ATTENTION!

Please note that the church parking lot entrance will not be accessible due to ongoing construction. We ask that everyone enter the parking lot through the parking lot EXIT area instead.
The church's main entrance WILL be accessible, so everyone can now enter the church through the front doors.
Once again, we thank you for your patience as we continue to work on improving our church in order to better serve our community!  

SUNDAY, 10/11

 @8:15aM Orthros & @9:30aM Divine Liturgy
+SUNDAY OF THE 7TH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL  

 Divine Services

Sunday, 10/18 @8:00am Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy:
+St. Luke the Evangelist

 LIVE OUR services HERE
Find OUr Written prayers and services HERE

The Miracle-Working Iveron Icon from Hawaii
is visiting Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Randolph, NJ

TODAY, 10/11, during His Eminence Archbishop Michael's visit.
Schedule: 10am Divine Liturgy, 11:45am Akathist Service
*At 12:15pm ALL are welcome to venerate and receive anointing with Holy Myrrh.

Mr. and Miss GOYA Pageant   
Today, 10/11, at 6pm at the Hanover Manor
Good luck to our Saint Andrew representatives,
Stamatina Mousis and Joseph Theodosion! 
 

Parish Council is excited to announce…
Greek Dance Lessons for ages 5-11 on Sundays
after Sunday School at Saint Andrew!
REGISTRATION INFO COMING SOON

Coffee hour is hosted by the PTA
Bagels donated by ALFA BAGELS Route 10 in Randolph 
Coffee donated by Aristotle Leontopoulos of Coffee Associates, Edgewater

LORD'S VOICE OCTOBER 11, 2026

THE SUNDAY GOSPEL (Luke 8:5-15)

The dissemination of the Word of God
The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

THE HEAVENLY HUSBANDMAN
The Parable of the Sower is bound to the Person of Jesus Christ, for He is the good husbandman; the seed is the Word of God, and the earth, the field upon which the seed falls, is the heart of man. Saint John Chrysostom very aptly says that the heavenly Husbandman “went out to sow.” And from where did He go out, he wonders – He who is present in every place, He who fills all things with His presence? And how did He go out? Not locally, but through His condescension toward us. That is, He became nearer to us through His Incarnation. And did He go out, perhaps, to destroy the earth filled with thorns? Not at all. He went out to cultivate it, to care for it, and to sow the word of piety, of godliness. This is the work of Christ.

The synergy of man
Yet the heart of man is darkened by sin. It sinks into spiritual gloom and encloses itself within itself, that is, it becomes dominated by egotism. This spiritual condition of the human soul, and the various stages that characterize it, are presented by the Lord in this parable. He refers first to those who heard the Word of God, but because of their spiritual hardness and insensibility, they resemble a path trampled a thousand times; therefore, the seeds that fell there do not prosper. Thus, the devil takes from the hearts of these people the Word of God, so that they may not believe and be saved.
He then refers to the seeds that fell upon rocky ground, where, because of the soil’s unsuitability, they could not take root. In similar fashion, certain people receive the divine word with joy, yet without allowing it to develop the wondrous powers of faith and life that it possesses. Consequently, when sorrows and temptations inevitably come upon the field of the soul, these people withdraw from God, since these trials concern faith itself, life itself, conscience itself – trials which they are unable to endure, because there is no spiritual foundation nor genuine trust in the love of Christ and in His word.
Finally, we have the case of the seeds that fell among the thorns. Here are implied those who heard the word, but the destructive cares of life, the excessive confidence in human
strength, the anxious pursuit of accumulating material goods, and the constant preoccupation with the affairs of this world choked their good intention to cultivate the divine word in the soil of their soul. Thus, they lost the opportunity to receive the Lord into their being, to know Him, and to be united with Him.

The fruitful hearts
Christ also speaks of those whose heart resembles the good, fertile soil that receives the divine seed. These preserve it within themselves and, with patience, bear the fruit of the Spirit, namely love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). This wondrous fruitfulness presupposes the struggle for the transformation of the human heart; egotism and individualism must be transfigured into selfless, genuine love in Christ, which is offered to one’s fellow man as gentleness, forgiveness, justice, uprightness. What is required is the earnestness and effort of the believer to subject his will to the will of God, so that he may sense the presence of the Lord in his life, true freedom, and proper communication and relationship with his neighbor. For all these things, however, patience is needed, prayer, conscious ecclesial life, and deep trust in the love of God.

Archimandrite N. K.

Coffee Hour Hosts In October: 10/18 DOP, 10/25 GOYA
(Nov.: 11/1 Philoptochos, 11/8 PTA, 11/15 DOP, 11/22 GOYA...)

Tuesday 10/13
@7:00pm GOYA Volleyball Practice

Wednesday 10/14
@6:30pm Evening Knitting & Crocheting Group | @6:30pm GOYA Basketball Practice

Thursday 10/15
@7:00pm Bible Study
@7:30pm GOYA Dance Practice

Saturday 10/17
@3:00pm Baptism: Luke Costas Plotzker

Sunday 10/18 @8:15am +Orthros & @9:30am Divine Liturgy +St. Luke the Evangelist
MEMORIAL: +Evangelia Axiotes
-GOYA Basketball Game vs Tenafly

Tuesday 10/20
@7:00pm GOYA Volleyball Practice

Wednesday 10/21
@11am Morning Knitting & Crocheting Group
@11am Little Angels Playgroup *in gym
@6:30pm Evening Knitting & Crocheting Group | @6:30pm GOYA Basketball Practice

Thursday 10/22
@7:00pm Bible Study
@7:30pm GOYA Dance Practice

Friday 10/23 @8:00am + Orthros & @9:00am Divine Liturgy +St. James (Iakovos) the Apostle
@6:15pm PTA/Hope&Joy Trunk-or-Treat & Harvest Party

Saturday 10/24
@9:00am Faith Kitchen Philoptochos
@10:30am Baptism: Sofia Ibrahim

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

Irene, Eleni, Sarah, Janet, Dimitri, Areti, Effie, Alexander, Ioannis, Irene, Lauren, Eleni, Dorothy, Carolyn, Ava Michelle, Demetrios, Eleftherios, Stelios, Sofia, Constantinos, Stamatina, Alexander, Alexandra, Constantinos, Christos, Maria, Henny, Theodora, Photini, Robert, Eleni, Ioannis, Margarita, Anna, Nicholas, MaryJane, George, Vasilios, Photeine, Chrissy, David, George, Maria, George, Gladys John, Gregory, Barbara, Helen, Michelle, Ennette, Eleni, Mary, Andreas, Sofia, Joseph, Catrina, Patricia, Erica, Maria, Angeliki, Maria, Dimitrios, Irene, Reta, Eleni, Maria, Kyriaki, Martin, Maria.

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.