Sunday, January 1^st, 2023

Dearest Parishioners, and Friends,

Another rare Sunday, in which we celebrate New Year’s Day on a Sunday, as well as we did for Christmas this year. This sychronicity just makes me think of how every day becomes sacred, in its way and if we are able to view the day as such.

Imagine seeing every day as the Lord’s day, as a day that is special and unique. If we could do this, perhaps we could see every day as precious, as valuable, as giving us another change to come closer to God.

As I was sharing with people who attended our recent zoom talks on how we view Saints of our Faith, we shared that everything we do brings us either closer to God or further away from God. The real issue for us is distraction. Once we become distracted from God, it gets harder for us to come back closer. This is why we strive hard to fill ourselves with thinking about God, about our Faith, about growing spiritually. This is why it’s so important for us to come to church services regularly, so we may experience and understand context of the Holy Scriptures.

For all of us, all of our New Year’s begin with hope. Let us hope in our practice, hope in each other as a parish family, hope in our growth to preserve our Church and to help grow it stronger. I pray for all of us together, to be stronger, and be there for each other.

Faithfully, Father Samaras

 Eothinon 7

On January 1, we celebrate the circumcision in the flesh of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ; our father among the saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia; the holy Martyr Theodotos, and Saint Gregory, the father of Saint Gregory the Theologian, died in peace.

Συναξάριον Τοῦ Μηναίου. Τῇ Αʹ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνός, ἑορτάζομεν τὴν κατὰ σάρκα Περιτομὴν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.  Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ μνήμη τοῦ ἐν Ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Βασιλείου, Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Καισαρείας Καππαδοκίας τοῦ Μεγάλου. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ Ἅγιος Μάρτυς Θεόδοτος ξίφει τελειοῦται. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Ἁγίου Γρηγορίου τοῦ Θεολόγου, ἐν εἰρήνῃ τελειοῦται.

LITURGY OF SAINT BASIL

The Epistle                  For the Feast.

My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart, understanding.

Hear this, all you nations; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world.

The reading is from Saint Paul's Letter to the Colossians 2:8-12

Brethren, see to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

The Gospel                  For the Feast.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 2:20-21, 40-52

At that time, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.

Ὁ Ἀπόστολος Τῆς Ἑορτῆς.

Τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν.

Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐνωτίσασθε πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην.

Πρὸς Κολασσαεῖς Ἐπιστολῆς Παύλου 2:8-12

Ἀδελφοί, βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης, κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν· ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς Θεότητος σωματικῶς, καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκός, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, συνταφέντες αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν.

Τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον              Τῆς Ἑορτῆς.

Ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν ἁγίου Εὐαγγελίου  βʹ 20-21, 40-52

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὑπέστρεψαν οἱ ποιμένες δοξάζοντες καὶ αἰνοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἤκουσαν καὶ εἶδον καθὼς ἐλαλήθη πρὸς αὐτούς. Καὶ ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἱησοῦς, τὸ κληθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρὸ τοῦ συλληφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ. Τὸ δὲ παιδίον ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο πληρούμενον σοφίᾳ, καὶ χάρις Θεοῦ ἦν ἐπʼ αὐτό. Καὶ ἐπορεύοντο οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ κατʼ ἔτος εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα. Καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἀναβαινόντων αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἑορτῆς καὶ τελειωσάντων τὰς ἡμέρας, ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν αὐτοὺς ὑπέμεινεν Ἱησοῦς ὁ παῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ. Νομίσαντες δὲ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ ἦλθον ἡμέρας ὁδὸν καὶ ἀνεζήτουν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς συγγενεῦσιν καὶ τοῖς γνωστοῖς,καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀναζητοῦντες αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ ἡμέρας τρεῖς εὗρον αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καθεζόμενον ἐν μέσῳ τῶν διδασκάλων καὶ ἀκούοντα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπερωτῶντα αὐτούς·ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες οἱ ἀκούοντες αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ συνέσει καὶ ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐξεπλάγησαν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· Τέκνον, τί ἐποίησας ἡμῖν οὕτως; ἰδοὺ ὁ πατήρ σου κἀγὼ ὀδυνώμενοι ἐζητοῦμέν σε. Καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Τί ὅτι ἐζητεῖτέ με; οὐκ ᾔδειτε ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου δεῖ εἶναί με;καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐ ᾔ συνῆκαν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ κατέβη μετʼ αὐτῶν καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Ναζαρέτ, καὶ ἦν ὑποτασσόμενος αὐτοῖς. Ἡ δὲ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ διετήρει πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς. Καὶ Ἱησοῦς προέκοπτεν σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις.