St. Andrew Church
Publish Date: 2024-07-28
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St. Andrew Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (973) 584-0388
  • Fax:
  • (973) 584-3573
  • Street Address:

  • 1447 Sussex Turnpike

  • Randolph, NJ 07869-1830
  • Mailing Address:

  • 1447 Sussex Turnpike

  • Randolph, NJ 07869-1830


Contact Information








Services Schedule

On Sunday we celebrate

Orthros at 8:15 am & Divine Liturgy at 9:30am

Weekday Orthros and Liturgies begin at 8am 

 

 


Past Bulletins


Services at St. Andrew

Sunday 7/28
5th Sunday of Matthew +Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy @9:30am

Baptism: On Sunday,  July 28,  2024, at 12:30 pm  the son of John Veninger and Loredana Gabriela Purnavel, will be Baptized and Chrismated according to the rites of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Godparents will be Nino Chubinidre & Daniel Purnavel.

Baptism: On Sunday,  July 28,  2024, at 2:00 pm  the son  of Daniel Christopher Monda and Anastasia Maria Panagakos, will be  Baptized and Chrismated according to the rites of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Godparents will be Michael & Evangelia Amatrula.

Baptism: On Sunday, July 28, 2024, at 3:30pm the son of Brett Thomas Kadrmas and Sofia Kalavrezos, will be Baptized and Chrismated according to the rites of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Godmother will be Foula Kalavrezos.

Thursday 8/1 & Friday 8/2 +Parklesis Service @6pm 
Parklesis is a service of supplication specifically for the living. Please submit the names of those you would like to pray for (of the living) to the church office or bring the names with you to church in the evening. Most Holy Theotokos save us!

Sunday 8/4
6th Sunday of Matthew Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy @9:30am

Participation in services is also available via livestream - go to: Home | St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church (orthodoxws.com) and choose LIVESTREAM on the Menu bar 

Prayers/Liturgy can always be found at: https://www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/dcs.html

Online Giving System: Website: https://www.standrewgonj.org/ and choose PayPal / online WeShare | Consider making your donations using our   New Abundant App

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Announcements

Coffee Hour Today is hosted & sponsored by Iris and Andrew Krassas in honor of their daughter Irene. 

Coffee Hour Hosts JULY & August Summer Schedule:
Summer Coffee Hour: It is our summer tradition that all coffee hour trays will benefit our Ministries. We all share the responsibility of bringing food. Please bring a cake, cookies, fruit, etc. to church with you from time to time to add to our coffee hour table. Or arrange to host/sponsor a coffee hour in Memory of or in Honor of by contacting the church office. Thanking-you in advance for your participation this summer.

Coffee Hour Schedule: 7/28 KRASSAS8/4 CLAPSIS8/11 OPEN, 8/18 KELLY, 8/25 OPEN,  9/1 Philoptochos,  9/8 GOYA,  9/15 PTA,  9/22 DOP,  9/29 PC

Philoptochos 2024 RUMMAGE SALE scheduled for September 6th – 8th  has been CANCELLED.

Please sell your raffle tickets, mail, or bring in your money with the stubs to the office, and consider selling more tickets in front of the church.

We need your help to make this year’s raffle a success! Sign up for JUST 2 HOURS and sell raffle tickets! Sit and  read or even bring your laptop (Wi-Fi available).

To schedule times email [email protected] or call 973-584-0388. It is an easy way to help our church meet our annual budget and unforeseen expenses. We have made over $1,000 in just one day by manning the curbside raffle ticket sales. Please consider helping out in this easy way. Your church needs your support.

