WELCOME ALL GODPARENTS TODAY!

Transcript

1 Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Churc h Sunday, February 2, 2014 Presentation of our Lord WELCOME ALL GODPARENTS TODAY! May God continue to bless you and your entire family having called you to this lofty ministry of being a godparent. 1

2 THE MISSION OF THE ST. CONSTANTINE & HELEN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF WASHINGTON DC IN SILVER SPRING IS TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, TO TEACH AND SPREAD THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH, TO ENERGIZE, CULTIVATE AND GUIDE THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH AND SACRED TRADITION. THE CHURCH SANCTIFIES THE FAITHFUL THROUGH THE DIVINE WORSHIP, ESPECIALLY THE HOLY EUCHARIST AND OTHER SACRAMENTS, BUILDING THE SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL LIFE OF THE FAITHFUL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, SACRED TRADITION, THE DOCTRINES AND CANONS OF THE ECUMENICAL AND LOCAL SYNODS, THE CANONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES AND FATHERS OF THE CHURCH AND OF ALL OTHER SYNODS RECOGNIZED BY THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, AS INTERPRETED BY THE GREAT CHURCH OF CHRIST IN CONSTANTINOPLE. THE CHURCH SERVES AS A BEACON, CARRIER AND WITNESS OF THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST TO ALL PERSONS, THROUGH DIVINE WORSHIP, PREACHING, TEACHING AND LIVING THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH. 2

3 YOUR PRIESTS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU 24/7. Please use their cell phones for any spiritual need you might have not for making appointments or scheduling anything. For all appointments and events, please call the church office at (240) Fr. Michael: (301) Fr. Jason: (301) ΟΙ ΙΕΡΕΙΣ ΣΑΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΘΕΣΗ ΣΑΣ 24/7. Παρακαλώ να τους καλείτε στα κινητά τηλέφωνα μόνο για πνευματικές ανάγκες. Για οτιδήποτε άλλο, παρακαλούμε να καλείτε το γραφείο στο (240) Σας ευχαριστούμε! Fr. Michael Fr. Jason

4 YMNOI THΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ HYMNS OF THE DAY Αναστάσιμο Aπολυτίκιον - Βαρύς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Aπολυτίκιον της Εορτής 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, χαριζόμενον ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν Ἀνάστασιν. Κοντάκιον Εορτής - Α Ήχος 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. Resurrectional Apolytikion - 7th Tone By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You abolished death. To the robber You opened Paradise. The lamentation of the myrrhbearing women You transformed, and You gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to all that You had risen, O Christ our God, and granted the world Your great mercy. Apolytikion for the Feast Lady full of grace, rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, for Christ our God, the Sun of righteousness has risen from you and He illumined those in darkness. And you, righteous Elder, be glad in heart, receiving in your embraces the One who liberates our souls and bestows on us the Resurrection. Kontakion for the Feast - 1st Tone 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. Healing Our Memories Forgiving does not mean forgetting. When we forgive a person, the memory of the wound might stay with us for a long time, even throughout our lives. Sometimes we carry the memory in our bodies as a visible sign. But forgiveness changes the way we remember. It converts the curse into a blessing. When we forgive our parents for their divorce, our children for their lack of attention, our friends for their unfaithfulness in crisis, our doctors for their ill advice, we no longer have to experience ourselves as the victims of events we had no control over. Forgiveness allows us to claim our own power and not let these events destroy us; it enables them to become events that deepen the wisdom of our hearts. Forgiveness indeed heals memories. 4

5 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἠγαλλίασε τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρί μου. Στίχ. Ὅτι ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ. Πρὸς Ἑβραίους Επιστολής Παύλου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα (7:7-17) Ἀδελφοί, χωρὶς δὲ πάσης ἀντιλογίας, τὸ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐλογεῖται. Καὶ ὧδε μὲν δεκάτας ἀποθνῄσκοντες ἄνθρωποι λαμβάνουσιν ἐκεῖ δέ, μαρτυρούμενος ὅτι ζῇ. Καί, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, διὰ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Λευῒ ὁ δεκάτας λαμβάνων δεδεκάτωται ἔτι γὰρ ἐν τῇ ὀσφύϊ τοῦ πατρὸς ἦν, ὅτε συνήντησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τελείωσις διὰ τῆς Λευϊτικῆς ἱερωσύνης ἦν - ὁ λαὸς γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ νενομοθέτητο - τίς ἔτι χρεία, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἕτερον ἀνίστασθαι ἱερέα, καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρὼν λέγεσθαι; Μετατιθεμένης γὰρ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ νόμου μετάθεσις γίνεται. Ἐφʼ ὃν γὰρ λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκεν, ἀφʼ ἧς οὐδεὶς προσέσχηκεν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ. Πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, εἰς ἣν φυλὴν οὐδὲν περὶ ἱερωσύνης Μωϋσῆς ἐλάλησεν. Καὶ περισσότερον ἔτι κατάδηλόν ἐστιν, εἰ κατὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα Μελχισεδὲκ ἀνίσταται ἱερεὺς ἕτερος, ὃς οὐ κατὰ νόμον ἐντολῆς σαρκικῆς γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ζωῆς ἀκαταλύτου μαρτυρεῖ γὰρ ὅτι Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. EPISTLE My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Verse: For he has regarded the humility of his servant. St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews (7:7-17) BRETHREN, it is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Here tithes are received by mortal men; there, by one whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek." GOSPEL The Reading is from Luke (2:22-40) At that time, the parents brought the child Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Symeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace,according to your word;for my eyes have seen your salvationwhich you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for revelation to the Gentiles,and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Symeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. 5

