Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Transcript

1 Saturday, August 6, 2016 Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Transfiguration of our Lord Greek Orthodox Church 414 St. Stephen s School Road, Austin, Texas (512) website - Sunday Service Schedule Orthros 9 am; Divine Liturgy 10 am Reverend Fr. Vasileios Flegas, Proistamenos

2 Hymns Entrance Hymn Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, Κύριε,ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Θαβὼρ μεταμορφωθείς, ψάλλοντάς σοι, Ἀλληλούϊα. For with You is the fountain of life, O Lord in Your light we shall see light. Save us O Son of God, Who were transfigured on Mount Tabor, we sing to You: Alleluia. 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. Metemorfothis en to ori, Christe o Theos, dixas tis mathites Sou tin doxan Sou, kathos idynando Lampson ke imin tis amartolis to fos Sou to aidion, presvies tis Theotokou Fotodota doxa Si. 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 for the Transfiguration Ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μετεμορφώθης, καὶ ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ Μαθηταί σου τὴν δόξαν σου, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεάσαντο, ἵνα ὅταν σε ἴδωσι σταυρούμενον, τὸ μὲν πάθος νοήσωσιν ἑκούσιον, τῷ δὲ κόσμῳ κηρύξωσιν, ὅτι σὺ ὑπάρχεις ἀληθῶς, τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα. On the mount Thou wast transfigured, and Thy disciples, as much as they could bear, beheld Thy glory, O Christ our God; that when they should see Thee crucified, they would know Thy Passion to be willing, and would preach to the world that Thou, in truth, art the Effulgence of the Father. Megalynarion Νῦν τὰ ἀνήκουστα ἠκούσθη ὁ ἀπάτωρ γὰρ Υἱὸς ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου, τῇ πατρῴᾳ φωνῇ, ἐνδόξως μαρτυρεῖται, οἷα Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ αὐτὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Now we have heard what was unheard- of. For the Father s voice has gloriously borne witness to His Son, who was born without a father from the Virgin, because the Son is God and man, in one person, to the ages Communion Hymn Ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τῆς δόξης τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε, πορευσόμεθα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἀλληλούϊα. In the Light of Thy face, oh Lord, shall we walk, and we shall rejoice in Thy name forever. Alleluia Artoklasia for health offered by Ms. Marousa Chronis

3 Epistle - St. Peter's Second Universal Letter 1:10-19 B RETHREN, be more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Ἀ δελφοί, σπουδάσατε βεβαίαν ὑμῶν τὴν κλῆσιν καὶ ἐκλογὴν ποιεῖσθαι ταῦτα γὰρ ποιοῦντες οὐ μὴ πταίσητέ ποτε οὕτως γὰρ πλουσίως ἐπιχορηγηθήσεται ὑμῖν ἡ εἴσοδος εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον βασιλείαν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὸ οὐκ ἀμελήσω ἀεὶ ὑμᾶς ὑπομιμνῄσκειν περὶ τούτων, καίπερ εἰδότας, καὶ ἐστηριγμένους ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ἀληθείᾳ. Δίκαιον δὲ ἡγοῦμαι, ἐφʼ ὅσον εἰμὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σκηνώματι, διεγείρειν ὑμᾶς ἐν ὑπομνήσει εἰδὼς ὅτι ταχινή ἐστιν ἡ ἀπόθεσις τοῦ σκηνώματός μου, καθὼς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐδήλωσέν μοι. Σπουδάσω δὲ καὶ ἑκάστοτε ἔχειν ὑμᾶς μετὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἔξοδον τὴν τούτων μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ σεσοφισμένοις μύθοις ἐξακολουθήσαντες ἐγνωρίσαμεν ὑμῖν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν καὶ παρουσίαν, ἀλλʼ ἐπόπται γενηθέντες τῆς ἐκείνου μεγαλειότητος. Λαβὼν γὰρ παρὰ θεοῦ πατρὸς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν, φωνῆς ἐνεχθείσης αὐτῷ τοιᾶσδε ὑπὸ τῆς μεγαλοπρεποῦς δόξης, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, εἰς ὃν ἐγὼ εὐδόκησα καὶ ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἡμεῖς ἠκούσαμεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐνεχθεῖσαν, σὺν αὐτῷ ὄντες ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ἁγίῳ. Καὶ ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον, ᾧ καλῶς ποιεῖτε προσέχοντες, ὡς λύχνῳ φαίνοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ, ἕως οὗ ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ, καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν Welcome Visitors! We welcome all visitors who worshipped with us this morning. We are pleased to have you with us! Please join us next door after service for a delicious fish luncheon and some fun children s activities. SERVICES FOR THIS WEEK: Monday, August 8 - Small Paraklesis - 6pm Tuesday, August 9 - Small Paraklesis - 6pm Wednesday, August 10 - Small Paraklesis - 6pm Thursday, August 11 - Small Paraklesis - 6pm Friday, August 12 - Small Paraklesis - 6pm Saturday, August 13 - Great Vespers - 5pm

