ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL AND THE CHAPEL OF SAINT THEODORE

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1 ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL AND THE CHAPEL OF SAINT THEODORE WEEKLY BULLETIN 7220 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA Phone: Fax: Web: Very Rev. Archimandrite, Ambrose Bitziadis-Bowers, Dean Rev. Protopresbyter Constantine Rogakos, Priest Today is: Sunday, October 13, th Sunday of Luke Carpos, Papylos, Agathodoros and Agathoniki, the Martyrs

2 ALTAR SERVERS John Clare, Michael Clare, Joseph Manning, Landon Clay, Matthew Clare, Alexander Wise, Demetrios Cain, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Emilios Chrysostomides, Nickolas Webb, Michael Wise, Angelo Chrysostomides EPISTLE READER Alexandra O Dea LITURGICAL SCHEDULE Friday, October 18 St. Luke the Evangelist Orthros 8:30 am D. Liturgy 9:30 am Chapel TODAY Coffee Hour will be held in the Social Hall. UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS ORTHODOX LIFE - ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION : Will meet on this Tuesday, October 8, at 6:30 pm, in the Bible Study room. The theme for this semester is The History of Ancient Christianity from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles to 1054, the time of the Great Schism. OFFICE CLOSED: Due to observance of Columbus Day, the office will be closed on Monday, October 14. We will reopen on Tuesday, October 15. GOYA: Will meet this Monday, October 14, at 6:30 pm in the Social Hall.

3 GOLDEN YEARS: There will not be seniors on Tuesday, October 15. ANNUNCIATION HELLENIC DANCERS (Grades 9-12): Thank you for participating in the 2012 Christmas Card. We are planning ahead for the 2013 Christmas Card. Please pick up a Christmas Card form on the table outside the altar and submit the completed form to the office. AGAPE: We are having a practice and pot luck Oct 20th after church. There will be a sign up sheet ed soon. Hope you all can make it! PHILOPTCHOS: Please join us for our next general meeting on Sunday, Oct. 20 th after Divine Liturgy in the Hellenic Center. Lunch will be served ($5 per person), and our special guest speaker is from the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Philoptochos chapters across the nation recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so wear your pink that Sunday. HOPE/JOY: Save the Date- our next Sunday Chat will be October 20 th right after Sunday School. The Harvest Festival will be held on October 26 th from 3-7pm, outside and in the Social Hall. We are in need of donations and volunteers. See flyer for more information. Due to conflicts, we will not have the Giving Thanks Dinner this year. COMMUNITY DINNER: If you are interested in volunteering your time for our Community Dinner, please pick up a packet on the table outside the altar. Please return completed forms to the office. Those interested will be contacted shortly for an informational meeting. AGORA STORE: We are open every Sunday following the services for all of your needs. Proceeds to support the needy of the Tidewater Area.

4 THE EPISTLE READING Titus 3:8-15 Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

5 Ο ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Πρός Τίτον Ἐπιστολῆς Παῦλου 3:8-15 Τέκνον Τίτε, πιστὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες τῷ Θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιίστασο εἰσὶ γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρός σε ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλὼ σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ' ἐμοῦ πάντες. ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. Ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν ἀμήν.

6 THE GOSPEL READING 4th Sunday of Luke Luke 8:5-15 The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

7 ΤΟ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Τετάρτη Κυριακή τοῦ Λουκά Ἐκ τοῦ κατά Λουκάν 8:5-15 Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολήν ταῦτην, ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσε παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ κατεπατήθη, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατέφαγεν αὐτό καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀκανθῶν, καὶ συμφυεῖσαι αἱ ἄκανθαι ἀπέπνιξαν αὐτό. καὶ ἕτερον ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, καὶ φυὲν ἐποίησε καρπὸν ἑκατονταπλασίονα. ταῦτα λέγων ἐφώνει Ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. Ἐπηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Τίς εἴη ἡ παραβολή αὕτη; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσι καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ συνιῶσιν. Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη ἡ παραβολή ὁ σπόρος ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, εἶτα ἔρχεται ὁ διάβολος καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ πιστεύσαντες σωθῶσιν. οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι, μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται. τὸ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας πεσόν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀκούσαντες, καὶ ὑπὸ μεριμνῶν καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου πορευόμενοι συμπνίγονται καὶ οὐ τελεσφοροῦσι. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ καλῇ γῇ, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ. Ταῦτα λέγων εφώνει. Ὁ ἒχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.

8 SAINTS AND FEASTS COMMEMORATED Luke the Evangelist October 18 This Apostle was an Antiochean, a physician by trade, and a disciple and companion of Paul. He wrote his Gospel in Greek after Matthew and Mark, after which he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, and dedicated both works to Theophilus, who, according to some, was Governor of Achaia. He lived some eighty-six years and died in Achaia, perhaps in Patras, the capital of this district. His emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ's sacrificial and priestly office, as Saint Irenaeus says. APOLYTIKION of this Sunday By Your Cross, O Christ our God, You destroyed death. You opened paradise to the thief. You transformed the lament of the Myrrh-bearing women, and You commanded the Apostles to proclaim You are risen, granting the world Your great mercy. 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.

