Orthros at 8:15 am & Divine Liturgy at 9:30am
Weekday Orthros and Liturgies begin at 8am
Sunday 2/6
Sunday of the Canaanite, St. Photios, + Orthros @8:15am & DL SJC @9:30am
A 40 Day Memorial Service will be held for the repose of the soul of +Constantine Κωνσταντίνου Perchem, beloved uncle of Anastasia Perchem and Jim Angelus and cousin of Mary Close.
An Annual Trisagion Service for the repose of the soul of +Alyxsondra Αλεξάνδρας Laoudis, beloved daughter of John and Irene Laoudis, sister of George and Demetri. Friends of the family are invited to join them for refreshments downstairs in memory of their beloved Alyxsondra.
A Trisagion Service will be held for the repose of the soul of +Sultana Σουλτάνας Kaliaris Kordes, beloved sister of Despena Eptamenites.
May their memory be eternal. Αιωνία η μνήμη αυτών
We will not have services on Feb. 10th for St. Haralabos.
Sunday 2/13
The Publican and Pharisee; Triodion Begins Today +Orthros @8:15am +DL SJC @9:30am
ATTENDING SERVICES AT SAINT ANDREW
No reservations are required to attend church services
Masks are recommended during services
A section in the church with Social distance seating is available for people who choose this for themselves or their family.
Participation in services is also available via livestream - go to: Home | St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church (orthodoxws.com) and choose LIVESTREAM on the Menu bar
Prayers/Liturgy can always be found at: https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html
Online Giving System: Website: https://www.standrewgonj.org/ and choose PayPal / online WeShare
Sunday Services are at 8:15am Orthros & at 9:30am Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
Three Holy Hierarchs & Greek Letters Day after Divine Liturgy Rescheduled from last week
The St Andrew Hellenic Afternoon School Students will demonstrate their faith and heritage. Please join us in encouraging our youth as they present us with poems on this special occasion of the Three Hierarchs Day.
Parish Council members take the following oath every year Rescheduled from last week
“I,__________________, do solemnly affirm that I will uphold the dogma, teaching, traditions, holy canons, worship and moral principles of the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as the Charter and Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and that I will faithfully and sincerely fulfil the duties and obligations required of a member of the Parish Council. So help me, God.”
We thank them for their commitment and look forward to their many contributions
GYRO SALE: Next weekend
February 12 & 13 Sat 11am -6pm & Sun 12-3pm
Please contact Rika P. or Nick M. we will need help before during or after the gyro sale
Gyro & Souvlaki sandwich ● Souvlaki on a stick ● Greek fries ● Greek pastries
Our Online Ordering Menu to Pre-Order https://standrewgonj.square.site/
Stewardship
We would like to thank everyone who brought in and or mailed their 2022 Christian Stewardship Commitment Card. If you were not able to bring your card to church, we ask that you prayerfully reflect on your commitment to our Saint Andrew Church. Thank you again for your support to Saint Andrew and to its ministries.
Mardi Gras Celebration - 2022 -has been cancelled
Join us for Little Angels Playgroup (LAP)!: Calling all Little Angels ages 0-4! For basic introduction to Greek nursery rhymes and religion. Feel free to bring toys, snacks. A caretaker must be present. Drop in any time between 9:30-11:30am 1st and 3rd If you have questions or plan on attending, please contact Athina Vella at amv1823@gmail.com or call/text 973-879-7095.
HOPE- JOY
HOPE Hellenic Orthodox Primary Education - Grades K through 2 |JOY Junior Orthodox Youth - Grades 3 through 6 |For more information or upcoming events/activities, please contact HOPE & JOY: hopejoystandrews@gmail.com
Philoptochos Membership Drive 2022 Please renew or join Philoptochos
Knitting & Crocheting @ 11am on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month
Please join us on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month at 11:00am for knitting and or sewing. We need you to help us provide blankets, scarves, and pillows to the different organizations we are helping. Feel free to drop in for a cup of coffee … we usually have little lunch a lot of laughs. Meeting Dates 2/16 and 3/2 & 3/16
Lifeline Screening at Saint Andrew - Tuesday February 22nd
Van For Hope Tuesday February 22nd @ 10am-2pm in parking lot from 10-2pm to assist with applications for assistance Morris County Department of Human Service and Family Promise of Morris County
Hellenic Afternoon School
Mondays at 4:30pm for Jr.PK, PK, K, Levels 1 & 2.
