St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church Fifth Sunday of Great Lent Commemoration of our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt Serving the Orthodox Christian Community of Greater Cleveland
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church 2587 West 14 th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113-4408 V. Rev Father John Ojaimi, Pastor Office: (216) 781-9020 Fax: (216) 781-9545 Cellular: (440) 665-6724 Archdeacon Yarid Sahley Subdeacon Sam Elias Subdeacon Khalil Samara Teen Advisor: Priscilla Callos www.stgeorgecleveland.com Pastor s E-Mail: frjojaimi@msn.com Parish E-Mail: office@stgeorgecleveland.com Sunday, March 21 2010 Tone 8 Eothinon 8 Fifth Sunday of Lent Commemoration of our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt On this day, we commemorate: Venerable-confessor James the New, bishop of Catania; Thomas, patriarch of Constantinople; New-martyr Michael ++++++ WELCOME The mission of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church is to serve God and the community by commitment to the Gospel s command to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ through faith, hope, and love. It is a parish of the Self Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The Orthodox Church follows the faith and practice of the apostles and disciples of Christ handed down by the ancient Christian fathers and twenty centuries of Church tradition. Genuine Christian life nurtures and stimulates our spiritual and moral development. The liturgical life of the Orthodox Church has been developing over the last 2000 years. By taking part in the mysteries of Christ s life, death and resurrection at the liturgical services, the community members are drawn to repentance and the gradual change of their inner selves. To join the community of St. George or to find out more information, please fill out the Guest Book in the Narthex. We hope this day will be spiritually rewarding for you. Fr John will be happy to answer any questions. Join us in the hall after Liturgy for our Coffee Hour and Fellowship.
Bread of Oblation is offered in memory of Emile & Zakia Jarrous and Moussa Saliba (6 months) by Bassam & Camilia Saliba and Family. Bread of Oblation is offered in beloved memory of John Simon by his children and grandchildren. Bread of Oblation is offered in beloved memory of Salameh Jeries Khourieh, Thaer Eid Bassir, Nabeel George Kiriako, and Abdel Maseeh Saleh Nemeh by Awwad Khourieh and family. Prayers for the Health & Spiritual Welfare of: Houda Abdelkarim, Melissa Aboid, Tommy Amato, Mary Assad, Naissef & Rita Courey, Ann Deeb, Emilie Easa, James Eassey, Helena Elias, Sarah Elias, Vera Elias, Norman Fadil, Peter Farage, Anne- Marie, Dave & Altair Gann, Minerva Gantose, Leo George, Peter George, Elias Ghazal, Eddie Haddad, Pauline Hanna, Ava Harb, Samia Harb, Jean Kash, Corrine Khouri, Hanadi Khouri, Wadad Khoury, Julia Kushner, Helen Lambert, Eleanor McKibben, Fadua Mina, Joyce & Marie Nader, Kaukab Nader, Virginia Nader, Mary Namy, Hassib Sabbagh, Jennie Sadallah, Christopher Fadel-Samuel, George Sarkes, Frank Sayre, John Shdeed, Alice Shiekh, Alvera Shiekh, Linda Simon, Georgine Trombetto, Asma Zaboura Candles are offered for the health, safety, and spiritual welfare of: George, Asma, Marlene, and Nicola Zaboura by Ranna Zaboura Frank Sayre by Barb Aboid Family and Friends by Hal & Louise Bouhasin Christina George by her family Tony, Olivia, Domenica, Alyana Candles are offered in beloved memory of: Wadia Ameen by his wife Mary + family Christine George by Leo George Edward Fadel by his wife Rita + family Coffee Hour Sign up and take your turn in offering a Coffee Hour. Lots of dates for 2010 are open. Pick a birthday, memorial, anniversary, or just a day that no one has sponsored.
