April 30
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2017-04-30
Bulletin Contents
Hymns of the Day
Saints and Feasts
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Wisdom of the Fathers
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese News
Message from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios
Fr. Rick's Sermon
News and Events
Bulletin Inserts
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
General Information
- Phone:
- (651) 222-6220
- Fax:
- (651) 225-9276
- Email:
- info@stgeorgegoc.org
- Street Address:
- 1111 Summit Avenue
- Saint Paul, MN 55105
Contact Information
Services Schedule
Sunday Morning Orthros/Matins 8:15am, Divine Liturgy 9:30am; Saturday Great Vespers 5:00pm (October thru May); Weekday Services (see Online Calendar, Sunday Bulletin & Monthly Newsletter); Confession (by appointment).
Past Bulletins
- Publish Date:
- 2017-05-28
- Publish Date:
- 2017-05-21
- Publish Date:
- 2017-05-14
- Publish Date:
- 2017-05-07
- Publish Date:
- 2017-04-23
- Publish Date:
- 2017-04-16
Hymns of the Day
Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal 1st Mode
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and bestowing life on those in the graves.
Apolytikion for Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday in the 2nd Mode
When You descended to death, O Immortal Life, then, the light of Your divinity destroyed Hades. When You raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers cried out, "Glory to You our Christ, the Giver of Life."
Apolytikion for Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday in the 2nd Mode
Lowering Your pure body from the Cross, Joseph wrapped it in clean muslin with fragrant spices and laid it in a new tomb. But on the third day You arose, O Lord, and granted the world Your great mercy.
Apolytikion for Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday in the 2nd Mode
Standing by the tomb the angel said to the Myrrh-bearing women: "Myrrh is for the dead; but Christ has shown Himself stranger to death." So go and cry aloud, "The Lord has risen and granted the world His great mercy."
Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal 4th Mode
Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.
Saints and Feasts
April 30
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
About the beginning of His thirty-second year, when the Lord Jesus was going throughout Galilee, preaching and working miracles, many women who had received of His beneficence left their own homeland and from then on followed after Him. They ministered unto Him out of their own possessions, even until His crucifixion and entombment; and afterwards, neither losing faith in Him after His death, nor fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers, they came to the sepulchre, bearing the myrrh-oils they had prepared to annoint His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils, that these God-loving women brought to the tomb of Jesus that they are called the Myrrh-bearers. Of those whose names are known are the following: first of all, the most holy Virgin Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 is called "the mother of James and Joses" (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, and she was therefore their step-mother); Mary Magdalene (celebrated July 22); Mary, the wife of Clopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence (Matt 27:55-56; 28:1-10. Mark 15:40-41. Luke 8:1-3; 23:55-24:11, 22-24. John 19:25; 20:11-18. Acts 1:14).
Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of the Saviour, Joseph and Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the Jews and of the order of the Pharisees, learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of our Saviour's preaching of salvation, he came to Him by night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of myrrh-oils and an aromatic mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence and love for the divine Teacher (John 19:39). Joseph, who was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy and noble man, and one of the counsellors who were in Jerusalem. He went boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of another tomb, he placed the Lord's body in his own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as the Evangelist says (Matt. 27:60).
April 30
James the Apostle and brother of St. John the Theologian
James was one of the Twelve, like his brother John (celebrated on Sept. 26), whom the Lord called "Sons of Thunder," because they became great preachers and because of their profound theology. It was the Saint's boldness in preaching the Gospel that Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great, could not endure, and so he took him into custody during the days of the Passover, and slew him with the sword (Acts 12: 1-2); and thus he drank the cup of which the Saviour had spoken to him prophetically (Matt. 20:23). As for Herod, the following year he went down to Caesarea, and, as the Acts of the Apostles records: "Upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration" to the elders of Tyre and Sidon; and the flatterers that surrounded him "gave a shout, saying, 'it is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' And immediately an Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and like his grandfather (see Dec. 29) "he was eaten of worms and gave up the spirit" (Acts 12:21-23)
April 30
Argyra the New Martyr
April 30
Clement the Hymnographer
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Matins Gospel Reading
Fourth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered in to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened.
Epistle Reading
Prokeimenon. 2nd Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.
The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7.
IN THOSE DAYS, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Gospel Reading
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
The Reading is from Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8
At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Wisdom of the Fathers
They [the women] had followed Him ministering to Him, and were present even unto the time of the dangers. Wherefore also they saw all; how He cried, how He gave up the ghost, how the rocks were rent, and all the rest.
