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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The joyful news of your resurrection was told to the women

disciples of the Lord by the angel. And throwing off the

ancestral curse, they boastingly told the Apostles: death has

been vanquished, Christ our God is risen, bestowing great

mercy on the world.

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Mid-way in the feast, refresh my thirsty soul with the flowing

waters of piety. For You cried out to all, O Savior, "Let him

who thirsts come to me and drink." You, O Christ our God, are the Fountain of Life, glory to You.

/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 the SAMARITAN WOMAN Simon the Zealot & Apostle, St. Lawrence of Egypt, St. Isidora of Egypt

May 10th, 2015

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30

Prokeimenon. Mode 4.

Psalm 103.24,1

O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.

Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

IN THOSE DAYS, those apostles who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen

traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. But there

were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also,

preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed

turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to

Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain

faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

And a large company was added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he

had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large

company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians. Now in these

days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabos stood up and

foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days

of Claudius. And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the

brethren who lived in Judea, and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Gospel pericope

John 4:5-42

At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son

Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the

well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give

me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him,

"How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with

Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me

a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him,

"Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you

greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his

cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the

water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of

water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst,

nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered

him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have

had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." The woman

said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say

that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour

is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship

what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is

coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the

Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he

will show us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do

you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the

city and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"

They went out of the city and were coming to him. Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying "Rabbi,

eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one

another, "Has anyone brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent

me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I

tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives

wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the

saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor;

others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Many

Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's

testimony. "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans

came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there

two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said

to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe,

for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is indeed Christ

the Savior of the world."

Announcements

Liturgical/Program Schedule:

TODAY: Special General Assembly after Divine Liturgy

Tues. May 12th: Philoptochos Meeting, 6pm

Wed. May 13th: Greek Fest Meeting, 6pm

Sat. May 16th: Philoptochos Walk-a-Thon @ Silver Lake, 10am

Sun. May 17th: Sunday School Recognition & Church School Picnic @ Oxbow Park

Todays Memorial Service: Mrs. Maria Bucevschi- 24 yrs

Church School Picnic: All Church School families and teachers are invited to a Picnic (weather

permitting) next Sunday @ Oxbow Park, Byron. Well gather at the first picnic shelter on the left

(look for a sign) at 1pm; simply bring a dish to share and a beverage. For more info please

contact Halina (251-6002) or Loredana (271-5928). Come and enjoy the fellowship and fun!

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.

ETIQUETTE REMINDER:

For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to

the Lord.

The summer months will soon be upon us and that means enjoying warm weather and fun in the sun. While shorts (for males & females), capris, flip-flops, tank tops, spaghetti straps, short skirts well above the knees, etc. are practical and may be

acceptable at the pool or the lake front they are not appropriate attire at church, and must not be worn during the Divine Services

of the Church. At every Eucharistic celebration we are spiritually and physically brought in the awesome presence of Jesus

Christ Himself, and when we commune He comes to dwell within us in a miraculous way. Therefore the sanctity, solemnity, and

dignity of the Divine Liturgy must be preserved for the wellbeing of all. ******Parents, your assistance and guidance are most

especially helpful and appreciated.******

Todays liturgical commemorations

1. THE HOLY APOSTLE SIMON, THE ZEALOT

Simon was one of the Twelve Great Apostles. He was born in Cana of Galilee. The Lord Jesus, with His mother and

His disciples, came to his marriage feast. When the wine ran out, the Lord changed water into wine (St. John 2: 1-

11). Witnessing this miracle, Simon the groom left his home, parents and bride and followed after Christ. Zealot

means zealous. Simon was called the Zealot because of his great and fiery zeal for the Savior and His Gospel. After

receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, Simon went to preach the Gospel in Mauritania in Africa. Because he succeeded

to convert many to the Faith of Christ, Simon was tortured and finally crucified, as was his Lord, Who prepared for

him a wreath of glory in the immortal kingdom.

2. THE HOLY MARTYRS ALPHAEUS, PHILADELPHUS AND CYPRINUS

All three were brothers and the sons of Prince Vitalis in Southern Italy. They were men of nobility and strong in

faith. Condemned for their faith in Christ they were led from one judge to another; from one torturer to another.