Thursdays at 4:30pm for Levels 3,4,5 and 6
Greek Dance Class
Thursdays for Group 1 at 5:45pm & for Group 2 and 6:30pm
GOYA GREEK DANCE
Thursdays at 7:30pm
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA ARCHIEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL
Prot. No. 11/2022
Archiepiscopal Encyclical on the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and the Day of Greek Letters January 30, 2022
Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ-named Plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of America.
The Hierarchs of Christ, the pride of the Fathers, the pillars of the Faith, and the Teachers and guardians of the Faithful (Great Vespers of the Three Hierarchs)
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Feast of the Saintly Three Hierarchs — Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom — is an occasion of the greatest joy in the Church. Together, as the hymn says, they stand as “pillars of the Faith,” much like those established in the Book of Revelation when the Lord says: “I will make the victor a pillar in the Temple of My God…. (3:12). Indeed, each of these great Hierarchs was victorious, triumphing over heresy and sophistry. They were the finest examples of the Wisdom of God, who establishes Her own pillars (cf. Proverbs 9:1) to edify the House of God.
As exemplars of true philosophy, each Hierarch embodies what we call “Greek Letters,” by which we mean the sum and substance of Hellenic culture, language, arts, and sciences. Greek Letters are the building blocks of Western civilization, and the intellectual tools which have shaped its worldview. They are also the means by which the “Preparation of the Gospel” was effected. On the one hand, there was the person of Saint John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the coming of the Lord to Israel. On the other hand, there was the genius that shone in the lands of ancient Hellas – a genius that not only prepared the Old Testament in the Greek Language (i.e., the Septuagint), but through the expansion of Hellenism through Alexander the Great, spread the fertile mind of Greece to the exact regions where the Gospel would be preached by the Apostles.
Thus, these Three Hierarchs of Christ, became the “Teachers and guardians of the Faithful,” precisely because they paved the way for the best of the Greek heritage to become the handmaiden of the Lord, just like the Theotokos, who brought forth Christ in the world. Following them, “the pride of the Fathers,” let us bring forth Christ in our lives with the fulness of our Hellenic inheritance.
With paternal love in our Lord Jesus Christ,
† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America
Coffee Hour
will be held in the Social Hall and hosted by Philoptochos will be sponsored by the family of +Alyxsondra Laoudis in honor of her blessed memory.
Bagels are donated by Jimmy Psaras of ALFA BAGELS on Route 10 in Randolph, NJ
Coffee is donated by Aristotle Leontopoulos of Coffee Associates in Edgewater, NJ
HOSTING ON:
2/13 PTA, 2/20 DOP, 2/27 GOYA, 3/6 Philoptochos, 3/13* PTA, 3/20* DOP, 3/27* GOYA, 3/29 Bakaliko, 4/3* Philoptochos, 4/10* DOP, 4/17 Palm Sunday All Ministries, 4/24 PASCHA No Coffee hour , 5/1 Philoptochos, 5/8 PTA, 5/15 DOP, 5/22 GOYA, 5/29 Bakaliko….
Church Schedule
Monday2/7
@4:30 HAS LEVELS: JPK, PK, K, L1, L2
@7:30pm Parish Council Meeting/Rescheduled
Tuesday 2/8
@5:30 pm GOYA Play Practice
Wednesday 2/9
Thursday 2/10
No service at St. Andrew for Saint Haralambos
@4:30 HAS LEVELS: L3, L4, L5, L6
@5:45 Greek Dance Class Group 1 | @6:30pm Greek Dance Class Group 2
@7:30pm GOYA GREEK Dance Practice
Friday 2/11 Prepping for Gyro Fest contact Nick Monokandilos or Rikka Petrou
GOYA NNJYC St Valentines Dance | Roseland at 7pm (no bus | parents drop off and pickup)
Saturday 2/12GYRO FEST 11AM-6PM
Sunday 2/13The Publican and Pharisee; +Orthros @8:15am DL SJC @9:30am Triodion Begins Today
GYRO FEST 12-3PM
Monday 2/14
@4:30 HAS LEVELS: JPK, PK, K, L1, L2
Tuesday 2/15
@5:30 pm GOYA Play Practice
Wednesday 2/16
@11am Knitting & Pillow Ministry
Prayerfully consider your blessings as you make your 2021 Donation to Saint Andrew and submit your 2022 Stewardship Commitment on Sunday, November 28th
February 12 & 13 Sat 11am -6pm & Sun 12-3pm Please contact Rika P. or Nick M. need help before during or after the gyro sale Gyro & Souvlaki sandwich ● Souvlaki on a stick ● Greek fries ● Greek pastries | Our Online Ordering Menu link https://standrewgonj.square.site/
Archiepiscopal Encyclical for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and the Day of the Greek Letters in GREEK
Support our Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church at no cost to you !
