Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George

O Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damianos, pray to God that our souls may be saved!

 

 

November 1, 2009

 

FEAST OF THE HOLY UNMERCENARY SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIANOS

 

Fifth Sunday of  St. Luke

 

 

 

 

The Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damianos and their mother St Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). Their pagan father died while they were still quite small children. Their mother raised them in Christian piety. Through her own example, and by reading holy books to them, St Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men.  Trained and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people's illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. They even treated animals. With fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. They strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Freely have you received, freely give." (Mt. 10:8). The fame of Sts Cosmas and Damianos spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians.  SS. Cosmas and Damianos are the patron Saints of the Philoptochos Society, which, like its patrons, does the works of mercy and healing to those in need.  There will be an Artoklasia following the Liturgy in honor of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damianos and to pray for the ministry of the Philoptochos Society.

 

 

OUR CLERGY

 

Rev. Fr. Dimitrios J. Antokas

Presiding Priest

frantokas@stgeorge.org

 

Rev. Fr. George Khitiri

Assistant Priest

frgeorge@stgeorge.org

 

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Despotides

Priest Emeritus

 

DIVINE SERVICES

 

 

 

Sunday, November 1, 2009  Feast of SS. Cosmas and Damianos, the Holy Unmercenaries (Fifth Sunday of St. Luke)   Orthros  8:45 a.m.   Divine Liturgy  10:00 a.m

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EPISTLE November 1, 2009

I Corinthians 12:27-31; 13:1-8

Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

 

 

 

GOSPEL November 1, 2009

Luke 16:19-31

The Lord said, "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazaros, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazaros in his bosom. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazaros to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazaros in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses, and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to them, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

 

The Root of Illness in Orthodox Theology...

In Orthodoxy, sickness is directly related to the mystery of evil, sin, and the fundamental fracture that occurred between God and man. Because of sin, the original peace and blessedness of the human condition disappeared. The reality of illness and pain was introduced into creation.  Moreover, by sin man obscured the Divine Image within himself and the longer he lived, the farther, it seemed, did he stray from that image.  This fallen condition of man was fertile ground for sickness of body and soul – and became the very reason for the birth of Christ: to offer redemption and to teach us how to restore the Divine Image in us (the purest definition of “health”). The simple fact is that at the root of physical illness is the disordered state of the soul.  Healing of the body, therefore, is best supported through means of asceticism: fasting, prayer, and the Sacraments.  Medicine has its rightful place, but true “healing” is sustained when the human person “gets right with God.”   The French Orthodox philosopher Jean-Claude Larchet sums it up this way: “For illness always calls into question the basis, the framework and the shape of our lives, including the life-patterns we have acquired, the free use of our bodily and psychological faculties, our system of values, our relations with other people, even life itself. This is because in times of illness the inevitability of death becomes a stark reality. ... Far from being an event that touches only our body, and that for a limited time, illness often forces us to assume a spiritual struggle that involves our whole being, and destiny. ...”  This Orthodox understanding of illness is a challenge.  It is difficult for us to “see” the fracture between us and God.  The rift, we think, is painless.  Yet it is that separation from the Divine Image within our heart of hearts that is at the original basis of our physical, psychological, and emotional disorders.  The more we become aware of our need for spiritual healing, the more we will be attuned to prayer and ascetical works during our illness. The rest is in the hands of God! 

 

 

 

A Prayer for Healing of Body, Mind, or Soul

 

O Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Physician of souls and bodies, who didst become man and suffered death on the cross for our salvation, and through thy tender love and compassion didst heal all manner of sickness and affliction: do thou O Lord, visit me in my suffering, and grant me grace and strength to bear this sickness with which I am afflicted, with Christian patience and submission to thy will, trusting in thy loving kindness and tender mercy. Bless, I pray thee, the means used for my recovery, and those who administer them. I know O Lord, that I justly deserve any punishment thou mayest inflict upon me, for I have so often offended thee and sinned against thee, in thought, word, and deed. There- fore, I humbly pray thee, look upon my weakness, and deal not with me after my sins, but according to the multitude of thy mercies. Have compassion on me, and let mercy and justice meet and deliver me from this sickness and suffering I am undergoing. Grant that my sickness may be the means of my true repentance and amendment of my life according to thy will, that I may spend the rest of my days in thy love and fear; that my soul, being helped by thy grace and sanctified by thy Holy Mysteries, may be prepared for its passage to the Eternal Life. And there, in the company of thy blessed Saints, may praise and glorify thee with thy Eternal Father and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.

