6 th Sunday From Easter Sunday of the Blind Man

Transcript

1 6 th Sunday From Easter Sunday of the Blind Man Κυριακή ΣΤ από του Πάσχα, Του Τυφλού Όρθρος Κυριακής στις 8:45 π.μ. και Θ. Λειτουργία στις 10:00 π.μ. Sunday Orthros at 8:45 a.m. and D. Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Presiding Priest: Fr. Nicholas Dassouras 21 Μαΐου May 2017

2 Ήχος πλ. α Εωθινόν Η Tone: Plagal 1 st Morning Gospel: 8 th Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, Κυριακῇ ἕκτῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πάσχα, τὸ εἰς τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς Τυφλὸν ἑορτάζομεν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ θαῦμα και την μνήμη τῶν Ἁγίων ἐνδόξων, θεοστέπτων καὶ ἰσαποστόλων μεγάλων βασιλέων Κωνσταντίνου καὶ Ἑλένης και τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ο Ἅγιος Νεομάρτυς Παχώμιος, ὁ ἐν τῷ Οὐσάκι τῆς Φιλαδελφίας μαρτυρήσας, ξίφει τελειοῦται.

3 On this day, the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, we celebrate the miracle that our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ performed on the man born blind and we, also, commemorate the Holy, glorious, Godcrowned and great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, the Equals to the Apostles and on this day the Holy Neo-martyr Pachomios, who witnessed in Ousaki, Philadelphia, died by the sword

4 ΝΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ / NEWS OF THE DAY Ετήσιον μνημόσυνον για την Γενοκτονία των Ποντίων Ελλήνων Annual Memorial Service for the Genocide of the Pontian Greeks Αρτοκλασία προσφερόμενη από την οικογένεια Ιωάννου & Ελισάβετ Τσιρανίδη προς τιμήν των Αγίων Κωνσταντίνου & Ελένης Artoklasia (Blessing of the Bread) in honor of SS. Constantine & Helen, offered by John & Elisabeth Tsiranides

5 Ο καφές και τα γλυκά που θα προσφερθούν στην κοινοτική αίθουσα μετά την Θ. Λειτουργία είναι προσφορά του Ποντιακού Συλλόγου Πόντος The coffee and desserts which will be offered at the church house, following the Divine Liturgy, are offered by the Pontian Society Pontos Τελετή Αποφοιτήσεως Ελληνικού Σχολείου Greek School Graduation

6 ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΒΔΟΜΑΔΟΣ Τετάρτη 24 Μαΐου 5:00 μ.μ.: Εναρκτήριος Ακολουθία του Πάσχα & Εσπερινός διά την Εορτήν της Αναλήψεως. Πέμπτη 25 Μαΐου 9:00 π.μ.: Όρθρος & Θ. Λειτουργία διά την Εορτήν της Αναλήψεως, Rye, NY

7 WORSHIP SERVICES Wednesday, May 24 th - 5:00-p.m.: Final Easter Service & Vespers for the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. Thursday, May 25 th - 9:00 a.m. : Orthros & D. Liturgy for the Feast of the Ascension, Rye, NY

8 Ἀπολυτίκιον της Πάσχα, Ἦχος πλ. α' Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι, ζωὴν χαρισάμενος. Αναστάσιμον Απολυτίκιον, Ηχος πλ. α' Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ καὶ Πνεύματι, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθέντα εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, ἀνυμνήσωμεν πιστοὶ καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν, ὅτι ηὐδόκησε σαρκί, ἀνελθεῖν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ ἐγεῖραι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, ἐν τῇ ἐνδόξῳ Ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ. Ἀπολυτίκιον Αγ. Κωνσταντίνου & Ελένης, Ἦχος πλ. δ' Τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου τὸν τύπον ἐν οὐρανῷ θεασάμενος, καὶ ὡς ὁ Παῦλος τὴν κλῆσιν οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δεξάμενος, ὁ ἐν βασιλεῦσιν, Ἀπόστολός σου Κύριε, Βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν τῇ χειρί σου παρέθετο ἣν περίσῳζε διὰ παντὸς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε. Απολυτίκιον Αγίου Γεωργίου, Hχος δ. Ὡς τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐλευθερωτὴς καὶ τῶν πτωχῶν ὑπερασπιστής, ἀσθενούντων ἰατρός, βασιλέων ὑπέρμαχος, Τροπαιοφόρε Μεγαλομάρτυς Γεώργιε, πρεσβεῦε Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ, σωθῆναι τάς ψυχὰς ἠμῶν. Κοντάκιον,Ἦχος πλ. δ' Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾍδου καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις φθεγξάμενος. Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην δωρούμενος ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.