6 ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟ Κατὰ Λουκᾶν (2:22-40) Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀνήγαγον αὐτὸν εἰς Ιεροσόλυμα παραστῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ,καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου ὅτι πᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ Κυρίῳ κληθήσεται,καὶ τοῦ δοῦναι θυσίαν κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου, ζεῦγος τρυγόνων ἢ δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν.καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἐν Ιεροσολύμοις ᾧ ὄνομα Συμεών, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος δίκαιος καὶ εὐλαβής, προσδεχόμενος παράκλησιν τοῦ Ισραήλ, καὶ Πνεῦμα ἦν Αγιον ἐπ αὐτόν καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Αγίου μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον πρὶν ἢ ἴδῃ τὸν Χριστὸν Κυρίου.καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι εἰς τὸ ἱερόν καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰσαγαγεῖν τοὺς γονεῖς τὸ παιδίον Ιησοῦν τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον τοῦ νόμου περὶ αὐτοῦ,καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδέξατο αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐλόγησε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ εἶπε νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ, ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου, ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν, φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ισραήλ. καὶ ἦν Ιωσὴφ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ θαυμάζοντες ἐπὶ τοῖς λαλουμένοις περὶ αὐτοῦ.καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς Συμεὼν καὶ εἶπε πρὸς Μαριὰμ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ισραὴλ καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον.καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία, ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί.καὶ ἦν Αννα προφῆτις, θυγάτηρ Φανουήλ, ἐκ φυλῆς Ασήρ αὕτη προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ἡμέραις πολλαῖς, ζήσασα ἔτη μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἑπτὰ ἀπὸ τῆς παρθενίας αὐτῆς,καὶ αὐτὴ χήρα ὡς ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα τεσσάρων, ἣ οὐκ ἀφίστατο ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσι λατρεύουσα νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν καὶ αὕτη αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐπιστᾶσα ἀνθωμολογεῖτο τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐλάλει περὶ αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς προσδεχομένοις λύτρωσιν ἐν Ιερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ὡς ἐτέλεσαν ἅπαντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον Κυρίου, ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἑαυτῶν Ναζαρέτ.Τὸ δὲ παιδίον ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο πνεύματι πληρούμενον σοφίας, καὶ χάρις Θεοῦ ἦν ἐπ αὐτό. SAINTS AND FEASTS The Presentation of Our Lord and Savior in the Temple - February 2 When the most pure Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary's forty days of purification had been fulfilled, she took her first-born Son to Jerusalem on this, the fortieth day after His birth, that she might present Him in the temple according to the Law of Moses, which teaches that every first-born male child be dedicated to God, and also that she might offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons, as required by the Law (Luke 2:22-24; Exod. 13:2; Lev. 12:6-8). On this same day, a just and devout man, the greatly aged Symeon, was also present in the temple, being guided by the Holy Spirit. For a long time, this man had been awaiting the salvation of God, and he had been informed by divine revelation that he would not die until he beheld the Lord's Christ. Thus, when he beheld Him at that time and took Him up into his aged arms, he gave glory to God, singing: "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master..." And he confessed that he would close his eyes joyfully, since he had seen the Light of revelation for the nations and the Glory of Israel (Luke 2:25-32). From ancient times, the Holy Church has retained this tradition of the churching of the mother and new-born child on the fortieth day and of the reading of prayers of purification. The Apodosis of the Feast of the Meeting in the Temple is usually on the 9th of February. This, however, may vary if the Feast falls within the period of the Triodion. Should this occur, the Typicon should be consulted for specific information concerning the Apodosis of the Feast. 6

