SS.

kosmas & damianos Orthodox Church (goa)

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

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

/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY

, , , , , , , , . Let the Heavens rejoice; let earthly things be glad; for the Lord has wrought might with His arm, He has trampled upon death by death. The first-born of the dead has He become. From the depths of Hades has He delivered us, and has granted great mercy to the world. , , , , , , , . , , . Let us praise our protector, the godly Nicholas; as one endowed with blest virtue, he shone forth as true priest of the most high God, and was His fervent worshipper. For, by his holy life on earth, he hath left us most sublime, divine and unfailing teachings of long-suffering, meekness, patience, unfeigned humility and true God-like love.
/KONTAKION FOR TODAY , , , , , . , , , . , . O Master, Prudence, Guide of Wisdom, Instruction to the foolish and Defender of the poor, strengthen my heart and grant it discernment. Give me words, Word of the Father, for behold, I shall not keep my lips from crying out to You, "O Merciful One, have mercy on me who has fallen."

4th Sunday of the TRIODION: Forgiveness Sunday

St. Nicholas Planas Protector of Athens, St. Hesychios the Martyr

March 2nd, 2014

CHEESEFARE SUNDAY: All meat, dairy, fish, & eggs are now excluded until Pascha

Todays scripture readings

Epistle reading

St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4 Prokeimenon. Mode 3. Sing praises to our God, sing praises. Verse: Clap your hands, all you nations. Brethren, salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.
Gospel READING

Matthew 6:14-21 The Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Liturgical/Program Schedule:
TONIGHT: Forgiveness Vespers-Beginning of Great Lent- 6pm-ALL are encouraged to attend! Mon. March 3rd, CLEAN MONDAY- Great Compline w/ Penitential Canon, 6pm Tues. March 4th, Great Compline w/ Penitential Canon, 6pm Wed. March 5th, Pre-sanctified Liturgy and Lenten Potluck after service, 6pm Thurs. March 6th, Great Compline w/ Penitential Canon, 6pm Fri. March 7th, 1st SALUTATIONS to the Holy Theotokos, 6pm Sat. March 8th, 3rd Saturday of Souls-Orthros/Divine Liturgy-8:30am
Lenten Luncheon: Please join us in the church hall after Liturgy TODAY for a special luncheon and fundraiser for Hellenic College Holy Cross School of Theology. The luncheon is $8 for adults and $4 for children. We look forward to seeing you! Forgiveness Vespers: will be celebrated next Sunday eve at 6pm. This is the actual beginning of Lent and the Church literally transforms before our eyes from bright and joyful to dark and solemn. At the conclusion of the service a receiving line of sorts is made and all the faithful embrace one another asking forgiveness. What an excellent way to inaugurate the period of the Holy Fast! Holy Week Liturgical Books: We have ordered several copies of the official Holy Week Book endorsed by our Metropolis. This comprehensive book, compiled by Fr. Pappadeas, will be used exclusively for all the liturgical celebrations from Palm Sunday evening through the Agapi Vespers on Pascha. Each book is $25, and should be available soon. GOYA Icon Raffle: our GOYANS are planning another major outreach mission this summer to Navajo Nation in New Mexico this June. To help raise funds for their mission they will be raffling off a beautiful diptych icon with the Theotokos and Christ. Each ticket is $10 and the drawing will be on March 9 th. Library Update: There are currently over FORTY book checked out from the library, most of them for several months. Please return any books that you might have. Thank you! 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.

Panagias Icon
One of the most beloved Lenten services is the Salutations to the Holy Theotokos which are chanted every Friday night during the Fast. It is customary to honor her by decorating her icon with flowers which is then placed on the solea. service. Five services will be chanted with a decorated icon at each The cost for each icon is $100, any individuals/families who would like to donate to help defray the cost please see Fr. Mark. Thank you in advance! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4th Sunday of the Triodion: Cheesefare Sunday

The Holy Fathers have appointed the commemoration of Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight here, on the eve of the holy Forty-day Fast, demonstrating to us not by simple words, but by actual deeds, how beneficial fasting is for man, and how harmful and destructive are insatiety and the transgressing of the divine commandments. For the first commandment that God gave to man was that of fasting, which the first-fashioned received but did not keep; and not only did they not become gods, as they had imagined, but they lost even that blessed life which they had, and they fell into corruption and death, and transmitted these and innumerable other evils to all of mankind. The God-bearing Fathers set these things before us today, that by bringing to mind what we have fallen from, and what we have suffered because of the insatiety and disobedience of the first-fashioned, we might be diligent to return again to that ancient bliss and glory by means of fasting and obedience to all the divine commands. Taking occasion from today's Gospel (Matt. 6:14-21) to begin the Fast unencumbered by enmity, we also ask forgiveness this day, first from God, then from one another and all creation.
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LENTEN POTLUCK
Every Wednesday eve of great lent the liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. Afterwards we gather in the library for a simple Lenten meal. Please plan on attending these compunctionate services and bring a fasting meal to share! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the Narthex for collections of monetary donations towards the Pascha flowers on Sundays from March 9th until April 20th- Donations can also be made at any time to the Church during Lent, please mark Pascha flowers with your check or donation. Thank you! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Todays liturgical commemorations

St. Hesychios the Martyr: Holy martyr Hesychius lived during the reign of king Maximian in 302.
He was the first and the leader in the royal palace and the Senate, because he was magistrianus by office. When Maximian ordered that all Christians who were royal soldiers ought to be deprived of their belts (which were a sign of their royal merit) and live as civilians and without honour, many Christians preferred to live without any outward honour due to this illegal order than to be honoured and lose their soul. St. Hesychius was numbered with these Christians as well. When the king heard this, he ordered that the saint ought to be stripped of the expensive clothes, which he used to wear, and be dressed with a shabby mantle without sleeves woven from hair and to be as disgraced and disdained as to consort with women. When this had been carried out, the king invited him and asked him: "Aren't you ashamed, Hesychius, that you lost the honour and office of magistrianus and that you have been debased to this kind of life? Or maybe you don't know that the Christians, whose way of life you preferred, have no power to restore you to your previous great honour and office?" The saint replied: "Your honour, o king, is temporary but the honour and glory which Christ gives is eternal and without end." Because of these words the king got angry and ordered his men to tie a great millstone around the saint's neck and then to throw him in the middle of river Orontus, which lies in Coele Syria and which is commonly called Oronge. Thus, the blessed man received the crown of martyrdom from the Lord.

