S t . B a s i l t h e G r e a t A nt i o c h i a n O r t h o d o x C hu r c h
S t . B a s i l t h e G r e a t A nt i o c h i a n O r t h o d o x C hu r c h His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America.
His Grace Bishop THOMAS, Auxiliary Bishop of The Diocese of Oakland, Charleston, and the Mid-Atlantic.
REV. FATHER JAMES PURDIE, PASTOR 1520 Todds Lane Hampton, VA 23666 Phone: Office (757) 223-4159, Cell: (412) 327-4099 Email: OrthodoxHampton@gmail.com Web Site: www.OrthodoxHampton.com
Welcome visitors! If you are visiting with us for the first time, we greet you in the Holy Name of Christ, our Saviour, and hope you will join us in fellowship after worship. We are genuinely pleased to have you with us today. We must remind you that while the Orthodox Church prays for the unity of all, we do not practice “open Communion.� Only those Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves with prayer, fasting, and regular confession should approach the chalice.
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For questions, please contact Fr. James Purdie. Blessings.
St. Paramonos and the 370 With Him
These Saints contested during the reign of Emperor Decius, when Akylinus was prefect of the East, in the year 250. The reason for their martyrdom is the following. In Basra near the Tigris River, there was a large sacred thermal spring which healed the sick. The prefect Akylinus went to this thermal spring, to be healed of a certain physical sickness he had. He had ordered to follow him there from Nicomedia as many Christians as were there that were bound for their faith in Christ. Going to the temple of the goddess Isis, and having offered corrupt sacrifices, he ordered for the Martyrs of Christ to also venerate and sacrifice to the idols. Because they were not persuaded to do so, he ordered for them all to be put to death. In this way the brave ones received the crown of the contest from Christ the King of All, being three hundred and seventy in number. Seeing them mercilessly put to death, Saint Paramonos cried out with a loud voice saying: “I behold the greatest impiety, for so many righteous, even foreigners, the corrupt prefect has utterly slaughtered as if they were irrational animals.� When the prefect heard this, he was inflamed with rage, and immediately ordered that he be put to death, not knowing who the Martyr was. Therefore those who were sent immediately captured him, though he walked about without fear, and some struck him with spears, while others pierced his tongue and other bodily members with sharp reeds. Thus he was put to death before the prefect, and in this way was sent off to the heavenly mansions, in order to rejoice for eternity with the other three hundred and seventy. The relic of this Saint was buried together with the relics of the above-mentioned Saints. + Synaxarion
ANTIPHON tHE
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE EIGHT From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee. KONTAKION OF PREPARATION OF CHRIST’S NATIVITY IN TONE THREE On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages.
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* Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God. TROPARION OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT IN TONE ONE In all the earth that received thy sayings, thy melody did resound, O righteous father, through which thou didst go about and proclaim, as worthy of God, the nature of creatures, cultivating the character of mankind, O thou of kingly Priesthood, Basil. Wherefore, plead thou with Christ God to save our souls.
EPISTLE tHE
Make your vows to the Lord our God and perform them. God is known in Judah; His Name is great in Israel. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians. (4:1-7) Brethren, I, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and
meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, Who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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GOSPEL THE
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (18:18-27) At that time, a man came testing Jesus and asking, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.’” And the man said, “All these I have observed from my youth.” And when Jesus heard it, he said to
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him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the man heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. Jesus, seeing him sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
tHE
KOINONIKON ( COMMUNION HYMN)
Praise the Lord from the Heavens; Praise Him in the highest; Alleluia.
Post Communion Prayer of St. Basil the Great (pray silently after receiving the Holy Gifts) O Master, Christ our God, King of all ages and Maker of all things, I thank Thee for all the good things which Thou hast given me and of partaking of Thine immaculate and life-giving Mysteries. Wherefore, I pray Thee, who art good and loves mankind, keep me under Thy protection and in the shadow of Thy wings, and grant me a pure conscience, even unto my last breath to partake of Thy Holy Gifts for unto Thee we ascribe glory and thanksgiving, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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OFFERINGS + Prayers of Health and Safety are offered for +
Dn. Christopher and family, Ross family, Celeste, Edens family, Brown family, Howell family, Bowman family, Erin, Sheldon family, Sylvia family, Fr. John, Irene, John, Axenia, Maria, Ana, Vasilii, Irina, Arthur and family, Mariann, Nathaniel, Sidor family, Lowry family, Jones family, John, Fr. James and family, Ysidora, Maia and family, Mirela and family, Anne, Robert, Basil, John, Joseph,
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Daniel, Sophia, George, Nun Thecla, Ekaterina, Roma, Angelina, Maria, Igor, Alexander, Catherine, Anna, Maria, David, Nicole, Saur family, Nasi family, Simerick family, Vanessa and family, Maria, Thomas, Jeff, Mary, Paul, Elizabeth, Fr. Dean, Carolyn, Esra, Voron family, Slagy family, Ebru, Whelan family, Christina, Daniel, Irina, Daria and Child, Christopher, John, Seraphim
OFFERINGS +++ Prayers of Loving Memory are offered for +++
Marcie, Lena, Mary, Gerhard, Roger, Kelly, Bill, Gabby, Patricia, Tatiana, Sergei, Ion, Maria, Nadejda, Agrepina, Ion, Maria, Dustin, Aysem, Jaime, Ann, Steve, Eold, Eleanor, Beatrice, Richard, Richard, Radovanka,
Ephimia, Ephim, Michael, Alexey, Alexander, Yuri, Boris, Valentin, Valentina, Alexandra, Seraphima, Vladimir, Lydia, Victor, Tatyana, Alexander, Evdokia, Fr. Neil, Priscilla, Dan, William, Lazar, Steven, John, Connie
Holy Bread is offered by Rhonda Mertens for the health, safety, and memory of her loved ones. 9
Jesus and the Rich Ruler
A young man, described as a rich ruler, comes to Jesus. It appears that he is seeking justification, or at least some reassurance that he is on the right spiritual path. Jesus, seeing the young man with the eyes of God, knew that, and pierced right to the heart of the matter. The issue, as Jesus observes, is not simple obedience of rules and regulations. The issue is not whether or not we can justify ourselves, to make ourselves appear to be righteous or worthy of commendation. The true issue, the key question which every Christian must face, is whether or not a person has surrendered his entire life to God, or does he or she reserve some parts wholly for himself. Put another way, does a person observe the more difficult commandments of the New Testament: that he truly love the Lord God with all of his heart, and all of his strength, and all of his soul, and that he love his neighbor as himself? Or has he compartmentalized his life, so that God is consigned to only one of a great number of boxes, pigeon-holed and kept separate from the rest of life? Jesus knew that the focus of the young man was his wealth. It was what characterized his life. It was, in the end, the way in which he defined who he was and what he did. It was, in the end, the thing that kept him from God. He thus challenged his questioner to abandon the very thing that, whether or not the man knew it, separated him from God. To that end, Jesus asked the man to surrender that part of him which he kept separate and that he valued the most—his wealth. Keep in mind that in this instance, wealth was simply the symptom of the disease. In other circumstances, with other people, it was something else. Often it was a rigid attachment to the Law itself, or to the odds and ends of daily life. The point is that in each instance, here is something separating the person from true worship, from a genuine relationship with God. If we are honest with ourselves, we will see something, somewhere inside of us, that we cling to tenaciously, an area of our life which we stubbornly refuse to yield to God. Whatever it may be, we find ourselves faced with the dilemma of the young man—can we surrender that which we hold dear, that we clutch to ourselves and call precious—can we abandon that, for the love of Christ? +Fr. James Blomeley