Sunday Bulletin March 08, 2015 Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas. Theophylaktos, Bp. Nicomedea & Hermas of the 70

Transcript

1 Sunday Bulletin March 08, 2015 Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas Theophylaktos, Bp. Nicomedea & Hermas of the 70 Transfiguration of our Lord Greek Orthodox Church 414 St. Stephen s School Road Austin, Texas (512) office@transfiguration.org website - Sunday Service Schedule Orthros 8:30am; Divine Liturgy 10:00am Reverend Fr. Vasileios Flegas, Proistamenos

2 Hymns for today Resurrection Hymn Ἀγγελικαὶ Δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμά σου, καὶ οἱ φυλάσσοντες ἀπενεκρώθησαν, καὶ ἵστατο Μαρία ἐν τῷ τάφῳ, ζητοῦσα τὸ ἄχραντόν σου σῶμα. Ἐσκύλευσας τὸν ᾍδην, μὴ πειρασθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὑπήντησας τῇ Παρθένῳ, δωρούμενος τὴν ζωήν, ὁ ἀναστὰς ἐκ των νεκρῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι. When the angelic powers appeared at your tomb and those who guarded You became as though dead, and standing by Your sepulcher was Mary seeking Your pure and sacred body. For You did vanquish Hades and uncorrupted by its touch You came unto the virgin woman, bestowing the gift of life O You who rose from the dead. Lord we give glory to You. Hymn for St. Gregory Palamas Ὀρθοδοξίας ὁ φωστὴρ, Ἐκκλησίας τὸ στήριγμα καὶ διδάσκαλε, τῶν μοναστῶν ἡ καλλονὴ, τῶν θεολόγων ὑπέρμαχος ἀπροσμάχητος Γρηγόριε θαυματουργὲ Θεσσαλονίκης τὸ καύχημα κήρυξ τῆς χάριτος ἱκέτευε διὰ παντός, σωθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν. Light of Orthodoxy, pillar and teacher of the Church, adornment of monastics, invincible champion of theologians, O Gregory thou wonder - worker, boast of Thessalonica, herald of grace: ever pray that our souls be saved. Hymn for the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Μετεμορθώθης εν τώ όρει Χριστέ ο Θεός, δείξας τοίς Μαθηταίς σου τήν δόξαν σου, καθώς ήδυναντο, Λάμψον καί ημίν τοίς αμαρτωλοίς, τό φώς σου τό αϊδιον, πρεσβείαις τής Θεοτόκου, φωτοδότα δόξα σοι. When O Christ our God Thou wast Transfigured on the mountain Thou didst reveal Thy glory to Thy disciples in proportion as they could bear it. Let Thine everlasting light also enlighten us sinners. Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Thou Bestower of light, glory to Thee. Kontakion Τὴ ὑπερμάχω στρατηγῶ τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια, ἀναγράφω σοὶ ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε, Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον, ἐκ παντοίων μὲ κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον, ἵνα κράζω σοί, Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε. To you, the champion Commander, I, your city, Inscribe victorious anthems of thanksgiving, For deliverance from sufferings, Theotokos. In as much as you have power unassailable, From all manner of dangers set me free; That I may cry out to you, Rejoice, Bride unwedded. Megalynarion Ἐπὶ σοὶ χαίρει, Κεχαριτωμένη, πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις, ἀγγέλων τὸ σύστημα, καὶ ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος, ἡγιασμένε ναέ, καὶ Παράδεισε λογικέ, παρθενικὸν καύχηα ἐξ ἧς Θεὸς ἐσαρκώθη, καὶ παιδίον γέγονεν, ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων ὑπάρχων Θεὸς ἡμῶν τὴν γὰρ σὴν μήτραν θρόνον ἐποίησε, καὶ τὴν σὴν γαστέρα, πλατυτέραν οὐρανῶν ἀπειργάσατο. Ἐπὶ σοὶ χαίρει, Κεχαριτωμένη, πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις δόξα σοι. All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace; the assembly of angels and the human race. You are a sanctified temple and a spiritual paradise, the glory from whom God was incarnate and become a child our God existing before all ages. He made your womb a throne, and your body more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in you, O full of grace. Glory to you.

3 Epistle - St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 1:10-14; 2:1-3 "IN THE BEGINNING, Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end." But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet?" Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him. Gospel Mark 2:1-12 At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"i say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" Κατʼ ἀρχάς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμένεις καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν. Πρὸς τίνα δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴρηκέν ποτε, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου; Οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶν λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα, εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν; Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως ἡμᾶς προσέχειν τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μήποτε παραρρυῶμεν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ διʼ ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, καὶ πᾶσα παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν, πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας; Ἥτις, ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη. Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς εἰς Καπερναοὺμ δι ἡμερῶν καὶ ἠκούσθη ὅτι εἰς οἶκόν ἐστι. καὶ εὐθέως συνήχθησαν πολλοί, ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν καὶ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον. καὶ ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτὸν παραλυτικὸν φέροντες, αἰρόμενον ὑπὸ τεσσάρων καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσεγγίσαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον, ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον, ἐφ ᾧ ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου. ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐκεῖ καθήμενοι καὶ διαλογιζόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν τί οὗτος οὕτω λαλεῖ βλασφημίας; τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός; καὶ εὐθέως ἐπιγνοὺς ὁ Ιησοῦς τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὕτως αὐτοὶ διαλογίζονται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει; ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἁμαρτίας - λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. καὶ ἠγέρθη εὐθέως, καὶ ἄρας τὸν κράβαττον ἐξῆλθεν ἐναντίον πάντων, ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι πάντας καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντας ὅτι οὐδέποτε οὕτως εἴδομεν.

4 Welcome Visitors! We welcome all new visitors who worshipped with us this morning. We are pleased to have you with us! Please join us next door after service for coffee and fellowship. There is material in the entrance of the church regarding ministries and events of Transfiguration. We hope that you will return often to worship with us and grow in Christ! The Prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) Prayers for Health JoGeo, Konstantinos, Shelly, Ruthie, Barbara, Samantha, Maria, Efstathia, Tony, Rouba, Sarah, Emily, Kynlee, Wesley, Afrodite, Nick, Nicholas Wyatt, Cameren, Helen, Chrissy, Nancy, MaryAnn, Marian, Tina, Salin, George-Panagiotis, Raphael, Marta, Guadalupe, Caroline, John, Lili, Archie, Kelsey, Eva, Virginia, Makena, Dolly, Afrodite, Alexandros, Lou, Thomas, Greg, Bill, Kathryn, John, Kathy, Nakis, Maggie, Rosemary, Mindy, Pat, Louella, Steve, Marie, Clifford, Tina, Cynthia, Chad, Douglas, Mat. Sissy Yerger, Fr. Paul, Kyle, Katerina, Vasili, Harry, Angie, Francis, Petya, Thomas, Romeo, John, John, Brenda, Georgie, Dale, John, Dale, Anna, Brenda, Carol, Jan, Nick, Damon, Afrodite, Nick, Alex,, John Fr. Jason and family, Presv. Tiffany, Maria, David, Boyd, Chris, Jennifer, Jay, Dede, Michael, Jason, Ling, Josh, Chrissy, Bradley, Jim, Patricia, Argyre-Lisa, Rick, Milton, Fred, Gregg, Aphrodite, Fr. Tom Hopko, Carol, Lisa, Johanna, Candace, Kyle, Nicholas, Alex, Boriska, Judith, Dominique, Stephen, Irenaeus, Alexander, Mike, Lori, Annie, Anesti, Efstathia, Hannah, Papoulas he is always wrestling in prayer for you (Colossians 4:12) Prayers for those in our Armed Forces SGT Jennifer D. Atkinson, SSG John Atkinson, COL Dave Romine, CPT James Alfaro, SSG Deane Anderson, CPT William Willett, MAJ Timothy Ullman, MAJ Chris Chase, SPC Mindy Keys, SPC Andrew Bentzel, MAJ Scot Thornhill, CPT Christopher Gilbert, CPT. Alexander Stathos, 1st LT Angela Bahlatzis, MIDN 1/C Joseph Barone, SGT Walter Hurbert ( Nikolaos ) Willoughby IV, LCDR Thomas Uhl, 2nd Lieutenant Lance Shannon Receiving Holy Communion The sacrament of Holy Communion is reserved for only baptized and/or Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared by fasting, prayer and confession. The Orthodox Church is not in sacramental communion with any other church outside the Orthodox Christian Faith. If you are not Orthodox, you are invited with everyone to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) at the end of service. If you would like information about the Orthodox Church, please see Fr. Vasileios after services.

5 GOYA Reminders 1. Lenten Retreat: March 13th March 15th The Retreat will be held at Sky Ranch Retreat Center in Van, Texas on the weekend of March 13-15, The Retreat will be facilitated by the staff of the Archdiocese "IV On The Go" program. Information and registration can be found at: Camp Emmanuel - June 2015 Registration is open events/2015-events/2015-camp-emmanuel-home/. Registration must be completed by May Junior Session: June 7-13, 2015 (Ages 11-14) Middle School; Senior Session: June 14-20, 2015 (Ages 15-18) High School The Regular Registration Fee is $350 ($330 for additional children in the same immediate family). Early registration fees, processed by 11:59 p.m. MDT, on March 31, 2015 will receive a 10% discount. (Does not include air fare)

