+ Sunday, July 9th 2006 +
4th Sunday after Holy Pentecost
Tone: 3 + Eothinion: 4
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+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
(A Personal Confession)
“In my life I found true Peace only when I waged continuous War against Sin, I felt true Rest only when I did not cease to Work the will of God. I was truly Free only when I became a willing Slave to Christ, my Redeemer.”
+ The Epistle +
Verse: “Sing Praises to the Lord, sing Praises.
Clap your hands, all you Nations”.
The Reading is from the Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans.
(Chapter 6:18-23)
Brethren, having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
+ The Holy Gospel +
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew
(Chapter 8:5-13)
At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum, and a centurion came forward to Him, beseeching Him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered Him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,` and he goes, and to another, `Come,` and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,` and he does it.” When Jesus heard him, He marveled, and said to those who were following Him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. +
Meditation: “St. John Chrysostom on the Centurion”
“What then did the centurion say? “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.” Let us hear, as many as want to receive Christ: for it is possible to receive Christ even now…Because he made himself unworthy even to receive Christ in his house, he became worthy both of a kingdom and of attaining those good things which Abraham enjoyed…From this time forth Christ proceeds to make known to all that salvation is by faith, not by works of the law. And this is why not to Jews only, but to Gentiles also the gift so given will be offered…Christ not only healed the servant’s body, but the centurion’s soul He also brought into faith by His miracles.”
+ Synaxarion & Upcoming Services +
“Let my Prayer be set before Thee as Incense, and the lifting up of my Hands
as the Evening Sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2)
v Today - Sunday, July 9th: Hieromartyr Pankratios of Sicily
Apolytikon (Tone 4): As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou found discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou did also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Pankratios. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion (Tone 3): He that breathed with tongues of fire upon the Holy Apostles gave thee, O Pankratios, the selfsame mystical graces; as the heir and true disciple of Simon Peter, thou did shine upon the West with the saving Gospel and with blood did seal thy preaching both as a Hierarch and faithful Martyr of Christ.
Synaxarion: This Saint, who was a contemporary of the Apostles, had Antioch as his homeland, where he was guided to the Faith of Christ by Peter, the Chief of the Apostles. Later, he came to Sicily, where he brought many to the Faith, and was finally put to death by the pagans.
Ø Every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. - Great Vespers
* Announcements & Activities *
“It is good to be Zealous in a Good Thing Always…” (Galatians 4:18)
ü Fellowship of St. John the Divine
All members of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine are asked to attend the Great Vespers Service every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Following the Service, a Bible Study/Religious Discussion will take place in the Conference Room with Fr. Mark, and once in a while there will be an outing for dinner, etc. Please give us your email address if you are not receiving our weekly online newsletter.
ü Teen SOYO
All members of the Teen SOYO are asked to attend the weekly Teen Night Meetings (Tuesdays 7-9 p.m.) no matter what the topic or activities are! We have a mix of activities: Sports, Games, Discussions, etc. Please come on time, we begin every Teen Night Meeting with the Little Compline Service with Fr. Mark at 7:00 p.m. sharp.
ü Parish Life Conference Summary
Our Parish Life Conference which was held in Toronto last week was a complete success! Everybody had a great time and the whole trip was very relaxing and fun. The Conference was presided by His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER. We celebrated daily Vespers and morning Divine Liturgies. Many meetings took place for the organizations of the Church and Diocese elections took place also. Among them: Ramia Ibrahim was appointed as Youth Director for the Diocese and Caroline El-Chaar was appointed Teen SOYO President for the Diocese. Nicholas El-Laham remains President of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine with Christine Tannis as Secretary; Saloma Tannis remains Treasurer for the Antiochian Women with Faye Thomas as the Religious Coordinator, and Khouriyee Helene Hajal as the Scholarship Coordinator. The Bible Bowl was very enjoyable and beneficial for all, we had both a Junior and Senior Team from our Cathedral participating, they worked very hard and did a great job. The Junior Team Members were: Caroline El-Chaar, Patricia El-Charr, and Alannah Saikaley. The Senior Team Members were: Khouriyee Helene Hajal, Michelle Fayad, and Noelle Thomas. We also had 2 participants for the Senior Orations: Stephen Fayad and Patricia El-Chaar, who also did a great job. There was an excellent attendance at the Conference from our Parish, hopefully those who have not gone yet will take the opportunity next year.
ü Message to all Beloved Families of this Parish (Young & Old)
Please don’t stop coming to Church during the summer just because ‘school is out’. God’s House is never closed, every Sunday there is Divine Liturgy. The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are offered to you. Please do not be tempted by the sunny weather and skip Church if you are really able to make it. Our Summer Hours should satisfy you (Matins at 8:45 a.m. & Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.), by the time Sunday’s Divine Liturgy is over, you can go for lunch and enjoy the rest of the day after taking God’s blessing.
Join the St. Elias Cathedral Teams in the
Friday, September 1st - Sunday, September 3rd 2006
We will begin practicing this week,
so please contact us as soon as possible!
DIVISIONS
|
15-35 |
Fellow parishes in the Diocese compete against each other for the Cup. Teams are coed, so there must be a girl on the fields at all times (excluding the keeper), it is therefore suggested to have at least 3 girls on the roster. |
|
14 & under |
Timbits! The soccer stars of the future can show off to their family & friends |
If you are interested in playing or would like more information, please contact
Caroline El-Chaâr through e-mail at stelias_soccertourney@hotmail.com
Or contact the Cathedral Office at 738-2222.
+ St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral +
(2975 Riverside Drive – Ottawa)
Cathedral Office: 700 Ridgewood Ave
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1V 6N1
Telephone: (613) 738-2222, Fax: (613) 737-4392
Email: info@steliascathedral.com, Website: www.steliascathedral.com
The Rt. Rev. Bishop ALEXANDER
Bishop of Ottawa, East Canada and Upstate New York
The Very Rev. Father Ghattas Hajal – Dean
Rev. Father Mark Arsenios Wyatt – Assistant Priest
The Very Rev. Father Daniel Matheson – Emeritus