+
Sunday, November 19th 2006 +
23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Tone:
6 + Eothinion: 1
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“Illumine our hearts, O Merciful Master, with
the pure light of Your knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may
understand Your Gospel teachings. Set in us a holy awe for Your commandments so
that trampling down worldly desires we may live a spiritual way of life both
willing and doing everything pleasing in Your sight. For You are the light of
our souls and bodies, Christ our God, and to You we give glory, together with
Your eternal Father and Your life-giving Spirit, now and forever. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “O Lord, save Thy
people and bless Thine inheritance,
To
Thee, O Lord, have I cried, O my God”.
The Reading is from
the Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians.
(Chapter
2:4-10)
Brethern, God, who is rich in mercy, because
of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace
in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 12:16-21)
The Lord spoke this parable, “The ground of a
certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying,
‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will
do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store
all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many
goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But
God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then
whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” As He said this, Jesus
called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Meditation
The Parable of the Rich Fool is the designated
Gospel lesson for the Ninth Sunday of Luke which is today. A wealthy person is
often regarded as successful. In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Christ paints
with bold strokes a picture of an apparently successful man whose only problem
seemed to be the abundance of his wealth. What person in any age would not be
considered successful if his or her only worry was what to do with the profits?
But Christ did not call the rich man successful. He called him a fool instead.
A fool is someone who binds himself or herself to a fundamental truth, a person
who by self-deception commits an enormous error. Greed led this man to make a
big mistake about life.
From the writing of St. Clement of Alexandria: “For he who holds
possessions… and houses… as the gifts of God, and ministers from them to the
God Who gives them for the salvation of people, and knows that he possesses
them more for the sake of the brethren than his own, and is superior to the
possession of them, not the slave of the things he possesses, and does not
carry them about in his soul, nor bind and circumscribe his life with them, but
is ever laboring at some good and divine work, even should he be necessarily
some time deprived of them, is able with cheerful mind to bear their removal
equally with their abundance. This is he who is blessed by the Lord, and called
poor in spirit, a proper heir of the Kingdom of heaven.”
* 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
Ø
Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple: Vespers
on Monday, November 20th 2006 at 6:00 p.m.
v
Nativity Fast
The Nativity Fast began on November 15th and ends on December 24th. Our
traditional practice for the laity is to fast from all meat and dairy products.
Fish is allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays.
May we all be prepared by praying and fasting to receive the Lord in our
hearts this Holy Nativity. Have a Blessed Fast!
Do
Not Fast:
Fasting
Guidelines:
The purpose of fasting is to focus on the
things of God’s Kingdom and be freed from dependence on worldly things. Fasting
in itself is not a means of pleasing God. Fasting is not a punishment for our
sins. Nor is fasting a means of suffering and pain to be undertaken as some
kind of atonement. Christ already
redeemed us on His Cross. Salvation is
a gift from God that is not bought by our hunger or thirst. We fast to be
delivered from carnal passions so that God’s gift of Salvation may bear great
fruit in our lives. We fast and turn our eyes toward God in His Holy Church.
Fasting and Prayer are meant to go together. Most of all, it is important that
we do not eat each other. We ask God to “set a watch and keep the door of our
lips.” Fasting is not irrelevant, is not obsolete, is not something for someone
else. Fasting is from God, for us, right here and right now. We fast faithfully
and in secret, not judging others and not holding ourselves up as an example.
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine
We are now meeting every Tuesday from 7:20 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SHARP! Please be on time. 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
We are now meeting every Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m SHARP! Please be on time. 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 give us your email address if you are
not receiving our weekly online newsletter & calendar.
ü Parish Bible Studies &
Catechism in Arabic
Join us every Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Conference Room (Church
School Building), as there are 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 Thank You!
We would like to thank all the
ladies and all the volunteers who prepared for yesterday’s Lebanese Bake Sale, it
was well organized and a great success. God Bless you all!
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 The Spirit of
Giving is Here - Annual Food Drive
What do these numbers represent?
v
40,000: The number of Ottawa residents who go to food banks
in a month.
v
16,000:
The number who are children.
v
112:
The number of local agencies feeding the hungry with the help of The Ottawa Food Bank.
Once
again St. Elias Orthodox Cathedral is holding their annual food drive organized
by the St. Elias Church School. PLEASE
GIVE GENEROUSLY!!!! Like previous years we are asking our parishioners to
bring in non-perishables such as canned food, boxes of pasta, rice, etc. Please
bring the food to the Church School’s office located on the main floor of the
Church School. NOTE: The Church School students can also give their donations
to their respective teachers. Lets help the Ottawa Food Bank fight Community
Hunger!
