Sunday, December 4, th Sunday of Luke. St. Sabbas the Sanctified - December 5

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1 Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church 7560 South Archer Road, Justice, Illinois (708) , fax (708) Rev. Fr. Demetrios Kounavis Parish Priest Sunday, December 4, th Sunday of Luke St. Sabbas the Sanctified - December 5 This Saint was born in 439 in Moutalaska, a small village of Cappadocia. He entered the arena of the monastic life from childhood and was under that master trainer of monastics, Euthymius, the Great, the teacher of the desert. He became the spiritual Father of many monks and an instructor for the monasteries in Palestine, and was appointed leader (archimandrite) of the desert-dwellers of Palestine by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. In his old age he went to Constantinople, to the Emperors Anastasius and Saint Justinian the Great, in behalf of the Orthodox Faith and the dogmas of the Council of Chalcedon. Having lived ninety-four years, he reposed in 533. The Typicon for the ecclesiastical services had its beginning in the monastery established by this righteous one. FOCUS NORTH AMERICA CHRISTMAS DRIVE Please support a new drive that we are starting this year! Through FOCUS America, an Orthodox Christian charity that serves the working poor and homeless, we will be supporting the All our Children s Advocacy Center located here in Justice. This center is dedicated to serving the needs of children and families who are affected by the trauma of abuse, while enhancing the community s response to the problem. You can read more about their work at Please stop by the Community Hall and pick up an ornament from our special tree. For more information, please contact the Church Office.

2 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ EPISTLE READING FOR THE DAY ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ GOSPEL READING FOR THE DAY Ἀδελφοί, πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν, ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα, συγκεκλεισμένοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι. Ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν. Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν. Πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς Χριστοῦ, ἄρα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐστέ, καὶ κατʼ ἐπαγγελίαν κληρονόμοι. Λέγω δέ, ἐφʼ ὅσον χρόνον ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει δούλου, κύριος πάντων ὤν ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους ἐστὶν καὶ οἰκονόμους, ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός. Οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν ἀπολάβωμεν. υἱοθεσίαν BRETHREN, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, Ην δὲ διδάσκων ἐν μιᾷ τῶν συναγωγῶν ἐν τοῖς σάββασι. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἦν πνεῦμα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας ἔτη δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, καὶ ἦν συγκύπτουσα καὶ μὴ δυναμένη ἀνακῦψαι εἰς τὸ παντελές. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ Ιησοῦς προσεφώνησε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ γύναι, ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνωρθώθη καὶ ἐδόξαζε τὸν Θεόν. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, ἀγανακτῶν ὅτι τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ Ιησοῦς, ἔλεγε τῷ ὄχλῳ ἓξ ἡμέραι εἰσὶν ἐν αἷς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι ἐν ταύταις οὖν ἐρχόμενοι θεραπεύεσθε, καὶ μὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου. ἀπεκρίθη οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος καὶ εἶπεν ὑποκριτά, ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὄνον ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης καὶ ἀπαγαγὼν ποτίζει; ταύτην δέ, θυγατέρα Αβραὰμ οὖσαν, ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ σατανᾶς ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη, οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ τούτου τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ κατῃσχύνοντο πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἔχαιρεν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνδόξοις τοῖς γινομένοις ὑπ αὐτοῦ. At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

3 The Miraculous Icon of Saint Nicholas of the Oyster at Stavronikita Monastery On Mount Athos is a monastery which is called Stavronikita which is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The monastery however was originally built in memory of St. John the Baptist. In the Iconoclast period, the monks threw many icons into the sea so they might not be contaminated by the hands of the Iconoclasts. One of those icons was of St. Nicholas, which is currently in the Monastery of Stavronikita and is one of the miraculous icons of Mount Athos. Following the burning of the monastery by the Corsairs, the Patriarch Jeremiah the Elder sought to rebuild it in the name of St. John the Baptist. And while construction was started, the monks were throwing nets into the sea to catch a few fish. But when they pulled up their nets, they found within them the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas. In the icon (in the face of St. Nicholas) an oyster was stuck and embedded. When they pulled the oyster out of the icon, they were shocked. Blood ran from the wound opened by the oyster! Because of this miracle, the icon was named Agios Nikolaos o Streidas (Saint Nicholas of the Oyster), And the name remains to this day. The icon is very old. It was not made by painting, but is a mosaic (such as those in Hagia Sophia, Daphne, St. Demetrios in Thessaloniki, etc.). But such small icons on wood are rare. On the old Proskenetarion [veneration stand which held the icon] on Mount Athos, the following is stated about the icon of the Saint: "This icon came from the sea, because it was thrown therein at the time of Iconoclasm, and because of the long time it was in the sea an oyster was embedded in the forehead, and 'o streidas' was how it was called, and is guilded beautifully in gold leaf?." When the Patriarch saw the miracle of this icon, he dedicated the new monastery which was being built to St. Nicholas, and not the Forerunner. One half of the shell of an oyster the Patriarch used as a disc for the elevation of the Panagia on the Holy Altar, the other half was made into an engolpion [rounded jewelry worn by bishops with an icon of the Theotokos on it, they were once used to hold Holy Communion] and is now in the sacristy of the Patriarchate of Moscow. This miracle happened in 1553 AD.

