+
Sunday, April 1st 2007 +
Palm Sunday
“Feast of the Glorious Entrance of our Lord
Jesus Christ into Jerusalem”
+
*******************************************************************************************************
+ In the
Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
“With the symbol of the Palm I come today to
acknowledge Thee, Dear Jesus, as my King and my Lord. When I was baptized Thou
didst give me the privilege to share in Thy Death and Resurrection, to be a
member of Thy Royal Family and to inherit Thy Kingdom. Help me live in this
world with the dignity that befits the Child of a King, to love, serve, obey,
and glorify Thee in all that I do. Amen.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “Blessed is He who
comes in the Name of the Lord,
Give thanks to the
Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever.”
The
Reading is from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Philippians.
(Chapter 4:4-9)
Brethren, rejoice in the Lord always. Again I
will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at
hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things
which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God
of peace will be with you.
+ The
Holy Gospel +
The
Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. John
(Chapter 12:1-18)
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to
Bethany, where Lazarus was who had died was, whom Jesus had raised from the
dead. There they made Him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those
at table with Him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and
anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was
filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one
of His disciples, {he who was to betray Jesus} said, “Why was this ointment not
sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not
because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the
money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, “Let her alone; let
her keep it for the day of My burial. The poor you always have with you, but
you do not always have Me.” When a great crowd of the Jews learned that He was
there; they came, not only on the account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus,
whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put
Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going
away and believing in Jesus. The next
day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him,
crying, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of
Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written,
“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s
colt.” His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was
glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of Him and had been
done to Him. The crowd that had been
with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead
bore witness. The reason why the crowd
went to meet Jesus was that they heard He had done this sign.
Meditation:
Palm Sunday
Five
days before the Passover of the Law, Christ made His glorious entrance into
Jerusalem. We see a great description of what happened in today’s Gospel, which
we celebrate today as ‘Palm Sunday’. The branches of the Palm Trees symbolize
Christ’s victory over the Devil and death. The word ‘Hosanna’ means: ‘Save
now’. With Jesus sitting on the foal of a donkey, and the fact that this animal
was untamed and considered unclean according to the Law, signified the former
uncleanness and wildness of the nations, and their subjection thereafter to the
Holy Law of the Gospel. On Palm Sunday worshipers symbolically acclaim Christ
as King by holding palms in their hands. These palms are often shaped into a
cross, a reminder that Palm Sunday is the beginning of a far greater drama –
the sacred Passion of Christ for the salvation of the world. He who triumphantly
comes to Jerusalem, comes to die. Palm Sunday ushers in Holy Week. In the
background of triumphant joy stands the challenging shadow of the Cross. Those
who acclaim Christ as King will behold Him as the Crucified one. “This child is
chosen by God for the fall and the salvation of many”, the elder Simeon’s words
were fulfilled in Christ’s adult ministry. No one generated so diverse a
reaction as Christ did among His contemporaries. To those who came to Him with
faith, Jesus was sent by God, healing, forgiving, and teaching the people.
Peter confessed Him with the words: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
God”. Jesus is God’s Anointed, full of the Holy Spirit, one in whose person,
words, and actions the new age of salvation was dawning. To others, however,
Christ was a potential agitator (John 11:48), someone influenced by demons (Mark
3:22), and a blasphemer (Matthew 9:3). The more the people were attracted to
Him, the more He seemed to threaten the security of the religious and political
order of the day. When Christ came to Jerusalem for the last time at the height
of His ministry, this was the atmosphere, one filled with hope and controversy,
enthusiasm and hostility, joy and tension. In the ancient world kings and
generals often led triumphal processions into cities. These were magnificent
spectacles of power and pomp involving chariots, horses, soldiers, arms and
booty. But Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem included no such external
signs of power and splendor. In the Gospels we find Him always walking. There
is no reference that He was ever on a horse. And now He comes into Jerusalem
with a band of simple Galilean fishermen riding on a donkey. What king, asks St.
