HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

HOLY TAXIARHAI AND SAINT HARALAMBOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 7373 CALDWELL AVENUE, NILES, ILLINOIS 60714 -- PHONE (847) 647-8880 Web: SaintHaralambosGOC.org Fr. Constantine P. Botsis, Proistamenos Deacon John G. Suhayda DON T TELL ME THE SKY IS THE LIMIT WHEN THERE ARE FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON Will Rogers once concluded: Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. Voltaire reminded us: Common sense is not so common. Winston Churchill observed: "There but for the grace of God - goes God." Comedian Bill Cosby opined: A word to the wise ain t necessary because it s the stupid ones that need the advice. Each of these four comments (and this article s title courtesy of satirist Ashleigh Brilliant) is a paraprosdokian. A paraprosdokian is frequently used by philosophers, comics, politicians and lawyers. The father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding would explain this word comes from the Greek word "παρά", meaning "against" and "προσδοκία", meaning "expectation." So a paraprosdokian is a phrase where the latter part is surprising or unexpected given the earlier part. As a lawyer, I negotiate/argue for a living and posted near my telephone is the wise counsel: Never argue with an idiot or fool, because: (1) people listening may not be able to tell the difference, and (2) they will lower you to their level and then beat you with their experience. If you see me suddenly stop in the middle of a negotiation/argument, you ll now know why. So what does this great Greek word have to do with my life s calling of stewardship? I am reminded of the direct paraprosdokian: If you have to tell someone you are a gentlemen (or lady), then you are not. So let me ask you very directly, If you have to tell someone you are a steward (or see your name on a list of stewards) are you really a steward of God s blessings? What is your motivation, and what does it really mean to be a steward? Dictionaries define a steward as someone who manages the assets of another. But if a steward manages the resources of SOMEONE ELSE, am I am really managing MY time/talents/treasures? If not, then whose are they? Fr. George Lamberis, Synefemerios Nick Harisiadis, Protopsaltis St. John Chrysostom offers us the answer in his homily On Living Simply. He asked if he owned his own mind, body, house or clothes? He concluded that he did not, and that they were only on loan to him from God during his life and would be taken back upon his passing. (You ll never see a hearse driving down the road followed by a U-Haul trailer.) Thus, St. John Chrysostom clarified that what we really possess during our lives are the virtues that we allow to grow and flourish within our souls. He reminded us that these were immortal gifts that God would not take back because He wanted Heaven to be filled with virtue. Hopefully by now we all realize that we are stewards of everything we have because they are really God s and he has temporarily entrusted the management of them to us. So what will you do with God s gifts to you? The principal message of our Igniting The Flame Of True Christian Stewardship training program is to focus more on what you do with your most valuable asset, your time. Indeed, my personal paraprosdokian is: Your actions speak so loudly, that I can t hear what you re saying. So are we walking the stewardship walk, or just talking about it? Are we living the life our Lord called us to live by giving sacrificially of our time, talents, treasures and tithes to God s work here on this earth? The parable of the Talents from the Gospel of Matthew (25: 14-30) provides us the perfect roadmap. We are reminded that we each have received different talents, but it s what we do with our talents that determine our future. In those days, talents were a unit of economic measure. Today it means something different, but the message is still the same. We are not better because we have more, we are better because we do more with whatever we have. (continued on pg 6)

ANNOUNCEMENTS The St. Haralambos Preschool PTA invites you to our Coffee Fellowship Hour after today s church services. PROSPHORA We thank the Sikoral Family, the Kereakes Family and Mrs. Athena Demeros, who have offered today s prosphora. Next week, the prosphora will be offered by Mrs. Katina Vaselopulos and Presvytera Georgia (Mon, Dec 12), Mrs. Loretta Hughes/Politis (Thurs, Dec 15), and by Mrs. Marianna Koliopoulos, Mrs. Kalitsa Georgatsos, the Tafreshing Family, the Ruggerio Family and Mrs. Georgia Vasilopoulos (Sunday, December 18). MEMORIAL SERVICES 40 days Penelope Lageotakis 40 days Dionysis Mouzakis 1 year Chrysouyla Striftobola Memorial services are offered for the eternal rest of persons who have fallen asleep in the Lord. There are some days when Memorials are not permitted please call the church office before planning. Memorials take place at 40 days, at 6 months, at 1 year and at 3 years. After three years have passed, the departed are more properly remembered on the Saturdays of the Souls. Please also remember that we have discontinued the custom of placing candles in the kolyva. ARTOCLASIA is offered today by Mr and Mrs Nick Kontos for the health and well-being of their family and the entire St. Haralambos community. OUR SISTER COMMUNITY of St. Spyridon in Palos Heights invites you to Great Vesper s TONIGHT at 7:00 pm and to Liturgy tomorrow morning in honor of the Feast of St. Spyridon. (Divine Liturgy WILL celebrated at St. Haralambos on Dec 12th.) WHO CAN RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION?- Because receiving Holy Communion or any other Sacrament is an expression of our acceptance of the dogmatic and moral teachings of the Orthodox Faith, only Orthodox Christians (by baptism or chrismation) in good standing may participate. For this reason, persons who do not agree with these teachings, or not in good standing (for example, married outside the church, or unmarried but sexually active, or civilly divorced but not ecclesiastically divorced), must return to good standing in order to participate in Orthodox Sacraments such as Holy Communion and Unction. This is also why Orthodox Christians do not receive sacraments in non-orthodox churches. ANNUAL METROPOLIS CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos invites you to the annual Metropolis of Chicago Christmas Open House on Sunday afternoon, December 18, beginning at 5:00 pm at 40 East Burton Place in Chicago. This event gives all of us the opportunity to exchange Christmas Greetings with one another and with our spiritual father, Metropolitan Iakovos. Plan to attend; His Eminence will be pleased to see you! COAT DRIVE Today is the last day of our Coat Drive! THANK YOU to everyone who made a contribution to help keep someone warm this winter! PARISH ICE SKATING EVENT All are invited to a night of fellowship and ice skating to continue celebrating the Christmas season at Skatium Ice Arena on Wednesday, Dec 28 from 5:45 PM 8:30 PM. Dinner will be served from 5:45 PM 6:30 PM and we will have open skate from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. Cost is $15 per person (includes dinner, admission & skates. Cost is $10 per person if you don t plan to have dinner with us and attend open skate. Please RSVP to the main office by December 27. IN ORDER to maintain the dignity of the service and not to distract others, you are kindly asked to turn off your cell-phone during all Church services.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS will take place on December 18. Please remember to vote! STEWARDSHIP 2016! If you have not yet made your 2016 commitments, please do so. There is no minimum, but true stewardship means we set a level of giving in proportion to our resources and income. Our stewardship level should be an amount that reflects our growing love of God and our appreciation for the blessings and benefits we derive from our Church! THE INREACH COMMITTEE Just as we have an Outreach Committee, we are in the process of creating an Inreach Committee to research a plan for the internal, spiritual growth of our families. THE FIRST MEETING OF THE INREACH COMMITTEE WILL BE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 at 7:00 pm. YOU ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND! SAVE THE DATE! DEC 11 General Assembly TODAY DEC 18 Parish Council Elections DEC 18 Metropolis Open House FEB 12 St. Haralambos 67th Anniversary Celebration BASKETBALL NEWS Congratulations to the Girls Basketball Team on their First Place finish in the Thanksgiving Tournament! We also congratulate the High School boys for finishing in 2nd place! WELCOME to all our friends, parishioners and visitors! We are happy that you have come to worship with us, and hope that you have had a prayerful and uplifting experience. We invite you to join the St. Haralambos family for worship, fellowship after church and other activities any time. THE CHRISTMAS FAST HAS BEGUN From November 15 through December 24 is a period of fasting for Orthodox Christians, in preparation for the Great Feast of Christmas. Fasting is a way of self-katharsis, self-discipline and anticipation for this great Holiday, in imitation of Christ who fasted in the desert before he ANNOUNCEMENTS began His public ministry. It is a light Fast (fish is allowed) until December 17. For the final week, a strict fast is prescribed. NOTICE! BIBLE STUDY Our weekly Bible Study group has moved to 7:30 pm on Thursdays! Everyone is welcome to join! Bring your Bible, and plan to study the Gospel of Luke with us! OUR OUTREACH COMMITTEE has placed a donation box in the narthex to raise money to help people in need. We have been able to help many people THROUGH YOUR GENEROSI- TY, and we thank you! COFFEE HOUR Coffee Hour is offered every Sunday by our various church organizations in order to provide fellowship and the opportunity to get to know one another. Everyone is invited to take coffee and a few pastries or pieces of fruit. After enjoying refreshments, we kindly ask that you please pick up and dispose your plates and cups. SWEET AND KIND: Please understand that chewing gum in church is considered to be very discourteous and even vulgar. Your attention to this is greatly appreciated. In consideration of others, please remove lipstick when reverencing the holy icons or receiving Holy Communion. Please be careful when you receive Holy Communion that you do not bump the Holy Chalice and cause it to spill! If your child is distracting to others, do not be embarrassed; they are only children. If they continue to disturb, however, you are requested to take your child to our cry room. It is proper to remain standing while people are receiving Holy Communion. It is a sacred moment for our brothers and sisters; a time we should be praying for one another, rather than relaxing.

