December 18, 2016 The Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ THE SUNDAY OF THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST

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1 our lady OF THE CEDARS CHURCH A MELKITE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 140 MITCHELL STREET, MANCHESTER, NH TEL # (603) FAX # (603) oloc.church@comcast.net Website: REV. THOMAS P. STEINMETZ, Pastor RT. REV. ANDRE ST. GERMAIN (retired) REV. ROGER BOUCHER - Weekend Ministry REV. THEOPHAN LEONARCZYK, Eparchial Chancellor "Enter the Church and repent... for here is the physician, not the judge. Here one is not investigated, one receives remission of sins." (St. John Chrysostom) December 18, 2016 The Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ THE SUNDAY OF THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST Parish Advisory& Finance Council: KEN MONTY (PRESIDENT), RICHARD ASHOOH, ROBERT ANDERSON, ROBIN ANDERSON, JOHN CULLEN, MARTHA DAGHER, TIM ERMATINGER, KEN KOMISAREK, MARYLOU LAZOS, PAUL MANSUR, NAJWA MOUSSOBA, JOE NEHME, MOE PARE, PAUL ST. GERMAIN, AND CHRISTELLE SLAYBE Parish Secretary: ROBIN ANDERSON Sunday School Coordinator: MARTHA DAGHER Cedars Society President: MARYLOU LAZOS N.A.M.Y. Advisor: ROBIN ANDERSON HOLY MYSTERY OF CONFESSION: Before or after any service, or by appointment; HOLY MYSTERY OF CHRISTIAN ILLUMINATION: Please contact the clergy in advance to arrange for the required baptismal instructions; HOLY MYSTERY OF CROWNING: At least six months prior to the proposed wedding, please contact the clergy to arrange for the required interview and instructions; HOLY MYSTERY OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK: Please contact the pastor at any time when this sacrament is needed; HOLY COMMUNION FOR THE SICK: Anyone too infirm to attend our services may receive Communion in the home. Please advise the clergy whenever this sacrament is needed.

2 THE ORDER OF TODAY S LITURGY The Troparion of the Resurrection (6 th Tone) Page 53 The Troparion the Holy Ancestors of Christ (2 nd Tone) Faith can accomplish great things. Through it the three holy young men rejoice in the flames as if they had been in refreshing water, and Daniel in the midst of lions is like a shepherd among his sheep. Through their intercession, O Christ God, save our souls. The Troparion of the Dormition of the Theotokos (1 st Tone): Page 16 The Kontakon of the Preparation of the Nativity of the Lord (3 rd Tone) Today the Virgin is on her way to the cave where she will give birth to the Eternal Word of God in an ineffable manner. Rejoice therefore, O universe, when you hear this news, and glorify, with the angels and the shepherds, Him who shall appear as a new child, being God from all eternity. THE PROKIMENON: BLESSED ARE YOU, O LORD, GOD OF OUR FATHERS, AND YOUR NAME IS WORTHY OF PRAISE AND GLORIOUS FOREVER! For You are just in all You have done to us, and all Your works are true and Your ways right! Today s Readings: Hebrews 11: 9-10, and Matthew 1: 1-25 LITURGY INTENTIONS Saturday. 4:30 PM: For the repose of Nabie Sahady (24 th ), Jane Ganem (5 th ), Sophie Ameen (61 st ), Florence Baroody (45 th ), Fred Attalla (33 rd ), Louise Wihby (29 th ), and George Kessop (22 nd ) Sunday, 11:00 AM: For the repose of Nassim Sleiman (1 Year Memorial), by his family For the repose of Nabil Migali, who reposed in the Lord on Dec. 6 Next Saturday (Dec. 24), 7:30 PM: For the entire parish, living and departed Next Sunday (Dec. 25) 11:00 AM: For the entire parish, living and departed