Homily 88 on Matthew 27, 4th Century
And these [the women] first see Jesus; and the sex that was most condemned, this first enjoys the sight of the blessings, this most shows its courage. And when the disciples had fled, these were present.
Homily 88 on Matthew 27, 4th Century
Fr. Rick's Sermon
The Scars/Wounds of Faith & Love (4-23-2017)
A little girl sat on her mother’s lap and she looked into her mother’s face and said, “Mommy, you have the prettiest face and the sweetest eyes I have ever seen. But Mommy, why are your arms so ugly?” The mother explained to her daughter that when she was tiny baby the house caught on fire. And that the mother ran into her bedroom and scooped her out of her crib. She had hugged her close, protecting her little child from the flames as she ran out of the house. In process, the mother’s hands and arms were badly burned. The little girl asked her mom, “But didn’t it hurt Mommy?” The mother replied, “Yes, it hurt but my love for you is greater than the pain of being burned.” The girl exclaimed, “Oh Mommy, you have the prettiest face and the sweetest eyes, but your arms and hands are the most beautiful of all!” (Fr. Anthony Coniaris, Gems from the Sunday Gospels, vol.1, p.79)
Thinking of this mother’s scars to protect her little daughter from a sure death in a house fire, think of Jesus’ scars that protect us from a sinful death in the fire of hell. They are no actually scars but open and raw wounds. Think of the punctures in His scalp from the crown of thorns. Think of His bruises from being slapped in the face. Think of the missing pieces of flesh on His back from being scourged. Think of the holes in His hands and feet from being nailed to the Cross. And think of the hole in His side from being pierced with the soldier’s spear. These are signs of Jesus’ great love for us.
These wounds are what Thomas, called the Twin, wanted to see as proof that Christ had risen from the dead. Last Sunday at the Agape of Vespers of Pascha, we heard in many different languages the Gospel passage (John 20:19-25) of the risen Christ appearing to the ten disciples (minus Judas the Betrayer and Thomas). But afterwards they tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas’ response? Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (v.25).
Today, eight days later on Thomas Sunday or more correctly known as Antipascha, we hear the same Gospel passage with the additional verses 26-31 when the risen Christ appears again to the disciples:
26And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (vv.26-27)
The risen Christ still had the gaping wounds of His torturous death. And Thomas was not only able to see them but touch them. 28And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
The Apostle Paul spoke of Christ’s sacrificial love for us.
6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
We must always remember that when Jesus was unjustly arrested, tried, convicted and executed, He was not a powerless victim. We know that He had more than enough power prevent it from happening. Yet, He went willingly, obedient to His heavenly Father. So, when Jesus spreads out His arms on the Cross, it is a gesture of welcoming embrace, just like when that courageous mother scooped up her baby from the fire; just like when our parents welcomed us home from our first day of school or when we returned from a long time being away at college.
What does Jesus say to us as He extends His open arms to us?
28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
33These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
What does Jesus mean? Christ is saying “if you come to Me, I will embrace you and help you carry your burden.” Now we all have burdens of various types and sizes: inconveniences, illnesses, difficult people, abusive family members. But the real burdens are those brought about because of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Savior promised this when He said during the Sermon on the Mount:
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
St. Augustine of Hippo (4th cent.) said about God: “He has no sons without suffering.” Our Christian brothers and sisters in Libya, Egypt, Syria and Iraq are suffering, literally dying for their faith in Christ. Yet, we here in America can barely inconvenience ourselves with fasting, participating in worship services, and tithing to support our parishes. People tell me, “It’s too far to drive,” but do they know that some Orthodox Christians in Africa walk several hours to receive the Eucharist at Divine Liturgy? Others explain away the fasting guidelines of the Church while millions of poor people throughout the world barely have anything to eat. Still others completely ignore the command to tithe while the poorest people are giving much more generously to support the mission and ministry of the Church. My brothers and sisters, how could we possible endure persecution and suffering for faith in Christ, if we cannot or will not deny our own wants and wishes through asceticism?
When Christ reaches out His arms to us to embrace us, do we receive that with cold indifference or do we embrace Him too? Embracing Christ is not about emotional sentimentalism. It’s about denying ourselves, taking up our Cross and following Him who was wounded for us.
