14th SUNDAY OF LUKE
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LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
PROSFORA: Katina Nicolacakis
PANGARI: Team D: George E Loucas, Clay White, Gus Kallergis
EPISTLE READING: 1 Timothy 1:15-17
GOSPEL: Luke 18:35-43
(GREEK TEXT p. 166, black books)
MEMORIALS:
Eleventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 21:14-25
At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead, and he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."
Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So, the word went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die; but Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
Prokeimenon. Plagal 4th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to Timothy 1:15-17.
Timothy, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory to the ages of ages. Amen.
14th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 18:35-43
At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Mon, Jan 25th - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Fri, Jan 29th - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Sat, Jan 30th - 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy (Three Hierarchs)
- 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)
Sun, Jan 31st - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
- 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy
Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Jan 24:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/01/24/ma/gr-en/se.m01.d24.ma.pdf
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Jan 24:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/01/24/li/gr-en/se.m01.d24.li.pdf
Tithe.ly is an online giving tool that makes it simple to safely/securely give to our church anywhere at any time. You can download the Tithe.ly giving app onto your phone, or click the green "Give Now" button on the church website. Your gift goes directly to the church. Plus, you can track all your gifts, setup recurring donations, and more!
Sadly, there will be no in-person house blessings this year, due to consideration of the coronavirus. Everyone is free to take a bottle of Holy Water home and bless themselves, their family members and their home. God-willing, I will be able to personally come to your home in 2022. - Fr. Stephen
Many thanks to those of you who have been lifelong members of Philoptochos, and a warm welcome to all the new parishioners who have just joined us! If you have not already done so, please join Philoptochos as we start our 2021 year. Forms are now available in the church office or online at http://stsconstantine.com/outreach/philoptochos/ For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.
Bible Study
Zoom Evening Prayers: Zoom in and participate in Evening Prayers with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 8:50 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, & Sunday. It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
Zoom Bible Study: Zoom in and participate in Bible Study with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 9 p.m. once every few weeks (usually on Thursdays). It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
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Prayer Team
If you are interested in joining the prayer team to keep others in your daily prayers, either email pmp17@case.edu or text (216) 288-1972 ahead of time to receive the link. You will need to provide your name and email address to receive the Zoom invite. If you have any requests for our prayer team, or if you have questions about other activities, please send them to peter.poulos@case.edu
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Zelma George
We are renting one of the Valley View theaters for 20 family members from the Salvation Army Zelma George Family Shelter on Saturday Jan. 30 at 1:30 p.m. Please let us know if you can support this event in any of the following ways:
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Thank you and keep the faith!
“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
On February 17, the St Makrina Bible study group will begin studying a book recommended by Fr. Stephen about "the end of time". He has kindly offered to guide us through it. This is a topic Christians have wondered about but have found the book of Revelation challenging to understand.
The St. Makrina group is open to anyone interested in learning more about our Orthodox Christian faith through the books of the Bible and other writings on Orthodoxy. New members are always welcome. We meet weekly on Wednesdays from 10:00-11:30 a.m. via Zoom during the current pandemic. For details on the current title and other information, call or email the church office and you will be contacted promptly.
1) "College Year in Athens" (CYA) is offering two study abroad opportunities for high school graduates of Hellenic descent. An antiquity-focused program and an activism-focused program are available as well as a scholarship to offset travel expenses. For more information, visit cyathens.org or talk to Ted.
2) OCF (college student ministry) will have its next meeting on Tuesday, January 26th @ 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Our guest speaker will be Marina Papafil, the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Camping Ministries Coordinator.
3) Orthodoxy on Tap will have its next young adult event (ages 21 - 35ish) on Thursday, February 18th @ 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The guest speaker will be Steven Christophorou, the director of the Y2AM youth department of the Archdiocese. RSVP by Wednesday, February 17th to gorealcleveland@gmail.com.
4) Camp Nazareth will host its next young adult retreat the weekend of March 26th - 28th via Zoom. Details are still forthcoming, but save the date for now. Questions may be directed either to Ted or to youngadultretreats@gmail.com.
5) Camping Ministries is offering a cabin talk on Sunday, January 31st from 8pm - 9pm for all 10th-12th graders. Fr. Nicholas Manuel of Annunciation, Akron will be hosting this discussion. Register at cabin-talks. Questions may be directed to Marina Papafil at camp@pittsburgh.goarch.org.
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Orthodox Education classes have resumed as of January 10th. Watch this space for more information as it becomes available!
Zoom events:
Jan 24th -- Fr. Nicholas Livingston will speak at 8 pm on the topic of Love
Jan 31st -- will be either zoom OR in-person.
Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or comments.
Pledge Forms for the 2021 calendar year have been mailed out. Copies are also available on the bulletin board across from the church office, or from our website: stsconstantine.com/ministries/stewardship-committee/
If you have not already done so, please send your 2021 pledge to the church as soon as possible.
The Orthodox Christian tradition presents many opportunities for worship outside of Sunday morning services, especially Liturgies on the feast days of beloved saints. In light of the current crisis, the number will increase to at least one Liturgy per week in addition to the Sunday service. As the restrictions on Sunday attendance are loosening up, those with special concerns may consider attending a weekday service, where the typical attendance is in the range of 10-20.
In consideration of current restrictions on large gatherings, Metropolitan Savas has ordered that there be no elections of Parish Coucil in 2020 and that all Council members' terms be extended for one year. However, he directed that each Council hold its election of officers, as usual, at the beginning of the year.
Our Parish Council held elections at its meeting of January 14, and the results are as follows:
Many thanks to outgoing President George Stamatis for his years as President. Best wishes and prayers to newly elected President Marguarite Stephanopoulos for her willingness to serve the parish in yet another crucial role.
We have closed our livestreaming service on Facebook in favor of using YouTube for all future livestreaming of services. To continue participating with our livestream services, please visit, subscribe, & bookmark our channel at YouTube.com/stsconstantine.
With recent increases in attendance at the church, we have once again begun collecting forgotten possessions. A rain hat, t-shirt, and princess flip phone are among the items on hand. Please contact the office if you think we might have something of yours.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press
Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. (Copyright Fr. Seraphim Dedes, used by permission. All rights reserved)
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press