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.
The Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius
The Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, Notaries of Constantinople served in a Constantinople cathedral. Marcian was a reader and Martyrius a subdeacon. They both performed in the capacity of notaries, i.e. secretaries, for Patriarch Paul the Confessor (November 6). Arian heretics expelled and secretly executed the righteous Patriarch Paul. His throne was given to the heretic Macedonius. The heretics attempted to entice Saints Marcian and Martyrius over to their side by flattery. They offered them gold and promised to consecrate them as archbishops, but all the efforts of the Arians were in vain.Then the impious threatened to slander them before the emperor, and sought to intimidate them with torture and death. But the saints steadfastly confessed Orthodoxy, as handed down by the Fathers of the Church. Marcian and Martyrius were sentenced to death. Before death, the martyrs prayed, “Lord God, Who has invisibly created our hearts, and directed all our deeds, accept with peace the souls of Your servants, since we perish for You and are considered as sheep for the slaughter (Ps 32/33:15; 43/44:22). We rejoice that by such a death we shall depart this life for Your Name. Grant us to be partakers of life eternal with You, the Source of life.� After their prayer the martyrs, with quiet rejoicing, bent their necks beneath the sword of the impious (+ ca. 335). Their holy bodies were reverently buried by Orthodox Christians. Later, by decree of Saint John Chrysostom, the relics of the holy martyrs were transferred to a church built in their honor. Believers here were healed of many infirmities through the prayers of the saints, to the glory of the One Life-Creating Trinity. +OCA
ANTIPHON tHE
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE THREE
TROPARION OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT IN TONE ONE
Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm. He hath trampled down death by death, and become the first-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
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.
APOLYTIKION OF SS. MARCIAN & MARTYRIOS THE NOTARIES IN TONE FOUR Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee, * received as the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. * For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants * and wholly destroyed the demons’ strengthless presumption. * O Christ God, by their prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful. 4
ORDINARY KONTAKION IN TONE TWO O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant, O despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be thou quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession, and speed thou to make supplication, thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
EPISTLE tHE
Sing praises to our God, sing praises. Clap your hands, all ye peoples. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (1:11-19) Brethren, I would have you know that the Gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own
age among my people; so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when He Who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other Apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
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GOSPEL THE
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (8:26-39) At that time, Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And as He stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, “What hast Thou to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech Thee, do not torment me.” For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. [For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.] Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. And they begged Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; 6
and they begged Jesus to let them enter these. So He gave them leave. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Jesus to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so He got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Jesus; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare all that God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city all that Jesus had done for him.
tHE
KOINONIKON ( COMMUNION HYMN) 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. 7
OFFERINGS + Prayers of Health and Safety are offered for +
Dn. Christopher and family, Ross family, Chris, Bill, Yelena, Neonila, Svetlana, Luybov, Alexander, Anne, Jim and family, Victoria, Daniel, Irina, Christopher, Daria and child, Christopher, Daniel, Sophia, George, Anne, Nun Thecla, Ekaterina, Angelina, Igor, Alexander, Mark, Alexander, James, Alexandra, Whelan family, Girogi, Levan, Liza, Tamar, Maia, Levan, Giorgi, Becka, Khatuna, Richard, Levan, Lela, Diana, Aiden, Sophia, Fr. Elia and family, Fr. Alexis and family, Fr. Isaac and family, Fr. Antonio and family, Fr. Gabriel and family, Thieme 8
family, Crawford family, Joyner family, Cooper family, Hovan family, Fields family, Nixon family, Susan and family, Charlie, Anastasia, Nathan, Camron, Lee, Aaron, Lisa, Kathy, Erik, Esra, Maria, Alix, Brigid, Seraphim, Michael, Robert, Margaret, Ethan. Scott, Grant, Thadeus, Neal family, Karl, John, Cheryl, Ben, Emily, Jared, Jared, Basil, Josiah, Tim, Cailin, Christina, Louanna, Melissa, Ben, Amonica family, Nasi family, Saur family, Fr. Earl and family, Zambonini family, McAddis family, Freedman family, Leary family, Hovarter family, Holden family, Klein family
OFFERINGS +++ Prayers of Loving Memory are offered for +++
Marcie, Lena, Mary, Gerhard, Roger, Kelly, Kh. Anastasia, Elder Ephraim, Bp. Milutin, Fr. John, Almira, Fr. Michael, Fr. Michael, Subdeacon Nicholas, Paul, Viktor, Lary Giorgi, Natela, Zhana, Steven, William, Radovanka,
Ephimia, Ephim, Michael, Alexey, Alexander, Yuri, Boris, Valentin, Valentina, Alexandra, Seraphima, Vladimir, Nikolay, Sofia, Maria, Vasiliy, Lydia, Victor, Tatyana, Alexander, Evdokia, Fr. Neil
Holy Bread is offered by Meron Lulseged for the health, safety, and memory of her loved ones. A Trisagion Service will be held on behalf of Victor, the father of Irina Schaffer.
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Image of a True Disciple: The Gadarene Demoniac
One of the most challenging narratives in the Gospels is the healing of the Gadarene demoniac [Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39]. This dramatic event, which reveals the power of Christ over the demons, will appear to the 21st century mind as either archaic or even primitive. We may listen with respect and sing “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!” upon the completion of the reading, but “wrapping our minds” around such a narrative may leave us baffled, if not shaking our heads. The spectacle of a man possessed by many demons, homeless and naked, living among the tombs, chained so as to contain his self-destructive behavior, is not exactly a sight that we encounter with any regularity, to state the obvious. (Although we should acknowledge that behind the walls of certain institutions, we could witness to this day some horrible scenes of irrational and frightening behavior from profoundly troubled and suffering human beings). Add to this a herd of swine blindly rushing over a steep bank and into a lake to be drowned, and we must further recognize the strangeness of this event. This is altogether not a part of our world! Yet, there is no reason to doubt the veracity of the narrated event, which does appear in three of the Gospels, though with different emphases and details—in fact there are two demoniacs in Saint Matthew’s telling of the story! It is always instructive to compare the written account of a particular event or body of teaching when found in more than one Gospel. This will cure us of the illusion of a wooden literalism as we will discover how the four evangelists will present their gathered material from the ministry of Jesus in somewhat different forms. As to the Gadarene demoniac, here was an event within the ministry of Christ that must have left a very strong impression upon the early Church as it was shaping its oral traditions into written traditions that would eventually come together in the canonical Gospels. This event was a powerful confirmation of the Lord’s encounter and conflict with, and victory over, the “evil one.” The final and ultimate consequence of that victory will be revealed in the Cross and Resurrection. + Fr. Steven Kostoff