Ἀπόστολος καὶ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς Ἡμέρας ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΣ Κολασ. γ 4-11 Ἀδελφοί, ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς φανερωθῇ, ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν, 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 εἰδωλολατρία, δι 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 κατ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν, ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἕλλην καὶ Ιουδαῖος, περιτομὴ καὶ ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος, ἀλλὰ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσι Χριστός. ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ Ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν ιδ 16-24; Ματθαἰον Κδ 14 Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην Ἄνθρωπός τις ἐποίησεν δεῖπνον μέγα, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πολλούς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ τῇ ὥρᾳ τοῦ δείπνου εἰπεῖν τοῖς κεκλημένοις, Ἔρχεσθε, ὅτι ἤδη ἕτοιμά ἐστιν πάντα. Καὶ ἤρξαντο ἀπὸ μιᾶς παραιτεῖσθαι πάντες. Ὁ πρῶτος εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἀγρὸν ἠγόρασα, καὶ ἔχω ἀνάγκην ἐξελθεῖν καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτόν ἐρωτῶ σε, ἔχε με παρῃτημένον. Καὶ ἕτερος εἶπεν, Ζεύγη βοῶν ἠγόρασα πέντε, καὶ πορεύομαι δοκιμάσαι αὐτά ἐρωτῶ σε, ἔχε με παρῃτημένον. Καὶ ἕτερος εἶπεν, Γυναῖκα ἔγημα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ δύναμαι ἐλθεῖν. Καὶ παραγενόμενος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ἀπήγγειλεν τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα. Τότε ὀργισθεὶς ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης εἶπεν τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ, Ἔξελθε ταχέως εἰς τὰς πλατείας καὶ ῥύμας τῆς πόλεως, καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς καὶ ἀναπήρους καὶ χωλοὺς καὶ τυφλοὺς εἰσάγαγε ὧδε. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ δοῦλος, Κύριε, γέγονεν ὡς ἐπέταξας, καὶ ἔτι τόπος ἐστίν. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον, Ἔξελθε εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ φραγμούς, καὶ ἀνάγκασον εἰσελθεῖν, ἵνα γεμισθῇ ὁ οἶκος μου. Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων τῶν κεκλημένων γεύσεταί μου τοῦ δείπνου. Πολλοί γὰρ εἰσιν κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δέ ἐκλεκτοί.

Epistle and Gospel Readings for Today EPISTLE READING 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. GOSPEL READING Luke 14:16-24; Matthew 22:14 The Lord said this parable: "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. For many are called, but few are chosen.'"

UPCOMING YOUTH MINISTRY DATES Please fill out a registration form in the Church Office. Little Angels (Ages 4 and under) Tues, December 6-11:30am 1 pm Family Night (Families & youth in Pre-k 5th grade) Next gathering Mon., December 19 5:30 pm at Classsic Bowl Jr. GOYA (6th 8th grades) Monday, Dec. 12 6:30 pm 8 pm Sr. GOYA (High School) Sat, Dec 17 Caroling and Christmas party 1 pm? Christmas Party hosted by the Anton family COLLEGE CONFERENCE MIDWEST 2016 Who: OCF (ages 18-25) When: Dec: 27-30 Where: St. Iakovos Retreat Center Speaker: Rev. Fr. Panagiotis Boznos Visit OCF.net for more information and to register today! CHURCH BASKETBALL Come support our Church Basketball Teams! Sunday, Dec 11 St. Haralambos @ Holy Apostles /Assumption 2:30 pm Biddy 5th & 6th grade 3:30 pm Grade School 4:30 pm High School Boys ****4:30 pm Girls vs Ss. Peter &Paul at Ss. Peter & Paul (continued from pg 1) The parable of the Talents assures us that the payoff for blessing others with the multiplication of your talents on this earth is to be told well done