Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church

130 North Saint Francis Cabrini Avenue Scranton, PA 18504

Rev. Protodeacon Michael Jolly
Administrator pro tempore
570-213-9344

Reader Michael Simon Parish Office 570-343-6092

E-Mail: scrantonmelkite@yahoo.com Web: http://sites.google.com/site/scrantonmelkite Webmasters: Elizabeth Dessoye, Sal Zaydon

October 9, 2011 Tone 8 and Orthros Gospel 6 Liturgy Schedule: Saturday Vespers 5pm Compline Weds 8:30PM

3nd Sunday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sunday Orthros 9 am Sunday Divine Liturgy 10 am

Liturgy Intentions:
October 9, 2011

Parish Notes:

Emma Betress By Mary Sue and Nancy Betress Frank and Anna Bolus By Karen Murray

Welcome back Father Michael Lenz who serves liturgy today . The new Parish Council will meet today after liturgy. All are invited. Many thanks to all who agreed to stand for election and congratulations to our newly elected Members
Terri Patchoski Charles Simon John Coury James Zaydon

October 16, 2011

Benefactors and Helpers of Bryan Patchoski's Scout project

Todays Cover Icon:

Saint James, son of Alphaeus (, Iakbos in Greek) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is often identified with James the Less and commonly known by that name in church tradition.[2] James, the son of Alphaeus, is rarely mentioned in the New Testament, but he is sometimes identified with James the Just, an important leader in the New Testament church. He is clearly distinguished from James, son of Zebedee, another one of the Twelve Apostles.

The Annual Ladies Society Spaghetti Dinner will held on October 26th. Sign up sheets are in the back of the church if you would like to make a donation. Work has begun on our steeple repair, please pardon our dust!

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

Antiphons:
First Antiphon Through the prayers of the Mother of God Second Antiphon O Son of God, Who are risen from the dead Hymn of incarnation Third Antiphon Tone 2 Tone 2 Tone 4 Tone 8

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Hymns:
Resurrectional Troparion Tone 8 Troparion of the James the Apostle, Son of Alphaeus Tone 3 O Holy Apostle James, intercede with God all-merciful that He may grant us the remission of our sins. Troparion of St. Joseph Tone 2 Kontakion O Never Failing

Zaydon

Prokiemenon

Tone 8 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them: let all round about Him bring gifts to the awesome Lord! Stichon: God is renowned in Judah; in Israel, great is His name. Brethren, you are the temple of the living God, as God says, I will be their God and they shall be My people. (Lv.26: 11.2) Ct. Jer. 31:1) Wherefore, come out from among them, be separated, says the Lord, and touch not an unclean thing; Is. 52: 1, and I will welcome you in, and will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord almighty, (CL Hos. 1:10; Is 43:6) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the body and of the spirit, perfecting sanctity in the fear of God.

Reading from Second the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians 6:16-7:

Alleluia Tone 8
Come; let us rejoice in the Lord! Let us sing joyfully to God our Savior! Stichon: Let us greet His presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to Him.

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

7:11-16

At that time it came to pass that Jesus went to a town called Nain; and several of His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. And as He drew near the gate of the town, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large gathering from the town was with her. And the Lord, seeing her, had compassion on her, and said to her, Do not weep. And He went up and touched the stretcher; and the bearers stood still. And He said, Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he who was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. But fear seized upon all, and they began to glorify God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us. and God has visited His people.

The Widow of Nain

by Peter Sizer

back-breaking farm work, involving long hours in the fields, was definitely a man's job.

