SS.

kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529 http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org

frmark@rochesterorthodoxchurch.org Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz, Proistamenos

/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY , , , , , , , . Let us worship the Word, O you faithful, praising Him that with the Father and the Spirit is co-beginningless God, Who was born of a pure Virgin that we all be saved; for He was pleased to ascend the cross in the flesh that He assumed, accepting thus to endure death. And by His glorious rising, He also willed to resurrect the dead. , , , , , , . , , . Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful. /KONTAKION FOR TODAY , , , , , , . , , , , . O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant: despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid who in faith cry unto you: Hasten to intercede, and speed to make supplication, you who ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor you.

6th Sunday of St. Matthew

7 Holy Youths of Ephesus

August 4th, 2013

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 12:6-14 Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 1. Psalm 11.7,1 You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us. Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed. BRETHREN, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Gospel pericope

Matthew 9:1-8 At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say 'Rise and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" he then said to the paralytic -- "Rise, take up your bed and go home." And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
Mon.-Fri. Aug 5th-9th: VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL 9am-12noon Mon. Aug. 5th: Great Vespers for Feast of the Transfiguration, 6pm Tues. Aug. 6th: Feast of the Transfiguration, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am Wed. Aug. 7th: Paraklesis Service, 6pm Thurs. Aug. 8th: Paraklesis Service, 6pm Fri. Aug. 9th: Paraklesis Service, 6pm

Greek Fest 13:

is quickly approaching! Our festival has grown over the years which translates into more work and more workers needed. Subcommittee leads will be contacting parishioners to solicit their assistance. Please consider your availability for working shifts on the weekend of Aug. 23rd-25th, theres a signup sheet in the Narthex. Thank you to all who are anticipating lending a hand this year!
HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians (i.e. the Orthodox Church
does not observe open communion) in good standing are encouraged to receive Holy Communion frequently, provided they have prepared themselves spiritually, mentally and physically. They must be on time for the Divine Liturgy, and be in a Christ-like, humble state of mind. They should be in a confession relationship with their priest or spiritual father, have observed the fasts of the Church, and they should have self-examined their conscience. On the day of receiving Holy Communion, it is not proper to eat or drink anything before coming to church. When you approach to receive Holy Communion, state your Christian (baptismal) name clearly, and hold the red communion cloth to your chin. After receiving, wipe your lips on the cloth, step back carefully, hand the cloth to the next person and make the sign of the Cross as you step away. Please do not be in a rush while communing! Please take special care not to bump the Holy Chalice.

Pearls from the desert

A brother monk, who had sinned, was turned out of the church by the priest. Abba Bessarion got up and went out with him, saying, "I, too, am a sinner." Abba Isidore said, "If you fast regularly, do not be inflated with pride, but if you think highly of yourself because of it, then you had better eat meat. It is better for a man to eat meat than to be inflated with pride and to glorify himself."

Todays liturgical commemorations

7 Holy Youths of Ephesus: The Seven Youths hid themselves in a certain cave near Ephesus in the year 250, to escape the persecution of Decius. By divine grace, a sleep came upon them and they slept for 184 years, until the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger, when the doctrine of the resurrection was being assailed by heretics. They then awoke, that is, were resurrected, confirming in the sight of all the bodily resurrection; and again after a short time, by divine command, they reposed in the Lord in the year 434.

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STEWARDSHIP CORNER
This is just how Jesus Christ speaks of suffering in His famous Parable of the Vine in John 15. I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, so that it will be more fruitful. Maybe this passage resonates with you as you work on your garden: trimming down raspberry canes and pinching back tomato plants. If plants have feelings, then pruning must hurt! But pruning makes the plant put its energy into bearing fruit. In the end, it is the pruned plant which accomplishes the gardeners plans. We as Orthodox Christians are branches on the grapevine that is Jesus Christ. Which branches have it the easiest? The ones that bear lots of grapes? Or the ones that just do their own thing, soaking up sun and rain, but yielding only leaves? Jesus tells us that pruningthe painful, repeated, unwelcome pruninghappens to the good branches, to the best branches. These get the knife so that they bring forth all the more fruit for the joy of the vineyards Master. The lazy, unfruitful branches? They get lopped off, cast into brush pile, and burned. Why do bad things happen to nice Christian people? Sometimes it is so that through a reassessment of their values, their purpose their very selves they can become even more fruitful for God. Werent they fruitful already? Yes, but the Heavenly Horticulturist see s in them the potential for even greater fruitfulness. So it was for the prophet Job in ancient times, and so may it be for us today. What kind of fruit is God looking for in the well-pruned soul? Saint Paul tells us (Galatians 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Its a paradox, really. It is in undergoing evil, hateful things that some people grow to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, forgiving, and so on. Others, of course, respond to suffering by growing more bitter, spiteful, and mean. What makes the difference? Jesus ChristHis life, His teachings, His Church. Grafted into Him, we learn to respond constructively to suffering. And so one more fruit of a well-pruned soul is gratitude towards God, leading to thoughtful, proportionate, meaningful gifts to the Church gifts that reflect our transformed sense of values. We call this stewardship, and in a world of givers and takers, it is the ones who suffer most who tend to be the most grateful and generous givers.