ATTENTION!

Please note that the church parking lot entrance will not be accessible due to ongoing construction. We ask that everyone enter the parking lot through the parking lot EXIT area instead.
The church's main entrance WILL be accessible, so everyone can now enter the church through the front doors.
Once again, we thank you for your patience as we continue to work on improving our church in order to better serve our community!  

SUNDAY, 10/25

 @8:15aM Orthros & @9:30aM Divine Liturgy
+6th Sunday of Luke

 Divine Services

Monday, 10/26 @8:00am Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy:
+St. Demetrios the Myrrhbearer

Wednesday, 10/28 @8:00am Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy:
+Holy Protection of the Theotokos

 LIVE OUR services HERE
Find OUr Written prayers and services HERE

PTA Christmas Photo Shoot Fundraiser
Today, 10/25, at 12:00pm in the Gym

Greek Dance Lessons (ages 5-11) will be in the Social Hall today after Coffee Hour.
See Parish Council with any questions.

GOYA Basketball & Volleyball Games are TODAY (starting at 2pm) in Union!
Good luck, St. Andrew GOYA!

Join us Sunday, November 1st (after Sunday School)
for the HAS 'Οχι Day Program
ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ, ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ 'ΟΧΙ!

Coffee hour is hosted by GOYA
Bagels donated by ALFA BAGELS Route 10 in Randolph 
Coffee donated by Aristotle Leontopoulos of Coffee Associates, Edgewater

LORD'S VOICE OCTOBER 25, 2026

THE SUNDAY GOSPEL (Luke 8:27-39)

The healing of the possessed man
At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

CHRIST, THE BENEFACTOR OF MANKIND
As the Evangelist Luke relates, the Lord was crossing the storm-tossed Sea of Tiberias together with His disciples. The disciples, filled with fear, implored Him to save them from the threatened shipwreck. And He, by His word, calmed the sea! After this wondrous event, they came ashore on the opposite coast, in the country of the Gadarenes. This occurred because Christ wished, on this occasion, to calm the storm raging in the soul of a man who lived there and who was suffering to an unimaginable degree under the influence of unclean spirits.

The unclean spirits
According to the teaching of Holy Scripture and the tradition of the Church, the unclean spirits are personal beings of the spiritual world, possessing self-awareness, their own will, and freedom. They were created by God, just as the other angelic powers were. However, they fell from the height of Divine Glory and communion with God because of their self-will, their evil disposition, and their egotism. The devil refused to understand that the Throne of God is love and utter Humility. And although he hates Christ beyond measure, he knows that Christ continues, without partiality, to offer him His love. It is precisely in this that the "torment" consists, from which the unclean spirits ask to be delivered, as our Gospel passage says. For it is indeed a fearful thing to hate someone while that person never ceases to love you.

The demoniac of the Gadarenes
Christ encounters the demoniac of the Gadarenes. The sight of this unfortunate man is pitiable and tragic. The unclean spirit had possessed him for many years, for reasons known only to God. The Lord set him free and healed him. Indeed, Holy Scripture places particular emphasis upon Christ’s authority over evil spirits. For example, in the Acts of the Apostles we read that Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, and that He “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). Likewise, in the First Catholic Epistle of the Evangelist John, it is pointed out that “for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might loosen the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