9 Αpolytikion of Εaster, Plagal First Tone Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. Αpolytikion of Resurrection, Plagal of the First Tone O faithful let us give praise and worship to the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation. Of his own will he mounted the cross in the flesh, suffered death, and raised the dead through his glorious resurrection. Αpolytikion of SS. Constantine & Helen, Plagal Fourth Tone Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. Αpolytikion for St. George, Tone Fourth As the one renowned for setting captives free, and for defending those in poverty, the physician of the sick and the champion of kings, do thou, o Victory-bearer and Great Martyr George, intercede to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls. Kontakion, Tone Plagal Fourth Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrhbearing women, "Hail!" and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.

10 Αποστολικόν Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ των Πράξεων των Αποστόλων 26:1,12-20 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, Ἀγρίππας ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον ἔφη Ἐπιτρέπεταί σοι ὑπὲρ σεαυτοῦ λέγειν. Τότε ὁ Παῦλος ἀπελογεῖτο, ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα. Ἐν οἷς καὶ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετ' ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων, ἡμέρας μέσης κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν εἶδον, Βασιλεῦ, οὐρανόθεν ὑπὲρ τὴν λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἡλίου περιλάμψαν με φῶς καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐμοὶ πορευομένους. Πάντων δὲ καταπεσόντων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἤκουσα φωνὴν λαλοῦσαν πρός με καὶ λέγουσαν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον τίς εἶ, Κύριε; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὃν σὺ διώκεις. Ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὤφθην σοι, προχειρίσασθαί σε ὑπηρέτην καὶ μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγώ σε ἀποστέλλω ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ. Ὅθεν, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθὴς τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν Δαμασκῷ πρῶτον καὶ Ἱεροσολύμοις, εἰς πᾶσάν τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγέλλω μετανοεῖν καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν, ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα πράσσοντας.

11 The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles 26:1,12-20 IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: "I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles - to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance."

12 Ευαγγελικόν Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ του κατά Ιωάννην 9:1-38 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ γενετῆς. Καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Ραββί τίς ἥμαρτεν οὗτος ἢ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ἵνα τυφλὸς γεννηθῇ;ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς Οὔτε οὗτος ἥμαρτεν οὔτε οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ἀλλ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἡμᾶς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πέμψαντός με ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστίν ἔρχεται νὺξ ὅτε οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι. Ὅταν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὦ φῶς εἰμι τοῦ κόσμου. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔπτυσεν χαμαὶ καὶ ἐποίησεν πηλὸν ἐκ τοῦ πτύσματος καὶ ἐπέχρισεν αὐτοῦ τὸν πηλὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺςκαὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ὕπαγε νίψαι εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ Σιλωάμ (ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Ἀπεσταλμένος). ἀπῆλθεν οὖν καὶ ἐνίψατο καὶ ἦλθεν βλέπων. Οἱ οὖν γείτονες καὶ οἱ θεωροῦντες αὐτὸν τὸ πρότερον ὅτι προσαίτης ἦν ἔλεγον Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καθήμενος καὶ προσαιτῶν;ἄλλοι ἔλεγον ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ἄλλοι ἔλεγον Οὐχί ἀλλὰ ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐστιν. ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι. Ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ Πῶς [οὖν] ἠνεῴχθησάν σου οἱ ὀφθαλμοί;ἀπεκρίθη ἐκεῖνος Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰησοῦς πηλὸν ἐποίησεν καὶ ἐπέχρισέν μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶπέν μοι ὅτι Ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν Σιλωὰμ καὶ νίψαι ἀπελθὼν οὖν καὶ νιψάμενος ἀνέβλεψα. Καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ Ποῦ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος; λέγει Οὐκ οἶδα. Ἄγουσιν αὐτὸν πρὸς τοὺς Φαρισαίους τόν ποτε τυφλόν. Ἦν δὲ σάββατον ἐν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ τὸν πηλὸν ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἀνέῳξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. Πάλιν οὖν ἠρώτων αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πῶς ἀνέβλεψεν. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Πηλὸν ἐπέθηκέν μου ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς καὶ ἐνιψάμην καὶ βλέπω. Ἔλεγον οὖν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων τινές Οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅτι τὸ σάββατον οὐ τηρεῖ. ἄλλοι [δὲ] ἔλεγον Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλὸς τοιαῦτα σημεῖα ποιεῖν; καὶ σχίσμα ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Λέγουσιν οὖν τῷ τυφλῷ πάλιν Τί σὺ λέγεις περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἠνέῳξέν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὅτι Προφήτης ἐστίν. Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἦν τυφλὸς καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν ἕως ὅτου ἐφώνησαν τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ

13 ἀναβλέψαντοςκαὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτοὺς λέγοντες Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμῶν ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη; πῶς οὖν βλέπει ἄρτι;ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπαν Οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη πῶς δὲ νῦν βλέπει οὐκ οἴδαμεν ἢ τίς ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμεῖς οὐκ οἴδαμεν αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε ἡλικίαν ἔχει αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλήσει. Ταῦτα εἶπαν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐφοβοῦντο τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἤδη γὰρ συνετέθειντο οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἵνα ἐάν τις αὐτὸν ὁμολογήσῃ Χριστόν ἀποσυνάγωγος γένηται. Διὰ τοῦτο οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπαν ὅτι Ἡλικίαν ἔχει αὐτὸν ἐπερωτήσατε. Ἐφώνησαν οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκ δευτέρου ὃς ἦν τυφλὸς καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ Δὸς δόξαν τῷ θεῷ ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν. Ἀπεκρίθη οὖν ἐκεῖνος Εἰ ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν οὐκ οἶδα ἓν οἶδα ὅτι τυφλὸς ὢν ἄρτι βλέπω. Εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ Τί ἐποίησέν σοι; πῶς ἤνοιξέν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς;ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε τί πάλιν θέλετε ἀκούειν; μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ γενέσθαι;καὶ ἐλοιδόρησαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπον Σὺ μαθητὴς εἶ ἐκείνου ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐσμὲν μαθηταί ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι Μωϋσεῖ λελάληκεν ὁ θεός τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν. Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν ἐστιν ὅτι ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἐστίν καὶ ἤνοιξέν μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. Οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἀκούει ἀλλ ἐάν τις θεοσεβὴς ᾖ καὶ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιῇ τούτου ἀκούει. Ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσθη ὅτι ἤνοιξέν τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ποιεῖν οὐδέν. Ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ Ἐν ἁμαρτίαις σὺ ἐγεννήθης ὅλος καὶ σὺ διδάσκεις ἡμᾶς; καὶ ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω. Ηκουσεν Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω καὶ εὑρὼν αὐτὸν εἶπεν [αὐτῷ] Σὺ πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;ἀπεκρίθη ἐκεῖνος καὶ εἶπεν Καὶ τίς ἐστιν κύριε ἵνα πιστεύσω εἰς αὐτόν;εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Καὶ ἑώρακας αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν. Ὁ δὲ ἔφη Πιστεύω κύριε καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ.

14 The Reading is from John 9:1-38 At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So, he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so, I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. So, they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked

15 them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him." So, for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe": and he worshiped him.

