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

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Let the Heavens rejoice; let earthly things be glad; for the Lord

hath wrought might with His arm, He hath trampled upon

death by death. The first-born of the dead hath He become.

From the depths of Hades hath He delivered us, and hath

granted great mercy to the world.

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You justified the forefathers in faith, and through them betrothed yourself, aforetime, to the

Church taken from out of the Gentiles. The saints boast in glory. For from their seed, there exists

a noble crop, who is she who without seed has given You birth. By their intercessions, O Christ

our God, save our souls.

/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

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On this day the Virgin comes * to a cave to give birth * to God the Word ineffable, * Who was before all

the ages.* Dance for joy,* O earth, on hearing* the gladsome tidings;* with the Angels and the shepherds

now glorify Him* Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child* Who before the ages is God.

11

th Sunday of luke/Sunday of the holy forefathers of christ

Herman the Wonderworker of Alaska & First Saint of America, The Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius,

Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes of Greater Armenia, Lucia the Virgin-martyr

December 13th, 2015 **NATIVITY FAST**

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 3:4-11

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, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to

death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,

which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these

you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and

foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its

practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its

creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,

free man, but Christ is all, and in all.

Gospel pericope

The Lord said this parable: "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the

time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for all is

now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a

field, and I go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought

five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' And another

said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported this

to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets

and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' And the servant

said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to

the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house

may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. For

many are called, but few are chosen.'"

Announcements

Liturgical/Program Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 16th: Parish Council Meeting, 6:30pm

Fri. Dec. 18th: St. Sebastian the Martyr, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Sat. Dec. 19th: Youth Christmas Program Rehearsal, 12:30pm

Sat. Dec. 19th: Christmas Caroling @ St. Marys and Pizza after, 2pm

Todays Memorial Service: Mr. Mogib Salama- 40 days

Holiday Bake sale: The orders will be available for pick up at coffee hour TODAY. Thank you for

supporting our Society!!!

Special Tray for St. Philothei: This ministry meets twice a month to cook the weekend meals for

the women and children staying at the local Womens Shelter. It costs $200 a month to operate and

we rely solely on parishioners donations. We have been blessed by these donations and also those

of our Philoptochos Society. Currently, the ministry is in need of monetary support. Thank you for

your generosity!

Unofficial PC Election Results: The following parishioners have been elected to serve on the Parish

Council once our elections are ratified by the Metropolis: Amy Franqueira, John Maragos, Halina

Woroncow. Congratulations and THANK YOU to all candidates for their willingness to serve, as

well as thanks to the Election Committee for hard work!

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.

Guidelines for the

Nativity Fast

We are well aware that our Holy Church provides the faithful with a period of spiritual preparation in anticipation of the Lords Holy Nativity. This period begins on November 15th every year with the commencement of the Nativity Fast. As this fast is a modified one I thought it helpful to remind us all exactly what is prescribed: From Nov. 15th-Dec. 12th (St. Spyridon) the following is observed:

Fish/wine/oil are allowed every day except Wednesdays and Fridays which are observed as strict fast days (no meat, fish, dairy, wine, oil). From Dec. 12th-Dec. 25th the following is observed: A strict fast is observed every day except Saturdays and Sundays. From. Dec. 25th-Jan. 4th: NO FASTING ON ANY DAY! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pearls from the Desert

In death the soul that has come to know God through the Holy Spirit experiences a measure of

dread when the angels bring her before the Lord, since while living in the world she was guilty

of sin. But when the soul beholds the Lord, she rejoices in His meek and merciful countenance,

and the Lord in the abundance of His gentleness and love remembereth not her sins. One glance

at the Lord, and love of Him will take up its abode in the soul, and from love of God and the

sweetness of the Holy Spirit she will be completely transformed. -St. Silouan the Athonite

Are you able to lend a helping hand?

Our parish has a Priest Discretionary Fund which

Father uses to help those individuals that come to him

with legitimate needs both from within and outside

the parish family. Cash is rarely, if ever, distributed; rather gift cards to local grocery

stores, gas stations, and retail stores are procured based on the circumstances and the

individual need. We rely on private donations from parishioners to keep this account

flush with funds. The Christmas season is the only time of the year where a general

plea for this cause is made. Please consider making a donation with checks payable to

Holy Anargyroi with Discretionary Fund in the memo. THANK YOU in advance!

