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

,

,

, .

You descended from on high, O merciful Lord, and endured

the three day burial to free us from our passions. O Lord,

our life and our resurrection, glory to you.

,

,

, ,

.

The pastoral flute of your theology conquered the trumpets of orators. For it

called upon the depths of the Spirit and you were enriched with the beauty of

words. Intercede to Christ our God, O Father Gregory, that our souls may be

saved.

/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

, ,

. '

, , .

Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now

come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and

strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only Lover of mankind.

15th

Sunday of luke (zacchaeus)

St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, Synaxis of the New Martyrs of Russia

January 25th, 2015

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2

Prokeimenon. Mode 1.

Psalm 48.3,1

My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding.

Verse: Hear this all you nations.

Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained,

separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to

offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for

all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests,

but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made

perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one

who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the

sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

Gospel pericope

Luke 19:1-10

At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named

Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not,

on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up

into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place,

he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your

house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw

it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios

stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have

defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation

has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and

to save the lost."

Announcements

Liturgical/Program Schedule:

Mon. Jan. 26th: Mental Disorders & Spiritual Healing Class, 6pm

Wed. Jan. 28th: Major Baking Day! Beginning at 9amsee note below!

Wed. Jan. 28th: Philoxenia Committee Meeting, 5pm

Fri. Jan. 30th: Three Hierarchs (SS. Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian),

Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Sat. Jan. 31st: Annual Parish Ethnic Potluck, 6pm

Februarys Fellowship Hour Sign-Up: We would like to thank and recognize the following families for

hosting next months Coffee Hour: 2/1 Daniela/Jason Meier, 2/8 Mike/Kris Brekke, 2/22 Cheesefare

Luncheon donated by Angie Rustad. CURRENTLY 2/15 IS OPEN AND AVAILABLE FOR HOSTING!

Volunteers/helpers Needed: this Wednesday morning to help bake several items for different events,

including prosphora for Divine Liturgies, and spanakopita and tyropita for our upcoming Winter Greek

Fest. If you are able to help out PLEASE CONTACT Maria Thomas or Penny Kolas IN ADVANCE for

some important details. Thank you to all our hard workers!

Inclement Weather & Church Closing: We are all too aware that in Minnesota we receive a wide variety

of weather! If it is decided that services or events will need to be cancelled due to bad weather the

following protocol will be immediately implemented:

An announcement will appear on KTTCs Storm Center and Closing System.

An email will be sent to the parishioners who have registered their email w/ the office.

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.

Todays Commemorations

ST GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Gregory was born in Nazianzus of a Greek father and a Christian mother. Before his baptism, he studied in Athens

along with Basil the Great and Julian the Apostate. Gregory often prophesied that Julian would become an apostate

and a persecutor of the Church which actually happened. Gregory was especially influenced greatly by his good

mother Nonna. When he completed his studies, Gregory was baptized. St. Basil consecrated him as bishop of

Sasima, and Emperor Theodosius the Great summoned him to fill the vacant archepiscopal throne of Constantinople.

He wrote numerous works of which his most famous are those concerning theology for which he is called The

Theologian. Especially known because of its depth is his work: Homilies on The Holy Trinity. Gregory wrote

against the heretic Macedonius who erroneously taught that the Holy Spirit is a creation of God and, Gregory also

wrote against Appolinarius who erroneously taught that Christ did not have a human soul but that His divinity was

in lieu of His soul. Additionally Gregory wrote against Emperor Julian the Apostate, his one-time colleague in

school. In 381 A.D., when a debate began regarding his election as archbishop, he withdrew on his own and issued a

statement: "Those, who deprive us of our archepiscopal throne cannot deprive us of God." After that, he left

Constantinople and went to Nazianzus and there lived a life of solitude and prayer, writing worthwhile books. Even

though he was in poor health throughout his entire life, nevertheless, Gregory lived to be eighty years old. His relics

were later transferred to Rome. A reliquary containing his head reposes in the Cathedral Church of the Assumption

in Moscow. He was, and remains, a great and wonderful light of the Orthodox Church as much by his meekness and

purity of character as well as for the unsurpassable depth of his mind. He died in the Lord in the year 390 A.D.

THE HOLY FEMALE MARTYR FELICITAS AND HER SEVEN SONS

As a Christian, Felicitas was condemned to death along with her seven sons during the reign of Emperor Antoninus

in the year 164 A.D. She implored God only that she not to be killed before her sons, so that she might be able to

encourage them during their torture and death in order that they would not deny Christ. According to God's

Providence, it so happened. With joy, this superb mother accompanied her sons one by one until she had witnessed

the death of all seven sons. Then, she herself, with gratitude to God, received a martyr's death. She and her sons

suffered in Rome where their relics repose.

SYNAXIS OF THE NEW MARTYRS OF RUSSIA

On the Sunday that falls nearest to January 25, we commemorate all the

faithful throughout the former Russian Empire who died at the hands of the

atheists, beginning in the year 1917. Among them are the Royal Family

(see July 4), followed by Patriarch Tikhon the Confessor (see Mar. 24), and

an innumerable multitude of clergy, monastics, and layfolk who confessed

the Name of Christ in the face of every conceivable mockery, torment, and

bitter death.