February 04
St. Andrew Church
Publish Date: 2024-02-04
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:
- 2024-02-11
- Publish Date:
- 2024-01-28
- Publish Date:
- 2024-01-21
- Publish Date:
- 2024-01-14
- Publish Date:
- 2024-01-07
- Publish Date:
- 2023-12-31
Services at St. Andrew
Sunday 2/4
15th Sunday of Matthew + Orthros @8:15 & Divine Liturgy SJC @9:30am
A Memorial Service
A One Year Memorial Service will be prayed for the repose of the soul of +Hariclea Koutsouyiannis, beloved wife of Miachael Koutsouyiannis.
An Annual Memorial Service will be prayed for the repose of the soul of +Alyxsondra Laoudis, beloved daughter of John and Irene Laoudis, sister of George and Demetri.
May her memory be eternal. Αιωνίαημνήμηαυτής.
Tuesday 2/6
+St Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople +Orthros & Divine Liturgy SJC @8am
Saturday 2/10
+ Hieromartyr Haralambos +Orthros & Divine Liturgy SJC @8am
We have this saint’s Relics at our Saint Andrew Reliquary
Sunday 2/11
16th Sunday of Matthew + Orthros @8:15 & Divine Liturgy SJC @9:30am
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey will be visiting Saint Andrew to celebrate Orthros and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
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 | Consider making your donations using our New Abundant App
Announcements
Sunday School CLASSES after Holy Communion
40 Day Baby Blessing : Divine Liturgy of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Temple is commemorated on February 2nd . All are invited to stay after services for this brief explanation of the 40 Day Baby Blessing or Churching Ceremony. It is our tradition to bless the baby and mother at 40 days of birth.
Sunday Coffee Hour is hosted by Philoptochos
HOSTS ON: 2/11 PTA , 2/18 DOP, 2/24 GOYA, 3/3 Philoptochos, 03/10 PTA , 3/17 DOP , 3/24 GOYA, 3/31 Bakaliko, 4/7 Philoptochos, 4/14 PTA , 4/21 DOP, 4/28 GOYA…
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
Sunday February 4th "Go Red Sunday"
"Philoptochos is the heartbeat of the Greek Orthodox community."
In the Greek Orthodox community, Philoptochos is the heartbeat, pulsating with compassion and commitment. Our philanthropic organization, rooted in the principles of love and service, plays a pivotal role in fostering unity and support within the community.
As an emblem of solidarity, Philoptochos annually celebrates "Go Red Sunday" on the first Sunday in February, aligning its efforts with the American Heart Association's broader initiative. While the American Heart Association designates February 2nd as Wear Red Day, Philoptochos extends the observance to February 4th this year for "Go Red Sunday", creating a distinctive occasion for our community to unite, raise awareness, and promote heart health throughout the month of February.
Stewardship 2024 Update 1-31-24
We would like to thank everyone who brought in and or mailed their 2024 Stewardship Pledge. We have received 90totaling a commitment of $146,860 for the coming year. If you were not able to bring your card to church, we ask you to prayerfully consider your blessings as you make your 2024 commitment to Saint Andrew. We are moving toward becoming a percentage giving community. Find out more about our "Rounding Up" approach to Stewardship giving at https://standrewgonj.org/stewardship/#round-up
House Blessings AGIASMO
Fr. John has begun the House Blessings in our community. The Saint Andrew Parishioners will be notified of his pending visit. Please look for an “Email” or “Post Card” indicating date and time.
Fr. John has begun the House Blessings in our community. The Saint Andrew Parishioners will be notified of his pending visit. Please look for an “Email” or “Post Card” indicating date and time.
If you do not receive notification when your town is listed in the weekly bulletin, please contact the office ASAP to make arrangements for «Agiasmo» in your home.
If you are not able to receive Fr John on this day, contact the church office 973-584-0388 to reschedule for «Agiasmo» for your home.
Please try to accommodate this date as rescheduling of missed appointments are difficult and may be after Pascha
House Blessings AGIASMO
Monday 2/5 Chester
Tuesday 2/6 Sparta
Thursday 2/8 Denville
In an effort to improve the way we communicate with you, please take a moment to fill out this quick survey. All responses will be kept confidential. Thank you from your 2024 Stewardship Ministry Improved Communication Survey
phishing / CON ARTISTS TEXTS/EMAILS : Someone is sending out texts and emails asking for assistance and signing Fr John’s name. This is not Fr John’s cell number or email address. His cell number is 973-219-2941, his email is frjohn@standrewgonj.org . Please report the text/email as junk and delete and block the sender. We contacted the FBI about this problem and was informed that they do not take a case like this. We hope no one is fooled by these criminals. Please tell your friends. Fr will never reach out to anyone asking for “assistance” in this way. Thank you for your patience and understanding. God Bless!
