SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST

Transcription

1 SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH august 10, 2014 ninth sunday of matthew The hymns of Vespers today remind us that the Transfiguration is not merely a historical event, but something which also has implications for us. Those who desire to see and hear things past understanding must ascend from earthly concerns to the height of the contemplation of the virtues. This may be achieved by directing our minds to heavenly things and by being formed anew in piety into the image of Christ. The Martyrs Archdeacon Lavrentios, Pope Sixtus, Deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus, the Soldier Romanus were citizens of Rome, and suffered in the year 258 under the emperor Valerian ( ). Holy Pope Sixtus, born at Athens, received a fine education, preached in Spain and was made bishop in Rome following the martyr s death of Holy Pope Stephen ( , commemorated on August 2). These were times when a pope occupying the Roman throne, was known to choose death for the faith. In a short while St Sixtus also was arrested and put in prison together with his deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus. When the holy archdeacon Lavrentios visited Pope Sixtus, whom they held in prison, he cried out with tears: Whither art thou gone, father? Why hast thou forsaken thine archdeacon, with whom always thou hast offered the Bloodless Sacrifice? Take thy son with thee, that I may be thy companion in having blood shed for Christ! St Sixtus answered him: I have not forsaken thee, my son. I am old and go to an easy death, but yet greater sufferings await thee. Know, that after three days upon our death thou shalt follow after me. And now go, take the church treasury and distribute it to the poor and needy Christians. St Lavrentios zealously did the bidding of the holy hierarch. Having heard, that Pope Sixtus had been taken to trial with the deacons, St Lavrentios went there so as to witness their deed, and he said to the holy bishop: Father, I have already fulfilled thy command, and distributed by hand thine treasury; forsake me not! Hearing something about treasure, soldiers put him under guard, and the other martyrs were beheaded (+6 August 258). The emperor locked up St Lavrentios in prison and ordered the chief jailer Hyppolitus to keep watch over him. In prison St Lavrentios with prayer healed the sick gathered together with him and he baptized many. Astonished by this, Hyppolitus himself believed and accepted Baptism from St Lavrentios together with all his household. Soon the archdeacon Lavrentios was again brought to the emperor and commanded 1510 audubon drive columbia, missouri, tel / fax info@saintlukecolumbia.org web:

2 at the small entrance we sing Ἀπολυτίκιον. Ἦχος πλ. δ. Ἐξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν καταδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃς τῶν παθῶν. Ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ Ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι. Ἀπολυτίκιον της εορτης. Ἦχος βαρυς. Mετεμορφώθης ἐν τῷ ὄρει Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, δείξας τοῖς Μαθηταῖς σου τὴν δόξαν σου, καθὼς ἠδυναντο. Λάμψον καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς, τὸ φῶς σου τὸ ἀΐδιον, πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, φωτοδότα δόξα σοι. Ἀπολυτίκιον του ναου. πλ. α. Λουκάν τον πανύμνητον καὶ ἅγιον ἀπόστολον, τὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας γνωστὸν συνθέτην τῶν Πράξεων τῶν Ἀποστόλων, τόν τε σεμνὸν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου Χριστοῦ ὑπομνηματιστήν, ἀξίως τιμήσωμεν ὕμνοις ὁσίοις, ὡς νοσημάτων ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ φυσικῶν ἀσθενειῶν θεραπευτήν, τὸν καθαίροντα πληγὰς τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ ἀδιαλείπτως πρεσβεύοντα ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. Κοντάκιον. Ἦχος βαρυς. Ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μετεμορφώθης, καὶ ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ Μαθηταί σου τὴν δόξαν σου, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεάσαντο, ἵνα ὅταν σε ἴδωσι σταυρούμενον, τὸ μὲν πάθος νοήσωσιν ἑκούσιον, τῷ δὲ κόσμῳ κηρύξωσιν, ὅτι σὺ ὑπάρχεις ἀληθῶς, τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα. apolytikion. Mode pl. 4. You descended from on high, O compassionate One, and condescended to be buried for three days, so that from the passions You might set us free. Our life and resurrection, O Lord, glory be to You. apolytikion of the feast. Mode GRAVE. You were transfigured upon the mountain, O Christ our God, showing to Your disciples Your glory as much as they could bear. Do also in us, sinners though we may be, shine Your everlasting light, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Giver of light. Glory to You. Apolytikion for the Church. Mode 5. The holy Apostle, the All-hymned Luke, * who is acknowledged by the Church of Christ * as the recorder of the Acts of the Apostles, * and the splendid author of the Gospel of Christ. * Let us praise with sacred hymns as a physician, * who heals the infirmities of man, * and the ailments of nature, * who cleanses spiritual wounds, and prays unceasingly for our souls. Kontakion. Mode grave. Upon the mountain were You transfigured, and Your disciples beheld Your glory as far as they were able, O Christ our God; so that when they would see You crucified they might understand that Your Passion was deliberate, and declare to the world that in truth You are the Father s radiance. Where a man s heart is, there is his treasure also. God is not accustomed to refusing a good gift to those who ask for one. Since he is good, and especially to those who are faithful to him, let us hold fast to him with all our soul, our heart, our strength, and so enjoy his light and see his glory and possess the grace of supernatural joy. St. ambrose of milan