9 WISDOM FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS For by seed here He means His doctrine, and by land, the souls of men, and by the sower, Himself... For as the sower makes no distinction in the land submitted to him, but simply and indifferently casts his seed; so He Himself too makes no distinction of rich and poor, of wise and unwise, of slothful or diligent, of brave or cowardly; but He discourses unto all, fulfilling His part, although foreknowing the results. St. John Chrysostom, Homily 44 on Matthew 12 4th Century When you see life's pleasures, beware that they might not distract you, for they conceal death's snares. Likewise a fisherman casts not his hook to no purpose. As bait for his hook, the enemy uses the delusion of sensuality to arouse desire, that he might thereby catch men's souls and subject them to himself. A soul which has been caught to serve the enemy's will then serves as a snare for other souls, for it conceals the grief of sin with its apparent delight. St. Ephraim the Syrian, A Spiritual Psalter no 43, pg. 74 4th century KONTAKION of this Sunday O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the creator most constant: O despise not the voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto you: Hasten to intercession and speed you to make supplication, O you who did ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor you. Προστασία τῶν Χριστιανῶν άκαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία, πρός τόν Ποιητήν ἀμετάθετε, μή παρίδης, ἀμαρτωλῶν δεήσεων φωνάς, ἀλλά πρόφθασον, ὡς ἀγαθή εἰς τήν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν, τῶν πιστῶς κραυγαζόντων σοι. Τάχυνον εἰς πρεσβείαν, καί σπεύσον εἰς ἰκεσίαν, ἡ προστατεύουσα ἀεί, Θεοτόκε τῶν τιμώντων σε.

10 SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS The Parable of the Sower In His love for humanity the Lord Jesus travelled on foot from village to village and from city to city in the Holy Land, to preach the Good news of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of which He was both the herald and the content. On the one hand there were those who responded positively to Him and His message, so that it made a positive difference in their lives and in their relationship with God. On the other hand, there were those who responded negatively. They did not bother to listen to Him, or they quickly forgot what they had heard. They may have been enthusiastic initially, but only until they were confronted with temptations and trials. For example, when they were confronted with the danger of being banned from the synagogue for being a follower of the Lord Jesus and His teaching, they chose to deny the Lord instead. The Apostles would later have this same experience. And even today it is no different. In some people's lives we see the Gospel take root and produce a marvelous harvest of love for God, our fellow humans, and creation; a harvest of growth in grace, love, peace and joy. But for others, sad to say, this harvest does not happen. The Lord therefore tells the parable of the Sower to explain why the preaching of the Gospel has such mixed results, in this world. To this day, there appears to be an awful lot of wasted effort, with only a minority responding with complete and total enthusiasm. It all seems to depend on the state of one s soul, whether the Word of the Gospel will take root and produce a beautiful harvest or not. So it is not necessarily the preacher who is at fault, unless, of course, they failed to prepare adequately, or spoke carelessly or in the wrong spirit, perhaps of condemnation, instead of love. But assuming that it is Christ who ultimately speaks the word of the Gospel to our hearts, we would do well to examine our hearts, and to ask whether we obey the Biblical Command found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." In the parable of the Sower, the seed of the Word that fell by the wayside and was snatched away by the birds, i.e. by the devil, is the Word preached to the unworthy heart, the heart of the person who

11 failed to love God with all their heart. Such a heart was never ready or receptive to the word of God. The seed that fell on the rocky ground is the Word that was preached to a shallow soul, a soul unprepared for the trials and temptations that is part and of the organic reality of the reception of the Gospel. Such a person fails to love God with all their soul. The seed sown among thorns is the Word preached to the worldly, who are concerned with the power and status that comes from wealth. These people fail to love God with all their strength. Instead, they invest almost all their energy to acquire more earthly wealth. Should we read Psalm 1, we will find the person who fulfils all the commands of the "Hear o Israel!" statement. This person loves God with all their heart and all their soul, and all their strength. And so, when the Word is sown in their heart it brings forth its fruit in its season" (Ps 1:3), since a good heart will keep it and bear fruit with patience (Lk 8:15). This person experiences the joy and peace and love of the Kingdom of heaven, even while on earth. The parable of the Lord helps us not only to understand why the preaching of the Gospel meets with such mixed results in this world, and in our own lives. We are challenged to examine our own hearts and to ask whether we love God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our strength. And whether we are truly open and receptive to the lifegiving Word of Christ, eager and willing to do whatever it takes to produce a harvest pleasant to God; careful to maintain good works (Tit 3:8). We say we believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which means that the whole Church has an apostolic calling, that we are all sent out into the world, to sow the seed of the Gospel Word. Saint Cosmas the Aetolos said once he experienced a burning desire to preach the Word of God. He said that his desire for the salvation of his fellow humans was like a grub eating away at the inside of a tree. And so, he went out and sowed the Word of God like a good sower. And no doubt, sadly, some seeds fell by the wayside, and some on rocky ground, and some amongst the thorns, but some also fell on good soil. And so he produced a wonderful harvest in this way, simply by sowing the seed of God in his daily life as a service to humanity. Through this good work, people rediscovered their early Christian Orthodox faith, and returned to the Kingdom of heaven, and to eternal life in Christ.

12 We extend to you a warm and heartfelt Orthodox Christian welcome. Our Greek Orthodox Cathedral is dedicated to imitating the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ by sharing the gospel with our words and living it with our lives. It exists to lead the faithful to the worship of the Holy Trinity according to the Faith and Tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Our witnessing to our Faith is accomplished through the Sacramental life of the Church, its values and traditions, stewardship, fellowship, service, and Christian education. Published by: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 7220 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA Contact Information: Elizabeth Miller Tel: Fax: churchadmin@agoc.hrcoxmail.com