John Chrysostom in a homily, ever entered into a city on a donkey? Christ came
as the Prince of Peace. A spontaneous crowd and enthusiastic children gave Him
a hero’s welcome. Jesus accepted their warm acclaim as a joyful expression of
His spiritual kingship. In this humble setting of fishermen, ordinary people,
and children, the central event of Palm Sunday fulfilled the prophecy of
Zechariah: “Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion! Shout for joy, you people of
Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and
victorious, but humble and riding on a donkey – on a colt, the foal of a
donkey. (Zachariah 9:9)
Meditation:
Holy Week
Holy
Week is the most important week of the year because it brings us to the gates
of God’s Kingdom. Christ’s voluntary sacrifice on the Cross gives us access to
the very presence of God. As we remember the last days of Christ on earth, we
relive the great moments of His passion through a continuous liturgical drama.
The saving events of the first century once again become realities for us
through the hymns, prayers and services of Holy Week. On Palm Sunday we welcome
Christ into our lives as King. Form Palm Sunday evening through Holy Tuesday evening
we behold Him as the Bridegroom of the Church, one who bears a crown of thorns
and other marks of suffering, yet one who prepares a paschal bridal chamber for
His bride, the Church. On Holy Wednesday we are anointed with Holy Oil as
soldiers of Christ in preparation for the commemoration of His solemn passion. On
Holy Thursday, we gather in the morning around the table of the Lord to
celebrate the Last Supper with Him, and in the evening we faithfully follow Him
through the reading of the Twelve Gospels to the great moments of His agony in
Gethsemane, His arrest, trial, mockings, scourging, march to Golgotha,
crucifixion, and death on the Cross. On Holy Friday, we stand in the morning at
the foot of the Cross reading the Service of the Hours and keeping a vigil
watch at His side; in the afternoon we witness the descent of Christ’s body
from the Cross and His burial in the Epitaphios, a symbolic tomb, and in the
evening we gather with both sorrow and joy to sing the Lamentations to Him who
is symbolically buried in the Epitaphios and yet whom we perceive by faith to
be immortal Life. On Holy Saturday morning we hold the Service of the First
Resurrection anticipating Christ’s victory over death and chanting: “Arise of
God, and judge the earth, and You shall possess all the nations as Your
inheritance.” On Pascha we celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Christ, the
breaking of the bonds of Hades and the opening of the gates of Heaven, the dawn
of the new age of salvation, the fruits of which we again experience through
the Agape Vespers Service as love, peace, and joy. Holy Week is the foremost
liturgical treasure of the Orthodox Church. Through magnificent liturgical
forms we are called to become part of the sacred drama of Christ’s death and
resurrection, to share His sufferings, to help Him carry the Cross, to witness
His crucifixion, to die with Him, to follow Him in His burial, and to be lifted
up to a life of newness filled with the Holy Spirit. The supreme gift we
receive during Holy Week is the incarnate love of God “who did not spare His
own Son but delivered Him up for us all”
(Romans 8:32). “If God is for us, who can be against us?…Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ?…For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come…nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
+ Great
& Holy Week
+
·
Sunday, April 1st – 7:30 p.m. – 1st
Bridegroom Service
·
Monday, April 2nd – 7:30 p.m. – 2nd
Bridegroom Service
·
Tuesday, April 3rd – 7:30 p.m. – 3rd Bridegroom Service
·
Wednesday, April 4th – 7:30 p.m. – Holy
Unction Service (Anointment with Holy Oil)
·
Thursday, April 5th – 8:45 a.m. – Matins
& Confession
10:00 a.m. – ‘Mystical Supper’ Divine Liturgy of St. Basil
the
Great (Service of the Institution of the Holy
Eucharist)
7:30 p.m. - Service
of the Holy Passion of our Lord & Saviour
Jesus Christ (12 Passion Gospels & Crucifixion)
·
Friday, April 6th – 9:30 a.m. – Service of
the Royal Hours (Taking down Christ’s Divine
Body from the Cross)
7:30 p.m. – Lamentation Service (Entombing the Pure Body of Christ)
Presided by His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER.
