Commentary on Today s Gospel Reading

Archangel Michael Church Η Εκκλησία του Αρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ 100 Fairway Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 Phone: (516) 944-3180 Web Site: www.archangelmichaelchurch.org Clergy: Fr. John Lardas, Fr. Joshua Pappas, Fr. Dennis Strouzas Jan. 15, 2017 12 th Sunday of Luke Pl. 1 st Mode 8 th Morning Gospel Commentary on Today s Gospel Reading Today, the Lord rebukes those who keep the Passover the way the Jews did, just as he rebuked certain lepers he had cleansed. You recall that he loved the one who was thankful, but he was angry with the ungrateful ones, because they did not acknowledge their Deliverer. They though more highly of their cure from leprosy than of him who healed them. Actually, this one was given much more than the rest. Besides being healed of leprosy, he was told by the Lord, Stand up and go on your way; your faith has saved you. You see, those who give thanks and those who glorify have the same kind of feelings. They bless their helper for the benefits they have received. That is why Paul urged everybody to glorify God with your body. Isaiah also commanded, Give glory to God. -St. Athanasios the Great Falling into a thankless forgetfulness, the nine lepers that were Jews did not return to give glory to God. By this, he shows that Israel was hard of heart and utterly unthankful. The stranger, the Samaritan, was of a foreign race brought from Assyria. The phrase in the middle of Samaria and Galilee has meaning. He returned with a loud voice to glorify God. This shows that the Samaritans were grateful but that the Jews, even when they benefited, were ungrateful. -St. Cyril of Alexandria

Άγιοι και Εορτές Tοῦ Ὁσίου Πατρὸς ἡµῶν Παύλου τοῦ Θηβαίου. Tοῦ Ὁσίου Πατρὸς ἡµῶν Ἰωάννου, τοῦ διὰ Χριστὸν πτωχοῦ, ὃς καὶ Καλυβίτης ὠνοµάσθη. Tοῦ Ἁγίου Μάρτυρος Πανσοφίου. Α πολυτίκιον Α ναστα σιμον 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. Τοῦ Ἁγίου (Ταχὺ προκατάλαβε) Ἐκ βρέφους τὸν Κύριον, ἐπιποθήσας θερµῶς, τὸν κόσµον κατέλιπες, καὶ τὰ ἐν κόσµῳ τερπνά, καὶ ἤσκησας ἄριστα ἔπηξας τὴν καλύβην, πρὸ πυλῶν σῶν γονέων, ἔθραυσας τῶν δαιµόνων, τὰς ἐνέδρας Παµµάκαρ διὸ σε Ἰωάννη Χριστός, ἀξίως ἐδόξασεν. Αpολυtίκιov Των Τaξιaρχών Τῶν οὐρανίων στρατιῶν Ἀρχιστράτηγοι, δυσωποῦμεν ὑμᾶς ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀνάξιοι, ἵνα ταῖς ὑμῶν δεήσεσι, τειχίσητε ἡμᾶς, σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων, τῆς ἀΰλου ὑμῶν δόξης, φρουροῦντες ἡμᾶς προσπίπτοντας, ἐκτενῶς καὶ βοῶντας Ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων λυτρώσασθε ἡμᾶς, ὡς Ταξιάρχαι τῶν ἄνω Δυνάμεων. Κοντα κιον Ὁ µήτραν παρθενικὴν ἁγιάσας τῷ τόκῳ σου, καὶ χεῖρας τοῦ Συµεὼν εὐλογήσας ὡς ἔπρεπε, προφθάσας καὶ νῦν ἔσωσας ἡµᾶς Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' εἰρήνευσον ἐν πολέµοις τὸ πολίτευµα, καὶ κραταίωσον Βασιλεῖς οὓς ἠγάπησας, ὁ µόνος φιλάνθρωπος. Saints and Feasts Our devout father Paul of Thebes; our devout father John Kalyvitis, the Hut-dweller; the holy martyr Pansophios. Resurrectional Hymn (Pl. 1 st Mode) To the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit born of the Virgin for our salvation, let us the faithful give praise and worship. For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh to endure death and raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection. Hymn of the Saint From infancy fervently you loved and longed for the Lord; * you therefore renounced the world and every worldly delight, * and excelled in ascetic feats. * You set the hut you dwelt in before the gates of your parents. * Therein, allblessed struggler, you crushed the snares of the demons. * And therefore, O John, Christ has glorified you worthily. Hymn of the Archangels Supreme Commanders of * the hosts of the Heavens * we, the unworthy, importune and beseech you * that by your supplications you encircle us * in the shelter of the wings * of your heavenly glory * guarding us who now fall down * and cry to you with fervor. * Deliver us from dangers of all kinds * as the great marshals of the heavenly hosts on high. Kontakion of the Feast (1 st Mode) You sanctified the virginal womb by Your birth, O Lord, and blessed the hands of Symeon fittingly, O Christ God; and even now You came and saved us. Now, give peace to our Nation in time of war, and empower our Leaders, so loved by You, the only one who loves humanity.