16 Αποστολικό Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ των Πράξεων των Αποστόλων 26:1,12-20 Ο Αγρίππας, ο βασιλιάς, τότε είπε στον Παύλο: «Σου επιτρέπεται να απολογηθείς». Τότε ο Παύλος σήκωσε το χέρι του και άρχισε την απολογία του: Πηγαίνοντας γι αυτόν το σκοπό στη Δαμασκό με εξουσιοδότηση και άδεια από τους αρχιερείς, είδα στο δρόμο, βασιλιά μου, μέρα μεσημέρι, ένα φως από τον ουρανό, πιο λαμπρό κι από τον ήλιο, να με περιβάλλει με τη λάμψη του κι εμένα κι αυτούς που πήγαιναν μαζί μου. Όλοι μας πέσαμε στη γη, κι εγώ άκουσα μια φωνή που μου έλεγε στην εβραϊκή γλώσσα: Σαούλ, Σαούλ, γιατί με καταδιώκεις; Είναι οδυνηρό να κλοτσάς στα καρφιά. Εγώ ρώτησα: ποιος είσαι, Κύριε; Κι εκείνος απάντησε: εγώ είμαι ο Ιησούς, που εσύ τον καταδιώκεις. Σήκω όμως και στάσου στα πόδια σου. Γι αυτό σου φανερώθηκα: για να σε πάρω στην υπηρεσία μου και να σε καταστήσω μάρτυρα γι αυτά που είδες και γι αυτά που θα σου δείξω ακόμη. Θα σε προστατεύω από το λαό σου και από τους εθνικούς, στους οποίους εγώ σε στέλνω, για ν ανοίξεις τα μάτια τους, ώστε να επιστρέψουν από το σκοτάδι στο φως κι από την εξουσία του σατανά στο Θεό. Γιατί, αν πιστέψουν σ εμένα θα λάβουν τη συγχώρηση των αμαρτιών τους και μια θέση ανάμεσα σ εκείνους που ανήκουν στο Θεό. Ύστερα απ αυτά, βασιλιά Αγρίππα, δεν αρνήθηκα να υπακούσω στην ουράνια οπτασία, αλλά άρχισα να κηρύττω, πρώτα σ αυτούς που ήταν στη Δαμασκό και στα Ιεροσόλυμα κι ύστερα σ όλη τη χώρα της Ιουδαίας και στους εθνικούς, να μετανοήσουν και να επιστρέψουν στο Θεό και μετά να δείχνουν τη μετάνοιά τους πράττοντας ανάλογα έργα.

17 Ευαγγελικό Ανάγνωσμα: Εκ του κατά Ιωάννη 9:1-38 Εκείνο τον καιρό, καθώς πήγαινε στο δρόμο του ο Ιησούς, είδε έναν άνθρωπο που είχε γεννηθεί τυφλός. Τον ρώτησαν, λοιπόν, οι μαθητές του: «Διδάσκαλε, ποιος αμάρτησε και γεννήθηκε αυτός τυφλός, ο ίδιος ή οι γονείς του;» Ο Ιησούς απάντησε: «Ούτε αυτός αμάρτησε ούτε οι γονείς του, αλλά γεννήθηκε τυφλός για να φανερωθεί η δύναμη των έργων του Θεού πάνω σ αυτόν. Όσο διαρκεί η μέρα, πρέπει να εκτελώ τα έργα εκείνου που μ έστειλε. Έρχεται η νύχτα, οπότε κανένας δεν μπορεί να εργάζεται. Όσο είμαι σ αυτόν τον κόσμο, είμαι το φως για τον κόσμο». Όταν τα είπε αυτά ο Ιησούς, έφτυσε κάτω, έφτιαξε πηλό από το φτύμα, άλειψε με τον πηλό τα μάτια του τυφλού, και του είπε: «Πήγαινε να νιφτείς στην κολυμβήθρα του Σιλωάμ» που σημαίνει «απεσταλμένος από το Θεό». Ξεκίνησε, λοιπόν, ο άνθρωπος, πήγε και νίφτηκε και, όταν γύρισε πίσω, έβλεπε. Τότε οι γείτονες κι όσοι τον έβλεπαν προηγουμένως ότι ήταν τυφλός, έλεγαν: «Αυτός δεν είναι ο άνθρωπος που καθόταν εδώ και ζητιάνευε;» Μερικοί έλεγαν: «Αυτός είναι», ενώ άλλοι έλεγαν: «Είναι κάποιος που του μοιάζει». Ο ίδιος όμως έλεγε: «Εγώ είμαι». Τότε τον ρωτούσαν: «Πώς, λοιπόν, άνοιξαν τα μάτια σου;» Εκείνος απάντησε: «Ένας άνθρωπος που τον λένε Ιησού έκανε πηλό, μου άλειψε τα μάτια και μου είπε: πήγαινε στην κολυμβήθρα του Σιλωάμ και νίψου πήγα λοιπόν εκεί, νίφτηκα και βρήκα το φως μου». Τον ρώτησαν, λοιπόν: «Πού είναι ο άνθρωπος εκείνος;» «Δεν ξέρω», τους απάντησε. Τον έφεραν τότε στους Φαρισαίους, τον άνθρωπο που ήταν άλλοτε τυφλός. Η μέρα που έφτιαξε ο Ιησούς τον πηλό και του