7 FOOTBALL CAN PROVIDE GREAT REMINDERS OF LIVING OUR FAITH Father Paul Kaplanis St. Paul in his 2 nd letter to Timothy offers two verses that compare our spiritual struggles and daily lives to sports. Comparing the spiritual life to an athletic contest is a common occurrence in the writings of the ascetic Fathers. St. Paul makes this connection in chapter 2, verse 5, when he says, An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. He also says in chapter 4, verse 7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. We know that St. Paul was referring to the ancient athletic contests making a connection with his audience that living a life in Christ and receiving our spiritual crown of victory requires us to follow our Lord s guidance and commands. This verse as described in the Orthodox Study Bible commentary, explains that faithful ministry requires discipline, obedience, self denial and struggle. One of our examples is the athlete. On the football field all of the above is required to succeed. We also know that not all athletes follow the rules. Some abuse their bodies with illegal substances and they suffer the consequences. Some play selfishly and only care about financial gain. There are also those who follow the rules and excel. We could also add, practice or askesis, (spiritual exercises), courage, persistence, teamwork and many more. St. Paul extends his thoughts further in the verse 7 above, in which he sees the spiritual life and the work God gave him, as a spiritual race. In football, of course it is a contest to see who wins or is victorious. In Romans chapter 5, verse 3ff, St. Paul provides more amazing associations for us. He proclaims, More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us. All of these obviously are standards of Orthodox Spirituality and they also happen to be necessary to be a great athlete and more so a person who can truly be a great role model. Troy Polamalu, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who is a convert to Orthodoxy, crosses himself before and after each play on the field. He then throws his body with reckless abandon at the offensive players on the other team. He has proved himself to be not only a great athlete, but also a faithful Orthodox Christian. Last year s season cannot be reflected upon without thinking about Tim Tebow and Tebowing. A Christian young man, who may not be the most gifted quarterback, but has a tremendous amount of faith and determination. These athletes seem to be filled with endurance, character and hope. Let s now examine the purely coincidental messages of football and our Faith. The names of the teams are interesting. The Giants of the Faith, represent the Saints, Holy Fathers and Martyrs of the Church. The Bears represent the animals that became tame in the presence of holy men like Seraphim of Sarov and St. Gerasimos of the Jordan. The Ravens we can recall Noah sending out a raven to see if the flood waters had receded. It never came back to the Ark. We could also mention the Saints Team, although we cannot judge their saintliness, we can remember their outpouring of assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The rest of the teams which mostly are named after some type of animal we can connect to God being the Creator of all things. The field the players use for football can be compared to a spiritual arena. The battle takes place between the two teams. The teams are surrounded by fans. In our life as Orthodox Christians we are surrounded by the myriad of Angels, Holy Martyrs and Saints of the Church. The fans cheer their players on to victory. The Holy Martyrs and Saints inspire us and cheer us on in our spiritual path to holiness. They are our heroes and role models. When we examine the field itself we are reminded of our own spiritual battle. The field is 100 yards long, and it we connect the length of the field to our life on earth, we realize that our life is finite and our days are 7

8 numbered. St. James in his epistle states in chapter 4, verse 14, whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. As the teams struggle and fight to go down the field to score, we can think of the end zone as our final destination, God s Heavenly Kingdom. Along the way, we see other visuals to help us reach oneness and communion with God. In the stadium there is the goal post shaped like a U. It reminds us that You must participate in your salvation, taken from St. Paul s letter to the Philippians chapter 2:12, which advises us to, work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. During the game each team progresses down the field with 4 chances to reach the 10 yard down marker. Sometimes the teams move forward, sometimes backwards, sometimes they go beyond the 10 yard marker, sometimes they are penalized and they lose yardage. When they work together and help each other they progress down the field. When they let their opponent out play them, they have to start over and punt the ball to the other team. In our spiritual lives, God has given us the 10 Commandments in the Old Testament, to help us live a holy life. Sometimes we observe all 10. Sometimes we move forward and observe the two Commandments of Jesus in the New Testament, loving God and our neighbor. Unfortunately there are also those times in life when we fall back or become lax in our spiritual journey and we lose ground. The underlying obstacle for us is our sins. As in football there is a price to pay for our sinfulness and our mistakes. In football there are penalties. For the team to be successful, the coaches and teammates must forgive each other and go on to the next play. In our lives, we ask God to forgive us through the priest in Holy Confession, we ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt or disappointed and we accept God s forgiveness so that we can have a new beginning. Sometimes we are also tempted to cause harm to others or we are tempted to make our own rules. Perhaps we become arrogant and judge others thinking that we are superior. All these things separate us from God and our fellow humans. In the game of football it usually spells disaster for the teams on the field. The Game of Football has a scoring system. When a touchdown is scored it is 6 points and the extra point is given when the ball is kicked successfully through the upright. In our Church we have 7 main Sacraments, most of the faithful participate in 6 of them and one is for those who are called to Holy Ordination. God also created the world in 6 days and He rested on the 7 th day, which equals one point for each day. In football a field goal is worth 3 points. In our theology this could remind us of the Holy Trinity, three persons in one God. A safety occurs when a player has the ball and gets tackled in their own end zone. In Theology we are reminded that our Lord has two natures, Fully Human and Fully Divine. In football there four quarters are two halves. In our Divine Liturgy, we read verses from the four Holy Gospels as prescribed throughout the year. There are also two parts to the Divine Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Faithful. In football during halftime, people stretch and half something to eat and in our churches many of our parishioners come after the half of the Liturgy has taken place. (Oops!) There have been many studies and books written about successful coaches and teams. The main theme for those successes is when the coaches and players love and care for each other. The strong help the weak and they have each other s back. In St. Paul s letter to the Romans, chapter 15, verse 1, we read, We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak. In our parish life and in our relationship with our fellow parishioners, we who are strong are to assist those who our weak. We come together in worship with each other communally in order to offer encouragement to all those around us. When we pray together we are strong and when we are experiencing challenging times we have others who love us and care for us to raise us up to glorify God. Yes, comparing football to our spiritual lives is a little ridiculous and silly, but God is present is in every aspect of our lives, if we only embrace and accept His love. For those who are football enthusiasts and fans, please go to church on Sunday and then go watch the games! See you at the concession stand. Oh, I meant the coffee hour! Amen! 8

