St. Andrew Church
Publish Date: 2025-07-13
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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 7/13
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy +Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council

Please welcome Father Igor Tarasov who will celebrate Divine Liturgy with us today  in Fr John’s absence


Sunday 7/20
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy +6th Sunday of Matthew Prophet Elias (Elijah)
Father Emanuel Pratsinakis to Substitute  in Fr John’s absence

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 on Sunday is sponsored by the John and Irene Laoudis  in honor their mother’s blessed memory.

Bagels are donated by Jimmy Psaras | ALFA BAGELS Route 10 in Randolph, NJ
Coffee is donated by Aristotle Leontopoulos | Coffee Associates Edgewater NJ

Coffee Hour Hosts Summer Schedule 
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 Sunday coffee hour in Memory of or in Honor of by contacting the church office. Thanking-you in advance for your participation this summer. 
Sunday Coffee Hour sign up outside office for any of the following dates 

August 3, 15, 17, 24, 31 

 Please patronize & support our local businesses:  With the closures taking place on Route 80, many of our parishioners have been suffering with difficulties associated with the travel delays. Some of our parishioners have businesses that have been adversely affected as well. We ask that you keep these businesses and the families who own them in your prayers and also try to find ways to patronize them and give them your support.

click to view online calendar

Stewardship 
We ask you to continue supporting our ministries with your financial pledge and prayfully consider rounding up your giving to tithing as we did last year.  When we offer our treasure and ourselves sacrificially, as members of the Body of Christ, we will reach our full potential in Christ both personally and as a community.  To learn more about what this means, please visit: 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  2025 Stewardship Pledge  Please complete and send it to the church office in January 2025

“In an effort to really get to know and understand each other and to bring our community closer together, we invite you to listen to testimonials from parishioners and people touched by our Faith. Let us love one another, “Αγαπήσομεν Αλλήλους", also by reflecting on our journeys together. We hope these testimonials are meaningful and uplifting for you."

Click here to listen to testimonial of Ervin Mile

Click here to listen to testimonial of Nikolaos Karkanias.

If you would like to share your story with us, please contact our parish office.
Thank you and may God bless you.

HOPE & JOY is a Youth Group
for children in K-6th grades. 
We have great news!  Stala Jelis will be joining with Jenny Manis to organize this beautiful program.  Stala will plan the HOPE events (grades k-2) and Jenny will plan the JOY events (grades 3-6), but we will have plenty of events together where it makes sense.  We also look to the JOY children to help with some HOPE events as an opportunity to be of service to others. If your child is in 3rd grade, they can be in either group, but again, many events will be combined when appropriate.  Questions? please email us. [email protected] 

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

LORD'S VOICE July 13, 2025
Pamphlet #28 (3763)
THE SUNDAY EPISTLE (Titis 3:8-15)


The Combination of Faith and Good Works 
Today we heard an excerpt from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Titus. The teacher advises the young pastor of the Church about the model of life he should demonstrate to the faithful.  He points out what is good and beneficial for the members of the Church:  to avoid folish and pointless discussions, disputes about  matters of the Law, and to avoid heretics after the first efforts to correct them.  He calls on him to teach Christians to be pioneers in good works.

 

We will forcus on this last point of Paul's advice, highlighting a few elements about the great chapter of our spiritual life:  the practice of loving good deeds. 

 

Orthodox spirituality

In ecclesiastical circles, there is often a noted overemphasis on the so-called “spirituality” and a one-sided perception of faith. Many believe that the Orthodox faith has lofty content and focuses only on the higher levels of human thought and life. According to this view, spiritual life becomes a subjective and individual matter, limited to the personal level and unaware of anything beyond one’s personal relationship with God. Engaging with the material needs and problems of others is considered either worthless or even an obstacle to acquiring salvation.

However, for our Church, such a perception of Orthodox spirituality is incomplete. The practice of faith has a dual character. Certainly, the believer is called to cultivate the inner person to live the life of virtue, to pursue sacramental union with God. At the same time, however, the believer is called to step outside himself and apply his faith to every person. Otherwise, the Christian remains fruitless, like a tree with an impressive outward appearance, yet without any fruit.