3 THE READINGS OF THE DAY epistle reading The first letter of paul to the corinthians 3:9-17 gospel reading Matthew 14:22-34 BRETHREN, we are God s fellow workers; you are God s field, God s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder. I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each man s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God s temple and that God s Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God s temple, God will destroy him. For God s temple is holy, and that temple you are. At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying Take heart, it is I; have no fear. And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, O man of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God. And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. Let us take refuge like deer beside the fountain of waters. Let our soul thirst, as David thirsted, for the fountain. What is that fountain? Listen to David: With you is the fountain of life. Let my soul say to this fountain: When shall I come and see you face to face? For the fountain is God himself. st. ambrose of milan

4 announcements Saturday, January 25, Great Vespers, 5pm upcoming church services: August 11 and 13, Paraklesis to the Most Holy Theotokos, 5pm August 14, Vigil for the Falling Asleep of the Most Holy Theotokos, 8pm NO Great Vespers this week. dormition vigil On Thursday evening, August 14, at 8pm, we will gather in Vigil to offer praise to the All-Glorious Virgin on the commemoration of her ever memorable Falling Asleep (Dormition / Koimisis). Come as you able -- attending even part of the services is a great blessing! Services will include Great Vespers with Artoclasia, Orthros with Lamentations, and the Divine Liturgy. flower donations 1 x $100 donations are needed for the Vigil for the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, to be celebrated on August 14 at 8pm. holy chalice (αγ. ποτηριο) donations We have received all donations requested for the Holy Chalice - thank you to everyone who donated so generously! philoptochos There will be a general meeting this Tuesday, August 12 at 6pm. All are welcome. philoptochos - women s shelter During the month of August, Philoptochos will be collecting items needed at the Women s Shelter of Columbia. Most needed items include shampoo, conditioner, diapers, and gift cards. Please see the flyer in the narthex for a full list. philoptochos - gift cards The next deadline to order gift cards will be August 10. Check out the list in the narthex of available giftcards. These cards make great gifts and also are great for everyday spending. Proceeds benefit the ministries of Philoptochos. family night - save the date The next Family Night will be held on August 24 following services. Mark your calendars. Registration forms are enclosed in the bulletin. When the life-giving Word of God dwelt in human flesh, he changed it into that good thing which is distinctively his, namely, life; and by being wholly united to the flesh in a a way beyond our comprehension, he gave it the life-giving power which he has by his very nature. Therefore, the body of Christ gives life to those who receive it. Its presence in mortal men expels death and drives away corruption because it contains within itself in his entirety the Word who totally abolishes corruption. St. cyril of alexandria

