The Liturgical Guide and Bulletin for Sunday, May 21, 2023
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May 21, 2023
Sunday of the Blind Man
The Lord Jesus was coming from the Temple on the Sabbath, when, while walking in the way, He saw the blind man mentioned in today’s Gospel. This man had been born thus from his mother’s womb, that is, he had been born without eyes (see Saint John Chrysostom, Homily LVI on Matthew; Saint Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V:15; and the second Exorcism of Saint Basil the Great). When the disciples saw this, they asked their Teacher, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They asked this because when the Lord had healed the paralytic at the Sheep’s Pool, He had told him, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14); so they wondered, if sickness was caused by sin, what sin could have been the cause of his being born without eyes. But the Lord answered that this was for the glory of God. Then the God-man spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle. He anointed the eyes of the blind man and said to him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam (which means “sent”) was a well-known spring in Jerusalem used by the inhabitants for its waters, which flowed to the eastern side of the city and collected in a large pool called “the Pool of Siloam.”
Therefore, the Saviour sent the blind man to this pool that he might wash his eyes, which had been anointed with the clay-not that the pool’s water had such power, but that the faith and obedience of the one sent might be made manifest, and that the miracle might become more remarkable and known to all, and leave no room for doubt. Thus, the blind man believed in Jesus’ words, obeyed His command, went and washed himself, and returned, no longer blind, but having eyes and seeing. This was the greatest miracle that our Lord had yet worked; as the man healed of his blindness himself testified, “Since time began, never was it heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind,” although the Lord had already healed the blind eyes of many. Because he now had eyes, some even doubted that he was the same person (John 9:8-9); and it was still lively in their remembrance when Christ came to the tomb of Lazarus, for they said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Saint John Chrysostom gives a thorough and brilliant exposition of our Lord’s meeting with the woman of Samaria, the healing of the paralytic, and the miracle of the blind man in his commentaries on the Gospel of Saint John.
Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the Apostles
This great and renowned sovereign of the Christians was the son of Constantius Chlorus (the ruler of the westernmost parts of the Roman empire), and of the blessed Helen. He was born in 272, in (according to some authorities) Naissus of Dardania, a city on the Hellespont. In 306, when his father died, he was proclaimed successor to his throne. In 312, on learning that Maxentius and Maximinus had joined forces against him, he marched into Italy, where, while at the head of his troops, he saw in the sky after midday, beneath the sun, a radiant pillar in the form of a cross with the words: “By this shalt thou conquer.” The following night, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream and declared to him the power of the Cross and its significance. When he arose in the morning, he immediately ordered that a labarum be made (which is a banner or standard of victory over the enemy) in the form of a cross, and he inscribed on it the Name of Jesus Christ. On the 28th Of October, he attacked and mightily conquered Maxentius, who drowned in the Tiber River while fleeing. The following day, Constantine entered Rome in triumph and was proclaimed Emperor of the West by the Senate, while Licinius, his brother-in-law, ruled in the East. But out of malice, Licinius later persecuted the Christians. Constantine fought him once and again, and utterly destroyed him in 324, and in this manner he became monarch over the West and the East. Under him and because of him all the persecutions against the Church ceased. Christianity triumphed and idolatry was overthrown. In 325 he gathered the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which he himself personally addressed. In 324, in the ancient city of Byzantium, he laid the foundations of the new capital of his realm, and solemnly inaugurated it on May 11, 330, naming it after himself, Constantinople. Since the throne of the imperial rule was transferred thither from Rome, it was named New Rome, the inhabitants of its domain were called Romans, and it was considered the continuation of the Roman Empire. Falling ill near Nicomedia, he requested to receive divine Baptism, according to Eusebius (The Life of Constantine. Book IV, 61-62), and also according to Socrates and Sozomen; and when he had been deemed worthy of the Holy Mysteries, he reposed in 337, on May 21 or 22, the day of Pentecost, having lived sixty-five years, of which he ruled for thirty-one years. His remains were transferred to Constantinople and were deposed in the Church of the Holy Apostles, which had been built by him (see Homily XXVI on Second Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom).