3 Can you give a Christmas gift to help support your parish? I am asking that each family prayerfully consider making a gift of $100 to the church between now and Jan. 6. If you cannot afford a gift of $100, then I ask you to give according to your means. If you can afford more than $100, then I ask you to please be more generous. When you make out your check to Our Lady of the Cedars Church please write: Parish Christmas Gift in the memo of the check. You may mail the check to the church or include it in the Sunday collection. Our goal is to raise $17,000. So far we have raised $7,300! Thank you for your generosity. Sunday School will not be held on Sunday, December 25 or January 1. Classes will resume on Sunday January 8. Christmas Carols: 7:00 PM on Christmas Eve! Get in the spirit of the season! Come to church early on Christmas Eve and join in the singing of traditional Christmas carols. The caroling will begin at 7:00 PM and conclude at 7:30 PM, when the Divine Liturgy begins. There is a second collection for flowers for Christmas this weekend. CHRISTMAS SERVICES The Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ will be commemorated with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, at 7:30 PM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, at 11:00 AM Attendance Last Week: Saturday 4:30 PM: 15 Sunday 11:00 AM: 85 Last Weekend s Collection: $ 1, The average Sunday envelope donation: $ The balance remaining on our mortgage is: $ 79, All weekday services will be held in the basement chapel SERVICES FOR THE WEEK Tues., Dec. 20 8:30 AM Orthros Wed., Dec. 21 7:00 PM Divine Liturgy chapel: For the sick of the parish Thurs., Dec. 22 8:30 AM Orthros Sat. Dec. 24 7:30 PM Divine Liturgy: The Feast of the Nativity of the Lord Sun., Dec :00 AM Divine Liturgy: The Feast of the Nativity of the Lord

4 The Sunday of the Genealogy On this day the Church commemorates all those who were well-pleasing to God from all ages, from Adam to St Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, those who are mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew 1:1-25. The holy prophets and prophetesses are also remembered today, especially the Prophet Daniel and the three holy youths. Today, as we celebrate the memorial of the Forefathers, let us the faithful raise a hymn to Christ the Redeemer, the Lord who magnifies them among all the nations, and faithfully performs extraordinary wonders, as he is mighty and powerful; and he showed forth from them a rod of power for us, pure Mary the Child of God who alone knew no man, from whom the flower, Christ, came forth, blossoming life for all and pleasure without cost and eternal life O people, let us celebrate the forefeast of the Nativity of Christ. Raising our minds on high, let us go to Bethlehem in spirit. With the eyes of the soul, let us gaze upon the Virgin as she hastens to the cave to give birth to our God, the Lord of all. When he beheld this wonder, Joseph thought he saw a mortal wrapped in swaddling clothes; but from all that came to pass, he understood it was the true God, who grants the world great mercy. Make ready, O Bethlehem! Throw open your gates, O Eden! For He who exists forever comes to be that which He was not; and He who formed all creation now takes a form, granting the world great mercy. Make ready, O cave, to receive the Mother who bears Christ within her womb. O manger, receive the Word who destroyed the sins of mankind. O shepherds, keep watch and then bear witness to the awesome wonder. O Magi, come from Persia and bring your gifts to the King. For the Lord has appeared from a Virgin Mother, yet she bowed to Him as a servant and spoke to Him within her heart saying, How were You conceived in my? How did You grow in me, O Jesus, my Savior and my God? From Vespers for the Paramony of the Nativity of the Lord

