October 16
St. Andrew Church
Publish Date: 2022-10-16
Bulletin Contents
Services at St. Andrew
Announcements
Fr. John's Message
Daily Calendar
News - Flyers - Registrations - Other
Prayer List
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Saints and Feasts
Hymns of the Day
Wisdom of the Fathers
St. Andrew Church
General Information
- Phone:
- (973) 584-0388
- Fax:
- (973) 584-3573
- Email:
- info@standrewgonj.org
- Street Address:
- 1447 Sussex Turnpike
- Randolph, NJ 07869-1830
- Mailing Address:
- 1447 Sussex Turnpike
- Randolph, NJ 07869-1830
Contact Information
Services Schedule
On Sunday we celebrate
Orthros at 8:15 am & Divine Liturgy at 9:30am
Weekday Orthros and Liturgies begin at 8am
Past Bulletins
- Publish Date:
- 2022-10-23
- Publish Date:
- 2022-10-09
- Publish Date:
- 2022-10-02
- Publish Date:
- 2022-09-25
- Publish Date:
- 2022-09-18
- Publish Date:
- 2022-09-11
Services at St. Andrew
Sunday 10/16
+Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council +Orthros @8:15am & Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom @9:30am
Memorial Services:
A Three-Month Memorial Service will be held for the repose of the soul of +Michael Μιχαήλ Protopapas, beloved husband of Alexandra, father of Nicholas and brother of Penelope Logothetou.
A Six Month Memorial Service will be held for the repose of the soul of +Vasiliki Βασιλικής Grapsas, and an Annual Memorial Service for the repose of the soul of +Demetrios Δημητρίου Grapsas beloved parents of: Soultana Seretis, Giorgos Grapsas, Aphrodite Kasolas, Katina Sakellaropoulos, & Elli Pittas, grandparents of: Nikos Seretis, Demetrios Seretis, Jacqui and Demetrios Sakellaropoulos, Bobby Kasolas, Despina Pittas-Szelag, Vasiliki Garces, Vasiliki, Demetrios, and Andrew Grapsas…. Relatives and friends are invited to join the family downstairs in the social hall for refreshments in honor of their loved ones’ blessed memory.
May their memory be eternal! Αιωνίαημνήμηαυτών!
Monday 10/17 @9:30am A Funeral Service will be prayed for the repose of the soul of +Jolanta Findley beloved mother of Irene Findley. May God rest her soul and her memory be etrnal. Our sincerest condolences to her family.
Tuesday 10/18
St. Luke the Evangelist +Orthros @8:am & Divine Liturgy @9:00am
Sunday 10/23
+6th Sunday of Luke +Orthros @8:15am & Divine Liturgy of SJC @9:30am
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
Announcements
Sunday school students please sit in reserved pews B1-B3 (center left) after receiving Holy Communion, please proceed to your classrooms via the Social Hall.
GOYA Members please sit in reserved pews A3-A5 (extreme left)
GOYA GAMES at Saint Andrew Fairview v. Randolph in our gym on Sunday 10/16
@2:30 VB J | @3:30 VB Sr | @4:30 BB-Sr | @5:30 BB-Jr
SUNDAY COFFEE Hour is hosted by the Saint Andrew DOP
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
Coffee Hour ON Sunday:10/23 GOYA, 10/30 Bakaliko, 11/6 Philoptochos, 11/13 PTA, 11/20 DOP, 11/27 Bakaliko, 12/4 Philoptochos, 12/11 PTA, 12/18 DOP, 12/25 Christmas
GREEK DANCE Program will begin Thursday September 15th
INFO & REG GREEK SCHOOL | St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church (orthodoxws.com)
Please complete: Family & Student Information Form 2022-23
and indicate dance level
Group 1 (ages K thru age 7) 6:30pm
Group 2 (ages 8-11) 7:15pm
Group 3 GOYA (ages 12-18) 8:00pm
GOYA
Please use the link below to register. ..... ... Registration costs $125 for the first child and $100 for siblings. Please pay the registration on the WeShare Link, under GOYA Event. Registration helps subsidize many of our events: Volleyball, Basketball, District and Youth Commission fees, Pizza socials, Mr & Miss GOYA, Religious Retreats, Olympics Snacks, Senior Send Off (just to name a few events).
