703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529
http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org
[email protected] Rev. Fr. Mark Muñoz,
Proistamenos
ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
You did abolish death by Your Cross; You did open
Paradise to the thief; You transformed the myrrh-
bearers' lamentation, and didst bid Your Apostles to
preach that You art risen, O Christ God, granting great
mercy to the world.
Λστ τν Παρδεισον, τν Μυροφρων τν θρνον
μετβαλες, κα τος σος ποστλοις κηρττειν
πταξας τι νστης Χριστ Θες, παρχων τ
κσμ τ μγα λεος.
Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest forThee received
as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our
immortal God. For since
they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants and wholly
destroyed the demons' strengthless
presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls,
since Thou art merciful.
Τν γων Μαρτρων τ κατορθματα, ορανν α δυνμεις περεθαμασαν, τι ν
σματι θνητ
τν σματον χθρν, τ δυνμει το Σταυρο, γωνισμενοι καλς, νκησαν ορτως,
κα νν
πρεσβεουσι τ Κυρ, λεηθναι τς ψυχς μν.
ΚΟΝΤΑΚΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ /KONTAKION FOR TODAY
O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will
tremble. A river of fire will
bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened,
and everything in secret will
become public. At that time, deliver me from the fire which never
dies, and enable me to stand by
Your right hand, O Judge most just.
ταν λθς Θες, π γς μετ δξης,
κα τρμωσι τ σμπαντα, ποταμς δ το πυρς
πρ
το Βματος λκ, κα ββλοι νογωνται,
κα τ κρυπτ δημοσιεωνται, ττε σα με,
κ το
πυρς το σβστου, κα ξωσον, κ δεξιν σου μ στναι,
Κριτ δικαιτατε.
Judgment Sunday (meatfare)
42 Martyrs of Amorion in Phrygia, Finding the Precious Cross by St.
Helen,Hesychios the Wonderworker
March 6th , 2016
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Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.
Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if
we do not eat, and no better off if wedo. Only take care lest this
liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For
if any
one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple,
might he not be encouraged, if his
conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your
knowledge this weak man is destroyed,
the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your
brethren and wounding their conscience
when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a
cause of my brother's falling, I will never
eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not
an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our
Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not
an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord.
Gospel pericope
Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46
The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the
holy angels with him, then he will sit
on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the
nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at
his right hand,
but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at
his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world; for I was hungry and you gave
me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me, I was naked and
you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and
you came to me.' Then the righteous
will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you drink? And
when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe
you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And
the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to
one
of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will
say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels; for I was hungry and you gave
me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a
stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not
visit me.' Then they also will
answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger
or naked or sick or in prison, and didnot minister to you?' Then he
will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of
the least of
these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life."
Sat. March 12th: 2nd Saturday of Souls, Orthros/Divine Liturgy
8:30am
Sun. March 13th: Cheesefare Luncheon following Divine Liturgy
Sun. March 13th: Forgiveness Vespers (Beginning of Great & Holy
Lent), 6pm
Cheesefare Luncheon: please join us next Sunday 3/13/16 after
Liturgy for our annual Cheesefare
Luncheon hosted by our Philoptochos Society. This also serves as a
fundraiser for Hellenic
College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. We will enjoy
Tyropitas, Spanakopitas,
Salad, and Dessert. Adults $10, Children $6, all proceeds to
benefit HC/HC. Thank you for
supporting this event!
Forgiveness Vespers: will be celebrated next Sunday eve at 6pm.
This is the actual beginning of
Lent and the Church literally transforms before our eyes from
bright and joyful to dark and solemn.
At the conclusion of the service a “receiving line” of sorts is
made and all the faithful embrace one
another asking forgiveness. What an excellent way to inaugurate the
period of the Holy Fast!
