The Messenger Weekly Worship Guide of The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, Atlanta Georgia Sunday, January 18th, 2015 – Κυριακή, 18η Ἰαν ουαρίου 2015 12th Sunday of Luke - Κυριακή ΙΒ΄ Λουκᾶ Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria, the Holy Martyrs Theodouli, Elladios, Comendaresios, Evagrios, Makarios and Xeni, St. Makarios the Ascetic of Cyprus “By the intercessions of Your Holy Saints, O Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us. Amen!” 40 Day Baby Blessing Baby Girl of Christopher & Kristen Snell Today’s Memorials Found on Page 164 of Divine Liturgy Book 40 Day Memorial for Georgia Vorvolakos 6 Month Memorial for Johnny (Ιωάννης) Christou 1 Year Memorial Gus (Κωνσταντίνος) Caras 3 Year Memorial for Stylianos Hondros 4 Year Memorial for Sophia Kanes 5 Year Memorial Nicholas Kakunes 20 Year Memorial for Kyriakoula (Κυριακή) Vorvolakos 33 Year Memorial for James (Δημήτριος) Strepelis 34 Year Memorial for Irene Pefines 40 Year Memorial for Nikolaos Vorvolakos Next Sunday’s Memorials 1 Year Memorial for Nickolaos Olympiadis 3 Year Memorial for Manoli (Emmanuel) Vastakis We are blessed to have Metropolitan Alexios, our Spiritual Father, serving the Divine Liturgy today! Today’s Coffee Hour is Offered in Loving Memory of Stylianos Hondros by his Family St. Athanasios the Great Saint Athanasios the Great was born in Alexandria about the year 296. He received an excellent training in Greek letters and especially in the sacred Scriptures, of which he shows an exceptional knowledge in his writings. Even as a young man he had a remarkable depth of theological understanding; he was only about twenty years old when he wrote his treatise "On the Incarnation." Saint Alexander, the Archbishop of Alexandria, brought him up in piety, ordained him his deacon, and took Athanasios to the First Council in Nicaea in 325. This council had been called to confront the heresy of Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria who was teaching that the Second person of the Holy Trinity, the Word of God is not begotten but created by God. Saint Athanasios was to spend the remainder of his life laboring in defense of this Holy Council. In 326, before his death, Alexander appointed Athanasios his successor. Although the Council in Nicaea condemned the blasphemies of Arius, his heresy kept spreading out. Things became worse when the Emperor Constantine the Great died and the imperial power fell into the hands of his incapable heirs, who tried to impose the Arianic heresy to the Orthodox Church. For thirty years, until 366, St. Athanasios was exiled five times, away from his flock in Alexandria. St. Athanasios passed the remaining seven years of his life in peace. Of his fifty-seven years as Patriarch, he had spent some seventeen in exile. Besides all of his other achievements, Saint Athanasios wrote the life of Saint Anthony the Great, with whom he spent time in his youth; ordained Saint Frumentius first Bishop of Ethiopia; and in his Paschal Encyclical for the year 367 set forth the books of the Old and New Testaments accepted by the Church as canonical. Saint Gregory the Theologian, in the beginning of his Oration On the Great A thanasios, says: “ By giving praise to Athanasios I give praise to virtue.” Order of Hymns following the Small Entrance Apolytikion Ἀναστάσιμον Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἦχος βαρὺς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας· ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Resurrectional Apolytikion Mode Grave By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You abolished death. To the robber You opened Paradise. The lamentation of the myrrhbearing women You transformed, and You gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to all that You had risen, O Christ our God, and granted the world Your great mercy. Ἀπολυτίκιον τῆς ἙορτῆςἮχος γ' Ἔργοις λάμψαντες Ὀρθοδοξίας, πᾶσαν σβέσαντες κακοδοξίαν, νικηταὶ τροπαιοφόροι γεγόνατε· τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ τὰ πάντα πλουτίσαντες, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλως κοσμήσαντες, ἀξίως εὕρατε Χριστὸν τὸν Θεὸν εὐχαῖς ὑμῶν, δωρούμενον πᾶσι τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Ἀπολυτίκιον τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀλεξίου Ἦχος δ' Ἐκ ῥίζης ἐβλάστησας, περιφανοῦς καὶ κλεινῆς, ἐκ πόλεως ἤνθησας, βασιλικῆς καὶ λαμπρᾶς, Ἀλέξιε πάνσοφε, πάντων δ' ὑπερφρονήσας, ὡς φθαρτῶν καὶ ῥεόντων, ἔσπευσας συναφθῆναι, τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ Δεσπότῃ. Αὐτὸν οὖν ἐκδυσώπει ἀεί, ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Apolytikion of the Feast Mode 3 Having shone with deeds of Orthodoxy * and extinguished all impious doctrines, * you have rightly won the trophies and victory. * Since you enriched all the world with correct belief, * greatly adorning the Church with your words and deeds, * you therefore have worthily found Christ God, * who by your prayers