Come and See: Forgive!
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/comeandsee/forgive1
God forgives and so must I!
Be the Bee: First Among Sinners
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/bethebee/first_among_sinners
As we learn more about the Faith, we learn about right and wrong. And sin. If we're not careful, that knowledge can lead us to judge others rather than repent of our own faults. How do we stay focused on our sins? And what's the best way to approach people about their faults? Watch to find out!
A Voice from the Isles: Mother and Son
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/voicefromisles/mother_and_son1
Fr. Emmanuel Kahn suggests that as we think about the Dormition of the Theotokos, we need time to understand how the life and death of the Mother of God relates to each of us.
This Martyr contested in Ancyra during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), when Theotecnus was Proconsul. After the martyrdom of the virgin Tecusa and her seven companions (the virgins Alexandria, Claudia, Phaeina, Euphrasia, Matrona, Julia, and Theodota; they are celebrated on May 18), Saint Theodotus recovered their holy relics and buried them. For this, he was seized by Theotecnus, tormented, and beheaded.
Honouring the friends of God with much reverence, the Prophet-King David says, "But to me, exceedingly honourable are Thy friends, O Lord" (Ps. 138:16). And the divine Apostle, recounting the achievements of the Saints, and setting forth their memorial as an example that we might turn away from earthly things and from sin, and emulate their patience and courage in the struggles for virtue, says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).
This commemoration began as the Sunday (Synaxis) of All Martyrs; to them were added all the ranks of Saints who bore witness (the meaning of "Martyr" in Greek) to Christ in manifold ways, even if occasion did not require the shedding of their blood.
Therefore, guided by the teaching of the Divine Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition, we the pious honour all the Saints, the friends of God, for they are keepers of God's commandments, shining examples of virtue, and benefactors of mankind. Of course, we honour the known Saints especially on their own day of the year, as is evident in the Menologion. But since many Saints are unknown, and their number has increased with time, and will continue to increase until the end of time, the Church has appointed that once a year a common commemoration be made of all the Saints. This is the feast that we celebrate today. It is the harvest of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world; it is the "much fruit" brought forth by that "Grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died" (John 12:24); it is the glorification of the Saints as "the foundation of the Church, the perfection of the Gospel, they who fulfilled in deed the sayings of the Saviour" (Sunday of All Saints, Doxasticon of Vespers).
In this celebration, then, we reverently honour and call blessed all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives. All these, as well as the orders of the Angels, and especially our most holy Lady and Queen, the Ever-virgin Theotokos Mary, do we honour today, setting their life before us as an example of virtue, and entreating them to intercede in our behalf with God, Whose grace and boundless mercy be with us all. Amen.
On this day we commemorate Saint Cyril's falling asleep. On January 18 we commemorate the occasion of the Saint's restoration to his see in Alexandria after he had suffered a brief exile because of the machinations of the Nestorians. Shortly thereafter the Third Ecumenical Council was convoked in Ephesus and the blasphemous doctrine of Nestorius was condemned. See January 18 for Saint Cyril's life and works.
The holy Martyrs Alexander and Antonina were from the town of Cardamon (or Crodamon). Antonina was arrested by Festus the Governor and, because she refused to deny Christ, he had her placed in a brothel. But Alexander, sent by divine providence, came in unto her and gave her his cloak; with her head covered, she escaped without having been defiled. When Alexander was discovered, he was taken before Festus, and with Antonina was tortured and burned to death.
The Holy Martyrs of China were native Chinese Orthodox Christians brought up in piety at the Russian Orthodox Mission in Peking, which had been founded in 1685. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 against the foreign powers occupying China, native Chinese Christians were commanded by the Boxers to renounce Christianity or be tortured to death. Two hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest Metrophanes Tsi-Chung and his family, refused to deny Christ, and were deemed worthy of a martyric death.
Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, and had Galilee as his homeland; this is all that is known of him for certain according to the history of the Gospels. Concerning his apostolic work, certain say that he preached in Arabia and Persia, and especially in India, bringing to them the Gospel written by Saint Matthew, which had been written originally in Hebrew, and which was found there one hundred years later by Pantaenus, formerly a stoic philosopher and later an illustrious teacher of the Christian school in Alexandria (see Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., 5: 10). Other accounts say that he went to Armenia. According to some, he ended his life by being crucified, or by being flayed alive, in Albanopolis (Urbanopolis) of Armenia. This also confirms an ancient tradition preserved by the Armenians. According to some, Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person, because the Evangelists who mention Bartholomew do not mention Nathanael; and John, who alone mentions Nathanael as one of the Twelve, says nothing of Bartholomew. Indeed, Bartholomew is a patronymic, "son of Talmai," which means "bold, spirited" (see also Jesus of Navi 15:14; II Kings 3:3), and Nathanael could have had this as a surname. According to the Synaxarion of the Menaion on April 22, however, it is Simon the Zealot and Nathanael who are the same; the Evangelists who mention Simon the Zealot (or "the Canaanite") do not mention Nathanael.
Saint Barnabas, one of the Seventy, was from Cyprus, of the tribe of Levi, and a fellow disciple with Paul under Gamaliel. He was called Joses, but was renamed Barnabas, which means "son of consolation," perhaps to distinguish him from the Joses called Barsabas and surnamed Justus (Acts 1:23). Saint Barnabas had a field, which he sold and brought the money to the Apostles (Acts 4:36-37). Before the conversion of Saul to Paul, it was Barnabas who was the leader of the Seventy Apostles, the first in preaching and chief spokesman. After Saul's vision on the road to Damascus, it was Barnabas who joined him to the Apostles when the others, because of Saul's reputation as a persecutor of the Church, still feared him (Acts 9:26-27); again it was Saint Barnabas who conscripted Paul as a preacher, bringing him from Tarsus to Antioch after the stoning of Stephen, to assist in spreading the Gospel (Acts 11:25-26). Saint Barnabas preached the Gospel in many places, traveled together with Paul, and finally was stoned to death by the Jews in his native Cyprus. During the reign of Zeno, in the year 478, his sacred relics were found, having on his chest the Gospel according to Matthew written in Greek by Barnabas' own hand. This Gospel was brought to Zeno. Because of this the Church of Cyprus received the right of autonomy, and its archbishop was given the privilege, like the emperor, of signing his decrees and encyclicals in vermilion.
The Synaxis of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated today for the following reason: In 980, during the reign of Emperor Basil II, when Nicholas Chrysoberges was Ecumenical Patriarch, the holy Archangel Gabriel appeared in the guise of a monk to the disciple of a certain elder living in a hermitage belonging to the Monastery of Pantocrator on the Holy Mountain. During Matins, after the monk had chanted the customary hymn, "More honorable than the Cherubim...," composed by Saint Cosmas the Hymnographer, the Angel chanted the same hymn, but with the following prelude: "It is truly meet to call thee blest, the Theotokos, the ever-blessed and all-immaculate and Mother of our God." Marveling at the hymn's beauty, the monk asked his visitor - who appeared also to be a monk - to record this new text in writing, which the Angel did by miraculously inscribing the words on a piece of slate, using only his finger, and straightway he vanished from sight. This slate was brought to the Church of the Protaton, and from thence to Constantinople, to the imperial court and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as evidence of the miracle. Henceforth, this version of the hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos began to be chanted in the Divine Liturgy in all the churches. The place where the miracle took place is now called Adein, from the Greek word which means "to sing." The icon itself, before which this hymn was first chanted, is called "the icon of the Axion estin" ("It is truly meet") and it is kept in the sanctuary of the Church of the Protaton on the Holy Mountain.
First Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Matthew 28:16-20
At that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. Amen."
First Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 28:16-20
Οἱ δὲ ἕνδεκα μαθηταὶ ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, εἰς τὸ ὄρος οὗ ἐτάξατο αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς. καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ, οἱ δὲ ἐδίστασαν. καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς. πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ῾Αγίου Πνεύματος, διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. ἀμήν.