The works of love

This understanding of the Church regarding the combination of faith and works of love is wonderfully analyzed by James, the brother of the Lord. He tells us: “What benefit is it, my brothers, if someone has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him on its own? If our brethren are insufficiently clothed and lacking in daily food, and the believer says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith, if it does not have works, is in essence dead.” And he continues: “Note that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:14–24)

However, at this point, another temptation also lurks: to think that the works of love and solidarity on their own, are sufficient can guarantee salvation even if faith is weak, superficial, and shallow. Such acts are often carried out even by atheists or those opposed to the Church, who nevertheless, feel a natural inclination toward the problems and needs of their fellow men. However, the Orthodox understanding calls every Christian to combine faith with works of love, to implement what they believe toward anyone in any type of earthly need, in the name of Jesus Christ and for the glory of God. This is the Lord’s own command: to seek Him and to stand beside Him in the person of every indigent brother. This is the guiding logic behind the Church’s multifaceted social and charitable work.

That’s why we must not fall into the temptation of a lofty, detached view of faith that lacks care for others, nor into the temptation of solidarity without Christ. The proper path is the combination of faith and works of love: one that bears tangible results, and cultivates our souls, and moves us closer toward salvation. Amen.

Archimandrite E. Oik.

 

 

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Daily Calendar

click to view online calendar

7/13-20 Camp Good Shepherd| Linwood Sandyston NJ

Sunday 7/20
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy +6th Sunday of Matthew Prophet Elias (Elijah)
Fr Emanuel Pratsinakis to Substitute to Substitute in Fr John’s absence

Memorial Service commemorating the loss of +Cypriot Lives - 20 July 1974 of  the  Turkish invasion

Saturday  7/26
Faith Kitchen  - Parish Council

Sunday 7/27
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy + 7th Sunday of Matthew

Memorial Service  +Kyriaki, +Gabriel, +Ioannis Evangelis |  Trisagion Service + Anastasios & + Panagiota Kali

Sunday 8/3
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy+ 8th Sunday of Matthew

Monday 8/4
@6:30PM Paraklisis Service
@7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting next on 9/8/25

Tuesday 8/5

@6:30pm Great Vespers

Wednesday 8/6
@8 am +Orthros @9am Divine Liturgy +Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Wednesday 8/6
@6:30PM Paraklisis Service

Thursday 8/7
@6:30PM Paraklisis Service

Sunday 8/10
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy +9th Sunday of Matthew

Mon - Tue -Wed 8/11-13
@6:30PM Paraklisis Service

Thursday 8/14
@6:30PM Great Vespsers

Friday 8/15
@8 am +Orthros @9am Divine Liturgy +The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos

Sunday 8/17
@8:15 am +Orthros @9:30am Divine Liturgy +10th Sunday of Matthew

 

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News - Flyers - Registrations - Other

    Stewardship

    Stewardship

    In gratitude for God’s Blessings, please make your commitment to Christ and His Church by submitting your 2025 Stewardship Pledge.


    Car Raffle

    Car Raffle

    CAR RAFFLE TICKETS Please help us with postage and pick up your raffle tickets. 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. sign up genius https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FADA829ABFBC07-56695719-roadside/19642185#/roadside/19642185#/


    CAMP GOOD SHEPHERD NJ

    CAMP GOOD SHEPHERD NJ

    7/13-20 CAMP GOOD SHEPHERD| LINWOOD SANDYSTON NJ


    OCF

    OCF

    Help Us Connect Orthodox College Students to Their Faith


    Summer in the Spirit Discussions

    Summer in the Spirit Discussions

    Friday at 11am June & July


    Hellenic Afternoon School

    Hellenic Afternoon School

    September 11 is the 1st day of Hellenic Afternoon School | please click on QR CODES FOR: Letter to parents - fill in and return Family & Youth Info & HAS Registration Forms