 

 

Series on the Fathers of the Church

The final Bible Study class for this semester will be on November 12.  Following that, we begin a 4-part series on the Fathers of the Church.  The times are the same as Bible Study (Thursdays 10:30 a.m. to noon and 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)  The dates are Nov. 19, Dec. 3, 10, and 17.  The series will be given by Chrysostomos.  Join us to leanr more about the Church Fathers who, after the Holy Apostles,  are the foundation stones upon which Orthodox theology and spirituality are built.

 

His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew Continues his Apostolic Visitation....

 From the Patriarchal Address at Fordham University where he received a Doctor of Laws Degree, Honoris Causa:

“Speaking of icons when it comes to God and creation leads us to our final point. For nowhere is the sense of openness more apparent than in the beauty of Orthodox iconography and the wonder of God’s creation. In affirming sacred images, the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787) was not primarily concerned with religious art but with the presence of God in the heart, in others and in creation. For icons encourage us to seek the extraordinary in the ordinary, to be filled with the same wonder of the Genesis account, when: “God saw everything that He made and indeed, it was very good.” (Gen. 1.30-31) The Greek word for “goodness” is kalos, which implies – both etymologically and symbolically – a sense of “calling.” Icons are invitations to rise beyond trivial concerns and menial reductions. We must ask ourselves: Do we see beauty in others and in our world?   The truth is that we refuse to behold God’s Word in the oceans of our planet, in the trees of our continents, and in the animals of our earth. In so doing, we deny our own nature, which demands that we stoop low enough to hear God’s Word in creation. We fail to perceive created nature as the extended Body of Christ. Eastern Christian theologians always emphasized the cosmic proportions of divine incarnation. For them, the entire world is a prologue to St. John’s Gospel. And when the Church overlooks the broader, cosmic dimensions of God’s Word, it neglects its mission to implore God for the transformation of the whole polluted cosmos. On Easter Sunday, Orthodox Christians chant:  Now everything is filled with divine light: heaven and earth, and all things beneath the earth. So let all creation rejoice.”

 

Parish Activities (November 1)

 

BIBLE STUDY has begun again.  It meets Thursdays, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon and from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This semester’s topic is The Book of Psalms.  It is perhaps the most used book of Sacred Scripture in Orthodox prayer and worship.  Come learn about these beautiful songs and make the Psalms a greater part of your everyday prayer.

 

PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY

Today is set aside by the Greek Orthodox Church to honor the ministry of the Ladies Philoptochos Society. The Philoptochos is to a large extent the philanthropic arm of the Parish, ensuring that we do not lose sight of our mission to care for those in need.  A special tray will be passed by our Ladies Philoptochos to support the work of the charities of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.  Please give generously. Thank you for your continued support.

 

 

 

 

FIFTY PLUS   The November 11 meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. in the Founders Hall. Guest speaker is James Stavrakas who will speak on “The Federal Reserve and You as the Consumer”  Everyone is welcome!  Sunday, November 22 is our annual pre-Thanksgiving bake sale after Divine Liturgy. 

 

 

HOPE/JOY (Kids ages 4 -11)     Halloween Party hosted by GOYA.  Friday Oct. 30^th, 7pm – 9pm in the Grand Hall.  Please join us for food, fun, games, and a costume contest.  Any questions, contact George Karayianis (301-299-6838) or Tina Papagiannopoulos (301-279 -7993).  (Please note that the date for the party has changed from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30.)

 

FEED THE HUNGRY  is in need of drivers and cooks to deliver and prepare food for the local shelters   THE NEXT FEED THE HNGRY SUNDAY IS NOVEMBER 15.     Contact is Peggy Hackman * 301-340-6027 *  or email her at  hackmans@comcast.net