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St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Publish Date: 2024-03-10
Bulletin Contents
Lastjudgement1
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St. George Greek Orthodox Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (973) 779-2626
  • Fax:
  • (973) 777-6946
  • Street Address:

  • 818 Valley Road

  • Clifton, NJ 07013


Contact Information






Services Schedule

ORTHROS/MATINS 8:30AM

DIVINE LITURGY 9:30AM


Past Bulletins


Announcements

ORTHROS BEGINS AT 8:30AM & THE DIVINE LITURGY BEGINS AT 9:30AM 

 

Website Links:  Visit the church's website at www.stgeorgeclifton.org for our online streaming links.  

To find the prayers for each service and to follow along, visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Digital Chant Stand at https://digitalchantstand.goarch.org 

 

WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR CHURCH COMMUNITY!  

We are grateful that you have joined us for prayer and worship. Please join us after the Divine Services in our Fellowship Hall for our Hospitality Hour hosted by the Makrogiannis family in memory of their deceased family member.

Memorial Services Today For:     

Anastasios Makrogiannis (Makris) – 1 year

May his memory be eternal.

Liturgical Schedule: 

Saturday, March 16th – 2nd Saturday of Souls……….........Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:30AM

Monday, March 18th – Small Compline………………………………………6:30PM

Wednesday, March 20th – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy………………………6:30PM

Friday, March 22nd – 1st Salutations to the Theotokos…………………6:30PM

Saturday, March 23rd – 3rd Saturday of Souls…………………Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:30AM

Monday, March 25th – Annunciation of the Theotokos………...Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:30AM

Wednesday, March 27th – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy…………………………………10:00AM

Friday, March 29th – 2nd Salutations to the Theotokos…………………………6:30PM

Monday, April 1st – Small Compline…………………………………………………6:30PM

Wednesday, April 3rd – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy……………………………………6:30PM

Friday, April 5th – 3rd Salutations to the Theotokos…………………………….6:30PM

Special Prayers During Church Services:

Requests for Memorial Services, Artoclasies, 40-day baby blessings, Fanouropites, etc. are welcomed. We ask that you please let the office know ahead of time so that we can include your special service in the Sunday bulletin.  

Mark Your Calendar: 

Monday, March 11th …………….Parish Council Meeting – 6:30PM

Tuesday, March 12th ……………St. George Seniors Ministry Lunch – 12:00PM

Thursday, March 14th …………..GOYA Meeting – 7:00PM

Sunday, March 17th ………….....Sunday School Bake Sale                                     Forgiveness Vespers with His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of NJ at St. George in Piscataway, NJ at 6PM

Monday, March 18th ……………Clean Monday – Lent Begins

Tuesday, March 19th ……………Daughters of Penelope Meeting 7:00PM

Thursday, March 21st …………..Greek School Independence Day Program – 4:00PM

Sunday, April 14th ………………Greek Independence Day Parade in NYC

Monday, May 5th ………………..Great & Holy Pascha

May 31, June 1 & 2 ……………..Greek Festival

Sunday Sermon:

Please note, that going forward, the sermon will be delivered right after the Gospel reading which means at about 10:00AM. The Divine Liturgy, as you know, begins at 9:30AM and this is the time when all the faithful are called to be in Church. It is an appointment with the most Holy One, will you keep it? Put your best effort forward! 

Holy Communion Line: 

We remind everyone that the Communion line is to be formed in the center aisle, and once you receive, depart to the right or to the left to return to your seat.  Sunday School children and their teachers will come up first. Infants may be brought up to the front of the line at any time. Please remain at your seat, (you may sit if you need to), and enter the center aisle once the Parish Council members indicate that it is time for people in your pew to come up. While you are waiting, you may read the prayers for before Holy Communion on page 76. Once you return to your seat read the thanksgiving prayers for after Holy Communion on page 90. This is one of the most sacred moments of the service, so please treat it accordingly, refrain from talking and be respectful and prayerful. Also, please wipe any excess lipstick from your lips before coming to the Holy Chalice and no chewing gum during services. Thank you.  

St. John Chrysostom Parish Oratorical Festival – March 17th:

This annual, national event is celebrating its 40th year! Youths are challenged to explore a deeper knowledge of our Orthodox faith, think critically about current issues affecting their lives and how our faith guides them. Participants choose from among 5 topics to write a 3–5-minute speech. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners are selected in both junior (7th–9th grade) and senior (10th–12th grade) divisions. Parish winners can advance to the district, metropolis and then national level if they qualify. Finalists receive scholarships ranging from $500 - $2000 and are also eligible to receive a St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Scholarship to Hellenic College with awards ranging from $2,500 up to $30,000 per year. Registration is FREE and can be done online at https://www.goarch.org/-/st-john-chrysostom-oratorical-festival-forms-and-registration. Help is available to participants – for further information contact Morfia Sokolic at msokolic@verizon.net. 

