SS.

kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

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

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

/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
,
, ,
.
,
, , .
When the stone had been sealed by the Judeans and the soldiers were
guarding Thine immaculate Body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O
Saviour, granting life unto the world. Wherefore, the powers of the Heavens
cried out to Thee, O Lifegiver: Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ. Glory
to Thy Kingdom. Glory to Thy dispensation, O only Friend of man.
,
, ,
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O Christ our God, begging forgiveness of our sins, we venerate Your Pure Icon, O Good One. Of your own
will you condescended to ascend upon the Cross in the flesh and deliver those You created from the
bondage of the enemy. Wherefore, thankfully, we cry out, "When You came to save the world, Your filled
all things with joy, O Our Savior.
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY
Ti ypermacho stratigo ta nikitiria, os lytrotheisa ton deinon efharistia, anagrafo si e polis sou Theotoke,
allos ehousa to kratos aprosmahiton, ek pantinon me kyndinon eletheroson, ina krazo si, Here nymfi
anymfefte.
O Champion Leader, we your faithful inscribe to you the prize of victory as gratitude for being rescued
from calamity, O Theotokos. But since you have invincible power, free us from all kinds of perils so that
we may cry out to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.

Sunday of orthodoxy

Fathers martyred at st. Sabbas Monastery, St. Cuthbert the Wonderworker of Britain

March 20th, 2016

+Fast: Wine/Oil Allowed+

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40

Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Daniel 3.26,27
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.
Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David
and Samuel and the prophets -- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won
strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight. Women received their
dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better
life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they
were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats,
destitute, afflicted, ill-treated -- of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not
receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they
should not be made perfect.
Gospel pericope

John 1:43-51
At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he
said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of
him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you
know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I
saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You
shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see
heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
TODAY: St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival after Divine Liturgy in Church Hall
Mon. Mar. 21st: Great Compline, 6pm
Wed. Mar. 23rd: Pre-sanctified Liturgy, 6pm
Thurs. Mar. 24th: Great Vespers Feast of the Annunciation, 6pm
Fri. Mar. 25th: Feast of the Annunciation, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am
Fri. Mar. 25th, Great Vespers with the 2nd SALUTATIONS to the Holy Theotokos, 6pm
Todays Memorial Service:

Mrs. Helen Santrizos- 1yr

Mrs. Maria Dallas- 12 yrs

Sunday of Orthodoxy: There will be no catechetical classes to allow the children to participate in the
procession with the holy icons.
Holy Week Liturgical Books: We have ordered several copies of the official Holy Week Book endorsed
by our Metropolis. This comprehensive book, compiled by Fr. Pappadeas, will be used exclusively for all
the liturgical celebrations from Palm Sunday evening through the Agapi Vespers on Pascha. Each book is
$25, and should be available soon.
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.

Wisdom from the Fathers

The Church, through the temple and Divine service, acts upon the entire man, educates him wholly; acts upon his sight, hearing, smelling, feeling, taste, imagination,
mind, and will, by the splendour of the icons and of the whole temple, by the ringing of bells, by the singing of the choir, by the fragrance of he incense, the kissing of
the Gospel, of the cross and the holy icons, by the prosphoras, the singing, and sweet sound of the readings of the Scriptures. -St. John of Kronstadt

2016 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical

Festival
This year our Parish Oratorical Festival will take place during
coffee hour TODAY. All children are asked to participate in this
event; registration forms are available from Amy Franquiera.
The categories include speech, essay, poem, and iconography.
Although all categories are welcome this year we are
emphasizing speeches. Parents and/or Catechetical Teachers
can assist children with their projects. There are several
different themes for each division.
Divisions include
th
Elementary (preschool-6 grade), Junior (7th-9th grades), and
Senior (10th-12th grades).
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Channel One Food Drive

This Lenten season were partnering with
Channel One to help alleviate hunger locally.
Please drop off your non-perishable food items
in the large blue bin in the circulation area
leading into the fellowship hall. We will be accepting donations throughout
Great Lent.
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Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the Narthex for

collections of monetary donations towards the Pascha
flowers on Sundays from March 20th until April 24thDonations can also be made at any time to the Church
during Lent, please mark Pascha flowers with your check
or donation. Thank you! If anyone would like to assist in
this years planning please contact Presbytera Michelle!