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Christmas Home-Bound Pastoral Visits

If you have a loved one who is unable to come to Church and feel they would like a visit from Father

during this holy season please call him asap to make the necessary arrangements. Please do not

procrastinate as his schedule is filling in quickly!

Christmas Toy Drive

This year our parish will partner with the Salvation Army to provide Christmas

presents for those families in need. Please bring your unwrapped gifts for teenagers or

children newborn through 4yrs, clothing or toys are preferred. Place gifts in the large

Christmas box located in the narthex of the church. The last of day for drop off will be

Sunday. Dec. 20th. FYI, gifts will be secured in locked office during the week in order to

prevent the disappearance of some gifts. Thank you for participating in this important

drive!

Hymnographical Glimpses

Undoubtedly we are all familiar with the traditional Western Christmas

carols which elicit timeless memories of this holy and joyful season. Indeed,

O Holy Night is my favorite and every time I hear that incredible song it

inspires and moves me deeply. However, more often than not, the divine hymnography of our

Orthodox Church which poetically describes and elucidates both the spiritual and theological

aspect of the Nativity passes us by without our noticing or paying heed. I offer the following

hymns from the Feast which demonstrate the unique and powerful qualities the Spirit-

inspired liturgical hymns offer the faithful. We should not disparage our non-liturgical

traditional American carols nor exclude them; concurrently we need to return to a deeper

liturgical understanding of our Faith by means of the treasure we possess in our Orthodox

hymnography+FM

Mary, why are you amazed and awed by what was done in you? And she answers,

For in time I have brought forth a timeless Son. But I have no understanding of His

conception. Husbandless am I: how can I bear a son? Who has ever seen seedless

childbirth? But where God wills, the order found in nature is overcome, as it is

written. So Christ was born from the Virgin Maiden, in Bethlehem of Judea. Orthros of the Nativity

He whom nothing can contain has been contained in a womb. He is in the Fathers

bosom and His Mothers embrace. How can this be, but as He knows and willed and

was well pleased. Fleshless as He was, He willingly took flesh. And He Who Is became

what He was not, for us. And while departing not from His own nature, He shared in

our natures substance. So Christ was born with dual natures, wishing to replenish the

world on high. Orthros of the Nativity

Come, let us extol and praise the Saviors Mother, who remained a virgin even after

childbirth. Animate City of our King and God, rejoice, for Christ having dwelt in you

has wrought our salvation. Together with Gabriel we sing your praise, together with

the shepherds we glorify you, crying out, O Theotokos, intercede with the Lord, who is

incarnate from you, to save us. Orthros of the Nativity

The Word Made Flesh Makes Us Divine by St. Hippolytos of Rome

Our faith is not founded upon empty words; nor are we carried away by mere caprice or beguiled by specious

arguments. On the contrary, we put our faith in words

spoken by the power of God, spoken by the Word himself

at Gods command. God wished to win men back from disobedience, not by using force to reduce him to slavery

but by addressing to his free will a call to liberty. The

Word spoke first of all through the prophets, but because

the message was couched in such obscure language that it

could be only dimly apprehended, in the last days the

Father sent the Word in person, commanding him to show

himself openly so that the world could see him and be saved.

We know that by taking a body from the Virgin he re-fashioned our fallen nature. We know that his

manhood was of the same clay as our own; if this were not so, he would hardly have been a teacher who

could expect to be imitated. If he were of a different substance from me, he would surely not have

ordered me to do as he did, when by my very nature I am so weak. Such a demand could not be

reconciled with his goodness and justice. No. He wanted us to consider him as no different from

ourselves, and so he worked, he was hungry and thirsty, he slept. Without protest he endured his passion,

he submitted to death and revealed his resurrection.

