St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church كنيسة القديس نيقولوس النطاكية الرثوذكسية — NEWSLETTER — Week of August 1, 2021 MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, SAVE US! BLESSED DORMITION FAST! 80 de Castelnau Est, Montreal, QC, H2R 1P2 Office: 514-270-9788 — [email protected] — www.stnicholasmtl.com Pastoral Emergency & Counselling & Confession: 514-926-7875 His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York The Reverend Father Mark-Arsenios Wyatt Pastor of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church Our Parish was founded in 1899 by St Raphael of Brooklyn. We are a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America within the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East. Newsletter Designer & Editor: Fr. Mark St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church — Montreal, Canada FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR Greetings Parishioners, I hope that you are in the best of health and continue to enjoy our beautiful summer weather. August 1st we begin the Dormition Fast in preparation for the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is a rather difficult fast, only because it falls right in the middle of summer where people enjoy vacationing and BBQ’s. However, I still highly encourage you to observe it. There are also extra Services during this holy period for encouragement, and you can consult the fasting details in the chart at the end of this newsletter under: “Dormition Fast.” ** The CEDARS HOME finds a home in our Church! ** Due to the pandemic and the complicated covid laws, the Cedars Home lost access to their own kitchen facilities to offer their famous “Meals-on-Wheels” program to elderly members of our Community. Even with Montreal’s reopening, other establishments still refused to accommodate them, so we immediately offered our Church Kitchen & storage to help them out until they can once again use their own facility for this important humanitarian service. Our Montreal parishes were instrumental with the founding of the Cedars Home many years ago, and until today their board of directors is made up of prominent members of our parishes. Also some of our Priests (myself included) offer prayers at their Chapel. We are happy to assist the Cedars Home staff, who care for our elderly and offer them the support they need in a friendly environment with food they are enjoy, and who now extend that care to our elderly parishioners who still live on their own! God bless you! — TO ATTEND OUR CHURCH — • Book your place by calling the Church Office from Monday-Friday, 1st-come 1st-serve, until we run out of seats. (Booking is only required for Sunday’s) • Prepare your monetary offering before arriving to Church to be ready to deposit it into the donation box in the Narthex when you arrive — and Cell Phones OFF! • Quebec Law mandates that MASKS are to be worn when not seated, which includes entering & exiting the Church. • If you are feeling ill, please stay home until fully recovered and if you are uncomfortable with our traditional method of Holy Communion, please do not approach. Thank you! Blessed Lord’s Day & Dormition Fast! Be Orthodox on purpose! + Fr Mark “Nothing external to us can harm us, except our free choice to reject God’s work in our lives. So long as we cooperate with God and obey His teachings, we will know the love that God has for us, and will abide in that love and be perfected in that love.” — His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH THE HOLY EPISTLE (Romans 12:6-14) Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace that was given to us, let each use them accordingly: whether prophecy, let him prophesy according to the proportion of the faith; or ministry, let him give himself to the ministry; or the teacher, to the teaching; or he who exhorts, in the exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with simplicity; he who presides, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection; in honor preferring one another; in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer; communicating to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. 