Transcript 8th Sunday of Luke Κυριακή Η΄ Λουκά

9 Sunday of Luke
th
Κυριακή Θ΄ Λουκά
Όρθρος Κυριακής στις 8:45 π.μ. και Θ. Λειτουργία στις 10:00 π.μ.
Sunday Orthros at 8:45 a.m. and D. Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
Ήχος πλ. α΄ – Εωθινόν ΙΑ΄
Tone: Plagal 1st – Morning Gospel: 11th
20 Νοεμβρίου 2016
20 November 2016
Την σημερινή Κυριακή εορτάζουμε τα Προεόρτια τῆς ἐν τῷ Ναῷ
Εἰσόδου τῆς Ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου και την μνήμη τοῦ Ὁσίου
Πατρός ἡμῶν Γρηγορίου τοῦ Δεκαπολίτου καί τοῦ ἐν Ἁγίοις
Πατρός ἡμῶν Πρόκλου, Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως
This Sunday we pre-celebrate the Feast of the Entrance of
Theotokos into the Temple and the memory of our Holy Father
Gregory, the Decapolite and of Our Holy Father Proclus,
Archbishop of Constantinople.
ΝΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ / NEWS OF THE DAY
Τεσσαρακονθήμερον Μνημόσυνον υπέρ αναπαύσεως της
δούλης του Θεού Κάρας Κοβλακά & Εξάμηνον Μνημόσυνον
υπέρ αναπαύσεως του δούλου του Θεού
Γεωργίου Παπαδοπούλου
Fortieth Day Memorial Service for the servant of God
Kara Kovlakas & Sixth Month Memorial Service for the
servant of God George Papadopoulos
Ο καφές & τα γλυκά που θα προσφερθούν στην κοινοτική
αίθουσα μετά την Θ. Λειτουργία είναι προσφορά εις μνήμην
Κάρας Κοβλακά & Γεωργίου Παπαδοπούλου,
από τις οικογένειές των.
The Coffee Fellowship Hour which will be offered at the
church house, following the Divine Liturgy, is offered in
memory of Kara Kovlakas & George Papadopoulos,
by their families
ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΒΔΟΜΑΔΟΣ
WORSHIP SERVICES
Δευτέρα 21 Νοεμβρίου – 8:00 π.μ.:
Όρθρος & Θ. Λειτουργία διά την Εορτήν των Εισοδίων της
Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου εν τω Ναώ
Παρασκευή 25 Νοεμβρίου – 8:00 π.μ.:
Όρθρος & Θ. Λειτουργία διά την Εορτήν της Αγίας Αικατερίνης
Monday, November 21st - 8:00 a.m.:
Orthros & D. Liturgy for the Feast of the Entrance of Theotokos into
the Temple
Friday, November 25th - 8:00 a.m.:
Orthros & D. Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Catherine
Σάββατο 26 Νοεμβρίου – 10:00 π.μ.:
Θ. Λειτουργία (Ρουμανική κοινότητα) διά την Εορτήν των Αγίων
Στυλιανού, Νίκωνος & Αλυπίου
Saturday, November 26th - 10:00 a.m.:
D. Liturgy (Romanian Community) for the Feast of SS. Stylianos,
Nikon & Alypios
Αναστάσιμον Απολυτίκιον, Ηχος πλ. α'
Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ καὶ Πνεύματι, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου
τεχθέντα εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, ἀνυμνήσωμεν πιστοὶ καὶ
προσκυνήσωμεν, ὅτι ηὐδόκησε σαρκί, ἀνελθεῖν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ
θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ ἐγεῖραι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, ἐν τῇ ἐνδόξῳ
Ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ.
Απολυτίκιον Προεόρτιον. Ἦχος δ’.
Χαράν προμνηστεύεται, σήμερον Άννα ημίν, τής λύπης αντίθετον,
καρπόν βλαστήσασα, τήν μόνην Αειπάρθενον, ήν περ δή καί
προσάγει, τάς ευχάς εκπληρούσα, σήμερον γηθομένη, τώ Ναώ τού
Κυρίου, ως όντως ναόν τού Θεού Λόγου, καί Μητέρα αγνήν.
