SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELISTG R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H

s u n da y of t h e m y r r h b e a r e r sToday we commemorate the Holy Myrrh-bearing women Sts Mary Magdalene ( July 22), Mary the wife of Clopas, Joanna ( June 27), Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee (August 3), Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus ( June 4). Also St Joseph of Arimathea ( July 31), and Nicodemus. The Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea, lived at the beginning of the fourth century in the Pon-tine city of Amasea. He encouraged and comforted the Christians suffering persecution by the pagans. During this time the Eastern part of the Roman Empire was ruled by Licinius (311-324), the brother-in-law of the holy emperor Constantine the Great (May 21). Licinius deceitfully signed St Constan-tines Edict of Milan (313), which granted religious toleration to Christians, but he hated them and continued to persecute them. The Virgin Glaphyra. Licinius burned with passion for Glaphyra, a maidservant of his wife Con-stantia.The holy virgin reported this to the empress and sought her help. Dressing her in mens attire and providing her with money, the empress Constantia sent her to Pontus in the company of a devoted servant. They told the emperor that Glaphyra had gone mad and lay near death. On her way to Arme-nia, St Glaphyra stopped in Amasea, where the local bishop, St Basil, gave her shelter. At this time the saint was building a church in the city. St Glaphyra donated all the money that she had received from Constantia for its construction, and in a letter to the empress she asked her to send additional funds to complete the church. The empress fulfilled her request. However, St Glaphyras letter fell into the hands of the emperor. The enraged Licinius ordered the governor of Amasea to send him the hierarch and the maidservant. St Glaphyra died before the edict arrived in Amasea, and St Ba-sil was sent to the emperor. Two deacons, Parthenius and Theotimos, followed after him and lodged near the prison where the saint was held. The pious Christian Elpidephoros bribed the jailer and each night he visited the saint with Parthe-nius and Theotimos. On the eve of the saints trial, he sang Psalms and chanted, if I should sojourn at the extremity of the sea... even there Thy hand would guide me, and Thy right hand would hold me (Ps 138/139:9-10). These were prophetic words.

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at the small entrance we sing

resurrectional of the feast. Mode pl. 1.

Christ is risen from the dead. By death He has trampled upon death and on those in the tombs He is bestowing life.

apolytiki. Mode 2.

When You descended unto death, O Lord who yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the Powers of the heav-ens were crying out: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.

When he took down Your immaculate Body from the Cross, the honorable Joseph* wrapped it in a clean linen shroud with spices* and laid it for burial in a new tomb.* But on the third day You arose, O Lord,* and grant-ed the world Your great mercy.

The Angel standing at the sepulcher cried out and said to the ointment bearing women:* The ointments are ap-propriate for mortal men, but Christ has been shown to be a stranger to decay.* So go and cry aloud, The Lord has risen* and granted the world His great mercy.

Kontakion. Mode Pl. 4.

Though You went down into the tomb O Immortal One yet You brought down the dominion of Hades and You rose as the victor O Christ our God and You called out Re-joice, to the Myrrh-bearing women and gave peace to Your Apostles O Lord who to the fallen grant resurrection.

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Instead of it is The angel cried to her who is full of grace: O pure

Virgin rejoice, and again, I say: Rejoice; for your Son has risen from the dead on the third day.

Shine, shine O New Jerusalem for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you; dance now and be glad Zion and do you exult O pure Theotokos in the arising of Him Whom you did bear.

Communion Hymn. Mode. 1.

Receive the Body of Christ, taste the immortal fount.Instead of:

We have seen the true light

Christ is risen from the dead. By death He has tram-pled upon death and on those in the tombs He is bestowing life.

THE READINGS OF THE DAY

e p i s t l e r e a di ngActs of the Apostles 6:1-7

Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, be-cause their widows were neglected in the daily ser-vice [of food distribution]. The Twelve summoned the multi- tude of the disciples and said, It is not appropriate for us to aban- don the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint them over this nec- essary task and devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. These words pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Ste- phen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. Thus, the word of God spread and the num- ber of disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem, and a large num- ber of Jews became obedient to the faith.

g o s p e l r e a di ngMark (15: 4347, 16:18)

At that time, Joseph of Arimathea (a promi-nent council member who was also looking for the Kingdom of God), came forward. He boldly went in to Pilate and asked for Jesus body. Pilate wondered if Jesus was already dead. Calling the centurion, he asked him whether Jesus had been dead for a long time. Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the body to Jo-seph. Accordingly, Joseph bought fine linen, took Jesus down and wrapped him in the linen cloth. Having placed him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock, he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where Jesus had been laid. When the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices in or-der to come and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they arrived at the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone was [already] rolled back, although it was extremely large. Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed. He said to them, Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus the Naza-rene, who has been crucified. He has risen! He is not here! Behold, the place where they laid him! But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he told you. They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come upon them. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

With a good word about your neighbor, in their defense, you buy Paradise.

Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos

announcementsSaturday, January 25, Great Vespers, 5pm

pascha flowers

Thank you to all who generously donated!

potluck

Today we will be having a community pot luck after Divine Liturgy. All are welcome! If you were not able to bring something, there will be a collec-tion basket. Proceeds will benefit the programs of Philoptochos.

holy land presentation

OCF Students, Matthew Monos and John Tsika-las will be giving a presentation after the pot luck today about their recent OCF Real Break trip to Jerusalem. Please join us for what promises to be an informative presentation.

give a month towards our future

We would like to offer families and individuals the opportunity to help offset our mortgage payment with a donation of $640. If you would like to spon-sor one month for 2015, please contact Fr. Michael. Thus far 3 commitments have been made for 2014.

ronald mcdonald house

During the month of May, Philoptochos will be having a supply drive for the Ronald McDonald House. Please consider donating items from the

wish list posted in the Narthex. Monetary dona-tions may be made out to Philoptochos. Thank you!

philoptochos gift cards

The next deadline for gift card orders will be May 12. Please see Ronni Harwood or Karen Sade to place an order. This will be the last time to order until the Fall, so plan to stock up now for your sum-mer needs!

purple barrel

Dont forget the purple barrel for the Food Bank. We are always collecting non-perishable food items for the Food bank. We are also always collecting butter and margarine for St Francis House. Thank you for your generosity!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! ! !

u p c o m i ng c h u r c h s e r v ic e s: Saturday, May 2, Great Vespers, 5pm

When He came into the world, Our Lord Jesus Christ had complete re-spect for the freedom of us His ser-vants: Let those who wish to do so follow me. So, are we, His support-ers, to declare implacable warfare against anyone who does not accept our views, against those who disagree with our views on ideology, politics or party?elder Gabriel of Dionysiou

Three times he broke down in tears. The dea-cons were afraid that the saint would not be able to endure the coming torments, but he calmed them. At the trial St Basil resolutely refused the em-perors offer to become a pagan priest, and so he was sentenced to death. Elpidephoros gave the soldiers money, and they allowed the saint to pray and to speak with his friends before ex-ecution. Then the saint said to the executioner, Friend, do as you have been ordered. Calmly, he bent his neck beneath the sword. When the martyr had been beheaded, El-pidephoros tried to ransom his relics from the soldiers. But the soldiers were afraid of the em-peror and they threw the saints body and head into the sea. After this, an angel of God appeared to Elpidephoros three times in a dream, saying, Bishop Basil is in Sinope and awaits you. Heeding this call, Elpidephoros and the dea-cons sailed to Sinope, and there they hired fish-ermen to lower their nets. When they lowered the net on the suggestion of the deacons Theo-timos and Parthenius, they came up with noth-ing. Then Elpidephoros declared that he would ask them to lower the net in the name of the God Whom he worshiped. This time, the net brought up the body of St Basil. The saints head was at-tached to his body once more, and only the gash on his neck indicated the blow of the sword. The relics of St Basil were taken to Amasea and bur-ied in the church he built.

Now because God was about to fashion peo-ple from the visible and invisible creation in His own image and likeness to reign as mon-archs and rulers over all the earth and every-thing that therein is, He first made for them, as it were, a realm in which they should live a blessed and blissful life. And this is the divine paradise, planted in Eden by Gods own hands, a veritable treasury of every joy and gladness. For the word Eden means enjoyment. Ly-ing in the East and higher than all the earth, it had a temperate climate and basked in a breeze that was the purest and most gentle, with ev-ergreen plants redolent with scent, inundated with light, surpassing every concept of seasons of the year and beauty. Truly a divine place and a worthy habitation for those who were made in the image of God, in which no unreasoning creature ever dwelt, but only people, the work of Gods own hands. In the middle, God planted the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. The tree of knowl-edge was for a trial, a test, an exercise of hu-mankinds obedience and disobedience. This is why it was named the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Either that or because it gave insight to those who ate from it, so that they would know their own nature, which is good for those who are perfect, but bad for those who are as yet immature and for those who are susceptible to their passions, In the same way as solid food is not good for infants who are still feeding on milk. God, our Creator, did not intend us to be burdened with care and trou-