·
Saturday, April 7th – 9:30 a.m. – Vesperal
Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (Saturday
of Light) Presided
by His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER.
+ Great & Holy Pascha +
The Resurrection
of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Easter)
·
Saturday, April 7th – 9:30 p.m. – Beginning
of Prayers
10:00 p.m. – The Rush
Procession Service
11:00 p.m. – Divine
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
(Followed by the Blessing of the Eggs)
·
Sunday, April 8th
– 2:00 p.m. – Agape Vespers
(The Gospel is read in
different languages and
a Procession with Candles is led around the Cathedral)
Please
Bring Your Children!!!
“Christ is Risen! Indeed He is
Risen!”
* Announcements,
Activities & Upcoming Services *
“It is good to be Zealous in a Good Thing
Always…” (Galatians 4:18)
ü
Lenten Luncheon – Today!
The
Antiochian Women of St. Elias have prepared the Lenten Luncheon today. We will
be serving some homemade delicious dishes following the Divine Liturgy at St.
Elias Banquet Centre. We hope to see you there. Tickets available at the door: Adults
- $15.00 & Children under 10 yrs old - $10.00.
ü
Altar Offerings
Dear Parishioners, the Altar is in need of regular supplies
(Incense, Oil, Candles, Flowers, etc.). If you would like to donate something,
please limit your donation to a monetary donation to the Church, as we prefer
to purchase the items needed for the Altar. May God bless you generously during
this Holy Lenten Season.
ü
Mother’s
Day Celebration
The
Antiochian Women of St. Elias Cathedral present the 12th Annual Mother’s Day
Celebration with the Dinner & Basket Auction on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at St. Elias Centre on 750 Ridgewood Avenue. Over 100 Prizes
waiting for you! A Donation will be given to the Canadian Cancer Society for
Breast Cancer Research & the Hearth and Stroke Foundation. Cocktails &
Sneak Preview at 6:30 p.m., Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Advance Ticket Sales only
$55.00. To purchase tickets, please contact the Cathedral Office (738-2222).
Buy a lottery ticket and win the car!!!
ü
Second Collection Tray
There will be a Second
Collection Tray today. As you will find in the enclosed letter from His
Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP; each year on this Feast Day, our Archdiocese
sends an offering of love to His Beatitude, Patriarch IGNATIUS IV to help
support the various departments and charities of the Patriarchate. Please be
generous.
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
Antiochian
Women “Project 2007” – Retired Clergy Fund
Our
Challenge: $150,000. This will be the 3rd year of our Retired Clergy Fund
Project. Our goal is to raise at least $500,000 over 5 years. Thanks to the
efforts of all our ladies, we were able to contribute over half this amount in
the first two years. The Retired Clergy Fund was established to help subsidize
the original fund established by Metropolitan PHILIP to support our retired
priests or widowed khouriyas. The present formula used to calculate the amount
the retired is able to collect is minimal and the fund will go broke in a few
years if it is not substantially supported through increasing the principle,
which is what the Retired Clergy Fund is intended to do. We, the Antiochian
Women, a Sisterhood of Charity serving Christ through serving others, ask that
you continue to work with our local chapters in all that they do, and
particularly in supporting this project with your whole hearts, remembering the
Clergy that have been there for us in times of illness, sorrow, celebrations,
etc. Through our joint efforts, this Fund will give our active Priests peace of
mind for the future for themselves and their Khouriyas, while insuring our
retired Priests’ ability to live out their golden years more comfortably. If you want to donate and help the
Antiochian Women with this project, please make your cheques payable to “St.
Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral” with the memo: “Retired Clergy Fund”. Please give generously.
