SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH 195 N Main Street Milpitas, Ca 95035 wwwsjorthodoxorg Matins 8:00 am Liturgy 10:30 am The Very Reverend Fr Jiris Hanna (408) 509-8802 Fr Dcn Joseph Kawar (408) 398-6357 Sunday September 28 (9/15), 2014 16 th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross Great-martyr Nicetas the Goth األحد السادس عشر بعد العنصرة األحد الذي بعد رفع الصليب تذكار القديس العظيم في الشهداء نيقيطا Matins (Eothina V): Luke 24:12 35 Epistle: Galatians 2:16 20 Gospel: Mark 8:34 9:1 About The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross Saturday September 27 (9/14) Divine Liturgy and Adoration of the Cross at 10:00am The feast day of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, is always a fasting day regardless of the day of the week it falls on This year it falls on this Saturday 9/27 Wine and Oil are allowed on this day The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely eradicate from human memory the holy places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected for mankind The Emperor Hadrian gave orders to cover over the ground of Golgotha and the Sepulchre of the Lord, and to build a temple of the pagan goddess Venus and a statue of Jupiter Pagans gathered at this place and offered sacrifice to idols there Eventually after 300 years, by Divine Providence, the great Christian sacred remains, the Sepulchre of the Lord and the Life- Creating Cross were again discovered and opened for veneration This took place under the Emperor Constantine the Great Ardently desiring to find the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, St Constantine sent his mother, the pious Empress Helen, to Jerusalem They directed her to a certain elderly Hebrew by the name of Jude who stated that the Cross was buried where the temple of Venus stood They demolished the pagan temple Soon the Tomb of the Lord was uncovered Not far from it were three crosses, a board with the inscription ordered by Pilate, and four nails which had pierced the Lord's Body In order to discern on which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius alternately touched the crosses to a corpse When the Cross of the Lord touched the dead one, he came to life Having beheld the raising of the dead man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross was found Christians came in a huge throng to venerate the Holy Cross, beseeching St Macarius to elevate the Cross, so that even those far off might reverently contemplate it Then the Patriarch and other spiritual leaders raised up the Holy Cross, and the people, saying "Lord have mercy," reverently prostrated before the Venerable Wood During the discovery of the
Life-Creating Cross another miracle took place: a grievously sick woman, beneath the shadow of the Holy Cross, was healed instantly The holy empress Helen journeyed to the holy places connected with the earthly life of the Savior, building more than 80 churches, at Bethlehem the birthplace of Christ, and on the Mount of Olives where the Lord ascended to Heaven, and at Gethsemane where the Savior prayed before His sufferings and where the Mother of God was buried after her death تذكار رفع الصليب الكريم المحيي السبت 72 ايلول )41 ايلول( يخبرنا التاريخ الكنسي أن القديسة هيالنة والدة اإلمبراطور قسطنطين الكبير وجدت بالقرب من الجلجلة الصلبان الثالثة التي مات عليها المسيح الفادي واللصان رفيقاه وان األسقف مكاريوس األورشليمي اهتدى إلى تمييز صليب المخل ص عن الصليبين اآلخرين بفضل أعجوبة تم ت على يده إذ إنه أدنى الصلبان الواحد تلو اآلخر من امرأة كانت قد أشرفت على الموت فلم تشف إال عندما لمست صليب السيد له المجد بقي العود الكريم في كنيسة القيامة حتى 4 أيار سنة 414 حيث أخذه الفرس بعد احتاللهم المدينة المقدسة وهدمهم كنيسة القيامة وفي سنة 426 انتصر االمبراطور هرقليوس على كسرى ملك فارس وارجع الصليب الكريم إلى المدينة المقدسة ويذكر التقليد ان االمبراطور حمل على كتفه العود الكريم وسار به في حفاوة إلى الجلجلة وكان يرتدي أفخر ما يلبس الملوك من ثياب والذهب والحجارة الكريمة في بريق ساطع إال انه عندما بلغ إلى باب الكنيسة والصليب على كتفه أحس بقوة تصد ه عن الدخول فوقف البطريرك زكريا وقال للعاهل: حذار أيها االمبراطور! إن هذه المالبس الالمعة وما تشير إليه من مجد