possible to
assemble/bake baklava on Saturday,
March 22nd @ 10am for a very important upcoming fundraising
event! Please let Penny Kolas know if you
are able to volunteer!
Holy Week Liturgical Books: We have ordered several copies of
the official Holy Week Book endorsed
by our Metropolis. This comprehensive book, compiled by Fr.
Pappadeas, will be used exclusively for all
the liturgical celebrations from Palm Sunday evening through the
Agapi Vespers on Pascha. Each book is
$25, and ARE NOW AVAILABLE.
HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians (i.e. the
Orthodox Church does not observe open communion) in good standing
are encouraged to receive Holy Communion frequently, provided they
have prepared themselves spiritually, mentally and physically. They
must be on time for the Divine Liturgy, and be in a Christ-like,
humble state of mind. They should be in a confession relationship
with their priest or spiritual father, have observed the fasts of
the Church, and they should have self-examined their conscience. On
the day of receiving Holy Communion, it is not proper to eat or
drink anything before coming to church. When you approach to
receive Holy Communion, state your Christian (baptismal) name
clearly, and hold the red communion cloth to your chin. After
receiving, wipe your lips on the cloth, step back carefully, hand
the cloth to the next person and make the sign of the Cross as you
step away. Please do not be in a rush while communing! Please take
special care not to bump the Holy Chalice.
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third SUNDAY OF THE FAST: veneration of the
holy cross
With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of the
course
of the Fast, where our strength has been worn down through
abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labour set before us
becomes
apparent. Therefore our holy Mother, the Church of Christ, now
brings
to our help the all-holy Cross, the joy of the world, the
strength of the
faithful, the staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so
that by
venerating it reverently, we might receive strength and grace
to
complete the divine struggle of the Fast.
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LENTEN POTLUCK
Every Wednesday eve of great lent the liturgy of the
Presanctified
gifts is celebrated. Afterwards we gather in the library for a
simple
Lenten meal. Please plan on attending these compunctionate
services and bring a fasting meal to share!
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Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the Narthex for
collections of monetary donations
towards the Pascha flowers on Sundays from March 1st until April
6th- Donations can also be
made at any time to the Church during Lent, please mark Pascha
flowers with your check or
donation. Thank you!
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Pearls from the Desert
What is more precious than anything in the world? Time! And what
do we waste
uselessly and without being sorry? Time! What do we not value
and what do we
disregard more than anything? Time! When we waste time, we lose
ourselves
Time is given by God to use correctly for the salvation of the
soul and the
acquisition of the life to come The Lord will call us to account
for having stolen
time for our own whims, and for not using it for God and our
souls. St. Sebastian
of Optina (Russia)
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Todays liturgical commemorations
1. THE HOLY MARTYR AGAPIUS AND THE SEVEN WITH HIM: PUBLIUS,
TIMOLAUS,
ROMULUS, ALEXANDER, ALEXANDER, DIONYSIUS AND DIONYSIUS
They all suffered in Caesarea in Palestine at the hand of Prince
Urban during the reign of Emperor
Diocletian. All seven were extremely young men, none of whom
were Christians, except Agapius.
Neither were they baptized with water, but theirs was a "baptism
by blood." One day these seven young
men were observing how Christians were being tortured; one in
the fire, another on the gallows and a
third before wild beasts. Seeing with what great forbearance
these Christians endured all pain and
sufferings, these seven became inflamed with a zeal for Christ.
They tied their hands behind their backs
and came before Urban saying, "We also are Christians." The
flattery and threats of Urban remained, but
in vain. These young men were joined by a distinguished citizen
of this town, Agapius, who, until then,
had suffered much for Christ. They became all the more enflamed
in their faith and love for the Lord. All
were beheaded in the year 303 A.D. and took up their abode in
the mansions of the Heavenly King.
2. THE HOLY MARTYR ALEXANDER
Alexander was from the city of Side in Pamphylia. A deputy of
the Emperor Aurelius asked Alexander,
"Who are you and what are you?" To that, Alexander replied that,
he is a shepherd of the flock of Christ."