ü Operation Stay Warm
Seeing
that the season of giving has arrived and with it the cold season, we are once
again asking all Parishioners to donate warm used or new clothes and/or
blankets to help those in need to stay warm this year. Items can include coats,
sweaters, scarves, hats, underwear, socks, boots, etc. A donation box will be
located in the Cathedral Hall in the basement of the church for the next weeks
until Christmas. The items from the box will be delivered on a weekly basis to
the Shepherds of Good Hope where different families attend for any donations
that will help them stay warm. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact Sofia Chalhoub at 613-769-7674 or Yolanda Hanna at
799-9626.
ü The Dewaan
Foundation Scholarship
The
Dewaan Foundation has established the Dewaan Foundation Scholarship Fund in
order to promote and assist scholastic and personal achievement amongst
full-time students of Lebanese origin, presently attending or entering
University or College. For applications please call the Cathedral Office at
(613) 738-2222.
ü Feast of St. Nicholas
– Invitation to Hierarchal Divine Liturgy in Montreal
On
Tuesday evening, December 5th at 6:30 p.m. there will be a
Hierarchal Vesperal Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Montreal,
presided over by His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER. A light dinner will follow the
service in the Church Hall. All are welcome! Please visit www.stnicholasmtl.org
for directions and address information.
ü A Message to
Parents from the Church School
How many of you would go to someone’s house for dinner and leave as
soon as you have eaten? How many of you would leave in the middle of an
important meeting that would be of great importance to you and your family?
Well, every Sunday, many of you are guilty of leaving the Church before the
Service is ended. You remove your children from the Church immediately AFTER or
even BEFORE Communion! Our K4, K5 and Grade 1 children go back to their
classrooms after Communion is received and continue their lessons while the
remaining grades stay in Church for the rest of the Service. What kind of
example are you setting for your children? They will grow up thinking that this
is acceptable behaviour! IT IS MOST
DEFINITELY NOT!! Last Sunday, November 12th, was CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS SUNDAY.
Father Ghattas introduces the teachers and presented them with a special book
in appreciation of their service. THE
CHURCH WAS HALF EMPTY WHEN THE PRESENTATION WAS DONE BECAUSE A LOT OF
PARISHIONERS HAD LEFT EARLIER??? It was most disappointing to look out and see
all the EMPTY spaces where just before Communion they had been FULL!! Is this the way to show appreciation to
these exceptionally dedicated people who teach your children the Holy Orthodox
Faith!!! Surely you can spare time on Sunday mornings to visit God in His House
and stay to hear all His words!! What
on earth can be more important?? In today’s world, it is more important than
ever that our children know their faith and their God and to make both a
required part of their upbringing!! Your children are not receiving the full
benefits of Church School when you take them out early!! They also are not receiving the full
benefits of Church School when you bring them LATE!! The classes start at 9:30
A.M. The lesson begins at that time and
if your child is late they will miss part of that lesson! You, as parents, must
strive to make an effort to arrive ON TIME just as you do for regular school,
hockey games, dance lessons etc…..
SURELY YOUR GOD IS AS IMPORTANT (OR MORE IMPORTANT) AS THESE SECULAR
ACTIVITIES!!!!!!!
Yours in Christ,
Joann
Nicholson - Superintendent
ü Visit by His
Grace Bishop ALEXANDER to Ottawa (Nov. 25-26)
On
Saturday, November 25th His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER will be visiting
us for the weekend. He would like to meet with all of the Cathedral
Organizations (Parish Council, Antiochian Women, Altar Boys, Members of the
Choirs, Fellowship & Teen SOYO) on Saturday (25th) at 5:00 p.m.
in the Cathedral Hall downstairs for an “Ask Sayedna” session. All presidents,
executives, and members of our organizations are asked to attend and remain
until 6:00 p.m. (following the meeting) where we will go upstairs to the Church
and have our regular Saturday Great Vespers service, where Bishop ALEXANDER
will preside.
On
Sunday, November 26th His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER will preside over
the Divine Liturgy, followed by a small brunch with him in the Cathedral Hall
downstairs.
ü New Year’s
Eve Gala
Join
us with family and friends for a memorable New Year’s Eve Gala! (Sunday,
December 31st 2006 at St. Elias Banquet Centre) Enjoy an elegant
atmosphere, delicious dinner & fabulous entertainment! Cocktails at 7:00
p.m. & Dinner at 8:00 p.m. For ticket reservations, please contact Mr.
Andre Skaff or Khouriyee Helene Hajal. Ticket Price: $90.00/person. Tickets
also available at $25.00 for children 12 years and under. Children’s
Babysitting Service at $10.00/child.
+ May Their Memory Be Eternal +
+ 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, Eastern
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