February 21, Friday, March 4, 2016, Lenten Dinner, Program & Friday, March 11, 2016, Lenten Dinner, Program & Daily Lectionary Readings

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1 Morning Service - 9:00am Badarak - 10:00am Sunday School - 10:00am Sunday February 21, 2016 Fellowship is hosted by Sunday School UPCOMING EVENTS ²è²æÆÎ²Ú ØÆæàò²èàôØܺð Friday, February 19, 2016, Lenten Dinner, Program & Service Fish Dinner 5PM - 6:15PM Services 6:30PM - 7:00PM Programs -Speaker Rt. Rev. Fr. Leonard Faris The Prayer of St. Ephraim Syrian For Reservations Call to Church office: Saturday, February 27, am - 4 pm- Parish Retreat -"101 Years Later... Where are the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide leading us now..." Retreat is going to be led by V. Rev. Fr. M. Daniel Findikyan Director Zohrab Information Center, Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern) February 21, 2016 Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalian - Pastor Daily Lectionary Readings ²êîàô²Ì²ÞÜâ²Î²Ü ÀܺðòàôØܺð Luke 6: Isaiah 54:11-55:13. 2 Corinthians 6:1-7:1. Luke 15:1-32. Third Sunday of Great Lent Sunday of the Prodigal Son Անառակի կիրակի Friday, March 4, 2016, Lenten Dinner, Program & Service Fish Dinner 5PM - 6:15PM Services 6:30PM - 7:00PM Programs - Speaker - Rev. Frank Clarkson "America's Original Sin: Racism and the Fierce Urgency of Now Friday, March 11, 2016, Lenten Dinner, Program & Service Fish Dinner 5PM - 6:15PM Services 6:30PM - 7:00PM Programs, Speaker- Fr. John Delaney Year of Mercy, Pope Francis" 21 Then the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22 But the father said to his slaves, Quickly, bring out a robe the best one and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:21-24)

2 HOKEHANKISD DONATIONS Ðà ºÐ²Ü êîú²ü Üìð²îìàôÂÚàõÜܺð Hokehankisd Donations for the soul of Sarkey Tarlian from - Katherine Meranian, Dorothy Deeran, M/M Gale & Paul Cifra, M/M Scott Sahagian, M/M Charles Bazarian, M/M Mel Menasian, Lu Sirmaian, Vahan Menasian, Eva Naroian, M/M Richard Naroian REQUEST FOR PRAYERS ²ÕûÃùÇ Êݹñ³Ýù Prayers for Good health of Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian from - M/M Scott Sahagian, Katherine Meranian Prayers for the Good health of All who are ill from - M/M Scott Sahagian, Katherine Meranian, Eva Naroian Thanks to the outgoing Parish Council members for a job well done from - M/M Scott Sahagian UPCOMING HOKEHANKISDS ²è²æÆβ Ðà ºÐ²Ü Æêîܺð Sunday, March 6, 2016 for the Soul of Mary Azarian Skenian requested by - Rose Q. Azarian & Family, Melanee Naroian & Family, M/M John Mosto & Family, M/M Scott Sahagian ALTAR DONATIONS ÜíÇñ³ïáõÃÛáõÝÝ»ñ êáõñµ Êáñ³ÝÇÝ Parishioners requesting Altar Flowers and Candles for any occasion or particular Sunday should approach a member of the Parish Council for an Altar Flower or Candle Donation form. Name of the donor will be listed in the weekly Bulletin and Newsletter. Requests for the Altar Donations can also be done by calling or ing the Church. NAME DAY ²Ýí³Ý³ÏáãáõÃÛ³Ý úñ Anna Prayer List One of our most fundamental Christian responsibilities is to pray. There is truly great power in prayer. During this Divine Liturgy and throughout this next week your prayers are requested: For the spiritual growth of The Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe; For more young men to hear the Lord s call to service into the Holy Priesthood of the Armenian Church; For other young men and women also to hear God s call to serve His Church. For Unity of the Armenian Church and of all Churches. For the sick, homeless, hungry, the poor and disabled; those in mourning, lonely or depressed; those experiencing emotional, physical or spiritual difficulties; For those experiencing family, employment or financial difficulties; For the increase of love and understanding among us all; For us all to gain a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ; And especially for good health for: All our parishioners who are ill, Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian Prayer of the Week Look with mercy upon me in my doubts and perils, glorified Son of God, who alone are compassionate and will pardon, heal, save, protect, renew, restore, lift up, support, and create me again in blissful purity. Yours is the power, yours is the salvation, and yours the mercy. Nothing is impossible for you. Yours is might, exaltation, dominion and kingdom without end, true essence and selfhood, all-encompassing absolute being, goodness and light, glorified as Lord, to which nothing can be added or taken away, adored in the Holy Trinity with inexplicable mystery and given thanks forever also in the Holy Trinity in the same act of worship equally with the same honor, yesterday, today and forever. Amen.

3 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY úñí³ ²ëïáõ³Í³ßÝã³Ï³Ý ÀÝûñóí³Íù 2 Corinthians 6:2-8 See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. TODAY S GOSPEL READING ²Ûëûñí³ ²í»ï³ñ³ÝÁ Luke 15: Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. 3 So he told them this parable: 4 Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 Or what woman having ten silver coins,[a] if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. 11 Then Jesus said, There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me. So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with[c] the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, How many of my father s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands. 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. [d] 22 But the father said to his slaves, Quickly, bring out a robe the best one and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to celebrate.25 Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound. 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him! 31 Then the father[e] said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.