Interfaith Food Pantry Network: Super Bowl or as we like to call it The Souper Bowl of Caring.
Andrea needs our help to conquer cancer
ANNUAL ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ORATORICAL FESTIVAL Parish Level on Saturday, March 12th at Noon
Community Health Events <communityhealth@atlantichealth.org>
Brochure
NJ High School students of Hellenic decent ...
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
Demetrios, Robin, Paraskevi, Nikoletta, Theodore, Eleni, Athena, Katerina, Sophia, Eleni, Corinne, Maria, Ioannis, Michael, Eleana, Demetra, Kenneth, Eleni, Anastasios, Phillip, Gregory, John, Marny, Chari, Nikolaos, Janet, Melissa, Marty, Andreas, Fotini, Georgia, Pamela, Haralambos, Photeine, Christina, Michael, Adrianne, George, Anastasia, Nicholas, Michael, Alexandra, Sofia, Joseph, Vasilios, Robert, Chrisopigi, Guadalupe, Barbara, Ioannis, Margaret, Ava, Venessa, Chris, Dominic, Ralph, Ralph L, Elenitsa, Sophia, ….
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 info@standrewgonj.org
Names will be kept on this list for approximately 3 months. Please resubmit Names if needed. Fr. John will pray for the Names above during the Proskomide “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.
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.
Eleventh Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 21:14-25
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐφανερώθη ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ λέγει τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρῳ· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με πλεῖον τούτων; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναί, Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. λέγει αὐτῷ πάλιν δεύτερον· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναί, Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. λέγει αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὁ Πέτρος ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον, φιλεῖς με, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, σὺ πάντα οἶδας, σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου. ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ὅτε ἦς νεώτερος, ἐζώννυες σεαυτὸν καὶ περιεπάτεις ὅπου ἤθελες· ὅταν δὲ γηράσῃς, ἐκτενεῖς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ ἄλλος σε ζώσει, καὶ οἴσει ὅπου οὐ θέλεις. τοῦτο δὲ εἶπε σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ δοξάσει τὸν Θεόν. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν λέγει αὐτῷ· ἀκολούθει μοι. ἐπιστραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος βλέπει τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἀκολουθοῦντα, ὃς καὶ ἀνέπεσεν ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπε· Κύριε, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδιδούς σε; τοῦτον ἰδὼν ὁ Πέτρος λέγει τῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ· Κύριε, οὗτος δὲ τί; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; σὺ ἀκολούθει μοι. ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ λόγος οὗτος εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὅτι ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει, ἀλλ᾽ ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μαθητὴς ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ τούτων καὶ γράψας ταῦτα, καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία αὐτοῦ. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς, ἅτινα ἐὰν γράφηται καθ᾽ ἕν, οὐδὲ αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν κόσμον χωρῆσαι τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία. ἀμήν.
Prokeimenon. First Mode. Psalm 48.3,1.
My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding.
Verse: Hear this all you nations.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2.
Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.
Προκείμενον. First Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 48.3,1.
Τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν.
Στίχ. Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη.
τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 7:26-28, 8:1-2.
