A!!!

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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While the tomb was sealed, You, O Life, did shine

forth from the grave, O Christ God; and while the

doors were shut, You did come unto Your disciples,

O Resurrection of all, renewing through them an

upright Spirit in us according to Your great mercy.

/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

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Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades' power, and You rose the

victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Rejoice!" and granting peace

to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.

Sunday of st. thomas Hieromartyr Paphnutius, George the Confessor, St. Tryphon Patriarch Constantinople

April 19th, 2015

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

Acts of the Apostles 5:12-20

IN THOSE DAYS, many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the

apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but

the people held them in high honor. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord,

multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and

laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of

them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those

afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. But the high priest rose up and all who

were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy they arrested the

apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the

prison doors and brought them out and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the

people all the words of this Life."

Gospel pericope

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples

were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them: "Peace be with

you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were

glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has

sent me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to

them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the

sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with

them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him: "We have seen the Lord." But he said to

them: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the

nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe." Eight days later, His disciples were

again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood

among them, and said: "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and

see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but

believing." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to Him: "Have you

believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this

book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and

that believing you may have life in His name.

Announcements

Liturgical/Program Schedule:

TODAY: Spring General Assembly after Divine Liturgy

Thurs. April 23rd: St. George the Great Martyr, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Thurs. April 23rd: Philoxenia Meeting, 6pm

Sun. April 26th: Special Tray to Benefit Hoppe Mission to Albania

Sun. April 26th: LYRA Concert

Special Thanks: to all those who helped make Holy Week a memorable experience by donating

their time and talents to beautify the church and make the services even more meaningful!

Palm Sunday Luncheon Thank You: Our Philoptochos Society would like to thank all those who

contributed towards our Palm Sunday luncheon fundraiser. We raised nearly $1,000 for our

philanthropic endeavors. Thank you to our coordinators Jackie Barbes & Ann Kolas and their

dedicated crew for their continued dedication towards this fundraiser. Thank you to Yogi

Kereakos for his donation of $150 towards the food cost which allowed us a higher profit margin.

Yogis support to our Society is very uplifting to us all. Thank you to all the Society members

who worked the luncheon and to Loredana Jerghiuta who added special touches such as flowers

for the hall.

Sunday School: will resume its regular schedule today, please send your children to their

respective classes after receiving Holy Communion.

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOrthodox 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.

Todays liturgical commemorations

1. THE VENERABLE JOHN OF THE OLD CAVES

John lived a life of asceticism in the so-called "old caves," the "old Lavra" of Chariton the Great in Palestine.

Having loved Christ the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his mind, John, at an early age, began

to travel to the holy places and to listen to the instructions and counsels of the holy men. Finally, he settled in the

Caves of Chariton, where he gave himself to rigorous asceticism spending days and years in fasting, prayer, vigils,

continuously meditating on death, and teaching himself humility. As a good ripened fruit, he was plucked by death

and took up habitation in Paradise. He lived and died in the eighth century.

2. THE HOLY MARTYRS CHRISTOPHER, THEONAS AND ANTONIUS

Christopher, Theonas and Antonius were young officers serving under Emperor Diocletian. When St. George the

Great Martyr was being tortured, they witnessed his sufferings as well as the miracles which occurred at that time.

Seeing all of this, they came before the emperor, laid down their arms, removed their military belts and bravely

confessed the Name of the Lord Jesus. For that, they were subjected to great torture and finally were tossed into the

fire, where their bodies were consumed while their souls went to God into eternal joy. They honorably suffered in

Nicomedia in the year 303 A.D.

3. SAINT TRYPHUN, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE

The Emperor Romanus, who reigned over Byzantium at the beginning of the tenth century had a son, Theophylact,

who was sixteen years old when Patriarch Stephen died. The emperor wanted his son to be elevated as patriarch for

he had promised him [his son] this spiritual calling from his youth. Because his son was a minor, the emperor was

ashamed to do this. The patriarchal throne was assumed by Tryphun a simple but chaste and pious old man. Tryphun

remained on the throne for three years. When the son of the emperor reached his twentieth year, the emperor

thought, to remove Tryphun at any price and to install his son as patriarch. The saint of God, Tryphun, did not want

to relinquish his throne voluntarily, for no other reason, because he considered it to be a great scandal that such a

young man be elevated to such a responsible and burdensome position as that of being patriarch. Through the

intrigue of a nefarious bishop, the signature of the innocent Tryphun was extracted on a blank sheet of paper. Later

on, in the imperial court, above that signature, the alleged resignation of the patriarch was written which the emperor

decreed. As a result of this, there arose a great confusion in the Church, for the laity and the clergy stood by

Tryphun, the godly man. The emperor then forcibly removed the aged patriarch and sent him to a monastery and, his

son, Theophylact, was elevated as patriarch. St. Tryphun lived as an ascetic in this monastery for two years and five

months and presented himself before the Lord in the year 933 A.D.

