SS.

kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529 http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org

office@rochesterorthodoxchurch.org Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz, Proistamenos

/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY

,
,
, .
You descended from on high, O merciful Lord, and endured
the three day burial to free us from our passions. O Lord,
our life and our resurrection, glory to you.
,

,
, ,
.
The pastoral flute of your theology conquered the trumpets of orators. For it
called upon the depths of the Spirit and you were enriched with the beauty of
words. Intercede to Christ our God, O Father Gregory, that our souls may be
saved.
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

, ,
. '
, , .
Your birth sanctified a Virgin's womb and properly blessed the hands of Symeon. Having now
come and saved us O Christ our God, give peace to Your commonwealth in troubled times and
strengthen those in authority, whom You love, as only Lover of mankind.

15th Sunday of luke (zacchaeus)

St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, Synaxis of the New Martyrs of Russia

January 25th, 2015

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2

Prokeimenon. Mode 1.
Psalm 48.3,1
My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding.
Verse: Hear this all you nations.
Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained,
separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to
offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for
all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests,
but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made
perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one
who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the
sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

Gospel pericope

Luke 19:1-10

At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named
Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not,
on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up
into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your
house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw
it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios
stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have
defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation
has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and
to save the lost."

Announcements
Liturgical/Program Schedule:
Mon. Jan. 26th: Mental Disorders & Spiritual Healing Class, 6pm
Wed. Jan. 28th: Major Baking Day! Beginning at 9amsee note below!
Wed. Jan. 28th: Philoxenia Committee Meeting, 5pm
Fri. Jan. 30th: Three Hierarchs (SS. Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian),
Orthros/Divine Liturgy 8:30am
Sat. Jan. 31st: Annual Parish Ethnic Potluck, 6pm
Februarys Fellowship Hour Sign-Up: We would like to thank and recognize the following families for
hosting next months Coffee Hour: 2/1 Daniela/Jason Meier, 2/8 Mike/Kris Brekke, 2/22 Cheesefare
Luncheon donated by Angie Rustad. CURRENTLY 2/15 IS OPEN AND AVAILABLE FOR HOSTING!
Volunteers/helpers Needed: this Wednesday morning to help bake several items for different events,
including prosphora for Divine Liturgies, and spanakopita and tyropita for our upcoming Winter Greek
Fest. If you are able to help out PLEASE CONTACT Maria Thomas or Penny Kolas IN ADVANCE for
some important details. Thank you to all our hard workers!
Inclement Weather & Church Closing: We are all too aware that in Minnesota we receive a wide variety
of weather! If it is decided that services or events will need to be cancelled due to bad weather the
following protocol will be immediately implemented:

An announcement will appear on KTTCs Storm Center and Closing System.

An email will be sent to the parishioners who have registered their email w/ the office.

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians (i.e. the Orthodox Church
does not observe open communion) in good standing are encouraged to receive Holy Communion frequently,
provided they have prepared themselves spiritually, mentally and physically. They must be on time for the Divine
Liturgy, and be in a Christ-like, humble state of mind. They should be in a confession relationship with their priest
or spiritual father, have observed the fasts of the Church, and they should have self-examined their conscience.
On the day of receiving Holy Communion, it is not proper to eat or drink anything before coming to church. When
you approach to receive Holy Communion, state your Christian (baptismal) name clearly, and hold the red
communion cloth to your chin. After receiving, wipe your lips on the cloth, step back carefully, hand the cloth to
the next person and make the sign of the Cross as you step away. Please do not be in a rush while
communing! Please take special care not to bump the Holy Chalice.

Todays Commemorations
ST GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Gregory was born in Nazianzus of a Greek father and a Christian mother. Before his baptism, he studied in Athens
along with Basil the Great and Julian the Apostate. Gregory often prophesied that Julian would become an apostate
and a persecutor of the Church which actually happened. Gregory was especially influenced greatly by his good
mother Nonna. When he completed his studies, Gregory was baptized. St. Basil consecrated him as bishop of
Sasima, and Emperor Theodosius the Great summoned him to fill the vacant archepiscopal throne of Constantinople.
He wrote numerous works of which his most famous are those concerning theology for which he is called The
Theologian. Especially known because of its depth is his work: Homilies on The Holy Trinity. Gregory wrote
against the heretic Macedonius who erroneously taught that the Holy Spirit is a creation of God and, Gregory also
wrote against Appolinarius who erroneously taught that Christ did not have a human soul but that His divinity was
in lieu of His soul. Additionally Gregory wrote against Emperor Julian the Apostate, his one-time colleague in
school. In 381 A.D., when a debate began regarding his election as archbishop, he withdrew on his own and issued a
statement: "Those, who deprive us of our archepiscopal throne cannot deprive us of God." After that, he left
Constantinople and went to Nazianzus and there lived a life of solitude and prayer, writing worthwhile books. Even
though he was in poor health throughout his entire life, nevertheless, Gregory lived to be eighty years old. His relics
were later transferred to Rome. A reliquary containing his head reposes in the Cathedral Church of the Assumption
in Moscow. He was, and remains, a great and wonderful light of the Orthodox Church as much by his meekness and
purity of character as well as for the unsurpassable depth of his mind. He died in the Lord in the year 390 A.D.

THE HOLY FEMALE MARTYR FELICITAS AND HER SEVEN SONS

As a Christian, Felicitas was condemned to death along with her seven sons during the reign of Emperor Antoninus
in the year 164 A.D. She implored God only that she not to be killed before her sons, so that she might be able to
encourage them during their torture and death in order that they would not deny Christ. According to God's
Providence, it so happened. With joy, this superb mother accompanied her sons one by one until she had witnessed
the death of all seven sons. Then, she herself, with gratitude to God, received a martyr's death. She and her sons
suffered in Rome where their relics repose.

SYNAXIS OF THE NEW MARTYRS OF RUSSIA

On the Sunday that falls nearest to January 25, we commemorate all t he
faithful throughout the former Russian Empire who died at the hands of the
atheists, beginning in the year 1917. Among them are the Royal Family
(see July 4), followed by Patriarch Tikhon the Confessor (see Mar. 24), and
an innumerable multitude of clergy, monastics, and layfolk who confessed
the Name of Christ in the face of every conceivable mockery, torment, and
bitter death.