5 to produce the hidden treasure. St Lavrentios answered: Give me a period of three days, and I shalt show thee this treasure. During this time the saint gathered up a crowd of the poor and the sick, who ate only because of the charity of the Church, and bringing them he explained: Here are the vessels in which is contained the treasure. And everyone, who puts their treasure in these vessels, will receive them in abundance in the Heavenly Kingdom. After this they gave St Lavrentios over to fierce tortures, urging him to worship idols. The martyr was scourged (with a fine iron flail with sharp needles), they burned his wounds with fire, and struck at him with metal switches. At the time of the martyr s suffering, the soldier Romanus suddenly cried out: St Lavrentios, I behold a bright youth, who standeth about thee healing thy wounds. Beseech thy Lord Christ not to forsake me! After this they stretched St Lavrentios on a rack and returned him to prison to Hyppolitus. Romanus brought there a waterpot with water and besought the martyr to baptize him. And immediately after the Baptism of the soldier, he was beheaded (+9 August). When they took St Lavrentios to his final torture, St Hyppolitus wanted to declare himself a Christian and die together with him, but the confessor said: Conceal for now thy confession in thy heart. After some length of time I shall summon thee, and thou shalt hear and come unto me. Weep not for me, but rather rejoice, for I go to receive a glorious crown of martyrdom. They placed him in an iron cage, under which they set an intense fire, and the flames of the fire flicked towards the body of the martyr. St Lavrentios, glancing at the governor, said: Here now, you burn only but one side of my body, turn over the other and do my whole body. Dying, he uttered: I thank Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou hast accounted me worthy to enter into Thy gates -- and with these words he gave up the spirit. St Hyppolitus took the body of the martyr by night, he wrapped it in a shroud with ointments and gave it over to the priest Justin. Over the relics of the martyr in the home of the widow Kyriake they made an all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy. All the Christians present partook of the Holy Mysteries and with honor they buried the body of the holy martyr Archdeacon Lavrentios in a cave on 10 August 258. St Hyppolitus and other Christians suffered three days after the death of St Lavrentios (13 August), as he had foretold them of this. evangelical monasticism by Abbot George Kapsanis, Gregoriou (Mt. Athos) Final Part (Read parts 1-3 online at our website) B lessed Seraphim of Sarov, the great Russian hesychast of the last [19th] century, said that if you made your peace with God, many people would come to find peace with you. Saint Seraphim was speaking from his personal experience and also from the experience of the long hesychast tradition of the Church. It s been well observed that the more those Fathers who were at peace in God withdrew into the desert, the more the crowds of people who flocked to them to seek benefit. In specific instances, monastics are called by the Lord Himself, as was the case with Kosmas Aitolos, to undertake a broader task of preaching and awakening. But it s always a call from God, never from the self. Could Saint Kosmas really have saved and enlightened the enslaved Greek people if he hadn t first been enlightened and burnished by twenty years of monastic ascesis, silence, purification and prayer? Monastics don t seek to save the world with pastoral or missionary activity, because being poor in spirit, they take the view that they re hardly able to

6 save others before they re saved themselves. They surrender themselves to God without any plans or conditions. They re always at the Lord s beck and call, ready to hear His command. The Lord of the Church calls upon the workers in His vineyard to labour in whatever way He thinks will save and benefit them. He called upon Saint Gregory Palamas to undertake the pastoral protection of the people of Thessaloniki and to put into Orthodox terminology the faith of our fathers. He called upon Saint Kosmas to go out and preach and undertake missionary journeys, while He enlightened Saint Nikodimos the Athonite to preach, without ever going out into the world, through his most theological and spiritual writings, which to this day bring so many souls to God. Other monastics have been called to bring benefit to the world through silence and perseverance, through their prayers and tears, as was the case with the Athonite Saint Leontios (Dionysiatis), who, for sixty years, never left his monastery, but remained enclosed in a dark cell. The Lord showed that He had accepted his sacrifice by giving him the gift of prophecy. After his demise, myrrh flowed from his body. But what mostly makes the blessed monastics the joy and light of the world is that they preserve the the image of God. In the unnatural situation of sin in which we live, we forget and lose the measure of what it means to be real people. Blessed monastics show us what we were like before the Fall and what deified people are like, that is the image of God. And so monastics are the hope of humankind, at least for those who are able to discern our real and more profound nature without the prejudices of transient ideologies. If people can t be glorified, and if we haven t personally met glorified people, it s difficult to hope in the possibility of overcoming our fallen state and attaining the state for which the good Lord created us, which is joyful glorification. As Saint John of the Ladder says, The angels are the light for monastics; the monastic state is the light for all humankind (Discourse XXVI). Since monastics have the grace of glorification even in this present life, they re a marker and witness to the world of the Kingdom of God. According to the holy Fathers, the Kingdom of God is the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Through glorified monks and nuns, the world knows unwittingly and sees invisibly the character and glory of the deified human person and of the coming Kingdom of God, which is not of this world. So, through monasticism, the Church retains the eschatological conscience of the Apostolic Church, keeps alive the expectation of the coming Lord and also His mystical presence among us, the fact that the Kingdom of God is within us. Remembrance of death and fertile virginity take monastics forward into the future age. As Saint Gregory the Theologian teaches, [Christ] was born from a virgin and made provision for virginity as leading us elsewhere and shortening our worldly existence or, rather, directing us from this world to the next, that is from the present to the future and he [Basil] convinced people concerning true virginity, turning them from [an appreciation] of external beauty to internal, from actions to that which cannot be seen. Monastics who are virgins in Christ transcend not only what s unnatural but even what s natural and, having reached the supranatural, they share in the sexless condition of the angels, concerning which the Lord said, For in the resurrection there will be no marrying nor giving in marriage, but they will be like the angels in heaven (Matth. 22, 30). Like the angels, monks and nuns remain virgins not in order to obtain practical benefits for the Church (missionary activity) but in order to worship God in their body and spirit (I Cor. 6, 20).

