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 joyful news of your resurrection was told to the women disciples of the Lord by the angel. And throwing off the ancestral curse, they boastingly told the Apostles: death has been vanquished, Christ our God is risen, bestowing great mercy on the world. , , , , , , , . . In essence being God, most compassionate Master, * You assumed human nature without transmutation. *Fulfilling the Law, of Your own will * You accepted circumcision in the flesh, * to bring an end to the shadow, and to remove the passions that cover us. * Glory to Your benevolence, O Lord; * glory to Your compassion; * glory to Your inexpressible condescension, O Word. , , , , . , , , . Your proclamation went forth into all the earth, for it accepted your word, through which you taught the dogmas befitting God, you expounded on the nature of all that is, and you arranged the morals of society. A royal priesthood! Devout father Basil, intercede with Christ our God, to grant us His great mercy. /KONTAKION FOR TODAY , , , , , . Now the Lord of all that is * does undergo circumcision,* in His goodness cutting off * the sins and failings of mortals. * He this day does give salvation * unto the whole world; * and the hierarch and daystar of the Creator, * now rejoices in the highest, * Basil the wise and * divine initiate of Christ.

Circumcision in the Flesh of Jesus Christ, St. Basil the Great

January 1, 2012

TODAYS SCRIPTURE READINGS

EPISTLE READING

St. Pauls Letter to the Colossians 2:8-12 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
GOSPEL READING

Luke 2:20-21, 4-52

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

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 mysteries to your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief 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 nota 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 mysteries to your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief confess to You: Lord, remember me in Your kingdom.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Today: Please join us for the Vasilopita Cutting celebration after Liturgy! Mon. Jan. 2nd: Office Closed Tues. Jan. 3rd: Philoptochos Meeting, 6pm library Thurs. Jan. 5th: Forefeast of Theophany, Royal Hours/Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil/Blessing of the Waters 8:30am **Strict Fast Day** Fri. Jan. 6th: Holy Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ-Orthros/Divine Liturgy/Great Blessing of Waters, 8:30am **No Fasting** Sat. Jan. 7th: Parish Ethnic Potluck, 7pm **No Vespers Service the month of January**
Parish Ethnic Pot Luck: our 2nd annual Parish Pot Luck highlighting and celebrating our rich and diverse cultural heritage will be held Saturday, Jan. 7th @ 7pm in the Fellowship Hall. Save the Date! Everyone will receive a mailing with more details in the next few days. Building Fund Update: Checking account balance is $76,964.90 as of December 15th. New Mortgage Balance is $615,000. Interest rate is 4.6%. Monthly payments are roughly $2400 per month. January 2nd a Principal Payment of roughly $50,000 will be made to the loan balance. This will satisfy our repayment obligations for the 2012 year. Our new loan requires us to make a minimum of $50,000 per year principle payment. We of course also have to pay monthly interest payments.

Inclement Weather & Church Closing: We are all too aware that in Minnesota we receive a wide variety of weather! If it is decided that services or events will need to be cancelled due to bad weather the following protocol will be immediately implemented: An announcement will appear on KTTCs Storm Center and Closing System.
An email will be sent to the parishioners who have registered their email w/ the office.

An announcement will be posted on the parishs Facebook page.

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOrthodox 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 CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST The eighth day following His birth, the Divine Child was presented in the Temple and circumcised according to the Law existing in Israel since the time of Abraham. On this occasion, He was given the name Jesus, which the Archangel Gabriel announced to the All-Holy Virgin Mary. The Old Testament circumcision was the proto-type of the New Testament baptism. The circumcision of our Lord shows that He received upon Himself the true body of man and not just seemingly, as was later taught of Him by heretics. Our Lord was also circumcised because He wanted to fulfill the entire Law which He Himself gave through the prophets and forefathers. In fulfilling the written Law, He replaced it with Baptism in His Holy Church as was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul: "For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation" (Galatians 6:15). (In the cycle of the liturgical calendar of the Church, this Feast of the Lord's Circumcision has neither a Forefeast nor an Antefeast).

2. SAINT BASIL THE GREAT, ARCHBISHOP OF CAESAREA Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, Basil spent fifteen years in Athens where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and all other secular sciences of that time. His colleagues at that time were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the river Jordan along with Euvlios his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed his earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of Orthodoxy, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, a great builder and pillar of the Church of God. Basil fully deserved the title "Great." In liturgical services, he is referred to as the "bee of the Church of Christ which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics." Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him. This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times throughout the year: the First of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Epiphany of our Lord; all Sundays of the Honorable Fast [Lenten Season], except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday and on Great and Holy Saturday. St. Basil died peacefully on January 1, 379 A.D., and was translated into the Kingdom of Christ.

