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

O life immortal, when you descended unto death, you destroyed

Hades with the splendor of your divinity, and when you raised the
dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers shouted:
O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to you.

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Most glorified are You, O Christ our God, Who has established our
Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them did
guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to You.

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/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

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O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant:
despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our
aid who in faith cry unto you: Hasten to intercede, and speed to make supplication, you who ever
protect, O Theotokos, them that honor you.

Sunday of the 7th ecumenical council

Lucian the Martyr of Antioch, Savinos the Bishop of Catania, Barsus the Confessor,
Euthymios the New
October 15th, 2017
 Todays scripture readings
Epistle reading
St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15
Prokeimenon. Mode 4.
Daniel 3.26,27
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.
Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

TITUS, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed
in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But
avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable
and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do
with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send
Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the
winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack
nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need,
and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with you all. Amen.

Gospel pericope
Luke 8:5-15

The Lord said this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path,
and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it
grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew
with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." And when his
disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the
kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they
may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are
those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not
believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with
joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what
fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares
and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are
those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with
patience." As he said these things, he cried out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
 Announcements
Mon. Oct. 16th: Adult Religious Ed: Gospel of St. John, 6pm
Wed. Oct. 18th: St. Luke the Evangelist, Orthros/Divine Liturgy, 8:30am
Wed. Oct. 18th: Parish Council Meeting, 6:30pm
Thurs. Oct. 19th: No Adult Rel Education
Thurs. Oct. 19th- Fri. Oct. 20th: Annual Fall GOYA Retreat @ St. Iakovos Retreat Center

Coat and First Aid Supplies for FOCUS: our GOYANS will be serving the Thanksgiving meal again this
year at FOCUS-MN and they are in need of winter coats and first aid supplies (band aids, cotton balls,
alcohol swipes, gauze, etc.). A collection bin will be placed in the hallway between the nave and the hall
through Sunday, Nov. 19th, asking for your support!!

Winona County Warming Center - Opening November 1st!: Although the weather is still warm, we all
know that here in Minnesota this will be changing quickly. The Winona Community Warming Center
provides emergency shelter for homeless adults in the area. Last year we were able to provide shelter
every night from January through the end of March. This was made possible by the generosity of the 129
volunteers who logged 1765 hours at the Warming Center, serving 22 guests for 276 total hours of
overnight shelter. We also relied on the generous financial donations from the community to support this
critical mission. This second season, we will be opening November 1 and running through March 31 for
this winter season. We hope to again engage the Winona community to help keep people warm as the
temperature drops. We are reaching out to businesses, churches and other groups to help meet this
critical need for the homeless. If you are interested and know of even three other people who are willing
to make a once a month commitment, we would love to hear from you. We need four people to cover a
night and will be providing training and orientations to support our volunteers. If you are curious about
the center and have a desire to help those in need, we will be having an informational meeting without
any obligation on September 25th at 6:30 pm. It will take place at Community Bible Church at 69 East
Third Street in Winona. You can also contact Tom Parlin at 507-458-9197 or email him at
tparlin@ccsomn.org for further information. We hope to see you September 25th !

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNIONOnly Orthodox Christians 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 liturgical commemorations
1. The Venerable Martyr Lucian, Presbyter of Antioch

Lucian was born of noble parents in the Syrian city of Samosata. In his youth, he acquired a very broad
education, both secular and spiritual. He was a man distinguished in learning, as well as in the austerity of
his ascetic life. Having distributed his goods to the poor, Lucian supported himself by compiling
instructive works, and thus fed himself by the work of his hands. He performed a great service to the
Church in that he corrected many Hebrew texts in Holy Scripture (that heretics, in accordance with their
own false teaching, had distorted). Because of his learning and spirituality, he was ordained a presbyter in
Antioch. During Maximian's persecution, when St. Anthimus of Nicomedia and St. Peter of Alexandria
were tortured, St. Lucian was on the list of those the emperor wanted to kill. Lucian fled the city and hid,
but an envious heretical priest, Pancratius, reported him. The persecution was horrible and not even young
children were spared. Two boys who did not want to eat food sacrificed to idols were thrown into a
boiling bath, where in torments they gave up their holy souls to God. A disciple of Lucian named Pelagia
(October 8) preserved her virginal purity from dissolute attackers by praying to God on her roof-top: she
gave up her soul to Him, and her body fell from the roof. Lucian was brought to Nicomedia before the
emperor. Along the way, his counsels converted forty soldiers to the Christian Faith, and all died a
martyr's death. Following interrogation and flogging, St. Lucian was cast into prison where he suffered
starvation. St. John Chrysostom writes of St. Lucian: ``He scorned hunger: let us also scorn luxury and
destroy the power of the stomach that we may, when the time that requires such courage comes for us, be
prepared in advance by the help of a lesser ascesis, to show ourselves glorious at the time of battle.'' He
received Holy Communion in prison on the Feast of Theophany, and on the following day rendered his
soul to God. St. Lucian suffered on January 7, 311.

2. The Venerable Euthymius the New

Euthymius was born in Ancyra in 824 of righteous parents, Epiphanius and Anna. He served in the army,
married and had one daughter, Anastasia. He lived a strict and long ascetic life in monasteries on Mount
Olympus and Mount Athos. For a time he also lived as a stylite near Thessalonica. He founded a
monastery for men and a convent for women, near Thessalonica. He entered into rest on an island near the
Holy Mountain toward the end of the ninth century. His holy and miracle-working relics repose in
Thessalonica.