Confession and the ancient Church

The Early Church clearly taught confession of sins, and in Church! Indeed, the following citations clearly show that from the very beginnings of the post-Apostolic Church down to the present day, confession of sins was understood as holy, necessary and effectual for the remission of sins. Those who avoid it must necessarily find themselves outside of Biblical thought on sin, repentance and confession. Note the dates of these documents! Of special significance is their recognition that confession and absolution must be received by a sinner before receiving Holy Communion, for whoever . . . eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:27). The Didache - The Earliest Christian Catechism (pre-dating some of the canonical writings of the New Testament) Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your praye r with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lords Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure (Didache 4:14, 14:1 [A.D. 70]). You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]). St. Ignatius of Antioch- For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of penance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ (Letter to the Philadelphians 3 [A.D. 106]). For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop. (ibid., 8). Tertullian of Carthage-[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203]). St. Hippolytus of Rome- [The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles . . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]).

Pearls from the desert

Prayer, fasting, vigils, and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, certainly do not constitute the aim of our Christian life: they are but the indispensable means of attaining that aim. For the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, vigils, prayer and almsgiving, and other good works done in the name of Christ, they are only the means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. Note well that it is only good works done in the name of Christ that bring us the fruits of the Spirit. St. Seraphim of Sarov

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FAMILY ACTION: FORGIVENESS

This lesson on forgiveness comes the day before Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent. As Christians, we must forgive others and seek their forgiveness. We reaffirm this every time we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." In His ministry, Jesus makes it clear that God forgives us only if we forgive others. This Gospel passage additionally draws our attention to how we should approach the Lenten period and where our focus should be - on laying up treasures in heaven. On this Sunday, we also commemorate all the saints who excelled in ascetic living (living a spiritually disciplined life). We look to these holy ascetics as examples to inspire us toward fasting, praying, and doing acts of mercy. Today is the last day dairy products are permitted before the fast. For Consideration: What happens if we do not forgive people who do us wrong? How should we fast? What are ways we can "lay up" for ourselves treasures in heaven? What does this Gospel passage mean to our lives? To Do Together Agape Canister - This Sunday has been designated Orthodox Christian Mission Center(OCMC) Sunday. Take some time to learn about this ministry and ways you can support it. Consider participating in the Agape Canister program by collecting spare change during the Lenten period to further missionary activities. Visit www.ocmc.org for more information. Fast as a Family - Take some time to talk about fasting as a family. Consider having a family cooking night where everyone helps to plan and prepare the Lenten meal. Consider making extra and donating it to a shelter or someone in need. This may be more work for the adults initially, but the fruit will be worth the effort. Forgiveness Vespers - As tomorrow is Clean Monday, today we seek forgiveness not only from our family members and friends but from our parish family. Make plans to attend Forgiveness Vespers as a family. In addition, ask your priest for prayers from the service to read at home as a family. After reading these prayers, have each family member ask for forgiveness with a prostration and kiss of peace.

Final Thought There once lived a holy archbishop who was sought out by pilgrims because of his great spiritual insight. As his popularity and the demands on his time grew, he wished to retreat into a life of noetic prayer - ceaseless prayer of the mind and the heart. He was granted permission to move back to his native island where he lived more fully a monastic life. One day, a man desperately knocked at the monastery door; he had committed a murder and was trying to flee from the villagers seeking revenge. The man confessed his sins to the holy archbishop, now the abbot of the monastery. As he listened, the abbot realized that the person who the man had murdered was the abbot's own brother. God helped the abbot see into the heart of this man and see how sorry he was. He forgave the man who murdered his brother and read the confessional prayer of absolution. The abbot then helped the man to escape the authorities so that he could live the rest of his life in prayer and repentance at a monastery. This holy abbot is St. Dionysios of Zakynthos. He exemplifies true forgiveness. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HYMNOGRAPHY FROM CHEESEFARE SUNDAY

The stadium of virtue is now open; those who wish to compete enter therein, girded for the good contest of Lent, for those who compete according to the rules shall receive their laurels rightfully. Taking up the full armor of the Cross, let us do battle against the Enemy. As an impregnable wall, we have the Faith, prayer as our breastplate, and acts of mercy as our helmet. Instead of sword, there is fasting, which cuts every evil from the heart. He who does this shall attain a true crown from Christ, the King of all, on Judgment Day. Adam was evicted from Paradise as one disobedient, after partaking of its luxury. Moses saw God, after cleansing the eyes of his soul by fasting. Hence if we desire to become residents of Paradise, let us divorce ourselves from baleful delights, and desiring to see God, as did Moses let us fast the Four Times Ten. By sincerely persevering in prayer and supplication, let us suppress the passions of our souls; let us avert the swellings of the flesh; thus lightened, let us set off on the journey to things above, where the choirs of angels in unbroken song sing praise to the undivided Trinity, to see the irresistible beauty of the Master. O Son of God and Giver of Life, we who set our hope on You entreat: Make us worthy of dancing with the armies of angels, O Christ, at the intercession of Your Mother, the Apostles, Martyrs and all the Saints.