"And where is this flock of Christ?," further inquired the
wicked and suspicious governor. Alexander
replied, "Throughout the entire world where men live whom Christ
the God created, and among those
who believe in Him, they are His sheep. But all who are fallen
away from their Creator and are slaves to
creation, to man-made things and to dead idols, such as you, are
estranged from His flock. At the dreadful
judgment of God, they will be placed on the left with the
goats." The wicked judge then ordered that
Alexander, first of all, be beaten with oxen straps and then
thrown into a fiery furnace. But the fire did not
harm him in any way. After that, he was skinned and was thrown
to the wild beasts, but the beasts would
not touch him. Finally, the deputy ordered that Alexander be
beheaded. St. Alexander suffered between
the years 270 - 275 A.D.
3. THE HOLY MARTYR NICANDER, THE EGYPTIAN
Nicander was skinned and then beheaded for his faith in Christ.
As a physician, his crime was
that he ministered to Christian martyrs and honorably buried
their martyred bodies. He suffered
honorable in the year 302 A.D.
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Sign of the Cross
The Sign of the Cross is a fundamental element of Orthodox
life. It should be second nature to anyone who claims to be
an
Orthodox Christian. The Sign of the Cross is used in
virtually
every situation in life. Before we eat, before we sleep, or
when
we awaken in the morning, we should automatically make the Sign
of the Cross. The great spiritual
advantage of making a habit of this is that, when we are
confronted with a dangerous or compromising
situation, we will make the Sign of the Cross without
hesitation. This might save our life or even our soul,
depending on the circumstance. Saint Barsanuphios the Great has
written:
[T]he Lord Jesus Christ, an angel or another person can be
portrayed by demons, not only in sleep but when a person
is awakefor satan can transform himself into an angel of light.
But the Cross of the Lord, upon whose power, as the Church chants,
the devil does not even dare to gazefor he trembles and is
convulsed being unable to behold its powerthis he cannot
represent.
Because the Sign of the Cross has such a powerful effect on
demonic powers, people often experience a
sense of selfconsciousness when attempting to make it. Our weak
flesh also rebels against outward manifestations of faith. But this
can be overcome quite easily, if we only strive to train ourselves
and
come to understand the tremendous power of the Cross, in which,
Saint Paul tells us, we should glory
To make the Sign of the Cross, we place the thumb and the first
and second fingers of our right hand
together, representing the Three Persons or Hypostases of the
Holy Trinity. Next, we fold the fourth and
fifth fingers against our palm, representing the two Natures of
Christ, Who came down from Heaven to
the earth, in order to save mankind. Holding our right hand in
this way, we touch the tips of the three
fingers to our forehead, our abdomen, the right shoulder, and
the left shoulder. We then put our hand
down to the side of our body. Properly executedand one should be
careful to make it slowly and with carethe Sign of the Cross has
tremendous spiritual power. This is because we are not only
affirming our faith in Christs Sacrifice on the Cross at Golgotha,
but confirming our belief in the Holy Trinity and the Human and
Divine Natures of Christ, that is, the basic dogmas of the Orthodox
Faith.
Thus Saint Basil the Great says the following of this custom in
his treatise
On The Holy Spirit:
For were we to attempt to reject such customs as have no written
authority,
on the ground that the importance that they possess is small, we
should
unintentionally injure the Gospel at its very vitals; or,
rather, should make
our public definition a mere phrase and nothing more. For
instance, to take
the first and most general example, who is there who has taught
us in writing
to sign with the cross those who have trusted in the name of Our
Lord Jesus
Christ?
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You Dont Have to Like Your Priest! By Fr Anthony Perkins
There are many reasons for you not to like your priest. It may
be because his
homilies are too dry, lack patristic moorings, or stray too far
from the Biblical
text. His answers to your deepest theological, spiritual, and
personal
challenges may leave you cold and unsatisfied. He may be a poor
confessor,
offering only absolution and standard responses about prayer
rules,
forgiveness and humility. He may not offer the kind of
charismatic and
visionary leadership that would inspire your parish to grow. He
may chant out
of tune, his accent may be too strong, or he might try to sing
all his liturgical
parts fortissimo espansimo. He may be too ignorant,
over-educated,
emotional, impersonal, shy, gregarious, fundamentalist, liberal,
political, or dull. Whatever his human
failings, there is sure to be plenty about him you do not like.
