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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
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O Christ our God, before Your Passion, You raised Lazarus from
the dead to confirm the common
Resurrection for all. Therefore, we carry the symbols of victory
as did the youths, and we cry out to
You, the victor over death, "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is
He who comes in the name of the Lord. "
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O Christ, Our God, we have been Buried with You through Baptism,
and by Your Resurrection made
worthy of Life immortal. Praising You, we cry out, "Hosanna in
the highest, blessed is He who comes in
the name of the Lord."
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY
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In Heaven, He is seated upon a Throne and on earth He rides upon
a foal. O Christ our God, accept the
praise of the Angels and the hymn of the Children who cry out to
You, "Blessed are You who comes to
recall Adam."
Palm sunday
Monk-Martyrs Claudius, Diodore, Victor, Victorinus, and those
with them, Theodora the Righteous of
Thessaloniki, Agathopodes and Theodulos the Martyrs
April 5th, 2015
+Fast: Fish/Wine/Oil Allowed+
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Todays scripture readings
Epistle reading
St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9
Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Psalm 117.26,1
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy
endures forever.
BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let all men know your forbearance. The
Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which passes all
understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if
there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. What you have
learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God
of peace will be with you.
Gospel pericope
John 12:1-18
Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros
was, whom Jesus had raised from the
dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros
was one of those at table with him.
Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed
the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with
her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the
ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his
disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this
ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and
given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor
but because he was a thief, and as he had
the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said,
"Let her alone, let her keep it for the day
of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not
always have me." When the great
crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only
on account of Jesus but also to see
Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests
planned to put Lazaros also to death,
because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and
believing in Jesus. The next day a
great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was
coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches
of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey
and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not,
daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a
donkey's colt!" His disciples did not
understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then
they remembered that this had been written of
him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him
when he called Lazaros out of the
tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why
the crowd went to meet him was that
they heard he had done this sign.
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Announcements
HOLY WEEK 2015 Palm Sunday Eve: 1st Bridegroom Service- 7pm
Holy Monday: 2nd Bridegroom Service-7pm
Holy Tuesday: 3rd Bridegroom Service (Hymn of Kassiane)-7pm
Holy Wednesday: Holy Unction-3:30pm & Orthros of Holy
Thursday-7pm
Holy Thursday: Vesperal Liturgy-8:30am His Grace Bishop
+DEMETRIOS presiding, Egg dying after
morning service in church hall; Holy Passion Service (12
Gospels)-7pm (Reading of the Psalms)
Holy Friday: Royal Hours-9am - Apokathilosis-3pm &
Lamentations-7pm
Holy Saturday: Vesperal Liturgy-8:30am
& HOLY PASCHA/ANASTASIS-11pm*
Holy PASCHA: Agapi Vespers-11am
*Paschal Dinner to follow service in church hall.
No Catechetical School: Today to allow the children to
participate in the procession with the palms.
Palm Sunday Fish Plaki Dinner: April 5th, immediately following
Divine Liturgy in the church hall.
Please join us for a fish plaki dinner and support Holy
Anargyrois Philoptochos Society as all proceeds
go to our chapter and local charities. $12 for adults and $6 for
children.
Chanters Stand (Psalteri): please be advised that the psalteri
is an extension, of sorts, of the altar and is
therefore not common space. Rather, it is reserved for those
individuals who have expressed a desire to
Father to be present at the psalteri and who have received his
blessing to do so. During Holy Week we
have a plethora of services some of which are quite long and we
may be in need of readers. If you are
interested in functioning as such please speak with Father
before proceeding to the psalteri.
Agapi Vespers: to avoid disorder and confusion if you would like
to read the Gospel Section in a foreign
language for the Agapi Vespers please see Father before Holy
Friday indicating which language youll be
reading so the proper preparations can be made; no last minute
additions will be accommodated the day
of.
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.
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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.
Pascha flowers: We need your HELP! Although many have donated
towards Holy Week
flower decoration, we are currently about $600 short compared to
this time last year. If you
havent had a chance to donate please see Presbytera Michelle in
the narthex after Liturgy.
Thank you all for your generosity!!!
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SAVE THE DATE: SPRING GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF ALL STEWRDS IN
GOOD
STANDING OF HOLY ANARGYROI G.O. CHURCH WILL BE SUNDAY APRIL
19th AFTER THE DIVINE LITURGY!
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Who turned off the lights!? in order to maintain the proper
ambiance of
compunction and solemnity of the Holy Week services the lights
will be
dimmed to a bare minimum. You are encouraged to bring a candle
from
the narthex with you in order to follow along in the Holy Week
book.