9 CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS: HOPE/JOY: All the children of Hope/Joy will make Valentine s Day cards immediately following the Diving Liturgy in the church hall on February 9 th. Please join us for this wonderful event benefiting all the children at Children s Hospital. For more information, please call: Chrystyna Pittas at or Elizabeth Scott at (301) We look forward to seeing all of you! GOYA: We are collecting matchbox cars, chapstick, and nail polish for the Olive Branch Ministry. The Olive Branch Ministry is a group of local nurses and doctors that provide medical care for rural Nicaraguans and Orphans. Please have your donations in by February 1st. There is a box in the church hall for your donations. Thank you for your support. SUNDAY SCHOOL: Godparent Sunday today, February 2, Please come and worship together as we celebrate the Presentation of Our Lord. A light reception will follow immediately after the Divine Liturgy. PHILOPTOCHOS: There will be a luncheon today, Sunday, February 2nd to honor Nikki Pappas for her six years of leadership as Philoptochos President. The luncheon will be held at Mykonos Restaurant, $40 inclusive. Please see Helen Thornberg after church for reservations. We are sponsoring an Apokriatiko Glendi Sunday, February 23rd, 5pm to 9pm in the hall of St. Andrew Ukrainian Cathedral. Price: $25 for adults, $15 for 5 to 18 years old and free for 4 years old & under. Price includes buffet, dessert, coffee. Drinks extra. Tickets, please call Helen Thornberg (h) or Voula Voulthoukas (c) or see them after church on Sundays. YOUNG AT HEART: Thursday, February 6, Tour of Mount Vernon, Home of George Washington and lunch at Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. Please note date has changed from Friday, February, 7th to the Thursday, February, 6th. Please call Kathy Matrakas ( ); klukia14@gmail.com or Helen Thornberg ( ); bwt602r@aol.com to make a reservation. Everyone is welcome to attend! AHEPA AWARDS: Attention High School Seniors! Student applications are now available for the Washington Metropolitan Area 44th AHEPA Scholarship program. Students eligible for an award will be honored at this year's Awards Program on May 18, 2014 held at the Hilton Washington, DC/Rockville Hotel in Rockville, MD. This program has honored 1,508 students and awarded $804,975 in scholarships. Applications are available in the church office and website. Completed 9

10 applications and materials must be submitted by April 4th, For more information, contact Ted Sakkos (202) CUBA MISSION TRIP: MARCH 10-16, 2014 Fr. Costa Pavlakos will lead a local group of 15 people to Havana, Cuba to evangelize, teach and support those who seek Orthodoxy and are "alive in Christ". The five clergy within the Havana Greek Orthodoxtrained community seek assistance. The missionaries will stay in bed & breakfast facilities; airfare and housing cost is approximately $1,800. If interested, please call Fr.Costa Pavlakos directly at to reserve your seat. INTRODUCTION TO ORTHODOXY CLASS: For those interested in becoming Orthodox. Meet for 35 minutes after Liturgy on Sundays. The dates for the class: February 9th, 23rd; March 9th, 23rd; April 27th; May 11th, 25th. An alternate time could be offered based on interest. Please contact Fr. Jason for more information at FatherJason@schgocdc.org OCMC BENEFIT: Please join us for the annual Missions Benefit, which will take place in Falls Church, VA, on Sunday, February 9. Fr. Luke Veronis will join us for this special program. Fr. Luke has been involved in the Orthodox missionary movement for the past 17 years, having served as an OCMC Missionary in Albania, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana. Fr. Luke is the Director of the Missions Institute of Orthodox Christianity at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he teaches courses in world missions and evangelism. For information about the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, visit: IONIAN VILLAGE SCHOLARSHIP: Today the lucky recipient will be drawn to participate in Ionian Village this summer, a scholarship sponsored by Goya, Philoptochos, the Louis J Tiches Memorial Fund, and our parish of Sts. Constantine & Helen. Good luck to our contenders! They are: Alexis Romas, Kathlyn Kavadias, Victoria Koutras, Vasilia Adams, Christina Sourvinos, Dimitrios Sourvinos, and Philippos Sourvinos. MEMORIAL SERVICE FUTURE MEMORIALS: February 9, 2014 John Demetreos Gavounas (40 Days) February 16, 2014 John W. Cheakalos (1 Year) 10