5 Theotokos She Who Bore God CHURCHES AND INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIANS of many traditions are displaying Nativity scenes this season. All of them will include an image of the Virgin Mary, although there are serious differences in how these Christians view her. Reverence for the Virgin Mary arose in the early Church in view of its growing belief that her Son, the Lord Jesus, is truly God and Man. The story of the annunciation which is in the New Testament (Lk 1:26-38) depicts Him as Son of the Most High and Son of God, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit of a woman who has not known a man. His conception in Mary s womb was a sign of His true divinity, and reverence for His mother was a way of proclaiming Him as God. By the second century thinkers like St Justin the Philosopher were describing Mary as the new Eve, in much the same way that St Paul spoke of Christ as the new Adam: Eve conceived the word of the serpent and brought disobedience and death, but the Virgin Mary conceived The Word of God in obedience, faith and joy (Dialogue with Trypho, 100). As Eve took part in Adam s sin, Mary was seen as somehow taking part in Christ s reversal of Adam s fall. Stories of Mary s Birth As the Eastern Churches continue to do today, early Christians revered oral and other written traditions as well as the Scriptures as ways in which the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us. The second-century Protoevangelium of James is one of the most revered of these non- Biblical texts. It speaks of Mary s own conception in the womb of St Ann, her birth and her presentation in the temple at Jerusalem. This work also teaches Mary s virginity before giving birth, the miraculous way in which she gave birth, and her physical virginity even after giving birth. The Protoevangelium would influence not only subsequent theology, but also the prayerlife of all believers. Our feasts of the Maternity of St Ann (Dec. 9), the Nativity of the Theotokos (Sept. 8) and her Entrance into the Temple (Nov. 21) are all based on this work. Theotokos and Aeiparthenos During the second- and third-century controversies about the divinity of Christ two terms describing the Virgin Mary came into use to support the position that Christ was fully both God and man by nature. The term Theotokos (she who bore God) had been in use in the Church of Alexandria at least from the time of the Arian controversy. They had concluded that, since Jesus Christ is true God from true God as the Council of Nicaea (325) declared, His Mother can rightly be said to have borne God in her womb. Churches in the tradition of Antioch, however, expressed doubts about adopting this title. The ensuing Council of Ephesus (431) affirmed the use of Theotokos and deposed the patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorios, who had banned its use. By identifying Mary as the Mother of God the Word, the council underscored the teaching that Christ

6 was indivisibly God and Man. Devotion to the Virgin Mary and the use of prayer for her intercession spread after this council throughout the Churches. All the historic Churches, except for the Assyrian Church of the East, refer to Mary as Theotokos while the Assyrian Church uses the title Mother of Christ our God. In the 1994 Agreed Statement between their two Churches the Pope of Rome, John Paul II, and the Catholikos of the Church of the East, Mar Dinkha IV, affirmed: We both recognize the legitimacy and rightness of these expressions of the same faith and we both respect the preference of each Church in her liturgical life and piety. The term Aeiparthenos (ever-virgin), widely used in our liturgy, was also popularized at this time, although it did not carry the same weight as Theotokos. The idea that Mary was not only a virgin when she conceived and gave birth but ever after was taught as early as the second century, notably by St. Irenaeus of Lyons, and became increasingly popular in the fourth century. St Epiphanios of Salamis in Cyprus attests to its widespread acceptance at that time, even while minimizing its importance: Now how could Joseph dare to have relations with the Virgin Mary whose holiness was so great? But even if she had sexual relations and perish that thought! what good would it do us to inquire into this? Which is the better choice, to leave the matter to God, or to insist on what is bad? (Sect 780). St John Chrysostom ( ) defended the perpetual virginity of Mary on a number of grounds, one of which was the Gospel affirmation that, after the crucifixion, from that hour that disciple took her to his own home (Jn 19:27). This seemed to imply that, after the deaths of Joseph and now Jesus, there was no one else to look after Mary and she had to be entrusted to St John. Whose Children Were They? The New Testament includes several mentions of Jesus brothers and sisters. The Gospels depict Jesus relatives as resisting His ministry during His earthly life. St Paul reports that the risen Christ appeared to James (see 1 Cor 15:7); subsequently he and other family members became active disciples, with James leading the Church in Jerusalem. The New Testament includes epistles of James and Jude, showing the esteem in which the apostolic Church held them. The Protoevangelium affirmed that Jesus brothers and sisters were Joseph s children from a previous marriage. This is the most commonly held opinion among Eastern Christians. Thus, James is often depicted in icons of the flight into Egypt as a boy walking alongside Joseph. St Jerome, the fourth-century Illyrian monk and Biblical interpreter, held that brothers and sisters was a way of saying relatives and that James and the others would have been Jesus cousins. This is the generally accepted position among Western Catholics. Many Protestants today teach that Mary was a virgin only until the birth of Christ because nothing beyond that is mentioned in the Scriptures. They might be surprised to learn that Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and other leaders of the Reformation all agreed that the Virgin Mary did not have other children. They did not deny the traditional teachings, but rejected those excessive devotions that exalted Mary at the expense of Christ. Some Anglicans and Lutherans have revived veneration of the Holy Virgin, careful that that any interpretation of the role of Mary must not obscure the unique mediation of Christ and that any consideration of Mary must be linked with the doctrines of Christ and the Church (Anglican- Roman Catholic International Consultation).