Απολυτίκιον Αγίου Γεωργίου, Hχος δ’.
Ὡς τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐλευθερωτὴς καὶ τῶν πτωχῶν ὑπερασπιστής,
ἀσθενούντων ἰατρός, βασιλέων ὑπέρμαχος, Τροπαιοφόρε
Μεγαλομάρτυς Γεώργιε, πρεσβεῦε Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ, σωθῆναι τάς
ψυχὰς ἠμῶν.
Κοντάκιο των Εισοδίων, Ήχος δ΄
Ὁ καθαρώτατος ναὸς τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἡ πολυτίμητος παστὰς καὶ
Παρθένος, τὸ ἱερὸν θησαύρισμα τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, σήμερον
εἰσάγεται, ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, τὴν χάριν συνεισάγουσα, τὴν ἐν
Πνευματι Θείῳ· ἣν ἀνυμνοῦσιν Ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ· Αὕτη ὑπάρχει σκηνὴ
ἐπουράνιος.
Αpolytikion of Resurrection, Plagal of the First Tone
O faithful let us give praise and worship to the Word, co-eternal
with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation.
Of his own will he mounted the cross in the flesh, suffered death,
and raised the dead through his glorious resurrection.
Αpolytikion of the Pre-Feast, Fourth Tone
By blossoming forth the only Ever-virgin as fruit, today holy Anna
doth betroth us all unto joy, instead of our former grief; on this day
she doth fulfil her vows to the Most High, leading her with joy into
the Lord's holy temple, who truly is the temple and pure Mother of
God the Word.
Αpolytikion for St. George, Tone Fourth
As the one renowned for setting captives free, and for defending
those in poverty, the physician of the sick and the champion of
kings, do thou, o Victory-bearer and Great Martyr George,
intercede to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion, Entrance into the Temple, Tone Fourth
Today, the most pure temple of the Savior, the precious bridal
chamber and Virgin, the sacred treasure of God, enters the house of
the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit. The Angels of God
praise her. She is the heavenly tabernacle.
Αποστολικόν Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ της Εβραίους
Επιστολής του Αποστόλου Παύλου 7:26-28; 8:1-2
Ἀδελφοί, τοιοῦτος ἡμῖν καὶ ἔπρεπεν ἀρχιερεύς, ὅσιος,
ἄκακος, ἀμίαντος, κεχωρισμένος ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν,
καὶ ὑψηλότερος τῶν οὐρανῶν γενόμενος· ὃς οὐκ ἔχει
καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἀνάγκην, ὥσπερ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, πρότερον
ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν θυσίας ἀναφέρειν, ἔπειτα τῶν
τοῦ λαοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἐφάπαξ ἑαυτὸν
ἀνενέγκας. Ἔχοντας ἀσθένειαν, ὁ λόγος δὲ τῆς
ὁρκωμοσίας τῆς μετὰ τὸν νόμον υἱὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα
τετελειωμένον. Ὁ νόμος γὰρ ἀνθρώπους καθίστησιν
ἀρχιερεῖς Κεφάλαιον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις, τοιοῦτον
ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα, ὃς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς
μεγαλωσύνης ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργὸς
καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ κύριος, οὐκ
ἄνθρωπος.
The Reading is from
St. Paul's Second Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2
BRETHREN, it was fitting that we should have such a high
priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners,
exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high
priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and
then for those of the people; he did this once for all when
he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in
their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath,
which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has
been made perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are
saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is
seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in
heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which
is set up not by man but by the Lord.
