Weekly Sunday Bulletin – August 5th, 2018

Saint of the Day – Eusignius the Martyr of Antioch

This Martyr was from Antioch, and had been a soldier from the time of the reign of Constantius Chlorus (the father of Saint Constantine the Great) to that of Julian the Apostate. He censured Julian’s ungodliness and reminded him that he was the nephew of Saint Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor. He reminded him further, that from his tender youth he had been nourished on the milk of piety and instructed in the Faith of Christ, had been a fellow student of Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, had been a reader of the Church of Nicomedia, and that he had set all these things at nought and become a transgressor of the promises made in his divine Baptism, and had offered to the idols the adoration that is due to God alone. Reminding the Apostate of all these things and reproving him, he was beheaded in the year 361, having lived altogether 110 years, and been a soldier for more than sixty.

Parish Council on Duty:

George Georgakakis, Karyl Zitis, Katherine Ziegler, Basil Economou, Michael Haralambis, John Clidas

Liturgical Guide

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the First Mode
Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων,
When the stone had been sealed by the Jews and the soldiers were guarding Thine immaculate Body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life unto the world. Wherefore, the powers of the Heavens cried out to Thee, O Lifegiver: Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ. Glory to Thy Kingdom. Glory to Thy dispensation, O only Friend of man.

Apolytikion for Forefeast of the Transfiguration in the Fourth Mode
Χριστού τήν Μεταμόρφωσιν προϋπαντήσωμεν,
Come, let us all welcome the Transfiguration of Christ, and joyously celebrate the bright prefestival, O ye faithful, and let us cry: Nigh at hand now is the day of God-given gladness, as the Sovereign Master goeth up on Mount Tabor to flash forth with the beautiful light of His Divinity.

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 Fourth Mode
Εν τή θεία σήμερον Μεταμορφώσει,
All of mortal nature now divinely shineth on this day with the divine Transfiguration ere the time; and in great gladness, she crieth out: Christ is transfigured, and saveth the race of man.

Epistle Reading
The Reading is from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 4:9-16.
Brethren, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

Gospel Reading
The Reading is from Matthew 17:14-23
At that time, a man came up to Jesus and kneeling before him said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move hence to yonder place,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Memory Eternal

On Monday, July 30^th, Gus Stavrakis, beloved husband of Helen Stavrakis, was laid to rest in Ohio. May our most compassionate Lord comfort and strengthen Gus’ family and friends in their loss, and may He grant Gus forgiveness of sins and rest in a place of light, green pasture, refreshment, from where pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away.

Additional Liturgical Services

Friday, August 3
11:00am Paraklisis

Monday, August 6
Feast of the Transfiguration
9am/10am Orthros/Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, August 8
7:00pm Paraklisis

Friday, August 10
11:00am Paraklisis

Monday, August 13
7:00pm Paraklisis

Wednesday, August 15
Dormition of the Theotokos
9am/10am Orthros/Divine Liturgy

Fr. Andrew’s FYI

August 1^st begins a fasting cycle thru the 14^th for Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary (Koimisis tis Theotokou).

We don’t really “fast”. We abstain from certain foods during fast periods. And during this fast, there is a minimal break in what we cannot eat or consume. We can have oil, wine and fish on the Feast Day of our Lord, The Transfiguration on August 6^th.

Abstaining from certain foods is just the “tip of the iceberg”. We should be praying more; attending church more; and sharing, what we save from buying those foods, with those in more need that we.

For those of us who think that vegetable oil is okay instead of olive oil, you’re not correct. It is actually what the oil, any kind, does for food, especially in its preparation. It enhances its taste. The better it tastes, the more we tend to eat. It’s more difficult to focus on prayer when our stomachs are full.

But it’s all moot if your heart isn’t into it. If you are fasting from certain foods with a sense of accomplishment, you end up falling into the sin of pride. AND, fasting or abstaining from certain foods and praying are extremely personal. It’s between YOU and GOD (and your Spiritual Father, not your neighbor. So, don’t worry about what your neighbor eats or does not eat. Focus on your own preparation and efforts to get closer to God during these times, set aside by the Church, for personal, spiritual growth.