Sunday School Bake Sale: 

Next Sunday, 3/17, our Sunday School Classes will sponsor their annual bake sale. Parents are asked to support our sale by donating cupcakes, brownies, cakes, snacks and specialty items (no nuts, please).  Your donated baked goods can be dropped off in the downstairs hall before Church. The children will purchase their Church School snack on that day so please send your children to class with a few extra dollars. Many items will be available for fifty cents. Upon completion of the Divine Liturgy the extra items will be available for purchase by parishioners. Support from all members of the parish would be very much appreciated. Money raised will be put towards the purchase of a new portable smartboard projector. 

Stewardship Report:

We have launched the 2024 Annual Giving Stewardship Program and we invite all those who have offered an annual gift in the past to try and maintain or even increase their contribution this year. For those that have never given an annual gift, we need your help. Our community has nearly $40K in monthly expenses and the annual stewardship is the primary program that raises funds for us to meet our obligations. You can make a difference today with your participation. Please visit our website at  www.stgeorgeclifton.org to make a gift or pledge. Our community is our common spiritual home, we owe it to God, our founding families, ourselves, our children and their children to sustain, maintain and grow it. We understand that philanthropy is something very personal. Each person is invited to give according to their ability. If you are able, please consider joining one of the following giving levels this year: ($5,000 or more – Grand Benefactors, $2500 – $4,999 – Benefactors, $1,200 – $2,499 – House of Stewards, $800 – $1,199 – Patrons). Of course, whatever you decide to give please know that you have our utmost gratitude and appreciation, and please know our Church is here to serve your each and every need. The important thing to keep in mind is that we need everyone to do something. 

Sponsor A Day Program:

One way to help the church is through our “Sponsor A Day” program.  We encourage our parishioners to select a day that has special meaning to them like a birthday, feast day, anniversary or a memorial and make a suggested donation of $250. We would like to thank the Anastos family for sponsoring March 8th in honor of their father, Tom Foukas, on his 95th birthday. For more information about the program, please speak to one of our Parish Council members or call the church office. 

St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Sandwich Sunday: 

Our ladies will be making sandwiches today for the homeless. Our goal is to make a minimum of 225 sandwiches each time.  Any donation to help defray the cost is greatly appreciated. It is a wonderful way to remember a loved one, or a special occasion. This month's sandwiches are being sponsored by Tom & Christina Foukas in memory of their parents. Feeding the hungry is an important tenet of our mission to help the needy. 

Walking With Christ Seminarian Benefit Luncheon:

The Metropolis of New Jersey has created a new ministry entitled Walking With Christ. This most important ministry is being offered solely for the benefit of Seminarians from our Metropolis. The First Walking with Christ Seminarian Benefit Luncheon will be taking place on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church in Broomall, PA. Tickets may be obtained, for $125 each, through the QR code on the flyer that can be found in the "Flyers" section of this bulletin. 

Saturday of Souls

The next Saturdays of Souls are on March 16th and March 23rd.  Please bring your own dish of Koliva to the church by 8:45am and place it on the table and submit your list of names to Fr. Peter.  If you would like to order Koliva, we are asking for a contribution of $25 per order which will be for a large communal tray of Koliva. Please contact the church office and make arrangements by Thursday before the Saturday of Souls. 973-779-2626 or office@stgeorgeclifton.org. 

Memorial Prayers and Koliva in the Greek Orthodox Church: 

So, why do we use ‘Koliva’? In John 12:24, Jesus says: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The boiled wheat is used in the Orthodox Church as a symbol of our hope in the Resurrection. From the grain that died comes the fruit of eternal life. Why, then, do we call the wheat ‘koliva’? This name comes from a term commonly used during the fourth century, particularly where the following miracle occurred. The Emperor Julian the Apostate tried to have the fruits and vegetables, for use by Christians who were fasting during Great Lent, contaminated! In a dream, Saint Theodore the Tyron appeared to Patriarch Evdoxios and told him to instruct the faithful to consume only boiled wheat (‘koliva’). The faithful responded accordingly and were able to continue the fast! This miracle is commemorated annually on the third Saturday of Souls. Father Anthony Stratis / Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, New Orleans.