WE SHARE LINK
St. Andrew GOYA Registration 2022-2023
Mondays: @7:00-8:30pm GOYA Basketball /gym
Tuesdays: @7:30 -9PM GOYA Volleyball /gym
Wednesdays: 7:00-8:30pm GOYA Basketball /gym
Thusdays: @8:00pm Greek Dance GROUP 3 / GOYA
Knitting & Pillow Ministry: Will meet on the following Wednesdays to knit blankets and scarves as well as sew and stuff pillows. Join us on 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, & 12/14 | Let us know if you can join us or just come pick up some yarn to knit at home.
save the dates
60th Anniversary Gala Sunday November 13th at the Meadow Wood in Randolph NJ see flyer below (PLEASE RSVP BY Oct 30th)Fr. John's Message
Lord’s Voice
10-16-22 Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
A SURE ROAD
We hear the parable of the Sower today during the Divine Liturgy of this Sunday, which is also dedicated to the memory of holy and godbearing Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council (787 AD). We could say that the content of today's instructive gospel narrative is a signpost and a guide for the workers of the Church, clergy, laity and monks of every age, who work with divine zeal, self-denial and a sacrificial spirit for the calling of making disciples of the nations.
The sowers of Christ, with their teaching and life, with their preaching and silence, with their testimony and martyrdom, sow the divine word in the field of people’s souls, they evangelize "day by day" the salvation that springs from participation in the Body of Christ. Sometimes, they find a rocky field, at other times a barren one, full of weeds, many times, exposed to the bulimia of all kinds of birds. Their desire and prayer, effort and sweat are offered so that, in the end, it becomes fertile and fruitful
The devil's polemics
The devil has always struggled to convince the workers of the Church that their struggle is in vain, that he himself and his deceitful methods will prevail and conquer the field of the soul of the people, and indeed of the faithful and elect. The convocation of the Ecumenical Synods is precisely due to the organized polemic of the devil against the Church. Specifically, the Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened at the end of the 8th century in Nicaea in Bithynia at the initiative of Saint Irene the Athenian, to restore the veneration of the holy icons, and 350 bishops participated in it, under the presidency of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Tarasios. The Seventh Ecumenical Synod denounced the decisions of the iconoclastic Synod of Iereia, which had been convened a few years before, by Emperor Constantine the 5th. It condemned the iconoclast patriarchs and bishops and restored the honor of sacred icons based on the theology of Saint John of Damascus. It determined that the icons of the Saints are not venerated by the faithful for the material from which they are made, but their veneration goes to prototype. The Synod thus easily rejected the accusation that the healthy love of icons is equated with idolatry.
The good-hating devil, however, did not stop sowing weeds in Christ's field, and fighting the genuine sowers. Thus, in the beginning of the 9th century, Emperor Leo V, the Armenian, inaugurated the second phase of iconoclasm. He convoked a Synod in the church of Blachernae, which wanted to abolish the decisions of the canonical Council of Nicaea, and to proclaim the Synod of Iereia as the so-called Seventh Ecumenical. However, quickly, by the grace of God, Queen Theodora - who reigned as the guardian of her minor son Michael III, – convened a new Synod in Constantinople in the middle of the 9th century, which annulled the council of the Blachernes and ratified the minutes of the 7th Ecumenical Council.
The victory of Christ
The example of the holy Fathers and their sacred legacy, comprise a spiritual endowment of inconceivable value for Christians of all the ages. Many times, the man of our time, each of us individually, complains that he is alone and defenseless and, therefore, vulnerable to the diverse and polynomial crafts of the devil. What the holy Fathers of all the Ecumenical Councils handed down to us, has enormous value, but also a double meaning; one part has to do with the accuracy of the dogmas and the preservation of the right faith, while the other, with the conviction and certainty that, however much the weeds have grown in Christ's field, Christ himself holds the hand of the genuine sower. So let us take courage, let us invoke the intercession of our Saints, and He will heal all the rest.
Archim. A. A
Daily Calendar
Monday 10/17
On Monday @9:30am A Funeral Service will be prayed for the repose of the sole of +Jolanta Findley beloved mother of Irene Findley. May God rest her soul.