    Greek Language Class -adults

    Greek Language Class -adults

    Modern Greek Language: Beginners & Intermediate Level will start on October 2nd and run through December 11th, 2025 on Thursday nights 7:00-9:00pm


    Lord's Voice

    Lord's Voice

    FONI KYRIOU - in Greek 7-13-2025


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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

Andreas, Thiano, Paraskevi, Sofia, Dorothy, Joseph, Maria, Constantinos, Kenneth, Vasilis, Judith, Catrina, Patricia, Eleni, Erica, Maria, Angeliki, Maria, Dimitrios, Irene, Retta, Eleni, Ioannis, Craig, Nicole, Maria, George, Nadia, George, Frosso, Kyriaki, Maria, Beatrice, Angeliki, Monica, Stephanie, Demetrios, Eleni, Alexandros, Alexandra, Juliana, Demetrios, Kathy, Christos, Michael, Maroulia, Areti, Niko, Dennis, Sophia, Romeo, Zoe, Jean, Anna, Demetrios, Cynthia, Irene, Jackellyn, Joan, Maria, Panagoula, Sophia, Michael, Barbara, Andrew, Effie,  Hariklia, Alexandra, …

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. Plagal Second Mode. Psalm 31.11,1.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous.
Verse: Blessed are they whose transgressions have been forgiven.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15.

Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.

When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.

All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

Προκείμενον. Plagal Second Mode. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 31.11,1.
Εὐφράνθητι ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε δίκαιοι.
Στίχ. Μακάριοι, ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι.

τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Τίτον 3:8-15.

Τέκνον Τίτε, πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις · μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔριν καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αιῥετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ ᾽ἐμοῦ πάντες. Ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.


Gospel Reading

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council
The Reading is from Matthew 5:14-19

The Lord said to his disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 5:14-19

Εἶπεν ὁ Κὐριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· ῾Υμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη· οὐδὲ καίουσι λύχνον καὶ τιθέασι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν, καὶ λάμπει πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ. οὕτω λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται. ὃς ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων καὶ διδάξῃ οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.


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Saints and Feasts

July 13

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council

On the Sunday that falls from the 13th to the 19th of the present month, we chant the Service to the 630 Holy and God-bearing Fathers who came together for the 4th Ecumenical Council who assembled in Chalcedon in 451, to condemn Eutyches, who taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in Christ after the Incarnation, and Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who illegally received Eutyches back into communion and deposed Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople, who had excommunicated Eutyches.

In the Slavic tradition, on this Sunday, the Fathers of the first six Ecumenical Councils are all commemorated.


July 13

Synaxis of Archangel Gabriel

It is believed that the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel was transferred to this day from March 26 so that it could be celebrated more festively than in the period of the Great Fast; and, in fact, all the miracles of the Archangel are celebrated on this feast day, which has been listed here in the church books since the ninth century.


July 13

Stephen of Mar Sabbas Monastery

According to some, the Saint Stephen celebrated today was a nephew of Saint John of Damascus, different from the one celebrated on October 28, who later also became a Bishop.


July 17

Marina the Great Martyr of Antioch

This Martyr lived during the reign of Claudius II (268-270). She was from Pisidia of Cilicia and was the only daughter of a certain priest of the idols. On being orphaned by her mother, she was handed over to a certain woman who instructed her in the Faith of Christ. When she was fifteen years old, she was apprehended by the ruler of Olmbrius, and when asked her name, homeland, and faith, she answered: "My name is Marina; I am the offspring of the Pisidia; I call upon the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ." Because of this she endured bonds, imprisonment, and many whippings, and was finally beheaded in the year 270. Saint Marina is especially invoked for deliverance from demonic possession.