Today s Scripture Readings St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 3:4-11 BRETHREN, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all. Πρὸς Κολοσσαεῖς 3:4-11 Ἀδελφοί, ὅταν ὁ Χ ριστὸς φανερωθῇ, ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν, τότε καὶ ὑμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ φανερωθήσεσθε ἐν δόξῃ. Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρεία, διʼ ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας Ἐν οἷς καὶ ὑμεῖς περιεπατήσατέ ποτε, ὅτε ἐζῆτε ἐν αὐτοῖς. Νυνὶ δὲ ἀπόθεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ πάντα, ὀργήν, θυμόν, κακίαν, βλασφημίαν, αἰσχρολογίαν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἀπεκδυσάμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν νέον, τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατʼ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομὴ καὶ ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος ἀλλὰ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν Χ ριστός. The Gospel according to Luke 17:12-19 At that time, as Jesus entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When He saw them He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus's feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus: "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him: "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 17:12-19 Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, εἰσερχομένου αὐτοῦ εἴς τινα κώμην ἀπήντησαν αὐτῷ δέκα λεπροὶ ἄνδρες, οἳ ἔστησαν πόρρωθεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἦραν φωνὴν λέγοντες Ιησοῦ ἐπιστάτα, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς. καὶ ἰδὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς πορευθέντες ἐπιδείξατε ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς ἱερεῦσι. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὑπάγειν αὐτοὺς ἐκαθαρίσθησαν. εἷς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἰδὼν ὅτι ἰάθη, ὑπέστρεψε μετὰ φωνῆς μεγάλης δοξάζων τὸν Θεόν, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστῶν αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν Σαμαρείτης. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ιησοῦς εἶπεν οὐχὶ οἱ δέκα ἐκαθαρίσθησαν; οἱ δὲ ἐννέα ποῦ; οὐχ εὑρέθησαν ὑποστρέψαντες δοῦναι δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀλλογενὴς οὗτος; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἀναστὰς πορεύου ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε.