ICONS: Q and A
Do Orthodox Christians pray to Icons?
Christians pray in the presence of Icons (just as Israelites
prayed in the presence of Icons in the Temple), but we do
not pray to the image.
Do Orthodox Christians Worship Icons?
What's the
difference between "worship" and "veneration"?
Orthodox Christians do not worship Icons in the sense that
the word "worship" is commonly used in modern English.
In older translations one finds the word "worship" used to
translate the Greek word proskyneo (literally, "to bow"). Nevertheless, one must understand that the
older use of "worship" in English was much broader than it is generally used today, and was often
used to refer simply to the act of honoring, venerating, or reverencing. For example, in the old Book
of Common Prayer, one of the wedding vows was "with my body I thee worship," but this was never
intended to imply that the bride would worship her husband in the sense in which "worship" is
commonly used now. Orthodox Christians do venerate Icons, which is to say, we pay respect to
them because they are holy objects, and because we reverence what the Icons depict. We do not
worship Icons any more than Americans worship the American flag. Saluting the flag is not exactly
the same type of veneration as we pay to Icons, but it is indeed a type of veneration. And just as we
do not venerate wood and paint, but rather the persons depicted in the Icon, patriotic Americans do
not venerate cloth and dye, but rather the country which the flag represents.
Doesn't the 2nd Commandment forbid Icons?
The issue with respect to the 2nd commandment is what does the word translated "graven images" mean? If it
simply means carved images, then the images in the temple would be in violation of this Commandment. Our
best guide, however, to what Hebrew words mean, is what they meant to Hebrewsand when the Hebrews
translated the Bible into Greek, they translated this word simply as "eidoloi", i.e. "idols." Furthermore the
Hebrew word pesel is never used in reference to any of the images in the temple. So clearly the reference here
is to pagan images rather than images in general. Let's look at the Scriptural passage in question more closely:
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (i.e. idol), or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor shalt thou serve (worship) them..." (Exodus 20:4-5a). Now, if we take this as a reference to images
of any kind, then clearly the cherubim in the Temple violate this command. If we limit this as applying only to
idols, no contradiction exists. Furthermore, if this applies to all imagesthen even the picture on a driver's
license violates it, and is an idol. So either every Protestant with a driver's license is an idolater, or Icons are
not idols. Leaving aside, for the moment, the meaning of "graven images" lets simply look at what this text
actually says about them. You shall not make x, you shall not bow to x, you shall not worship x. If x =
image, then the Temple itself violates this Commandment. If x = idol and not all images, then this verse
contradicts neither the Icons in the Temple, nor Orthodox Icons.