4. THE VENERABLE MARTYR AGATHANGELUS

Agathangelus was from Thrace. His secular name was Athanasius. Serving the Turks, he was forcibly converted to

Islam in Smyrna. As a penitent, he was tonsured a monk on the Holy Mountain [Athos] in the Monastery of

Esfigmenu. Tortured by his conscience, he desired to wash away his sin with his own blood. He departed for

Smyrna where he exhibited a cross and an icon of the resurrection of Christ before the Turks. He was beheaded on

April 19, 1819 in his nineteenth year. Following his death, he appeared alive to Herman, his spiritual father.

Gems From the Desert

A truly merciful person is not one that deliberately gives away superfluous things, but one that

forgives those who deprive him of what he needs.

The greater the pain you feel, the more you should welcome the person whose reproof makes you

feel it. For he is bringing about within you that total purification without which your intellect cannot

attain the pure state of prayer

-St. Ilias the Presbyter ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Doubting Thomas By St. Gregory the Great

The following is an excerpt from the homilies of St. Gregory the Great (also known as St. Gregory the Dialogist). In both East and West, the Sunday after Easter (Pascha) is devoted to the beautiful unbelief of Thomas, whose doubt stands as a proxy, making our own unnecessary:

Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. He was the only disciple absent; on his return he heard what had happened but refused to believe it. The Lord came a second time; He offered His side for the disbelieving disciple to touch, held out His hands, and showing the scars of His wounds, healed the wound of his disbelief.

Dearly beloved, what do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this

chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched

and believed? It was not by chance but in Gods providence. In a marvelous way Gods mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his Masters body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christs wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection.

Touching Christ, he cried out: My Lord and my God.

Jesus said to him: Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.

Paul said: Faith is the guarantee of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.

It is clear, then, that faith is the proof of what cannot be seen. What is seen gives knowledge, not faith. When Thomas saw and touched, why was he told: You have believed because you have seen me?

Because what he saw and what he believed were different things. God cannot be seen by mortal man. Thomas saw a human being, whom he acknowledged to be God, and said: My Lord and my God.

Seeing, he believed; looking at one who was true man, he cried out that this was God, the God he could not see. What follows is reason for great joy: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

There is here a particular reference to ourselves; we hold in our hearts One we have not seen in the flesh. We are included in these words, but only if we follow up our faith with good works. The true believer practices what he believes. But of those who pay only lip service to faith, Paul has this to say:

They profess to know God, but they deny him in their works. Therefore James says: Faith without works is dead.

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Spring general assembly after

Divine liturgy!

All stewards in good standing are invited

and encouraged to participate!

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Pride and the holy Eucharist

If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel

scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste. - St. Cyril of Alexandria

Our Current Salutation: In multiple languages

English: Christ is Risen! Indeed He is risen!

Albanian: Khrishti unjal! Vertet unjal!

Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum! Alhecum anahgrecum!

Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm!

Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee!

Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese! Vo istina voskrese!

Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!

Danish: Kristus er opstanden! I sandhed Han er Opstanden!

(or Sandelig Han er Opstanden!)

Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!

Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou!

Ethiopian: Christos t'ensah em' muhtan! Exai' ab-her eokala!

Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi!

French: Le Christ est ressuscite! En verite il est ressuscite!

Georgian: Kriste ahzdkhah! Chezdmaridet!

German: Christus ist erstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig erstanden!

Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!

Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado!

Romanian: Cristos a inviat! Adevarat a inviat!

Russian: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese!

MID-PENTECOST SPIRITUAL RETREAT 2015:

ST. IAKOVOS RETREAT CENTER & ST. JOHN

CHRYSOSTOMOS MONASTERY- MAY 5TH-6TH

Please consider joining us as our parish plans its 1st official retreat to the

newly constructed Metropolis Retreat Center! We will meet at church on

7:30am Tues. May 5th and travel to the Retreat Center in Wisconsin. There

we will have afternoon Walk with the Saints, dinner, Vespers Service,

and a presentation/discussion with Fr. Mark before early lights out. Very

early the next morning (around 3:30am) we will travel to the Monastery for

Mid-Pentecost Divine Liturgy with the nuns. We will tour the Monastery

and have lunch then return to Rochester around 7pm. This is a

Philoptochos sponsored retreat that is available to all men and women

who would like to participate in Orthodox fellowship. The cost is $100 per

person; to rsvp please contact Calli Kelly at

rochesterphiloptochos@gmail.com!