On Paradise by St. john of Damascus

synaxarion

bled about many things, nor to take thought or make provision for our own life. But this is where Adam went wrong. He tasted and then knew that he was naked, so he made a covering for himself, using fig-leaves to gird round himself. Before they tasted the fruit, Adam and Eve were both naked and were not ashamed. God meant that we should be without passion, because this nakedness was completely devoid of passion. And, in fact, He meant us to be free from all care whatsoever and to have just one task to perform: to sing, as do the angels, without let or hindrance, the praises of the Creator, and to delight in con-templation of Him and to give Him charge of all our cares. This is what He proclaimed to us through the Prophet David when He said: Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you. And, again, in the Gospels, He taught His disciples saying, Take no thought for your soul, what you shall eat, nor for your body what you shall wear. And again, First, seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. And to Martha He said, Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things. Only one thing is needful; and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her, meaning, clearly, sitting at His feet and listening to His words. The tree of life, on the other hand, was a tree which had life-giving force, or was to be eaten only by those who are worthy of life and are not subject to death. Some people have pictured Paradise as something tangible and perceptible, while others have viewed it rath-

er as a concept. But it seems to me, that, just as people were created with senses and also with a mind, in a similar fashion our most holy temple combines the senses and the mind, and has this twofold emphasis: for, as weve said, [Adam and Eves] life in the body was spent in the most divine and exquisite region, while life in the soul was passed in a place incomparably superior and of even more surpassing beauty, the realm where God is our home, and where they were enveloped with Him as it were with a glorious garment, and robed in His grace. Their delight was to gaze upon His face and they were sustained by this uniquely sweet fruit which nourished them as if they were an-gels. This is why it was rightly called the tree of life: because the sweetness of communion with God is imparted to those who participate in the life which is not cut short by death. God named this every tree and said: You may eat of every tree in Paradise. Because He Himself is the every in Whom and through Whom all things are maintained. But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was for the discrimination between the many divisions of observation. This is the knowledge of ones own nature, which, indeed, is a good thing for those who are perfect and pass their days in divine contemplation, this being of itself a proclamation of the magnifi-cence of God. People such as this have no fear of falling, because, over time, they have reached a certain stage in this contemplation. But it is not good for the young or for those who give in easily to their desires, because concern for their bodies tugs away at their attention and distracts them, because as yet they are not se-

Its great to walk, to work, to move and to have your health. But first you should have your spiritual health. Your spiritual health is fun-damental, then comes bodily health. Almost all sicknesses come from the lack of trust in God and this creates stress..

st. porphyrios of Kavsokaly via

curely seated in the one and only good and still do not have a firm grasp of what is superior. So the way I see it is that divine Paradise is twofold. And the God-bearing Fathers have passed down to us the truth, whether they taught one meaning or the other. Indeed, it is possible to understand by every tree the knowledge of the divine power derived from created things. In the words of the divine Apostle, For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. But of all these concepts and observations, the most important is the one which refers directly to us, to the way weve been made. As the di-vine David says: The knowledge of You from me is a miracle, that is [knowledge of God] from the way we are constructed. Such knowl-edge, as weve mentioned, was dangerous for Adam, who had been so recently created. Or should we understand the tree of life in the more profound concept of God which originates in all created things and which leads us to the Creator, the Origin and Cause of all beings. This is what He called every tree, meaning the fullness and unity which is pro-vided for us through participation in the one God. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, is tangible and pleasurable food which, sweet though it seems, in reality means that those who consume it come into communion with evil. For God says: You may eat of every tree in Paradise. It seems to me that this is God saying: Through all My creations, ascend to Me, your Creator, and of all the fruits, pluck one, that is Me, Who am the true life.

Let every thing bear for you the fruit of life, and let participation in Me be the support of your being. For in this way youll be immor-tal. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat: for on the day that you eat of it, you shall die. For tangible food is by nature a replenishment of that which is expelled and passes into the sewer and is lost. And it is impossible for those who consume tangible food to remain incorruptible. The tree of life is participation in God, which is what nourishes the angels and through which we were meant to enjoy incorruption. We should first submit, without discrimination, to the law of God, so that we may attain the per-fection of virtue and thus receive from God the gift of discrimination between good and evil, which is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.