Todays liturgical commemorations

1. THE VENERABLE MARTYRS, JOHN AND
OTHERS
FROM
THE
MONASTIC
BROTHERHOOD OF SAINT SABAS THE
SANCTIFIED NEAR JERUSALEM
This glorious monastery, which still exists today, was
visited by our own Serbian St. Sava and endowed by
several Serbian rulers. Many times it was attacked by
brutal Arabs, pillaged and laid waste. But, by the
Divine Providence of God, it was always restored and
is preserved until today. During the reign of
Constantine and Irene, it was attacked and pillaged by
the Arabs. The monks did not want to flee but, counseling with their abbot Thomas, they said, "We have
fled from the world into this wilderness for the sake of our love for Christ and it would be shameful if we
fled from the wilderness out of fear of men. If we are slain here, we will be slain because of our love for
Christ for Whose cause we came to live here." Having decided, they awaited the armed Arabs, unarmed
as lambs before wolves. Some of the monks the Arabs killed with arrows and some they sealed off in the
cave of St. Sabas. They lighted a fire at the entrance of the cave and all were suffocated by the smoke.
Thus many of them died as martyrs for the sake of Christ and were translated into the Kingdom of Him
Whom they loved and for Whose love they perished. They suffered honorably prior to the Feast of the
Resurrection in 796 A.D., during the reign of Constantine and Irene and Elijah, the Patriarch of
Jerusalem. A just punishment quickly befell these savage attackers. Returning to their tents, they began to
quarrel among themselves and in mutual combat all were slain. This occurred in the year 796 A.D.
2. THE HOLY MARTYR PHOTINA
This was the Samaritan woman who had the rare fortune to converse with the Lord Christ Himself at the
Well of Jacob, near Sychar (St. John 4:4-31). Believing in the Lord, Photina afterwards went to preach
His Gospel with Victor and Josiah her two sons, and with her five sisters, Anatolia, Phota, Photida,
Parasceve and Cyriaca. They had gone to Carthage in Africa. There they were arrested and taken to Rome
during the reign of Emperor Nero and were thrown into prison. By God's Divine Providence, Domnina,
the daughter of Nero, came into contact with St. Photina and was converted to the Faith of Christ by her.
After imprisonment they all suffered for the sake of Christ. Photina, who for the first time was
enlightened with the light of truth at the well of Sychar, was now thrown into a well where she died and
entered into the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Panagias Icon
One of the most beloved Lenten services is the
Salutations to the Holy Theotokos which are
chanted every Friday night during the Fast.

It is

customary to honor her by decorating her icon with

flowers which is then placed on the solea. Five services
will be chanted with a decorated icon at each service.
The cost for each icon is approximately $100, any
individuals/families who would like to donate to help defray the cost please see Fr. Mark.
Thank you in advance!

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Lenten Potluck every

Wednesday Eve!
Please plan on attending the beautiful
Presanctified Liturgies offered every
Wednesday night during the Fast and the
Lenten Potluck afterwards! Under normal circumstances if one is to
receive Holy Communion at the Presanctified Liturgy (6pm) we fast from
all food & water after lunch, therefore after receiving its important to take a
light meal. Please bring a Lenten dish to share!

Sunday of Orthodoxy
The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt
predominantly with the controversy regarding
icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It
was convened in Nicaea in 787 by Empress
Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of
Constantinople. The Council was attended by
367 bishops. Almost a century before this, the
iconoclastic controversy had once more shaken
the foundations of both Church and State in the
Byzantine empire. Excessive religious respect
and the ascribed miracles to icons by some members of society, approached the point of worship (due
only to God) and idolatry. This instigated excesses at the other extreme by which icons were completely
taken out of the liturgical life of the Church by the Iconoclasts. The Iconophiles, on the other-hand,
believed that icons served to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the Church; they considered icons to be
man's dynamic way of expressing the divine through art and beauty.
The Council decided on a doctrine by which icons should be venerated but not worshipped. In answering
the Empress' invitation to the Council, Pope Hadrian replied with a letter in which he also held the
position of extending veneration to icons but not worship, the last befitting only God. The decree of the
Council for restoring icons to churches added an important clause which still stands at the foundation of
the rationale for using and venerating icons in the Orthodox Church to this very day: "We define that the
holy icons, whether in color, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches
of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and
along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the
Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these
representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love
their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and
honor (timitiki proskynisis), but not of real worship (latreia), which is reserved for Him Who is the
subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature. The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect
transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerated in it the reality for which it stands".
An Endemousa (Regional) Synod was called in Constantinople in 843 under Empress Theodora. The
veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed at the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. The Empress, her son
Michael III, Patriarch Methodios, and monks and clergy came in procession and restored the icons in their
rightful place. The day was called "Triumph of Orthodoxy." Since that time, this event is
commemorated yearly with a special service on the first Sunday of Lent, the "Sunday of Orthodoxy".