1280 Boston Road, Bradford, MA Daily Lectionary Readings

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1 Morning Service Առավոտեան Ժամերգություն 9 am Divine Liturgy Badarak- Սուրբ Պատարագ - 10:00 am Sunday school- Կիրակնօրեա Դպրոց 10:15 AM This Sunday Deacon Varoujan Hachikian will share a reflection on the Sunday of Judge. UPCOMING EVENTS Առաջիկա Միջոցառումներ FRIDAY, March 9, "ANCHORED IN HOPE" LENTEN dinner, services & SPEAKER: VERY REV. FR. MESROP PARSAMYAN, DIRECTOR OF MINISTRIES OF THE ARMENIAN DIOCESE OF EASTERN AMERICA~ $15 TWO SLICES OF PIZZA, SALAD, DESSERT & DRINK ~ $7 DINNER 5-6:15 PM, SERVICES 6:30-7 PM, PROGRAMS 7 PM, RESERVATIONS ONLY CALL WITH YOUR MEAL CHOICE Wednesday, March 14, am Morning Service. As we enter the Holy season of the great lent, every Wednesday from February 14 March 28, we are going to conduct morning service/առավոտեան Ժամերգություն: We will not have Morning Hour Service only on Wednesday, March 7, Sunday, March 18, 2018 after the Divine Liturgy Jody Baronian Picone from DCF & Pam Newcombe, Foster Care Recruitment Ambassador will speak about foster care and the need our community has for children of abuse and or neglect. You will Learn more about Foster Care and the current need by attending an information session. Saturday, April 14, 2018 The Women's Guild of Hye Pointe will be hosting Saintly Women's Day. Program starts at 10AM. Donation $35. Please reserve by contacting Co-Chairs Sylvia Tavitian or Barbara Arthur Sunday, March 11, 2018 Կիրակի, Մարտ 11, 2018 THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH AT HYE POINTE ՀԱՅ ՓՕԻՆԹ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆՅԱՑ ԱՌԱՔԵԼԱԿԱՆ ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻ Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan - Pastor 1280 Boston Road, Bradford, MA Daily Lectionary Readings Աստվածաշնչական Ընթերցումներ Isaiah 65:8-25, Philippians 3:1-4:9, Luke 17:20-18:14 Fifth Sunday of Great Lent Sunday of the Judge - Դատավորի Կիրակի Cell phone reminder: Please turn off your cell phones prior to entering the Church, out of respect for the Divine Liturgy, the sanctity of the Sanctuary and your fellow worshiping parishioners. Thank you for your cooperation! Hokehankist Հոկեհանգիստներ For the souls of Vartan Ellian, Oghaper Ellian, Angelo Vecchio, Maria Vecchio requested by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Maksian and Family. For the souls of Nuris Kucukistipanoglu, Mari Kucukistipanoglu, Humayak Degirmenci, Hayguhi Degirmenci, Sarkis Degirmenci (2 yrs), Vahi Degirmenci requested by Agop & Madlen Arslanoglu, Iskender, Sinan, Hera, Alex, Jonathan Arslanian, Rose Stepian, Avedis & Osanna Kucukistipanoglu

2 TODAY S GOSPEL READING Այսօրվա Ավետարանը Luke 17:20-18:14 20 Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, Look, here it is! or There it is! For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you. 22 Then he said to the disciples, The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, Look there! or Look here! Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them 30 it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise, anyone in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot s wife. 33 Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left. 37 Then they asked him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. REQUEST FOR PRAYERS Աղօթքի Խնդրանք With loving prayers & good wishes for good health to Esther Tanoian, Margaret Bedrosian & for all who are ill from Lu Sirmaian Prayers & get well wishes for Esther Tanoian & for all who are ill from Bea Ohanian, Eva Naroian, Barbara Naroian, M/M John Mosto, M/M Scott Sahagian Best wishes to our newly elected Parish Councile, Nominating, Auditing Committee members from M/M John Mosto, Emmanuel Baghdayan, Annette DerMinasian, M/M Scott Sahagian Բարի Նպատակ Paree Nebadag from M/M Scott Sahagian Prayer 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 or in recovery Donations for Hokehankist Հոգեհանգիստյան Նվիրատվություններ For the Soul of Karlen Gevorgyan from Laura Gevorgyan, M/M Hovik & Taguhi Avetisyan, Paul & Gale Cifra, Mike & Sona Naroian, Lu Sirmaian, Katherine Meranian, Bea Ohanian, M/M John Mosto, Emmanuel Baghdayan, Annette DerMinasian, M/M Mel Menasian, M/M Charles Bazarian, M/M Scott Sahagian For the soul of Sarkis Almoyan from M/M Scott Sahagian For the Souls of Krikor Hachikian (12 years) & Jilda Hachikian (2 years) from - M/M Scott Sahagian

