+
Sunday, December 17th 2006 +
29th Sunday after Pentecost
Feast
of the Holy Prophet Daniel and the 3 Holy Youths
(Sedrach, Misach & Abednago) & Sunday
of the Holy Forefathers
Tone:
2 + Eothinion: 5
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“Of Thy Mystic Supper, O Son of God,
accept me today as a communicant: for I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine
enemies, neither will I give Thee a kiss as did Judas; but like the thief will
I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, when Thou cometh into Thy Kingdom. Amen”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: O Lord, how magnificent are Thy works.
Thou hast made all
things in wisdom. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The Reading is from
the Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
(Chapter
5:4-11)
Brethern, when Christ who is our life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your
members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire,
and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God
is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked
when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one
another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the
new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created
him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 14:16-24)
The Lord spoke this parable: “A certain man
gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to
say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they
all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have
bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me
excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to
test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a
wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So that servant came and reported these
things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his
servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in
here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said,
‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master
said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to
come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men
who were invited shall taste my supper, for many are called, but few are
chosen.’”
Meditation
The Lord Himself has said that He came to call
not the righteous but the lost to salvation. His coming at Christmas is especially
significant for the afflicted, destitute and hopeless in spirit, health or
circumstance. Let us turn to the God of all comfort in times of suffering and
distress. When the three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were thrown
into the blazing furnace they “started walking around in the flames, singing
hymns to God, and praising Him as Lord.” In whatever circumstances we may find
ourselves, let us fix our eyes on God, praise Him as Lord, confess our sins to
Him and commit our lives to Him in complete obedience. He is near to uphold us
with His mighty grace in the most trying moments.
* 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 St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Holy Hieromartyr
& God-bearer: Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, December 19th
at 6:00 p.m.
Ø
Service of the Paramon or Royal Hours (1st, 3rd,
6th & 9th) on Friday, December 22nd, 2006
at 9:00 a.m.
Ø
Sunday December 24th: Matins at 8:45 a.m. &
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. (as usual); Christmas Carols to follow sung by the
children of the Church School. (No service held in the Evening)
Ø
Feast of Holy Nativity (Christmas) on Monday, December 25th; Matins
at 9:45 a.m. & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at 11:00 a.m. Have a Blessed
Feast Day & Merry Christmas!
ü This Sunday is
dedicated to the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Today
is dedicated to the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch, we would like to wish all
the members of the Order a blessed Nativity Season and thank them for all their
good work and dedication to our Cathedral and Archdiocese. God bless you!
ü
December is the Month
of the Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Throughout December, members of the Order are
asked to volunteer as much as possible with collecting the donation trays,
reading the Epistles, serving at the Coffee Hours, etc. God bless you all!
ü
2007 Church Calendar
We have received the 2007 Church Calendar with
two selections of beautiful Icons for your homes and offices, please take a
copy from the Vestibule today, we are asking for a generous $5.00 donation. God bless you!
ü
Clergy Visits to
Retirement Homes & Shut-Ins
If you know somebody (perhaps a relative) who
is living in a Retirement Home or is unable to leave their home (shut-in), and
would like to receive Holy Communion before Christmas, Fr. Ghattas & Fr.
Mark would like to visit them this month. Please contact the Cathedral Office
(738-2222) to inform us of somebody who needs to be visited.
ü
Christmas Donation
Envelopes
Christmas Donation Envelopes on behalf of your
children and loved-ones are available at the Candle Stand in the Vestibule.
Please be generous and God bless you all!
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine
Weekly Meeting every Tuesday from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SHARP! Please be on time. A Bible
Study/Religious Discussion will take place in the Church School Building (1st
Floor). Please give us your email address if you are not receiving our weekly
online newsletter & calendar.
ü
Teen SOYO
Weekly 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 in the Cathedral Hall
downstairs 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
New Book Offer
There is a new book available called “Ordained
For Men In The Things Of God – A Commemorative Collection on the 40th
Anniversary of Metropolitan PHILIP”. English and Arabic selections, includes
commemorative photos, 295 pages, high quality hardbound. The cost is (U.S.)
$27.00 + $3.00 S&H, if you would like to order a copy, please call the
Cathedral Office or see Sub-Deacon George Saikali in the bookstore after the
Divine Liturgy on Sundays.
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.
ü
Christmas Hamper
Project
Dear Parishioners, once again this year the
Fellowship will be preparing Food Hampers and purchasing gifts for needy
families in our community and we need your help! Some of the items we will need
to purchase are turkeys/chickens, vegetables, potatoes, bread, desserts,
beverages, soup, etc. All of these families have at least one child and we will
be purchasing a small gift for each child. If you would like to make a food or
monetary donation please contact: Tina Nesrallah at (tnesrallah@hotmail.com) or
(mailto:tnesrallah@hotmail.com) or (613) 794-7810. Thank you.
ü
“O Lord our God, Crown
them with Glory and Honor”!
We would like to wish Fr. Ghattas &
Khouriyee Helene
a Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary! May the dear Lord grant them both
many more years of love and happiness to come!
ü
Happy Feast Day to Fr.
Daniel Matheson!
We would like to wish Fr. Daniel a Blessed Feast Day today, being the Feast of the Holy
Prophet Daniel. May the dear Lord preserve his life and may the Holy Prophet
Daniel continue to intercede for him and us all. God grant him many years!
ü
From the Life of the
Holy Prophet Daniel:
The Prophet Daniel and the Three Children were
all descended from the royal tribe of Judah. In the year 599 before Christ,
while yet children, these righteous ones were led away as captives into Babylon
together with the other Jews by Nabuchodonosor. Daniel (whose name means “God
is my judge”) was called "man of desires" by the Angels that
appeared, because he courageously disdained every desire of the body, even the
very bread that is necessary for nourishment. Furthermore, he received this
name because, in his longing for the freedom of those of his tribe, and his
desire to know their future condition, he ceased not supplicating God, fasting
and bending the knee three times a day. Because of this prayer he was cast into
the den of lions, after he had been accused by his enemies as a transgressor of
the decree issued through the proclamation of the king, that no one should
worship or ask for anything from God or from men for thirty days, but only from
the king. But having stopped the mouths of the lions by divine might, and
appearing among them as though he were a shepherd of sheep, Daniel showed the
impious the might of godlinness. As for the Three Children, since they refused
to offer adoration to Nabuchodonosor's image, they were cast into the furnace
of fire. They were preserved unharmed amidst the flames - even their hair was
untouched - by the descent of the Angel of the Lord, that is, the Son of God.
Walking about in the furnace, as though in the midst of dew, they sang the
universal hymn of praise to God. And they came forth without even the smell of
the fire on their clothes.
+ 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