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Having purified our souls, let us noetically uphold
branches, and with faith extol Christ, as the Children did
of old, and with a loud voice let us cry out to the Master,
"O Savior, blessed are You, the One who came to the
world to save Adam and his race from the primordial
curse. As You were pleased to do, spiritually You came to
be the new Adam in Your love for humanity. O Word,
You ordered all things for our good. Glory be to You, O
Lord."- Orthros of Palm Sunday
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Orthodox Christian Celebration of Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is
celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which
is preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on
Saturday evening according to the order prescribed in the Triodion.
Scripture readings for Palm Sunday are: At the Vespers: Genesis
49:1,8-12; Zephaniah 3:14-19; Zechariah 9:9-15. At the Orthros
(Matins): Matthew 21:1-17. At the Divine Liturgy: Philippians
4:4-9; John 12:1-18. On this Sunday, in addition to the Divine
Liturgy, the Church observes the Blessing and Distribution of the
Palms. A basket containing the woven palm crosses is placed on a
table in front of the icon of the Lord, which is on the
Iconostasion. The prayer for the blessing of the Palms is found in
the Ieratikon or the Euxologion. According to the rubrics of the
Typikon, this prayer is read at the Orthros just before the Psalms
of Praise (Ainoi). The palms are then distributed to the faithful.
The text of the prayer, however, indicates clearly that it is less
a prayer for the blessing of the palms, even though that is its
title, and more a blessing upon those, who in imitation of the New
Testament event hold palms in their hands as symbols of Christ's
victory and as signs of a virtuous Christian life. It appears then,
that it
would be more correct to have the faithful hold the palms in
their hands during the course of the Divine Liturgy when the Church
celebrates both the presence and the coming of the Lord in the
mystery of the Eucharist.
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Pearls from the Desert
O strange and inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we
were not really buried, we were not really crucified and raised
again, but
our imitation was but a figure, while our salvation is in
reality. Christ
was actually crucified, and actually buried, and truly rose
again; and
all these things have been vouchsafed to us, that we, by
imitation
communicating in His sufferings, might gain salvation in
reality. O
surpassing loving-kindness! Christ received the nails in His
undefiled hands and feet, and endured anguish; while to me
without
suffering or toil, by the fellowship of His pain He
vouchsafed
salvation. -St. Cyril of Jerusalem
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The bridegroom services
Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through
the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox
Church observes a special service known as the Service of the
Bridgegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or
Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on
Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy
Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the
Bridegroom in the parable of the Ten Virgins found in
Matthew 25:1-13. The first part of Holy Week presents us with an
array of themes based chiefly on the last days of
Jesus' earthly life. The story of the Passion, as told and
recorded by the Evangelists, is preceded by a series of
incidents located in Jerusalem and a collection of parables,
sayings and discourses centered on Jesus' divine sonship,
the kingdom of God, the Parousia, and Jesus' castigation of the
hypocrisy and dark motives of the religious leaders.
The observances of the first three days of Great Week are rooted
in these incidents and sayings. The three days
constitute a single liturgical unit. They have the same cycle
and system of daily prayer. The Scripture lessons,
hymns, commemorations, and ceremonials that make up the festal
elements in the respective services of the cycle
highlight significant aspects of salvation history, by calling
to mind the events that anticipated the Passion and by
proclaiming the inevitability and significance of the Parousia.
The Orthros of each of these days is called the
Service of the Bridegroom (Akolouthia tou Nimfiou). The name
comes from the central figure in the well-known
parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The title
Bridegroom suggests the intimacy of love. It is not without
significance that the kingdom of God is compared to a bridal
feast and a bridal chamber. The Christ of the Passion is
the divine Bridegroom of the Church. The imagery connotes the
final union of the Lover and the beloved. The title
Bridegroom also suggests the Parousia. In the patristic
tradition, the aforementioned parable is related to the Second
Coming; and is associated with the need for spiritual vigilance
and preparedness, by which we are enabled to keep
the divine commandments and receive the blessings of the age to
come. The troparion "Behold the Bridegroom
comes in the middle of the night", which is sung at the
beginning of the Orthros of Great Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, relates the worshiping community to that essential
expectation: watching and waiting for the Lord, who
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
On Holy Monday we commemorate Joseph the Patriarch, the beloved
son of Jacob. A major figure of the Old Testament,
Joseph's story is told in the final section of the Book of
Genesis (chs. 37-50). Because of his exceptional qualities and
remarkable life, our patristic and liturgical tradition portrays
Joseph as tipos Christou, i.e., as a prototype, prefigurement
or
image of Christ. The story of Joseph illustrates the mystery of
God's providence, promise and redemption. Innocent, chaste
and righteous, his life bears witness to the power of God's love
and promise. The lesson to be learned from Joseph's life, as
it bears upon the ultimate redemption wrought by the death and
resurrection of Christ, is summed up in the words he
addressed to his brothers who had previously betrayed him, Fear
not ... As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they
are today. So do not fear; I will provide for
you and your little ones. Thus he reassured them and comforted
them (Genesis 50:19-21).