Ευαγγελικόν Ανάγνωσμα:
Eκ του κατά Λουκάν 12:16-21
Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην· ᾽Ανθρώπου τινὸς
πλουσίου εὐφόρησεν ἡ χώρα. Καὶ διελογίζετο ἐν ἑαυτῷ
λέγων, Τί ποιήσω, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχω ποῦ συνάξω τοὺς καρπούς
μου;καὶ εἶπεν, Τοῦτο ποιήσω· καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκας καὶ
μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω, καὶ συνάξω ἐκεῖ πάντα τὸν σῖτον καὶ
τὰ ἀγαθά μου,καὶ ἐρῶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου, Ψυχή, ἔχεις πολλὰ
ἀγαθὰ κείμενα εἰς ἔτη πολλά· ἀναπαύου, φάγε, πίε,
εὐφραίνου. Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεός, ῎Αφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ
τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι
ἔσται;οὕτως ὁ θησαυρίζων ἑαυτῷ καὶ μὴ εἰς θεὸν πλουτῶν.
Ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει· Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω.
The Gospel Reading is from Luke 12:16-21
The Lord said this parable: "The land of a rich man brought
forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do,
for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do
this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and
there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to
my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him,
'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things
you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." As he said
these things, he cried out: "He who has ears to hear, let him
hear."
The Feast of the Entrance or Presentation
of Theotokos into the Temple
The Feast of the Presentation of Mary is celebrated in both the Eastern and
Western Churches. It recalls the day in the life of the Jewish girl named Mary
(Maryam) when her parents, Joachim and Anne, presented her to the Lord in
the temple and dedicated her life to Him.
Mary had already been chosen by God, preserved by a singular grace as a
chosen vessel through whom the Incarnate Word would be given for the
salvation of the whole world. However, the offering by her parents is a
response to the invitation to join our free choice to God' invitation. This
exercise of freedom lies at the heart of discipleship, and is the inner core of
every vocation, to cooperate with grace.
This Feast emphasizes our response to God's gifts. We remember the response
of Mary's mother and father in their decision to present her in the temple for
dedication to the Lord. All parents are called to imitate their response by
presenting their children for Baptism.
We reflect on the mystery of Mary's own continuing response from her very
earliest days to the Lord's invitations of grace. Mary was called to continually
give her "Yes" to God's invitations of love. In that continual "Fiat" she shows
us the way we are all called to respond to the invitations of grace in our own
lives as we grow in holiness.
According to the tradition, when Mary was three years of age, Joachim and
Anne took her to the Temple so that she might be consecrated to the service of
the Lord. The legend says that they invited the young girls of the town to walk
before her with lighted torches. As soon as they had reached the Temple,
Mary, alone and unhesitatingly, went up the steps of the sanctuary where she
was to remain, living in the contemplation of God and miraculously fed by the
Archangel Gabriel, until the day she was espoused to Joseph, shortly before
the Annunciation.
Derived from accounts in apocryphal literature, especially the
Protoevangelium of James, the feast seems first to have appeared in Syria,
where the Protoevangelium and other apocryphal books, such as the Infancy
Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, originated. The
Presentation of the Theotokos first rose to prominence, however, in Jerusalem,
where it was associated with the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the
New.
That basilica was built near the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the
Protoevangelium of James and other apocryphal works told the story of
Mary's presentation at the Temple at the age of three.
The theme of the feast is that Mary the Spotless One, the Temple of the Living
God, is offered to the Almighty in his holy house in Jerusalem.
The Presentation and the Protoevangelium of James
The Protoevangelium of James, while an extra biblical document, is the source
of many details of Mary's life that became universally accepted by the Church,
including the names of her parents, the story of her birth, her age at her
betrothal to Saint Joseph, and Saint Joseph's advanced age and his status as a
widower with children by his first wife. It also played a large role among
Christians, both Eastern and Western, in recognizing Mary as the new Temple,
the true Holy of Holies.
It is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this.
The Church, however, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat
insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history, it
stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she
was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by
hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for
her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of
Mary enriches her.
God’s Blessings:
Treasures to be Shared
By Fr. Ted Bobosh
In Luke 12:16-21, our Lord Jesus tells us the parable of a rich fool. Rich
in terms of worldly possessions, but foolish in living only for this world,
for life is short. Death shows us that we are living on borrowed time,
and our possessions are really just a temporary loan. We do not truly
own our possessions as we cannot take them with us when we depart
this earth. All of our possessions remain behind.