وعظمة تبعدك عن فقر المسيح يسوع "ومذل ة الصليب" ففي الحال خلع االمبراطور مالبسه الفاخرة وارتدى مالبس حقيرة وتابع مسيره حافي القدمين حتى الجلجلة حيث رفع عود الصليب المكر م فسجد المؤمنون إلى األرض وهم يرن مون: "لصليبك يا سي دنا نسجد ولقيامتك المقدسة نمج د" في كنيسة القيامة اليوم يكر م الموضع الذي وجدت فيه القديسة هيالنة الصليب الكريم وهذا الموضع الذي كان في عهد السيد له المجد حفرة كبيرة في األرض ردمها مهندسو قسطنطين الملك وأدخلوها في تصميم الكنيسة الكبرى بمثابة معبد هو في الواقع مغارة كبيرة تحت سطح األرض إن لعيد الصليب األهمي ة الكبرى والمحل الممتاز في سلسلة األعياد على مر السنة الطقسي ة سواء في ذلك الشرق والغرب هو تجديد ليوم الجمعة العظيم في أسبوع اآلالم غير أنه بينما يعيش المؤمنون في يوم الجمعة العظيم ذكرى الفداء بدم المسيح وموته على الصليب بوصفه حدث ا تاريخي ا ينظر المؤمنون اليوم إلى الصليب محاط ا بهالة المجد والغلبة مجد المسيح والمسيحي ة وغلبتهما عبر التاريخ على قوى الشر تذكرنا الكنيسة المقدسة في الفرض اإللهي برموز العهد القديم التي تشير إلى الصليب وأهمها: شجرة الفردوس عل ة هالكنا بينما الصليب هو آلة خالصنا وفلك نوح التي ما خلص بها سوى األبرار بينما الصليب يشمل الجميع خطأة وأبرار ا في فدائه ويعقوب الذي صل ب يديه ليبارك حفيديه ابني يوسف وموسى الذي مد يديه وفتح بهما في البحر األحمر طريق ا إلسرائيل وحل ى بالعود مياه مر ان المر ة وضرب الصخرة بعصاه فتفج رت منها المياه حياة للشعب وصل ى فاتح ا ذراعيه لينتصر الشعب اإلسرائيلي على عماليق وعصا هارون التي أورقت والحية النحاسية ووقوف الشعب في شكل صليب حول تابوت العهد إلى غير ذلك من الرموز التي يكاد يراها الكتبة الكنسي ون القدماء في كل صفحة العهد القديم فبقو ة صليبك أيها المسيح اإلله إرحمنا وخل صنا آمين + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Friday September 26 (9/13) Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (the Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem Wine and Oil allowed on this day The Church has been revealed to be a heaven filled with light which enlightens all the faithful Standing within it we cry: "Establish this house, O Lord" لقد ظهرت الكنيسة سماء كثيرة األنوار تنير كل المؤمنين ونحن في وقوفنا اآلن نصرخ قائلين: ثب ت يا رب هذا البيت
Alms for Those in Need Tithing Many thanks to all who give alms to the Needy Families Fund The word alms comes from the Greek word for compassion These compassionate gifts are distributed as needed by Father Giris, primarily to parish members and at times to persons outside the church when genuine needs arise If you ve given alms in the past, or would like to begin, your gift of any amount will immediately help lift a neighbor s burden All alms are tax deductible Lunch This Sunday September 28 will be provided by St James Ladies Auxiliary Group Thank you and God bless you Tithe means ten percent Many give this much or more But for some reason giving nothing seems to be easier than giving less than the ideal Please give as you can, even if it s less than a tithe Happy Birthdays Lazar Twigg 9/22 Anna Perry 9/22 Laith Theodossy 9/23 Anwar Behnam 9/25 Michael Al-Shammas 9/25 Angelina Wahhab 9/26 Celine Saydawi 9/26 Nabil Khashan 9/27 Christina Dabaie 9/27 عقبال المئة سنة!!! E-mail sjoc@earthlinknet or call (408) 398-6357 for your bulletin personal announcements, comments, or feedback St James Annual Winter Retreat Everyone is welcome! Mark Your Calendar December 17 December 20, 2014 Life Giving Spring Monastery in Dunlap / Snow fun trip to Hume Lake Accommodation at St Nicholas Ranch RSVP Required! Please contact Dcn Joseph for more information
ANGER You become upset and malice against everyone boils in your soul; this is from self-love and vainglory Always strive to consider yourself to be worse and more sinful than anyone on the earth in the sight of God During such a time, fervently say, Lord have mercy on us sinners, which will include you and those with whom you have become angry - St Joseph The Church and Liturgical Time: The Kingdom of God on Earth By Stylianos Gerasimos the believer lives the Kingdom of God on earth The Church is not subject to time As the body of Christ it enters the world of the Kingdom of God This synthesis of the world and the Kingdom of God creates the eschatological period of the Church, which is connected with liturgical time in the context of the