18 άνοιξε τα μάτια ήταν Σάββατο. Άρχισαν λοιπόν και οι Φαρισαίοι να τον ρωτούν πάλι πώς απέκτησε το φως του. Αυτός τους απάντησε: «Έβαλε πάνω στα μάτια μου πηλό, νίφτηκα και βλέπω». Μερικοί από τους Φαρισαίους έλεγαν: «Αυτός ο άνθρωπος δεν μπορεί να είναι σταλμένος από το Θεό, γιατί δεν τηρεί την αργία του Σαββάτου». Άλλοι όμως έλεγαν: «Πώς μπορεί ένας αμαρτωλός άνθρωπος να κάνει τέτοια σημεία;» Και υπήρχε διχογνωμία ανάμεσά τους. Ρωτούν λοιπόν πάλι τον τυφλό: «Εσύ τι λες γι αυτόν; πώς εξηγείς ότι σου άνοιξε τα μάτια;» Κι εκείνος τους απάντησε: «Είναι προφήτης». Οι Ιουδαίοι όμως δεν εννοούσαν να πιστέψουν πως αυτός ήταν τυφλός κι απέκτησε το φως του, ώσπου κάλεσαν τους γονείς του ανθρώπου και τους ρώτησαν: «Αυτός είναι ο γιος σας που λέτε ότι γεννήθηκε τυφλός; Πώς, λοιπόν, τώρα βλέπει;» Οι γονείς του τότε αποκρίθηκαν: «Ξέρουμε πως αυτός είναι ο γιος μας κι ότι γεννήθηκε τυφλός πώς όμως τώρα βλέπει, δεν το ξέρουμε, ή ποιος του άνοιξε τα μάτια, εμείς δεν το ξέρουμε. Ρωτήστε τον ίδιο ενήλικος είναι, αυτός μπορεί να μιλήσει για τον εαυτό του». Αυτά είπαν οι γονείς του, από φόβο προς τους Ιουδαίους. Γιατί, οι Ιουδαίοι άρχοντες είχαν κιόλας συμφωνήσει να αφορίζεται από τη συναγωγή όποιος παραδεχτεί πως ο Ιησούς είναι ο Μεσσίας. Γι αυτό είπαν οι γονείς του, «ενήλικος είναι, ρωτήστε τον ίδιο». Κάλεσαν, λοιπόν, για δεύτερη φορά τον άνθρωπο που ήταν πριν τυφλός και του είπαν: «Πες την αλήθεια ενώπιον του Θεού εμείς ξέρουμε ότι ο άνθρωπος αυτός είναι αμαρτωλός». Εκείνος τότε τους απάντησε: «Αν είναι αμαρτωλός, δεν το ξέρω ένα ξέρω: πως, ενώ ήμουν τυφλός, τώρα βλέπω». Τον ρώτησαν