The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2
BRETHREN, all the saints through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfection of our faith.
Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 11:33-40, 12:1-2
Ἀδελφοί, οἱ Ἅγιοι πάντες διὰ πίστεως κατηγωνίσαντο βασιλείας, εἰργάσαντο δικαιοσύνην, ἐπέτυχον ἐπαγγελιῶν, ἔφραξαν στόματα λεόντων, ἔσβεσαν δύναμιν πυρός, ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας, ἐνεδυναμώθησαν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας, ἐγενήθησαν ἰσχυροὶ ἐν πολέμῳ, παρεμβολὰς ἔκλιναν ἀλλοτρίων. Ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν· ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν, οὐ προσδεξάμενοι τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν· ἕτεροι δὲ ἐμπαιγμῶν καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβον, ἔτι δὲ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς· ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐπρίσθησαν, ἐπειράσθησαν, ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον· περιῆλθον ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι - ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος - ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσιν καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς. Καὶ οὗτοι πάντες, μαρτυρηθέντες διὰ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν. Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, διʼ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα, ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν.
The Sunday of All Saints
The Reading is from Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30
The Lord said to his disciples, "Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."
The Sunday of All Saints
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30
Εἶπεν ὁ Κὐριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ὁμολογήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ὅστις δ᾿ ἂν ἀρνήσηταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀρνήσομαι αὐτὸν κἀγὼ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ῾Ο φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος· καὶ ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος· καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι· τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡμῖν; ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκολουθήσαντές μοι, ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ, ὅταν καθίσῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καθίσεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ. καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας ἢ ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ἢ γυναῖκα ἢ τέκνα ἢ ἀγροὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός μου, ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψεται καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει. Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι.
http://myocn.net/οι-ψυχές-των-ανθρώπων/
Οι ψυχές των ανθρώπων είναι αιώνιες και παραμένουν πάντα οι ψυχές των συγκεκριμένων ανθρώπων με το συγκεκριμένο όνομα, προσωπικότητα, αναμνήσεις, συναισθήματα κλπ και θα παραμείνουν έτσι, μέχρι να ανασθηθούν και να ξαναπάθουν άφθαρτο και αιώνιο το σώμα τους. Ποια είναι η δική μας σχέση με τις ψυχές αυτές;
http://myocn.net/finding-god-in-prayer/
In this episode, we begin with a discussion on why Orthodox Christians call Mary the Mother of God, or God-Bearer, Theotokos in Greek. Listen as Fr. Barnabas (Chuck) Powell and Fr. Spiro Bobotas discuss the importance of her title and reasons we venerate her...
http://myocn.net/the-sunday-after-ascension-may-24-2015/
In this episode of Good News for a Change, Fr. Constantine describes how, with the Ascension, we leave the joys and symbols of Pascha behind. So, do we need to wait until next year to experience again the reality and significance of Christ’s Glorious Resurrection? Some people sadly follow that approach. They show up for Easter, and they don’t show up in Church again until the next one! But there is a better, more correct way, to approach this transition. Jesus has indeed been raised from the dead, and then ascended into Heaven. But He promises to send the Holy Spirit, so that all Christians, in any part of the World, are energized to fulfill the Gospel Mission. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is with us in all things and in all places. He is everywhere present and filling all things...
On June 16, the Executive Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America will travel to Istanbul in order to meet with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who will receive them at the Phanar...
