Holy anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church

703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529 http://www.holyanargyroi.org church@holyanargyroi.org Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz, Proistamenos
/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY
, , , . , , , , , . The heavenly powers appeared at Your tomb, and those guarding it became like dead. Mary stood at Your grave seeking Your pure body. You stripped the power of Hades, not touched by its corruption. You met the virgin woman as one who grants life. O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to You. ' , , , , , . In thee the image was preserved with exactness, O Mother; for taking up thy cross, thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to overlook the flesh, for it passeth away, but to attend to the soul since it is immortal. Wherefore, O righteous Euphrosyne, thy spirit rejoiceth with the Angels. /KONTAKION FOR TODAY , , , , , , . , , , , . O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant: despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid who in faith cry unto you: Hasten to intercede, and speed to make supplication, you who ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor you.

1st Sunday of St luke

St. Euphrosyne of Alexandria, St. Sergius of Radonezh September 25th, 2011

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15 Brethren, it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believed, and so we speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
Gospel periscope

Luke 5:1-11 At that time, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

COMMUNION PRAYERS
I believe and confess, Lord, that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is truly Your pure Body and that this is truly Your precious Blood. Therefore, I pray to You. Have mercy upon me, and forgive my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, known and unknown. And make me worthy without condemnation to partake of Your pure Mysteries for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Amen. Behold, my Maker, I approach Holy Communion. Burn me not as I partake, for You are fire which burns the unworthy, but cleanse me from every stain. Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief I confess to You: Lord, remember me in Your kingdom. Seeing the Divine Blood, have fear, O man, for it is coal that burns the unworthy. It is Gods Body that deifies and nourishes me; it deifies the spirit and nourishes the mind mystically. You have smitten me with yearning, O Christ, and with Your divine love You have changed me. Burn away my sins with spiritual fire and make me worthy to be filled with Your joy, that rejoicing in Your goodness, I may magnify Your two Comings. How shall I, who am unworthy, enter into the splendor of Your saints? If I dare to enter the bridal chamber, my clothing will accuse me, since it is not a wedding garment; and being bound up, I shall be cast out by the angels. In Your love, Lord, cleanse the vileness of my soul and save me. Loving Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not these holy Gifts be to my condemnation because of my unworthiness, but for the cleansing and sanctification of soul and body and the pledge of the future life and kingdom. It is good for me to cling to God and to place in Him the hope of my salvation. Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies. Nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief I confess to You: Lord remember me in Your kingdom.

Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
TODAY: GOYA Football game after Liturgy! Mon. Sept. 26th: AC/DC, 6pm at Fr. Marks residence (see announcement below) Oct. 1st: Great Vespers, 6pm

Philoptochos Enrollment Sunday: Please join us for fellowship, Loukoumathes, and coffee
in the church hall following liturgy on Sunday October 2nd. The Philoptochos Society is welcoming new members. All Orthodox Christians (including men) and non-Orthodox Christians (who are married to Orthodox Christians) are encouraged to join. The minimum joining fee is $16. Your enrollment supports the Philoptochos Society and our mission work. Please consider this donation. Thank you! Know someone enrolled in college? If so, check out the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (National Orthodox College Outreach) website at www.ocf.net for a list of OCF chapters throughout the U.S. Also, see Septembers edition of the Box n Spoon for college student care package form! Lets keep our college students connected to their Church! Get ready to ruuuummmble!: Today we will have our annual GOYA welcome back flag football game. We need GOYANS and their parents to participate! Well meet after coffee hour at our traditional meeting place for the game! St. Marys Family Camp: the annual Orthodox Family Camp will take the weekend of Oct. 14th. Please log onto www.stmaryscamp.com for all pertinent information.

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox 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.

Todays liturgical commemorations

1. The Venerable Euphrosyne

Euphrosyne was the daughter of Paphnutius, a wealthy and distinguished man of Alexandria. Her childless parents had besought God with prayer for the birth of a child, and they were given her. Her devout parents raised their daughter in the Christian Faith. Not wanting to enter into marriage, the young Euphrosyne hid from her father, changed into men's clothing, and presented herself to the abbot of a monastery as a eunuch of Emperor Theodosius, giving the name Smaragdus. The abbot received her, and turned her over to the spiritual father Agapitus for guidance. By her fasting and prayerful asceticism, Smaragdus quickly surpassed all the monks in that monastery. When she had completed thirty-eight years of strict asceticism, her father Paphnutius visited that monastery, and the abbot directed him to Smaragdus for prayer and counsel. Smaragdus recognized Paphnutius, but Paphnutius did not recognize Smaragdus. When the father confessed his grief for his lost daughter, Smaragdus told him not to lose hope, for he would see his daughter again in this life, and besought him to come again within three days. When Paphnutius came again, Smaragdus was on her deathbed. The dying one said to Paphnutius: ``I am Euphrosyne, your daughter; you are my father!'' For a long time, the father was unable to come to himself due to his severe shock. Then, the Blessed Euphrosyne breathed her last, and her father wept over her. After burying her, Paphnutius himself entered the monastery, and settled in the cell of his holy, reposed daughter. After ten years of asceticism, Paphnutius also entered into rest in the Lord.
2. The Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