Today, we also celebrate the patron and protector of our parish and our people: St. George the Trophybearer. He knew the great sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf. He knew the persecutions and executions that Emperor Diocletian had decreed for Christians throughout the Roman Empire in the early fourth century. Yet, He remembered the words of the Savior,
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
In conclusion, St. George openly confessed faith in Christ and he endured numerous enticements and tortures. And not only did He receive a heavenly crown of martyrdom, more importantly because of his witness, many others came to believe in Jesus Christ, even the Emperor’s wife, Alexandra. And several of them were also martyred also. So you see our embrace of Christ, our wounds for Christ, can be just as inspiring to others as Christ Himself. Another way of saying it is that others can see Christ in us and through us. What wounds and scars have you endured for the sake of others, especially Christ? Do you show them to others so that too can see and believe? But even if we don’t see the risen wounded Christ or the faith-filled wounds of Christians, do we still believe? Jesus said, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (v.29). Christ is Risen! Amen!
News and Events
ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER
April 30, 2017 SUNDAY OF MYRRH-BEARERS
TODAY’S EVENTS: Parish Assembly 12pm; Greek School Dance Practice 12pm; Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN 4pm; Greek Dance Practice 4:30pm.
Epistle Reader: Gavriel Pappas Prosfora: anonymous
Memorials: Euangelia Kaliroe Pothos (1 year); Helen (40 days), Christe (5 years)& Charles Zubulake (6.5 years); George Leaskas (1 year)
Fellowship: Stamatios & Jenny Pothos Head Usher: Andrea Walkush
Monday 05-01 Metropolis Clergy Retreat (through May 4)
Wednesday 05-03 Festival of Nations (through May 7) set-up 2:00PM
Thursday 05-04 OCF at St. Thomas University 12:00PM
Prison Ministry Leaders Meeting at St. Mary’s GOC 12:00PM
Friday 05-05 AHEPA District Convention in Duluth (through May 7)
Saturday 05-06 VESPERS 5:00PM
St. Alexis Toth Lecture at St. Mary OCA in Minneapolis 7:00PM
Sunday 05-07 ORTHROS (8:15am) &DIVINE LITURGY-SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC 9:30AM
Youth Ministry Meeting 12:00PM
Greek School 12:00PM
Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN 4:00PM
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Xronia Polla! Happy birthday to Theodore (Teddy) Petsopoulos who is 54 years old today!
Pastoral Emergencies: Fr. Rick is away this week at Metropolis Clergy Retreat. If there is a pastoral emergency, please call Fr. Paul Hodge daytime until 2pm (651) 955-8594 or Fr. Thomas Begley, after 2pm (612) 723-0681. Fr. Rick will return before next Sunday.
Parish Assembly Today: Please join us for our annual Spring Parish Assembly meeting that will begin shortly after liturgy is complete. We need 40 adult members for a quorum. Agenda items include: 2016 Board of Auditors report, election of 2017 Board of Elections and Board of Auditors, youth report, capital projects update, and more. It’s really important to have a good cross-representation of membership at our meeting.
Think About It: Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Nelson Mandela
Festival of Nations: May 4-7 at the River Center in St. Paul. To participate in a dance troupe, contact Angela Mortari; to volunteer in the Bazaar, contact Stella Hofrenning; Looking for a few good men! Our cultural exhibit will highlight the ceremony of the changing of the Evzones. Come be an Evzone for an hour! 6'-1" height not required, costume provided. For Evzones and cultural exhibit, contact Anastasia Mastrogiorgis. To volunteer in the Greek Café, contact Tom Lampros or visit the sign up board at church or online at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4CA5AD2BABFF2-festival1.
Youth: Christ is Risen! Since the Festival of Nations will be held on our regular meeting time, JOY group will have their youth night at St. George GOC on May 13 following Vespers. GOYA will meet on May 20 at Minnehaha Falls from 12-3pm. Please add vacation church school to your calendars for June 12-15.
Summer Camp Early Bird Registration: now open. Registration fees: Early Bird Discount: $425 through May 5, 2017; Standard Fee: $475 from May 6-25, 2017 at 4:30pm. Register at: www.stmaryscamp.com. Summer Camp dates are July 1-7, 2017. Summer Church Camp is one of the best communal religious experiences Orthodox youth will have in their lifetime. Thanks to the James Nickitas Camp Scholarship, $100 will be given to every child who registers for camp. Plus there are need-based scholarships for families who cannot afford full-price of camp registration. Please contact Fr. Rick for more details.
2017 St Alexis (Toth) Lecture: Saturday, May 6 at 7 pm, St Mary's Orthodox Cathedral. Alexis Liberovsky,OCA Archivist from Syosset, New York, will speak on “Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich): The Minneapolis Connection.” Reception in Parish Centre to follow; further Information at (612) 781-7667.