Just a few Sundays ago, we read the account of the Samaritan Woman, that marvelous encounter with Jesus, at the same hour as his crucifixion, the 6th hour. The scene was a scandal for everyone. Jesus, alone with a half-breed woman in the middle of the day....
http://myocn.net/the-church-protector-and-shepherd/
Before ascending to His Throne, Jesus commanded the Apostles to remain in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. Before departing for his trial, Saint Paul warned the Church that wolves would come to attack the Church, some even from within. Ever since, we have been waiting for the return of Christ, comforted and shepherded by the Holy Spirit, while protected by His Church. But we cannot be shepherded if we insist on ignoring the Church and wandering away from her wings. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, protects us from the wolves while leading us to heaven. We must be vigilant against the attack of the wolves and learn to recognize when someone is teaching against the Church. At those moments, we must run to the Church for protection...
http://myocn.net/overcoming-bias-and-intolerance/
In a recent study published in Psychological Science, evidence was given to show that the human brain categorizes people within the first second after seeing a face. In other words, our brain very quickly will separate people according to groups, typically in the “us vs. them” category. This separation most often occurs according to race. Even infants as young as 3 months old showed a preference for their own racial group, over some other racial group....
http://myocn.net/ο-καιρός-των-εξετάσεων/
Είμαστε έτοιμοι άραγε για τις εξετάσεις; Σα μαθητές κι εμείς που τελειώνει η χρονιά, έτοιμοι να εξεταστούμε πόσα μάθαμε, τι εφαρμόσαμε και τι όχι. Εύχομαι ανα πάσα στιγμή να μην πιαστούμε αδιάβαστοι...
http://myocn.net/pentecost-sunday-may-31-2015-2/
In this episode of Good News for a Change, Fr. Constantine Lazarakis shares thoughts on the significance of our Pentecost observance. He begins with a reflection on the “Service of the Kneeling.” “Again and again, on bended knee, let us pray to the Lord.” And we ask God to send the Holy Spirit upon us as He did at that first Pentecost. Jesus is no longer bound to a place or a time, because the power of the Holy Spirit has now been poured out upon us. Every Sunday is a little Pascha. And we are now agents of God’s grace.
http://myocn.net/women-saints/
Have you ever thought about how many times Jesus scolds his disciples and male followers, yet he never even once becomes angry at or reprimands a woman? The priest at my former church once pointed this out in a bible study. He said this to emphasize that while women clearly have different roles in the Orthodox Church, that doesn’t mean they’re any less important or less loved by God. Inaccurate beliefs about women’s value in the Orthodox faith are caused by ignorance, mistranslations or misunderstanding of the New Testament.
http://myocn.net/panagia-ipseni-giving-strength-hope-to-orthodox-in-u-s/
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the sun set on Daytona Beach, hymns began inside the Greek Orthodox Church just a few blocks from the ocean on Wednesday evening. The faithful packed St. Demetrios on Halifax Avenue, to be in the presence of two nuns, and the miraculous icon they brought from Greece, Panagia Ipseni. “Every miracle working icon means a lot,” said Jelena Stojanovic, 29, who traveled with a group of Serbian Orthodox Christians to venerate the 18th century icon...
[SVOTS Communications / Yonkers, NY] Predrag Matejic, Ph.D., associate professor at Ohio State University’s Center for Slavic and East European Studies and curator of the Hilandar Research Library, will present the third annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture on Monday, September 14, 2015. Speaking on the topic “Byzantium, the Slavs, and the Rise of the Russian Orthodox Church,” he will focus on three historical periods: the conversion of the Slavs, the 10th–11th centuries, and the Russian Orthodox Church after the fall of Constantinople, including the councils of the 16th century...
http://myocn.net/orthodox-campus-ministry-is-it-time-for-change/
College students are by far one of the most at-risk groups in the Orthodox Church today. On a regular basis, young men and women on college campuses are confronted with an environment that is increasingly hostile to Orthodox Christianity. Today, standing for Orthodox beliefs on a college campus often means presenting oneself as a subject of ridicule. At many colleges, an Orthodox Christian worldview is considered at best a superstitious relic and at worst a form of bigotry...
http://myocn.net/dormition-of-the-theotokos/
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
Kontakion of Dormition of the Theotokos in the Second Tone
Neither the grave nor death could contain the Theotokos, the unshakable hope, ever vigilant in intercession and protection. As Mother of life, He who dwelt in the ever-virginal womb transposed her to life.
