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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From on high You did descend, O Compassionate One; You

submitted to burial of three days that You might free us from our

passions. O our Life and Resurrection, O Lord, glory be to You.

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For the struggles you endured for Christ God, a royal diadem crowns

your head, O First Champion of Martyrs. For you refuted the folly of the Jews and beheld your

Savior on the right of the Father. Ever beseech Him, therefore, for our souls.

/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

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Upon the mountain were You transfigured, and Your disciples beheld Your glory as far as

they were able, O Christ our God; so that when they would see You crucified they might

understand that Your Passion was deliberate, and declare to the world that in truth You are

the Father's radiance.

9th

Sunday of matthew Translation of the Relics of Stephen the Protomartyr, Holy Glorious New Martyr Theodore of

Dardanelles, Phocas the Martyr

Sunday, August 2nd 2015

+Dormition Fast+

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15; 7:1-5, 47-60

Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 4.

Psalm 75.11,1

Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them.

Verse: God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

IN THOSE DAYS, Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of

those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the

Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the

wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak

blasphemous words against Moses and God." And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they

came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and set up false witnesses who said, "This man

never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of

Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us." And gazing at him, all

who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. And the high priest said, "Is this so?" And

Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in

Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, 'Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into

the land which I will show you.' Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and lived in Haran. And after his

father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living; yet he gave him no inheritance

in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he

had no child. "But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with

hands; as the prophet says, 'Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the

Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?' "You stiff-necked people,

uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the

prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the

Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and

did not keep it." Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth against him. But

he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried

out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and

stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were

stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord,

do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Gospel pericope

Matthew 14:22-34

At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the

crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he

was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind

was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples

saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he

spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to

you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when

he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his

hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they entered the boat, the

wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had

crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

Announcements

Liturgical/Program Schedule:

Mon. August 3rd: GOYA Canoeing

Mon. August 3rd: Paraklesis to the Holy Theotokos 6pm

Tues. August 4th: Holy Unction Service 6pm

Wed. August 5th: NO Paraklesis, Ordination to Deaconate of Herman Klarr in MSP

Thurs. August 6th: Feast of the Transfiguration, Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am

Fri. August 7th: Paraklesis to the Holy Theotokos, 6pm

Greek Festival Volunteers: Please join us all in working together for the benefit of our parish by

being a volunteer for our Greek Festival: August 28, 29, and 30. Sign up your times by going to

this website: http://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0945a4ab29a6f49-holy2/17693561

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.

The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in God and begins to afflict them with self-

assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds. St. Paisios of Mt. Athos

TODAYS COMMEMORATIONS

1. THE FINDING AND THE TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF ST. STEPHEN, THE ARCHDEACON

AND PROTO-MARTYR

When the wicked Jews slew St. Stephen by stoning, they left his body for the dogs to consume. However, God's

Providence intended otherwise. The martyr's body lay in an open place at the foothill of the city for one night and

two days. The second night Gamaliel, Paul's teacher and secretly a disciple of Christ, came and removed the body

and took it to Caphargamala on his estate and there he honorably buried it in a cave. Gamaliel also buried his friend

Nicodemus who died weeping over the grave of Stephen in the same cave. Gamaliel also buried his baptized son

Abibus there and according to his will, was buried there also. Since that time, many centuries passed and no one

living knew where the body of St. Stephen was buried. However, in the year 415 A.D. during the reign of John, the

Patriarch of Jerusalem, Gamaliel appeared three times in a dream to Lucian, the priest at Caphargamala and, at

length, related everything to him concerning the burial of all the afore-mentioned showing him the exact spot of

their forgotten graves. Excited by this dream Lucian informed the patriarch and with his blessing went with a group

of men and exhumed the four graves. Gamaliel had already told him in the dream whose grave was which. A strong

sweet-smelling fragrance from the relics of the saints permeated the entire cave. The relics of St. Stephen were then

solemnly translated to Zion and honorably buried there and the relics of the remaining three were moved to a hill

above the cave and were placed in a church. That day, many healings of the sick occurred by the relics of St.

Stephen. Later on, St. Stephen's relics were translated to Constantinople. Thus the Lord crowned him with much

glory who, for His Name, shed his blood.

2. THE PRIESTLY-MARTYR STEPHEN, THE POPE OF ROME AND OTHERS WITH HIM

Stephen was Pope of Rome between the years 253-257 A.D. He struggled against the heretic Novatian. He cured

Lucilla, the daughter of Nemesius, the tribune and baptized them both. Stephen, with twelve of his clerics, suffered

during the reign of Valerian. He was beheaded during the celebration of the Liturgy.

3. THE HOLY AND BLESSED BASIL, "FOOL FOR CHRIST" OF

MOSCOW

Basil's father was named Jacob and his mother Anna. At age sixteen, he

dedicated himself to a life of asceticism as a "Fool for Christ" and in this

difficult mortification persevered for seventy-two years. Altogether, he

lived to be eighty-eight years old. He traveled barefooted, bareheaded and

in rags. He did not have any permanent dwelling place. He admonished

sinners, reprimanded the noblemen, prophesied the truth and had visions

of distant places. Having suffered greatly from hunger, frost and from the

insults of men, Blessed Basil presented his holy soul to God. Tsar Ivan,

with the Metropolitan, attended his funeral. He is buried in Moscow in

the Church of the Most-holy Birth-giver of God, later named after him.