@7pm 60th Anniversary meeting
@7-8:30pm GOYA Basketball /gym
@7:30 State Metropolis Youth Meeting
Tuesday 10/18
+Luke the Evangelist +Orthros @8am & +Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom @9:15am
@7:30pm Parish Council Monthly Meeting (rescheduled form 10/17)
@7:30 -9 pm GOYA Volleyball /gym
Wednesday 10/19
@7-8:30pm GOYA Basketball /gym
Thursday 10/20
@4:30pm Hellenic Afternoon School Classes
Greek Dance ●Group 1 @6:30pm ●Group 2 @7:15pm ● GROUP 3 /GOYA @8:00pm
@7pm Bible Study
Saturday 10/22
Faith Kitchen- Parish Council Hosts
Sunday 10/23
+6th Sunday of Luke +Orthros @8:15am & Divine Liturgy of SJC @9:30am
Memorial Service: +Ourania (Nitsa Gribas)
Monday 10/24
@6:00pm 60th Anniversary meeting
@6:30pm Stewardship Meeting
@7:00-8:30pm GOYA Basketball /gym
Tuesday 10/25
@7pm Philoptochos Meeting
@7:30 -9 pm GOYA Volleyball /gym
Wednesday 10/26
+ St. Demetrios +Orthros @8:00am & Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom @9:00am
Friday 10/28
+ Holy Protection of the Theotokos +Orthros @8:00am & Divine Liturgy @9:00am
@6-9pm Trunk or Treat see flyer
News - Flyers - Registrations - Other
Bible Study
Thursdays at 7pm on Oct. 13, 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10 & 17
letter from Fr John
in English & Greek /come celebrate the many blessings of our community.
60th Anniversary GALA
The 60th Anniversary of Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church will be an Elegant Gala Celebration on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH 2022 |RESERVATIONS & SPONSORSHIP LINK https://tinyurl.com/4zvfha8c (RSVP BY OCTOBER 30TH)
60th Anniversary - Saint Andrew
Reservation & Sponsorship
Lord's Voice
Foni Kyriou in Greek on Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
TRUNK OR TREAT
Friday Oct 28 AT 6PM |rsvp https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4FADA828A6F58-standrew2 by 10-21-22
Family & Youth Info
all Sunday school students and GOYA Members Please complete form and submit to office | indicate student's Grade and involvement in: Sunday school| Greek Dance|GOYA |JOY |HOPE | LAP
St. John Chrysostom
Saturday, November 12, 2022 6:00pm: Great Hierarchical Vespers celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, together with His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia in Westfield NJ
eGiving
eGiving is coming to Saint Andrew!
Community Health Events
October 2022 - Atlantic Health System
Prayer List
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
Panagiota, Thomas, Robert, Eleni Leslie, Martin, Christos, Paula, Vakerie, David, Barbara, Cesar, Angeliki, Maria, Demetri, Karen, Andrew, Stan, Vasiliki, Marios, Theodore, Gregory, Fr. Konstantine, Mary, Eftihia, Ioannis, David , Andreas, Robert, Antonis, Susan, Alexandros, Gregory, Sophia, Tara, children and families of Ukraine, Ioanna, Landon, Lueda, Evangelia, Christine, Vasiliki, Anastasia, Aikaterini, Cynthia, Demetrios, Robin, Paraskevi, Theodore, Eleni, Athena, Katerina, Sophia, Eleni, Corinne, Maria, Ioannis, Eleana, Demetra, Kenneth, Eleni, Anastasios, 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…
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.