4 The Parish Council is requesting donations for the following: Please contact Fr. Vart Gyozalyan or Parish Council for more details if you are interested to make the donation. Church Office: A New Computer for the Church office; Weekly Wisdoms Automated External Defibrillator When you forgive, the debt doesn't just go away. You absorb the debt. That's why forgiveness is so hard. Say you lend a person one thousand dollars, but suppose that when the time comes for the loan to be repaid that person is unable to repay you. If you forgive that person of his debt, then that person no longer owes you anything. By forgiving, you forfeited the money you absorbed the debt. How is it that God is able to forgive our sins against him? He absorbed them by sending his son to suffer the penalty for our debts (sins). Christ absorbed the penalty of death so that we don't have to. When God forgave us, he said, "There's no need to repay me." (We couldn't repay God even if we tried, but now we're freed from the burden of trying.)

5 When you forgive someone, you absorb their debt. That's why forgiveness is so hard. In Luke 7, Jesus tells this parable to Simon: "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. Forgiveness is a sign of love. To forgive someone of a massive debt (in this case, five hundred denarii) is a sign of massive love. How is forgiveness a sign of love? Because if you forgive much, then you must absorb much debt (pain, suffering, loss, etc.). Our sin against God is the biggest possible debt we could have; so for God to absorb that is a sign of his endless, measureless love.

6 MAKE A DONATION TO YOUR CHURCH The Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe has developed an option for those who wish to make a donation to their church in the form of stocks, bonds, mutual funds or other securities. The church has established a brokerage account and for those individuals who wish to make such a donation. The church will benefit by the donation, and you as the donor will receive a tax deduction for your donation. It is a win win for both your church and yourself. Please contact a Parish Council for more details if you are interested. Church Office: After just a few short weeks of the new year, Stewardship is on the way to reaching its $30,000 goal. Currently, we are more than ⅓ of the way there. Thank you to those that have submitted their stewardship cards. You do not need to be a dues paying member of the Church to be a steward. Please help us reach our goal by contacting Armen Derderian, Treasurer or Charlie Bazarian, Assistant Treasurer for additional details or to ask questions. Armen can be reached at (978) or at armen@armentaxcpa.com and Charlie can be reached at (978) or at cabazarian@comcast.net.

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8 Sunday of the Prodigal Son Անառակի կիրակի The third Sunday of the period of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Lost Son according to the Parable of the Lost Son told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:15-32), the content of which is the following. There was once a man who had two sons. Upon the request of the younger one he divided his property between his two sons. After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country and he was left without a thing. In that time of trouble he remembered his father s house, regretted for his reckless living and returned to his father s home. Seeing that his

9 younger son has regretted, the father received him joyfully. Whereas the elder son complained, saying that during all those years he had worked for his father like a slave and had never disobeyed his orders, and however, he had never deserved such honor. His father answered him: My son, you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and to be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found. The elder and the younger sons are the righteous and the sinful souls, and father s receiving his lost son means that in the same way God receives the regretting sinner. The allegoric meaning of the parable is in the elder son symbolizing all those who are righteous or think that there are righteous. The parable admonishes all of them not to be self-conceited.

10 Bible Study for the month of February Lent: A Return to Paradise While the Lenten season is often characterized by solemnity and sacrifice, it is important to remember that Lent is also a joyful period of preparation. Lent provides the time for Christians to ready themselves for Easter, the celebration of Christ s resurrection and redemption of humanity. For Armenian Christians, the story of Lent starts in Genesis. The Armenian Church makes many connections between stories of Christ in the New Testament and Creation in the book of Genesis. This is why you may sometimes hear Christ called the New Adam or the New Creation. During Holy Week especially, the Fathers chose to include daily bible readings from Genesis in order to express this idea of returning to Creation as outlined in Genesis, to the Paradise for which we were made. 1. Read Genesis 2:4-25. What are some of the words and images used when describing creation and the Garden of Eden? What emotions do they evoke in you? 2. If you were to describe Paradise, what would it look like? Would it be similar or different from the Paradise described in Genesis? Explain. In addition to being a period of time for introspection and selfimprovement through prayer, fasting, and charity, Lent is also a time to embody the ideals of Paradise and the harmonious union between God, Humanity, and Creation. Therefore, many Lenten traditions we know of today were made with Paradise in mind. For example, some scholars lend our vegan fasting habits to the idea that God specifically made animals to be cared for, not consumed. As you think about the connection between Lent and Paradise, consider the hymn sung during Badarak on the First Sunday of Lent: The Word, of the essence of the Father and co-existent with the Holy Spirit, joined his own image with our earthly nature and adorned it with glory and placed it in the garden of delight. Therein man joyfully exulted in gladness without grief, for he beheld God always coming down in the garden, and his soul was impressed by the radiance of the divine light. Therefore pray for us, Mary Mother-of-God, to your only-begotten Son that he may please to grant unto us, as unto the wrongdoer, to inherit again the glory of the paradise. 4. In the above hymn, what themes stand out to you? Could they be considered descriptive of paradise? 5. Adam and Eve had the luxury of having God always coming down in the garden. Does this intimacy with God seem possible to you? Why or why not? Lent is a time to improve your personal spiritual health. Challenge yourself to go even further this Lenten season by creating communityfocused habits that will bring God s Paradise to Earth. Support environmental and social work in your neighborhood. Commit to attending church more frequently. Ask your family to try fasting from meat and dairy, even if it is for a few days a week. Seek grace, love, and fairness in all your relationships. In closing, reflect on the following passages: Joel 2:12-14 and Romans 12:1-2 Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern) Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries February 2016