The Church Fathers Speak: The beginning of all passions is egoism, and the end of all is pride. Egoism is the foolish love for the material world including our own body. In severing egoism, the rest of the passions that emanate from it are also severed. St. Maximos the Confessor (+662)
Spring Cleaning: Saturday May 13th 10am – 12noon. Our efforts will focus on kitchen and storage areas.
Graduate Info Needed- Graduation Sunday is May 21. Please send your high school or college graduate’s info to the church by May 15 and include name of school, degree/diploma, awards/achievements and future plans.
IOCC Internship this Summer: Dan Christopulos is still looking for an IOCC intern for this year. App deadline is today, April 30. Here is all the info: https://www.iocc.org/take-action/internship-program
Wisdom from the Church Fathers: Jesus Christ, the King of Heaven and earth lived in poverty and obtained His daily necessities through His own labor. So, we also must be industrious and content with what God has given us and not be consumed with desire for riches. St. Innocent of Alaska (+1879)
Looking for a nanny? Or babysitter for this summer? Aida Abebe, a St. George GOC parishioner, is available to babysit from the end of June until the end of August. Please contact her at 651-434-7826 (cell) or aabebe74@gmail.com. References provided upon request.
Stewardship 2017: Our theme is You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World: As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You (John 20:21). We have received 95 pledge cards for 2017 with a total of $151,836 and an average of $1,598. When pledging be sure to increase your pledge, even if only a few dollars. This reflects spiritual growth and overcomes stagnation. We encourage everyone to give a minimum of 2% pledge of gross yearly income to become a self-sustaining community. This is far less than the biblical ideal of tithing, giving 10%.
Patristic Wisdom: The amassing of money fuels the passions, for it leads to increasing indulgence in all kinds of pleasure. St. Thalassios the Libyan (7th cent.)
Twin Cities Young Adult Event: Celebrate the start of summer with YAL (Orthodox Young Adult League, ages 18-35) at the Tin Fish Braemar location on Friday May 26, 2017, 7-9pm. Address: Braemar Golf Course, 6364 John Harris Dr., Edina, MN 55439. Questions? Contact Fr. Jason Houck FRjason@stmarysgoc.org, Katherine Pappas kaypapps@gmail.com, or Alexandra Richardson alrich91@aol.com
Pentecost Pan-Orthodox Vespers on Sunday June 4th at 4pm, St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church, with meal to follow, hosted by MEOCCA. Gather for Kneeling Vespers of Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Greek Festival: August 19-20. 2017. Be sure to save the dates. More volunteers are needed to serve on committees; if you are interested, please contact Jon Kennedy, Phyllis Kapetanakis or Alexis Bighley.
Welcome Visitors Thank you for joining with us in prayer and fellowship. The worship of the Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in and very similar to that of the early Christian Church. Unique sensory stimuli and mystery are elements that go back even to the liturgy of the Jewish temple. Everything in an Orthodox Christian church communicates the majestic presence of God the Holy Trinity with His Saints. It is literally heaven on earth. It is a sad aconsequence of the divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend a general invitation to receive Holy Communion. Visitors are invited to receive the blessed bread (antithoron) at the conclusion of the liturgy. We pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all Christians. If you are interested in learning more about Orthodoxy, please contact Fr. Rick at fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org. We are proud of our Greek heritage but one does not have to be of Greek descent, nor speak Greek to be a Greek Orthodox Christian.
Note to Orthodox about Holy Communion: Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is one of the most Holy experiences for a Christian in order to be granted the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We are never worthy to partake of Divine Nature. Yet, it is essential that we prepare ourselves for this sacred Communion by constant prayer, reading the Scriptures, regular fasting and periodic Confession. At a minimum, we should fast all morning before Communion, arrive at the beginning of Liturgy, and come for Confession at least once a year. In addition, we should not have separated ourselves from the Church through serious sin. Otherwise, please refrain from Communion to avoid “judgment…not discerning the Lord’s body” (1Cor. 11:29). Contact Fr. Rick for pastoral guidance.
Glad Tidings deadline: The 10th of each month. Glad Tidings email: gladtidings@stgeorgegoc.org Sunday Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday Noon each week. Email: office@stgeorgegoc.org
Bulletin Inserts
Liturgy Guide 04-30-2017
Liturgy Guide 04-30-2017
Parish Assembly Notice
Meeting today!