THIS SUNDAY, November 25, 2018 Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am. 13th Sunday of Luke.
REFLECTION: St. Andrew (commemorated on Friday, November 30) is the first called Apostle. Jesus invited Andrew to "come and see" where Jesus dwells and to spend the day with Him. Come and see. This is the invitation in the liturgical services and you too are invited to join with those to whom "it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11). You will witness the mystery of Christ's birth from the Virgin Mary, His baptism in the Jordan, His victory over the devil in the desert. You will witness that the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dumb talk, the winds cease and the seas calmed, the multitudes fed in the wilderness, the casting out of demons, the dead being raised by the word of His power. You will know that "the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). You will see the Son of God Himself being lifted upon the Cross in order to give His broken body as food for His people, and His shed blood as their drink, that their hunger and thirst for peace and joy and righteousness, and life itself might be forever satisfied.
Chanting at the services of St. Andrew help lead us on our way to the Nativity of Christ. "Rejoice, O Isaiah, and receive the Word of God. Prophecy to Mary the Maiden. She is the Burning Bush unconsumed by the fire of divinity. Adorn yoursel, O Bethlehem. Open your gates, O Eden. Enter, O Magi, and see salvation swaddled in a crib. Behold the star shining above the cave. It announces the life giving Lord who saves the human race. Tell us, O Joseph, how you led the Virgin into the Bethlehem cave. After searching the scriptures and hearing the angel, he says, 'I am certain that Mary will wondrously give birth to God whom the wise men from the East will worship, offering to Him their precious gifts'." O Lord, coming to the cave to be incarnate for our salvation, glory to You!
GREETER COVERAGE SCHEDULE: Parish Council member Penny Tambis-Feola is scheduled to open the church and to be the Greeter this Sunday 11/25. Greeter Schedule: 12/2 Nikos; 12/9 Greg; 12/16 Mike; 12/23 Mike; 12/24 Christmas Eve -volunteer needed; 12/30 Spyros.
Email to Fr. Don: FrDonatAugusta@mail.goarch.org.
Email to St. Basil Church can be sent to: office@stbasil.ct.goarch.org. Your questions or comments can be sent to this email and will be forwarded to the parish priesst or the parish council members for a response.
Visit our St. Basil parish website: www.stbasil.ct.goarch.org. You will find many interesting links. Especially visit the "Orthodox Marketplace" where you will find an excellent selection of icons, books, and gift ideas for birthdays and holidays. Also, you can link to our Parish Facebook page.
On Facebook do a search for: "Saint Basil Greek Orthodox Church." You will find lots of information about parish activities, photos, and updates on the Greek Cultural Fair. Thanks to Arven Saunders for his work on the parish Facebook site and the parish Website.