Holy Week Liturgical Books: We have ordered several copies of the
official Holy Week Book endorsed by our Metropolis. This
comprehensive book, compiled by Fr. Pappadeas, will be used
exclusively for all the liturgical celebrations from Palm Sunday
evening through the Agapi Vespers
on Pascha. Each book is $25, and should be available soon.
HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION—Only Orthodox Christians (i.e.
the Orthodox Church
does not observe ‘open communion’ ) in good standing are
encouraged to receive Holy Communion frequently, provided they have
prepared themselves spiritually, mentally and physically. They must
be on time for the Divine Liturgy, and be in a Christ-like, humble
state of mind. They should be in a confession
relationship with their priest or spiritual father, have
observed the fasts of the Church, and they should have
self-examined their conscience. On the day of receiving Holy
Communion, it is not proper to eat or drink anything before coming
to church. When you approach to receive Holy Communion, state your
Christian (baptismal) name clearly, and hold the red communion
cloth to your chin. After receiving, wipe your lips on the cloth,
step back carefully, hand the cloth to the next person and make the
sign of the Cross as you step away. Please do not be in a rush
while communing! Please take special care not to bump the Holy
Chalice.
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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/judgment-sunday-03-06-16 4/8
Didactic Hymnography:
Musicology as Theology…the ‘Triodion’ Hymns Adam was
banished from Paradise through disobedience and cast out from
delight, beguiled by the words of a woman. Naked he sat opposite
the place, lamenting ‘Woe is me!’ Therefore let us all make haste
to accept the season of the Fast and obey the traditions of the
Gospel, that through them we may become well-pleasing to Christ and
once more receive Paradise as our dwelling.
With great joy, believers, let us welcome the inspired proclamation
of the Fast, as the Ninevites did of old and as prostitutes and tax
collectors the preaching of repentance by
John. Through self-mastery let us prepare for communion of
the Master’s sacred mystery in Sion. Through tears let us be
cleansed before the divine Washing of the feet there. Let us pray
to see there the fulfillment of the Pascha that was a type and
revelation of the true. Let us be made ready for the worship of the
Cross and the Rising of Christ our God, as we cry out to him, ‘Do
not put us to shame and deprive us of our expectation, O Lover of
mankind!’
Of what great blessings, wretch that I am, have I deprived myself!
From what a kingship in mymisery have I fallen! I have wasted the
wealth that I received, I have transgressed the commandment. Alas,
unhappy soul ! You are henceforth condemned to the eternal fire.
Therefore before the end cry out to Christ our God, ‘Receive me as
the Prodigal Son, O God, and have mercy on me’.
Loving Father, I have gone far from you, but do not forsake me, nor
declare me unfitted for
your Kingdom. The all-evil enemy has stripped me naked and taken
all my wealth. I have squandered like the Profligate the graces
given to my soul. But now I have arisen and returned, and I cry
aloud to you, ‘Make me as one of your hired servants, you who for
my sake stretched out your spotless hands on the Cross, to snatch
me from the fearsome beast and to clothe me once again in the first
robe, for you alone art full of mercy‘. O Christ our God, of
your own will you accepted Crucifixion, for the common restoration
of mankind. Taking the reed pen of the
Cross, out of love for mankind, in the red ink of royalty with
bloody fingers you signed ourabsolution. Do not forsake us, who are
in danger once again of being parted from you. Take pity on your
people in distress, for you alone are longsuffering. Rise up and
fight against our enemies, as you are all- powerful.
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2016 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival
This year our Parish Oratorical Festival will take place during
coffee hour on Sunday,
March 20th. All children are asked to participate in this event;
registration forms are available from Amy Franquiera. The
categories include speech, essay, poem, and
iconography. Although all categories are welcome this year we are
emphasizing
speeches. Parents and/or Catechetical Teachers can assist children
with their projects.