They were taken to Sicily and were slain there during the reign of Emperor Licinius. Alphaeus' tongue was severed

and having shed much blood, he died. Philadelphus was burned on an iron grate and Cyprinus in fire. Their

incorrupt relics were discovered in 1517 A.D. The three brothers appeared to St. Euthalia (March 2).

3. THE VENERABLE ISIDORA, FOOL FOR CHRIST

Isidora lived in the fourth century and was a nun in a convent in Tabennisi. She pretended insanity in order to

conceal her virtues and her mortification. Isidora performed the most menial tasks, fed on the leftovers on the dishes,

served all and everyone and was despised by all and everyone. At that time, an angel of God revealed to the great

ascetic Pitirim about Isidora's secret. Pitirim came to the convent and when he saw Isidora he bowed down to the

ground before her. And so, she to him. Then the sisters informed Pitirim that she was insane. "All of you are insane"

replied Pitirim, "and this one is greater before the Lord than I and all of you; I only pray that God will render to me

that which is intended for her at the Dreadful Judgment!" Then the sisters became ashamed and begged both Pitirim

and Isidora for forgiveness. From then on, everyone began to show respect for Isidora. And she, to escape the honors

of men, fled the convent to a place unknown and died about the year 365 A.D.

4. THE BLESSED THAIS

Thais was a wealthy Christian maiden in Egypt. She decided not to enter into marriage and distributed her property

to the monks of the desert. When she spent all of her possessions, she began to live a life of debauchery. Learning

about this, the hermits begged Abba John Colovos to come to Alexandria and he did and began to weep before

Thais. When she heard that the elder was crying because of her sins, she repented in an instant, left home and

everything she owned and withdrew into the wilderness with the saint. One night while Thais was sleeping and

while John stood at prayer, he saw where angels descended with a great light and took the soul of Thais. John

learned that her instantaneous but warm repentance was more pleasing to God than the long years of external

repentance of many hermits.

Gems From the Desert "We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [i.e., has received baptism] and is thereby living as Christ enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" (First Apology 66 [A.D. 151]). St. Justin Martyr

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Memorial Day Commemorations In the United States Memorial Day was originally and specifically dedicated to remembering those military men and women who fell in service to their country, as opposed to a general commemoration of all loved ones. In addition we as Orthodox Christians should defer, and give priority to, the liturgical calendar of the Church for commemorating our departed loved ones (i.e. the four Saturday of Souls commemorations) thereby uniting our prayers with the Church at large through the offering of the Divine Liturgy. Notwithstanding, it has now become tradition to remember all departed loved ones on this day. We will gather Monday, May 25th-10am, at Oakwood Cemetery to chant the Trisagion Service for our departed loved ones. Please bring a list of your family members (baptismal first names only). You may include those departed relatives who are not laid to rest at Oakwood in your lists.

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Philoptochos Walkathon Fundraiser

Please join us next Saturday, weather permitting, as we walk once

around Silver Lake to raise funds for our many philanthropic

charities. Cost is $10 per person, there is a waiver to sign and

registration begins at the East Silver Lake Shelter on E. Silver Lake

Dr @ 9:30am. Our walk will be over by 11am, is open to all ages, and

the public. Please come, bring your family and friends and join us for a little exercise

and fresh air while raising money for those in need!

Personal Integrity and the Closed

Chalice

by Fr. Steven C. Salaris, M.Div., Ph.D.

One of the most difficult and sensitive areas that our clergy must deal

with when non-Orthodox attend the Divine Liturgy is the "closed

chalice." This refers to the teaching and practice of the Orthodox

Church worldwide that only Orthodox Christians may partake of the Eucharist (or any sacrament for that matter) at our worship

services. It is a simple concept, but one that seems to cause a lot of strife. There are two basic reasons for this: 1) Visitors from

Protestant denominations are often used to open chalices where anyone is allowed to come to Communion. This author has

observed a Protestant chapel service where the pastor stated that Jesus gave his Body and Blood not to a denomination, but to his

disciples. Thus, anyone who felt called to the chalice was welcomed. You could be a Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, etc. and still

come to communion at this Protestant chapel. 2) The Roman Catholic Church (Latins, Melkites, and Maronites) teaches that in

situation where no Roman Catholic Church is present (unheard of in this country) and/or in cases of extreme and dire emergency

where no Roman Catholic priest is available (again, not likely in this country) one can seek out the Orthodox sacraments if they

feel it is absolutely necessary. This has led to the misconception amongst the Roman Catholics that one can commune from the

Orthodox chalice anytime they visit an Orthodox Christian Church. Lets quickly remind ourselves why these examples are

incorrect and then elaborate a unique approach to explaining our closed chalice to the non-Orthodox.