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5 Το θαύμα του Αγίου Νικολάου Διηγείται ο π. Ιάκωβος Τσαλίκης O π. Ιάκωβος Τσαλίκης διηγούνταν ότι στη μονή του Αγ. Νικολάου του Γαλατά ένας βοσκός βοσκούσε τα πρόβατά του μαζί με τα πρόβατα της μονής και τους έδινε ένα μέρος του τυριου και μαλλί. Μια μέρα ο πειρασμός τον έβαλε να κλέψει τα πρόβατα της μονής και παρά τα παρακάλια των μοναχών, επέμενε στην αδικία. Τότε, την Κυριακή, μετά την Θεία Λειτουργία, ο ηγούμενος, φορώντας τα άμφια με τα οποία είχε λειτουργήσει,πήρε το θυμιατό και την εικόνα του Αγ. Νικολάου και ανέβηκε στο βουνό από όπου φαινόνταν το χωριό του βοσκού. Ήταν στα μέσα του καλοκαιριού τον καιρό του θερισμού και οι άνθρωποι ήταν στον κάμπο. Ο ηγούμενος προσευχήθηκε, έστρεψε την εικόνα προς το χωριό και είπε: Άγιε Νικόλαε εφόσον είσαι θαυματουργός, τιμώρησε αυτόν τον άνθρωπο που έκλεψε το μοναστήρι. Από αυτά τα πρόβατα ζούμε και εμείς. Λέγοντας αυτά τα λόγια, παρότι ήταν ξαστεριά και δεν υπήρχε ούτε ένα σύννεφο στον ουρανό ένας κεραυνός χτύπησε τον βοσκό και την οικογένειά του και το νοικοκυριό τους κάηκε. Κανένας από τους γείτονες δεν έπαθε τίποτα. Πραγματι. Φοβερόν τού εμπεσείν είς χείρας Θεού ζώντος DATES TO REMEMBER December 8: Philoptochos Christmas Party December 10: Parish Visit to the Greek American Nursing Home December 17-18: Philoptochos Bake Sale December 17: Church Cleaning December 18: Parish Council Elections December 18: Christmas Pageant and Metropolis of Chicago Annual Open House December 31: New Year s Eve Celebration January 8: Dive for the Cross CHURCH OFFICE REMODEL We are happy to announce that we have received a very generous donation to cover the expense of the office remodel! We thank the donor for this great opportunity in beautifying our church environment. We are hoping to have the project completed before Christmas. Thank you.

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8 WEEKLY EVENTS Monday, December 5 9am - 40 Day Liturgy at St. Nicholas 7pm: Vespers for St. Nicholas, Oak Lawn Tuesday, December 6 8:30am - Feast of St. Nicholas at Saint Nicholas Church Wednesday, December 7 9am - 40 Day Liturgy at St. Nicholas Thursday, December 8 9am - 40 Day Liturgy at St. Nicholas 6:15pm - Paraklesis 7pm - Philoptochos Christmas Party Friday, December 9 8:30am - Conception of the Theotokos at St. Nicholas Saturday, December 10 9am - 40 Day Liturgy at St. Nicholas 10am - Greek School 12:30pm - Parish Trip to the Nursing Home ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟ Δευτέρα, 5 Δεκεμβρίου 9π.μ. - Θ. Λειτουργία Ι.Ν. Αγ. Νικολάου 7μ.μ. - Εσπερινός του Αγ. Νικολάου Τρίτη, 6 Δεκεμβρίου 8.30π.μ. - Αγίου Νικολάου στο Ι.Ν. Αγ. Νικολάου Τετάρτη, 7 Δεκεμβρίου 9π.μ. - Θ. Λειτουργία Ι.Ν. Αγ. Νικολάου Πέμπτη, 8 Δεκεμβρίου 9π.μ. - Θ. Λειτουργία Ι.Ν. Αγ. Νικολάου 6.15μ.μ. - Παράκλησις 7.00μ.μ. - Χριστουγεννιάτικο Πάρτυ Παρασκευή, 9 Δεκεμβρίου 8.30π.μ. - Σύλληψις Αγίας Άννης ΙΝ. Αγ. Νικολάου Σάββατο, 10 Δεκεμβρίου 9π.μ. - Θ. Λειτουργία Ι.Ν. Αγ. Νικολάου 10π.μ. - Ελληνικό Σχολείο 12.30μ.μ. - Parish Trip to Nursing Home MEMORIALS Apostolitsa Papadrosos 3 years, Right 1-3 May her memory be eternal! Today s coffee fellowship is hosted by our Philoptochos Society. Everyone is invited to our community hall to enjoy fellowship. FELLOWSHIP