11 PRAYER LIST If you would like us to remember you or your loved one in our prayers, please contact the office. Eleni, Maria, Simeon, Nikitas, Andreas 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. ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FUTURE GOD PARENTS All Orthodox Christians planning to become A God Parent must be able to recite the Creed by memory. You may recite our Symbol of Faith in either English or Greek. 40-DAYS BABY BLESSING For your convenience we are letting you know that you can make an appointment to church your baby on the 40th day after its birth, no matter what day that might be. There is no reason that you have to inconvenience the mom and the baby, waiting in the back of the Narthex until the priest is available on a Sunday ONLY. Make an appointment to come to church when it is convenient for you at a time that will not disrupt the baby's routine. ANY day you would like. 9am through 6pm by appointment. Bring the entire family or come just with your husband and the baby. Whatever you want. No waiting no inconvenience. More private time with the priest to talk about the future baptism if you wish. Call the office for an appointment. 11

12 WHO ARE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS?by modeoflife By Father Brendan Pelphrey, PhD The Orthodox Church is the original Christian church on Earth. It has existed since the Day of Pentecost, described in Acts Ch. 2 in the Bible. Through the centuries the Orthodox way of worship, and the Orthodox faith, have not changed. The Orthodox Christian faith is Biblical faith. The New Testament was written by the Apostles in Greek, and today the Orthodox Church still reads the New Testament in its original language. While the Bible is interpreted in many different ways today, the Orthodox Church does not try to interpret the Bible in new ways. Rather, we understand the Bible in the same way it was understood in the first centuries of the Church. Therefore we believe in salvation by the grace of God, in Jesus Christ. We also understand that no one is saved apart from faith, which we also understand in terms of being faithful to Christ. The correct name for the Orthodox Church is The Holy Apostolic Orthodox Catholic Church. The word holy indicates that it is the Body of Christ. Apostolic means that it was begun by the Apostles, and the teachings of the Church completely agree with their teachings. Orthodox means that the Church keeps the original doctrines and practices of the ancient Church: ortho means right, correct, straight and doxa means appearance, glory (or perhaps from dokeo meaning I teach ); hence straight-teaching, correct teaching or right appearance. The word catholic comes from katholicos in Greek, which means universal. This word was used by the first Christians to mean that the true Church is the same everywhere in the world. The word church translates the Greek word ekklesia, which means called out that is, that Christians are called by God to be set apart from the world, for Him. According to the Bible, the Church is the mystical body of Jesus Christ on Earth. Jesus promised His disciples, Lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the ages (Matthew 27:20). He also said, Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). St. Paul understands the presence of Jesus Christ to be hidden within those who are baptized into Christ. In baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the same gift which was poured out upon the disciples at Pentecost (Acts ch. 2). The Church is also the Bride of Christ, according to the vision of St. John the Evangelist (cf. Revelation 22:17, 2 Corinthians 11:2). Jesus referred to Himself many times as the Bridegroom, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that the Saviour would be a husband to Israel (cf. Matthew 9:15, John 3:29, Song of Songs 4:08). In fact, the most common image of salvation in the New Testament is that of marriage, in which Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride. This image is often employed in Jesus parables and sayings, for example the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25) or the sayings in John 14, which is a lengthy reference to Jewish marriage customs. Orthodox Christians believe that the Church, the Bride of Christ, is a real gathering of people whose history can be traced back to the Day of Pentecost. Being part of the Church does not just mean agreeing with what the first Christians taught. It means actually joining the historical Church through baptism and chrismation ( confirmation ). In this sense, there is only one true Church in the world: the Orthodox Church, which can trace an unbroken history back to the very beginning. The first Apostles appointed their own successors in each city where they founded a congregation. Those bishops (church leaders) in turn appointed others to follow them, and so on. Historically, there were always several equal bishops or overseers of the Church. These were the bishops of the most important cities in the world at their time: the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (Syria), and Jerusalem. In later centuries, to these were added the Patriarchs (senior bishops) of Moscow (Russia) and of other ancient cities and countries. (to be continued on next Sunday s bulletin) 12