Όσιος Παύλος ο Θηβαίος Βιογραφία: Ο ερημικός και ήουχος τόπος είναι από τους βασικούς παράγοντες ανάπτυξης της αυτοσυγκέντρωσης και προσευχής προς το Θεό. Αυτό φαίνεται καθαρά στη ζωή του Αγίου Παύλου του Θηβαίου. Άνηκε σε πλούσια οικογένεια της Κάτω Θηβαίδας της Αιγύπτου. Όταν ο Δέκιος (249-251) κήρυξε τον τρομερό διωγμό κατά των χριστιανών, ο Παύλος, μόλις 15 χρονών, χάνει τους γονείς του. Με εσωτερική παρακίνηση του Άγιου Πνεύματος (κατ' άλλους φοβούμενος μη παραδοθεί στους διώκτες των χριστιανών από τον έπ' αδελφή γαμπρό του, που του ζητούσε την περιουσία) φεύγει και ζητά καταφυγή σωτηρίας στην έρημο. Εκεί, μέσα στην ησυχία της φύσης, βρήκε καιρό για συστηματική μελέτη και προσευχή. Όταν πέρασε ο διωγμός του Δεκίου και επανήλθε η γαλήνη, ο Παύλος εξακολουθεί να μένει στην έρημο και, μάλιστα, αποφασίζει να μείνει μόνιμα. Τόσο δε ολοφάνερη είχε γίνει μέσα στην έρημο η πνευματική υπεροχή του και η ταπεινοφροσύνη του, ώστε, όπως κάποτε στον Κύριο μας, έρχονταν πλήθη λαού να Τον ακούσουν έτσι και στον Παύλο έρχονταν πολλοί αναχωρητές να τον ακούσουν και να τον συμβουλευθούν. Η φήμη του είχε φθάσει και στην ακοή του μεγάλου Αντωνίου, που κίνησε και τον συνάντησε μέσα σε ατμόσφαιρα ανέκφραστης χαράς. Οταν μετά από λίγους μήνες επανήλθε ο Άγιος Αντώνιος, βρήκε τον Όσιο Παύλο πεθαμένο, και δύο λιοντάρια έστεκαν κοντά στον τάφο του, τον όποιο είχαν σκάψει με τα νύχια τους. Ο μεγάλος ερημίτης ήταν τότε 113χρονών. Όσιος Ιωα ννης ο Καλυβίτης Βιογραφία: Έζησε στα μέσα του 5ου μ.χ. αιώνα (κατ' άλλους γεννήθηκε στην Κων/πολη στίς αρχές του 5ου μ.χ. αιώνα) και ήταν γιος του Εύτροπίου, συγκλητικού στο αξίωμα, και της Θεοδώρας. ο Ιωάννης δεν θέλησε ν' ακολουθήσει το δρόμο των δύο μεγαλυτέρων αδελφών του, πού κατέλαβαν λαμπρά αξιώματα. Άλλα προτιμούσε να αφιερωθεί στην υπηρεσία της πίστης. Επειδή όμως οι γονείς του επέμεναν, έφυγε από το πατρικό του σπίτι και πήγε στην μονή των Ακοιμήτων όπου έγινε μοναχός. Αργότερα, όταν πληροφορήθηκε τη μεγάλη πίκρα της μητέρας του επειδή ο πατέρας του διήγε κοσμική ζωή, αποφάσισε με την συγκατάθεση του ηγουμένου της μονής να επιστρέψει στους γονείς του. Παρουσιάσθηκε στους γονείς του ως ένας άγνωστος μοναχός. Αυτοί δεν τον γνώρισαν. Άλλ' ήταν τόση μεγάλη ή ευγένεια της φυσιογνωμίας και των λόγων του, που τον παρακάλεσαν να έρχεται καθημερινά στο σπίτι. Δέχθηκε με τη συμφωνία να του κατασκευάσουν μια καλύβα στο βάθος του περιβολιού της πατρικής του οικίας. Εκεί ο Ιωάννης έστησε την κατοικία του, και μέσα σε τρία χρόνια κατάφερε, με τη χάρη του Θεού, να φέρει στο σωστό δρόμο τους γονείς του. Την ήμερα όμως πού αποκάλυψε πώς ήταν γιος τους, ο Θεός παρέλαβε τη μακάρια ψυχή του. *Οι πληροφορίες είναι από: http://www.saint.gr/index.aspx