3 During the period of Great Lent, the church offers Services reflective of this penitential season. They are part of the Armenian Church s cycle of seven daily hours of worship. The Morning Hour In the service of the Moring Hour Aravodyan Zahm the Church thanks God for the new day and, as Sun warms and nourishes the Earth, we ask God to bless and protect us during the course of the coming day. The Sunrise Service is an early morning service that is unique to the Armenian Church. It seems to have developed around the 7-8th century in those Armenian monasteries that had the custom of fusing the Night Service (Keesherayeen Zham) and the Morning Service (Aravodyan Zham) together into one composite ceremony that began in the middle of night and ended before dawn. St. Nersess Shnorhali (d. 1173) vastly reformed the service, adding new hymns and prayers, and probably melodies as well. It will be performed every Sunday during the Great Lent after the Divine Liturgy. It reminds us that God is the giver of the morning light and He is the Light of our Salvation. The Peace Hour and Rest Hour Services -These services are performed on Fridays during the Great Lent. Originally the Peace Hour is one of two compline services of the Armenian Church intended to be offered late at night. The service features abundant Psalmody, beloved and stirring hymns, as well as prayers for a peaceful night and protection against evil and misfortune. This services contains the prayers of St. St. Nersess Shnorhali ( the Graceful). 18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, Grant me justice against my opponent. 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming. 6 And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income. 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.

4 Holy Communion In the Armenian Church Holy Communion is distributed in the following manner. The communicant stands before the priest, makes the sign of the cross and says: Megha Asdoodzo, "I have sinned against God." The priest then places a small particle of our Lord's Body and Blood -- the bread having been dipped into the wine -- directly into the mouth of the communicant. The communicant again makes the sign of the Cross and steps aside for others to approach the blessed sacrament. After all have received Holy Communion, using the chalice to imprint the sign of the Cross over the communicants, the priest imparts the blessing of Psalm 28:9 : "Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and lift them up from henceforth until eternity". Family Life and Cultural Center Building the Legacy If you would like to donate to our Building Fund, you may send your donation, made payable to: "The Armenian Church at Hye Pointe Building Fund", PO Box 8069, Bradford, MA Distribution of Mas in the armenian ChurCh taking Mas The Person giving Should say; Մաս եւ բաժին եղիցի քեզ ի Սուրբ Պատարագիս Mas yev pajin yeghitzi kez ee Sourp Badarakis May this be to you a share and a portion from the Divine Liturgy. The Person receiving should say; Բաժին իմ Աստուած յաւիտեան Pajin im Asdvadz Havidian God is my portion for ever 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:

5 granted by baptism (see Galatians 3:27). Is that reason enough to celebrate and eat at the Table provided by the Father, who sent His only Son to heal the world of sin and lead us back to the Garden? So arrive on time! Don t be late for the party! Let s celebrate what s been done for us out of the Father s inexhaustible love. We have been lost and now we are found! We were dead and have been made alive! The parable leaves us with a question that forces us to look at ourselves, individually and as a parish community. The older brother in the parable refused to celebrate, refused the invitation of his father, claiming his father never threw this kind of celebration for him. The father simply tells the son that everything he owns is also his, but there is a time to celebrate: when someone who has been lost is found, when someone who was dead is now alive. The younger son wasn t living his faith the way he should, but eventually returned home. But how are we like the older son? What does it say about us if we are not celebrating the way we should? By Dn. Eric Vozzy Weekly Wisdom The Just Judge Do we ever stop and consider why the Gospel Book rests in the center of the altar? Think of the area where we worship as a courtroom, which is how Armenians designed and imagined it. On the elevated platform (բեմ) is the altar bench, upon which the Judge sits at the center. The Gospel is not a message, but the Person of Jesus Christ, by whom we live and are judged. We are His Altar, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and so the Judge, Jesus Christ, should stand at the very center of our lives. According to modern understanding, a judge is someone who punishes criminals or releases the innocent. But the role of a judge in the ancient and Armenian sense is much different, in which meting out punishment was just one aspect. A judge acted as an arbiter for family issues and individual problems. A judge was someone who provided clarity and solutions to questions that seemed to be without resolution. They were looked upon as rulers rather than punishers. Perhaps this helps us understand why we refer to Jesus as Judge. The courtroom, then, is not a punitive scene, and Jesus as our holy Judge rules our lives as Healer rather than punisher. With that in mind, as we approach the bench, either from the դաս / ատեան or from the holy altar, what case do we persistently plead before our Judge? In its simplest form, it is the same prayer from the publican that we read in Luke s Gospel immediately following the parable of the Unjust Judge: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13). We stand before the Gospel, Jesus Christ