good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a little, I will put you over much. Who wouldn t want to improve their odds of the gift of much and an eternity of joy with our Lord? God already gave us all our gifts. All we need to do is pay it forward and serve our Church and the world. G.K. Chesterton s offered the paraprosdokian: Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Please take a moment now to reflect on how good a job you are doing being a steward (caretaker) of the gifts God has given you. Examine your last week of 168 hours (10,080 minutes) and ask how many of those hours/minutes did you actually devote to God s work? Which of God s gifts did you cause to multiply in the world this past week? What will you do this coming week to share your extraordinary talents for God s greater glory and your salvation? I believe that your stewardship is what you do with all the gifts God gave you. So what does your salvation account ledger look like? I do not wish to make you as paranoid as author Tom Clancy, who once said: I know I m paranoid, but am I paranoid enough? Instead, I ask you to reflect on Mother Teresa s advice: If you can t feed a hundred people, then just feed one. Or consider the advice of Pablo Picasso and President Franklin Roosevelt who respectively offered: Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. Do something to live your stewardship calling today! And God bless you as you pursue your own unique stewardship calling. Stay on The Path and enjoy the journey. (SOTPAETJ) By Bill Marianes

Ανακοινώσεις STEWARDSHIP 2016 Εχετε ακόμα γίνει Steward δια το 2016; Πέρασαν κιόλας οι πρώτοι ενδέκα μήνες του έτους, και έρχεται ο καιρός να προγραμματίζουμε τον προϋπολογισμό μας δια το 2017! Η συμμετοχή σας στο Stewardship παίζει σπουδαίο ρόλο, καθόσον από αυτό εξαρτάται η επιτυχής ύπαρξη της εκκλησίας μας. Είναι η μεγαλύτερη πηγή εισοδήματος δια την οικονομική μας υποστήριξη! Καλό Stewardship σημαίνει αναλογική προσφορά, δηλαδή προσφορά ανάλογα με τα εισοδήματά μας. Γνωρίζετε ότι το Big Greek Food Fest απλώς μας έβγαλε από το «κόκκινο;» Παρότι υπάρχει κόσμος που πιστεύει ότι η εκκλησία μας έχει πληθώρα χρημάτων, αγωνιζόμεθα και με μεγάλη προσπάθεια καταφέρνουμε να ανταπαξέλθουμε στις υποχρεώσεις μας. Αυτό εξηγεί γιατί το Stewardship μας έχει τόσο πολλή σημασία κάθε χρόνο! Είμεθα ευγνώμονες που υποστηρίζετε την εκκλησία μας και τις ιερατικές λειτουργίες της και εκτιμάμε όλως ιδιαιτέρως τους stewards που αύξησαν το επίπεδο προσφοράς των την χρονιά αυτή. ΠΟΙΟΙ ΔΥΝΑΝΤΑΙ ΝΑ ΛΑΒΟΥΝ ΘΕΙΑΝ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΝ - Όταν λαμβάνομεν Θείαν Κοινωνίαν η οποιοδήποτε από τα άλλα Μυστήρια εκφράζομεν την αποδοχήν μας εις τα δογματικά και ηθικά διδάγματα της Ορθοδόξου μας Εκκλησίας. Διά τούτο, μόνον Ορθόδοξοι Χριστιανοί οι οποίοι είναι εντάξει απέναντι της Εκκλησίας δύνανται να λάβουν μέρος εις τα Μυστήρια, όπως Θεία Κοινωνία και Ευχέλαιο, και δεν πρέπει να λαμβάνουμε μέρος σε Μυστήρια σε μη Ορθόδοξες εκκλησίες. Διά οποιεσδήποτε απορίες σας, παρακαλούμε να συζητήσετε με τον ιερέα σας. ΠΟΤΕ ΝΑ ΓΟΝΑΤΙΖΟΥΜΕ, ΝΑ ΣΤΕΚΟΜΑΣΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΝΑ ΚΑΘΟΜΑΣΤΕ Από τα πρώτα χρόνια, η Εκκλησία μας δίδαξε ότι η αρμόζουσα θέση για να προσευχόμεθα είναι να στεκόμεθα όρθιοι. (Μέχρι πρόσφατα, οι περισσότερες Ορθόδοξες εκκλησίες δεν είχαν καθόλου καθίσματα δια τους πιστούς! Tα καθίσματα υπήρχαν μόνον κατά μήκος των τοίχων δια τους ηλικιωμένους.) Ως έκφραση δέους και σεβασμού, υπάρχουν φορές που είθισται όμως να γονατίζουμε στην εκκλησία, ιδιαιτέρως κατά την ώρα της Επικλήσεως, όταν ο ιερός άρτος και οίνος μεταβάλλονται εις το τίμιο Σώμα και Αίμα του Χρηστού μας. Κατά την Επίκλησιν (Σε Υμνοῦμεν), στις καθημερινές λειτουργίες, αναμένεται να γονατίζουν όλοι οι πιστοί. Κάθε Κυριακή όμως, μερικοί διαλέγουν να γονατίζουν και άλλοι παραμένουν όρθιοι. Αυτοί που για διάφορες αιτίες δεν δύνανται να γονατίσουν, παρακαλούνται να παραμένουν όρθιοι εις ένδειξιν σεβασμού. Εκτός για λόγους υγείας, δεν είναι αρμόζον να κάθεται κανείς την ώρα της Επικλήσεως Mon, Dec 12 Tues. Dec 13 Thur, Dec 15 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES AND EVENTS THIS WEEK: Orthros and Liturgy (St Spyridon).. 