6 WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sunday, March 08, 2015 HOPE/JOY Activities for March/ APRIL SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 5 to 6:30 PM HOPE/JOY Family Dinner at Central Market on N. Lamar Join us at the tables by the playground for dinner. Order your food inside and bring it outside to enjoy. Please RSVP at this evite link: SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 6 to 8 PM HOPE/JOY Movie Night Following Great Vespers, join us for a potluck dinner and a family movie in the parish hall. Please RSVP at this evite link: SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 10AM to 2PM Annual Lazarus Saturday activities Join us for 10am Divine Liturgy followed by a pancake breakfast, folding of the palms and a Lazarus activity for all the kids to participate in. Fr. Matthew Baker Fr. Matthew Baker (37yrs) was a newly assigned priest at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Norwich, CT, at the time of his untimely death, due to a car accident, last Saturday evening after vespers. Fr. Matthew leaves behind his wife, Katherine, and six young children: Isaac, 12; Elias, 10; George, 8; Ellie, 6; Cyril, 4; and Matthew Baker Jr, 2. Please honor his memory, and help his young family, through your prayers and by making a gift: a) through the online GoFundMe Memory Eternal to Fr. Matthew Baker campaign b) a fund in Fr. Matthew's memory has, also, been established by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. More information is here: metropolis_news/1303/1413.html and c) a basket has been placed in the Narthex Great and Holy Friday, April 10, all day Bring the whole family to enjoy the beautiful and solemn services of the day and encourage your children to participate in our activities specifically planned to help them understand Holy Friday. OCF After trying the two day system last semester with our meetings alternating biweekly we decided that a better alternative would be to have our meetings on the same day every week. From the consensus gathered from our members it seems like the best day is Thursday. We will still be alternating between structured discussion and the open format settings. Our meetings take place at SAC 3.106

7 WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sunday, March 08, 2015 Philoptochos Schedule of Events Thursday, April 9 - Egg Dying Join us in Mt. Tabor right after Liturgy to help dye Easter eggs. Friday, April 10 - Decorate the Epitaphios Help us prepare all the beautiful flowers that will decorate our Epitaphio 2015 Transfiguration Bible Bowl Gospel of Luke It is time for our annual Bible Bowl once again so mark your calendars for March 29 and start brushing on Luke. Register your team today! All teams include 3 players, plus alternates if you like. TEEN Teams: players aged or ADULT Teams: players 20+. Registration forms as well as practice questions are available in Mt. Tabor Hall and online on our site. Please return the form by March 15. For more information, contact Dr. Jacob Angelo at gibboangelo@gmail.com Sunday, April 12 - Pascha Picnic/ Ice Cream for Agape Picnic Saturday, April 25, 12:30pm - End of fiscal year Board Meeting BOOK CLUB FOR GREAT LENT The Art of Salvation by Elder Ephraim Monday evenings at 4:30pm right before the Great Compline. Father Vasileios will lead the group study the spiritual words shaped by the personal experiences of Elder Ephraim. Thirty three homilies that are indeed alive, informative, inspiring, and which outline, with profound simplicity, the means that securely lead to salvation. The book is available for purchase in our bookstore. Orthodoxy 102 The Seven Ecumenical Councils: Their Eternal Truth Speaking to Us Today Dn. George and Father Vasileios will hold the Orthodoxy 102 class on Wednesday evenings at 7pm following the Presanctified Liturgy. There will be a Lenten Pot Luck dinner sponsored by the Philoptochos and the lesson will start right after that. This is a great class for everyone including catechumens as it helps us understand the history, decisions and effects of the seven Ecumenical Councils.

8 WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS Sunday, March 08, 2015 Events & Services for this Week Monday, March 9 - Book Club - 5pm Great Compline - 6pm Wednesday, March 11-9th Hour Prayers - 5:30pm Presanctified - 6pm Philoptochos sponsored Lenten Dinner - 7pm Orthodoxy 102-7pm Thursday, March 12 - OCF SAC pm Friday, March 13 - Presanctified - 10am Gospel of Luke - 6pm Salutations of the Theotokos - 7pm Saturday, March 14 - Great Vespers - 5pm Memorial Service The memorial service today is for: Stavros Stavropoulos (2yrs) - survived by his daughter Angeliki, her husband Chris Mouseos, and his grandson Andrew MEMORY ETERNAL Thank you to last week s Coffee Hour Sponsors: Bell, Clay, Clay, Cotham, Courtney, Crenshaw Thank you to this week s Coffee Hour Sponsors Daskalantonakis, Demetriadis, DeRossi, Dietz, Dow, Draina Next week s Coffee Hour Sponsors: Dudley, Eagle, Edwards, Esper, Falkowski, Garwood Thank you to last week s ushers: Christa Sewell (PCM) Anita Jones, David Horwedel, Gregory Chronis Thank you to today's ushers: Allen Wynn (PCM) Kevin Korioth, Tricia Korioth, Stella Rossnagel Next week s ushers are: Apostolakis (PCM) Harry Stamatis, MaryBeth Gradziel Brian Holland