Sunday, August 2, 2015- Ninth Sunday of St. Matthew. St. Stephen the Protomartyr.
Epistle: Acts 6:8-15; 7:1-5 ;47-60;
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34 (pp. 77-78 ) [Jesus Walks on the Water]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Thursday, August 6, 2015- Transfiguration of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Epistle: II Peter 1:10-19;
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 [Transfiguration of the Lord]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Sunday, August 9, 2015- Tenth Sunday of St. Matthew. Apostle Matthias of the Seventy.
Epistle: I Corinthians: 4:9-16 ;
Gospel: Matthew 17:14-23 (pp. 79-80) [Faith like a mustard seed can move Mountain]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Forty Day Memorial Nick Ziss
Saturday, August 15, 2015- Dormition of the Theotokos.
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11;
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28 [Martha and Mary]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Sunday, August 16, 2015- Eleventh Sunday of St. Matthew. Translation of the Image of Christ.
Epistle: I Corinthians 9:2-12;
Gospel: Matthew 18:23-35 (pp. 80-82) [Unforgiving forgiven servant]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Thirty Year Memorial Bertha Anagnos
Sunday, August 23, 2015- Twelfth Sunday of St. Matthew.
St. Iraenaus of Lyons.
Epistle: I Corinthians 15:1-11;
Gospel: Matthew 19:16-26 (pp. 83-84) [Easier for Camel to go through eye of needle]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Saturday, August 29, 2015- Beheading of St. John the Baptist.
Epistle: Acts 13:25-33.;
Gospel: Mark 6:14-30 [Beheading of St. John the Baptist]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
Sunday, August 30, 2015- Thirteenth Sunday of St. Matthew.
Sts. Alexander, John and Paul, New Patriarchs of Constantinople.
Epistle: I Corinthians 16:13-24 ;
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-42 (pp.84-86) [Evil Tenants of the Vineyard]
9:00 am Orthros/10:15 am Divine Liturgy
One Year Memorial Susan Panagakos
Visit annunciationwb.pa.goarch.org for more information.
http://thecathedral.goarch.org/our-parish/watch-live-broadcast/
Unable to attend a scheduled church service physically? Watch live broadcasts of holy services from the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York, the national cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
For weekly texts of the Sunday Orthros and Liturgy services (in both Greek and English), please visit http://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html
The AHEPA Black Diamond Chapter No. 55 joined over 900 chapters across the United States and Canada in observing AHEPA Day on Sunday, May 17, 2015. A memorial service was held for our departed Ahepan brothers. Following the memorial service, the chapter recognized the contributions of key members within the Greek community of Wilkes-Barre and presented scholarships to eligible college students who are affiliated with the organization. AHEPA Day is recognized annually by Greek Orthodox churches across the United States and Canada.
On Thursday, May 21, 2015, the Orthros service begins at 9:00 A.M. and will be followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:15 A.M. for the feasts of the Holy Ascension and of Sts. Constantine and Helen. Please join us in commemorating the feasts.
For more information about the Holy Ascension feast, please visit http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/ascension/index_html .
For more information about Sts. Constantine and Helen, please visit http://www.goarch.org/special/constantineandhelen/index_html
The church is currently undergoing an icon restoration project to revitalize our Iconostasis. We are also adding several new icons in the church. For photos of the project so far, please click here. In addition, the church is still accepting donations for new icons. Please contact the church office by visiting before Orthros or after Liturgy, by calling (570) 823-4805, or by e-mailing AnnunciationWB@mail.goarch.org for more information.
As part of a new parish initiative, we're starting an anonymous question and answer forum about any aspect of Orthodoxy. Submit your anonymous question online at http://goo.gl/forms/byAOqWgSwD and we'll provide an answer in the weekly e-mail bulletin (please give us sufficient time to write a meaningful response).
This week's question: What is the origin and significance of the Apostles' Fast?