grants to all the great mercy. Apolytikion for St. Alexios Mode 4 Though you did bud forth from a renowned and notable root, * and though you did blossom forma city famed for her great imperial dignity, * yet did you scorn all things as corruptible and fleeting, * striving to be joined to Christ Your Mater forever. * Entreat Him, O Alexios most wise, fervently for our souls. Κοντάκιον τῶν Κεκοιμημένων Ἦχος πλ. δ' Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῶν δούλων σου καὶ ὅσα ἐν βίῳ ἥμαρτον συγχώρησον·οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναμάρτητος, εἰ μὴ σὺ ὁ δυνάμενος καὶ τοῖς μεταστασι δοῦναι τήν ἀνάπαυσιν. Kontakion for the Departed Mode pl. 4 Remember, Lord, your servants; for you are good. Forgive them all within they have erred in this life; for there is none without sins except for you, who are able to grant rest to the departed. Ἀπολυτίκιον τοῦ Ναοῦ Ἦχος δ' Σήμερον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τὸ Κεφάλαιον, καὶ τοῦ ἀπ' αἰῶνος Μυστηρίου ἡ φανέρωσις, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου γίνεται, καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὴν χάριν εὐαγγελίζεται. Διὸ καὶ ἡμεὶς σὺν αὐτῷ τῇ Θεοτόκῳ βοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Apolytikion of the Church Mode 4 Today is the beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the mystery which was hidden from eternity. The Son of God becomes the Virgin’s Son, and Gabriel announces the grace of this Good News. Let us also join with him, calling to the Theotokos: Rejoice, O Woman full of grace; the Lord is with you. Κοντάκιον Ἦχος α' 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. Kontakion Mode 1 You who did sanctify the Virgin’s womb by Your birth, and did bless Symeon’s hands as was meet, by anticipation have even now saved us, O Christ God. But grant peace in the midst of wars unto Your commonwealth and strengthen the hierarchs whom You have loved, O only Friend of man. Divine Liturgy continues on page 8 of the Divine Liturgy book 12th Sunday of Luke Κυριακή ΙΒ΄Λουκᾶ TODAY’S EPISTLE READING : St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews 13:7-16 EPISTLE READER: Athanasios Grivakis PROKEIMENON: Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers. VERSE: For you are just in all you have done. B rethren, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. A TODAY’S GOSPEL READING: LUKE 17:12-19 t 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' 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." “Take up and read, take up and read.” St. Augustine, Confessions X II Divine Liturgy continues on page 12 of the Divine Liturgy book ACOLYTES METROPOLITAN GROUP Michael Alexander Pete Constantinides Platon Constantinides James Cook Jacob Gassert Evangelos Katsoudas Vangeli Katsoudas Robby Keenan Frank Kostopoulos James Kostopoulos Nick Lambros HANDMAIDENS METROPOLITAN GROUP George Missailidis Nick Nasoulis Charles Nastopoulos Nikolaos Odenwelder Dean Pappas Nicholas Pappas Andreas Redd Niko Skiouris Parris Skiouris Jerod Spetseris Eleni Demos Kysia Katsoudas Elizabeth Keenan Christiana Manos Callie McBride Ariana Nasoulis Andee Poulos Kassi Vastakis Yeoryia Vastakis The following Parish Council members will be on duty today during the Divine Liturgy: Stacie Nefos George Koulouris Tom McBride III George Karolis Charlie Burland Dimitri Shreckengost GUIDELINES FOR RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION Holy Communion is offered in the Orthodox Church only to those individuals baptized and chrismated (confirmed) in the Orthodox Faith. To participate in Holy Communion one must be in good standing with the Church spiritually (for example, married people must have had their marriage blessed in the Church; and all must be without grave sin on their hearts). For all Orthodox Christians, the proper preparation for Holy Communion must be observed: that is, examination of conscience, confession, reading the prayers for Holy Communion, and the proper fasting. If you have any further questions about this, please speak with the clergy. Women should remove all lipstick when approaching for Holy Communion. Please let parents with their babies and the elderly approach first. Thank you. WELCOME EVERYONE! Welcome everyone! We extend a warm welcome to our visitors worshiping with us today in our Cathedral. You are invited to join us for the Fellowship Hour at the end of the Divine Liturgy in Carlos Hall next to the Church. Thank you for your visit! Please stop by our Newcomers table and sign the register in the Narthex. “Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness and hope in the Lord. Many are saying, ‘Who will show us good things?’ The light of your face was made a sign upon us, O Lord!” Psalm 4:5-6 Rev. Fr. Paul A. Kaplanis, Dean Rev. Fr. Christos P. Mars, Presbyter Elias Lampropoulos, Pastoral Assistant 2500 Clairmont Road N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30329 404-633-5870 www.atlgoc.org