19 πάλι: «Τι σου έκανε; Πώς σου άνοιξε τα μάτια;» «Σας το είπα κιόλας», τους αποκρίθηκε, «αλλά δεν πειστήκατε γιατί θέλετε να το ξανακούσετε; Μήπως θέλετε κι εσείς να γίνετε μαθητές του;» Τον περιγέλασαν τότε και του είπαν: «Εσύ είσαι μαθητής εκείνου εμείς είμαστε μαθητές του Μωυσή εμείς ξέρουμε πως ο Θεός μίλησε στο Μωυσή, ενώ γι αυτόν δεν ξέρουμε την προέλευσή του». Τότε απάντησε ο άνθρωπος και τους είπε: «Εδώ είναι το παράξενο, πως εσείς δεν ξέρετε από πού είναι ο άνθρωπος, κι όμως αυτός μου άνοιξε τα μάτια. Ξέρουμε πως ο Θεός τούς αμαρτωλούς δεν τους ακούει, αλλά αν κάποιος τον σέβεται και κάνει το θέλημά του, αυτόν τον ακούει. Από τότε που έγινε ο κόσμος δεν ακούστηκε ν ανοίξει κανείς τα μάτια ενός γεννημένου τυφλού. Αν αυτός δεν ήταν από το Θεό δε θα μπορούσε να κάνει τίποτα». «Εσύ είσαι βουτηγμένος στην αμαρτία από τότε που γεννήθηκες», του αποκρίθηκαν, «και κάνεις το δάσκαλο σ εμάς;» Και τον πέταξαν έξω. Ο Ιησούς έμαθε ότι τον πέταξαν έξω και, όταν τον βρήκε, του είπε: «Εσύ πιστεύεις στον Υιό του Θεού;» Εκείνος αποκρίθηκε: «Και ποιος είναι αυτός, κύριε, για να πιστέψω σ αυτόν;» «Μα τον έχεις κιόλας δει», του είπε ο Ιησούς. «Αυτός που μιλάει τώρα μαζί σου, αυτός είναι». Τότε εκείνος είπε: «Πιστεύω Κύριε», και τον προσκύνησε.

20 The blind man healed by Jesus The book God s Annoying Love for Imperfect People by Michael Yaconeli tells the story of a man recently converted to Jesus and how an unbelieving friend sought to see why. So you have been converted to Christ? Yes. Then you must know a great deal about Him. Tell me, what country was he born in? I don t know. What was his age when he died? I don t know. How many sermons did he preach? I don t know. You certainly know very little for a man who claims to be converted to Christ. You are right. I am ashamed at how little I know about him. But this much I know: Three years ago, I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces; they dreaded the sight of me. But now I have given up drink. We are out of debt. Ours is a happy home. My children eagerly await my return home each evening. All this Christ has done for me. This much I know of Christ. Does it not sound like the answers given by the blind man healed by Jesus?

21 Today s reading remind us that it is God who gives us proper vision in body as well as in soul, and instructs us that we should be constantly on our guard against spiritual blindness. Jesus giving of sight to a blind man, reported in today s Gospel, teaches us the necessity of opening the eyes of the mind by faith and warns us that those who pretend to see the truth are often blind, while those who acknowledge their blindness are given clear vision. In this episode, the most unlikely person, namely the blind man, receives the light of faith in Jesus, while the religion-oriented, law-educated Pharisees remain spiritually blind. "There are none so blind, as those who will not see." To live as a Christian is to see, to have clear vision about God, about ourselves and about others. Today s Gospel reminds us that we are to live as children of the light, seeking what is good and right and true. Our prayers and sacrifices should serve to heal our blindness so that we can look into the hearts of others and love them as children of God, our own brothers and sisters. The paradox of blindness. The healing described in today s Gospel occurred when Jesus came to Jerusalem with his Apostles to participate in the feast of Tabernacles or the festival of tents (Sukkoth). The healing of the blind man, told so dramatically in today's Gospel, brings out the mercy and kindness of Jesus, "the light of the world." Isaiah prophesied, and the Jewish people of that era

22 believed, that when the Messiah came, he would heal blindness and other diseases. The type of blindness which we now call ophthalmic conjunctivitis was very common in Biblical times. Jesus gave to the blind beggar not only his bodily eyesight but also the light of faith. This story also shows how the stubborn pride and prejudice of the Pharisees prevented them from seeing in the humble "Son of Man the long-expected Messiah, and that made them incapable of recognizing a miracle. When the parents of the blind man convinced them that their son had been born blind, the Pharisees argued that the healer was a "sinner," because the miracle had been performed on the Sabbath. But the cured man insisted that Jesus, his healer, must be from God. The blind man was asked: "Who healed you?" First he answered, A prophet healed me. Then he answered, The Son of Man healed me. Finally, when he realized who Jesus was, he fell down on his knees and worshipped him. As a result, he was excommunicated. The blind man s progress in spiritual sight reminds us that we need God s grace and revelation to move toward sharper spiritual vision. (Fr. Harrington S.J.)

