Sunday Bulletin July 4, 2021 Greek Orthodox Church of the

4121 O'Hara Drive Vestal, NY 13850 Phone: (607) 797-0824 Fax: (607) 797-0824 http://www.annunciationvestal.ny.goarch.org

Rev. Dr. Michael Bahlatzis, Presiding Priest- Proistamenos

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Epistle Reading

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 2:10-16

Brethren, glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my , God judges the secrets of men by Christ .

Gospel Reading

Matthew 4:18-23

At that time, as Jesus walked by the Sea of , he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left their boat and their father, and followed him. And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

Message from Fr. Michael......

Dearly Beloved Faithful Followers of the Lord:

Happy 4th of July Independence Day celebration! Now that the summer has begun, we begin to enter into a vacation mind frame. The warmth of the sun, the beauty of the green landscaping about, the picturesque colorful flowers, the birds chirping, and the parks overflowing with laughter and fun remind us of the simple pleasures in life. These are the comforts given to us by God. Our creator loves us and created us for Himself. We often forget that we were placed on earth to do His will. We are here to serve the Master! We were placed here to follow Him.

In today's Gospel lesson, we read "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." These were the words of our Lord when he approached Andrew and his brother Simon (Peter) as they casted their fishing nets into the sea. I recognize the awe that they must have experienced. For they left everything to follow God.

The question remains, would we leave everything to follow God? The Lord stated in the Gospel of St. Matthew, which would have been read last week, but we instead enjoyed a parish vacation day," he who loves father or mother [or husband or wife or brother or sister or child] more than me is not worthy of me." We must forsake all that is in this world to love God with our whole heart and our whole being. Without love for God, we are less than dust. Although God's love for us is unconditional, we recognize that He created us and placed us here on earth to serve and worship Him and no other. Let us leave darkness to enter into the light of His glory! Let us follow Him! Let us put aside our own personal agenda and place the Lord in a place of priority in our lives. For Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Following an ungodly self-centered life will give us a finite mortal life where the end result is death for all eternity. Following the Lord, a life rich in God, will give us life....everlasting life!

Following Him I remain,

In His service,

+Fr. Michael

Andrew of Crete Author of the Great Canon

Saint Andrew was from Damascus; his parents' names were George and Gregoria. He became a cleric and secretary of Theodore and Patriarch of ; from this, he is called "the Jerusalemite." He was present at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople, which was convoked in 680 during the reign of Emperor Constantine IV (668-685). He became deacon of the Great church in Constantinople, that is, the Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, then Archbishop of Crete. He reposed in 720 or 723. Beside his other sacred writings, he also composed various hymns, among which is the famous Great Canon, which is chanted during Great Lent (see the Thursday of the Fifth Week of the Fast).

Martha, mother of St. Symeon Stylites the Younger 7/4/2021

Asclepias the Wonderworker 7/4/2021

Michael Choniates, Metropolitan of Athens 7/4/2021

Wisdom of the Fathers

But mark both their faith, and their obedience. For though they were in the midst of their work (and you know how greedy a thing fishing is), when they heard His command, they delayed not, ... but "they forsook all and followed," ... Because such is the obedience which Christ seeks of us, as that we delay not even a moment of time.

St. John Chrysostom Homily 14 on , 4th Century

Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.

St. Seraphim of Sarov The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit: Chapter 3, The Little Russian Philokalia Vol. 1; Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood pg. 79, 19th century

FATHER MICHAEL REQUESTS…that we, as a faithful community keep the following individuals in our prayers: Ted Simon, John Gianakos, Maria Lambrinos, Steve Anastos, Angelo Romas, and Suzanne Vaishnani, daughter of Ted Simon. Please notify Fr. Michael if you have anyone else who should be included for special prayers. May they be under the grace and tender watch of our Lord.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO: Athena (Mavromatis) Papathomas for her very generous donation of a beautiful, very ornate tapestry table cloth for our Holy Altar Table/Tabernacle. God bless and Thank you Athena!

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2021:

All previous COVID restrictions for the Metropolis of Detroit are rescinded.

Parishes may return to complete normality.

It is a personal prerogative for anyone to wear a mask as he/she sees fit.

Office of the Metropolitan

Whether you are an Orthodox Christian, or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us. Although Holy Communion is reserved for baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Orthodox Christians, all are invited to receive the "ANTIDORON" (blessed bread) which is not a sacrament, but is a reminder of the "agape feast" that followed worship in the early Church. After the Divine Liturgy this morning, please join us in the Church Hall for fellowship and refreshments. We hope that you will return often to worship with us, to grow in Christ and in our Orthodox Faith.