And thats okay: you dont have to like
your priest. Orthodox Christians often feel guilty or
dissatisfied if they are unable to feel good about their
priest. They have memories of priests who were great liturgists,
pastors, leaders, confessors, teachers,
and managers. The Orthodox are reared on stories of startsi
(great elders) and sainted priests that, along
with the hagiographic memories of former priests, set the bar of
competency impossibly high. And yet,
there is something within the heart of the Orthodox Christian
that still wants to be close to his parish priest
despite all his very real shortcomings. This desire for a
meaningful connection shows that there is more
to the relationship between priest and parishioner than meets
the eye. This relationship is different from
all the other ones we know. The priest is not the commanding
officer of a military unit or the manager of a
parish franchise or even the professor of a class everyone has
to pass in order to receive their reward. He
isnt a lawyer trying to get people in good with the judge so he
will excuse them of their crimes. He isnt
an entertainer the parish has hired to make everyone feel better
every Sunday morning or a
museum curator responsible for preserving ancestral stories,
cultures, and languages. He is not a
psychiatrist or family counselor that can solve everyones
personal problems. Nor has he been assigned
to the parish to be anyones friend. He may or may not exhibit
bits of each of these, but they do not
capture who he is or how his parishioners should relate to
him.
The priest is a shepherd. Some lead their sheep with gentle and
melodious coaxing; others drag them
through the brambles by the scruff of the neck. Some take on the
wolves with the ferocity of a warrior,
others focus on keeping the sheep in a guarded pasture and cower
at every hint of a howl. No matter how
he tends them, one thing is constant: the shepherd loves his
sheep. He doesnt judge them or mistreat
them; he cares for them. Some parishioners may be offended at
the idea of being sheep or sheeople,
and admittedly the analogy is not perfect. But it is still
powerful; after all, it is the one Christ Himself used
(St. John 10). Continued in next Sundays bulletin
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TEACHINGS FROM ST KOSMAS AITOLOS
FASTING
We who are pious Christians must fast always, but especially on
Wednesday, because the Lord
was sold on that day, and on Friday, because He was crucified on
that day. Similarly, it is our
duty to fast during the Lent seasons, as the Holy Spirit
illumined the holy Fathers of the Church
to decree, in order to mortify the passions and humble the body.
Moreover, if we limit the food
we eat, life becomes easier for us. Fast according to your
ability, pray according to your ability,
give alms according to your ability, and always hold death
before the eyes of your mind.
CONFESSION
If you want cure your soul, you need four things. The first is
to forgive your enemies. The second is to confess thoroughly. The
third is to blame yourself. The fourth is to resolve to sin no
more. If we wish to be saved, we must always blame ourselves and
not attribute our wrong acts
to others. And God, Who is most compassionate, will forgive
us.
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BOOK DRIVE
Our ever active GOYA is partnering w/ Habitat for Humanity
to provide a new bookcase loaded with books for children
between the ages of 3-10. Thats where YOU get involved! We are
asking that
parishioners bring either new or gently used books, targeting
the mentioned age
group, to church on Sundays through Palm Sunday. If you have any
questions
please see a GOYAN or one of their advisors, Mike or Halina.
Thank you for
helping us help local families!
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Archbishop Demetrios of America, together with President
Barack
Obama and other major civic and religious leaders, walked
today,
March 7, 2015, the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge to
commemorate
the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. On March 15, 1965,
Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America had come here
and
participated in the March on Selma, led by the Rev. Dr.
Martin
Luther King, Jr. Upon his arrival to Selma, Archbishop Demetrios
noted, It is truly a blessing to travel to
Selma to pay tribute to the legacy of both Dr. King and
Archbishop Iakovos. The promotion and protection
of civil rights transcends politics since the ability to
determine ones future is a God-given blessing.