Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church Sunday, October 22, 2017 Sunday of the 6th Sunday of Luke

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1 Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church Sunday, October 22, 2017 Sunday of the 6th Sunday of Luke Don t Overlook the Good in Others Rev. Andrew Demotses A wise man once showed me a blank sheet of paper, and asked me what I saw. "A sheet of paper," I replied. He then made a tiny dot on the sheet and held it up again. "Now what do you see?" he asked. I answered that I saw the tiny dot he had carefully made. He then asked me, "Why have you stopped looking at the rest of paper?" It was then that I realized how much of our lives we spend looking at tiny dots rather than whole sheets of paper. We oftentimes focus on the single fault of another, and overlook the many worthwhile qualities of this person. We seldom count the many blessings we already have because we are too preoccupied with the many things we still want. After a choir has sung a whole concert of beautiful songs, why do we always remember the song which contained a single sour note? Because we live in a fallen and imperfect world, no one of us is a perfect and unblemished piece of paper. We all have at least one dot, and most of us have many. But when we stop and think about it, even the sheet of paper with many dots on it has far larger areas that are clean and unmarked. Of course, it would be dishonest to ignore the dots or to pretend that they are not there. But would it not make life more pleasant if we attempted to see the whole of the picture that others hold up to us? We must stop allowing the tiny dots, the faults of others, to over- shadow the many positive aspects of their personalities. Not only will this make others easier to love, it will help others to see the whole sheet of paper that we hold up as well South Archer Road, Justice, Illinois (708) , fax (708) Web: office@holycrossil.org Rev. Fr. Demetrios Kounavis Parish Priest

2 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ EPISTLE READING FOR THE DAY ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ GOSPEL READING FOR THE DAY Ἀδελφοί, γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτό, οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ διʼ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτήν καὶ προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ, ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι οὐδὲ ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα πρὸς τοὺς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἀποστόλους, ἀλλὰ ἀπῆλθον εἰς Ἀραβίαν, καὶ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψα εἰς Δαμασκόν. Ἔπειτα μετὰ ἔτη τρία ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἱστορῆσαι Πέτρον, καὶ ἐπέμεινα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας δεκαπέντε. Ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον, εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου. Brethren, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐλθόντι τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀντίπερα τῆς Γαλιλαίας. ἐξελθόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ ἀνήρ τις ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ὃς εἶχε δαιμόνια ἐκ χρόνων ἱκανῶν, καὶ ἱμάτιον οὐκ ἐνεδιδύσκετο καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔμενεν, ἀλλ ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν. ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν Ιησοῦν καὶ ἀνακράξας προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπε τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, Ιησοῦ, υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου; δέομαί σου, μή με βασανίσῃς. παρήγγειλε γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. πολλοῖς γὰρ χρόνοις συνηρπάκει αὐτόν, καὶ ἐδεσμεῖτο ἁλύσεσι καὶ πέδαις φυλασσόμενος, καὶ διαρρήσσων τὰ δεσμὰ ἠλαύνετο ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους. ἐπηρώτησε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Ιησοῦς λέγων τί σοί ἐστιν ὄνομα; ὁ δὲ εἶπε λεγεών ὅτι δαιμόνια πολλὰ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτόν καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν ἵνα μὴ ἐπιτάξῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀπελθεῖν. ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ ἀγέλη χοίρων ἱκανῶν βοσκομένων ἐν τῷ ὄρει καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιτρέψῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐκείνους εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς. ἐξελθόντα δὲ τὰ δαιμόνια ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους, καὶ ὥρμησεν ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τὴν λίμνην καὶ ἀπεπνίγη. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ βόσκοντες τὸ γεγενημένον ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀγρούς. ἐξῆλθον δὲ ἰδεῖν τὸ γεγονός, καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Ιησοῦν καὶ εὗρον καθήμενον τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀφ οὗ τὰ δαιμόνια ἐξεληλύθει, ἱματισμένον καὶ σωφρονοῦντα παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ιησοῦ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. ἀπήγγειλαν δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἰδόντες πῶς ἐσώθη ὁ δαιμονισθείς. καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῆς περιχώρου τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν ἀπελθεῖν ἀπ αὐτῶν, ὅτι φόβῳ μεγάλῳ συνείχοντο. αὐτὸς δὲ ἐμβὰς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ὑπέστρεψεν. ἐδέετο δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἀφ οὗ ἐξεληλύθει τὰ δαιμόνια, εἶναι σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπέλυσε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Ιησοῦς λέγων ὑπόστρεφε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου καὶ διηγοῦ ὅσα ἐποίησέ σοι ὁ Θεός. καὶ ἀπῆλθε καθ ὅλην τὴν πόλιν κηρύσσων ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ιησοῦς. At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