Divine Eucharist Within liturgical time the Church with its feasts, moveable and immoveable, sanctifies the daily life of man, because the center of liturgical time is the Divine Liturgy Everything is included within it This is because the feasts of the Church are not simply events, but an opportunity for communion with the Church With annual feasts and the weekly festal cycle, Yet apart from the relationship between the feasts with the Divine Liturgy, we must clarify the distinctions of the feasts in liturgical time The feasts of the Church are distinguished between movable and immovable Immovable feasts are associated with a specific date of the ecclesiastical year, which begins on September 1 These feasts are associated with specific historical events with a soteriological character, such as the Annunciation, Christmas, Theophany, the Transfiguration, the feasts of the Mother of God, the Archangels and the saints Moveable feasts, which have no fixed date, are related to Pascha (Easter), which affects liturgical time, because it determines all the Sundays of the ecclesiastical year You could say that all the feasts of the liturgical year gather around Pascha, the feast of the transition from time to eternity However, the Church lives liturgical time on two levels - annual and daily feasts Annual feasts are performed with moveable feasts that are centered around Pascha Ten weeks before Pascha the Triodion begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and ends with Cheesefare Sunday, which is dedicated to the exile of Adam and Eve from Paradise
This is followed by the period of Great Lent It lasts seven weeks and is a period of fasting, prayer and repentance by the faithful The liturgical order of Great Lent creates the sense of salvation "in Christ" The highlight of Great Lent is Great and Holy Week, where the faithful are invited to experience the Passion of Christ and in the end His Resurrection With the feast of the Resurrection begins a new period among the moveable feasts and this is the period of the Pentecostarion It lasts eight weeks Forty days after Pascha the Holy Ascension of Christ is celebrated With this feast the work of Divine Economy is completed Ten days after the Ascension, Pentecost is celebrated Pentecost is the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the day the Church was established The cycle of the Pentecostarion concludes with the feast of All Saints This feast aims to show that everything that took place with the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord took place for the sanctification of humanity This feast embraces all the orders of saints But there are also immovable feasts that stress the relationship between time and eternity These are the Annunciation, Christmas, Theophany and the feasts of the Mother of God The Annunciation inaugurates the revelation of the mystery of the Divine Incarnation Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation The corruptible human body is renewed with the incarnation of God God became man to deify man Concerning the feast of Theophany, it is more ancient than Christmas It is related to the revelation of the Holy Trinity Christ, Who is baptized by John, is testified to be the Son of God with the voice of the Father and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove The Transfiguration also holds a special place in liturgical time, because the Transfiguration of Christ renews all of creation In this event Christ's disciples saw the glory of the Godhead The weekly or daily cycle concerns the saints whose honor are repeated weekly Monday is dedicated to the Archangels, Tuesday to the Honorable Forerunner, Wednesday to the Panagia, and Thursday to the Holy Apostles and Saint Nicholas Friday and Saturday retain the character of Great and Holy Week Saturday has the liturgical character of being connected with the remembrance of the reposed And during Great Lent when the celebration of the Divine Eucharist is prohibited, it is celebrated only on Saturday However, the unique festive day of the Church is the eighth day, Sunday, or the Day of the Lord The Resurrection of the Lord is repeated every Sunday Every Sunday Liturgy is a unique Resurrection At every Sunday Divine Liturgy the present enters the past and the future Additionally, liturgical time is manifested in the Church with iconography Historical persons are depicted in an eternal perspective, because they also relate to the festive cycle, and therefore the Divine Eucharist These depicted historical figures, which include all the orders of saints, make up together with the faithful who attend church a divine-human society and a foreshadowing of the connection of the created with the uncreated, which exceeds space and time
