Weekly Events

WEEKDAY SERVICES

FALLING ASLEEP OF ST. JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN—

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Orthros at 8 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.

ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΕΣ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΕΣ –

Η ΜΕΤΑΣΤΑΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ

— Σάββατο, 26 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2020

Ορθρος στίς 8 π.μ. Και Θεία Λειτουργία στίς 9 π.μ.

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MEMORIALS

On Sunday, a 1 year memorial service will be offered for the repose of the souls of Mary Gourgoumis & Clara Argentakis.

ΜΝΗΜΟΣΥΝΑ

Την Κυριακή, θα τελεσθεί ετήσιο μνημόσυνο υπερ αναπαύσεως των ψυχών της Μαρίας Γκουργκούμη καί της Καλλιόπης Αργεντάκη.

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Next Sunday, September 27th, a 40 day memorial service will be offered for the repose of the soul of Georgia Arvanitis.

Τήν Επόμενη Κυριακή, 27 Σεπτεμβρίου, θα τελεσθεί 40ήμερο μνημόσυνο υπερ αναπαύσεως της ψυχής της Γεωργίας Αρβανίτη.

Saints and Feasts

September 20

Eustathius the Great Martyr, his wife and two children

The holy Martyr Eustathius before his baptism was an illustrious Roman general named Placidas in the days of the Emperor Trajan. While hunting in the country one day, he was converted to the Faith of Christ through the apparition of an uncommonly majestic stag, between whose antlers he saw the Cross of Christ, and through which the Lord spoke to him with a human voice. Upon returning home, he learned that his wife Tatiana had also had a vision in which she was instructed to become a Christian. They sought out the Bishop of the Christians and were baptized, Placidas receiving the name Eustathius, and Tatiana the name Theopiste; their two sons were baptized Agapius and Theopistus. The family was then subjected to such trials as Job endured. Their servants died, all their goods were stolen, and on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem they were scattered abroad, each not even knowing if the others were still alive. By the providence of God, they were united again after many years, and returned to Rome in glory. Nevertheless, when they refused to sacrifice to the idols-a public sacrifice from which no Roman general could be absent-the Emperor Hadrian, who had succeeded Trajan, had them put into a large bronze device in the shape of a bull, which was heated with fire until they died. When their holy bodies were removed, they were found to be without harm. They suffered martyrdom about the year 126.

September 22

Phocas the Martyr, Bishop of Sinope

This saint was known for the many miracles he worked and for his apostolic zeal in shepherding the flock of Sinope. He contested for the Faith during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, in the year 102, when he was burned to death in a bath-house. A homily in his honour was composed by Saint John Chrysostom. The translation of his holy relics is celebrated on July 23.

September 26

The Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian

This Apostle was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of James the elder. First a fisherman by trade, he became an Apostle and the beloved Disciple of Christ. Only he of all the Disciples followed Him even to the Cross, and was entrusted with the care of our Saviour's Mother, as it were another son to her, and a brother of Christ the Teacher. After this, he preached throughout Asia Minor, especially in Ephesus. When the second persecution against the Christians began in the year 96 during the reign of Domitian, he was taken in bonds to Rome, and there was cast into a vat filled to the brim with boiling oil. Coming forth therefrom unharmed, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Returning again to Ephesus after the death of the tyrant, he wrote his Gospel (after the other Evangelists had already written theirs) and his three Catholic Epistles. In all, he lived ninety-five years and fell asleep in the Lord during the reign of Trajan in the year 100. He was called Theologian because he loftily expounded in his Gospel the theology of the inexpressible and eternal birth of the Son and Word of God the Father. It is for this cause that an eagle-a symbol of the Holy Spirit, as Saint Irenaeus says-is depicted in his icon, for this was one of the four symbolic living creatures that the Prophet Ezekiel saw (Ezek. 1:10).

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Plagal Second Mode. Psalm 27.9,1.
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 2:16-20.

Brethren, knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Προκείμενον. Plagal Second Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 27.9,1.
Σῶσον, Κύριε τὸν λαὸν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.
Στίχ. Πρὸς σἐ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι ὁ Θεός μου.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Γαλάτας 2:16-20.

Ἀδελφοί, εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· διότι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐξ ἔργων νόμου πᾶσα σάρξ. Εἰ δέ, ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ, εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; Μὴ γένοιτο. Εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα, ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνίστημι. Ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον, ἵνα θεῷ ζήσω. Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· ζῶ δέ, οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.

Gospel Reading

Sunday after Holy Cross
The Reading is from 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."

Sunday after Holy Cross
Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 8:34-38, 9:1

Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, οὗτος σώσει αὐτήν. τί γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν κερδήσῃ τὸν κόσμον ὅλον, καὶ ζημιωθῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ μοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει.