7 The Bishop s Appeal: Help us reach our goal! THE BISHOP S APPEAL: As we prepare our hearts and our homes to receive the greatest gift in human history Christ our God let us not forget our Melkite Catholic Church by which Christ comes to our families and loved ones. Please give a special end-of-year, tax-deductible gift to the Melkite Church to support all the vital works of our Church in America. REMEMBER THE MELKITE CHURCH IN YOUR WILL: Give a lasting gift for future generations of Melkites and help to ensure that our beautiful Melkite heritage continues to grow and flourish for your children s children. Simply add the following statement to your last will and testament: I hereby bequeath to the Melkite Eparchy of Newton the following sum: $. Contact Bishop Nicholas personally to inform him of your generous bequest: 3 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA Vocation View: In the Gospel, we see that Jesus was given to us as the first Christmas Gift by God the Father but it was only made available through the cooperation and collaboration of a whole series of human beings who in faith were open to His work and plan. In the epistle, we are reminded of the same thing, and told that people must work in faith without necessarily seeing the results but trusting that God s Gift will ultimately be given to all of us, and that we all become part of one another s salvation. We need priests to continue working in faith to help people receive and benefit from the great Gift. Pray for an increase of vocations. Penance Service St. Joseph s Parish, 777 West Hollis St., Nashua, NH Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2 PM. More than 15 priests will be available for confession. Come to the Lord and experience the extraordinary grace of His forgiveness! SEE WHO GOD CALLS: THOSE WHO HAVE SPENT THEIR STRENGTH IN BREAKING THE LAW, THOSE WHO ARE BURDENED WITH THEIR SINS, THOSE WHO CAN NO LONGER LIFT UP THEIR HEADS, THOSE WHO ARE FILLED WITH SHAME, THOSE WHO CAN NO LONGER SPEAK OUT. AND WHY DOES HE CALL THEM? NOT TO DEMAND AN ACCOUNTING, NOR TO HOLD COURT, BUT TO RELIEVE THEM OF THEIR PAIN, TO TAKE AWAY THEIR HEAVY BURDENS. -ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

8 Please remember to pray for the health and protection of Genevieve Allen, Olivia Aragon, Elizabeth Ashooh, Elsie Ashooh, Al Auclair, Alice Auclair, Erin Baroody, Michael Baroody, Anthony Blando, Helena Burkush, Fr. Michael Carl, Danielle Caron, Michael Cavanaugh, Meghan Connors, Sarah Cullen, Theresa Cullen, Sher Farrow, Declan Finn, Janet Drake, Julie Fregeau, Mary Fregeau, Peter Fregeau, Christine Freitas, John Gallagher, Loretto Gauvin, Bonnie Gomez, Gail Fisher, Nick Haddad, Lucille Harper, Laura Jorba, Virginia Kearney, Shirley Lanoue, Susan Latvis, Diana Lebel, Peggy Leclear, Fr. Thophan Leonarczyk, Sadie Grace McCallum, Miriam McCallum, Susan Merrill, Alfred Nasr, Afef Nasr, Blaise Notter, Steve Notter, Steven O Leary, Denis O Keefe, Ellen Osgood, Josephine Paquette, Sheila Quinn, Deborah Roberts, Adam Rubin, Fr. Andre St. Germain, Kara Salvas, Denise Sherburne, Tarrant Smith, Mary Stephen, Catherine Waldron, and Iris Angelina Velasquez. If you are visiting our church, our parish family is delighted to welcome you here! Please give us the chance to get to know you by joining us for some coffee, pastry, and conversation in the church hall following the Divine Liturgy. If you would like to know more about the Melkite Catholic Church, check out the brochure entitled Welcome to this Holy House, located on the table in the back of the church. NORTH HILLS REALTY GROUP, LLC Residential Real Estate Brokers Abraham Dagher, Realtor 814 Elm St., Suite # 302 Manchester, NH (603) Robert Stephen, Attorney at Law 582 Chestnut Street Manchester, NH phone Your Ad Here $300 per Year Check out the Mahrajan Website: Check out -new educational material is posted regularly!