The psychosomatic suffering of man
Let us mention some examples of the psychological and physical suffering endured by the demoniac of the Gadarenes, as these are described in our Gospel passage. Because of his condition, this man had ceased to seek God. Yet God had never ceased to seek him. He was unable to communicate with his fellow men; he had become closed within himself. He wore no clothing and, consequently, displayed additional signs of social alienation. He did not dwell in a house, but among the tombs.
Sadly, the phenomena mentioned above may also be observed in the lives of many of our fellow men. Does man today still possess the desire to seek God, to know Him, and to love Him? Does he strive to learn the truth of the Church concerning God, man, and the world, as it was handed down by the Lord, the God-proclaiming Apostles, and the God-bearing Fathers? And furthermore, what is the level of our interpersonal relationships? Do truth, solidarity, selflessness, and genuine love exist? And if not, what are we doing to improve our communion and communication with our fellow man?
The following statement from the Acts of the Apostles concerning the love and unity in Christ that characterized the first Christians ought to serve as a model for the spiritual struggle of every believer: “And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32). Jesus unites the hearts of the faithful, “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). Finally, as certain Fathers of the Church interpret allegorically, the garment that man does not desire to wear is the Grace and Light of Christ, which covers every existential void and gives true meaning to life. And, of course, in the Gadarenes demoniac's refusal to dwell in a house, there is implied man's tendency to reject the Church with ease and to choose dwelling places that lead to death. Christ awaits us in His Church, that He may make us His brethren and fellow-heirs. Let us respond to His call.

Archimandrite N. K.

Coffee Hour Hosts In November: 11/1 Philoptochos, 11/8 PTA, 11/15 DOP, 11/22 GOYA..

Monday 10/26 @8:00am + Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy +St. Demetrios the Myrrh-Streamer
Artoclasia: Offered by the Katsigiannis and Stavros Families

Tuesday 10/27
@7:00pm Philoptochos Meeting
@7:00pm GOYA Volleyball Practice

Wednesday 10/28 @8:00am + Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy +Holy Protection of the Theotokos
@6:30pm GOYA Basketball Practice

Thursday 10/29
@11:30am Agape Luncheon
@7:00pm Bible Study
@7:30pm GOYA Dance Practice

Sunday 11/1 @8:15am +Orthros & @9:30am Divine Liturgy +5^th Sunday of Luke
Memorial: +Philoptochos Members
Memorial: +Konstantinos Demos
@12:00pm Oxi Day Program
@2:00pm GOYA Volleyball & Basketball Games @ Paramus

Monday 11/2
@7:30pm* Young Adult League (*Please note time change)

Wednesday 11/4
@11:00am Morning Knitting & Crocheting Group
@11:00am Little Angels Playgroup (in gym)

Thursday 11/5
@7:00pm Bible Study (TBD)
@7:30pm GOYA Dance Practice

Saturday 11/7
@11:00am Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of New Jersey
(Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, Tenafly)

Sunday 11/8 @8:15am +Orthros & @9:30am Divine Liturgy +7^th Sunday of Luke | Holy Archangels
Memorial: +Katie & +Peter Sedereas
After Sunday School: Greek Dance Lessons in Gym (Ages 5-11)
@2:00pm GOYA Volleyball & Basketball Games vs Roseland

Prayer for a Sick Person:

Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal (me) Your servant from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant (me) patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health.  Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed.  I pray that You heal (me) as Your servant and grant (me) the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Please keep these names in your prayers

Irene, Amanda, Dustin, Dimitra, Eleni, Sarah, Janet, Dimitri, Areti, Effie, Alexander, Ioannis, Irene, Lauren, Eleni, Dorothy, Carolyn, Ava Michelle, Demetrios, Eleftherios, Stelios, Sofia, Constantinos, Stamatina, Alexander, Alexandra, Constantinos, Christos, Maria, Henny, Theodora, Photini, Robert, Eleni, Ioannis, Margarita, Anna, Nicholas, MaryJane, George, Vasilios, Photeine, Chrissy, David, George, Maria, George, Gladys John, Gregory, Barbara, Helen, Michelle, Ennette, Eleni, Mary, Andreas, Sofia, Joseph, Catrina, Patricia, Erica, Maria, Angeliki, Maria, Dimitrios, Irene, Reta, Eleni, Maria, Kyriaki, Martin, Maria.

If you would like us to remember you or your loved one in our prayers, please contact the office. 973-584-0388 or send us an email to [email protected]    

Names will be kept on this list for approximately three months. Please resubmit Names if needed.   Fr. John will pray for the Names above during the PROSKOMIDI “Offering of gifts” during the first part of the Divine Liturgy when our priest prepares the mystical gifts of bread and wine. Please keep these names in your prayers as well.