Liturgical Guide for Sunday, March, 21, 2010 **Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great** RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE EIGHT From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee. THE EISODIKON (ENTRANCE HYMN) OF ORDINARY SUNDAYS Come, let us worship, and fall down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, Who art risen from the dead; who sing to Thee. Alleluia. RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE EIGHT From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee. APOLYTIKION OF ST. MARY OF EGYPT IN TONE EIGHT Through thee, the divine likeness was securely preserved, O mother Mary; for thou didst carry the cross and follow Christ. By example and precept thou didst teach us to ignore the body, because it is perishable, and to attend to the concerns of the undying soul. Therefore, doth thy soul rejoice with the angels. Troparion of St. George: Tone 4 As deliver of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm, champion of kings, victorious Great martyr George, intercede with Christ our God, for our souls salvation.. KONTAKION FOR THE ANNUNCIATION (AND GREAT LENT) IN TONE EIGHT To thee, the Champion Leader, do I offer thanks of victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror; but as thou that hast that power invincible, O Theotokos, thou alone can set me free: from all forms of danger free me and deliver me, that I may cry unto thee: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom. The Trisagion Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us. Dynamis! (With Strength) Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us
THE EPISTLE Make your vows to the Lord our God, and perform them. God is known in Judah; His Name is great in Israel. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews. (9:11-14) Brethren, when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), He entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? THE GOSPEL The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (10:32-45) At that time, Jesus took His twelve Disciples, and began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit upon Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him, and said to Him, Teacher, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire And Jesus said to them, What do you want Me to do for you? And they said to Him, Grant us to sit, one at Thy right hand and one at Thy left, in Thy glory. But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? And they said to Him, We are able. And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. But to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be servant of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
الر سال ة ST. BASIL LITURGY MEGALYNARION In thee rejoiceth, O full of grace, all creation: the angelic hosts, and the race of men, O hallowed Temple and super-sensual paradise, glory of Virgins, of whom God was incarnate and became a little child, even our God Who is before all the ages; for He made thy womb a throne, and thy body He made more spacious than the heavens. In thee rejoiceth, O full of grace, all creation; and it glorifieth thee. The Koinonikon Praise ye the Lord from the Heavens; praise ye Him in the highest. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Post-Communion We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit. We have found the true Faith. Worshipping the undivided Trinity; for he hath saved us. 11 35 و أ م ا ال م س یح و ھ و ق د ج اء ر ي یس ك ھ ن ة ل ل خ ی ر ات ال ع ت ید ة ف ب ال م س ك ن الا ع ظ م و الا ك م ل غ ی ر ال م ص ن وع 12 ب ی د أ ي ال ذ ي ل ی س م ن ھذ ه ال خ ل یق ة و ل ی س ب د م ت ی وس و ع ج ول ب ل ب د م ن ف س ھ د خ ل م ر ة و اح د ة إ ل ى الا ق د اس 13 ف و ج د ف د اء أ ب د ی ا. لا ن ھ إ ن ك ان د م ث یر ان و ت ی وس و ر م اد ع ج ل ة م ر ش وش ع ل ى ال م ن ج س ین ی ق د س إ ل ى ط ھ ار ة 14 ال ج س د ف ك م ب ال ح ر ي ی ك ون د م ال م س یح ال ذ ي ب ر وح أ ز ل ي ق د م ن ف س ھ الله ب لا ع ی ب ی ط ھ ر ض م اي ر ك م م ن أ ع م ال م ی ت ة ل ت خ د م وا االله ال ح ي! الانجیل 32 و ك ان وا ف ي الط ر یق ص اع د ین إ ل ى أ ور ش ل یم و ی ت ق د م ھ م ی س وع و ك ان وا ی ت ح ی ر ون. و ف یم ا ھ م ی ت ب ع ون ك ان وا 33 ی خ اف ون. ف ا خ ذ الاث ن ي ع ش ر أ ی ض ا و اب ت د أ ی ق ول ل ھ م ع م ا س ی ح د ث ل ھ : «ھ ا ن ح ن ص اع د ون إ ل ى أ ور ش ل یم و اب ن 34 الا ن س ان ی س ل م إ ل ى ر ؤ س اء ال ك ھ ن ة و ال ك ت ب ة ف ی ح ك م ون ع ل ی ھ ب ال م و ت و ی س ل م ون ھ إ ل ى الا م م ف ی ھ ز أ ون ب ھ و ی ج ل د ون ھ و ی ت ف ل ون ع ل ی ھ و ی ق ت ل ون ھ و ف ي ال ی و م الث ال ث ی ق وم». 36 41 و ت ق د م إ ل ی ھ ی ع ق وب و ی وح ن ا اب ن ا ز ب د ي ق اي ل ی ن :«ی ا م ع ل م ن ر ید أ ن ت ف ع ل ل ن ا ك ل م ا ط ل ب ن ا». ف ق ال ل ھ م ا:«م اذ ا 38 37 ت ر ید ان أ ن أ ف ع ل ل ك م ا» ف ق الا ل ھ :«أ ع ط ن ا أ ن ن ج ل س و اح د ع ن ی م ین ك و الا خ ر ع ن ی س ار ك ف ي م ج د ك». ف ق ال ل ھ م ا ی س وع :«ل س ت م ا ت ع ل م ان م ا ت ط ل ب ان. أ ت س ت ط یع ان أ ن ت ش ر ب ا ال ك ا س ال ت ي أ ش ر ب ھ ا أ ن ا و أ ن ت ص ط ب غ ا ب الص ب غ ة 39 ال ت ي أ ص ط بغ ب ھ ا أ ن ا» ف ق الا ل ھ : «ن س ت ط یع». ف ق ال ل ھ م ا ی س وع :«أ م ا ال ك ا س ال ت ي أ ش ر ب ھ ا أ ن ا ف ت ش ر ب ان ھ ا 40 و ب الص ب غ ة ال ت ي أ ص ط بغ ب ھ ا أ ن ا ت ص ط ب غ ان. و أ م ا ال ج ل وس ع ن ی م ین ي و ع ن ی س ار ي ف ل ی س ل ي أ ن أ ع ط ی ھ إ لا ل ل ذ ین أ ع د ل ھ م». 42 و ل م ا س م ع ال ع ش ر ة اب ت د أ وا ی غ ت اظ ون م ن أ ج ل ی ع ق وب و ی وح ن ا. ف د ع اھ م ی س وع و ق ال ل ھ م : «أ ن ت م ت ع ل م ون أ ن 43 ال ذ ین ی ح س ب ون ر ؤ س اء الا م م ی س ود ون ھ م و أ ن ع ظ م اء ھ م ی ت س ل ط ون ع ل ی ھ م. ف لا ی ك ون ھك ذ ا ف یك م. ب ل م ن أ ر اد 45 44 أ ن ی ص یر ف یك م ع ظ یم ا ی ك ون ل ك م خ اد م ا و م ن أ ر اد أ ن ی ص یر ف یك م أ و لا ی ك ون ل ل ج م یع ع ب د ا. لا ن اب ن الا ن س ان أ ی ض ا ل م ی ا ت ل ی خ د م ب ل ل ی خ د م و ل ی ب ذ ل ن ف س ھ ف د ی ة ع ن ك ث یر ین».
PROPER CHURCH ETIQUETTE There are certain times during the Divine Liturgy when one should refrain from entering the Church out of respect for God and the worship of His people. They are: During the Trisagion Hymn During the Epistle and Gospel readings During the Cherubic Hymn and Great Entrance During the Creed During The Anaphora ( Let us stand aright through Especially our all-holy Lady. ) During Holy Communion one should remain standing throughout the distribution of the gifts. If you have already received Holy Communion, please avail yourself of the Prayers of Thanksgiving which begin on Page 128 of the red prayer book while you wait for everyone else to receive. UPCOMING DIVINE SERVICE Monday, March 22, 2010 English Great Compline@ 7:00 pm Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Arabic Great Compline @ 7:00 pm Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Liturgy for the Annunciation @ 7:00 pm Friday, March 26, 2010 Lazarus Vespers & Canon @ 7:00 pm Saturday, March 27, 2010 Lazarus Saturday Liturgy @ 10:30 am PALM SUNDAY, March 28, 2010 Matin @ 9:30 am, Divine Liturgy @ 10:30 am Sunday, March 28, 2010 Bridegroom Service @ 7:00pm During Lent confessions will be heard before evening services though Holy Friday evening, or Sunday Morning before Liturgy starts and by appointment. Come for Confession, Start fresh.
Fifth Sunday of Lent Commemoration of our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt St. Mary, who is known as Mary of Egypt, lived in the middle of the fifth century and at the beginning of the sixth century. Her youth did not presage anything good. Mary was twelve years old when she left her home for the city of Alexandria. Being free of parental oversight, young and inexperienced, Mary was allured by a life of depravity. There was no one to stop her on the way to perdition, and there were not a few temptations. Thus, for seventeen years Mary lived in sin, until the merciful Lord turned her to repentance. It happened thus. By coincidence, Mary joined a group of pilgrims bound for the Holy Land. While sailing with the pilgrims on the ship, Mary did not cease from seducing men and sinning. On getting to Jerusalem, she joined the pilgrims who were heading for the Church of Christ's Resurrection. People were entering the church in an large throng, but Mary was stopped at the entrance by an invisible hand and could not by any efforts enter it. Here she understood that the Lord was not permitting her to enter into the holy place because of her impurity. Seized by horror and a feeling of profound repentance, she began to entreat God to forgive her sins, promising to radically correct her life. Seeing an icon of the Mother of God at the entrance of the church, Mary began to beg the Divine Mother to plead for her before God. After this, she immediately felt a clearing up in her soul and entered the church unhindered. Having poured out abundant tears at the Lord's Tomb, she went out of the church a completely different person. Mary fulfilled her promise to change her life. From Jerusalem, she withdrew into the harsh and barren Jordanian Desert, and there spent almost half a century in complete solitude, in fasting and prayer. Thus, by severe ascetic feats, Mary of Egypt completely eradicated in herself all sinful desires and made her heart a pure temple of the Holy Spirit. The Elder Zosima, who lived in the Jordanian Monastery of the Prophet John the Forerunner, was deemed worthy, by God's providence, to meet Venerable Mary in the desert, when she was already an extremely old woman. He was struck by her holiness and gift of clairvoyance. He saw her once during prayer as if raised up above the earth, and another time walking over the river Jordan, as if on dry land.
In parting with Zosima, Venerable Mary asked him to come again to the desert in a year to give her Communion. The Elder returned at the appointed time and gave Venerable Mary Communion of the Holy Mysteries. Then, when he went into the desert after another year in the hope of seeing the Saint, he did not find her among the living. The Elder buried the remains of Venerable Mary there in the desert. In this a lion helped him, who dug a hole with his claws for burying the body of the righteous one. She died in the year 521. Thus, from a great sinner, Venerable Mary became, with God's help, a very great saint and left such a striking example of repentance. Her memory is marked on the 1st of April (according to the Church calendar) and on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent. The St. George Choir will have their Second Rehearsal for the Holy Week on Thursday March 25, 2010 @ 6:30 pm When chanters chant with the tongue and also with the mind, they greatly benefit not only themselves but also those who want to hear them. To recite the psalms with melody is not done from a desire for pleasing sound, but it is a manifestation of harmony among the thoughts of the soul. And melodious reading is a sign of the well-ordered and tranquil condition of the mind. St. Athansius the Great (PG XXVII, 40) Recite the words of psalmody as your very own, that you may utter the words of your supplication with insight and with discriminating compunction, like a man who truly understands his work. St. Isaac the Syrian (Homily 54)
Holy Week and Pascha Holy Week is the most important week of the year because it brings us to the gates of God's Kingdom. Christ's voluntary sacrifice on the Cross gives us access to the very presence of God. As we remember the last days of Christ on earth, we relive the great moments of His passion through a continuous liturgical drama. The saving events of the first century once again become realities for us through the hymns, prayers and services of Holy Week. On PALM SUNDAY we welcome Christ into our lives as King. From PALM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH HOLY TUESDAY EVENING (7pm) we behold Him as the Bridegroom of the Church, One who bears a crown of thorns and other marks of suffering, yet One who prepares a paschal bridal chamber for His Bride, the Church. Our meditations on these evenings includes the 10 maidens-5 wise and 5 foolish, Joseph sold in slavery, the fig tree with no fruit, and the woman who anointed Jesus feet On HOLY WEDNESDAY (7pm) we are anointed with Holy Oil as soldiers of Christ in preparation for the commemoration of His solemn passion. On HOLY THURSDAY (5pm) we gather around the table of the Lord to celebrate the Last Supper with Him, and in the evening (7pm) we faithfully follow Him through the reading of the Twelve Gospels to the great moments of His agony in Gethsemane, His arrest, trial, mocking, scourging, march to Golgotha, crucifixion, and death on the Cross. During this service, the Cross is brought in procession to the center of the church while the hymn, Today, He who hung the earth above the heavens is hung upon a tree..., is sung. On HOLY FRIDAY, (10am) we stand in the morning at the foot of the Cross reading the Service of the Hours and keeping a vigil watch at His side; in the afternoon (3pm) we witness the descent of Christ's body from the Cross and His burial in a symbolic tomb, and in the evening (7pm) we gather with both sorrow and joy to sing the Lamentations to Him who is symbolically buried in the tomb and yet whom we perceive by faith to be immortal Life. The tomb is then carried in procession outside of the church. Late on HOLY SATURDAY, (10:30pm) we begin the celebration the glorious resurrection of Christ, the breaking of the bonds of Hades and the opening of the gates of Heaven, the dawn of the new age of salvation. This is perhaps the most powerful service of the Christian year. The service begins with the offering of the new light, Christ, to those in darkness. After processing outside, a service remembering Christ s victory of Hades is enacted using Psalm 24. We enter the Church, now bright and joyful with the hymns of the Resurrection! Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Together we celebrate the Liturgy and receive Communion in the unity of the faith of the resurrected Lord. Easter baskets with red eggs and foods that we have been abstaining from throughout the Great Lent are blessed following the service. Early in the morning, we break the fast together and have a Paschal breakfast.