Eucharistic communion is an act of theological and ecclesiological union. Many bishops and priests that have written on this

subject and the various authors all say the same thing: Eucharistic communion is not the path to, but the fruit of, of the Orthodox

Churchs ecumenical work. For two church bodies to commune together means that we can look at each other and say, in all

aspects, "We are one." However, in todays world, churches are divided along various theological and ecclesiological issues and

we Orthodox do not simply "put aside our differences" for the sake of table fellowship with other Christians. Time and time

again, people respond to the notion of the closed chalice by saying, "What does it matter, as long as you believe in Jesus?" It is a

valid question. Orthodox Christians believe that Jesus is the incarnate Word of God who was crucified and resurrected on the

third day. We believe that Jesus is fully human and fully divine without mixture, confusion, separation, or division (Fourth

Ecumenical Council). We believe that the empty tomb signifies for us that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. No argument

there, right? Now, imagine a visitor comes to one of our parishes. He comes from a church that is not Orthodox. Lets imagine

that he believes Jesus was an incarnate created being an angel lets say and that he was not resurrected, but reincarnated! He

does not believe in the divinity of Christ and he does not believe in the resurrection. Not very Orthodox is it? Yet, this individual

approaches the chalice and wants to receive communion; after all, "What does it matter, as long as you believe in Jesus?"

Just prior to the reception of communion, the Church recites the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. We verbally confess our

Orthodox belief in "one Lord Jesus Christtrue God of true God begotten not made, of one essence with the Fatherand

[who] rose from the dead on the third day." Our Orthodox beliefs do not match the beliefs of the visitor. By approaching and

partaking of the Eucharist, he is making a statement that he has a common faith with us. But in reality he does not. If he partakes

from the chalice then all of us are allowing that individual to make a liar of himself before God. St. Paul tells us in I Corinthians

11:27-29 that those who partake of the Eucharist without discerning the Body and Blood of Christ eat and drink condemnation

unto themselves. Who among us would wish that upon a visitor to one of our churches and what judgment is upon us if we allow

that to happen?

The reality of the closed chalice is not that Orthodox Christians are somehow bigoted and insensitive. Quite the opposite, we

Orthodox are called to love and respect other Christians and their beliefs. In fact, we love and respect other Christians so much,

whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, that we will not allow them to make liars of themselves before God by receiving

sacraments in a church with beliefs that are different than their own. It is a matter of maintaining the personal integrity of those

who visit our churches. The example used for this article is a bit extreme; however, the same logic applies to any Christians who

have any beliefs that are not in agreement with ours whether those beliefs are about Scripture and Tradition, Ecclesiology, the

Sacraments, the authority of the bishop of Rome, the Immaculate Conception of Mary (the belief that Mary was conceived by her

parent, Joachim and Anna, without the original sin that all mankind is born under), iconography, etc. The reason that there are

tens of thousands of Christian denominations in this country is that there are tens of thousands of ways to believe differently from

us Orthodox Christians; thus, we are not in communion with those Churches. So, to allow a Protestant or a Roman Catholic

(Latin, Melkite, or Maronite) to commune from the Orthodox chalice is making him or her state that they reject their Churchs

teachings. We are inviting them to lie. That is disrespectful, insensitive, and un-Orthodox. Asking a non-Orthodox visitor to

refrain from partaking of the chalice maintains the personal integrity of the visitor and demonstrates the Orthodox Churchs

respect, but not acceptance, of the differences that divide us. That is respectful, sensitive, and Orthodox. Let us pray that one

day the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will bring all worshipping Christians to the True Faith so that all Christians will be one

and that all may partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.