8:30 am Little Angels 11:30 am Parish Council Meeting. 7:30 pm Orthros and Liturgy (St Eleftherios).. 8:30 am Bible Study. 7:30 pm Fri, Dec 16 Afternoon Greek School. 4:30 pm Sat, Dec 17 Saturday Greek School. 9:00 am Parish Council candidates seminar... 10:00 am Σας παρακαλούμε όπως κρατάτε κλειστά τα κινητά σας τηλέφωνα.

TODAY S ECCLESIASTICAL CALENDAR Sunday, December 11, 2016 11th Sunday of Luke - Κυριακὴ ΙA Λουκᾶ Sunday of the the Holy Forefathers. The Emperor St Nikiforos Fokas Τῶν Αγίων Προπατόρων. Tοῦ Ἁγίου, ἐνδόξου Βασιλέως Νικηφόρου, τοῦ Φωκᾶ ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙA ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ DISMISSAL HYMNS OF THE DAY Apolytikion of the Fourth Plagal Tone Ἐξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν καταδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃς τῶν παθῶν ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι. From on high You descended, O Compassionate One; the grave You endured for three days, that you might free us from passions. Our Life and Resurrection, O Lord, glory to You. Apolytikion of the Holy Forefathers Ἐν πίστει τοὺς Προπάτορας ἐδικαίωσας, τὴν ἐξ Ἐθνῶν δι' αὐτῶν προμνηστευσάμενος Ἐκκλησίαν. Καυχῶνται ἐν δόξῃ οἱ Ἅγιοι, ὄι ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτῶν, ὑπάρχει καρπός εὐκλεής, ἡ ἀσπόρως τεκοῦσά σε. Ταῖς αὐτῶν ἱκεσίαις, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, σῶσον τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν. Apolytikion of the Holy Taxiarchs 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. Supreme Commanders of the heavenly armies, we the unworthy implore you, that by your supplications you encircle us under the cover of the wings of your ineffable glory; guarding us who bow down with fervor crying: Deliver us from dangers, as Leaders of the Powers above. Apolytikion of St. Haralambos Ὡς στῦλος ἀκλόνητος, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Χριστοῦ, καὶ λύχνος ἀείφωτος τῆς οἰκουμένης σοφέ, ἐδείχθης Χαράλαμπες, ἔλαμψας ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, διὰ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ἔλυσας τῶν εἰδώλων, τὴν σκοτόμαιναν μάκαρ, διὸ ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ Χριστῷ, πρέσβευε σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς. As a pillar unshakable of the Church of Christ, and an ever-radiant lamp to the universe, were you, O wise Haralambos; you illumined the world through martyrdom; you dispelled the moonless night of the idols, o blessed one. Therefore with boldness before Christ, intercede that we may be saved. ΚΟΝΤΑΚΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ KONTAKION OF THE DAY Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον, τὸν προαιώνιον Λόγον, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ ἔρχεται, ἀποτεκεῖν ἀποῤῥήτως. Χόρευε ἡ οἰκουμένη ἀκουτισθεῖσα, δόξασον μετὰ Ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν Ποιμένων, βουληθέντα ἐποφθῆναι, Παιδίον νέον, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων Θεόν. The Virgin on this day / comes to the cave to give birth / ineffably to God the Word, / Who is before all ages. / Dance for joy, O world, on hearing the gladsome tidings; / glorify, with the Angels and the shepherds, / Him Who is willing to be gazed upon / as a young Child, Who / before all time is God.