The Fast of the Holy Apostles is dated back to early years of the church. The first evidence of this fast is found in the writings of St. Athanasius the Great (†373). In his letter to Emperor Constance, he writes: "During the week following Pentecost, the people who observed the fast went out to the cemetery to pray." Some 20 years later, St. Ambrose (†397) writes: "On the days following his ascension into heaven, however, we again fast" (Sermon 61).
The famous pilgrim Egeria mentioned the Apostles' Fast also in her fourth-century-writing which records that "on the day following the feast of Pentecost, a period of fasting began". In the same period, the fourth century, the Apostolic Constitutions prescribes: "After the feast of Pentecost, celebrate one week, then observe a fast, for justice demands rejoicing after the reception of the gifts of God and fasting after the body has been refreshed."
Until the second half of the 3rd century, the Fast of the Holy Apostles was linked to Pentecost and lasted only for one week (Apostolic Constitutions). Later on, after the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul and following the development of the commemoration of their death around the year 258, the Apostles' Fast became linked to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29. Consequently, it became a fasting period of preparation for the celebration of the feast of the great apostles. St. Symeon of Thessalonica (†1429) explains: "The Fast of the Apostles is justly established in their honor, for through them we have received numerous benefits and for us they are exemplars and teachers of the fast ... For one week after the descent of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution composed by Clement, we celebrate, and then during the following week, we fast in honor of the Apostles."
Subsequently, the duration of the Fast of the Holy Apostles changed from one week to a variable period depending on the date of the Feast of Pascha (Easter).
Source: http://www.antiochian.org/fast-holy-apostles
We would like to thank all parishioners and friends who volunteered during our Greek food festival from May 6-9th and contributed to this record-breaking festival's immense success!
The next meeting of the AHEPA Black Diamond Chapter 55 will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. in the church hall. Upcoming events will be discussed. All members are urged to attend. Please contact Bill Anagnos for more information.
St. Tikhon’s Monastery will hold its 111th Memorial Day Pilgrimage from May 22-25, 2015. The Moleben to St. Tikhon in the Monastery Church on Friday, May 22 will mark the start of the 111th annual Pilgrimage weekend festivities at St. Tikhon's Monastery.
Hierarchical Divine Liturgies will be held each morning, St. Tikhon's Theological Seminary will hold its commencement ceremony at 1:00pm on Saturday and Monday will have a variety of prayer services for various needs and intentions.
Archimandrite Sergius and the Brotherhood invite everyone to attend. For lodging and other information please contact the monastery.
Here is a complete schedule:
Friday, May 22, 2015:
3:30 pm - Official Opening of the Pilgrimage with Moleben to St. Tikhon in the Monastery Church
4:00 pm - Vespers and Matins in the Monastery Church
All pilgrims are invited to dinner in the monastery dining hall following the services.
Saturday, May 23, 2015:
9:00 am - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
A meal for all pilgrims in the Monastery dining hall following services
1:00 pm - 73rd Annual Academic Commencement of Saint Tikhon’s Theological Seminary
4:30 pm - Greeting of the Hawaiian Myrhrr Streaming Icon and Vigil in the Monastery Church
Dinner in the monastery dining hall for all pilgrims following the services.
Sunday, May 24, 2015:
9:00 am - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
A meal for all pilgrims in the Monastery dining hall following services .
4:00 pm - Vespers and Matins in the Monastery Church
Following the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday (April 5th), the church will hold a Pascha egg hunt for the children. Please bring your children for an enjoyable time and prizes!
The AHEPA Educational Foundation is currently accepting scholarship applications for the upcoming school year. The application deadline is March 31, 2015. To download the application, visit http://ahepa.org/ahepa/assets/pdfs/2015_AEF_Application.pdf . Please contact Bill Anagnos or another officer of our parish's AHEPA chapter for more information.
Please join us as we fold the palms for Palm Sunday. The folding of palms will occur following the Divine Liturgy on the Saturday of Lazarus, April 4th. All are welcome to help!
No prior experience is necessary, but if you would like to learn how to fold the palms beforehand, please follow this link: http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/resourcesforteachers/resourcesforteachers/ScottPalmCross