In any case, the widow could not have inherited the land. The loss of her only son would have left her The story of the Widow of Nain is one of the most dependent on the charity of more distant relatives powerful of the Gospel stories about Jesus. As he is and neighbours. So she was indeed greatly in need about to enter a city called Nain Jesus meets some of Jesus' compassion. men carrying the corpse of a young man who has I turn now to the second point. This story when just died. He is told that he is the only son of a combined with the two other Gospel stories about widow. Moved by the widow's grief, Jesus raises Jesus raising people from the dead illustrates Jesus' the young man from the dead and restores him to absolute power over death. When he raised Jairus' his mother. The crowd standing round are terrified, daughter she had only just died. She was still on her but give glory to God. death bed. The son of the widow of Nain had been There are three points to make about this story. They are not original, but are taken from a sermon preached many years ago by Father Lev Gillet, probably better known by his pseudonym "A Monk of the Eastern Church". The first thing to note is the great compassion that Jesus shows by this and other miracles. Jesus does not need to show by miracles that he is the Messiah and the Son of God (though they do have this effect as well for those who have faith). He performs miracles because he feels sorry for people. The three occasions recorded in the Gospels when Jesus raises someone from the dead certainly show this. Jesus raises the young man at Nain from the dead because of his pity for the widow. He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead because he had compassion on her parents. He raised Lazarus from the dead because he was a very dear friend, and because he felt compassion for his two sisters, Martha and Mary. It is difficult for us to realize just what effect Jesus' action would have had on the widow of Nain. For a woman to be left with no man to support her in the agricultural communities of the Middle East in New Testament times was catastrophic. The woman in the story had lost both her husband and her only son, so that there was no one left to do the farm work. Her life would have been completely devastated. dead some time and was being carried to the grave. Lazarus had been in the tomb four days, and no doubt his body had already started to decompose. Yet Jesus raised him too! So however long a person has been dead Jesus can raise him. That is important for us, because besides physical death there is also spiritual death. In a fallen world we all suffer varying degrees of spiritual death from tine to time. Jesus Christ has granted us eternal life, but none of us, in our sinful state, can experience it consistently. We all suffer periods of spiritual death; some being more spiritually dead than others. It is well expressed in an Anglican hymn dubbed the She Bear hymn. It was called that by a writer in the Church Times, in the 1890s when it first became popular. (344 in Hymns Ancient and Modern Revised.) The third verse begins: "Can a woman's tender care cease towards the child she bare?" The verse continues: "Yes, she may forgetful be, Yet will I remember thee." (I don't really see how anyone can forget they have got children. My experience is that they jolly well won't let you!)

Not that the women of that time and place were But the hymn writer's point is clear enough. Even weaklings. One of their jobs was to fetch water when dealing the people dearest to us; even when from the well, which often involved carrying huge concerned with the matters we feel most strongly pitchers of water considerable distances. But the

about, we often turn out to be spiritually dead. But, just as our Lord Jesus Christ can raise people to physical life however long they have been dead, so he can restore us to spiritual life however spiritually dead we may be. We have only to want to be restored.