13 Did you know.that you can make your stewardship payment or fulfill your capital campaign pledge via a stock transfer? It may behoove you to look through your investment and stock portfolio before you write a check. If you will be making a donation to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church of Washington, D.C. (which is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization) and your donations can be deducted on your federal income tax return as an itemized deduction, you should consider donating appreciated stock from your investment portfolio instead of cash. The tax benefits -- which include deducting the amount of the charitable donation AND escaping the unrealized gains on the donated stock - come from the fact that the deduction one can take for a donation of property to charity is equal to the property's current fair market value. And when the donated property is an investment, the donor does not have to recognize the capital gain. These rules create a "double play" of tax benefits: a charitable deduction AND avoiding tax on the unrealized capital gains of the donated property. This works best for folks whose marginal tax bracket is 15 percent or higher and who claim itemized deductions. For example, let's say you bought stock for $10,000 last year and today it is worth $20,000. You should consider donating the entire toward your capital campaign pledge (assuming you had pledged that much). If you sold the $20,000 stock instead of donating it, you would pay capital gains tax on the $10,000 gain in value. The tax rate for long-term capital gains is 15 percent. Therefore, the tax savings for donating rather than selling the stock would be $1,500 (10,000 x 15%). In addition, you can claim a charitable deduction of the market value of the donated shares -- the full $20, as a charitable donation deduction. If you are in the 25 percent federal tax bracket, this could generate another $5,000 (20,000 x 25%) in tax savings. This brings your total tax savings to $6,500. If you are in a higher tax bracket, your donation deduction will be even more. Also consider this: you are giving a gift of $20,000 which is two times what it originally cost you. So as you can see your tax benefits from making a donation of appreciated stock versus cutting a check can be substantial. But be careful here: this will not work if the stock has NOT been held for more than a year. So, if you are considering the donation of appreciated stock, you need to make sure that the shares have been held for more than one year. In order to gift stock to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church of Washington, D.C. please provide the Church's brokerage information listed below to your broker/bank. Morgan Stanley: SAINTS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Acct: Morgan Stanley: DTC# 0015 If you decide to take this avenue in giving to your church, please know that it is truly appreciated and we are grateful to you for your kindness and support The information in this article is provided as general information and not as specific tax advice as in all matters concerning your own personal tax situation, please consult with your tax advisor. 13

14 14

15 15

16 16

17 PARAKLESIS TO THE THEOTOKOS ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟ 6:30 PM WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 6:30 MM ΤΕΤΑΡΤΕΣ ΑΠΟΓΕΥΜΑ Most Holy Theotokos save us. With many temptations surrounding me, Searching for salvation, I have hastened unto you; O Mother of the Word, and ever-virgin, From all distress and dangers deliver me. Υπεραγια Θεοτοκε σωσον ημας. Πολλοῖς συνεχόμενος πειρασμοῖς, πρὸς σὲ καταφεύγω, σωτηρίαν ἐπιζητῶν Ὦ Μῆτερ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ Παρθένε, τῶν δυσχερῶν καὶ δεινῶν με διάσωσον. Icon: End of 13th Century. Triglia, M. Asia. Smisthonian Museum, Gallery of Art (Exhibition). OLIVE OIL, PROSPHORO, COMMANDARIA WINE If you would like to donate any of the these when submitting names for Commemoration at the Prothesis, or for a Trisagion/Memorial it would be greatly appreciated. ΛΑΔΙ, ΠΡΟΣΦΟΡΟ, ΚΡΑΣΙ ΚΟΜΜΑΝΤΑΡΙΑ Θα το εκτιμούσαμε πολύ εάν θα μπορούσατε να προσφέρετε λάδι, πρόσφορο ή κρασί κομμανταρία όταν φέρνετε ονόματα για την Προσκομιδή, ή για Τρισάγιο/Μνημόσυνο. 17

18 March for Life Rally Wednesday, January 22, 2014 The National Mall, Washington, D.C. ~by Fr. Jason On January 22nd I was able to once again attend the March for Life Rally at the National Mall on Washington, D.C. Despite the very cold weather, thousands upon thousands of people showed up to the March for Life. Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago gave the opening prayer. Groups, both secular and religious, gathered from all over the country to stand up for the rights of the unborn. Among the many groups at the rally, the Orthodox Christians for Life group was present, with a handful of Hierarchs from around the nation as well as local clergy. After the rally, the marchers marched to the Supreme Court and ended the day with a Trisagion. Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos remarked, It is inspiring to see that, after four decades and counting of legalized infanticide, the March for Life was joined by so many young women and men from all across our nation, and there are those who feel deeply that we must protect all human life, from the preborn to those on death row and everywhere in between as we prayed in our memorial vigil. Though this battle will not be complete until we repeal certain laws and reverse court rulings, abolishing abortion on demand as well as capital punishment, we are advancing in our fight for hearts and minds. Virtuous hearts will always win the day. 18

