August 09
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2020-08-09
Bulletin Contents
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
General Information
- Phone:
- 434-973-2500
- Web:
- 33-ad.org
- Street Address:
- 7581 Rockfish Gap Turnpike
- Charlottesville, VA 22906
- Mailing Address:
- PO Box 6981
- Charlottesville, VA 22906
Past Bulletins
- Publish Date:
- 2020-08-16
- Publish Date:
- 2020-08-02
- Publish Date:
- 2020-07-26
- Publish Date:
- 2020-07-19
- Publish Date:
- 2020-07-12
- Publish Date:
- 2020-07-05
Weekly Update
GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!
Stewardship Thank You from the Parish Board
During this time of pandemic and uncertainty, you, the faithful of St. Nicholas parish, have continued to be diligent in keeping up with stewardship contributions. You have made your offerings to the Lord in such a way that it is an ongoing source of encouragement to the Parish Board as we seek to discern the Lord's will in our parish community. The money is just a tool to do God's work, but we also take it as a symbol of your engagement and commitment to that work being done through our parish. On behalf of Father Charles and the Parish Board, thank you all, and may the Lord continue to bless your generosity.
Dormition Fast is Underway
The Dormition Fast, which began on Saturday 1 August, is our preparation for one of the most holy feasts of the Church, the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of our Most Holy Lady, The Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. All are encouraged to take the time to view this 15-minute video which offers an excellent overview of the feast and teachings and practices of the Holy Church concerning it. At St. Nicholas we will celebrate the traditional Paraklesis service during the fast, according to the schedule below. We encourage everyone to join us for at least one (and preferably all) of these very special supplicatory services.
Paraklesis schedule:
- Sunday 9 August: 4pm
- Wednesday 12 August: 7pm
Upcoming Activities
- Saturday 8 August (10am): Altar server training
Signup Links
St. Nicholas Live Streaming Services
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A reminder that the Divine Liturgy is livestreamed each Sunday here on the St. Nicholas Greenwood YouTube channel -- don't forget to subscribe to the channel to receive updates
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Virtual Coffee Hour: Connect via Zoom, beginning at 11:30am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83508000853
Opportunities to Serve Your Neighbor
As we celebrate the Lord's Resurrection each Sunday, we must continue to remember the critical importance of loving our neighbor (Mt 22:34-40), as the Lord commanded us to do ( "my neighbor is my salvation"). Love is demonstrated both in prayer and deed. Please remember your neighbors in this time of acute need. Here are some specific ways to help:
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Virginia hospitals across the state are experiencing a severe shortage of blood, and the UVA Medical Center is encouraging healthy and eligible individuals to contact the American Red Cross to make an appointment to donate. Our Archbishop Daniel and our seminarians have already done so!
- Cultivate Charlottesville, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and its network, Cville Community Cares, and Albemarle County’s Equity and Inclusion Office have worked together in various combinations to create the food availability schedules and a beautiful new online Food Map showing some of the food resources on our City and County. (Source: Charlottesville Community Cares' Newsletter June 23)
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Grace Grocery, our neighborhood food pantry at Crozet United Methodist Church, has several volunteer opportunities including set up, client help and clean up for food distributions, unloading food from truck, computer assistant, which are listed on the website. They provide training for first time volunteers. You can ask to be placed on their volunteer email list. Email: foodpantry@crozetunitedmethodist.org Phone: 434-823-4420
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Please also keep an eye on Support Charlottesville, which is a hub for opportunities to give (and receive) material support. This is a very good way to stay informed, get involved and help your neighbors in need.
Stewardship Reminder
Despite the current (temporary) modification to the parish's schedule of services, meetings, and events, all parishioners are reminded of the pledges they have made as part of their stewardship commitment of time, talent and treasure. Some parishioners may encounter financial hardship during this time of crisis, and we can only give as we are able. That said, the parish must continue to meet its budgetary obligations and operating expenses. Please continue sending your contributions by to the church via US Mail:
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
PO Box 6981
Charlottesville, VA 22906
Special Intentions, Needs and Requests
A reminder to contact Father directly (fr.charles@mailbox.org | 443-204-4542) with any special prayer requests, intentions or concerns/needs, and he will make sure these are addressed.
Recent Prayer Requests
+All who have reposed in the Lord this week due to the pandemic
+All those who have suffered and reposed in the explosion this week in Beirut, Lebanon
+Syl (newly-departed, great uncle to Stephanie J.), and for Mable
+Sam (friend of Darya L.)
