+ Sunday, September 9, 2007 +

 Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross

& the Sunday after the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos

 

Tone: 6                                     +                                    Eothinion: 4

 

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

 

“Today is the day of the Lord! O peoples rejoice in it! Behold, the bridal chamber of the Light is born; the living Bible of the Word of Life comes from a womb; the great the Gate of the East is established awaiting the coming of Christ the Highpriest. Today God who rests on Spiritual thrones prepares for Himself an earthly throne; He who made the heavens with wisdom fashions a living heaven with His love. Lord, You who are the God of wondrous deeds and the Hope of things beyond hope, glory to You!

 

Next Sunday’s Readings:

Epistle: Galatians (2:16-20) Holy Gospel: St. Mark (8:34-9:1)

 

THE EPISTLE

 

O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.

To Thee, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

 

The Reading is from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (6:11-18)

 

Brethren, see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.  It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.  For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the Law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.  But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.  For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.  Peace and mercy be upon all, who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.  Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren.  Amen.

 

 

+ The Holy Gospel +

 

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. John

 (Chapter 3:13-17)

 

The Lord said, “No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

 

   

Meditation: Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross

The Emperor Constantine saw in the sky a Cross made of stars with the words “with this conquer.” Although he was a heathen he was aware of the Cross and its power through his mother, St. Helen, who was a Christian. She wanted to find the Cross on which our Savior was crucified. She went to Jerusalem. On Golgotha, under a pagan temple she had destroyed, were three crosses. Patriarch Makarios, who was helping St. Helen, stopped a funeral procession and brought the Crosses to the body of the deceased. He touched the body with the Crosses. When the Crucifixion Cross touched the body, the deceased man came to life. The Patriarch elevated the Cross so everyone could see it. Giving the name to this Holy Day. St. Helen erected a Church on this spot and the Cross of our Lord was placed there.

 

 

* 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.

 

Upcoming Services

 

Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross:

Great Vespers: (Thursday September 13th 2007 @ 6:00p.m.)

Matins: (Friday September 14th 2007 @ 9:00a.m.)

Divine Liturgy: (Friday September 14th 2007 @ 10:00a.m.)
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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 area over the Choir Loft with a beautiful new set of icons. Some icons left for selection are:

 

 

v  The Holy Hymnographers & Antiochian Saints (For Example: St. Andrew of Crete, St. Joseph of Damascus, St. Isaac the Syrian, Sts. Peter & Paul holding the Church of Antioch in their hands, Sts. Sergios & Bachos the Unmercenary Healers. OR any other Orthodox Saint you would like to honor and have depicted on the walls of our Cathedral.

 

 

If you are interested in donating any icons, please contact Fr. Ghattas in the office or speak to him after the Divine Liturgy.

 

 

ü  Cathedral Bookstore

The Cathedral Bookstore was established in order to provide our parishioners with resources that will help educate and nurture their spiritual health. There are numerous books that should be read by everyone. We should not ignore 2000 years of Holy Wisdom, which has been passed down to us from generation to generation. If you have any specific book you are looking for, we will do our best to get it for you. If you have any questions please speak to Sub-Deacon George after the Divine Liturgy in the bookstore.

 

SEPTEMBER is the month of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. If you are interested in joining this organization please contact the cathedral office. The Fellowship is comprised of parishioners 20 years of age and up. We have weekly religious discussions/bible studies and we also organize humanitarian events and social gatherings. We hope you will join us!

 

 

 

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.

 

ü  A Farewell BBQ to Fr. Mark, Khouriyee Rola and Baby Marina

Join us in giving thanks for three wonderful years together on Monday, September 24, 2007 @ 6:00 p.m. at St. Elias Banquet Centre.

 

Tickets are $10.00 each and they will be on sale each Sunday until September 23, 2007

 

ü  An Important Message from the Church School to all Parents

To enable the children and teachers to attend the Divine Liturgy from the beginning, we will be having Church School Classes immediately following Communion. Parents should bring their children to Church for 10:00 a.m.  Children will still be seated in the Church School section on the South side of the Church. Father Ghattas and Father Mark will give Communion to all the Church School children FIRST, then we will go to our Classes for one hour of teaching. This should prove satisfactory to everyone.  Previously, parents were not bringing their children on time; therefore they were missing part of the lessons. This new way, everyone will be able to start at the same time and have one complete hour of teaching. Other Orthodox Churches in our Archdiocese are having Church School this way with great success. We will need your full cooperation to make this work. Bring your children preferably before the Divine Liturgy starts at 10:00 a.m. and immediately after we have received Communion we will go to our Classes.

 REGISTRATION WILL BE HELD TODAY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th FROM 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. IN THE CHURCH SCHOOL AREA.

 

Yours in Christ,

Joann Nicholson, Superintendent of St. Elias Church School.