ü
“The
Ancient Church” DVD & VHS Special Offer
“The Ancient
Church” is a documentary which looks at the historical events that lead to the
Great Schism, the Protestant Reformation, and the survival of the Orthodox
Church over the past 2000 years. All proceeds from the sale of this film go to
the Retired Clergy Fund of our
Archdiocese, and a cheque will be presented to His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP
at the Archdiocese Convention in Montreal this July. The cost of The Ancient
Church is $13.00 each (DVD or VHS). To make your orders, contact Richard Zakka
– Phone (212) 736-8240, Fax (212) 868-3069. Or you can make your order through
the Cathedral Bookstore.
ü
Registration
for the 48th Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese Convention
This year,
the 48th Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Convention will be hosted
by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Montreal on July 23rd – 29th.
Registration forms are available in the Cathedral Office for anybody who is
interested in attending this year’s Convention and anyone interested in
sponsoring a message for the Ad Journal. There are also copies of an
information flyer available at the Candle Stand in the Vestibule.
ü
Interested
in becoming a Teacher in the Church School?
The Church
School needs your help next year! Anybody who would like to become a teacher in
the Church School next year is strongly encouraged and asked to meet with Fr.
Ghattas immediately. If you feel that you would like to serve the Lord by
teaching the young children of our parish about our faith, you have to be
prepared and well equipped. We will have special sessions for all new teachers
in the near future, especially for the High School level. If you feel that you
would like to teach next year, please let us know.
ü
Antiochian
Weekly Gospel Program
Each
Sunday’s Gospel is presented at five levels (from Preschool to High School),
with discussion questions and engaging graphics, to be used at home (or in the
classroom). Go to: www.antiochian.org/christianeducation,
and click on “Antiochian Gospel Program”. This is a very helpful guide which
greatly assists the teaching of the Faith within the home.
ü Are your Children attending Church
School?
Are you bringing your children to Church School on Sundays? If
not, you are withholding from them a great opportunity to learn about their
faith. How can we expect our children to understand their faith and serve God if
they are not taught at an early stage of their lives? With this said, we are
looking to fill up our Grade 9-12 class, if you have children between the ages
of 14-18, please bring them to the Church School and speak with the
Superintendent Joann Nicholson. This class is very important and considered a
preparatory course to our Teacher Training Sessions. Very interesting and
important moral and religious issues are discussed and studied, and a base is
formed in the minds of the students that will help them pursue their role in
teaching in our Church School and working with the Youth Ministry.
ü Hand Made Christian Olive Wood
Carvings from Jerusalem
We have recently obtained a very nice selection of hand made
Christian olive wood carvings from Jerusalem. Large and small Crosses,
Statuettes of Christ and the Virgin Mary, House Blessings, Nativity Scenes for
Christmas, packages of Incense, Oil, and water from the River Jordan, and much
more. Great gifts for Palm Sunday & Pascha (Easter). Please visit our
bookstore today in the Cathedral Hall downstairs after the Divine Liturgy.
ü New English Service Book for Holy
Week & Pascha
A new English Service Book for Holy Week & Pascha is now available for purchasing at our
Cathedral Bookstore. Specifications include: 855 pages total, Length 9.5” x
Width 6.5” x 1”, Two-Tone Print (red & black), High Quality White Bible
Paper, Gold Gilded Edges, Double-Ribbon Markers, Hardbound-Black Leather,
Gold-Embossed Cover, Lightweight (26 OZ). This book is a ‘must have’ for every
Orthodox Christian! For more information visit the Cathedral Bookstore after
the Divine Liturgy.
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. Any member of the Fellowship who is
interested in participating in the Parish
Life Conference Bible Bowl (June 28th - July 1st
2007 at St. Elias Orthodox Church, Syracuse) is asked to speak with Ramia
Ibrahim (ramiai@hotmail.com).
ü
Teen SOYO
Weekly
Meeting every Wednesday from 7:30
p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SHARP! in the Cathedral Hall downstairs. Please be on time. Please
give us your email address if you are not receiving our weekly online
newsletter & calendar.
