'I 1.,.! I..., Hymns ofthe Day

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1 Holy Cros~ Church Address: 123 Gilkeson Road, Pittsburgh, PA Phone: (412) Fax: (412) Web: WEEKLY BUUETIN 12/20/2015 I I..., 'I 1.,.! Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch Saint Ignatius was a disciple ofsaint John the Theologian, and a successor ofthe Apostles, and he became the second Bishop ofantioch, after Evodus. He wrote many epistles to the faithful, strengthening them in their confession, and preserving for us the teachings ofthe holy Apostles. Brought to Rome under Trajan, he was surrendered to lions to be eaten, and so finished the course of martyrdom about the year 107. The remnants ofhis bones were carefully gathered by the faithful and brought to Antioch. He is called God-bearer, as one who bare God within himselfand was aflame in heart with love for Him. Therefore, in his Epistle to the Romans (ch. 4), imploring their love not to attempt to deliver him from his longedfor martyrdom, he said, "I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found to be the pure bread of God. Hymns ofthe Day Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode Having learnedthe joyful proclamationofthe Resurrection from theangel, and havingcast off the ancestral condemnation, the women disciples ofthe Lord spake to the Apostles exultantly: Death is despoiled and Christ God is risen, granting great mercy to the world. Apolytikion for Forefeastoftbe Nativity in the First Mode o Bethlehem, rejoice; Ephratha, make thou ready; * for in her womb the Ewe-lamb doth bear the Great Shepherd, * and 10, she now urgently maketh haste to give birth to Him. * On beholding Him, the righteous God- bearing Fathers * all rejoice, and with the shepherds sing hymns in praise of*the Virgin that nursed a child.

2 Apolytikion for Sun. before Nativity in the Second Mode Greatare the achievements offaith! In the fountain offlame, as bythe water ofrest, the Three Holy Children rejoiced. And the Prophet Daniel proved a shepherd oflions as of sheep. By their prayers, 0 Christ our God, save our souls. Apolytikion for Ignatius the God-Bearer in the Fourth Mode As a sharer ofthe ways and a successor to the throne ofthe Apostles, 0 inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, 0 Hieromartyr Ignatius. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved. ApoIytikion for the Church in the First Mode Save, 0 Lord, Your people, and bless Your inheritance. Grantvictory to the faithful against the adversaries of the faith. And, protect Your people by the power of Your Cross. Seasonal Kontakion in the Third Mode On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, 0 earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; *with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God. EpisJ:le.Readi.ng Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Daniel 3.26,27. Blessed are you, 0 Lord, the God of our fathers. Verse: For you are just in all you have done. The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-10; BRETHREN, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell ofgideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths oflions, quenched ragingfire, escaped the edge ofthe sword, won strength out ofweakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead byresurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins ofsheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - ofwhom the world was not worthy wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us,that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

3 Gospel Reading Sunday before Nativity The Reading is from Matthew 1:1-25 The book ofthe Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son ofabraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father ofjacob, and Jacob the father ofjudah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father ofamminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father ofobed by Ruth, and Obed the father ofjesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father ofsolomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father ofabijah, and Abijah the father ofasa, and Asa the father ofjehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father ofjoram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father ofjotham, and Jotham the father ofahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father ofmanasseh, and Manasseh the father ofamos, and Amos the father ofjosiah, and Josiah the father ofjechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father ofshealtiel, and Shealtiel the father ofzerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father ofabiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father ofazor, and Azor the father ofzadok, and Zadok the father ofachim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar,and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthanthe father ofjacob, and Jacob the father ofjoseph the husband ofmary, ofwhom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Now the birth ofjesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child ofthe Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel ofthe Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son ofdavid, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is ofthe Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken bythe prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel ofthe Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. Welcome We warmly welcome all visitors and seekers in our midst today, trusting that your experience here will be an uplifting and enriching one. The Greek Orthodox Churches are the ancient and native Christian communities ofthe biblical world, with centers in the Holy Lands, Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor, and by extension in Greece, Cyprus and throughout the world. Like the ancient Christians, we engage the whole person, heart, mind and all senses in Divine Worship. This experience has been so powerful to seekers in the past that itwas