4 Gospel - Matthew 17: 1-9 A t that time, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led him up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead." Τ ῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ιησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ιάκωβον καὶ Ιωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατ ἰδίαν καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔλαμψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς. καὶ ἰδοὺ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς Μωσῆς καὶ Ηλίας μετ αὐτοῦ συλλαλοῦντες. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπε τῷ Ιησοῦ Κύριε, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι εἰ θέλεις, ποιήσωμεν ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωσεῖ μίαν καὶ μίαν Ηλίᾳ. ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ἐπεσκίασεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσον ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα. καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ιησοῦς ἥψατο αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπεν ἐγέρθητε καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε. ἐπάραντες δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν οὐδένα εἶδον εἰ μὴ τὸν Ιησοῦν μόνον. καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ιησοῦς λέγων μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα ἕως οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ. 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, Lt. Lance Shannon The Prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) Prayers for Health Nicholas Wyatt, Presvytera Jenny Newlin, Marihiam, John, Archie, Paul, Rebecca, Lynne Marie, Simone, Dennis Luke, Jacquie, Hunter, Zenon, Bill, Douglas Edwards, Paul Thomas, Thomas James, Maria, Nancy, Cassandra, Efstathia, Evan, Victoria, Terri, Elias, Tim, Rhonda, Prsv. Aspazia, George Geuras, Sharon, Dante, Loukas, Charlie, Despina, Anna, Mary, Wanda, Kathreen, Chuck, Stephenie, Athena, Asterios, Bill, Kathryn, John, Harriet Angel, Clarisa, Damon, Katingo, Athanasios, Niky, Niky, Dino, Diakonissa Claire, Pete, William, Panayiotis, Athanasia, Andrea & unborn baby, Katherine, Rolland, John, Anna, Emmanuel, George, William, Julia, Andrew, Mary, Ignatius

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6 2016 Maximus the Confessor Workshop The Vision of St. Maximus the Confessor And Anthropos as a Capacious Workshop (Ergasterion) for Our Return to God Led by The Holy Meeting of Joachim and Anna Apostolia Hosted by Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas Saturday, August 13 Orthros 9am Divine Liturgy 10am Lunch by Philoptochos - 12pm Maximus the Confessor Retreat - 1pm - 5pm The Cosmic Vision of Maximus the Confessor presents the Eastern Orthodox Christian sense of God and His Creation as an orderly Cosmos whose parts are united and adapted to each other. This Cosmic union and adaptation is effected by the work of human persons, men and women, the final creation, in synergy with God, the Creator. Save the Date! CONSECRATION GRAND BANQUET Saturday, November 5, PM In this Seminar, Maximus vision will be presented along with his sense of Who Man is that God is mindful of him, and the son of man that God visits him (Psalm 8:4). We will consider the relevance of Maximus Patristic thought for us in this new Century. Its relevance in meeting the challenges presented in this present time so that our being and our becoming is lead by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Manifests in our transformed capacities for good.

7 Consecration Commemorative Album PRE-ORDERS We are now taking pre-orders for the Consecration Commemorative Album and DVD set, which will include a written and pictorial 30 year history of our parish, as well as highlights from our Consecration Weekend, November 4-6, This beautiful set will become a keepsake that will commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime event of our beloved Transfiguration Church. Pre-orders by November 20 $75 Orders after November 20 $100 We also invite you to place an ad in the Commemorative Album: full page ad $1000 ½ page ad $500 ¼ page ad $250 In Memoriam section $100 Deadline for placing ads/ In Memoriam November 20 Final deadline to order Album/DVD set December 11 Commemorative Album/DVD sets will be distributed in February 2017 Come to the Consecration Table in Mt. Tabor Hall for more information

8 Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6. The feast commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor, when our Lord appeared in His divine glory before the Apostles Peter, James, and John. The event of the Transfiguration is recorded in three of the four Gospels: Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9: Jesus took the Apostles Peter, James, and John with Him up upon a mountain, and while they were on the mountain Jesus was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became glistening white. Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ, talking to Him. Peter declared how good it was for them to be there and expressed the desire to build three booths for Moses, Elijah, and Christ. This reference to the booths could imply that this occurred during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles when the Jews would be camping out in the fields for the grape harvest; for this Feast had acquired other associations in the course of its history, including the memory of the wanderings in the wilderness recorded in the Old Testament book of Exodus. While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came from the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces filled with awe. Jesus came to them and told them to not be afraid. When the three looked up they saw only Jesus. As Jesus and His disciples came down the mountain, He told them not to speak of what they had seen until He had risen from the dead. Icon of the Feast In the icon of the Feast of the Transfiguration, Christ is the central figure appearing in a dominant position within a circular mandorla. He is clearly at the visual and theological center of the icon. His right hand is raised in blessing, and his left hand contains a scroll. The mandorla with its brilliant colors of white, gold, and blue represent the divine glory and light. The halo around the head of Christ is inscribed with the Greek words O on, meaning "The One Who is". Elijah and Moses stand at the top of separate mountain peaks to the left and right of Christ. They are bowing toward Christ with their right hands raised in a gesture of intercession towards Him. Saint John Chrysostom explains the presence of these two fathers of the faith from the Old Testament in three ways. He states that they represent the Law and the Prophets (Moses received the Law from God, and Elijah was a great prophet); they both experienced visions of God (Moses on Mount Sinai and Elijah on Mount Carmel); and they represent the living and the dead (Elijah, the living, because he was taken up into heaven by a chariot of fire, and Moses, the dead, because he did experience death). Below Christ are the three Apostles, who by their posture in the icon show their response to the transfiguration of Christ (4.). James has fallen over backwards with his hands over his eyes. John in the center has fallen prostrate. Peter is kneeling and raises his right hand toward Christ in a gesture expressing his desire to build the three booths. The garments of the Apostles are in a state of disarray as to indicate the dramatic impact the vision has had on them. The icon of the feast directs our attention toward the event of the Transfiguration and specifically to the glory of God as revealed in Christ. This event came at a critical point in the ministry of our Lord, just as He was setting out on His journey to Jerusalem. He would soon experience the humiliation, suffering, and death of the Cross. However, the glorious light of the Resurrection was revealed to strengthen His disciples for the trials that they would soon experience. The feast also points to the great and glorious Second Coming of our Lord and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God when all of creation will be transfigured and filled with light.