+
Sunday, January 28th 2007 +
Sunday of the Pharisee & the Publican
Tone:
8 + Eothinion: 11
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“O Lord, Thou didst reproach the
Pharisee when he justified himself, boasting of his deeds and justified the
Publican when he approached humbly, seeking forgiveness with sighs: for Thou
dost not draw near to arrogant thoughts, nor turn away contrite hearts.
Wherefore, we also kneel before Thee meekly, O Thou who didst suffer for our
sakes. Grant forgiveness and the Great Mercy. 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 Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy.
(Chapter
3:10-15)
Timothy, my son, you have carefully followed
my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at
Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been
assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood
you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 18:10-14)
The Lord spoke this parable: “Two men went up to the
temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other
men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast
twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector,
standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his
breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Meditation
The Pharisees were an ancient and outstanding
sect among the Jews for their diligent observance of the outward manners of the
Law. Although, according to the word of our Lord, they “did all their works to
be seen by men” (St. Matthew 23:5), and were hypocrites because of the apparent
holiness of their lives they were thought by all to be righteous, and separate
from others, which is what the name Pharisee means. On the other hand,
Publicans, collectors of the royal taxes, committed many injustices and
extortions for filthy greed’s sake, and all held them to be sinners and unjust.
It was therefore according to common opinion that the Lord Jesus in His parable
signified a virtuous person by a Pharisee, and a sinner by a Publican, to teach
His disciples the harm of pride and the profit of humble-mindedness.
* Announcements,
Activities & Upcoming Services *
“It is good to be Zealous in a Good Thing
Always…” (Galatians 4:18)
v
Every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. - Great Vespers
v
No Fasting or Abstinence from Meat & Dairy Products
this week.
v
Vespers for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs &
Ecumenical Teachers: Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John
Chrysostom; on Monday, January 29th at 6:00 p.m.
v
Vespers for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord
Jesus Christ in the Temple; on Thursday, February 1st at 6:00 p.m.
v
If you would like to sponsor the ‘5 Breads’ for the Artoklasia Service during any
Feastal Vespers Service in prayerful memory of loved ones (living or reposed),
please bring the bread with you, along with the list of clearly printed names
to be commemorated, and deliver it to the Altar before the Service begins.
ü
Annual Dues 2006
Dear Parishioners, please remember to pay your
Annual Dues for the year 2006 ($350.00) as soon as possible. Your generous
contributions are directed towards the reduction of the debt and the general
operation of the Church. The deadline
to pay your 2006 dues is January 31st, 2007.
ü
Are You Registered?
Many people are attending Church every Sunday
and are not yet registered into the Church Directory. If you are not
registered, the Office does not have your phone number and address and
therefore you do not receive any mail from us nor are we able to contact you to
annually bless your home, nor do you have your own set of registered Church
donation envelopes for any offerings given to the Church in order to receive
your annual tax receipt. Therefore, please register at the Cathedral Office,
and allow us to get to know you better.
ü
Summer Trip to Greece (Reservation Deadline is Near!!!)
Interested in traveling to Greece this summer
(June 3rd – 15th) and visiting lots of beautiful Churches
& Monasteries, Historic Ruins, Old Markets, Beautiful Beaches, Land Marks
& Awe-inspiring Scenery?
We had our first important information session
with Mr. Ghassan Naufal from ‘Skyexpress Travel’, who, upon the request of many
of our parishioners, introduced this trip to us and answered many questions. The deadline for
reservations and downpayments is the end of this month (January), for
more details please call the Cathedral Office.
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
Altar Boys 12th
Reunion – Next Sunday, February 4th 2007
Attention all Altar Boys, who are serving now
and have served in the past. You are all invited to participate in the celebration
of the 12th Reunion of the Altar Boys of St. Elias Cathedral on
Sunday, February 4th 2007. You are welcome to come and serve in the
Altar and join us for a small lunch after the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral
Hall downstairs.
ü
Online Calendar of Events
St. Elias Cathedral now has an online calendar
of events for all of our Church Organizations (Fellowship of St. John the
Divine; Teen SOYO; Church School; Choir Practices; Antiochian Women) and
upcoming Liturgical Services. Visit our website (www.steliascathedral.com) and
click on ‘New Calendar’ to keep up to date with what is happening.
ü
Antiochian Women
Scholarships
Scholarships are available from the Antiochian
Women for women who choose to continue their education in order to improve
their own situation and that of their families. Scholarships are awarded yearly
in July. The qualifications for the scholarship are as follows. Applicant must:
be a female over 25 years of age; be a member in good standing of a parish of
the Antiochian Archdiocese; be actively involved in her parish; be applying
for, or registered in, an academic or trade program of study; demonstrate
financial need. For further information or to recommend a possible candidate
for a scholarship, please speak to Mrs. Susane Zeidan (President of the
Antiochian Women) or to Fr. Ghattas.
ü Church Beautification
“Blessed are those who love the beauty of Thy House, O Lord”
Our Iconographer may unfortunately
be retiring in the near future and we are looking to finish (while we still
can) the empty areas over the Altar and over the Choir Loft with a beautiful
new set of icons. Some icons are already donated by some parishioners and they
will be delivered and installed in the near future. Other icons left for
selection are: Thomas Sunday; The Mystical/Last Supper; The Holy Hymnographers;
Myrrh Bearers at the Tomb; Christ appearing at Tiberias; Christ appearing at
Emmaus and the Breaking of the Bread; and many more! If you are
interested in donating any icons, please contact Fr. Ghattas in the office or
speak to him after the Divine Liturgy.
ü
Fellowship of St. John
the Divine (New Time)
Weekly Meeting every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 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. Note: If Vespers will be celebrated on
a Tuesday, the meeting will be from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (An email message
will be sent out beforehand).
* For our regular weekly meeting on Tuesday,
January 30th at 6:30 p.m. in the Cathedral Hall downstairs,
Sub-Deacon George Saikali will be giving a presentation about the meaning of “Great
Lent”, based on the book:
‘Great Lent – Journey to Pascha’ by Fr. Alexander Schmemann.
ü
Teen SOYO (New Time)
Weekly Meeting every Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SHARP! in the Cathedral Hall downstairs. Please be on time.
* Attention
Parents: We are responsible for
your children when they are inside the Church Building attending the Teen SOYO
activity, which is under the supervision of the Clergy and Youth Workers. Please be sure to bring and pick them up
from the meeting on time, as we are not responsible for them after 8:30 p.m.
when the meeting is over. If your teen(s) are not attending (or do not know about) the meetings
and would like to attend, please call the Office and let us know so that we can
welcome your children when they come. We have a mix of activities: Sports,
Games, Activities, Fundraising, Religious Discussions, Bible Studies, etc.
Please give us your email address if you are not receiving our weekly online
newsletter & calendar. Also, if you would like to know and make sure that
your teens are attending the meetings, we do take attendance each time, please call the Office and speak with
Fr. Mark.
+ 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