23 Blindness and Baptism: From earliest times, today's Gospel story has been associated with Baptism. Just as the blind man went down into the waters of Siloam and came up whole, so also believers who are immersed in the waters of Baptism come up spiritually whole, totally healed of the spiritual blindness with which all of us are born. Raymond Brown comments that in the lectionaries and liturgical books of the early Church, there developed the practice of three examinations before one's Baptism. These correspond to the three interrogations of the man born blind. When the catechumens had passed their examinations and were judged worthy of Baptism, the Gospel book was solemnly opened and the ninth chapter of John was read, with the confession of the blind man, "I do believe, Lord," serving as the climax of the service. Paintings on the walls of the catacombs of Rome portray Jesus healing the man born blind as a symbol of Holy Baptism. One of the writings from that time says: "Happy is the Sacrament of our water, in that, by washing away the sins of our earthly blindness, we are set free unto eternal life." The early Christians looked at their Baptism as leaving behind blindness and darkness and stepping into the glorious light of God. In other words, they realized that their becoming Christians and then continuing as followers of Christ, was indeed a miracle - as great as, if not greater than, the healing of the physical blindness of the man in the Gospel today.

24 The spiritual blindness of the Pharisees: The Pharisees suffered from spiritual blindness. They were blind to the Holy Spirit. They had religion but lacked the spirit of Jesus love. They were also blind to the suffering and pain right before their eyes. They refused to see pain and injustice. There was no compassion in their hearts. In short, they were truly blind both to the Holy Spirit and to the human misery around them. The blind man s progress in spiritual sight is paralleled by the opponents descent into spiritual blindness. (Fr. Harrington). Here is a contrast between those who know they are blind and those who claim to see. According to these blind Pharisees, Jesus, by healing the blind man doubly broke the Sabbath law, which forbade works of healing, and also kneading which was involved in making clay of spittle and dust. Raymond Brown adds a third and fourth reason that increased the seriousness of what Jesus had done: in the Jewish tradition, "there was an opinion that it was not permitted to anoint an eye on the Sabbath," and "one may not put fasting spittle on the eyes on the Sabbath." So they concluded, "The

25 man who did this cannot be from God, because he does not obey the Sabbath law." Spiritual blindness of modern Pharisees: Although the Pharisees have long since disappeared from history, there are still many among us who are blinded by the same pride and prejudice. Spiritual blindness is very common in modern times. Perhaps, the most awful disease in our country today is spiritual blindness. Such blindness refuses to see the truths of God's revelation. This blindness refuses even to admit that God or Christ exists. In their pride, the spiritually blind claim that everything ends with death and that there is no life after death. They propagate their errors and accuse believers of childish credulity and folly. They ignore the gifts of the intellect we possess. God's revelation through Christ informs us that there is a future life awaiting us in which our spiritual faculties and our transformed bodies will be fully and fittingly glorified. Τhe healing of the blind man is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight, but also open our interior vision, so that our faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize Him as our only Savior. He illuminates all that is

26 dark in life and leads men and women to live as "children of the light". Life messages: 1) We need to allow Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness. We all have blind-spots -- in our marriages, our parenting, our work habits, and our personalities. We often wish to remain in the dark, preferring darkness to light. It is even possible for the religious people in our day to be like the Pharisees: religious in worship, in frequenting the Sacraments, in prayer-life, in tithing, and in knowledge of the Bible but blind to the poverty, injustice and pain around them. Let us remember, however, that Jesus wants to heal our blind-spots. We need to ask him to remove from us the root causes of our blindness, namely, self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits and hardness of heart. Let us pray with the Scottish Bible scholar William Barclay, God our Father, help us see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly. 2) We need to get rid of cultural blindness. Our culture also has blind-spots. Often it is blind to things like love, happiness, marriage, and true, committed sexual love in marriage. Our