Ἀδελφοί, τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔπρεπεν ἀρχιερεύς, ὅσιος, ἄκακος, ἀμίαντος, κεχωρισμένος ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ ὑψηλότερος τῶν οὐρανῶν γενόμενος· ὃς οὐκ ἔχει καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀνάγκην, ὥσπερ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, πρότερον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν θυσίας ἀναφέρειν, ἔπειτα τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἐφάπαξ, ἑαυτὸν ἀνενέγκας. Ὁ νόμος γὰρ ἀνθρώπους καθίστησιν ἀρχιερεῖς, ἔχοντας ἀσθένειαν· ὁ λόγος δὲ τῆς ὁρκωμοσίας τῆς μετὰ τὸν νόμον, υἱὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τετελειωμένον. Κεφάλαιον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις· τοιοῦτον ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα, ὃς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργός, καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος·
Sunday of the Canaanite
The Reading is from Matthew 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Sunday of the Canaanite
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 15:21-28
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἐκραύγαζεν αὐτῷ λέγουσα· ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, υἱὲ Δαυΐδ· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἠρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· ἀπόλυσον αὐτήν, ὅτι κράζει ὄπισθεν ἡμῶν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου ᾿Ισραήλ. ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ λέγουσα· Κύριε, βοήθει μοι. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις. ἡ δὲ εἶπε· ναί, Κύριε· καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ· ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις! γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης.
As for the thrice-blessed Photius, the great and most resplendent Father and teacher of the Church, the Confessor of the Faith and Equal to the Apostles, he lived during the years of the emperors Michael (the son of Theophilus), Basil the Macedonian, and Leo his son. He was the son of pious parents, Sergius and Irene, who suffered for the Faith under the Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus; he was also a nephew of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25). He was born in Constantinople, where he excelled in the foremost imperial ministries, while ever practicing a virtuous and godly life. An upright and honorable man of singular learning and erudition, he was raised to the apostolic, ecumenical, and patriarchal throne of Constantinople in the year 857.
The many struggles that this thrice-blessed one undertook for the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaeans, the Iconoclasts, and other heretics, and the attacks and assaults that he endured from Nicholas I, the haughty and ambitious Pope of Rome, and the great persecutions and distresses he suffered, are beyond number. Contending against the Latin error of the filioque, that is, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, he demonstrated clearly with his Mystagogy on the Holy Spirit how the filioque destroys the unity and equality of the Trinity. He has left us many theological writings, panegyric homilies, and epistles, including one to Boris, the Sovereign of Bulgaria, in which he set forth for him the history and teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Having tended the Church of Christ in holiness and in an evangelical manner, and with fervent zeal having rooted out all the tares of every alien teaching, he departed to the Lord in the Monastery of the Armenians on February 6, 891.
This Saint was a priest of the Christians in Magnesia, the foremost city of Thessaly, in the diocese having the same name. He contested during the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235), when Lucian was Proconsul of Magnesia. At the time of his martyrdom the Saint was 103 years of age.
St. Haralambos is commemorated on February 10th, with the exception when this date falls on the Saturday of the Souls preceding Lent or on Clean Monday (the first day of Lent), in which case the feast is celebrated on February 9th.
The Pharisees were an ancient and outstanding sect among the Jews known for their diligent observance of the outward matters of the Law. Although, according to the word of our Lord, they "did all their works to be seen of men" (Matt. 23:5), and were hypocrites (ibid. 23: 13, 14, 15, etc.), because of the apparent holiness of their lives they were thought by all to be righteous, and separate from others, which is what the name Pharisee means. On the other hand, Publicans, collectors of the royal taxes, committed many injustices and extortions for filthy lucre's sake, and all held them to be sinners and unjust. It was therefore according to common opinion that the Lord Jesus in His parable signified a virtuous person by a Pharisee, and a sinner by a Publican, to teach His disciples the harm of pride and the profit of humble-mindedness.
Since the chief weapon for virtue is humility, and the greatest hindrance to it is pride, the divine Fathers have set these three weeks before the Forty-day Fast as a preparation for the spiritual struggles of virtue. This present week they have called Harbinger, since it declares that the Fast is approaching; and they set humility as the foundation for all our spiritual labors by appointing that the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee be read today, even before the Fast begins, to teach, through the vaunting of the Pharisee, that the foul smoke of self-esteem and the stench of boasting drives away the grace of the Spirit, strips man of all his virtue, and casts him into the pits of Hades; and, through the repentance and contrite prayer of the Publican, that humility confers upon the sinner forgiveness of all his wicked deeds and raises him up to the greatest heights.
All foods are allowed the week that follows this Sunday.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text