3 Άνθρωπος πού δεν γεύτηκε πειρασμό δεν μπορεί να είναι βέβαιος για τίς αρετές του! Ἀββάς Δωρόθεος Έργα Ασκητικά Μη σού φαίνεται παράξενο, παιδί μου, εφόσον βρίσκεσαι στην οδό πού οδηγεί στο Θεό, ἄν πολλές φορές πέφτεις πάνω σέ αγκάθια και σβώλους και άλλοτε σέ ομαλό έδαφος. Γιατί όσοι αγωνίζονται, άλλοτε πέφτουν άλλοτε νικούν. Ὁ Μέγας Ἰώβ είπε: «Τί άλλο είναι ἡ ζωή τού ανθρώπου πάνω στη γη, παρά μια συνεχής δοκιμασία;» (Ἰώβ 7, 1). Και κάποιος άλλος άγιος είπε: «Άνθρωπος πού δεν γεύτηκε πειρασμό δεν μπορεί να είναι βέβαιος για τίς αρετές του» (Σοφ. Σειρ. 34, 10: Ἰακώβ. 1, 12). Γιατί καθώς ασκούμαστε στην πίστη πειραζόμαστε, για να δοκιμαστούμε και να μάθουμε να...πολεμάμε. Ὁ Κύριος είπε: «Πρέπει να περάσετε μέσα ἀπὸ πολλές θλίψεις για να μπείτε στη Βασιλεία των Ουρανών» (Πραξ. 14, 22). Ἄς είναι λοιπόν βοηθός σας σέ ὅ, τι συναντάτε, ἡ ελπίδα τού καλού τέλους. Και ὁ Άγιος Απόστολος, θέλοντας να μάς προετοιμάσει για ν αποκτήσουμε υπομονή λέει: «Είναι αξιόπιστος ὁ Θεός πού σάς υποσχέθηκε ότι δεν θα σάς αφήσει να περαστείτε περισσότερο απ όσο μπορείτε, αλλά μαζί με τον πειρασμό θα φέρει και το ξεπέρασμά του, ώστε να μπορείτε να τον σηκώσετε» (Α Κορ. 10, 13). Και ὁ Κύριός μας, ἡ πραγματική Αλήθεια πού λέει: «Σ αυτόν τον κόσμο θα δοκιμάσετε θλίψεις, αλλά έχετε θάρρος, εγώ νίκησα τον κόσμο» (Ἰωάν. 16, 23), ας είναι ἡ παρηγοριά σου. Αυτά να μελετάς, αυτά να τηρείς. Να ζεις με τη μνήμη τού Κυρίου, και ἡ αγαθότητά Του, θα σέ βοηθάει σέ όλα, παιδί μου, γιατί είναι ελεήμονας και γνωρίζει την αδυναμία μας. Αυτός θα επιτιμήσει τα κύματα και θα ξαναφέρει γαλήνη στην ψυχή σου με τίς ευχές των Αγίων Του. Κάνε τον κόπο να περάσεις έστω και μια μέρα της ζωής σου σύμφωνα με τις Εντολές του Θεού Για ένα πουλί που πετά στον αέρα, άραγε είναι βαριές οι φτερούγες του; Όχι! Έτσι α- κριβώς για τον αληθινό Χριστιανό δεν είναι δύσκολες οι Εντολές του Χριστού, με την εφαρμογή των οποίων η ψυχή μας ενισχύεται και πετά στον Ουρανό. Όσιος Αρσένιος Μπόκα. Κάνε τον κόπο να περάσεις έστω και μια μοναδική μέρα της ζωής σου σύμφωνα με τις Εντολές του Θεού. Θα διαπιστώσεις μόνος σου, θα το νιώσεις με την καρδιά σου, πόσο όμορφο είναι να εκπληρώνεις το Θέλημά Του. Το Θέλημα του Θεού, είναι η ζωή μας. Άγιος Ιωάννης της Κρονστάνδης.

4 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23 Saint Phocas was a gardener and Saint Euphrosinos was a cook. They are not known as Phocas the Great or Euphrosinos the Theologian. Known instead by the work they did, they became saints of the Church. We know that service to God and His Church is sacred, and because of this we strive to serve and support the Church. But is it possible for our work to be sacred? Can we be Christian stewards of our work? According to Saint Porphyrios, At your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love. In the second chapter of the Old Testament Book of Genesis we read, The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). God put man in the garden to work. It is part of God s plan for us that we work. In Exodus we read, Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. The world has changed, very few of us are called to work the land, and our work week may not be six days, yet we are created and called by God to work, and we can serve him through our work. Some are blessed to follow a career path to a life s work bringing satisfaction. Others may work in a position that may not appear to be spiritually or emotionally fulfilling. In whatever type of work we find ourselves, our work can become sacred when we dedicate it to God. In the words of Mother Theresa, Wherever God has put you, that is your vocation. It is not what we do, but how much love we put into it. Life on earth is a gift. The work we do is also a gift if we see it as an opportunity to serve God and others. Saint Paul instructs us, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (Colossians 3:23). When we see our work in this way, we are able to become Christian stewards of our work. Stewardship of work teaches us that we don t own our work, our position, our title. We are only stewards of a position for a period of time. We are responsible to fulfill our duties and also to prepare it for the person that will follow us in that position. We may also have the opportunity to mentor the person that will assume our position when we move on, empowering them to apply their particular gifts and talents to take the position to the next level. Christian stewardship of work also teaches us that we are responsible to those with whom we work and those that may be served by our work. We are called to reflect the light of Christ in their lives, encourage them, support them and even love them. We are also stewards of our co-workers inasmuch as we cooperate and support them in their efforts for the good of all. Saint Phocas the Gardener lived in the late 3rd Century, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia (now northern Turkey). Phocas lived humbly on the sale of fruits and vegetables he would grow in his garden. Through his work, Phocas