Fr. John's Message
LORD'S VOICE
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT
In today's gospel passage, a teacher of the law, wanting to put Christ in a difficult position, asks Him: "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment of the Mosaic law”? Christ's answer is immediate: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. The second, just as important as the first, is to love your neighbor like yourself". Love is the first element that makes a person a social being and distinguishes him from the rest of creation. If a person does not love, then he becomes egocentric and instead of feelings, he has instincts to feed the passions that they create.
Does love prevail?
However, it is not at all easy to cultivate the commandment of love. That which today dominates our world and human beings’ relationships is the "ego", i.e. individual interest and selfishness. So, while the relationship with God and man is a relationship of love and in fact sacrificial love, so that our lives and souls are filled, yet arrogance, the feeling of superiority dominates in our societies which, wealth and power mainly, create, but also a tendency to impose our personal, religious and socio-political views, which stem not from the values of our Greek-Christian culture, but from our personal interests and pursuits.
That is why we have distanced ourselves and - so to speak - do not care about God and, consequently, neither also about our fellow man. God is our own self, and our neighbor is only he who satisfies our personal plans and ambitions, and he remains a neighbor for as long as he serves our own desires. God's love is man's happiness
However, we have been created by God who is love. We have innate in us the need to love and be loved, that's why we sometimes hear people complain saying "No one loves me, but I love them all." On this complaint, however, we do not understand, that above everyone and everything, God loves us. And God's love is man's happiness. Let us consider, we who may have the same complaint at certain moments in our lives. Do we respond to God's love?
God's love for us is indisputable and given. But do we love Him? Can we tell Him in our daily prayer that "even if people don't love us, they don't understand us, they don't stand by us in our difficulties, we have You. You who love us and will never leave us alone and unprotected"?
God as the inexhaustible source of love.
So, when we understand this love of God, then we will love the whole world. This certainty about love and God's charity, creates spiritual joy in us, fills our soul and mind, as Christ said in the Gospel today, and we see people as a thanksgiving and a gift in our lives. Then is the moment when we thank God for His love, but also all people, because through people, we also serve and love God.
God, my beloved, is the inexhaustible source of love and forgiveness, which He offers to the righteous and theunrighteous, to those who love Him and to those who have turned Him away from their lives. So, because God loves us, let us also try to respond to His love in one and only way.
Let us first try to love and forgive our fellow human beings and then we will understand how we will live happily in our societies and be full of Christ in our hearts.
Daily Calendar
Monday 2/5
@4:30-9pm GYM RENTAL
@8pm PC & STWP Financial Stewardship Assessment Zoom w Bill and Alex
Tuesday 2/6
+St Photios the Great + Orthros & Divine Liturgy @8am
@4:30-9pm GYM RENTAL | @7pm GOYA S&S practice
Wednesday 2/7
@ 11am Knitting Crocheting and Pillow Ministries
@4:30-9pm GYM RENTAL
Thursday 2/8
@ 4:30pm Hellenic Afternoon School All Grades
GREEK DANCE 1st Session: Group 1 @ 6:30pm | Group 2 @7:15 pm | GOYA @8:00pm
Setting up for GYRO FEST
@7pm Bible Study also on Feb: 15, 22 &29
Friday 2/9
Setting up for GYRO FEST
Saturday 2/10
+ Hieromartyr Haralambos + Orthros & Divine Liturgy @8am
gyro fest 11am-6pm
rELIGIOUS eDUCATION sEMINAR in Roseland NJ 9am-2pm rsvp 973-251-2920
Sunday 2/11
16th Sunday of Matthew + Orthros @8:15 & Divine Liturgy SJC @9:30am
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey will be visiting Saint Andrew to celebrate Orthros and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey will be visiting Saint Andrew to celebrate Orthros and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
News - Flyers - Registrations - Other
METROPOLITAN APOSTOLOS
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey will be visiting Saint Andrew to celebrate Orthros and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
GYRO FEST
Saturday February 10 @11am-6pm
ARCHEPISCOPAL Message
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey for the Feastday of the Three Hierarchs message in Greek.