HISTORY OF THE CELEBRATION OF THEOPHANY

THE EVENTS of the Baptism of Jesus Christ and the appearance of the Holy Trinity, as they are recorded in the Bible, were held with reverence and admiration over the period of the years. With the end of the persecutions, the contents of these events were developed in the observance of the feast of Epiphany which is called the Feast of Lights. The origin of the observance of the celebration of the Epiphany is to be found in the activities of Gnosticism. Its fundamental principle is the idea that individual salvation comes through knowledge, gnosis, rather than through faith or works. The 6th of January was designated as the feast day of Epiphany because on that day was the birthday of Aeon, the patron god of Alexandria. The Gnostics had designated Christ as one of the Aeons in their elaborate system. In opposition to these heretics, it appears that the Orthodox Church acted to protect its followers from this falsification by defining the Theophany of the Holy Trinity, that is, the appearance of God during the Baptism of Christ. The earliest definite evidence of this celebration is given by Ammianus Marcellinus where this pagan Roman historian mentions that Julian the Apostate participated in this feastday in Vienne of Gaul. The Orthodox Church gave to this Feast its correct significance and meaning and celebrated purposely this Feast on the same date to counteract the false celebration of the Gnostics. In all probability, Epiphany was introduced to Gaul, with its Greek name, by St. Athanasius (336), coming from Alexandria. It is known that in the East the Nativity of Christ was celebrated together with Epiphany on the 6th of January, while in the West the Nativity was celebrated before Epiphany became known to them. This fact seems to account for the difference in the content of Epiphany as given by the East and the West. That is, in the East, the celebration centered in the Theophany of Christ witnessed by the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity and in connection with the Birth of Christ. The Armenians, who have preserved the ancient tradition of combining the Nativity with Epiphany, still celebrate the Nativity of Christ on the evening of January 5th and Epiphany with the Sanctification of the Waters on the 6th of January. In the Western Church, Epiphany is dedicated to the commemoration of three events: (i) the baptism of Jesus; (ii) the visit of the Wisemen to Bethlehem, and (iii) the miracle of Cana (the changing of the water into wine), by which the Western Church celebrated the manifestation of Christ to the world and His power to perform miracles. IN THE EAST, the Nativity, after being introduced from the West, was designated to be observed also on December 25th, probably by the heretic Arians in Antioch. This happened about fifty years after Epiphany was designated. In fact, St. Basil and St. Gregory had attempted to differentiate between the two celebrations by imposing the name "Theophany" on the Birth of Christ, December 25th, and keeping the name "Epiphany" for the celebration on the 6th of January. However, they were unsuccessful. In the Orthodox Church the celebration of Epiphany took on an elaborate appearance for two reasons: first, in opposition to the corresponding celebrations of the heretics and pagans; and, secondly, due to the meaning of the feast-day itself, as the worship of the true God of the Holy Trinity, the catechumens came to be baptized on this day, Seberian, Bishop of Gavalon, remarks that in the Church there was great abundance of light on this feastday because the Christians carried lighted candles.

Traditional Theophany House Blessings

When the icon corner is in order, the priest should be called so that the home can be sanctified and dedicated as the family church. The service performed by the priest to bless the new dwelling is somewhat similar to the consecration of a church in that holy water, holy oil and incense are used and a lesson from the Holy Gospel is read. All the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water and each of the four outer walls are anointed with the sign of the Cross with holy oil, a candle placed before them, and after the censing of the house, the lesson from the Holy Gospel is read [in Greek practice the service of The Small Blessing of Waters is generally done]. At the conclusion of the blessing, the inhabitants are blessed with holy water. Relatives and friends present are then blessed. Once a new dwelling has been blessed, it is not to be assumed that the priest need not be called periodically to bless the dwelling. Traditionally, houses are blessed annually on, or shortly after, the Feast of Theophany.

The Greater Blessing of Waters takes place on this feast day; the waters from this blessing are brought into the dwelling of the parishioners and are sprinkled in all rooms by the priest. The blessing of homes by these holy waters maintains the spiritual association between the family church and the parish, as well as again providing for the sharing of God's spiritual gifts. Some Orthodox Christians ask the priest to bless their dwelling at the same time when an Akathist or Molieben (prayer service) is served by the priest in the family church. Neither the annual blessing nor the blessing in conjunction with these short services are as elaborate as the blessing of the new dwelling, but because of this it should not be overlooked, for it is in this way that the grace of God is extended to individual dwellings.

Philoptochos Bake Sale

The Philoptochos Bake Sale was a big success! This year we raised $1,500! A special thank you goes to Penny Kolas who coordinated and organized the bake sale. Thank you Penny! Thank you to the women who baked and donated the pastries and cookies; because of this loving gesture, EVERY penny raised will go towards helping others in need! Thank you to the bakers: Penny Kolas, Maria Thomas, Ann Kolas, Denise Mangouras, Gina Kolas and Calli Kelly. Thank you to the women who came in to package the pastries for the sale: Penny, Ann and Gina Kolas, Chamaidi Belanger, and Terri Mettler. Also thank you to all the parishioners who ordered and encouraged their family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to order. Thank you Holy Anargyroi for supporting the mission work of your Philoptochos Society!

Sunday Fellowship Hour

It is time again time for all parishioners to volunteer for hosting Fellowship Coffee. We are asking everyone to participate by signing up on the list posted on the Bulletin Board outside the Church Office. If you sign up for a particular Sunday and need to change, please contact another parishioner to change with you. The Fellowship Coffee is a perfect time to visit with one another after Liturgy and to become better acquainted, as well as to extend a warm welcome to our visitors.

Philoptochos Annual Vasilopita Appeal

The Philoptochos will be passing a second tray TODAY in its Annual Vasilopita Appeal for Saint Basil Academy. Thank you on behalf of our Philoptochos Society and the faculty, staff and children of Saint Basil Academy. Here is a brief explanation of the Academy and the National Philotophos Societys involvement (derived from the Saint Basil Academy website. wwwsaintbasilacademy.org): Saint Basil Acedemy is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese home for children in need. It was founded in 1944 by Archbishop Athanagoras, of Blessed Memory. It is named after Saint Basil, who was the founder of many orphanages, hospitals, and homes for the elderly in 4th century Ceasarea in Asia Minor. The National Philoptochos has responded to the needs of the Academy and its resident children for over 60 years, with support of the operating budget through the Annual Vasilopita Appeal and the Sisterhood of Saint Basil for Special Needs.