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Matins Gospel Reading
Seventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:1-10
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying and the napkin, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Seventh Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 20:1-10
Τῇ μιᾷ τῶν Σαββάτων Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ ἔρχεται πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης, εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον· καὶ βλέπει τὸν λίθον ἠρμένον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου. Τρέχει οὖν, καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς Σίμωνα Πέτρον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄλλον μαθητήν, ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ᾞραν τὸν Κύριον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου, καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ἔθηκαν αὐτόν. Ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητής, καὶ ἤρχοντο εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον. Ἔτρεχον δὲ οἱ δύο ὁμοῦ· καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητὴς προέδραμε τάχιον τοῦ Πέτρου, καὶ ἦλθε πρῶτος εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ παρακύψας, βλέπει κείμενα τὰ ὀθόνια· οὐ μέντοι εἰσῆλθεν. Ἔρχεται οὖν Σίμων Πέτρος ἀκολουθῶν αὐτῷ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ θεωρεῖ τὰ ὀθόνια κείμενα· καὶ τὸ σουδάριον, ὃ ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, οὐ μετὰ τῶν ὀθονίων κείμενον, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἐντετυλιγμένον εἰς ἕνα τόπον. Τότε οὖν εἰσῆλθε καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητὴς ὁ ἐλθὼν πρῶτος εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἐπίστευσεν. Οὐδέπω γὰρ ᾔδεισαν τὴν Γραφήν, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι. Ἀπῆλθον οὖν πάλιν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς οἱ μαθηταί.
Epistle Reading
Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Daniel 3.26,27.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15.
Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.
When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.
All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Προκείμενον. Fourth Mode. Δανιήλ 3.26-27.
Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν.
Στίχ. Ὅτι δίκαιος εἶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς ἐποίησας ἡμῖν.
τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Τίτον 3:8-15.
Τέκνον Τίτε, πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις · μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔριν καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αιῥετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ ᾽ἐμοῦ πάντες. Ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.
Gospel Reading
Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from Luke 8:5-15
The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 8:5-15
Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσε παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ κατεπατήθη, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατέφαγεν αὐτό· καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα· καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀκανθῶν, καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό. καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, καὶ φυὲν ἐποίησε καρπὸν κατονταπλασίονα. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. ᾿Επηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· τίς εἴη ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσι καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ συνιῶσιν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ παραβολή· ὁ σπόρος ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, εἶτα ἔρχεται ὁ διάβολος καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ πιστεύσαντες σωθῶσιν. οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι, μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται. τὸ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας πεσόν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, καὶ ὑπὸ μεριμνῶν καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου πορευόμενοι συμπνίγονται καὶ οὐ τελεσφοροῦσι. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
Saints and Feasts
October 16
Longinus the Centurion
This Martyr was in the service of Pontius Pilate at the time of Christ our Saviour's Passion. While standing guard at the Cross and beholding the earthquake and all that came to pass, he cried out with fear, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). After the Resurrection, he forsook the military and departed for Cappadocia, his homeland, where he preached Christ. By the agency of Pontius Pilate, Tiberius Caesar had him arrested and beheaded.
October 16
Sunday of the 7th Ecumenical Council
On the Sunday that falls on or immediately after the eleventh of this month, we chant the Service to the 350 holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which gathered in Nicaea in 787 under the holy Patriarch Tarasius and during the reign of the Empress Irene and her son, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, to refute the Iconoclast heresy, which had received imperial support beginning with the Edict issued in 726 by Emperor Leo the Isaurian. Many of the holy Fathers who condemned Iconoclasm at this holy Council later died as Confessors and Martyrs for the holy Icons during the second assult of Iconoclasm in the ninth century, especially during the reigns of Leo the Armenian and Theophilus.
October 18
Luke the Evangelist
This Apostle was an Antiochean, a physician by trade, and a disciple and companion of Paul. He wrote his Gospel in Greek after Matthew and Mark, after which he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, and dedicated both works to Theophilus, who, according to some, was Governor of Achaia. He lived some eighty-six years and died in Achaia, perhaps in Patras, the capital of this district. His emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ's sacrificial and priestly office, as Saint Irenaeus says.
October 20
Gerasimos of Cephalonia
Saint Gerasimus was from the Peloponnesus, the son of Demetrius and Kale, of the family of Notaras. He was reared in piety by them and studied the Sacred writings. He left his country and went throughout various lands, and finally came to Cephalonia, where he restored a certain old church and built a convent around it, where it stands to this day at the place called Omala. He finished the course of his life there in asceticism in the year 1570. His sacred relics, which remain incorrupt, are kept there for the sanctification of the faithful.
