The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Tenth Sunday of Luke The Consecration of the Church of the Holy Resurrection in Jerusalem Sunday, December 8, 2019 Tone 8; Eothinon 3 Apolytikion for the Resurrection (Tone 8) From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee. Apolytikion for our Patron, Michael the Archangel (Tone 2) O ye foremost of the heavenly hosts, we beseech thee, though we are unworthy, pray that we may be encompassed with a shadow of thine unearthly glory; preserving us who kneel and cry endlessly: Deliver us from oppression since ye are the prince of the highest powers. Kontakion for the Preparation of Christ’s Nativity (Tone 3) On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to God the Word ineffably, Who was before all the ages. Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing the gladsome tidings; with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him Who is willing to be gazed on as a young Child Who before the ages is God. Daily Readings THE EPISTLE (for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost) Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them. God is known in Judah; His Name is great in Israel. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians (4:1-7) Brethren, I, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, Who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. THE GOSPEL (for the Tenth Sunday of Luke) The Reading of the Holy Gospel is according to St. Luke (13:10-17) At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrite! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As Jesus said this, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him. The Synaxarion On December 8 in the Holy Orthodox Church we prepare to celebrate the Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna, and we commemorate our righteous Father Patapios of Thebes in Egypt. Verses Having patently forsaken the earth’s corruptible pathways, Thou patterest, O Patapios, where the feet of the meek do patter. On the eighth, O Patapios, thou troddest green pasture. Patapios abhorred the vanity of this world and withdrew into the wilderness of Egypt. There he devoted himself to a life of asceticism, cleansing his heart of all earthly desires and thoughts for the sake of God’s love. However, when his virtues became known among the people, they came to him for solace in their sufferings. Fearing the praise of men, which darkens the minds of men and separates them from God, Patapios fled this wilderness to Constantinople, thinking he could hide himself more easily in a big city; but a light cannot be hidden. A child, blind from birth, was led by God’s providence to Patapios. He besought the saint to pray to God that he be given his sight to look upon God’s creation and praise Him all the more. Patapios, having compassion on the suffering child, prayed to God, and the child’s sight was restored. This miracle revealed God’s chosen one, and people rushed to him for healing, comfort and instruction. Patapios performed many other miracles, all through prayer in the name of Christ and by the sign of the Cross. In great old age, he peacefully entered the Heavenly Kingdom in the seventh century. On this day, we also commemorate Sophronios, bishop of Cyprus; Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Crispos, Caesar and Epaphroditos of the Seventy; and Martyr Parthenios of Chios. By their intercessions, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen. A Note Regarding Holy Communion Since we understand Communion to mean that we have all things in common, sharing an identical Faith, only those who are members of the Orthodox Church and who have prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and recent Confession may participate in Holy Communion. (We invite all, however, to partake of the blessed bread which is distributed at the dismissal.) Please see the Pastor for inquiries on how to become a member. OFFERINGS Holy Bread and Wheat* are also being offered by Salim El-Darzi, Maya and Marwan for the four-year memorial of Laila El-Darzi (+8 December, 2015), beloved wife and mother. Memory eternal. Special offerings and requests for prayer are being made . for Deacon Andrew Andrews being ordained to the Holy Priesthood today at St. Nicholas Cathedral (Los Angeles). AXIOS! for “Aunt Mae Salem” (+3 December, 2019) of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, the mother of Father John Salem (Pastor of St. Elijah Church; Oklahoma City), and Mother Melania of Holy Assumption Monastery (Calistoga, California); beloved to the countless Antiochian Village staff she welcomed in her home and dining room table. Memory eternal. (with love by Charmaine Darmour) for the speedy recovery and continued health of Samir Boutari. by Ousama F. Zabaneh for the newly-departed servant of God and mother-in-law, Colette Daccache (+1 December, 2019); his beloved parents: Fouad & Rita Zabaneh; and beloved wife, Anna Zabaneh. Memory eternal. ____________________________________ * The offering of wheat (amha) for memorial services is a practice that can be traced back to the middle of the fourth century. In earlier times, bread and wine with olives, cheese or rice were offered in charity, and those who partook of them would pray, “Blessed be his/her memory.” The wheat is cooked sometimes with honey or sugar, mixed with figs, raisins, nuts and other sweets. The grain and fruit brought to the commemoration of the dead signifies that the dead will truly rise again from the grave, for both grain, which is sown in the earth, and fruit, which is laid on the earth, decays first and afterwards brings forth abundant ripe, whole fruit. The honey or sugar used with the wheat signifies that after the resurrection of the Orthodox and the righteous, there awaits a joyous and blessed life in the Heavenly Kingdom and not a bitter sorrowful one. The wheat prepared from grain expresses the faith of the living in the resurrection of the dead to a better life, just as that seed, having fallen upon the ground, although undergoing corruption yet grows to attain a better appearance. (See I Corinthians 15:35-57) LITURGICAL CALENDAR We are within the period of the Nativity Fast [Note: The Fast of the Holy Nativity is divided into two periods: 1) November 15 through December 19, the traditional fasting discipline is observed (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine and oil), except on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are allowed. It should be noted that some allow for fish on all days except Wednesdays and Fridays from November 15 to December 18; 2) December 20 through 24, traditional fasting is observed on all days except on Saturday and Sunday when wine and oil are permitted.] The Feast of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker – December 12th Commemorating the Hieromartyr Eleutherios, Bishop of Illyria The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (Ancestors) of Christ Saturday, December 14th, Great Vespers, 5 p.m. Sunday, December 15th, Orthros, 8:45 a.m., Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS December is “St. Ignatius Month” in the Antiochian Archdiocese Members of the Order of St. Ignatius are assisting in the services this month. Reading the epistle this morning is: Joe Ayoub. Serving as ushers are: Constantine Nasr, Carolyn Sadd, Bobbi Monsue and Don Meena. For more information on The Order visit their website: www.orderofstignatius.org. Christmas Toy Collection We are collecting new toys for the children of prisoners. The toys should not include guns or require batteries. We especially need sports items: soccer balls, basketballs, and games for the children. All financial contributions should be turned in no later than today, Sunday, December 8th, and all toys should be at the church by the date of our Christmas Program, next Sunday, December 15th. All toys and clothing will be distributed by the Archdiocese Prison Ministry with the assistance of our parish in Palmdale and we welcome your contributions.