This Sunday is celebrated

This Week’s Sermon

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ today we learned about our path to salvation and to the kingdom of God. We learned about the way of the cross. When we become Christian sometimes we do not quite understand what are we getting in to. Sometimes we take the path of compromise. We make our lives comfortable and go through the motions and hope that things will turn out well.

Today our lord is not talking about drive through Christians. He is talking about Christians whom he can trust and can call disciples. He is calling us today to get up from in front of the TV screens and start walking. Today we have to make a choice between being a disciple of the world or the disciple of Christ. The world offers us a lot but it takes our life away in return. He warns us that there is nothing that we can give to get our life back. Imagine you were in bed dying and you had million dollars in the bank. What good is that to you? But imagine if someone showed up to you and said give me all the money you have and I will give you your life back. Would you even think even a second about what to do? No, every one of us would give everything we have only if we could start our lives from the beginning. Dear brothers and sisters your life is in your hands today. Do not lose it to the world so that you do not have to regret later. Unfortunately no one is going to give it back to you at the end no matter how much money you have in the bank. You will leave everything behind and you will also have lost you life.

There is only one alternative, get hold of your life; do not allow it to slip through your fingers. Give your life to the one who gave it to you in the first place and he will bless it and give it back to you in abundance. You will see the kingdom of God now and here.

Κήρυγμα αυτής της Εβδομάδας

Αγαπητοί αδελφοί και αδελφές εν Χριστό σήμερα μάθαμε για το δρόμο μας προς τη σωτηρία και για τη βασιλεία του Θεού. Μάθαμε για τον τρόπο του σταυρού. Όταν γινόμαστε Χριστιανοί μερικές φορές δεν καταλαβαίνουμε καλά αυτά που εισέρχονται. Μερικές φορές παίρνουμε το δρόμο του συμβιβασμού. Κάνουμε τη ζωή μας άνετη και περνάμε τις κινήσεις και ελπίζουμε ότι τα πράγματα θα αποδειχθούν καλά.

Σήμερα ο Κύριος μας δεν μιλάει για την οδήγηση μέσω των χριστιανών. Μιλάει για Χριστιανούς στους οποίους μπορεί να εμπιστευτεί και να μπορεί να καλέσει μαθητές. Μας καλεί σήμερα να σηκωθούμε μπροστά από τις οθόνες της τηλεόρασης και να ξεκινήσουμε το περπάτημα. Σήμερα πρέπει να κάνουμε μια επιλογή ανάμεσα στο να είσαι μαθητής του κόσμου ή ο μαθητής του Χριστού. Ο κόσμος μας προσφέρει πολλά αλλά παίρνει τη ζωή μας σε αντάλλαγμα. Μας προειδοποιεί ότι δεν μπορούμε να δώσουμε τίποτα για να επιστρέψουμε τη ζωή μας. Φανταστείτε ότι πεθαίνατε στο κρεβάτι και είχατε εκατομμύρια δολάρια στην τράπεζα. Τι καλό είναι αυτό για εσάς; Αλλά φανταστείτε αν κάποιος εμφανιζόταν και σας έλεγε να δώσετε όλα τα χρήματα που έχετε και θα σας δώσει τη ζωή σας πίσω. Θα σκεφτόσασταν ακόμη και ένα δευτερόλεπτο για το τι να κάνεις; Όχι, όλοι μας θα δίναμε ό, τι είχαμε μόνο αν μπορούσαμε να ξεκινήσουμε τη ζωή μας από την αρχή.

Αγαπητοί αδελφοί και αδελφές, η ζωή σας είναι στο χέρι σας σήμερα. Μην την χάσετε στον κόσμο, ώστε να μην χρειαστεί να μετανιώσετε αργότερα. Δυστυχώς, κανείς δεν πρόκειται να σας δώσει πίσω τη ζωή σας στο τέλος, ανεξάρτητα από το πόσα χρήματα έχετε στην τράπεζα. Θα αφήσετε τα πάντα πίσω και θα έχετε επίσης χάσει τη ζωή σας.

Υπάρχει μόνο μία εναλλακτική λύση, πιάστε τη ζωή σας; μην αφήσεις τη ζωή σου να γλιστρήσει μέσα από τα δάχτυλά σου. Δώστε τη ζωή σας σε εκείνον που σας την έδωσε αρχικά και θα την ευλογήσει και θα σας την επιστρέψει σε αφθονία. Θα δείτε τη βασιλεία του Θεού εδώ και τώρα.

Wisdom of the Fathers

And see how He also makes His discourse unexceptionable: not saying at all, "whether you will, or no, you must suffer this," but how? "If any man will come after me."

St. John Chrysostom

Homily 55 on Matthew 16, 1. B#54, p.339., 4th Century

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