Worship Services Tuesday, January 17, 2017 ~ The Feast of St. Anthony ~ Chapel Orthros ~ 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy ~ 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 18, 2017 ~ The Feast of St. Anthony ~ Chapel Orthros ~ 8:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy ~ 9:30 a.m. Saturday, January 21, 2017 ~ Challenge Liturgy ~ St. Maximos the Confessor Orthros 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy ~ 10:30 a.m. House Blessings Fr. John and Fr. Joshua would love to visit your home after the Feast of Theophany to offer a House Blessing. This is a reminder that the Blessing of the Waters extends in a very real and concrete way to each of us; God s Kingdom is breaking into this world, sanctifying all of creation, and we are called to further this sanctification within our personal circumstances. Please call the church office at (516) 944-3180 to schedule a House Blessing. Memorials Paula Lynn Roussos ~ 40 days Maria Kokalis ~ 2 years Everlasting be their memory. Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη. Upcoming Events Friday, January 27, 2017 ~ Greek School Glendi ~ Westbury Manor Sunday, January 29, 2017 ~ Greek Letters Celebration in honor of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs Saturday, February 11, 2017 ~ Comedy Night at AMC Saturday, February 11th, 2017 ~ Parathosi Greek Dance Event at Queens College Friday, February 17 ~ GOYA ~ Midnight Run Καθαρή Δευτέρα, Clean Monday, February 27, 2017: In honor of this very holy day in the life of the church, the Philoptochos will be offering a Lenten Meal following the Celebration of the Great Compline. Pr. Aristotle Papanikolaou of the Orthodox Christian Institute of Fordham University will be offering a presentation on "Being With God"

Philoptochos Our first Philoptochos General Meeting for 2017 was this past Monday Jan 9 th. Thank You to Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Stefani Pappas, for a most informative and FUN presentation on nutrition, portion control and New Year s Resolutions! Please update your Stewardship for 2017 before April to help us meet our quarterly District and National Obligations. A form can be picked up in the lobby, at coffee hour or accessed on the church s website as well as through a link on the weekly blast. Upcoming Philoptochos Events: February is all about RED! Join us as we "Go Red for Heart Health" on Sunday, February 5th to raise awareness about heart disease in women. Did you know that an estimated 44 million women in the United States are affected by heart disease? Did you also know that 80% of heart disease and stroke events can be prevented through lifestyle changes and education? Look for health tips, suggestions, and more heart-healthy information to come from Philoptochos! *statistics from goredforwomen.org. Did You Know that LOCAL FOOD BANKS such as Island Harvest and the Interfaith Nutrition Network are the beneficiaries of any and all leftover foods from the many catered events hosted at AMC. We passionately support the Feed The Hungry initiative because hunger is closer than we all think! Join us on Sunday, Feb 12 th immediately following the Divine Liturgy for our 2nd annual Godparents Breakfast to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Honor your Godparents and Godchildren for the role they play in your life and grant a local terminally ill child their last wish in the process! $15 Adults / $10 Children. Please notify us at Philoptochos@ArchangelMichaelChurch.org and we will be happy to hold a table for your family. Join us on Monday evening, Feb 27 th as we host a Community Lenten meal in the Fellowship Hall. Let us begin Great Lent together in Fellowship! Join us on Saturday March 11 th for a trip via Coach bus to Agia Skepi Monestary in White Haven, PA! Details and cost being worked out as of this writing. Contact Eleni Raptis at 516-455-8063 or email Philoptochos to make your reservation. Also coming in March: 3/5 (Sun) Sunday of Orthodoxy ~ Meeting after church 3/19 (Sun): Day of Service (mini-service projects at church, 2-3 hours after Liturgy)

We want to congratulate our newly elected members of the Parish Council. Following the Divine Liturgy the Parish Council will take their oath and will have elections for their executive officers. The following are the Parish Council Members of the Archangel Michael Church: Michael Bapis, Michael Cavounis, Athanasios Gargas, Eleni Germanakos John Halkias, Georgios Kaparos, Adam Karras, Nick Kokis, Harry Lascarides Spiro Maliagros, Barbara Mavro, Oscar Michelen, Nicholas Papain, Mark Pappas Dominick Petruccelli, Michael Psyllos, Gus Rogdakis, Jim Sfiroudis Andreas Tsalikis, Peter Tsekouras and Demetrios Ziozis.