God's scheme for salvation. This is obviously true of the Theotokos, but it is true of all women. In one of the prayers at the Sixth Hour we ask the Mother of God to intercede with Jesus for us, "for the prayer of a Mother avails much to the goodwill of the Lord. Indeed, yes. But, in their degree, the prayers of ALL mothers avail much. And how often Jesus can save the worst of sinners - anyone who has it been said of a young man that he has been wants to be raised from spiritual death. saved from a dissolute life by the love of a good Another Western Christian hymn puts it succinctly; woman? one popular in Evangelical circles. I mean the hymn In spite of what some people say these days, there that begins: "To God be the glory! great things he are only two forms of the Christian life. Either we has done!" (No. 313, Methodist Hymn Book). are called to celibacy (a small minority are called to that), or we are called to be saved in pairs - a man The second verse ends: and a women. If we are not called to the monastic "The vilest offender who truly believes That life, then, unless circumstances force us to live moment from Jesus a pardon receives". celibate lives in the world, it is often God's wish We Melkite Christians can agree with that, that we should get married and raise families. especially as "right belief" is part of the definition Husband and wife, with God's grace, contribute to of Orthodoxy. each other's sanctification. They help each other to We come now to the third point. Have you noticed what an important part women play in all these stories about Jesus raising people from the dead? Jesus raised the young man because he had compassion on the widow, his mother. The wife of Jairus joins her tears to those of her husband. Lazarus is Jesus' very dear friend, but he is especially moved by the grief of the sisters, Martha and Mary. We find women are also very much involved in stories about God raising people from the dead that are found outside the Gospels. (Jesus raises people from the dead because he is God. It is important to remember that it is always God who raises people from the dead. If there is a saint or a prophet involved, he is only the channel). In the Acts of the Apostles God raises Dorcas from the dead at the request of St Peter, who is moved by the grief of the group of widows. In the Old Testament God raises a widow's son at the request of Elijah, who is moved by the mother's tears. At the request of Elishah, God raised from the dead the son of the Shumamite woman who had asked Elishah to help her. grow in holiness. So there is no place for male arrogance. St Paul has a great deal to say about arrogance in today's apostle reading. Rather than boast of his spiritual experiences St Paul attributes the visions and revelations he has had to someone else. (This is an example which many distinguished Orthodox spiritual fathers have followed in their writings ever since.) Husbands and wives contribute to each other's spiritual growth. That is what is supposed to happen. In practice, in this fallen world, because men have usually enjoyed a more powerful social and economic status than women, there has always been a great deal of male arrogance. Men have sometimes behaved tyrannically and even violently towards women, and still do. But the divine call to men and women to help each other to grow in grace has always been clear and certain.

It extends beyond the home. Each of us has a ministry to spread the Christian message to those around us. Both men and women are called upon to demonstrate the Christian way of life. And besides pursuing our own ministry each is called to support These facts are important for us too. They remind that of others; especially the ministry of the person us that women as well as men have a part to play in closest to us.

Among Todays Saints

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Saint Andronicus and his wife Athanasia of Egypt lived in Antioch in the fifth century. St Andronicus was a craftsman who divided his earnings into three portions. One part he gave to the Church, the second to the poor, and the third he used for his family. When the Lord took the son and daughter of Andronicus and Athanasia, the pious couple decided to devote themselves fully to the service of God, helping the poor and the sick. Soon the saintly spouses set out for Alexandria, where Andronicus entered a skete monastery, and Athanasia entered the women's Tabennisiota monastery. After twelve years of ascetic life St Andronicus went to Jerusalem to pray at the holy places. He met a copilgrim, St Athanasia, who, foreseeing the difficulties of the journey, had donned men's attire. They did not recognize each other, since long ascetic effort had altered their appearance. When they returned from Jerusalem, both monks settled into a single cell and for many years lived the ascetic life in silence. St Athanasia wrote a note to be read after her death, revealing her secret.. St Andronicus died soon after St Athanasia.

The Melkite Question Box Question

Would you please tell me what is the Churchs position regarding the image of God the Father?

Answer
Traditionally it is indeed incorrect to depict God the Father as an old man with a long beard, or in any other human form, even though under heavy western influence, in more recent times, western-style images of the Holy Trinity, in which the Father is portrayed as such and the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a dove, crept into the Byzantine world. While it is possible to depict Christ in human form, since He took on the human nature, it is incorrect to portray the Father as such. There are those, however, who would say that it is possible to portray the Father as such, making reference to the Ancient of Days found in scripture. Depicting the Holy Spirit in a Trinity icon as a dove is also incorrect. It was only at the Baptism of Our Lord that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. On Pentecost, for example, the Holy Spirit was manifested through tongues of fire. Hence, depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove in any icon other than that of the Baptism of Our Lord would also be incorrect.