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Hellenic Afternoon School  
Thursday  September 12, 2024
at 4:30pm Agiasmo in Church followed by open house and then
first day of Class for all HAS grades

GREEK DANCE  
1st day Thursday September 19
1st Session:  Group 1 @ 6:30pm | Group 2 @7:15 pm | GOYA  @8:00pm

Religious Education
Classes will begin on Sunday September 8 after Holy Communion 

Registration Forms
contact the Church office [email protected]  

HOPE & JOY is a Youth Group

for children in K-6th grades. We offer one activity per month after church and one “fun day” activity, sometimes at church and sometimes out  at a location.  We look forward to your participation! See our website for event info   https://sites.google.com/view/hopejoystandrew/home  Any questions contact: Jenny Manis 732-547-4790 [email protected]  

Stewardship 2024  
As we move toward becoming a percentage giving community, we are adopting a rounding up approach to giving.
We ask you to join the Parish Council and Stewardship Ministry who have pledged to give a percentage of their income.
Please join us in this commitment to achieve our parish vision.
To learn more about what this means, click on -  https://standrewgonj.org/stewardship/#round-u p  or speak to a member of the Parish Council or the Stewardship Ministry.
If you are not already a member of Saint Andrew, please consider a pledge starting out at 1% of your income.
In gratitude for God’s Blessings, please click on and fill in the 2024 Stewardship Pledge.  please send to the church office 

phishing / CON ARTISTS TEXTS/EMAILS :  Someone is sending out texts and emails asking for assistance and signing Fr John’s name. This is not Fr John’s  cell number or email address. His  cell number is 973-219-2941, his email is [email protected] .  Please report the text/email as junk and delete and block the sender. We contacted the FBI about this problem and was informed that they do not take a case like this. We hope no one is fooled by these criminals. Please tell your friends. Fr will never reach out to anyone asking for “assistance” in this way. Thank you for your patience and understanding. God Bless!

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Fr. John's Message

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA

ARCHEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL

Prot. No. 220/2024

Archepiscopal Encyclical on the Day of Mourning for Hagia Sophia

July 24, 2024

To the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and entirety of the Christloving Plenitude of the Sacred Archdiocese of America:

Everything is clothed in beauty; everything you will perceive with eyes full of wonder. But no words are sufficient to describe the illumination in the evening: you might say that some nocturnal sun filled the majestic temple with light. Paul the Silentiary, Description of Hagia Sophia

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

We mark the fifth anniversary of the seizure of the Great Church of Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia, with further mourning; for the Chora Monastery Church has now been converted for an alien purpose. The fact that both of these monuments to the Byzantine genius have been forcibly re-converted to mosques adds to the grief that we all feel just days after the Fiftieth Anniversary of the invasion and subsequent illegal dismemberment of Cyprus. We can never forget that of the over five hundred churches in the occupied region, at least seventy-seven have been converted into mosques — another sign of cultural misappropriation and religious triumphalism unsuited to our modern, interconnected world.

But even though our spiritual monuments have been defaced and subjected to veils and wrappings that make a pretense of respecting their intended aesthetic, their spiritual brilliance cannot be diminished by such feeble efforts. As Paul the Silentiary rhapsodized of Hagia Sophia over fourteen hundred years ago, “Everything is clothed in  beauty….”

Because the essence of these monuments is not found only in their physical presence, but in their intended spiritual meaning and activity — the worship of God through Divine Liturgy. Their architectural forms and interior illuminations were designed to nurture the adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Mysteries in which we partake of His Divine Presence. The spaces themselves came alive through our glorious worship; even the magnificent columns of Hagia Sophia were perceived to move, “as if they were yielding to one another in a choral dance, with a structure of crescent shape hanging above them” [σπερ ν χορλλήλοις πεξιστάμενοι, κα ατν περάνωθεν οκοδόμημα μηνοειδς ποκρέμαται], (Procopius of Caesarea, On the Buildings of Justinian I. i.35).

Our monuments now stand silent in the face of history’s exigencies, while they await their redemption. In the meantime, let us take some measure of comfort in the knowledge that a “nocturnal sun” continues to illumine them from within. This paradoxical starlight is visible in every Orthodox church building throughout the world, perceived as we worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24), and share in the beauty they continue to manifest, even if a harsh and misplaced ignorance has sought to cover their sacred purpose.