If you have any questions about fasting or anything else, please ask Father Andrew.

Kalo Mina! Have a good month!

Feast Day of the Transfiguration
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (August 6)

Our Lord had spoken to His disciples many times not only concerning His Passion, Cross, and Death, but also concerning the coming persecutions and afflictions that they themselves would endure. Since all these evils were near at hand, but the enjoyment of good things which they hoped to receive in their stead was yet to come, our Savior desired to give them full assurance, evidently and openly, concerning that glory which is prepared for those who endure to the end. Therefore, fulfilling that which He had promised shortly before, that “there be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom” (Matt. 16:28), He took His three foremost disciples and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. Suddenly, together with this dread and marvelous effulgence of light, there appeared those pinnacles of the Prophets, Moses and Elias, who spoke with the Lord Jesus concerning His saving Passion which was about to take place. Standing before Him as reverent servants, they showed that He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, for Moses came forth from Hades, having died many centuries before, and Elias, as it were from heaven, whither he had been taken up while yet alive. After a little while a radiant cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud they heard that same voice which had been heard at the Jordan at the Baptism of Christ, testifying to the Divinity of Jesus and saying: “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased; hear ye Him” (Matt. 17: 5).

Such are the marvels, truly worthy of God, celebrated in this present feast, which is an image and prefiguring of the future state of the righteous, whose splendor the Lord spoke of, saying: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun” (Matt. 13:43). It is because of this that the Kontakion of this Feast is said daily (when there is not a great feast) in the Service of the Typica in perpetual commemoration of the glory that will be the lot of the Saints. According to tradition, the Lord’s Transfiguration came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross.

Educational Ministries ~ Youth and Adults

Junior Choir Do you know what Katy Perry, John Legend, Kevin Costner, Carrie Underwood and Justin Timberlake have in common? They all started in the church choir! We are calling all future stars, young and old, to join the new Junior Choir. If you are interested, call Mona at (954) 240-3271.

Greek School The Greek School at St. Demetrios will offer six classes during the academic year 2018-19. Classes A’, B’, Γ’, Δ´ and Adult Beginner are scheduled to meet on Mondays from 4:15 to 6:00 PM. The Advanced Modern Greek class will meet from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Registration details will be announced as soon as the website is updated. For more information, please call the St. Demetrios office at 954-467-1515 Monday through Thursday. Welcome to all who wish to explore the Modern Greek language and its 3,000+ year history.
Σας προσκαλούμε στη μελέτη της ωραίας ελληνικής γλώσσας που έχει βαθειές ρίζες στην αρχαιότητα.

Youth Programs Volunteers Our community is blessed with a holistic youth program that includes Sunday School, Greek School, Dance, GOYA, HOPE/JOY and a Youth Library. All these programs need volunteers to share in the fulfilling work of educating our youngsters. All volunteers must fill out an application each year. Please pick up an application from the table in the south narthex and turn it in to the office or to the appropriate youth adviser.

Stewardship

Campaign 2018
“Come and See”

Please support your church in year 2018 with your time, talent and treasure. 267 of your fellow parishioners/families have done so. Don’t delay, pledge today! Call the office for more information or fill out a pledge card.

Thank you!

Stewardship is a matter of our personal faith in God and He keeps his promises. Listen to what St. Paul writes: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

Announcements

Landscape Cleanup Let’s beautify our church grounds! Bring your gardening tools and join your fellow parishioners on Saturday, August 11 at 8:00am.

Flowers Thank you to all who donated flowers for The Icon of the Theotokos for the Paraklisis services and for the garland

Car Donation Dr. Hionis has generously agreed to donate all proceeds from the sale of his 2006 Cadillac DTS with 66,000 miles to St. Demetrios. It has new tires and is in excellent condition. The asking price is $4,000. Please contact the church office or one of the Parish Council members if you are interested in purchasing this car while simultaneously helping St. Demetrios.