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Saints and Feasts

Lastjudgement1
March 10

Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)

The foregoing two parables -- especially that of the Prodigal Son -- have presented to us God's extreme goodness and love for man. But lest certain persons, putting their confidence in this alone, live carelessly, squandering upon sin the time given them to work out their salvation, and death suddenly snatch them away, the most divine Fathers have appointed this day's feast commemorating Christ's impartial Second Coming, through which we bring to mind that God is not only the Friend of man, but also the most righteous Judge, Who recompenses to each according to his deeds.

It is the aim of the holy Fathers, through bringing to mind that fearful day, to rouse us from the slumber of carelessness unto the work of virtue, and to move us to love and compassion for our brethren. Besides this, even as on the coming Sunday of Cheese-fare we commemorate Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight -- which exile is the beginning of life as we know it now -- it is clear that today's is reckoned the last of all feasts, because on the last day of judgment, truly, everything of this world will come to an end.

All foods, except meat and meat products, are allowed during the week that follows this Sunday.


Allsaint
March 10

Quadratus the Martyr & his Companions

These Martyrs contested for piety's sake in Corinth during the reign of the Emperor Valerian (253-260).


Allsaint
March 12

Theophanes the Confessor

Saint Theophanes, who was born in 760, was the son of illustrious parents. Assenting to their demand, he married and became a member of the Emperor's ceremonial bodyguard. Later, with the consent of his wife, he forsook the world. Indeed, both of them embraced the monastic life, struggling in the monastic houses they themselves had established. He died on March 12, 815, on the island of Samothrace, whereto, because of his confession of the Orthodox Faith, he had been exiled by Leo the Armenian, the Iconoclast Emperor.


Symeonnewspious
March 12

Symeon the New Theologian

Saint Symeon became a monk of the Studite Monastery as a young man, under the guidance of the elder Symeon the Pious. Afterwards he struggled at the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople, of which he became abbot. After enduring many trials and afflictions in his life of piety, he reposed in 1022. Marvelling at the heights of prayer and holiness to which he attained, and the loftiness of the teachings of his life and writings, the church calls him "the New Theologian." Only to two others, John the Evangelist and Gregory, Patriarch of Constantinople, has the church given the name "Theologian." Saint Symeon reposed on March 12, but since this always falls in the Great Fast, his feast is kept today.


Christodulos
March 16

Christodoulos the Wonderworker of Patmos

Saint Christodulus, who was from the region of Nicaea of Bithynia, was the son of Theodore and Anna, and was given the name John. He assumed the monastic habit in his youth and was renamed Christodulus ("slave of Christ" in Greek). At first, he lived the ascetical life in various places, then he received permission and monetary aid from the Emperor Alexis I Comnenus (reigned 1081-1118), and built on the island of Patmos a church and monastery named in honour of Saint John the Evangelist. These buildings stand to this day. However, when the Arabs attacked that place, he fled with his disciples and went to Euboia (Euripus), where also he completed the course of his life about the end of the eleventh century on the 16th of March. The disciples of this righteous man took his sacred incorrupt remains and transferred them to his own monastery, where they repose to this day for the sanctification of those who have recourse to them with faith.


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Grave Mode

By your cross you destroyed death, and opened paradise to the thief. You transformed the sorrow of the Myrrh-bearers, and commanded the apostles to proclaim that you have risen from the dead, Christ our God, granting to the world great mercy.
Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέῳξας τῷ Λῃστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

Seasonal Kontakion in the First Mode

O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened, and everything in secret will become public. At that time, deliver me from the fire which never dies, and enable me to stand by Your right hand, O Judge most just.
Ὅταν ἔλθῃς ὁ Θεός, ἐπὶ γῆς μετὰ δόξης, καὶ τρέμωσι τὰ σύμπαντα, ποταμὸς δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς πρὸ τοῦ Βήματος ἕλκῃ, καὶ βίβλοι ἀνοίγωνται, καὶ τὰ κρυπτὰ δημοσιεύωνται, τότε ῥῦσαί με, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ ἀσβέστου, καὶ ἀξίωσον, ἐκ δεξιῶν σου μὲ στῆναι, Κριτὰ δικαιότατε.
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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Seventh Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from John 20:1-10

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying and the napkin, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Seventh Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 20:1-10