With paternal love in our Lord Jesus Christ,

† ELPIDOPHOROS

Archbishop of America

 

 

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Daily Calendar

Sunday 8/4

6th Sunday of Matthew Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy @9:30am

Monday 8/5

@6pm Great Vespers

@7:30pm Parish Council Meeting 

Tuesday   8/6

Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ +Orthros @8:00am  & Divine Liturgy @9:00am

Tuesday -Wednesday  8/6-8/7

@6pm PARAKLESIS SERVICE

Sunday 8/11

7th Sunday of Matthew +Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy @9:30am

Monday -Tuesday 8/12-8/13

@6pm PARAKLESIS SERVICE

Wednesday 8/14

@6pm Great Vespers

Thursday  8/15

The Dormition of the Theotokos +Orthros @8am  & Divine Liturgy @9am

Friday 8/16

@4pm Wedding Rehearsal

Saturday 8/17

@2pm WeddingSimonis_Little

Sunday 8/18

8th Sunday of Matthew +Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy  @9:30am

Memorial Service: +Maria, +Ioannis, +Panagiota Mpakarakes; +John,+Claire Kelly; +Eftychia Zaros;  Trisagion Service: +Pantelis Karaconstantis

Saturday 8/24

FAITH KITCHEN - DOP & AHEPA Hosting

@5pm Wedding Rehearsal

Sunday 8/25

9th Sunday of Matthew +Orthros @8:15am  & Divine Liturgy  @9:30am

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News - Flyers - Registrations - Other

    Stewardship

    Stewardship

    As we move toward becoming a percentage giving community, we are adopting a rounding up approach to giving... To learn more about what this means, click on https://standrewgonj.org/stewardship/#round-up


    car raffle

    car raffle

    2024 MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 300 W4 - MSRP $54,220 |TICKETS $25 EACH | DRAWING SEPTEMBER 29, 2024, 12:30PM


    2024 Philoptochos Rummage Sale Cancelled

    2024 Philoptochos Rummage Sale Cancelled

    2024 Philoptochos Rummage Saled Cancelled -- letter


    AHEPA

    AHEPA

    CIGAR NIGHT Sept 12 @6:30pm at The Meadow Wood


    Family & Youth Info

    Family & Youth Info

    ALL FAMILIES that are registering for: Sunday School, Greek School, Greek Dance, GOYA Dance, please complete FORM and submit PTA Family Membership ($30) in addition to Tuition Fees for above


    HELLENIC AFTERNOON SCHOOL

    HELLENIC AFTERNOON SCHOOL

    HELLENIC AFTERNOON SCHOOL THURSDAY September 12, 2024 at 4:30pm AGIASMO in Church followed by OPEN HOUSE and then first day of Class for all HAS grades | must complete Family & Student Form as well


    GREEK DANCE

    GREEK DANCE

    2024-2025 GREEK DANCE GROUP starts on Thursday September 19: Group 1 (ages K thru age 7) 6:30-7:15pm | Group 2 (ages 8-11) 7:15-8:00pm | GOYA (ages 12-18) 8:00pm


    LORD'S VOICE

    LORD'S VOICE

    THE APOSTLE PAUL'S HEART'S DESIRE


    ARCHEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL in Greek

    ARCHEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL in Greek

    Archepiscopal Encyclical on the day of mourning for Hagia Sophia in Greek


    Daughters of Penelope

    Daughters of Penelope

    Trivia Night 11-15-2024


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Prayer List

Prayer for a Sick Person:

Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal (me) Your servant from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant (me) patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health.  Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed.  I pray that You heal (me) as Your servant and grant (me) the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Please keep these names in your prayers

Maria, Kyriaki, Mary, Demetrios, Stanley, Gianna, Konstantinos, Fr George, Eftihia, Meropi, Thomas, Fotios, Alexandros, George, Johnathan, Christopher, Irene, Ioannis, Maria,  Samuel, Peter, Vasilios, Evmorfia, Demetrios, Despina, Natalia, Lori, Eleni,  Demetrios, Roye,  Elias, Eleana, Ellen, Andrew, Eleni, Denise, Eleni, Robert, Maria, Michael, Pamela, Angeliki, Theodoros, Constantinos, Andrew, Chari, Penelope, ..