19 The Sunday Victory: A Super Bowl Message - by Fr. Christopher Makiej When we think about a Sunday victory during this time of year, it is usually a thought about who is going to win the Super Bowl. But I want to declare that as we watch the Super Bowl and view the battle and then the exhilaration of victory of the winning team, let us become even more aware of the greater Sunday victory which takes place everysunday in the Orthodox Christian Church! As a priest, when Sunday Liturgy is over and our parishioners are enjoying fellowship during the family hour, when I walk back into the quiet church, reflecting upon what just took place in the Liturgy, with the fragrance of incense still hovering above, like the dust settling after a great battle, I always feel a tremendous sense of victory. I call it the Sunday victory. I believe Sunday is a victory because on that day nothing else matters; we have put everything aside and we ve made the decision to come to Church and be with Christ. On that day we defeat the worldly influences of society, and the devil who operates through them, which continuously seek to draw us away from our Church and our Faith, isolating us away from Christ and other believers. And make no mistake, we will surely see these influences in vivid high definition during many of the commercials of the Super Bowl: worldliness, secularism, mega-materialism all the same things of which the great King Solomon spoke of, who had all the wealth the world had to offer, but summed up his life by saying: Vanity, vanity, it s all vanity, emptiness, it s a bubble that bursts. ( Book of Ecclesiastes). Saint Paul talked about the feeling of triumph and victory when he wrote his second letter to the Corinthians (2:14-17), Now thanks be to God who always leads us in victory in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place The commentary in the Orthodox Study Bible says the following about this passage: The victory is Christ, the captives are the powers of darkness; His fragrance is the apostolic ministry. Christians are the winning forces who triumph through the hearing of the word of God and joining the great procession of thanksgiving leading to life. I believe each Sunday to be a victory for us as individuals and families as we gather as the body of Christ, worship Jesus, hear the Gospel of truth, grow in faith, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, our children are taught the faith, and we all grow closer to one another in faith and in love, becoming the people God has called us to be in this world. And that, my brothers and sisters, is a great victory! Sunday is a victory because on that day we have stood firm against the wiles of the enemy, and made the effort to attend Liturgy and put ourselves into an environment of faith which blesses, sanctifies and strengthens our lives! However, too many people today, including young parents are spiritually sleeping. Permissive and absentee parenting today has become epidemic. While many modern parents are chasing their own self-fulfillment, their children are being emotionally neglected and morally ravaged through the wireless tentacles of television, computer video games, and corrupt music and entertainment. The result, a desensitized, joyless, selfish, stoic young generation. But Sunday can turn this defeat into a victory! So many people today are searching for something real because the vanity and emptiness of worldly secularism has left them spiritually bankrupt. What is truly real in our world is Jesus, His Church and the Liturgy of life in which bread and wine become the very real body and blood of Christ. However, the Sunday decision is ours. I truly believe there is a spiritual battle in every Orthodox Christian home every Sunday morning about whether to come to church or not. But it s our call. God will not force us. To use a football analogy, the coach is calling the play, as the Quarterback we hear it in our headphones: Go to Church, go to Jesus, bring your children, receive Communion, commit your life to Christ. Friends, that s the winning call! But it s our decision. Dear brothers and sisters, today, let us make it our commitment to be triumphant in Christ by participating in the Sunday victory every Sunday! We need Jesus. We need to be in Church and in His holy environment of Faith with other believers every Sunday. The mall, the lawn, the home decorating, the Sunday newspaper - everything else in our life should close down on Sunday morning and our total focus should be on Christ. Truly every day is a constant battle to do good and follow Christ, but every Sunday at Church is a great victory from which we can then tap into for strength during the week. Jesus rose from the dead on this day, and there is a power and holiness on this day unlike any other. Enjoy the Superbowl, and let it remind us of the great victory that awaits us and our families every Sunday. Amen. 19