Bible
Bowl: Any member
of the Teen SOYO who is interested in participating in the Parish Life
Conference Bible Bowl (June
28th - July 1st 2007 at St. Elias Orthodox Church,
Syracuse) is asked to speak with Alannah Saikaley at: asaikaley@ashbury.on.ca
ü
Health Professionals
Needed
If
you are a Health Professional (i.e. a Doctor, Physician, Nurse, Nurse
Practitioner, Physician Assistant, etc.) please contact the Cathedral Office
and let us know. We would like to know which of our parishioners are
experienced in the medical field for our own records first of all, and also the
Archdiocese is looking for volunteer medical staff to help at our Camp
Transfiguration (Montreal) during the summer, and at the other camps throughout
the Archdiocese including the Antiochian Village. Please mention if you are interested in volunteering so we can
refer your information to the Archdiocese.
ü
Canadian Blood
Services
Canadian
Blood Services is inviting Canadians to donate blood in their communities,
because the need for blood continues to rise at a much greater rate than the
increase in donations. The Ottawa permanent donor clinic at 1575 Carling Avenue
will be open with special hours on Saturday, April 7, 2007 from 11:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. On Friday, April 13th,
2007 from 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. a blood donor clinic will take place at St.
Elias Banquet Centre. For general information on blood donation and donor
eligibility, please visit www.blood.ca.
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
left for selection are:
If you are interested in donating any icons, please contact Fr.
Ghattas in the office or speak to him after the Divine Liturgy.
ü New Epitaphios (Bier)
Over the years many donations have been collected by parishioners
to purchase a new Epitaphios (Bier) for the Church. We are very thankful for
their donations and we would like to let everyone know that our Beautification
fund is still in need of more donations so we can finally order the Epitaphios
(Bier), which will be made from the same wood with the same design as the
Iconostasis. If you would like to help donate for this project, please speak
with Fr. Ghattas.
ü
“Al-Orthodoxiya Internet Radio Station” (www.orthodoxiya.org)
Visit the above website and listen to the new ‘Arabic’ Orthodox
Internet Radio Station playing Orthodox Hymns and presentations almost 24 hours
a day! Also, we would like to remind you about “Ancient Faith Radio” (www.ancientfaithradio.com)
which plays 24 hours a day Orthodox Hymns in many languages, along with
interviews and presentations in ‘English’. For Arabic Satellite TV, we can
recommend watching “Tele Lumiere” & “Nour-Sat” where you will find
full Christian programming with correct teaching, including various Orthodox
presentations like recorded Divine Liturgies & Sermons from Lebanon or
Byzantine Choir Concerts, etc. There are other Arabic “Christian” channels
which are teaching a false Christianity and should be watched out for. Any
program that teaches against the Church and it’s beliefs and traditions should
not be viewed or supported in any way.
ü
Summer Pilgrimage to
Greece (June 3rd
-15th)
Have
you thought about joining us on our pilgrimage to Greece this summer? We will
be visiting lots of beautiful Churches & Monasteries; along with many
Historic Ruins, Old Markets, Beautiful Beaches, Land Marks & Awe-inspiring
Scenery!
Our trip to Greece is
confirmed as planned. Those who have made their reservations and submitted
their downpayments already are set to travel. A few places remain and anyone
who is interested in going is asked to please call the Cathedral Office for
more information.
Food For Hungry People Program (Lenten Home-Work)
* Donation Box *
In
the Vestibule, there are enough ‘Food for Hungry People’ donation boxes
for all the families of our Church, please take one with you today and return
it after Pascha (Easter), with
whatever donations you collect during the Fast. These donations are anonymous
and will be sent in total to the Archdiocese once they are returned.
Sunday,
April 1st 2007
Monday,
April 2nd 2007
Tuesday, April 3rd
2007
Wednesday, April 4th
2007
Thursday, April 5th
2007
Friday, April 6th
2007
Saturday, April 7th
2007
+ 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