Mardi Gras
Sunday 2-25-24| to reserve: Mardi Gras Celebration 2024 • RSVPify |to donate for tricky tray: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4FADA828A6F58-46701839-ptamardis
Stewardship
As we move toward becoming a percentage giving community, we are adopting a rounding up approach to giving... To learn more about what this means, click on https://standrewgonj.org/stewardship/#round-up
SEEKING SUNDAY USHERS
If you want to learn more or participate on the Usher team, please email nikolas.karkanias@gmail.com
Religious Education
SEMINAR on Saturday Feb 10th in Roseland NJ 9am-2pm rsvp 973-251-2920 to parish by 2/2
Philoptochos
GO RED SUNDAY 2-4-2024
Archbishop Elpidophoros
We would like to share with you His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, 2024 Archiepiscopal Encyclical for the Feast of Saint Photios. in Greek.
Archbishop Elpidophoros
We would like to share with you His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, 2024 Archiepiscopal Encyclical for the Feast of Saint Photios. in in English
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
Stanley Maria, Samuel, Peter, Vasilios, Evmorfia, Demetrios, Despina, Natalia, Lori, Klaus, Eleni, Demetrios, Roye, Elias, Eleana, Ellen, Andrew, Eleni, Denise, Eleni, Robert, Maria, Michael, Pamela, Angeliki, Theodoros, Constantinos, Andrew, Chari, Penelope, Evmorfia, Antonia, Kathleen, Michael, Jeffrey, Kleio, Maria, Irene, Mimika, Stacey, Bonnie, Melissa, Stanley, Anastasia, John, Barbara, Gladys, Nico, Spyridonas, Magdaleine, Eleni, Mary, Herbert, Paraskevi, George, James, Andrew, Andrew, Brandon, Michelle, Kevin, Vivian, Elaine, Anna, Vasilios, Maryanne, Joseph, Angeliki, Alexandra, Taxiarchis, Pres Spyridoula, Eleni, Stephanie, Theoseva, Costantinos, Eleni, Ioannis, Terry Ann, George, Elias, Eleni, Robert, John, Christina, Helen, Haroula Vasileke, John, Efrosini…
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 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.
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Matins Gospel Reading
Second Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Second Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Μᾶρκον 16:1-8
Διαγενομένου τοῦ Σαββάτου, Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ἰακώβου καὶ Σαλώμη ἠγόρασαν ἀρώματα, ἵνα ἐλθοῦσαι ἀλείψωσιν τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Καὶ λίαν πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου. Καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτάς· Τίς ἀποκυλίσει ἡμῖν τὸν λίθον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου; καὶ ἀναβλέψασαι θεωροῦσιν ὅτι ἀποκεκύλισται ὁ λίθος· ἦν γὰρ μέγας σφόδρα. Καὶ εἰσελθοῦσαι εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, εἶδον νεανίσκον καθήμενον ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς, περιβεβλημένον στολήν λευκήν, καὶ ἐξεθαμβήθησαν· ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐταῖς· Μὴ ἐκθαμβεῖσθε, Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, ἠγέρθη, οὐκ ἔστιν ᾧδε· ἴδε, ὁ τόπος ὅπου ἔθηκαν αὐτόν, ἀλλ' ὑπάγετε, εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ, ὅτι προάγει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν· ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε, καθὼς εἶπεν ὑμῖν. Καὶ ἐξελθοῦσαι ταχὺ ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου, εἶχε δὲ αὐτὰς τρόμος καὶ ἔκστασις, καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπον· ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ.
Epistle Reading
Prokeimenon. Second Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.
The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15.
Brethren, it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
Προκείμενον. Second Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 117.14,18.
Ἰσχύς μου καὶ ὕμνησίς μου ὁ Κύριος.
Στίχ. Παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ Κύριος.
τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Κορινθίους β' 4:6-15.
Ἀδελφοί, ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν· ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλʼ οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι· ἀπορούμενοι, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐξαπορούμενοι· διωκόμενοι, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι· καταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι· πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν φανερωθῇ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ φανερωθῇ ἐν τῇ θνητῇ σαρκὶ ἡμῶν. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, Ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα, καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν· εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς διὰ Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ, καὶ παραστήσει σὺν ὑμῖν. Τὰ γὰρ πάντα διʼ ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσασα διὰ τῶν πλειόνων τὴν εὐχαριστίαν περισσεύσῃ εἰς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
Gospel Reading
15th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 22:35-46
At that time, a lawyer came up to Jesus and asked him a question, to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put your enemies under your feet'? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
15th Sunday of Matthew
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 22:35-46
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, νομικός τις προσῆλθε τῷ Ἰησοῦ, πειράζων αὐτόν καὶ λέγων· Διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἔφη αὐτῷ· Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· αὕτη ἐστὶ πρώτη καὶ μεγάλη ἐντολή. δευτέρα δὲ ὁμοία αὐτῇ· ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται. Συνηγμένων δὲ τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; τίνος υἱός ἐστι; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τοῦ Δαυῒδ. λέγει αὐτοῖς· Πῶς οὖν Δαυῒδ ἐν Πνεύματι Κύριον καλεῖ αὐτὸν λέγων, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου; εἰ οὖν Δαυῒδ καλεῖ αὐτὸν Κύριον, πῶς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστι; καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο αὐτῷ ἀποκριθῆναι λόγον, οὐδὲ ἐτόλμησέ τις ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπερωτῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐκέτι.