20 ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΖΑΚΧΑΙΟΥ Υπό Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτου Αντινόης κ.κ. ΠΑΝΤΕΛΕΗΜΟΝΟΣ Ο Υιός και Λόγος του Θεού είχε ένα μοναδικό σκοπό, τη σωτηρία της ανθρωπότητας. Ο άνθρωπος απομακρυνόταν όλο και περισσότε-ρο από την γνώση του αληθινού Θεού και αγωνιούσε να βρει την αλήθεια που θα τον οδηγούσε στη σωτηρία και την επιθυμητή ένωση με τον Δημιουργό του. Ο νους και η καρδιά του ανθρώπου σκοτίστηκαν από την αμαρτία, και σαν αποτέλεσμα αδυνατούσε να συμμετάσχει στη θέωση, όπως είχε υποσχεθεί ο Όφις μέσα στον Παράδεισο (Γεν. 3: 4-5). Όμως, οι συνέπειες της παρακοής προς την Θεία Εντολή υπήρξαν καταστροφικές για την ανθρωπότητα. Ο άγιος Απόστολος Παύλος στην προς Ρωμαίους Επιστολή του μας διδάσκει λέγοντας: «τα γαρ αόρατα αυτού από κτίσεως κόσμου τοις ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθοράται, ή τε αΐδιος αυτού δύναμις και θειότης, εις το είναι αυτούς αναπολογήτους, διότι γνόντες τον Θεόν ουχ ως Θεόν εδόξασαν ή ευχαρίστησαν, αλλ εματαιώθησαν εν τοις διαλογισμοίς αυτών, και εσκοτίσθη η ασύνετος αυτών καρδία φάσκοντες είναι σοφοί εμωράνθησαν, και ήλλαξαν την δόξαν του αφθάρτου Θεού εν ομοιώματι εικόνος φθαρτού ανθρώπου και πετεινών και τετραπόδων και ερπετών. Διό και παρέδωκεν αυτούς ο Θεός εν ταις επιθυμίαις των καρδιών αυτών εις ακαθαρσίαν του ατιμάζεσθαι τα σώματα αυτών εν αυτοίς, οίτινες μετήλλαξαν την αλήθειαν του Θεού εν τω ψεύδει, και εσεβάσθησαν και ελάτρευσαν τη κτίσει παρά τον κτίσαντα, ός εστιν ευλογητός εις τους αιώνας Αμήν.» (Ρωμ. l:20-25). Όλο και περισσότερο ο άνθρωπος δίδει την προσοχή του σε υλικά αγαθά παρά στα πνευματικά, και μέσα στην καρδιά του θέτει την ύλη υπεράνω όλων. Υποδουλώνει τον εαυτόν του με την ύλη και την εσωτερική επιθυμία για πλούτη και υλικά αγαθά, που τον κάμνουν να είναι άδικος. Ο άνθρωπος, μεθυσμένος από την πλεονεξία, πάντοτε θέλει όλο και περισσότερα υλικά αγαθά. Τίποτε δεν τον ικανοποιεί. Χρησιμοποιεί κάθε μέσον για να αυξήσει τα υπάρχοντά του με πλήρη αδιαφορία προς τις ανάγκες των συνανθρώπων του. Δεν τον ενδιαφέρει, εάν αδικεί άλλους. Δεν τον ενδιαφέρει το πώς οι άλλοι θα επιζήσουν. Οι κραυγές των γυναικών που καταπιέζει πέφτουν στα κουφά αυτιά του. Αντιμετωπίζοντας τα πεινασμένα πρόσωπα των παιδιών, δεν αισθάνεται τίποτε. Μοναδικός σκοπός του είναι να είναι πλούσιος. Παρόμοια υπήρξε η ζωή του αρχιτελώνη Ζακχαίου. Ο Ζακχαίος, ως αρχιτελώνης, ενδιαφερόταν να αποκτήσει μεγάλη περιουσία, βασισμένη επάνω στην σκληρή εργασία άλλων. Ο καρπός της άδικης καταπάτησης των περιουσιακών στοιχείων των άλλων υπήρξε η ενοχή. Όπου και εάν θα κοίταζε μέσα στο σπίτι του, έβλεπε τους καρπούς της αδικίας και της σκληρότητάς του. Τα αποκτηθέντα αρχίζουν να τον καταδικάζουν και προοδευτικά αφυπνίζουν την καρδιά του. Εκείνη τη στιγμή, τα νέα της άφιξης του Ιησού στην πόλη φθάνουν. Όλοι οι χωριανοί τρέχουν για να δουν τον Υιόν του Δαβίδ. Μέσα σε ελάχιστο χρόνο οι στενοί δρόμοι της Ιεριχούς κατακλύζονται από όχλους, που έσπρωχναν ο ένας τον άλλον με την ελπίδα να δουν τον Μεγάλο Προφήτη. Ο Ζακχαίος, επίσης θέλησε να δει τον Ιησού. Προσπάθησε να τον πλησιάσει, αλλά ήταν αδύνατον. Ακόμα και η υψηλή κοινωνική του θέση καθόλου δεν τον ωφέλησε. Η προσοχή των ανθρώπων ήταν στραμμένη προς τον Ιησούν και αγνοούσαν τον αρχιτελώνη. Όμως, ο Ζακχαίος δεν τα βάζει κάτω. Τρέχοντας, αναβαίνει επάνω σε μία συκομουριά, για να δει καλύτερα τον Ιησού. Όταν ο Ιησούς πλησίασε, κοίταξε προς τα επάνω και βλέποντας τον Ζακχαίο του λέγει: Ζακχαίε, κατέβα, διότι, σήμερα, θα μείνω μαζί σου στο σπίτι σου (Λουκά l9:5). Γεμάτος από χαρά και έκπληξη, ο Ζακχαίος, κατεβαίνει και υποδέχθηκε τον Ιησού. Αλλά αυτό δεν ήταν το τέλος. Δημόσια αναγνωρίζει τα προηγούμενα λάθη του και υπόσχεται να επιδιορθώσει δίδοντας την μισή του περιουσία στους φτωχούς και, εάν είχε αδίκησε κάποιον, θα τα ανταπέδιδε τετραπλά (Λουκά l9:8). Αυτή η ειλικρινή έκφραση μετανοίας του Ζακχαίου, εξασφάλισε σ αυτόν και στην οικογένειά του την σωτηρία. Μέσα από την ζωή του Ζακχαίου μπορούμε να δούμε μία ανταύγεια της δικής μας ζωής. Κάθε άνθρωπος, άνδρας ή γυναίκα, νέος ή ηλικιωμένος, επιθυμεί να έχει πλήρη γνώση και άμεση με τον Δημιουργό του. Ο άνθρωπος επιθυμεί να ικανοποιήσει τις υλικές και τις πνευματικές του ανάγκες. Δεν υπάρχει άνθρωπος επάνω στη γη που δεν επιθυμεί να έχει σχέση με τον Θεό. Αναζητά να τον συναντήσει, αλλά λόγω της αμαρτίας, που προξενεί την αποξένωση μεταξύ ανθρώπου και Θεού, η συνάντηση καθίσταται αδύνατος. Η αμαρτία στέκεται ως το εμπόδιο μεταξύ του Δημιουργού και του πλάσματός Του. Γι αυτό τον λόγο, ο Υιός του Θεού ήλθε στη γη για να 20