October 23
James the Apostle, brother of Our Lord
According to some, this Saint was a son of Joseph the Betrothed, born of the wife that the latter had before he was betrothed to the Ever-virgin. Hence he was the brother of the Lord, Who was also thought to be the son of Joseph (Matt. 13: 55). But some say that he was a nephew of Joseph, and the son of his brother Cleopas, who was also called Alphaeus and Mary his wife, who was the first cousin of the Theotokos. But even according to this genealogy, he was still called, according to the idiom of the Scriptures, the Lord's brother because of their kinship.
This Iakovos is called the Less (Mark 15:40) by the Evangelists to distinguish him from Iakovos, the son of Zebedee, who was called the Great. He became the first Bishop of Jerusalem, elevated to this episcopal rank by the Apostles, according to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist., Book II: 23), and was called Obliah, that is, the Just, because of his great holiness and righteousness. Having ascended the crest of the Temple on the day of the Passover at the prompting of all, he bore testimony from there concerning his belief in Jesus, and he proclaimed with a great voice that Jesus sits at the right hand of the great power of God and shall come again upon the clouds of heaven. On hearing this testimony, many of those present cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David." But the Scribes and Pharisees cried, "So, even the just one hath been led astray," and at the command of Ananias the high priest, the Apostle was cast down headlong from thence, then was stoned, and while he prayed for his slayers, his head was crushed by the wooden club wielded by a certain scribe. The first of the Catholic (General) Epistles written to the Jews in the Diaspora who believed in Christ was written by this Iakovos.
Hymns of the Day
Resurrectional Apolytikion in the First Mode
Although the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers guarded Your most pure body, You arose on the third day, O Savior, giving life to the world. For this reason, the heavenly powers cried out to you, O Giver of Life: Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ! Glory to Your kingdom! Glory to Your dispensation, only Lover of Mankind!
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ στρατιωτῶν φυλασσόντων τὸ ἄχραντόν σου σῶμα, ἀνέστης τριήμερος Σωτήρ, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν ζωήν. Διὰ τοῦτο αἱ Δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐβόων σοι Ζωοδότα· Δόξα τῇ ἀναστάσει σου Χριστέ, δόξα τῇ Βασιλείᾳ σου, δόξα τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ σου, μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε.
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Apolytikion for Sun. of the 7th Ecumenical Council in the Plagal Fourth Mode
Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to Thee.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Ὑπερδεδοξασμένος εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ φωστῆρας ἐπὶ γῆς τοὺς Πατέρας ἡμῶν θεμελιώσας, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν, πάντας ἡμᾶς ὁδηγήσας· πολυεύσπλαγχνε, δόξα σοι.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode
O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the creator most constant: O despise not the voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession and speed thou to make supplication, O thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Προστασία τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀκαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία πρὸς τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀμετάθετε. Μὴ παρίδῃς ἁμαρτωλῶν δεήσεων φωνάς, ἀλλὰ πρόφθασον, ὡς ἀγαθή, εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν, τῶν πιστῶς κραυγαζόντων σοι· Τάχυνον εἰς πρεσβείαν, καὶ σπεῦσον εἰς ἱκεσίαν, ἡ προστατεύουσα ἀεί, Θεοτόκε, τῶν τιμώντων σε.
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Wisdom of the Fathers
When you see life's pleasures, beware that they might not distract you, for they conceal death's snares. Likewise a fisherman casts not his hook to no purpose. As bait for his hook, the enemy uses the delusion of sensuality to arouse desire, that he might thereby catch men's souls and subject them to himself. A soul which has been caught to serve the enemy's will then serves as a snare for other souls, for it conceals the grief of sin with its apparent delight.
A Spiritual Psalter no 43, pg. 74, 4th century
Since there are certain people who find great fault with us for adoring and honoring both the image of the Savior and that of our Lady, as well as those of the rest of the saints and servants of Christ, let them hear how from the beginning God made man to His own image. For what reason, then, do we adore one another, except because we have been made to the image of God? As the inspired Basil, who is deeply learned in theology, says: "the honor paid to the image conveys to the original.," and the original is the thing imaged from which the copy is made.
The Orthodox Faith, 4.16. Catholic University of America Press in Washington D.C. Translated by Frederic H. Chase, Jr. volume 37, page 370., 8th Century