Holy Week is the foremost liturgical treasure of the Orthodox Church. Through magnificent liturgical forms we are called to become part of the sacred drama of Christ's death and resurrection, to share His sufferings, to help Him carry the Cross, to witness His crucifixion, to die with Him, to follow Him in His burial, and to be lifted up to a life of newness filled with the Holy Spirit. The supreme gift we receive during Holy Week is the incarnate love of God "who did not spare his own Son but gave him up us all" (Rom. 8:39). "If God is for us, who can be against us?.. Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ?... For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future... - there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:31-39). On Sunday, the Vespers, the Agape Vespers, reminds us that the Good News the Resurrection of Christ is a universal message and is to be proclaimed to all people. OFFERINGS FOR LENT AND HOLY PASCHA Dear Father John, It would be a great joy for me (for us) to offer a donation of $ towards the following: Flowers Bread Easter Lillies Wine Oil Palms Eggs Votive Candles For the health of: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- in memory of: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Given by: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teens News Christ is in our midst! Dear Awesome SOYOans and the parents of Awesome SOYOans, You know, Pascha is such a beautiful time. Think about it: nothing can be more amazing than celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, after His death and suffering to free us from our own permanent deaths. It s the final exam, if you will, of a year of observances and celebrations in the Orthodox faith. In that way, Lent s like the crazy weeks before a final: reading, outlining, and figuring out all the big concepts we should ve learned all semester. Lent gives us the time for selfreflection, extra prayers, and cutting out the stuff we should ve been cutting out all year. Like pre-finals season, Lent is a time to get things right before we take on the Big Day. This Good Friday April 2 Teen SOYO is going to have one final cramming session before Pascha. Starting after the evening service and through the Saturday morning service, we re having an overnight retreat to keep vigil over the body of Christ, as well as clean the church in preparation for the Pascha service on Saturday night. This is such a HUGE blessing, but a HUGE responsibility; and we need everybody s help to contribute to this amazing night! Awesome SOYOans: Before the service on Good Friday, take your sleeping bags and overnight gear (don t forget your Bibles!) to the SOYO room. After church, we ll change, pick up our bags, and head into the church to start the program. Parents: Please make this event a priority!! Bring your teens to church on time. Make sure they have their stuff. If you d like to volunteer for any aspect of this cleaning, reading, chaperoning we d LOVE your help. If you have any questions, or if you can t make it (and not to be harsh, but the only valid reason to miss it is if you re out of town), please let me know. In Christ s love, Priscilla mobile: 614 570 2037 email: office@stgeorgecleveland.com
SCHOLARSHIPS ATTENTION GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS The Lebanese Syrian American Junior League will again be awarding scholarships to young men and women of Lebanese and Syrian Descent residing in the Greater Cleveland area. High school seniors should request applications from their guidance counselors. College students can request applications by contacting Scholarship Chair Antoinette Wendzicki at LSAJLscholarship@g mail.com or 330-225- 1575. All applications MUST be received by March 31st.
The Diocese of Toledo & the Midwest 63rd Annual Parish Life Conference June 30-July 4, 2010 Hilton Garden Inn Perrysburg, Ohio Hosted by the Cathedral of Saint George Please visit our official Conference site at www.midwestplc2010.org