+
Sunday, May 6th 2007 +
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
Tone:
4 + Eothinon: 7
*******************************************************************************************************
“Christ is
Risen! Indeed He is Risen!”
O Eternal Son and Word of God, Spring of
healings, You found the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well and asked her for
water. What a wonder! He who is enthroned upon the Cherubim speaks with a
sinful woman. He who has set the earth upon the waters asks her for water that
He may draw her to Him. He who is merciful seeks to give living water to her
who is burning with sins. Therefore let us praise Him. O Loving Lord, glory to
You!
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “O Lord, how
magnificent are Thy works. Thou has made all things in wisdom.
Bless
the Lord, O my soul.”
The Reading is from
the Acts of the Holy Apostles.
(Chapter
11:19-30)
In those days, those who were scattered after the persecution that arose
over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the
word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and
Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching
the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number
believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of
the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When
he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all
that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a
good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were
added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he
had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they
assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples
were first called Christians in Antioch. And in these days prophets came from
Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by
the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world,
which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each
according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in
Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas
and Saul.
+ The Holy Gospel +
(Chapter 4:5-42)
At
that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the
plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was
about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,
“Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a
drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who
says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have
given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw
with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You
greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself,
as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her,
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give
him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor
come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have
well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one
whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said
to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this
mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to
worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you
will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You
worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the
Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The
woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ).
“When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His
disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said,
“What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The woman then left her
waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who
told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went
out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him,
saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do
not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him
anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who
sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months
and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look
at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps
receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and
he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows
and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored;
others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” And many of the
Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they
urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more
believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe,
not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that
this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Meditation:
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
In His dialogue with the Samaritan woman
Christ began with the gift of water to lead her and the other Samaritans to a
higher gift – “life-giving water” or “living water”. Jesus used the image to
convey the higher meaning of new life through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The
living water is Christ Himself in His person, teaching, and saving work. The living
water is the Holy Spirit, the fountain from which flow streams of blessings.
The living water is also the gift of grace in a Christian’s heart which becomes
a spring of holiness, goodness, and love, welling up to eternal life. “If
anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’. The
sun was hot at noon. Tired from the long journey, Christ sat by the well to
rest. When He asked for a cup of water He knew what the response would be: “You
are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan”. The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was
proverbial. Later, when the disciples arrived, they too were perplexed by what
they saw Christ doing. Although they did not dare question Him about it, they
were greatly surprised to find Him talking with a woman. Christ broke down
barriers between people and sexes. He talked to women as freely as He did to
men, and He offered to all the gift of living water. Baptized into Christ we
are all one in Him. Christ’s attitude toward the Samaritans was shocking to
pious Jews. A pious Jew traveling from Judea to Galilee would take the long way
around the district of Samaria rather than the short way through it. But Christ
saw love and goodness in Samaritans. Remember the Jew who was robbed and beaten
by bandits, who was ignored by passing Jews but helped by a Samaritan at great
risk and expense? Of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, which one
returned to give thanks? Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman and welcomed the
hospitality of her fellow villagers. Although a Jew, He won their hearts
through His love, and He won their souls for the kingdom. “Give me this water, that
I may not thirst again”, the Samaritan woman exclaimed to Jesus. She did not quite
know what she was saying but she was turning to Christ with the questions and
needs she had. The eyes of her heart were looking to Jesus. Her own gradual
insight into the living water of Christ transformed her from an adulteress to a
Christian missionary. According to tradition the Samaritan woman received the
name Photini, which means “the enlightened one,” and she died a Christian
martyr. Her spontaneous and joyous reaction to Christ brought her own
townspeople to Him. Many Samaritans both welcomed and believed in Him when they
heard His message. The eyes of their hearts, too, looked to Jesus.
* Announcements *
v Every
Saturday – Great Vespers at 6:00 p.m.
v Every
Sunday – Matins at 8:45 a.m. & Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
ü
Annual
General Assembly Meeting
Our Annual
General Assembly Meeting will be on Wednesday,
May 30th 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathedral Hall
downstairs. All are invited to attend. If you have not paid your dues for 2006,
please do so prior to the meeting. For more information, please contact the
Cathedral Office.
ü National March for Life 2007 –
Justice for the Unborn!
On
Wednesday, May 9th at 9:00 p.m. at the Canadian Tribute to Human
Rights Monument (corner of Elgin & Lisgar Sts, Ottawa) the 10th
Annual National March for Life 2007 will again take place with the annual
Candlelight Vigil in defense of the innocent victims of Abortion. Today, after
the Divine Liturgy, downstairs in the Cathedral Hall, the Pledge Form will be
available for you to fill out and purchase your Vigil Candles. On Thursday, May
10th at 12:00 p.m. Pro-Life Supporters will begin to gather on
Parliament Hill to hear speeches about Abortion by prominent pro-life leaders
and politicians, and at 1:30 p.m. there will be a march through downtown Ottawa
with many signs and banners in support for Life. At 6:00 p.m. there will be a
Cocktail Hour and Rose Dinner at the Ottawa Hampton Inn (100 Coventry Rd.) For
ticket sales, please call (613) 729-0379. For more information visit the
following website: (www.lifesite.net)
ü
Connect
2007 – University of Balamand
For the 6th year, the University of Balamand is
sponsoring “Connect”, its popular cultural and academic exchange program.
Connect aims at offering youth (17 – 25 years old) a unique learning experience
that will enrich their mind and soul, and connect them with their land of
ancestry and rich heritage. The program extends over a period of 4 weeks, from July 7th to August 3rd
2007. Based on the University’s main campus in the peaceful hills of North
Lebanon, “Connect” offers a fun-packed program that’s sure to leave
participants with lifetime memorable experiences. For more information, visit www.balamand.edu.lb/connect.
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.
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.
ü 2007 Spring Seminar Series (Funeral Preplanning)
Our Information Session went quite well last week with Patrick
McGarry from Hulse, Playfair &
McGarry Funeral Home. If you were unable to attend, there will be another
session “Executor Duties & Estate Settlement” held on Sunday May 27th,
2007 at the McGarry Family Reception Centre on 315 McLeod Street from 1:30 p.m.
– 4:00 p.m. And a second session “Funeral Preplanning Options & Benefits”
held on Wednesday June 13th, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the
same location. (RSVP: (613) 233-1143 or preplanning@mcgarryfamily.ca). “Valuable information, save time and money,
and relieve family members from emotional and financial burden.”
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 or send your cheque to the Cathedral Office.
ü
A Message from the Church School
Christ
is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
We
would like every student to have a special T-Shirt to take home at the end of
this term. We would like your help in purchasing these shirts. The shirts
will have:" I AM AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN" printed on the front and they
will be Burgundy in colour. Students will wear them on special occasions
at Church and anytime they want elsewhere. We would appreciate your donations
as soon as possible as we have to collect the funds before ordering the
T-Shirts and we want to have them by the last week in May. DONATIONS CAN BE BROUGHT TO THE CHURCH
SCHOOL OFFICE TO JOANN NICHOLSON.
Yours
in Christ,
St.
Elias Church School
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. 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
Next
meeting on Wednesday May 16th
2007 from 7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. SHARP! in the Church School Building. Please be on time. Please give us your email address if you
are not receiving our online newsletter.
Bible Bowl: Team Study & Practice Meeting on Monday May 7th 2007 at 7:00 p.m. 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
+ 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