July 20

6th Sunday of Matthew


July 20

Elias the Prophet

Elias of great fame was from Thisbe or Thesbe, a town of Galaad (Gilead), beyond the Jordan. He was of priestly lineage, a man of a solitary and ascetical character, clothed in a mantle of sheep skin, and girded about his loins with a leathern belt. His name is interpreted as "Yah is my God." His zeal for the glory of God was compared to fire, and his speech for teaching and rebuke was likened unto a burning lamp. From this too he received the name Zealot. Therefore, set aflame with such zeal, he sternly reproved the impiety and lawlessness of Ahab and his wife Jezebel. He shut up heaven by means of prayer, and it did not rain for three years and six months. Ravens brought him food for his need when, at God's command, he was hiding by the torrent of Horrath. He multiplied the little flour and oil of the poor widow of Sarephtha of Sidon, who had given him hospitality in her home, and when her son died, he raised him up. He brought down fire from Heaven upon Mount Carmel, and it burned up the sacrifice offered to God before all the people of Israel, that they might know the truth. At the torrent of Kisson, he slew 450 false prophets and priests who worshipped idols and led the people astray. He received food wondrously at the hand of an Angel, and being strengthened by this food he walked for forty days and forty nights. He beheld God on Mount Horeb, as far as this is possible for human nature. He foretold the destruction of the house of Ahab, and the death of his son Ohozias; and as for the two captains of fifty that were sent by the king, he burned them for their punishment, bringing fire down from Heaven. He divided the flow of the Jordan, and he and his disciple Elisseus passed through as it were on dry land; and finally, while speaking with him, Elias was suddenly snatched away by a fiery chariot in the year 895 B.C., and he ascended as though into heaven, whither God most certainly translated him alive, as He did Enoch (Gen. 5:24; IV Kings 2: 11). But from thence also, after seven years, by means of an epistle he reproached Joram, the son of Josaphat, as it is written: "And there came a message in writing to him from Elias the Prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the way," and so forth (II Chron. 21:12). According to the opinion of the majority of the interpreters, this came to pass either through his disciple Elisseus, or through another Prophet when Elias appeared to them, even as he appeared on Mount Tabor to the disciples of Christ (see Aug. 6).


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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.

Apolytikion for Sun. of the Holy Fathers in the Plagal Fourth Mode

Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to Thee.
Ὑπερδεδοξασμένος εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ φωστῆρας ἐπὶ γῆς τοὺς Πατέρας ἡμῶν θεμελιώσας, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν, πάντας ἡμᾶς ὁδηγήσας· πολυεύσπλαγχνε, δόξα σοι.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Second Mode

O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the creator most constant: O despise not the voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession and speed thou to make supplication, O thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
Προστασία τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀκαταίσχυντε, μεσιτεία πρὸς τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀμετάθετε. Μὴ παρίδῃς ἁμαρτωλῶν δεήσεων φωνάς, ἀλλὰ πρόφθασον, ὡς ἀγαθή, εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν, τῶν πιστῶς κραυγαζόντων σοι· Τάχυνον εἰς πρεσβείαν, καὶ σπεῦσον εἰς ἱκεσίαν, ἡ προστατεύουσα ἀεί, Θεοτόκε, τῶν τιμώντων σε.
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Wisdom of the Fathers

The Lord says to His disciples, 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven' (Matt. 5:16). He does not say this to urge them to show off, but to urge them to organize their lives as is pleasing to God. Just as light effortlessly attracts people's gaze, so a way of life pleasing to God draws their minds along with their eyes. We do not praise the air which shares in the brilliance of the sunlight, but the sun which is the source of this brilliance and bestows it on us. Even if we do praise the air for its brightness, we praise the sun much more. So it is when someone makes the brilliance of the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2) visible through his virtuous deeds. As soon as anyone looks at him, they are immediately led towards the glory of the Father in heaven of Christ, the Sun of righteousness.
St. Gregory Palamas
Homilies Vol. 1, Homily Ten para. 14; Saint Tikhon's Seminary Press pgs. 110-111, 14th century

Every work which does not have love as its beginning and root is nothing.
St. John Chrysostom
Unknown, 4th century

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