6 Himself, the source of life from which, beginning with Adam and Eve, we cut ourselves off, producing sin and corruption. This voluntary movement away from God manifests itself in insecurities, sickness, addictions, shame, worry, jealousy, gossip, lust, and anger. We leave Badarak and go throughout our week unchanged, distanced even further from God. We ignore our neighbor when Jesus tells us to be the Good Samaritan. We place ourselves at the center of our lives, instead of God, where He rightfully belongs. We reimagine God and the Church in our own image, according to the trends of culture or our own selfish desires. And so we repeat over and over, Der voghormya, Der voghormya, Der voghormya. Only the Gospel, Jesus Christ, the true Judge, forgives and brings us back to health, makes us whole, shares His divine life with us, His Body and Blood, and makes us like Him. To the bench we bring our pain, wounds, and distractions and cast ourselves on the mercies of the Just Judge. That is true penance and it is exactly the kind of faith for which God searches this earth. In contrast with the unjust judge, St. Gregory of Narek voices our Judge as compassionate: In everything and toward everything you are upright, O God. You judge justly and weigh fairly. You measure truly and dispense blessings. You act with goodness and uphold steadfastness. You seek clarity and embrace enlightenment. You admonish with experience and examine with forbearance. You are without guile and arrogance, but in all things show gentleness, tranquility and compassion. (Prayer 64a) By Dn. Eric Vozzy 2018 STEWARDSHIP The Joy of the Generosity is on the way to reaching its $50,000 goal. You do not need to be a dues paying member of the Church to be a steward. For the benefit of our Church, please help us reach our end. Please see one of our Stewardship Committee members Armen Derderian, Treasurer or Charlie Bazarian, Linda Doherty or Marilyn Shahian for additional details or to ask questions. You can reached them 1. Armen at (978) or at armen@armentaxcpa.com 2. Charlie can be reached at (978) or at cabazarian@comcast.net. 3. Marilyn Shahian - marilynshahian@aol.com 4. Linda Doherty linda.ld.doherty@siemenshealthineers.com or (603) Please be a part of our goal! ALTAR DONATIONS Նվիրատվություններ Սուրբ Խորանին Parishioners requesting Altar Flowers and Candles for any occasion or Sunday should approach a member of the Parish Council for an Altar Flower or Candle Donation form. For Altar Flowers please contact Alice Kasparian at Alicehaverhill@aol.com. 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.

7 Sunday of Steward Sunday of the Judge The fifth Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Judge. The message of the day teaches us with the parable of the widow and the Judge. This parable comes to us in the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 18:1-8). The parable tells the story of a widow who repeatedly came to a judge, who neither feared God nor respected man, and pled for her rights. For a long period of time the judge refused to act, but in the end, he fulfilled her request, to put an end to her continuous appeals. Otherwise, he feared that she would continue to return indefinitely. After telling this parable, the Lord assures everyone, that if a man as corrupt and unfair as this judge decided in favor of the widow, then God surely would judge in favor of his own people and grant the requests of all those who submit to Him through prayer. This parable exhorts us to always and continually pray, as prayer symbolizes the soul s eternal striving and thirst for God. The parable also contains an appeal from Christ. After telling the parable, Christ says: But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes? In His words, Jesus gives a reference to the Second Coming, and sadness and anguish are felt in the Lord s remark. It is truly painful for the Savior that many people may be subject to just, yet cruel judgment, instead of becoming the inheritors of the Kingdom of God.

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9 Applications for Diocesan scholarships are now available online. The application deadline for the academic year is May 20, Each year the Diocese awards scholarships to promising youth who are headed to college. The Diocese seeks students who are active in their local parishes and have assumed leadership roles in their communities. To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled in four-year undergraduate programs. For information, contact Maria Barsoumian at (212)

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