Sergius was a great ascetic and light of the Russian Church. He was born in 1313, in Rostov, of devout parents, Cyril and Maria. After his parents' deaths, Bartholomew-for that was his baptismal name-became a monk, and founded the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in the forests of Radonezh. As a quiet and gentle servant of God, he knew only labor and prayer. Because of the purity of his heart he was made worthy of the gift of miracle-working, even resurrecting the dead in the name of Christ. The Holy Theotokos appeared to him many times. Princes and bishops came to him for advice. He blessed Prince Dimitri Donskoy, and foretold his victory in the battle for the liberation of Russia from the Tartars. He saw into the hearts of men as well as future events. His monastery was full of monks, even during his lifetime and, century after century, has been one of the most important centers of spiritual life and God's miracles. St. Sergius entered into rest in the year 1392. Following his repose, he appeared many times to various people.

Pearls from the Desert

Abba Sarmatas said, "I prefer a sinful man who knows he has sinned and repents, to a man who has not sinned and considers himself to be righteous."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

St philothei project update:

We gathered last Thursday evening to prepare the inaugural meal for our new outreach to the local Womens Shelter. Several volunteers offered their culinary skills under the watchful eye of Johnny Mangouras, and many donated grocery items and monetary gifts towards the St. Philothei Ministry. Thank you to all who participated this month, and we encourage everyone to mark their calendars for Thursday, Oct. 20th at 6pm for round two! Also, I am thrilled to announce that Laura Hamlen (aka Philothei!) has graciously volunteered to be the Chairperson for the St. Philothei Outreach efforts and will be the driving force for its continued success!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CALLING ALL LOUKOUMADES LOVERS!

Please join us as we kick off our Philoptochos Membership Drive on Sunday, Oct. 2nd with delectable Loukoumades! Please sign up and support your Philoptochos chapter!

Introducing a new

Adult Ministry
at holy anargyroi

Adult Catechism Developing Communion

Join us this Monday, sept. 26th 6:00pm @ fr. Marks residence For fellowship and study As we begin a new class:

the epistle of st james

4491 genevieve place nw Rochester mn 55901

St. Makarios of Optina on Faith and Works

Faith is the foundation of all good deeds, and without faith it is impossible to please the Lord (Heb. 11:6). She is the gift of God (cf. Mark 16:16; Matt. 28:19-20). The Holy Apostle James teaches: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works, can faith save him?... Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:14,17,26). For our salvation one needs not simply faith alone, but works also. The words of the Apostle Paul: By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified (Romans 3:20) refer to the works of the Old Testament laws and not to the new commandments of grace. But he who trusts in his own works even with faith errs. After baptism it is without fail necessary to keep God's commandments, by which the grace given at baptism is preserved and, to the measure of one's proficiency in the commandments, is increased. Having transgressed the commandments, by repentance one again acquires grace. All this acts through faith, but without faith one could not perform deeds of repentance. In every case both faith and deeds are involved. But one must not think that one's deeds merit salvation: the merits of the Savior afford us this. One must do good deeds but not place hope in them. To place hope in one's deeds is a sign of self-reliance. The Lord does not always grant us strength to perform good deeds, but rather allows the passions to be strengthened in us so that we might acknowledge our weakness and humble ourselves before God, remembering God's commandment: Whenever you do what has been commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants, for we have done that which it was our duty to do (Luke 17:10). Read in Volume One of The Philokalia the book by St. Mark the Ascetic, "On Those Who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works" (Chapters 1-7, 11-24).

Knowing that deeds are necessary for salvation and striving to perform them, one finds no strength in oneself, one is conquered by the passions, one is troubled and perplexed as to what to do. Of course, placing one's hope in God and on the prayers of those who pleased Him can help much in the work of our salvation, but becoming troubled at one's fall proceeds from spiritual pride. The evil spirits oppose our salvation: our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Fighting with such foes, one must have a strong weapon against them, and that is humility, which they cannot oppose. But in doing battle with them without humility, self-reliantly and proudly, one will always be defeated. For this reason the Lord allows us to fall so that we might humble ourselves.