 

 

 

 

 

ü  Teen SOYO

During the month of September our weekly “Teen Night” will be held on Friday evenings from 7:00p.m. – 9:00p.m. Our meetings are held in the Cathedral Hall (basement) or in the Church School building. If you would like to receive our weekly announcements please email us at info@steliascathedral.com and provide us with an email address so that we can include you on our weekly mailings. You may also phone the cathedral office and speak to Sub-Deacon George for further information concerning Teen SOYO. Parents should encourage their teens to attend these activities regularly and should also seek guidance from the Church on how to nurture the spiritual growth of their children at home. Parents seeking such guidance may contact Fr. Ghattas at the cathedral office and arrange a time to meet and discuss this most sacred ministry

 

 

Aita Al-Fokhar & Ain Arab Society

 

 

 

 

Dear parishioners of St. Elias Cathedral

 

Aita El-Fokhar and Ain Arab Society would like to invite you to attend The Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eid El Salib) annual party that will take place on Sunday September 23rd, 2007 at 7:00 pm at St. Elias Banquet Centre on Ridgewood Ave. in Ottawa. The event will be attended by the ambassador of Lebanon H.E. Mr. Massoud Maalouf

 

The proceeds of this party will be fully donated to the families of the Lebanese Army martyrs killed during their battle against terrorists in Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp.

 

The fund-raising event features videos produced by the Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation as well as live entertainment with singer Chadi Naddaf and his musical band to celebrate the Lebanese Army victory.

 

The Society is asking for your support to make this event successful. Ticket price is $50 per person which includes full dinner. Tables are 10 persons each.

 

For tickets information:

Fadi Lteif at 613-295-4045

Elie Gharib at 613-698-9888

George Hanna at 613-299-4000

Nada Ayoub at 613-286-6232

 

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you there.

 

Fadi Lteif

President

 

 

 

 

Explanation of the Nicene Creed – Part 13

(Taken from: Orthodox Faith - Volume 1 - Doctrine)

 

…Incarnation… (2)

 

Defense of the Doctrine of Incarnation

In the Orthodox Church the central fact of the Christian faith, that the Son of God has appeared on earth as a real man, born of the Virgin Mary in order to die and rise again to give life to the world, has been expressed and defended in many different ways. The first preaching and the first defense of the faith consisted in maintaining that Jesus of Nazareth is in truth the Messiah of Israel, and that the Messiah Himself -- the Christ -- is indeed truly Lord and God in human form. The first Christians, beginning with the apostles, had to insist on the fact that not only is Jesus truly the Christ and the Son of God, but that He has truly lived and died and risen from the dead in the flesh, as a true human being.

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God (1 Jn 4:2).

For many deceivers have gone into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh ... (2 Jn 7).

In the early years of the Christian faith, the defenders of the faith -- the apologists and martyrs -- had as their central witness and task the defense of the doctrine that Jesus, being the Son of God in human flesh, has lived on earth, has died, has been raised by the Father, and has been glorified as the only King and Lord and God of the world.

 

The Ecumenical Councils

In the third and fourth centuries attempts were made to teach that although Jesus is truly the incarnate Son and Word of God, that the Son and Word Himself is not fully and totally divine, but a creature -- even the most exalted creature -- but a creature made by God like everything else that was made. This was the teaching of the Arians. Against this teaching, the fathers, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, his brother, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory the Theologian of

 

Nazianzus defended the definition of faith of the first and second ecumenical councils which held that the Son and Word of God -- incarnate in human form as Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah -- Christ of Israel -- is not a creature, but is truly divine with the same divinity as God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

This was the defense of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity which preserved for the Church of all ages the faith that Jesus is indeed the divine Son of God, of one essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one of the Holy Trinity.


At the same time, in the fourth century, it was also necessary for the Church to reject the teaching of a certain Appolinarius, who claimed that although Jesus was indeed the incarnate Son and Word of God, the incarnation consisted in the Word merely taking a human body and not the fullness of human nature. This was the doctrine that Jesus had no real human soul, no human mind, no human spirit, but that the divine Son of God, who exists eternally with the Father and the Spirit, merely dwelt in a human body, in human flesh, as in a temple. It is for this reason that every official doctrinal statement in the Orthodox Church, including all of the statements of the ecumenical councils, always insists that the Son of God became man of the Virgin Mary with a rational soul and body; in other words, that the Son of God really became human in the full meaning of the word and that Jesus Christ was and is a real human being, having and being everything that every human being has and is. This is nothing other than the teaching of the Gospels and the New Testament scriptures generally.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same nature ... (being) made like His brethren in every respect ... (Heb 2:14-17

 

                                                                                                                (To be continued…)

 

 

 

 

 

+ 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

The Very Rev. Father Daniel Matheson – Emeritus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For registration or further information please contact the cathedral office or Michelle Fayad @ (613) 440-1403.