4 often said "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. We knew only that there God dwelt among human beings." (Russian Primary Chronicle) That communion experience ofheaven on earth and God in our midst forms the heart of all Orthodox worship. It culminates in the sharing of Holy Communion, which not only unites us with the Divine, but also expresses the deep unity in faith and life between all Orthodox believers. Since Holy Communion expresses that deep unity in belief and practice alike, it is reserved for observant Orthodox Christians. This does not mean, however, that non-orthodox are 'excluded' - rather, the Orthodox choose not to make an external display of unity when actual unity does not exist. While working to restore the full communion that did exist in antiquity, today we offer the sign ofthe blessed bread at the service's conclusion as a symbolic gift of hospitality and growing unity that is offered to all present. Ifyou would like to learn more about the Orthodox way oflife, or have any questions about worship or Holy Communion, please approach Fr. Michael or one of the clergy following services. Thank you for joining us, and again, we welcome you all. ASacred...Space The interior church is most importantly, both the background and the setting for Orthodox worship. The art and architecture are designed to contribute to the total experience of worship, which involves one's intellect, feelings, and senses. The Eucharist and the other sacramental mysteries take place in God's midst, and they bear witness to His presence and actions. Therefore, in the Orthodox tradition there is a very strong feeling that the church is the House ofgod and the place where His glory dwells. Forthis reason, all Orthodox churches are blessed, consecrated and set aside as sacred space. The whole church bears witness to God's indwelling among His people. As one old admonition says: "Let the Christian considerwellwhen he enters the church that he is entering another heaven. That same majesty ofgod which is in heaven is also in his church, and on this account the Christian must enter with reverence and awe. " -Rev. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald Ibis Week at HolLCross Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday 6:30 pm ParaklesisfBible Study Feast ofs1. Anastasia the Great Martyr 8:30am Matins 9:30am Divine Liturgy Cnristmas 'Eve! 4: 30 pm Royal Hours 6 pm Vesperal Liturgy of S1. Basil :M!ERRY C:J-fRIST:M.JtSI C:Jf1USTIS 'BO'R:N! (jl01u:fy:j{j:m.! 8:30 am Orthros 9:30 am Divine Liturgy

5 Stewardship at a Glance As of publication, we have received 196 pledge cards, for a total pledge amount of $236,153.00, making the avarage 2016 pledge thus far $1, Please submit your 2016 Pledge Card. Remember a signed pledge card is required to maintain your membership in good standing at Holy Cross each year. You can submit your pledge card on line at the church website at or pick up a pledge card at the candle stands in the church narthex. We need the support of all our parishioners. A Note from Philoptochos Thank you to the Sunday School students, teachers and parents for the making of the St. Nicholas ceramic ornaments, puppets and candy canes. All of the proceeds( $901.05) will be donated to the St. Nicholas National Shrine building campaign Philoptochos contribution. Thank you to Jonathan McClish and GOYANS for purchasing and assembling the college care packages. The college students appreciate your thoughtfulness! Elaine Sofis Philoptochos President Holy Cross Today Buy Food for Christmas Today! Philoptochos is selling frozen tiropita, pastitsio, and galatobouriko as well as fresh baked sweet bread, save yourselves some time this season! See Popi at coffee hour. GOYA's Annual Auberle Center Visit Today, the GOYAns will be visiting the Aurberle Center, giving gifts and throwing a party for the children there. We will be leaving after the Christmas Pageant and a quick lunch. New Year's Eve Gala IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY! Tickets will be on sale at coffee hour for our New Year's Eve Gala held December 31, pm 2am at the Holy Cross Community Center. There will be Dinner, Live Music, Cashbar, and Champagne Toast at Midnight. * See flier for ticket information* Questions? Call: Voula Contis / Jen Liokareas / Sophia Tambouratzis / Georgia Yamalis / Laura Zervos Coffee Hour Sponsorship Please sign up for coffee hour! Check the calendar online: click "Events", then "Coffee Hour", then scroll down to calendar, click on date to see if someone has taken it. Then holycrosspit@mail.goarch.org or call the church office to request date Memorials Sophia Spanos 40 Days