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.
Quotes on Loving Our Enemies
It seems that we do not understand one thing: it is not good when we return the love of those who love us, yet hate those who hate us. We are not on the right path if we do this. We are the sons of light and love, the sons of God, his children. As such we must have His qualities and His attributes of love, peace, and kindness towards all. + Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Avoid by every means occasions, causes, and words that produce enmity, and avail yourself of every opportunity and occasion to show holy and sincere love. By doing the first, the inimical disposition of the soul will little by little be eradicated, and by the second, love will be nourished and strengthened. Do not allow yourself for a moment to have any ill-feeling against anyone; always be kind to everyone, conquering your evil disposition by the love that endureth all things and conquereth all things. Avoid obstinacy, self-will, and opposing your neighbor; do not persist in having your own way, in order to satisfy your caprice, or in order to intentionally injure anyone. + St. John of Kronstadt
If a man insults me, kills my father, my mother, my brother, and then gouges out my eye, as a Christian it is my duty to forgive him. We who are pious Christians ought to love our enemies and forgive them. We ought to offer them food and drink, and entreat God for their souls. And then we should say: ‘My God, I beseech Thee to forgive me, as I have forgiven my enemies. +St. Kosmas Aitolos
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 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 4
kingly Priesthood, Basil. Wherefore, plead thou with Christ God to save our souls. 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
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 Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (6:16-7:1) Brethren, we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Therefore, come out from them, and be separate from them,” says the Lord, “and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these beloved, let us cleanse from every defilement of spirit, and make holiness the fear of God.
promises, ourselves body and perfect in
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GOSPEL THE
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (6:31-36) The Lord said: “As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
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For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.�
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 +
David, Jeff, Mirela and family, Fr. James and family,Fr. Milton and family, Fr. Alexis and family, Fr. Elia and family, Fr. Earl and family, Fr. Adam and family, Seamus, Fr. Isaac and family, Lunsford family, Zambonini family, Klein family, McAddis family, Freedman family, Leary family, Hovarter family, Holden family, Cooper family, Fields family, Edens family, Maksimenko family, Wenker family, Mariya, Fritts family, Emily, Bob, Elena, Tomashevkiy family, Daneel, Voron family, Slagy family, Paul, Daniel, Elizabeth, Fr. Dean, Esra, Ebru, AJ, Tilahen and family, Charlie, Anastasia, Nathan, Camron, Lee, Aaron, Lisa, Kathy, Alix, Seraphim, Maria, Brigid, Michael, Robert, Margaret, Ethan, Scott, Grant, Karl, Diana, Aiden, Sophia, Jared, Jared, Jasmine and child, Hylarion, Sidor family, Maria, Maia and family, Mirela and family, Danyl and family, Ksenia and family, Albert, Edens family, Simerick family, John, Catalina and family, Anne, Amanda, Sherry, Ruth, Justin, Alexander, Mark, Alexander, Angelina, Igor 8
Jack and child, Renee and Child, Tim, Cailin, Christina, LouAnna, Melissa, Michael, Tanya, Kristina, Matthew, Tanya, Michael, Catalina, Thomas, Wayne, Whelan, Anne, Giorgi, Levan, Liza, Ana, Tomar, Maia, Levan, Giorgi, Becka, Khatuna, Richard, Levan, Lela, Theresa, Katherine, Josiah, Lauren, Sylvia family, Nick, Aaron, Stephanie, Ben, Vandenbrook family, Matt, Daaren, Sam, Elijah, James, Carol and family, Ben, Sandy, Maritella, Ariana, Daniel and family, Bo, Kai, Jonah, Dwayne, Taylor, Ben, Ana,Diana, Adriana, Trandafir, Issa, Liviu, Fr. Romanov, Fr. Igor, Fr. Mina, Fr. Serapion, Fr. Mihail, Fr. Vasile, Palomino family, Goodson family, Katie, Maria, Coughtry family, Ran, Philip, Preyma, Theophilus, Veronica, Asha Sophia, Dn. Christopher and family, Ross family, Elias family, Aiden, Sophia, Meron, Elias, Grace, Abigail, Elias, Fr. John, Irene, John, Axenie, Maria, Ana, Vasilii, Irina, Arthur and family, Lowry family, Daniel, Daria and child, Christopher, Christopher, Sophia, George, Irina, Daniel, Nun Thecla, Ekaterina, Irina, Katerina, Nikolai, Simerick family, Basil
OFFERINGS +++ Prayers of Loving Memory are offered for +++
Lydia, Victor, Valentin, Tatyana,ALexander, Evdokia, Ephimia, Ephim, Michael, Alexey, Alexander, Alexandra, Yuri, Boris, Valentina, Vladimir, Elena, Evdokia, Marvin, Erica, Katherine Rose, James, Joshua, Fr. John, Dwight, Alexsander, Vladimir, Iakov, Evgenia, Nina, Natela, Giorgi, Lerry, Zhanna, Dan, Priscilla, Marcie, Lena, Gerhard, Mary, Roger, Kelly, Nun Sophia, Asanaketch, Lois,
Agrapena, Pavel, Pelagea, Metropolitan Philip, Bp. Antoun, Sylvia Jean, Christopher, Sylvia Jean, Thomas, Ephraim, Monk Epraim, Lazar, John, Joan, John, Connie, Tatiana, Sergei, Ion, Maria, Agrepina, Ion, Nadejda, Andy, Gheorghe, Elisabeta, Gheorgie, Margareta, Dumitru, Rada, Victor, Victor, Fr. Neil, Agafia, Joan, John, Mariya, Ivan, Alexsandra, Vladimir, Klaudiya, Vladimir, Asnaketch, Radovanka, William, Steven
Holy Bread is offered by Dasha Saur for the health, safety, and memory of her loved ones. 9
Loving Our Enemies
Most ethical philosophy is ultimately about fairness and can roughly be resolved into the so-called “Golden Rule,” to treat others as you would like to be treated, which easily includes leaving someone else alone if you would prefer that he leaves you alone. And we hear something like the Golden Rule in today’s Gospel from Luke 6: “As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.” However, in this original, full version of the Golden Rule, Jesus Christ goes on to give an ethic that is superior to all other ethics, and it takes only three words to say it: “Love your enemies.” With this, Christians are given an ethic that is above all other ethics. “Love your enemies” is not about fairness, and it even goes above whatever version of the Golden Rule most people might subscribe to. “Love your enemies” is not about fair play, and it’s not even about fighting honorable battles against our enemies. “Love your enemies” breaks all our ethical rules. This is a hard ethic! We generally do not want to love our enemies. We don’t want to be even polite to our enemies. They don’t deserve it. Respect has to be earned! (Never mind that that slogan suggests that our default behavior is disrespect.) But this is what Jesus said. We can’t write it off as unrealistic altruistic idealism. This is a command from Jesus Christ, the Godman, the Savior of the world. He is our Lord. So that means we have to do this. We actually have to be not just polite to our enemies and not just refrain from hurting them and taking revenge. We actually have to love them, which means being self-sacrificial. It means doing good to them. It means caring for them. It means praying for them. It means humbling ourselves and putting their needs in front of our own. Love is an action, and this is the act we have to do for our enemies. We don’t have to feel love for our enemies. God is not asking us to have a certain emotion about them. But He is telling us to act a certain way when it comes to them. And that act is love, which is about self-sacrifice. It is about humility. -Father Andrew Stephen Damick