There are several different themes for each division. Divisions
include Elementary
(preschool-6th grade), Junior (7th-9th grades), and
Senior (10th-12th grades).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday of the Triodion: Judgment Sunday
It is a strong conviction and belief of the Church that Christ will
come a second time into the world, not to save the world, but in
"glory" to judge the world. In as much
as God knew in advance the destiny of each man, why did He not
prevent the non- believers and wrong-doers from being born and
being condemned everlastingly,
someone might ask. The fate of people is wrought on this earth,
because after death, there is no opportunity for repentance in
order to better one's state. Man's
finite mind cannot comprehend God's love for his salvation and
judgment for his
condemnation. Yet, here is the center of the belief that there is a
Supreme Judge for those who committed iniquities and wrong-doings
without punishment or
discovery while on earth. Approaching Lent and Pascha, the
Christian is admonished to correct his faults by fasting, praying
and almsgiving, as recorded in the Gospel passage of the day. The
Last Judgment will be made according to the
good works of each person as a result of his faith in and worship
of God. These good works are directed to the "least", those in
need, as Christ Himself says, "as
you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me",
(v. 45). This Sunday is the last day before Lent that the believer
eats meat.
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1. THE HOLY FORTY-TWO MARTYRS FROM AMMORIA
They were all commanders of the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus. When
the Emperor Theophilus lost the battle
against the Saracens at the city of Ammoria, the Saracens captured
the city, enslaved many Christians and among
them these commanders. The remaining Christians were either killed
or sold into slavery. The commanders were
thrown into prison where they remained for seven years. Many times
the Muslim leaders came to them. They
counseled and advised the commanders to embrace the Islamic Faith,
but the commanders did not want to hear about
it. When the Saracens spoke to the commanders, saying, "Mohammed is
the true prophet and not Christ," the commanders asked them, "If
there were two men debating about a field and the one said, `This
field is mine,' and the
other, `It is not, it is mine,' and near by, one of them had many
witnesses saying it is his field and the other had nowitnesses, but
only himself, what would you say, `Whose field is it?'" The
Saracens answered, "Indeed, to him who
had many witnesses!" "You have judged correctly," the commanders
answered. That is the way with Christ and
Mohammed. Christ has many witnesses: the Prophets of old, from
Moses to John the Forerunner, whom you also
recognize and who witness to and about Him [Christ], but Mohammed
witnesses only to himself that he is a prophet and does not have
even one witness. The Saracens were ashamed and again they tried to
defend their faith in this
manner: "Our faith is better than the Christian Faith as proved by
this: God gave us the victory over you and gave us
the best land in the world and a kingdom much greater than
Christianity." To that the commanders replied, "If it
were so, then the idolatry of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Hellenes,
Romans, and the fire-worship of the Persians would be the true
faith for, at one time, all of these people conquered the others
and ruled over them. It is evident
that your victory, power and wealth do not prove the truth of your
faith. We know that God, at times, gives victory to Christians and,
at other times, allows torture and suffering so as to correct them
and to bring them to repentance
and purification of their sins." After seven years, they were
beheaded in the year 845 A.D. Their bodies were then
thrown into the Euphrates river, but they floated to the other side
of the shore where they were gathered and
honorably buried by Christians.
2. THE BLESSED JOB
Job was born in Moscow in the year 1635 A.D. Church singing and
liturgical services drew him to the Church. He
became the spiritual father to Emperor Peter the Great but,
because of intrigue, he withdrew into the Slovecki Monastery, where
he underwent a difficult life of asceticism. In the year 1720 A.D.,
in his eighty fifth year, he died
in the Lord. Before his death he cried out, "Blessed is the God of
our Fathers and as He is thus, I am not afraid but,
with joy, I leave this world."
3. THE HOLY MARTYRS CONON THE FATHER AND CONON THE SON
When the father was already an old man, the son was a youngster of
seventeen years. During the reign of
Domentian, they were sawed in half for their faith in Christ and
were glorified and honored in the Church on earth
and in heaven. They honorably suffered in the year 275 A.D.
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