A Prayer for the Acceptance of God's Will Lord, I do not know what to ask of You. You alone know what my real needs are. You love me more than I myself know how to love. Help me to see my real needs which are hidden from me. I am afraid to ask for either a cross or consolation. I can only wait on You. My heart is open to You. Visit me and help me for the sake of Your great mercy. Strike me and heal me, cast me down and raise me up. In silence I worship Your holy will and Your ways which are beyond my understanding. I offer myself as a sacrifice to You. I put all my trust in You. I want nothing more than to fulfill Your will. Teach me how to pray. Pray Yourself in me. Amen. A Prayer for the Clergy O Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd of Your sheep, light the fire of ardent love in the hearts of all Your priests, that they may ever and in all things seek only Your glory. Remember especially, Lord, our Bishop Nicholas, and all our eparchial clergy, who are laboring in Your vineyard for the salvation of all those whom You have entrusted to them. Make their lives as holy as the word they preach. Keep them from being discouraged. Hear their prayers for our salvation. Give them wisdom and courage to proclaim Your truth. Make them priests after Your own heart. For You are a merciful God Who loves us and to You we give glory, together with Your eternal Father and Your allholy, good and life-giving- Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Harvest Thanksgiving Dinner

Sponsored by St. Vladimir Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sunday, October 30, 2011 - 1:00pm St. Vladimir Parish Center - 428 North Seventh Avenue, Scranton PA
Traditional Turkey Dinner - roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, hot vegetables, cranberry sauce, salad, pumpkin and apple pie, seasonal desserts, coffee, tea and soda Door prizes Adults $15.00; Students 6 to 12 years $8.00; no charge for children age 5 and under Advance reservations close Tuesday, October 25 - no tickets sold at the door Take-outs available - must pick up between 11:30am and 12:30pm

For reservations contact Kathleen at 346-2414

Devotions and Readings for this week

Mon 10/10 Tues 10/11 Weds 10/12 Thurs 10/13 Fri 10/14 Sat 10/15 Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia Eph 4:25-32 Lk 7:36-50

Deacon Philip Martyrs Probos, Tarachios and Andronicos Hieromartyr Carpos Martyrs Nazarios. Gervasios, Protasios and Celsus Hieromartyr Lucian

Eph 5:20-25 Eph 5:25-33 Eph 5:33-6:9 Eph 6:18-24 1 Cor 15:39-45

Lk 8:1-3 Lk 8:22-25 Lk 9:7-11 Lk 9:12-18a Lk 6:1-10

Prayer Requests

Parish Calendar
Rev. Father Philip Azoon Rev. Deacon John Karam Rev. Seraphim Michalenko Rev. Basil Samra Rev. Peter Boutros Rev. Deacon Bryan McNiel Rev. Deacon Irenaeous Dionne

October
9 Parish Council Meeting 26 Annual Spaghetti Dinner 30 Youth Meeting
For such is the power of love, it embraces, and unites, and fastens together not only those who are present, and near, and visible but also those who are far distant; and neither length of time, nor separation in space, nor anything else of that kind can break up and sunder in pieces the affection of the soul. -Chrysostom

Marie Abda Marie Abda Marie Barron Joseph Barron Mary Sue Betress Chris Carey Nikki Boudreaux Dr. Frances Colie John Colie Ann Coury

Margaret Dillenburg Mark Dillman Karen Kane Niko Mayashairo Mary McNeilly Marie Patchoski Joanna Simon William Simon Dr. Thomas Zaydon

Sacrificial Giving Candles Weekly Monthly 10/2/2011 $ 6.50 $ 737.00 $ 50.00

The Weekly Quiz

How did Joshua and Caleb describe the Land of Canaan when they came back from spying out the land? An exceedingly good land. A land in which our wives and little ones will become prey. A land in which we saw ourselves as grasshoppers. Having seen this land, we wish to God that we had died in the desert.
Last Weeks Answer Q. When Jesus said to the sisters of Lazarus, "Take away the stone." What did Martha, the sister of Lazarus, say to the Lord? A. Lord, by this time he stinks: for he has been dead four days.

All those Serving in our Armed Forces The Christian Community in the Middle East