
SUNDAY OF SAINT GREGORY PALAMAS

Sunday, March 12th, 2023
Always a Spiritual Focus, First
Dear Parish Family Members,
For this Sunday, March 12th, 2023, this Second Sunday of Great Lent, it is traditional for us to celebrate the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas. It would be a great shame if we all came to Church but remained unknowing of who Saint Gregory Palamas is, and what he taught.
Saint Gregory upheld the Orthodox doctrine that humans can know God not only through the intellect but through experience of His uncreated energies. Here is what he said, “... every day we should stand in awe of Him, as He is with us, and do what is pleasing before Him. If we are unable now to perceive Him with our physical eyes, we can, if we are watchful, see Him continuously with the eyes of our understanding, and not just see Him, but reap great benefits from Him. This vision destroys all sin, demolishes all evil, and drives away everything bad. It gives birth to purity and dispassion, and bestows eternal life. + St. Gregory Palamas
In this quote, we are reminded that God is ever with us, ever-present. His uncreated energies fill our world, everything in creation. It is all about us opening ourselves to feel, to intuit the presence of God with us.
Also, on this second Sunday of Great Lent, On the second Sunday of Lent, we move from Jesus' retreat to the desert and temptation by the devil to the glory shown in Jesus' Transfiguration. On the first Sunday of Lent, our Gospel always tells the story of Jesus' temptation in the desert. On the second Sunday, we always hear the story of Jesus' Transfiguration.
In this way, through Great Lent, we move through the life of Jesus Christ, from his glory to his crucifixion to his glory of resurrection.
Please do journey with us as we hold our services for one and all.
Faithfully, Father Samaras
Sunday, March 12th, 2023
Eothinon 6
Second Sunday of Lent - Saint Gregory Palamas
LITURGY OF SAINT BASIL
On March 12th, 2023, we commemorate our devout father Theophanes of Sigriane the Confessor; our devout father Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome; the righteous Phineas reposed in peace; our devout and God-bearing father Symeon the New Theologian reposed in peace. And today, the second Sunday of Lent, we observe the memory of our Father among the Saints Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica.
Συναξάριον Τοῦ Μηναίου. Τῇ ΙΒʹ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνός, μνήμη τοῦ Ὁσίου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Ὁμολογητοῦ Θεοφάνους τῆς Σιγριανῆς, τοῦ ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀγρῷ κειμένου. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, μνήμη τοῦ Ὁσίου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Γρηγορίου Πάπα Ῥώμης τοῦ Διαλόγου. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος Φινεὲς ἐν εἰρήνη τελειοῦται. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, Ὁ Ὅσιος καὶ Θεοφόρος Πατὴρ ἡμῶν Συμεών, ὁ Νέος Θεολόγος, ἐν εἰρήνῃ τελειοῦται. Τοῦ Τριωδίου. Τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, Κυριακὴ δευτέρα τῶν Νηστειῶν, μνήμην ἐπιτελοῦμεν τοῦ ἐν Ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Γρηγορίου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Θεσσαλονίκης τοῦ Παλαμᾶ.
LITURGY OF ST. BASIL
The Epistle 2nd Sunday of Lent
O Lord, save Your people, and bless Your inheritance.
To You, O Lord, I cry; O my God.
The reading is from Saint Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 1:10-14; 2:1-3
"In the beginning, You, Lord, did found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle you will roll them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end."
But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet?" Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him.
The Gospel 2nd Sunday in Lent
The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 2:1-12
At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic —"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."
And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
Ὁ Ἀπόστολος Κυριακὴ Βʹ τῶν Νηστειῶν
Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου.
Πρὸς σέ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι, ὁ Θεός μου.
Πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῆς Παύλου 1:10-14, 2:1-3
Κατʼ ἀρχάς σὺ, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί· αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμένεις· καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτούς, καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται· σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσι. Πρὸς τίνα δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴρηκέ ποτε· κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχ θρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου; οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν; Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως ἡμᾶς προσέχειν τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσι, μή ποτε παραῤῥυῶμεν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ διʼ Ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, καὶ πᾶσα παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν, πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας; ἥτις ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη.
Τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον Κυριακὴ Βʹ τῶν Νηστειῶν
Ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Μᾶρκον ἁγίου Εὐαγγελίου βʹ 1 - 12
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, εἰσῆλθε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Καπερναοὺμ διʼ ἡμερῶν καὶ ἠκούσθη ὅτι εἰς οἶκόν ἐστι. καὶ εὐθέως συνήχθησαν πολλοὶ, ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν· καὶ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον. καὶ ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτὸν παραλυτικὸν φέροντες, αἰρόμενον ὑπὸ τεσσάρων. καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσεγγίσαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον, ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ἐφʼ ᾧ ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ· Τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου. ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐκεῖ καθήμενοι καὶ διαλογιζόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν· Τί οὗτος οὕτως λαλεῖ βλασφημίας; τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός; καὶ εὐθέως ἐπιγνοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὕτως αὐτοὶ διαλογίζονται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει; ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἁμαρτίας - λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ· Σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. καὶ ἠγέρθη εὐθέως, καὶ ἄρας τὸν κράβαττον ἐξῆλθεν ἐναντίον πάντων, ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι πάντας καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντας ὅτι οὐδέποτε οὕτως εἴδομεν.

2023 PARISH COUNCIL
President - Theo Christ
Vice President – Yvonne Anastasiou
Treasurer – Chris Pappas
Secretary – Dina Mastoras
Parish Council Member - Evdokia Sofos
Parish Council Member - Dialecti Voudouris
Parish Council Member - Anastassios Mentis
Parish Council Member – Paula Refolo
SAINT JOHN'S SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
9:00am Orthros/10:00am Divine Liturgy
Friday, March 17, 2023
3rd Salutations to the Theotokos
7:00pm
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Sunday of the Holy Cross
9:00am Orthros/10:00am Divine Liturgy
Friday, March 24, 2023
4th Salutations to the Theotokos
7:00pm
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Annunciation of the Theotokos
9:00am Orthros/10:00am Divine Liturgy
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Sunday of St. John Climacus
9:00am Orthros/10:00am Divine Liturgy