If you would like us to remember you or your loved one in our prayers, please contact the office. 973-584-0388 or send us an email to [email protected]   

Names will be kept on this list for approximately three months. Please resubmit Names if needed.   Fr. John will pray for the Names above during the PROSKOMIDI “Offering of gifts” during the first part of the Divine Liturgy when our priest prepares the mystical gifts of bread and wine. Please keep these names in your prayers as well.

 

 

 

 

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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Matins Gospel Reading

Fifth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:12-35

At that time, [Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened. That very day] two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" and they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." And He said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was not it necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into this glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Fifth Orthros Gospel
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 24:12-35

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὁ Πέτρος ἀναστὰς ἔδραμεν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ παρακύψας βλέπει τὰ ὀθόνια κείμενα μόνα, καὶ ἀπῆλθε, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν θαυμάζων τὸ γεγονός. Καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο ἐξ αὐτῶν ἦσαν πορευόμενοι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς κώμην ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους ἑξήκοντα ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλήμ, ᾗ ὄνομα Ἐμμαούς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡμίλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ πάντων τῶν συμβεβηκότων τούτων. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὁμιλεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ συζητεῖν, καί αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐγγίσας συνεπορεύετο αὐτοῖς· οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐκρατοῦντο τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτόν. Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Τίνες οἱ λόγοι οὗτοι οὓς ἀντιβάλλετε πρὸς ἀλλήλους περιπατοῦντες, καὶ ἐστὲ σκυθρωποί; Ἀποκριθείς δὲ ὁ εἷς, ᾧ ὄνομα Κλεόπας, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως τὰ γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ποῖα; Οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου, ὃς ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ προφήτης δυνατὸς ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ· ὅπως τε παρέδωκαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἡμῶν εἰς κρῖμα θανάτου, καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτόν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἀλλά γε οὖν σὺν πᾶσι τούτοις τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν ἄγει σήμερον, ἀφ' οὗ ταῦτα ἐγένετο. Ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκές τινες ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξέστησαν ἡμᾶς, γενόμεναι ὂρθριαι ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ μὴ εὑροῦσαι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, ἦλθον λέγουσαι καὶ ὀπτασίαν ἀγγέλων ἑωρακέναι, οἳ λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ζῆν. Καὶ ἀπῆλθόν τινες τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ εὗρον οὕτω καθὼς καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες εἶπον· αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ εἶδον. Καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὦ ἀνόητοι καὶ βραδεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ πιστεύειν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐλάλησαν οἱ Προφῆται. Οὐχὶ ταῦτα ἔδει παθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ; Καὶ ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ Μωσέως καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν προφητῶν, διηρμήνευεν αὐτοῖς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς Γραφαῖς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ ἤγγισαν εἰς τὴν κώμην οὗ ἐπορεύοντο, καὶ αὐτὸς προσεποιεῖτο ποῤῥωτέρω πορεύεσθαι. Καὶ παρεβιάσαντο αὐτόν, λέγοντες· Μεῖνον μεθ' ἡμῶν, ὅτι πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐστὶ καὶ κέκλικεν ἡ ἡμέρα. Καὶ εἰσῆλθε τοῦ μεῖναι σὺν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κατακλιθῆναι αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτῶν, λαβὼν τὸν ἄρτον εὐλόγησε, καὶ κλάσας ἐπεδίδου αὐτοῖς. Αὐτῶν δὲ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί, καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν· καὶ αὐτὸς ἄφαντος ἐγένετο ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Καὶ εἶπον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐλάλει ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καὶ ὡς διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς Γραφάς; Καὶ ἀναστάντες αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ εὗρον συνηθροισμένους τοὺς ἕνδεκα καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς, λέγοντας, ὅτι ἠγέρθη ὁ Κύριος ὄντως, καὶ ὤφθη Σίμωνι. Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξηγοῦντο τὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καὶ ὡς ἐγνώσθη αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου.


Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Fourth Mode. Psalm 103.24,1.
O Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 10:1-10.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified. Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.

Προκείμενον. Fourth Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 103.24,1.
Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου Κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.
Στίχ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς ῾Ρωμαίους 10:1-10.

Ἀδελφοί, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν. Μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὅτι ζῆλον θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐ κατʼ ἐπίγνωσιν. Ἀγνοοῦντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν δικαιοσύνην ζητοῦντες στῆσαι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν. Τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι. Μωϋσῆς γὰρ γράφει τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει, Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; - τοῦτʼ ἔστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν - ἤ, Τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; - τοῦτʼ ἔστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τοῦτʼ ἔστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν· ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν.


Gospel Reading

5th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1

At that time, when Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

5th Sunday of Matthew
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 8:28-34, 9:1

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐλθόντος τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὸ πέραν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γεργεσηνῶν ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ δύο δαιμονιζόμενοι ἐκ τῶν μνημείων ἐξερχόμενοι, χαλεποὶ λίαν, ὥστε μὴ ἰσχύειν τινὰ παρελθεῖν διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐκείνης. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, ᾿Ιησοῦ υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; ἦν δὲ μακρὰν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἀγέλη χοίρων πολλῶν βοσκομένη. οἱ δὲ δαίμονες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡμᾶς, ἐπίτρεψον ἡμῖν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ὑπάγετε. οἱ δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὥρμησε πᾶσα ἡ ἀγέλη τῶν χοίρων κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἀπέθανον ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν. οἱ δὲ βόσκοντες ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπελθόντες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιμονιζομένων. καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις ἐξῆλθεν εἰς συνάντησιν τῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν παρεκάλεσαν ὅπως μεταβῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον διεπέρασε καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πόλιν.


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Saints and Feasts

July 28

5th Sunday of Matthew


July 28

Prochoros, Nicanor, Timon, & Parmenas the Apostles of the 70

These Apostles of the Seventy are mentioned in Acts 6:5. Saint Prochoros became Bishop of Nicomedia and reposed in peace. Saint Nicanor was stoned to death in Jerusalem. Saint Timon became Bishop of Bostra in Arabia and ended his life in martyrdom by fire at the hands of the pagans. Saint Parmenas died in peace in Jerusalem.


July 28

Irene the Righteous of Chrysovalantou

Saint Irene, who was from Cappadocia, flourished in the ninth century. Because of her great beauty and virtue, she was brought to Constantinople as a prospective bride for the young Emperor Michael (842-867); however, as Saint Joannicius the Great foretold, it was God's will that she assume the monastic habit instead. She shone forth in great ascetical labours, and suffered many attacks from the demons; while yet a novice, she attained to the practice of Saint Arsenius the Great, of praying the whole night long with arms stretched out towards Heaven (see May 8). God showed forth great signs and wonders in her, and she became the Abbess of the Convent of Chrysovalantou. She was granted the gift of clairvoyance and knew the thoughts of all that came to her. She appeared in a vision to the king and rebuked him for unjustly imprisoning a nobleman who had been falsely accused. Through a sailor from Patmos to whom he had appeared, Saint John the Evangelist sent her fragrant and wondrous apples from Paradise. She reposed at the age of 103, still retaining the youthful beauty of her countenance. After her repose, marvelous healings beyond number have been wrought by her to the present day.


August 01

The Holy Seven Maccabees, Eleazar the Martyr

The names of the Holy Maccabees are Abim, Anthony, Guria, Eleazar, Eusebona, Achim, and Marcellus. They were Jews by race and exact keepers of the Laws of the Fathers. They lived during the reign of Antiochus, who was surnamed Epiphanes ("Illustrious"), the King of Syria and an implacable enemy of the Jews. Having subjugated their whole nation and done many evil things to them, not sparing to assail the most sacred matters of their Faith, he constrained them, among other things, to partake of swine's flesh, which was forbidden by the Law. Then these pious youths, on being apprehended together with their mother and their teacher, were constrained to set at nought the Law, and were subjected to unspeakable tortures: wrackings, the breaking of their bones, the flaying of their flesh, fire, dismemberment, and such things as only a tyrant's mind and a bestial soul is able to contrive. But when they had endured all things courageously and showed in deed that the mind is sovereign over the passions and is able to conquer them if it so desires, they gloriously ended their lives in torments, surrendering their life for the sake of the observance of the divine Law. The first to die was their teacher Eleazar, then all the brethren in the order of their age. As for their wondrous mother Solomone, "filled with a courageous spirit, and stirring up her womanish thoughts with a manly wrath" (II Macc. 7:21), she was present at her children's triumph over the tyrant, strengthening them in their struggle for the sake of their Faith, and enduring stout-heartedly their sufferings for the sake of their hope in the Lord. After her last and youngest son had been perfected in martyrdom, when she was about to be seized to be put to death, she cast herself into the fire that they might not touch her, and was thus deemed worthy of a blessed end together with her sons, in the year 168 before Christ.


August 02

Phocas the Martyr

Saint Phocas was a gardener in a small village on the south coast of the Black Sea. He lived a simple life, carrying out acts of piety and love for all around him, even serving the pagans of the village, some of who left their ways and followed Christ. The local governor heard of this and sent soldiers to kill him. The saint stumbled upon these very soldiers and, without disclosing his name, ministered to them by receiving them into his home, feeding them, and giving them rest. That night he dug a grave for himself in his garden and prepared for all his possessions to be given away after his death.

The next morning, Phocas disclosed to the soldiers that it was he whom they were seeking to kill. The soldiers were distraught, not wanting to kill the saint who had shown them so much kindness. Phocas insisted that they must carry out their mission as he willingly laid his head beneath the sword. They proceeded to execute him and then bury him in the grave he dug in his garden. The site later became a source of miracles, and eventually a Church was erected upon it. Saint Phocas is frequently invoked for those who travel by sea. His life was recorded by Saint Asterius of Amasia (see October 10th).


August 04

Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus

The Seven Youths hid themselves in a certain cave near Ephesus in the year 250, to escape the persecution of Decius. By divine grace, a sleep came upon them and they slept for 184 years, until the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger, when the doctrine of the resurrection was being assailed by heretics. They then awoke, that is, were resurrected, confirming in the sight of all the bodily resurrection; and again after a short time, by divine command, they reposed in the Lord in the year 434.


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Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Fourth Mode

Having learned the joyful proclamation of the Resurrection from the Angel, and having cast off the ancestral condemnation, the women disciples of the Lord spake to the Apostles exultantly: Death is despoiled and Christ God is risen, granting great mercy to the world.
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀπορρίψασαι, τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Grave Mode

You were transfigured upon the mount, O Christ our God, and Your disciples, in so far as they could bear, beheld Your glory. Thus, when they see You crucified, they may understand Your voluntary passion, and proclaim to the world that You are truly the effulgence of the Father.
Επί τού όρους μετεμορφώθης, καί ως εχώρουν οι Μαθηταί σου τήν δόξαν σου, Χριστέ ο Θεός εθεάσαντο, ίνα όταν σε ίδωσι σταυρούμενον, τό μέν πάθος νοήσωσιν εκούσιον, τώ δέ κόσμω κηρύξωσιν, ότι σύ υπάρχεις αληθώς, τού Πατρός τό απαύγασμα.
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Wisdom of the Fathers

Now, should any one say, "And wherefore did Christ fulfill the devils' request, suffering them to depart into the herd of swine?" this would be our reply, that He did so, not as yielding to them, but as providing for many objects thereby.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 28 on Matthew 8, 4th Century

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