Τῇ μιᾷ τῶν Σαββάτων Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ ἔρχεται πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης, εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον· καὶ βλέπει τὸν λίθον ἠρμένον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου. Τρέχει οὖν, καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς Σίμωνα Πέτρον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄλλον μαθητήν, ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ᾞραν τὸν Κύριον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου, καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ἔθηκαν αὐτόν. Ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητής, καὶ ἤρχοντο εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον. Ἔτρεχον δὲ οἱ δύο ὁμοῦ· καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητὴς προέδραμε τάχιον τοῦ Πέτρου, καὶ ἦλθε πρῶτος εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ παρακύψας, βλέπει κείμενα τὰ ὀθόνια· οὐ μέντοι εἰσῆλθεν. Ἔρχεται οὖν Σίμων Πέτρος ἀκολουθῶν αὐτῷ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ θεωρεῖ τὰ ὀθόνια κείμενα· καὶ τὸ σουδάριον, ὃ ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, οὐ μετὰ τῶν ὀθονίων κείμενον, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἐντετυλιγμένον εἰς ἕνα τόπον. Τότε οὖν εἰσῆλθε καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μαθητὴς ὁ ἐλθὼν πρῶτος εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἐπίστευσεν. Οὐδέπω γὰρ ᾔδεισαν τὴν Γραφήν, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι. Ἀπῆλθον οὖν πάλιν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς οἱ μαθηταί.


Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 146.5;134.3.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2.

Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Προκείμενον. Fourth Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 146.5;134.3.
Μέγας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς ἀὐτοῦ.
Στίχ. Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀγαθός.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Κορινθίους α' 8:8-13, 9:1-2.

Ἀδελφοί, βρῶμα ἡμᾶς οὐ παρίστησιν τῷ θεῷ· οὔτε γὰρ ἐὰν φάγωμεν περισσεύομεν, οὔτε ἐὰν μὴ φάγωμεν ὑστερούμεθα. Βλέπετε δὲ μήπως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σε τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν; Καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἀδελφὸς ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ γνώσει, διʼ ὃν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν; Οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. Διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω. Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος; Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐλεύθερος; Οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἑώρακα; Οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ; Εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι· ἡ γὰρ σφραγὶς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ.


Gospel Reading

Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)
The Reading is from Matthew 25:31-46

The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 25:31-46

Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, τότε καθίσει ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καὶ συναχθήσεται ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἀφοριεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀπ᾿ ἀλλήλων ὥσπερ ὁ ποιμὴν ἀφορίζει τὰ πρόβατα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρίφων, καὶ στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων. τότε ἐρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ· δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. ἐπείνασα γάρ, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με, ξένος ἤμην, καὶ συνηγάγετέ με, γυμνός, καὶ περιεβάλετέ με, ἠσθένησα, καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με, ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην, καὶ ἤλθετε πρός με. τότε ἀποκριθήσονται αὐτῷ οἱ δίκαιοι λέγοντες· κύριε, πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα καὶ ἐθρέψαμεν, ἢ διψῶντα καὶ ἐποτίσαμεν; πότε δέ σε εἴδομεν ξένον καὶ συνηγάγομεν, ἢ γυμνὸν καὶ περιεβάλομεν; πότε δέ σε εἴδομεν ἀσθενῆ ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ ἤλθομεν πρός σε; καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐρεῖ αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐφ᾿ ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. τότε ἐρεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ εὐωνύμων· πορεύεσθε ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ οἱ κατηραμένοι εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. ἐπείνασα γάρ, καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψησα, καὶ οὐκ ἐποτίσατέ με, ξένος ἤμην, καὶ οὐ συνηγάγετέ με, γυμνός, καὶ οὐ περιεβάλετέ με, ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με. τότε ἀποκριθήσονται αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγοντες· κύριε, πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα ἢ διψῶντα ἢ ξένον ἢ γυμνὸν ἢ ἀσθενῆ ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ οὐ διηκονήσαμέν σοι; τότε ἀποκριθήσεται αὐτοῖς λέγων· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐφ᾿ ὅσον οὐκ ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, οὐδὲ ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. καὶ ἀπελεύσονται οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.


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Wisdom of the Fathers

"Christian love is the 'possible impossibility' to see Christ in another man, whoever he is..."
Alexander Schmemann
Great Lent, 20th Century

So great was the honour and providential care which God bestowed upon man that He brought the entire sensible world into being before him and for his sake. The kingdom of heaven was prepared for him from the foundation of the world (cf. Matt. 25:34); God first took counsel concerning him, and then he was fashioned by God's hand and according to the image of God (cf. Gen. 1:26-27). God did not form the whole man from matter and from the elements of this sensible world, as He did the other animals. He formed only man's body from these materials; but man's soul He took from things supercelestial or, rather, it came from God Himself when mysteriously He breathed life into man (cf. Gen. 2:7).
St. Gregory Palamas
Topics of Natural and Theological Science no. 24, The Philokalia Vol. 4 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 356, 14th century

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