As for his holy mother Helen, after her son had made the Faith of Christ triumphant throughout the Roman Empire, she undertook a journey to Jerusalem and found the Holy Cross on which our Lord was crucified (see Sept. 13 and 14). After this, Saint Helen, in her zeal to glorify Christ, erected churches in Jerusalem at the sites of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, in Bethlehem at the cave where our Saviour was born, another on the Mount of Olives whence He ascended into Heaven, and many others throughout the Holy Land, Cyprus, and elsewhere. She was proclaimed Augusta, her image was stamped upon golden coins, and two cities were named Helenopolis after her in Bithynia and in Palestine. Having been thus glorified for her piety, she departed to the Lord being about eighty years of age, according to some in the year 330, according to others, in 336.
Liturgical Guide
Apolytikion of Great and Holy Pascha in the Plagal First Mode
Χριστός ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καί τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.
Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life.
Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Plagal First Mode
Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ καὶ Πνεύματι…
Let us worship the Word, O ye faithful, praising Him that with the Father and the Spirit is co-beginningless God, Who was born of a pure Virgin that we all be saved; for He was pleased to mount the Cross in the flesh that He assumed, accepting thus to endure death. And by His glorious rising, He also willed to resurrect the dead.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion for Constantine and Helen in the Plagal Fourth Mode
Τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου τὸν τύπον ἐν οὐρανῷ θεασάμενος…
Having seen the image of Thy Cross in Heaven, and like Paul, having received the call not from men, Thine apostle among kings entrusted the commonwealth to Thy hand, O Lord. Keep us always in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O only Friend of man.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion of St. Demetrios in the Third Mode
Μέγαν εύρατο εv τοίς κιvδύvοις …
Greatness has been found in danger. You are champion of the world. A victor who could turn the nations back. You boldly encouraged Nestor to defeat Lyaeus in the arena. Therefore, holy great martyr Demetrios, intercede with Christ our God, to grant us His great mercy.
Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal Fourth Mode
Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες ἀθάνατε…
Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades’ power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, “Hail!” and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press
Epistle Reading
Prokeimenon. Plagal Fourth Mode. Psalm 18.4,1.
Their voice has gone out into all the earth.
Verse: The heavens declare the glory of God.
The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 26:1, 12-20
IN THOSE DAYS, King Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: “I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles-to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ “Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.”
Gospel Reading
John 9:1-38
At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he”; others said, “No, but he is like him.” He said, “I am the man.” They said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.”So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe”; and he worshiped him.
Memorial Prayer
Christos Armenakis (2 years) and Niki Serano Maria Chilas (18 years) honored by their children: Kiprianos Armenakis (Efrosini), Dimitra, Gus, Angela, Theodoros, and 9 grandchildren.
Dimitrios Bakas (20 years) survived by his daughter Irene (Petros) Tsingelis and by his granddaughters Athina and Dimitra.
Baby Blessing
Parents Tatiana Nikolaidis and Robby Illanes, along with big sister Elenora, present Emilia for her 40 day blessing.
Announcements
Sunday School News
Sunday, May 21- End Of Year Recognition
General Assembly
The Spring General Assembly will take place on Sunday, May 21st. Remember to participate in any decisions you must be a current steward.
Bookstore Notice
The Bookstore will be closed this summer, from June to September. Consider making your purchases now.
Office News
Except for emergencies, the church office will be closed the weeks of June 4, June 11, and June 18.
Loving Stitches
On Tuesday, May 23 at 11:30am, bring along your craft and handiwork projects and join the Loving Stitches for a fun afternoon of crafting, lunch, and camaraderie.
Pap Corps
The Pap Corps Chapter meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 24 at 3:00pm.
Philoptochos
As we reflect on the past year, Philoptochos thanks the St. Demetrios parish for your support in doing the work of the Church. Through Philoptochos, you have donated $17,160 as follows:
May 2022-April 2023
- $6,029 Assistance to our own parish, including food cards, meals, paying bills, funeral assistance and college care packages.