27 culture has become anesthetized to the violence, to the sexual innuendo, and to the enormous suffering of the world around us. Our culture, our media, our movies and our values, are often blind as to what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. Our culture, in spite of scientific proofs, is blind to the reality that life begins at the moment of conception, and it callously promotes abortion. We continue to advance destructive practices such as euthanasia, and human cloning, and we refuse to see the consequences of godless behavior on human society. In the name of individual rights, the radical left in our society decries any public demonstration of religious beliefs and practices, or the public appearance of traditional values, questioning the substance of family values. The radical right, on the other hand, decries the immorality of our times, without lifting a finger to help the poor and the underprivileged and without ever questioning unjust foreign policies and wars. This cultural blindness can only be overcome as each one of us enters the living experience of having Jesus dwelling within us and within others, through personal prayer, meditative reading of the Bible and a genuine Sacramental life. 3) We need to pray for clear vision: Peter Marshall, the former chaplain to the United States Congress used to pray, "Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything. Today s Gospel challenges our ability to see

28 clearly. Do we see a terrorist in every member of a particular religion? Do we see people who are addicted to drugs as outcasts and sinners? Do we fail to see God at work in our lives because He has shown us no miracles? Jonathan Swift said, "Vision is the art of seeing things invisible." Let us remember that this gift belongs to those who can see the good hidden in the kernels of suffering and of failure. It resides in those who never give up hope. Let us pray for the grace to see and experience the presence of a loving and forgiving God. 4) Let us not allow the world and Satan to blind us so that we forget our real identity and call that we have been created by God and bought with the blood of Jesus; that we have been adopted as God's chosen children; and so, that our role is to become God's representatives in our community and our world. We are called to stand out by the way we show love and concern for others. We are called to promote justice and peace; to set an example of what it mans to live according to God's way. We are called to discipleship that means a disciplined life of prayer and the study of God's Word, worship with our fellow Christians and standing out in the crowd even though that may be difficult to do when it means sticking up for those who are being wronged and confessing that Christ in our lives does make a difference. It s so easy to miss the point of what it means to be a Christian, and we end up blending in and fail to be a positive and powerful influence to bring about change in people s lives and our world.

29 John Killinger tells the story of a man who visited one day in a classroom for visually impaired children. Troubled by what he saw, the man remarked, insensitively, "It must be terrible to go through life without eyes." One little girl quickly responded, "It's not half as bad as having two good eyes but still not being able to see." Her point was well made. There is physical blindness, and there is another, even more tragic form of blindness that affects the spirit. Both forms of blindness are present in today's Gospel reading. Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil

30 Remembering the Pontian Genocide An overview of the Pontian genocide Pontus ( sea in Greek), is an historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region and its mountainous hinterland (rising to the Pontic Alps in the east) in antiquity by the Greeks who colonised the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος Εύξεινος Pontos Euxeinos ( Hospitable Sea ), or simply Pontos. Originally with no specific name, the region east of the river Halys was spoken of as the country εν Πόντοι en Pontôi, on the [Euxeinos] Pontos, and hence acquired the name of Pontus, which is first found in Xenophon s Anabasis. From Wikipedia Its connections with Hellenism stretches back to prehistoric times to the legends of Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece and to Heracles obtaining the Amazon Queen s girdle. Many famous churches, monasteries and schools are a testament to the resilience of Hellenism. The Pontians are a distinct Greek people with their own dialect, dances, songs and theatre.

31 It ended in tragedy in the years of the Greeks living in Pontus in 1916, were killed and the remainder became refugees. Three millenia of the Greek presence was wiped out by a deliberate policy of creating a Turkey for the Turks. The Pontian people were denied the right to exist, the right of respect for their national and cultural identity, the right to remain in peaceful occupation of their territory. It s estimated that some 1.5 million Greeks and 380,000 Pontian Greeks were murdered by the Turks, who have thus far refused to acknowledge this fact. There are various estimates of the toll. Records kept mainly by priests show a minimum 350,000 Pontian Greeks exterminated through systematic slaughter by Turkish troops and Kurdish para-militaries. Other estimates, including those of foreign missionaries, spoke of 500,000 deaths, most through deportation and forced marches into the Anatolian desert interior. Thriving Greek cities like Samsous, Kerasous, and Trapezous, at the heart of Pontian Hellenism on the coast of the Black Sea, endured recurring massacres and deportations that eventually destroyed their Greek population. A double crime was committed genocide and the uprooting from these people s ancestral homelands of three millenia. The international community must recognize this crime.

32 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.