7 According to Saint Gregory of Nyssa s theology, virginity puts a limit on death, as was the case with Mary, the Mother of God. Death reigned from the time of Adam until her because what happened with her was like a stone dropping on the fruit of virginity and shattering. It is shattered in every soul, in this transient life, through virginity, and its dominion is overthrown, since it has no-one then to sting (On Virginity, xiv, 1, 25, in S.C. vol. 119, p. 426). The evangelical, eschatological spirit which monasticism preserves also protects the Church in the world from becoming secular and from engaging in sinful situations, which are in opposition to the spirit of the Gospels. Although silent and isolated in terms of locus, monastics are spiritually and mystically in the midst of the Church and, from a high pulpit, preach the claims of the Lord of All and the need for a completely Christian life. They orientate the world towards Jerusalem above and the glory of the Holy Trinity, as the universal aim of creation. This is the Apostolic teaching preached authentically, in every era, by monasticism and it requires an apostolic renunciation of everything and a life of the Cross. Like the Holy Apostles, so monastics leave everything behind, follow Christ and fulfill His word: everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. Having nothing and owning everything they share in the sufferings, deprivations, tribulations, vigils and earthly insecurity of the Holy Apostles. But, like the Holy Apostles, they are made worthy of becoming eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1, 16) and of having personal experience of the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that they can say, in apostolic fashion, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first (1 Tim. 1, 15),but also what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life- this life was revealed and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested to us ( 1 John, 1, 1-2). This vision of God s glory and Christ s sweet visitation to monastics justify all their apostolic struggles and make the monastic life real life and blessed life which they wouldn t exchange for anything, if any of them have come to know it even for a short time. Monastics radiate this grace mystically to their brothers and sisters in the world, too, so that everyone can see, can repent, can believe, can be comforted, can rejoice in the Lord and glorify the merciful God who has given such authority to people (Matth. 9, 8). Source: The late Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Blessed Grigoriou, Ευαγγελικός Μοναχισμός, no. 1, pp Published by the Holy Monastery of Blessed Grigoriou, Holy Mountain, athonite obediences In Athonite coenobitic monasteries, the obediences are changed between the first and seventh days of the year. They usually last a year or more. This custom comes from the holy fathers, because it s been passed down from Saint Basil the Great, the organizer of the coenobitic life in Pontos and Cappadocia (In his Ascetic Ordinances, he describes how true monks should conduct themselves in the monastery). The abbot and the members of the committee are responsible for assigning obediences, always in accordance with the internal rule of the monastery: Those who are called upon to serve in the Monasteries are ap-

8 pointed by the Assembly of the Supervisors, and make an obeisance to the patron saint of the Monastery and to the supervisors, as an indication of their determination to execute the duties that have been assigned to them. In the other Athonite houses [kellia and kalyves] the Elder of the brotherhood decides. In every instance, the capabilities of each monk are taken into consideration, his age, his education and so on [But this is always at the discretion of the abbot, who will often chose a perverse obedience for the spiritual benefit of the monk concerned. I know one monk who used to run a successful restaurant in London and who isn t allowed anywhere near the kitchens in his monastery. He does the book-binding. There s also a monk in another monastery who s well known for his short temper and who s been given obedience of guest-master. When Fr. Ephrem Lash, a scholar of considerable renown, was at Doheiariou, his obedience was assisting in the guest-quarters, making endless cups of coffee. WJL]. Obediences related to the administration are always given to the oldest and most suited to the task. Usually they remain in these posts for longer, because they re able to develop their functions and increase their efficiency, or because they have the necessary experience. Monks who are newer to the order and younger in age undertake the more laborious, manual tasks. The youngest are deliberately given a wide range of obediences, so that they become familiar with them and, once they ve got the experience, they become all the more useful and productive. All together, and each through his own abilities, combine to make the running of the monastery as smooth as possible. Abba Dorotheos likened the monks carrying out obediences to members of the human body, saying: Don t you see that they re all one body and each is a member of the other? Those who deal with the administration of the monastery are the head. Those who keep a watch over things and put them right are the eyes. Those who bring benefit to others by their words are the mouth. The ears are those who are obedient. The hands are those who work. The legs are the delegates and those who ve been given specific tasks. You re the head? Administer. You re an eye? Keep a watch out and see what s going on. You re a mouth? Speak and profit others. You re an ear? Obey. You re a hand? Work. You re a leg? Carry out your appointed task. Let everyone serve the body as his strength allows. A monk writing an icon. Icon writing is one type of oebediences within the cenobium. Source: Source: Hieromonk Prodromos, Αθωνικός Μελλισών, in Τα εν Αγίω Όρει διακονήματα, εργόχειρα και εργαστήρια