In all these ways he offered his own manhood as the first fruits of our race to keep us from losing heart

when suffering comes our way, and to make us look forward to receiving the same reward as he did, since

we know that we possess the same humanity. When we have come to know the true God, both our bodies

and our souls will be immortal and incorruptible. We shall enter the kingdom of heaven, because while

we lived on earth we acknowledged heavens King. Friends of God and co-heirs with Christ, we shall be subject to no evil desires or inclinations, or to any affliction of body or soul, for we shall have become

divine. Whatever evil you may have suffered, being man, it is God that sent it to you, precisely because

you are man; but equally, when you have been deified, God has promised you a share in every one of his

own attributes. The saying Know yourself means therefore that we should recognize and

acknowledge in ourselves the God who made us in his own image, for if we do this, we in turn will

be recognized and acknowledged by our Maker. So let us not be at enmity with ourselves, but change

our way of life without delay. For Christ who is God, exalted above all creation, has taken away mans sin and has re-fashioned our fallen nature. In the beginning God made man in his image and so gave proof of

his love for us. If we obey his holy commands and learn to imitate his goodness, we shall be like him and

he will honour us. God is not beggarly, and for the sake of his own glory he has given us a share in his

divinity.

Todays Commemorations:

The Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius and Orestes

These five courageous men shone like five shining stars in the dark days of the Christ-persecuting

Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. St. Eustratius was a Roman commander in the city of Satalionus;

Eugene was his companion in the army; Orestes was likewise a distinguished soldier; Auxentius was a

priest; and Mardarius was an ordinary citizen who came, like Eustratius, from the town of Arabrak. The

imperial deputies Lysias and Agricolus tortured Auxentius first since he was a priest. Seeing the innocent

suffering of Christians, Eustratius appeared in front of Lysias and declared that he was also a Christian.

While Eustratius was being tortured, Eugene appeared before the judge and cried out: ``Lysias, I too am a

Christian.'' When Eustratius was led through the town of Arabrak with the other martyrs, Mardarius saw

them from the roof of his house. He took leave of his wife and two young children and rushed after the

martyrs, shouting into the faces of the tormentors: ``I too am a Christian, like my lord Eustratius.'' When

St. Orestes was target-practicing in the presence of Lysias, the cross he was wearing fell from his chest

and Lysias realized that he was a Christian, after which Orestes openly confessed his faith. Orestes was a

young and handsome soldier and towered above all the other soldiers in stature. Auxentius was beheaded,

Eugene and Mardarius died while being tortured, Orestes expired on a red-hot iron grid, and Eustratius

died in a fiery furnace. St. Blaise (February 11) administered Holy Communion to St. Eustratius in prison

before his death. Their relics were later taken to Constantinople and buried in the church dedicated to

them: The Holy Five Companions. They were seen alive in that church, and St. Orestes appeared to St.

Dimitri of Rostov (October 28). A beautiful prayer by St. Eustratius is extant, which is read at the

Midnight Service on Saturday: ``Most highly do I magnify Thee, O Lord.''

2. The Holy Martyr Lucy the Virgin

With her mother, Lucy visited the grave of St. Agatha in Catania, where St. Agatha appeared to her. Her mother,

who had dropsy, was then miraculously healed in the church. Lucy distributed all her goods to the poor, and this

embittered her betrothed, who accused her of being a Christian before Paschasius the judge. The wicked judge

ordered that she be taken to a brothel in order to defile her. However, by the power of God she remained immovable,

as if rooted to the earth, and not even a multitude of people was able to move her from that spot. Then an enraged

pagan pierced her throat with a sword and she gave up her soul to God and took up her habitation in the Kingdom of

Eternity. Lucy suffered in the year 304.

3. The Hieromartyr Gavril, Patriarch of Serbia

During the terrible period of Turkish rule over Serbia, this great hierarch traveled to Russia, where he participated in

the Moscow Synod of 1655. Upon returning, he was accused of high treason. Certain Jews also accused him of

having converted several Jews to the Christian Faith. In their accusation, the Jews cited that he was attempting to

convert the Turks. The Jews did this to enrage the Turkish authorities even more. Brought before the tribunal, he

was condemned and sentenced to embrace Islam. Since Gavril would not even hear of this, he was, after a period of

imprisonment, sentenced to death and hanged in Brusa in the year 1659. Thus, he departed for his beloved Christ to

receive from Him a double crown, that of a hierarch and that of a martyr.