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Todays liturgical commemorations
1. THE HOLY MARTYRS AGATHOPODUS AND THEODULUS
Agathopodus was a deacon and Theodulus was a lector in the
church at Thessalonica.
Agathopodus was adorned with the greying of age and Theodulus
with youthful understanding
and chastity. At the time of Diocletian's pursuit of Christians
these two were summoned to court.
They responded with rejoicing and holding each other by the
hand, they walked along crying out:
"We are Christians!" All the advice of the judges that they deny
Christ and worship idols,
remained in vain. After an extended imprisonment and hunger they
were sentenced to death by
drowning in the sea. Their hands were bound behind their backs,
a heavy stone was hung around
their necks and they were led out to be drowned. When they first
wanted to toss Agathopodus
into the deep, he cried out: "Behold, by this second baptism we
are washed of all our sins and in
purity do we depart to Christ Jesus." Shortly afterward, the sea
tossed their drowned bodies upon
the shore and Christians buried their bodies with honors. St.
Theodulus appeared to his
acquaintances as a bright angel in glistening attire and ordered
them to distribute all of his
remaining estate to the poor. These glorious and wonderful
soldiers of Christ suffered honorably
during the reign of Diocletian and the Thessalonican Prince
Faustinus in the year 303 A.D.
2. THE VENERABLE MARK OF TRACHE
He is also called "Mark the Athenian" because Athens was the
place of his birth. His parents died
after he completed his higher education in Athens. He thought to
himself that death, even for
himself, was unavoidable and that one should sufficiently
prepare beforehand for that honorable
departure from this world. Distributing all of his possessions
to the poor, he sat on a plank in the
sea and with a tenacious faith in God's help, prayed that God
direct him wherever He wills. God,
in His Providence, protected him and brought him to Lybia (or
Ethiopia) to a mountain called
Trache. Mark lived an ascetical life on this mountain for
ninety-five years, seeing neither man
nor beast. For thirty years, he waged a violent combat with evil
spirits and suffered from hunger,
thirst, frost and heat. He ate dirt and drank sea water. After
thirty years of the most vehement
suffering, the defeated demons fled from him and an angel of God
began to bring him food daily
in the form of bread, fish and fruit. St. Serapion visited him
before his death and, afterward,
made known the miraculous life of Mark. Mark asked St. Serapion:
"Are there any Christians in
the world now, who, if they were to say to this mountain, `Arise
from here and hurl yourself into
the sea,' would it be so?" At that moment, the mountain upon
which they stood moved in the
direction of the sea. Mark raised his hand and stopped it. Such
was the miracle-working power
which this man of God possessed. Before his death, he prayed for
the salvation of mankind and
then gave up his soul to God. St. Serapion saw angels as they
bore Mark's soul and he also saw
an extended hand from heaven which received it. St. Mark lived
to be one-hundred thirty years
old and died about the year 400 A.D.
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Spring Cleanin Time! Its time to get ready for Pascha, and were
asking for volunteers to clean the
nave of the Church, and help out on the following days:
Saturday of Lazarus, April 4th thorough cleaning after
services
Palm Sunday, April 5th
after luncheon remove palms, decorate for Holy Week.
Holy Saturday, April 11th- after Liturgy, light cleaning and
decorate for Pascha
Palm Sunday Plaki
Dinner
Fish Plaki, rice, salad, dessert, drinks
Adults: $12 Children 12 & under: $6
Sponsored by the Philoptochos Society
Special Thank You to Aprils Coffee Hour Hosts: 4/5 Palm Sunday
Luncheon,
4/12 Paschal Meal sponsored by your Parish Council, 4/19 Salah
& Catherine
Sedarous, 4/26 Jimmy & Vicki Psomas.
And one more thank you: to all our awesome volunteers that
helped
during yesterdays major clean up and luncheon prep! Thank you to
:
Tia, Richard, Soula, Kathy, Anna, Bob, Ray, Halina, Natasha,
Mike,
Alexei, Kelly girls, Muoz kids, Ronnie, Jacob, Kiki, Sergei,
Jackie, Calli,
Ann, Denise, Maria, & Angie! (Please forgive if we
inadvertently
omitted a name!)