6 َولـ ِك ْن، ِـب َما أَنَّ ا ْلـ َم َوا ِـه َب ُـم َوزَّ َـع ٌة ِب َح َـس ِب ال ِنّ ْع َم ِة ا ْلـ َم ْو ُـهوبَـ ِة َلـنَا، ( َفـ ْلنُ َما ِر ْـس َها): َفـ َم ْن ُو ِـه َب النُّبُو َءةَ، َف ْليَتَنَبَّأْ ِب َح َـس ِب ِـم ْق َدا ِر ِاليـ َما ِن؛ 7 َو َـم ْن ُو ِـه َب ا ْل ِـخ ْد َـم َة ، ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ٍ ِ َفـ ْليَنْ َهم ْك فـي ا ْل ِـخ ْد َمـة؛ أَ ِو التَّ ْعلي َم، َفـ ِفي التَّ ْعليمِ؛ 8 أَ ِو ا ْلـ َو ْـع َظ، َفـ ِفي ا ْلـ َو ْـعظ؛ أَ ِو ا ْلـ َع َطا َء، َفـ ْليُ ْعط ِبـ َس َخاء؛ أَ ِو ا ْلـقيَا َدةَ، َفـ ْليَ ُق ْد ِبـا ْـج ِت َهاد؛ أَ ْو إِظْـ َها َر ال َرّ ْـح َمة ، ٍ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ َفـ ْليَ ْر َـح ْم ِب ُـس ُرو ٍر. 9 َوْلـتَ ُك ِن ا ْل َم َحبَّ ُة ِـبل ِريَـاء. ا ْنـ ُف ُروا ـم َن ال َشّ ِّر، َوا ْلـتَص ُقوا ِـبا ْلـ َخيْ ِر. 10 أَحبُّوا بَـ ْع ُض ُك ْم بَـ ْعضاً َم َحبَّ ًة أَ َـخ ِويَّ ًة، ُم َف ّضلي َن بَـ ْع ُض ُك ْم بَـ ْعضاً ـف ي ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ا ْلـــ َك َرا َـمــة. 11 َل َتـــتَ َكا َـــس ُلوا ـفــي ال ْـــج ِت َهاد، بَـــ ْل ُــكـو ُنـــوا ُم ْلتَ ِـهــ ِبي َن ـفــي ال ُرّوحِ، َـعــا ِـبــديـــ َن لل َرّ ِّب، 12 َفـــ ِر ـــحي َن ِـبــال َرّ َـــجاء، َـــصا ِـبــ ِريـــ َن ـفــي ال ّضي ِق، ُـمــ َوا ــظـ ِبي َن َـعــ َل ى ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ال َصّلة، 13 ُمتَ َعا ِوني َن َع َلى َس ّد َحا َجات ا ْلق ّديسي َن، ُم َدا ِومي َن َع َلى إِ َضا َفة ا ْل ُغ َربَاء. 14 بَا ِر ُكوا ا َلّذي َن يَ ْض َط ِه ُدو َن ُك ْم. بَا ِر ُكوا َول َت ْل َعنُوا ! THE HOLY GOSPEL (Matthew 9:1-8) At that time, Jesus got into a boat, crossed over and came to His own city. And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He then said to the paralytic —“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they marveled, and they glorified God, Who had given such authority to men. ِ ِ ِ ِ 9 ُث َمّ َر ــكـ َب يَـــ ُسو ُع ا ْلـــ َقا ِر َب، َو َـعــبَ َر ا ْلـــبُ َحيْ َرةَ َرا ِــجـعاً إِ َلـــى بَـــ ْل َد ِـتــه ( َــكـ ْف َر َنـــا ُـــحو َم)، 2 َفـــ َجا َءهُ بَـــ ْع ُض ُه ْم يَ ْـــحم ُلو َن َم ْـــش ُلو ًل َـمــ ْط ُروحـــاً َـعــ َلى ـفــ َرا ٍش. َف َل َمّا َرأَى يَـــ ُسو عُ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ إِيــ َما َنــ ُه ْم، َقــا َل ل ْل َم ْــش ُلو ِل: «اطْ َمئنَّ يَــا بُنَيَّ! َقــ ْد ُغــ ِف َر ْت َلــ َك َــخ َطايَــا َك» 3 َفــ َقا َل بَــ ْع ُض ا ْلــ َكتَبَة ـفـي أَ ْنــ ُفس ِه ْم: «إِ َنّ ُه يُ َج ّد ُف!» 4 َوأَ ْد َر َك يَــ ُسو ُع َـمـا يُ َف ّك ُرو َن ـفـيه ، ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ َف َسأََلــ ُه ْم: «لــ َما َذا ُت َف ّك ُرو َن ِبــال َشّ ِّر فــي ُقــ ُلو ِبــ ُك ْم؟ 5 أَيُّ ُه َما الَ ْس َـهـ ُل: أَنْ يُــ َقا َل: َقــ ْد ُغــ ِف َر ْت َلــ َك َـخـ َطايَــا َك، أَ ْم أَنْ يُــ َقا َل: ُقــ ْم َوا ْمــ ِش؟ 6 َوَلكنّي ( ُقــ ْل ُت َذلــ َك) لــ َك يْ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ِ ِ َتــ ْع َل ُموا أَنَّ لبْــ ِن ِال ْنــ َسا ِن َـعـ َلى الَ ْر ِض ُــس ْل َط َة ُغــ ْف َرا ِن ا ْل َـخـ َطايَــا». ـعـنْ َدئــذ َقــا َل ل ْل َم ْــش ُلو ِل: « ُقــمِ ا ْــحم ْل فــ َرا َــش َك، َوا ْذ َـهـ ْب إِ َلــى بَــيْ ِت َك!» 7 َفــ َقا َم، َو َذ َـهـ َب إِ َلــ ى ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ بَيْ ِته. 8 َف َل َمّا َرأَت ا ْل ُج ُمو ُع َذل َك، ا ْستَ ْوَلى َع َليْ ِهمِ ا ْل َخ ْو ُف، َو َم َجّ ُدوا الل َه ا َلّذي أَ ْع َطى النَّا َس مثْ َل َهذه ال ُسّ ْل َطة . — SYNAXARION — On August 1 in the Holy Orthodox Church, we celebrate the Procession of the honored and lifegiving Cross.