+
Sunday, October 8th 2006 +
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Tone:
8 + Eothinion: 6
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“Thy people, O Lord, testified that God had
visited His people when Thou didst raise up the son of the widow of Na’in.
Visit us now also, and raise us up from the death of sin and guide us to the
Life of Repentance, O Merciful One. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “Make your vows to the
Lord our God and perform them,
God
is known in Judah”.
The Reading is from
the Second Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
(Chapter
6:16-7:1)
Brethern, we are the temple of the living God.
As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be
separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.
I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord
Almighty.” Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 7:11-16)
At that time, Jesus went into a city called
Na’in; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He
came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the
only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city
was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her,
“Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried
him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was
dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear
came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up
among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
Meditation:
“The Miracles of Christ”
When they witnessed the raising of the widow’s
son by Christ, the people exclaimed: “A great prophet has appeared among us!”
“God has come to save His people!” This was a normal response by men and women
who had grown up by the traditions and teachings of the Bible. Occasional
healings are reported in the writings of the rabbis. Some of the Prophets did
miracles. For example Elias brought back to life the son of the widow of
Zarephath (1 Kg. 17:17-24) and the widow said to Elias: “Now I know that you
are a man of God and that the Lord really speaks through you!” The Prophet
Elisha did several miracles, among them the raising from the dead of the
Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kg. 4:32-37). In Israel’s history the times of
deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea and the
wanderings in the Sinai desert were most especially times of miracles. Working
through Moses and by means of many “signs and wonders,” God let the Hebrews out
of Egypt, sealed a special covenant with them at Mt. Sinai and guided them to
the Promised Land. So also the times of fulfillment in the person of Christ,
the new Moses, were times of miracles. In the ministry of Jesus, His death and
Resurrection and the birth of the Church, we have a new exodus, a new covenant
and a new people who are led by Jesus to the Kingdom of God, our spiritual
promised land. Already in the person and ministry of Jesus, the Kingdom of God
breaks into the fabric of human life with power, shown by miracles, exorcisms
and healings. These mighty deeds of God are signs that in Jesus the age of
salvation has dawned! Thus many of His contemporaries responded to His
miraculous actions with awe, amazement and thanksgiving to God for the new time
of deliverance from the powers of Satan, death and sin.
* 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
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 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. Our first
Bible Study on the Gospel of St. Luke, which is the topic for the 2007 Bible
Bowl, will take place on Tuesday, October 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the
Church School area. All interested ladies are encouraged to attend. If you have
any questions, please call Mrs. Faye Thomas at (613) 521-5693 for details.
ü St. Elias Orthodox Cathedral Choir
St. Elias Orthodox Cathedral Choir
welcomes all members of our congregation to sing with us each Sunday morning.
Men and women of all ages who can sing and enjoy listening to the Choir
upstairs are welcome to join. We cannot stress this enough. The future of our
Choir needs everyone’s support. Please contact the Choir Director Grant Shaker
(613-733-9118; leave a message) or join us Sunday morning upstairs in the Choir
Loft at 9:45 a.m. Rehearsals are every Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
ü Second Tray
There will be a second tray
collected today in support of our Theological Seminaries, please be generous
and read the enclosed letter from His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP concerning
the importance of this donation.
ü Theological Education
Concerning Theological Education
for the Seminarians, it should be noted that last year we had 25 students
attending our various seminaries as follows: 14 are attending St. Vladimir’s, 4
are attending Holy Cross, 7 are attending St. Tikhon’s. As a result of increased
scholarship aid from Holy Cross our expenditures decreased to $215,222 from
$222,693 the previous year. The St. Stephen Course of Study has approximately
200 enrolled students from various Orthodox jurisdictions. Receipts from
tuition fees now total $159,485. Also, in connection with the Archdiocese House
of Studies, 26 students completed a Master’s Program with the Balamand
University which has started in 2000. We are pleased to report that this year
13 candidates will receive a Master of Arts degree in applied Orthodox
Theology.
+ 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