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 Muñoz, Proistamenos
ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
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.

Thou didst abolish death by Thy Cross; Thou didst open Paradise
to the thief; Thou didst transform the myrrh-bearers'
lamentation, and didst bid Thine Apostles to preach that Thou
art risen, O Christ God, granting great mercy to the world.

Χριστῷ τῷ δι' ἡμᾶς, ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθέντι, Σεμνὴ Μαγδαληνή,

ἠκολούθεις Μαρία, αὐτοῦ τὰ δικαιώματα, καὶ τοὺς νόμους
φυλάττουσα· ὅθεν σήμερον, τὴν παναγίαν σου μνήμην,
ἑορτάζοντες, ἀνευφημοῦμέν σε πίστει, καὶ πόθῳ γεραίρομεν.

When Christ God had been born for our sakes from the Virgin,
thou faithfully didst follow him, keeping His statutes and heeding His sacred laws, O august
Mary Magdalene. Hence, as we today observe thy holy remembrance, we receive the loosing of
our sins and transgressions through thy holy prayers for us.
ΚΟΝΤΑΚΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΑΣ/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

Προστασία τών Χριστιανών ακαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία πρός τόν Ποιητήν αμετάθετε, Μή παρίδης
αμαρτωλών δεήσεων φωνάς, αλλά πρόφθασον, ώς αγαθή, εις τήν βοήθειαν ημών, τών πιστώς
κραυγαζόντων σοι. Τάχυνον εις πρεσβείαν, καί σπεύσον εις ικεσίαν, η προστατεύουσα αεί, Θεοτόκε,
τών τιμώντων σε.
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.

8th Sunday of matthew

Mary Magdalene, the Holy Myrrh-bearer and Equal to the Apostles, Markella, the Virgin-martyr of Chios
July 22nd, 2018
 Today’s scripture readings
Epistle reading
St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 1:10-17
Prokeimenon. Grave Mode.
Psalm 28.11,1
The Lord will give strength to his people.
Verse: Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.

BRETHREN, I appeal to you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be
no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has
been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is
that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong
to Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I
thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispos and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were
baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether
I baptized any one else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with
eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Gospel pericope
Matthew 14:14-22

At that time, Jesus saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is
now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus
said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have
only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the
crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to
heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the crowds. And they all ate and were
satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate
were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Then he made the disciples get
into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
 Announcements
Thurs. July 26th: St. Paraskevi the Great Martyr, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Today’s Memorial Services: Mr. & Mrs. Panagiotis (2yrs) and Anastasia (3yrs) Economou

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION—Only Orthodox Christians 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.

Greek Fest Announcements: Greek Fest is just around the corner! If you would like to volunteer an email link will
sent out to the parish list very shortly, or speak to Calli, Johnny, or Ari. Johnny has a list of items that are still needed
for the festival. If you would like to donate money for one of these items please let Johnny know. The donation IS
tax deductible. Also help by telling your friends about Greek Fest: the best advertising is word of mouth! We need
to invite all our friends, coworkers, relatives, etc. Spread the word! We have a lot to showcase and share with our
local community this year, it’s a huge opportunity for outreach!

ETIQUETTE REMINDER: The summer months are now upon us and that means enjoying warm weather and
“fun in the sun”. While shorts, capris, flip-flops, tank tops, ‘spaghetti’ straps, etc. are practical and acceptable at
the pool or the lake front they are not appropriate attire inside the Divine Services of the Church. At every
Eucharistic celebration we are spiritually and physically brought in the awesome presence of Jesus Christ Himself,
and when we commune He comes to dwell within us in a miraculous way. Therefore the sanctity, solemnity, and
dignity of the Divine Liturgy must be preserved for the wellbeing of all.

Pearls from the Desert

“God ‘tested Abraham’ (cf. Gen. 22:1-14), that is, God afflicted him for his
own benefit, not in order to learn what kind of man Abraham was – for He
knew him, since He knows all things before they come into existence – but in
order to provide him with opportunities for showing perfect faith”.-St. Mark
the Ascetic
 Today’s liturgical commemorations
1. SAINT MARY MAGDALENE

Mary Magdalene was one of the myrrh-bearing women and "equal to the apostles". She was born in the town of
Magdala along the shore of Lake Gennesaret and was from the tribe of Issachar. She was tormented by seven evil
spirits from which the Lord Jesus freed her and made her whole. She was a faithful follower and servant of the Lord
during His earthly life. Mary Magdalene stood beneath the Cross on Golgotha and grieved bitterly and mourned
with the All-Holy Birth-giver of God. After the death of the Lord she visited His sepulcher three times. When the
Lord resurrected she saw Him on two occasions: once alone and the other time with the other myrrh-bearing women.
She traveled to Rome and appeared before Tiberias Caesar and presenting him with a red colored egg, greeted him
with the words: "Christ is Risen!" At the same time, she accused Pilate before Caesar for his unjust condemnation of
the Lord Jesus. Caesar accepted her accusation and transferred Pilate from Jerusalem to Gaul where, this unjust
judge, in disfavor with the emperor, died of a dread disease. After that, Mary Magdalene returned from Rome to
Ephesus to St. John the Theologian whom she assisted in the work of preaching the Gospel. With great love toward
the resurrected Lord, and with great zeal, she proclaimed the Holy Gospel to the world as a true apostle of Christ.
She died peacefully in Ephesus and, according to tradition, was buried in the same cave in which seven youths were
miraculously put to sleep for hundreds of years and, after that, were brought to life and then died (August 4). The
relics of St. Mary Magdalene were later transferred to Constantinople. There is a Russian Orthodox convent
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene near the Garden of Gethsemane.

2. THE PRIESTLY-MARTYR PHOCAS

On this day we commemorate the translation of the relics of St. Phocas from Pontus to Constantinople about the
year 404 A.D. The primary feast of this saint is celebrated on September 22 and on that day a brief hagiography of
his life and his sufferings is recorded. Today, one miracle of this saint is commemorated. The Arabs captured a man
named Pontinus. The Arabs shackled him, bound his hands to his back and left him to die. Lying on his stomach on
the ground, and not being able to move, Pontinus cried out: "O Holy Martyr Phocas have mercy on me and save
me!" Saying this he fell asleep and, in a dream, saw Saint Phocas approaching him, touched him by the hand and
said: "The Lord Jesus Christ forgives you!" When the man awoke, he found himself loosed from all bonds and free.
He arose and departed for his home and took St. Phocas as the patron saint of his household.

3. THE HOLY-FEMALE MARTYR MARCELLA

Saint Marcella enjoys enormous respect on the island of Chios. In the church dedicated to her miracles occur every
year. Not much is known about her life. However, according to tradition, Marcella was an unusually pious girl who,
at an early age, was left motherless. Her pagan and bestial father wanted to live with his daughter as with a wife.
Marcella fled from her father but he, enraged as a wild beast, caught up with her and hacked her to pieces. In the
proximity of her church there are certain stones which, from time to time, become permeated with blood. People
take these stones, bring them to church, pray to St. Marcella and place them on the sick who, from that, become
healed.