+
Sunday, October 1st 2006 +
16th Sunday after Pentecost
Tone:
7 + Eothinion: 5
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“Visit us now, O Lord, and raise us up from
the death of sin and guide us to the Life of Repentance, O Only-Sinless One.
Have compassion on Thy world, O Lord, and teach us compassion that we may be
joyous in Thy Resurrection, O Thou who has granted the world eternal life and
Great Mercy. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “The Lord will give
strength to His people,
Bring
to the Lord, O ye children of God”.
The Reading is from
the Second Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
(Chapter
6:1-10)
Brethern, we then, as workers together with
Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In
an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped
you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We
give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all
things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in
tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in
tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by
longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of
truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and
on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as
deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold
we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all
things.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 6:31-36)
The Lord said: “Just as you want men to do to
you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do
good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners
do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what
credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much
back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return;
and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is
kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father
also is merciful.
Meditation:
“Be Merciful as your Father is Merciful”
Important as the Golden Rule is, Christian
morality goes far beyond it. Christian morality involves something more than
the idea of fairness. What is “more?” To treat others with love, goodness and
compassion no matter how they behave! Christ’s Golden Rule is taking one’s neighbor
upon oneself just as the Good Samaritan had compassion on the wounded Jew, a
supposed enemy, and interrupted his own journey in order to help him. Christ
Himself is the supreme model of the Good Samaritan seeking to bind and heal
humanity’s wounds, and suffering persecution in the process. His voluntary
submitted to abuse, insults, beatings, betrayal and crucifixion by those whom
He came to help! From the Cross He prayed to God: “Forgive them Father! They
don’t know what they are doing”. Christ lived out of His own teaching about
love: “The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life
for them.” Thus Christian morality is anchored not merely on the principle of
fairness but much more on the principle of outgoing, sacrificial love.
* Announcements
& Activities *
“It is good to be Zealous in a Good Thing
Always…” (Galatians 4:18)
Ø
Every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. - Great Vespers
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine (New Time)
There has been a Time Change for our weekly
meetings – we are now meeting every Tuesday
from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. A Bible Study/Religious Discussion will take
place in the Conference Room, 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 & calendar. All members of the Fellowship of St.
John the Divine are still asked to attend the Great Vespers Service every
Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in preparation for Sunday’s Divine Liturgy.
ü
Teen SOYO (New Time)
*** October is Teen SOYO Month! ***
There has been a Time Change for our weekly
meetings – we are now meeting every Wednesday
from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. All members of the Teen SOYO are asked to attend
the weekly Teen Night Meetings no matter what the topic or activities are!
We have a mix of activities: Sports, Games, Discussions, Bible Studies, etc.
Please come on time, we begin every Teen Night Meeting with the Little Compline
Service at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Because October is Teen SOYO Month, we are
encouraging all members of the Teen SOYO to be especially more active this
month by reading the Sunday Epistle (English or Arabic), Serving at Coffee Hour,
or Collecting the Donation Trays. If you are interested in serving on Sundays,
please contact Abraham Wehbi at: abrahamwehbi@hotmail.com - God
bless you for your good works!
ü Antiochian Women
Tickets are on sale today in the
Cathedral Hall downstairs for the annual Harvest Luncheon, which will take
place on Sunday, October 22nd. Please plan on attending. We are set
to begin our studies on the Gospel of St. Luke, which is the topic for the 2007
Bible Bowl. Anyone interested in studying with us should call Mrs. Faye Thomas
at (613) 521-5693 for details.
ü
2006 Orthodox
Institute for Christian Education – Antiochian Village
The 2006 Orthodox Institute for Christian
Education will be taking place at the Antiochian Village from November 2nd
until November 5th 2006. The Institute offers courses (with
certificates) for Teachers, Church School Directors, and those wanting to learn
more about Orthodoxy. The keynote speaker will be His Grace Bishop MARK. A copy
of the Schedule of Events and Course Offerings is available at
www.antiochian.org/christianeducation, or a printed copy can be obtained at the
Cathedral Office. Any of our teachers
(and anybody interested in becoming a teacher) that are interested in attending
the Orthodox Institute for Christian Education and teaching next year
are asked to speak with Fr. Ghattas.
ü Campaign Life Coalition Ottawa
(www.lifesite.net)
In defense of the innocent infants
who are being killed by abortion while still in the womb, there will be another
annual Life Chain today from 2:00 – 3:00
p.m. As always, people will be asked to gather at major intersections in
the Ottawa area and silently and prayerfully hold a sign promoting a respect
for life. For more information, please visit the above website, or contact them
at (613) 729-0379.
ü The Department of Youth Ministry
The 2005-2006 fiscal year has been
an exciting year of growth and progress for Teen SOYO. While celebrating the 35th
anniversary of SOYO, our teens headed straight into their first annual SOYO
Leadership Training Conference – four days of intensive training, meetings, and
learning – held this year at the Archdiocese Convention. SOYO is producing a
generation of disciples and leaders of Christ’s Holy Orthodox Church here in
North America. This year our teens: Raised more than $35,000 to sponsor the 26th
NAC Teen SOYO Special Olympics Sports camp; sponsored, hosted, and ran their 25th
Special Olympics Sports Camp for the Athletes of Pennsylvania; reached their
$100,000 milestone towards raising $250,000 to provide scholarships to educate
parish youth workers through the new St. Stephen’s Youth Ministry Program,
which leads to a certificate and a Master’s Degree in applied Orthodox Theology;
raised funds for the first and second SOYO leadership conferences; OYO-NAC Teen
SOYO’s ministry to the poor and homeless continues to grow with ten major
outreach events over the past 2 years and many more planned for the 2007-2008
year; OYO has hired a full time program director, Jordan Henderson, to assist
the growth of this youth ministry effort and to help our teens have greater
impact on the communities in which they live; NAC Teen SOYO has raised the
level of SOYO Education Month (January) this year by holding discussions across
North America concerning the Orthodox Church’s teaching on the sacred gift of
life and on protecting the unborn. These are a few highlights of what our teens
have accomplished across this Archdiocese. Our teens are active across North
America in many aspects of diocese life, parish life, and the communities in
which they live. Teen SOYO continues to inspire hope and transform lives. The
heart of Teen SOYO is ministry to others, and on a daily basis SOYO is bringing
teens into communion with Christ, with His Holy Orthodox Church, as well as
with faithful members of our parishes and their neighbors in need across North
America.
+ 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