Saints and Feasts
February 04
Isidore of Pelusium
This Saint was from Alexandria and was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. He struggled in asceticism in a monastery at Mount Pelusium, and became abbot of the monks struggling in that monastery. He wrote a great many epistles replete with divine grace, wisdom, and much profit. Over 2,000 of them are preserved in Volume 78 of Migne's Patrologia Graeca (PG 78:177-1646); according to some, he wrote over 3,000 epistles, according to others, 10,000. He reposed on February 4, 440.
February 04
Nicholas the Confessor
February 06
Photios, Patriarch of Constantinople
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.
February 10
Haralambos the Holy Martyr
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.
February 11
16th Sunday of Matthew
February 11
Theodora the Empress
As for the renowned Empress Theodora, she was from Paphlagonia and was the daughter of a certain Marinus, the commander of a military regiment. While being the wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the last of the Iconoclasts, she adorned the royal diadem with her virtue and piety; as long as her husband Theophilus lived, she privately venerated icons, despite his displeasure. After his death, she restored the holy icons to public veneration; this is commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the First Sunday of the Great Fast. She governed the Empire wisely for fifteen years, since her son Michael was not yet of age. But in 857 she forsook her royal power and entered a certain convent in Constantinople called Gastria, where she finished the course of her life in holiness and reposed in the Lord. Her sacred incorrupt remains are found in Corfu, in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Cave, in the capital city of the island (see also Dec. 12).
February 11
Blaise the Hieromartyr of Sebastia
Saint Blaise was Bishop of Sebastia. Divine grace, through which he healed the diseases of men and beasts, and especially of infants, made his name famous. He contested for the Faith under Licinius in the year 316. Saint Blaise is invoked for the healing of throat ailments.
Hymns of the Day
Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Mode
When Thou didst descend unto death, O Life Immortal, then didst Thou slay Hades with the lightning of Thy Divinity. And when Thou didst also raise the dead out of the nethermost depths, all the powers in the Heavens cried out: O Life-giver, Christ our God, glory be to Thee.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Ὅτε κατῆλθες πρὸς τὸν θάνατον, ἡ Ζωὴ ἡ ἀθάνατος, τότε τὸν ᾅδην ἐνέκρωσας τῇ ἀστραπῇ τῆς Θεότητος, ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐκ τῶν καταχθονίων ἀνέστησας, πᾶσαι αἱ Δυνάμεις τῶν ἐπουρανίων ἐκραύγαζον·Ζωοδότα Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν δόξα σοι.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Presentation in the First Mode
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos, for from thee hath risen the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those in darkness. Rejoice, thou also, O righteous Elder, as thou receivest in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who also granteth unto us the Resurrection.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Θεοτόκε Παρθένε, ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἀνέτειλεν ὁ Ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, φωτίζων τοὺς ἐν σκότει. Εὐφραίνου καὶ σὺ Πρεσβύτα δίκαιε, δεξάμενος ἐν ἀγκάλαις τὸν ἐλευθερωτὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, χαριζόμενος ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν Ἀνάστασιν.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Seasonal Kontakion in the First Mode
Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only the loving One.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press
Ὁ μήτραν παρθενικὴν ἁγιάσας τῶ τόκω σου, καὶ χείρας τοῦ Συμεὼν εὐλογήσας ὡς ἔπρεπε, προφθάσας καὶ νὺν ἔσωσας ἡμᾶς Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' εἰρήνευσον ἐν πολέμοις τὸ πολίτευμα, καὶ κραταίωσον Βασιλεῖς οὓς ἠγάπησας, ὁ μόνος φιλάνθρωπος.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Greek Standard Text
Wisdom of the Fathers
The perfect peace of the holy angels lies in their love for God and their love for one another. This is also the case with all the saints from the beginning of time. Most truly therefore is it said that 'on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets' (Matt. 22:40).
Fourth Century on Love no. 36, Philokalia Vol. 2 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 104, 7th century
When a man reveres God with all his heart and with faith, he receives through God's providence the power to control anger and desire; for it is desire and anger which are the cause of all evils.
On the Character of Men no. 12, Philokalia Vol. 1 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 331, 4th century