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich
man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What
shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do
this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store
all my crops and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have
many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be
merry.” ‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be
required of you; then whose will those things be which you have
provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.
St. Gregory Palamas (d. 1359AD) commenting on the parable says:
“That rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully (Luke 12:1621), and that other one who was clothed in purple and fine linen (Luke
16:19-31), were justly condemned, not for wrongdoing anyone, but for
not sharing what was theirs. Treasures are common to all, as they
come from the common storehouses of God’s creation. Anyone who
appropriates what is common as his own is greedy, though not
perhaps to the same extent as someone who openly takes possession of
other people’s belongings. The first, as an evil servant, will, alas,
undergo the terrible punishment of being cut off. The second will be
submitted to things even more dreadful and terrifying. Neither will
ever be able to escape these penalties, unless they receive the poor
with hospitality, the one making good use of the things entrusted
to him by God, the other distributing what he has accumulated by evil
means.” (The Homilies, p 98)
Parable of the Rich fool
“Avoid Greed in all its forms. A person may be wealthy,
but his possessions do not guarantee him life.”
There is nothing wrong in being rich or in possessing wealth; it is how
you handle money that matters. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the
important thing is to grow rich not for yourself, but “in the sight of God”
(Luke 12/21). And how does one grow rich in the sight of God?
Evidently by maintaining a balanced view of wealth. This Gospel
message brings to mind an old story about a farmer who pinched and
hoarded away every cent he ever made, until he had a whole silo full of
them. He never spent a one, not a single one! Then, one day as he
was admiringly looking up at his mountain of money, it all came
tumbling down on him, crushing him to pieces. This may sound
extreme, but it is true to life. People who accumulate wealth without
empathy for ones fellow man run the risk of being overpowered by it in
the end, of being trampled into the ground by their material obsession.
The poor fellow, in this story, needed a better sense of balance in his
life.
Jesus does not condemn the pursuit of material things, outright. He
sees wealth as a gift from God and not as the possession of the
ambitious or greedy. His message cautions that the pursuit of wealth
can easily leave us too distracted to help usher in his kingdom.
Advertising and the media, however, constantly urge people to invest in
all kinds of alluring financial markets as a hedge against the future’s
inevitabilities. Living in a recession, knowing that so many people are
homeless and jobless, can make such advice seem all the more
appealing. In hard times, it requires a delicate sense of balance to
recognize the wisdom of being “intent on things above.” Yet, this is the
challenge we all have to face. Plan for the future! Yes, indeed.
Remember what hangs in the balance, however, and don’t forget that
only one investment opportunity yields eternal dividends and that is to
become “Rich in the sight of God.”
The Lord tells us to “avoid greed in all its forms.” The rich fool was not
content with enough; he felt compelled to amass more and more
wealth so that he could “take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy” himself for
“many years.” But “God said to him, you fool! This very night you will
have to give up your life.” And, the Lord concluded, “this is how it is
with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s
sight.”
This parable addresses the major problem in today’s society; that is,
the problem of greed which has brought our economic system to its
knees.
Let us strive, therefore, to be rich in God’s sight, not man’s.
By Fr. Hugh Duffy
Why Thanksgiving Matters
One day Jesus encountered thanklessness while traversing the
marches that lay between Samaria and Galilee." The story is found in
Luke 17.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between
Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had
leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud
voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a
serious skin condition that present-day translators render as leprosy.
Surely, they must have thought, if Jesus could cure the blind, heal the
lame, and raise the dead, he had the power to help them too. They
were already outcasts and had nothing to lose, so they raised their
voices in desperate hope.
When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."
The Master simply tells them to go to the priests, who were the firstcentury referees as to whether a healing had taken place. Any cure,
according to the Book of Leviticus, would need the equivalent of a
"Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" from the priests so that the
formerly unclean could be ritually restored to the community.