- $4,289 Assistance in our city, including Feeding South Florida, Covenant House, SOS Village, Bennett Elementary School
- $1,802 to the Metropolis of Atlanta charities
- $4,000 to National Philoptochos charities
- $1,080 to the Hurricane Ian relief fund
- Loving Stitches donated 43 baby hats, 13 lap blankets, 1 shawl, 1 set of slippers, 13 big kid blankets, 24 baby blankets with matching hats. There will be another delivery this month.
AHEPA Sunday
Sunday, May 21st is AHEPA Sunday.
GOYA Olympics
GOYA would like to thank Fr. Peter, Parish Council, advisors, parents, and volunteers for all the support and dedication during the GOYA Olympics weekend. The district event was a great success. All the district churches had a wonderful experience. GOYA could not have run this without all the church community support.
Thank you!!!
Scholarship News
Applications for the Dr. Helene Tzitsikas Scholarship for students enrolled in higher education as well as applications for St. Stephen’s Summer Camp are open. More information about the Dr. Tzitsikas Scholarship can be found on the St. Demetrios website www.stdemetrios.org.
Information about St. Stephen’s Camp can be found on their website St. Stephen’s Summer Camp – Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta – Atlanta, GA (atlmetropolis.org)
Scholarship applications are available on line at the St. Demetrios website or call the Church Office 954-467-1515 Monday – Thursday. Deadlines for these applications are June 1, 2023.
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2023 Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
Applications for scholarships administered by the Office of the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are available for awards to be made for the 2023-2024 academic year. The deadline for submitting an application for any of these scholarships is May 19, 2023.
The Gioles and Malta Scholarships are available to Undergraduate Students. The Paleologos Scholarship is available to Graduate students. The Trakatellis Scholarship is available to graduates of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology who are pursuing further academic studies. The Taylor Scholarship offers financial assistance to students pursuing a post-graduate degree in the areas of theology, religious studies, or pastoral training. The Tembelis Scholarship is available to all students studying at Hellenic College-Holy Cross.
Click on the links below to download and print the scholarships instructions and applications.
- 2023 Gioles Scholarship
- 2023 Malta Scholarship
- 2023 Paleologos Scholarship
- 2023 Trakatellis Scholarship
- 2023 Taylor Scholarship
- 2023 Tembelis Scholarship
For more information about any of these scholarship opportunities, please send an email to scholarships@goarch.org or call 212-774-0283.
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Faith Scholarships
Applicants must be graduating high school seniors enrolling in a 4-year accredited U.S. university this fall and a member of a Greek Orthodox parish. Application and eligibility details are available at thefaithendowment.org/scholarships. Application deadline is June 30th, 2023.
Founded in 2004 by a group of visionary Greek American leaders and philanthropists, FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism is an independent 501(c)(3) organization that supports the development of innovative educational, cultural, and scholarship programs that promote Hellenism, an understanding of the Greek Orthodox faith, and the relationship of the two to America’s history and multicultural landscape for young people. FAITH has proudly awarded over 1,950 grants and scholarships to the best and brightest young leaders of the Hellenic-American and Greek Orthodox community.
For any questions or inquiries, please don’t hesitate to call us (212) 803-9363 or email us at info@thefaithendowment.org.
Stewardship
Please fill out a year 2023 pledge form by clicking here https://stdemetrios.org/our-parish/stewardship/stewardship-form/ Or download this form, fill out both sides completely and return it to the office. Thank you!
Calendar
Thursday 5/18
7:00pm Advanced Modern Greek-zoom
Sunday 5/21
9:00am/10:00am Orthros/Divine Liturgy
After Liturgy Sunday School and Little Lambs End of year recognition
After Liturgy Pita Luncheon
General Assembly
1:15pm Bible Study
Tuesday 5/23
11:30am Loving Stitches
Wednesday 5/24
3:00pm Pap Corps Chapter meeting
Thursday 5/25 Holy Ascension
9:00am Orthros
10:00am Divine Liturgy
Sunday 5/28
9:00am/10:00am Orthros/Divine Liturgy
1:15pm Bible Study