5 fed the hungry and gave shelter to those in need. Because of his dedication to his work and his generosity to those in need, he became a Christian example to others. Even the non-believers treated him with respect, and by his Christ-like manner, many were drawn to the Christian Faith. Saint Euphrosynos worked as cook in a monastery in Palestine, serving the brother monks humbly and faithfully. The others were not aware of the depth of his spiritual growth until it was revealed in a dream to a priest-monk of the monastery and then related to the brother monks. Euphrosynos is known to us by his humble work Saint Euphrosynos the Cook. In times of trouble or worry, especially over our career, we call upon God to strengthen us, to provide opportunity and to bring us success. When we achieve some measure of worldly success, it is easy to say to ourselves as we read in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy (8:17), My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But the next verse quickly reminds us, Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. As Christian Stewards we are called to give back to God from the first fruits of our labor. We support our parish and her ministries in an intentional way and not with only what it left after everything else has been taken care of. In whatever work we do, we are called to give glory to God for the abilities and opportunities he provides. We do this by caring for the work we do, applying our God-given abilities to our work, and by respecting the responsibilities with which we have been entrusted. We do our best and give the glory to God. ************************ Saint Procla, the Wife of Pontius Pilate Verses: The Master stands beside you, Procla, You who previously stood beside Pilate as his wife. In the New Testament, the only reference to Pilate's wife exists in a single sentence by Matthew. According to Matthew 27:19, she sent a message to her husband asking him not to condemn Jesus Christ to death: While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night, I suffered much on account of him." Pilate, in his anxiety to please the people and avoid trouble, did not heed the warning of his wife, who is not named. According to later Christian tradition, as expressed by Origen, she was baptized a Christian. She is known as Procla or Claudia, or Claudia Procla. It is assumed that her name prior to becoming a Christian was Claudia, while after baptism it was changed to Procla. The name "Claudia" appears only once in the New Testament, in the Second Epistle to Timothy 4:21: "Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia send their greetings, and so all the other Christians." Sources differ on her death, some saying she died in peace while others saying she died as a martyr. She is celebrated by the Church on October 27th.

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7 HELP BUILD OUR SIGN Please join us in making this dream of a Holy Cross Church sign a reality! Work has already begun! We will need $20,000 to help cover the cost of the sign and other landscaping upgrades. More landscaping will be needed later as well. Please help support this long-needed addition to our church property. God bless your generosity!

8 WEEKLY EVENTS TODAY Stewardship Sunday/Breakfast Church School/Church School Staff Mtg. Tuesday, October 24 6:00pm - Clergy Syndesmos Dinner at Concorde Banquets, Kildeer Wednesday, October 25 7:00pm - St. Demetrios Vespers in Elmhurst, Chicago, Hammond, Libertyville Thursday, October 26 8:30am - Feast of St. Demetrios followed by Christianiki Philoxenia Luncheon Saturday, October 28 10:00am - Greek School 12pm - OXI Day Program Sunday, October 29 Church School - Fall into the Lives of the Saints Program for all children ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ Stewardship Sunday/Breakfast Κατηχητικό Σχολείο Τρίτη, 24 Οκτωβρίου 6.00μ.μ. - Δείπνο Συνδ. Ιερέων στο Concorde Banquets, Kildeer Τετάρτη, 25 Οκτωβρίου 7.00μ.μ. - Εσπερινός Αγ. Δημητρίου Elmhurst, Chicago, Hammond, Libertyville Πέμπτη, 26 Οκτωβρίου 8.30π.μ. - Αγίου Δημητρίου και Χριστιανική Φιλοξενία Σάββατο, 28 Οκτωβρίου 10.00π.μ. - Ελληνικό Σχολείο 12.00μ.μ. - Πρόγραμμα 28ης Οκτωβρίου Κυριακή, 29 Οκτωβρίου Κατηχητικό Σχολείο - Fall into the Lives of the Saints Program for all children MEMORIALS Christos Zois, 40 days, Right 1-6 Vasiliki Zois, 1 year, Right 1-6 John Zois, 1 year, Right 1-6 Aikaterine (Katina) Manolis, 3 years, Left 1 May their memory be eternal! Today s coffee fellowship is hosted by our Philoptochos Society. Everyone is invited to our community hall to enjoy fellowship. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the IOCC Health Care Kits. We were able to send close to 200 kits! A true blessing! Glory be to God! Thank you for all your help.