Will they go? How can they, because Jesus has done nothing
outwardly to assure them of a cure? "This, was a trial of their
obedience. How would they respond to the Lord's ambiguous
command? Something in the reputation of Jesus, or perhaps in the
way he looked them in the eye, encouraged them to believe that they
had met not divine indifference, but God's mercy, on the road.
And as they went, they were cleansed.
Note the progression: "as they went, they were cleansed." The
obedience precedes the healing.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in
a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he
was a Samaritan.
Until this point, the 10 lepers had acted in concert: they had lived
together, they had cried out together, they had gone off together, and
they had been cleansed together. Now, however, one peels off like a
jet leaving formation and heads for Jesus. Whatever has happened,
the man knows he has been blessed, and the blessing requires a
response. First he sees, then he turns, then he praises.
And then, with the Samaritan still humbly at Jesus' feet, come three
pointed, rapid-fire questions, which cast a shadow over the
celebration.
Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?"
I must confess: these questions have always bothered me. At first
blush they seem to reflect a childish need for praise and recognition on
the part of Jesus. Why did he need to be thanked?
Though he already had rewarded their obedience, he wanted
something more. He sought their gratitude. "Gratefulness," Richard
Emmons notes, "is a knowing awareness that we are the recipients of
goodness. “Didn’t these nine men know what God had done for them?
The nine who did not give thanks were not only rude, they were
ignorant, misaligned with the truth of the universe. We are the
recipients, not the creators, of goodness. In acknowledging this simple
truth, we ennoble ourselves. "God is the one Being in all the universe
for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimately loving act."
Given that fact, praise is not an option. It is a joyful inevitability in a
world designed and upheld by God. The only question is whether we
will add our voices to the choir.
Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
I wonder how the nine felt when the man, rising from his worship,
finally caught up with them, telling of his grateful exchange with Jesus.
They had missed the opportunity to deepen their elation by giving
thanks. Matthew Henry says that the grateful man received more than
the other nine because "he had his cure confirmed particularly with an
encomium: Thy faith hath made thee whole …. Temporal mercies are
then doubled and sweetened to us when they are fetched in by the
prayers of faith, and returned by the praises of faith."
Gratitude brings benefits in this world and in the world to come. The
nine had their cure; the one who gave thanks had his cure, plus a
relationship with Jesus. This Thanksgiving, let's remember that we are
all the recipients of God's goodness and remember to praise Jesus,
from whom all blessings flow.
By Stan Guthrie
Fasting on Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving for Americans is a family event. The roots of the feast are
found in the inclination of the human heart to offer thanks to God for
the abundance of blessings He has bestowed upon us.
As Orthodox Christians, who value the unity and strength of the family,
we are inclined to adopt this feast as our own, especially at a time
when the institution of the family is under attack from all directions.
Considering the traditional Thanksgiving meal, however, which involves
turkey, ham and dairy products, Orthodox Christians trying to hold the
fast of Christmas are faced with the dilemma: Should I hold the fast
and go contrary to the established social and cultural norms associated
with Thanksgiving Day or should I break the fast in order to facilitate
the need of blending in and not making others uncomfortable with my
presence?
Several years ago, responding to the request of the faithful under its
jurisdiction in America, the Patriarchate of Constantinople applying
"economia" discreetly granted its blessing for those who live in America
to break the fast on Thanksgiving Day while focusing on the unity of the
family and the "eucharistic" aspects of this feast, but quickly return to
the observance of the fast immediately afterwards. The nonOrthdox cultural norm is thus transformed through our theology and
this pastoral approach to a positive element for the strengthening of
family bonds, while keeping with the necessity of our spiritual ascesis
of fasting.
By Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou
St. Symeon of Thessaloniki (ca. A.D. 1381–1429) writes:
“The Nativity Forty-day Fast represents the fast undertaken by
Moses, who — having fasted for forty days and forty nights —
received the Commandments of God, written on stone tablets. And
we, fasting for forty days, will reflect upon and receive from the Virgin
the living Word — not written upon stone, but born, incarnate — and
we will commune of His Divine Body.”
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