Infant John David (health)
Marcia (friend of Sue M., healing)
Christopher (friends of Sue M., healing)
Gabriel (catechumen)
Tatiana (illness)
Liubov (mother of Anya B., healing)
Nicholas (friend of Sue M., healing)
Karen B. (healing)
Mary S. (healing)
Dorian (health and protection)
Chaplain Robby (serving those in prison)
Chaplain Joseph (serving those in prison)
Bill (mission work)
Elaine (mission work)
Fr. Robert and Pani Dobrodyka Christine (retirement)
All those working in defense of human dignity, justice and equality during this time of unrest
The hungry and the homeless, and all those struggling with mental illness and infirmity
All children born and unborn and for their parents
All those struggling financially during the pandemic, and for those whose basic necessities are out of reach
All medical personnel, first responders and others ministering to the sick, and those rendering vital services to their neighbors
All those in high-risk populations during this pandemic
Schedule of Upcoming Services
Sunday 9 August
9am: 3rd & 6th Hours
9:30am: Divine Liturgy
4pm: Paraklesis
Wednesday 12 August
7pm: Parakesis
Saturday 15 August: Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
8am: Divine Liturgy
Sunday 16 August
9am: 3rd & 6th Hours
9:30am: Divine Liturgy
Hymns of the Day
Resurrectional Apolytikion in the 8th Tone
You descended from on high, O Merciful One! You accepted the three day burial
to free us from our sufferings! O Lord, our Life and Resurrection, glory to You!
Apolytikion for Afterfeast of the Transfiguration in the 7th Tone
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, revealing Your glory to Your Disciples as far as they could bear it. Let Your everlasting Light also shine upon us sinners, through the prayers of the Theotokos! O Giver of Light, glory to You!
Resurrectional Kontakion in the 8th Tone
By rising from the tomb, You raised the dead and resurrected Adam. Eve exults in Your Resurrection, and the world celebrates Your rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One!
Kontakion for Afterfeast of the Transfiguration in the 7th Tone
On the mountain You were transfigured, O Christ God, and Your Disciples beheld Your glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold You crucified, they would understand that Your suffering was voluntary,
and would proclaim to the world that You are truly the Radiance of the Father.
Gospel and Epistle Readings
Matins Gospel Reading
Ninth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them: "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them: "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said: "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
Epistle Reading
Prokeimenon. 8th Tone. Psalm 75.11,1.
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 3:9-17.
Brethren, we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.
Gospel Reading
9th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 14:22-34
At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
Wisdom of the Fathers
The principle and source of the virtues is a good disposition of the will, that is to say, an aspiration for goodness and beauty. God is the source and ground of all supernal goodness. Thus the principle of goodness and beauty is faith or, rather, it is Christ, the rock of faith, who is principle and foundation of all virtues. On this rock we stand and on this foundation we build every good thing (cf. I Cor. 3:11).
On Commandments and Doctrines no. 83, Philokalia Vol. 3 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 228, 14th century
The very fire which purifies gold, also consumes wood. Precious metals shine in it like the sun, rubbish burns with black smoke. All are in the same fire of Love. Some shine and others become black and dark. In the same furnace steel shines like the sun, whereas clay turns dark and is hardened like stone. God is a loving fire, and He is a loving fire for all: good and bad. There is, however, a great difference in the way people receive this loving fire of God. The difference is in man, not God.
The River of Fire, pp. 17 & 19, 20th century
Christ did not command the winds to cease at that time, but Himself stretched forth His hand and took hold of Peter, because here faith was required of him. When we do not do our part, divine (grace) slows and stands still.. . . it was not the wind that did Peter harm; his lack of faith sank him. Where faith is fruitfu, firm and strong, none of the evils that may befall us can do us any harm.
The Gospel Commentary edited by Hieromonk German Ciuba, 2002, 4th Century
Let us, then, cry out loudly with Peter's words, "Lord, save us." And if we are willing to receive Christ into our ship; that is, to have Him dwell in our hearts; we shall immediately find ourselves at the land to which we are hastening. What land is that? Clearly, it is the promised land, heaven, the land of the meek, of them that refrain from evil. With them, then, may we also be vouchsafed to enter that land and be heirs of its good things; in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Gospel Commentary, edited by Hieromonk German Ciuba, 2002, 4th Century
So that if his faith had not been weak, he would have stood easily against the wind also. And for this reason, you see, even when He had caught hold of Him, He suffers the wind to blow, showing that no hurt comes thereby, when faith is steadfast.
Homily 50 on Matthew 14, 4th Century
Saints and Feasts
August 09
9th Sunday of Matthew
August 09
Constantine, Patriarch of Constantinople
August 09
The Holy Apostle Matthias
After Judas by transgression fell from his apostleship (Acts 1: 25), and hanging himself out of despair ended his life with a wretched and shameful death (Matt. 27: 5), then, that the number of the Twelve not be lacking, all the disciples gathered in one place after the Ascension of the Savior (the number of men and women being 120), and they chose two men from among them, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was also surnamed Justus, and Matthias, and they set them in the midst. Then they prayed to God and cast lots, "and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles" (Acts 1: 15-26). And thus, having taken the place of Judas, Matthias fulfilled the work of apostleship and the prophecy concerning Judas, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David: "And his bishopric let another take" (Ps. 108(109):8). After this, it is said, Matthias preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, and completed his life there in martyrdom.