+
Sunday, October 22nd 2006 +
19th Sunday after Pentecost
Tone:
2 + Eothinion: 8
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“O Lord our God, who sent to us the Heavenly
Bread, food for the whole world, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Redeemer and
Benefactor who became poor so that we may become rich, be pleased to accept our
prayer at this moment. In Your goodness and love for humanity, remember all the
poor and needy of the world, in our cities and neighborhoods; open our hearts
to be more sensitive to their needs, and give us the power of faith to help
them according to the blessings and gifts that You have granted to each of us.
For You are the source of all sustenance and Your name is glorified, of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “The Lord is my
strength and my song,
The
Lord has chastened me sorely”.
The Reading is from
the 2nd Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
(Chapter
11:31-12:9)
Brethren, the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In
Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the
Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a
basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. It is
doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body
I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one
was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or
out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise
and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of
such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my
infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I
will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what
he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure
by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning
this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 8:26-39)
At that time, Jesus arrived to the country of
the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land,
there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And
he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw
Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What
have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not
torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and
shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the
wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said,
“Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He
would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was
feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to
enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and
entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the
lake and drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and
told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had
happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had
departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they
were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been
demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region
of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great
fear. And He got into the boat and returned. Now the man from whom the demons
had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away,
saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for
you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great
things Jesus had done for him.
Meditation:
“A Question of Identity”
“What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,”
because many demons had entered him. (St. Luke 8:30). A strange and fearsome
man encounters us through the Gospel reading of the 6th Sunday of
Luke, which falls after the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 7th
Ecumenical Council. It is a gripping scene from the personal life of a human
being who lived in 1st century rural Palestine – a decisive moment
when he met Christ and was completely changed. Of what interest is this
decisive experience of his life to us who live in the entirely different
circumstances of modern times? Our Savior did not come to bring us new moral
teachings or to set down for us revolutionary social or political programs.
Rather He came to heal our bodies and souls, to redeem us from sin and death,
to give us new God-centered lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. He
said: “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me (St. John 6:37).” And
again, “Come to Me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I
will give you rest (St. Matthew 1:28).” His gift of new life involves not only
new attitudes, new ways of doing things and a new spiritual direction, but also
a new self! What is meant by a new self? A new self in Christ means a new
understanding of and a new relationship to self, Christ, God, Holy Spirit,
others of the world. Christ changes not merely the spiritual circumstances in
which we live, but also our inner being or character – us. There in the depths
of our heart, where we experience what we are and how we feel about ourselves,
where our own self-image is often distorted and covered up by frustration and
guilt, where God has nevertheless placed a treasure of spiritual gifts and
powers, there is where the personal identity of each human being is located and
awaits an explosive release by the grace of Christ. This same question of
identity is as important to us as it was important to the man of the Gospel
account who was possessed by many demons. It is one of the key questions of
life. But many are inclined to ignore it.
* 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 Feast of St. Demetrios
Next Sunday we will be celebrating
the Feast of St. Demetrios. May he intercede for us always.
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine
There has been a Time Change for our weekly
meetings – we are now meeting every Tuesday
from 7:20 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. A Bible
Study/Religious Discussion will take place in the Cathedral Hall downstairs,
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
*** 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!
& Andrea Ibrahim, Juliana Deek, Alan Ibrahim, Justine
Ibrahim
ü Job Opportunity
St. Elias Banquet Centre is now
hiring Full & Part time Servers. If interested, please call (613) 737-4997
and leave a message or visit the Centre Office at 750 Ridgewood Ave.
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
The Department of Christian
Education
The Department of Christian Education serves
the Archdiocese through the efforts of the Director, Carole Buleza, the
Administrative Assistant, Rosemary Shumski and a volunteer staff of ten
Regional Representatives and Associates who are to be commended for their
dedication. The Regional Representatives provide the teacher certification
seminar “Educating Ourselves and Our Children in Godliness”, form the
foundation of the Orthodox Institute, present other workshops upon request, and
give individualized attention to parish church schools. The Department sent a
folder of information and services to every parish, and each Fall will conduct
the success of the Orthodox Institute. The Department gratefully acknowledges
the Order of St. Ignatius for covering the costs of the program, “To Tithe is
to Love”. The goal of the six year program is the formation of our children in
regards to tithing. We look forward to fully implementing this program. A
project that has been widely praised is the Antiochian Gospel Program on the
Department of Christian Education website. Designed for parents, the program is
also particularly useful for small church schools as it provides the weekly
Gospel in five levels with discussion questions. Finally, many of our church
school teachers received certification through the seminar “Educating Ourselves
and Our Children in Godliness”, provided in collaboration with the Orthodox
Christian Education Commission, Department of Teacher Training. Several
programs are ready to be developed and launched. The website is the venue for
most of these efforts. At the top of the list are resources to serve parents in
creating an Orthodox home, and a program by Fr. Don Hock which leads and forms
converts, or catechumens, to be received into the Orthodox faith.
ü Antiochian Women
Today is the annual Harvest Luncheon, which
will take place at St. Elias Banquet Centre immediately following the Divine
Liturgy. Tickets are available at the door.
Due to the preparations for the
Bake Sale, the first Bible Study on the
Gospel of St. Luke, which is the topic for the 2007 Bible Bowl, has been
rescheduled to Wednesday, October 25th
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 Parish Bible Studies &
Catechism in Arabic
Join us every Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Church, as there will
be Arabic Bible Studies & Catechism led by Fr. Ghattas. These lessons are
open for the entire parish, especially those who are more comfortable with
Arabic. Please bring your questions about our Faith and your willingness to
learn. Parents who have Teens can bring them to the regular Teen SOYO meeting
in the Cathedral Hall downstairs. If your teens are not yet registered in Teen
SOYO and are not receiving our weekly online newsletter, please register by
calling the Cathedral Office.
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.
+ 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