A Flat Pledge/donation is a set amount that should be collected immediately and turned in on the day of the event (9/28) Ask your friends and neighbors! A Per Lap Pledge is an amount promised to you for each lap walked Return your completed lap card with money collected with your pledge sheet by 10/12/14 You will then be eligible for your fundraising level prize We encourage FLAT pledges so you can get your chances to win the ipad on the day of the event Checks made out to St s Peter and Paul Mission Ministry What do I need to register? Your signed pledge sheet, emergency contact information, pledge cash or checks Proceeds benefit the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Girls Orphanage in Calcutta, India and the humanitarian work of Sr Nektaria A prize for the top fundraiser is a beautiful hand painted icon of St Nicholas modeled after the mural icons in the church of St Nicholas Orphanos in Thessaloniki What if I have a sports event that day? Come before or after your sports event If you are registered you get 10 laps credit What if I chose not to walk? Every one is very welcome Come listen to our speaker and enjoy the event We will offer take out as well Your donation is important to us! All donations apply to the prizes up to 10/12/14 10/12/14 is the last day drop off your pledges to be eligible for prize After liturgy in small hall or at the church office $500 and over A tour of & reception at the PAOI in Berkeley lead by His Eminence Met Nikitas Bus will be provided The date TBD by His Eminence $300 Bowling with our priests Fun for the whole family! Pasta Lunch $5 *Take Out available* Frappes * Bake Sale * Crafts Wellness Booth Silent Auction & Raffle items for all ages! Kids Korner - New or nearly new gifts Kiddie Corral play area for prek kids Photo Gallery of the Orphanage Site Itinerary for the day: 11:30am CC driveway closed Exit school gate $50 For each $50 you turn in on 9/28 you get 1 A chance to win an ipad 2 A chance to win a $5 gift card Introductions by His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas & Fr Demosthenes 12:00pm Registration opens & lunch in CC 12:30 pm Walk start & all activities open 1:30 pm Presentations start $25 A Pedometer $10 to walk & be eligible for lap prize and treats Presentation by Thomaida Hudanish recently back from the orphanage NO STREET PARKING in front of church 3:00 pm Silent Auction closes 3:30 pm Drawing for ipad Volunteer? Contact rosa@deamantcom Go UP the ladder and receive the pledge prize listed for each level You also get the prize/s below each level One for each registered participant Sponsored by the Missions Ministry of St Basil and St Nicholas Orthodox Churches Together we are Saints Peter and Paul Missions Ministry
Walker s Name: Emergency Contact: Phone Walker s Address: Phone email SPONSOR S NAME Yani Smithopolous Address/City/State/Zip Phone Flat Pledge 300 Wall Street, SJ 95125 000-000-0000 $25 Per Lap Pledge Amt Date Paid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TOTALS Official Use Only Total flat donation/s Amount For Official Use Only/ Cash I hereby waive and release any and all rights and claims for damages against St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officials and sponsors of the Walk for Missions from any and all liabilities incident to our, mine and/or my minor child s involvement or participation in the program Per Lap Pledges x Laps = Lap Money due by 10/12/14 Checks Online Signature Parent/Guardian if under 18 years old Minors please make sure to have an adult contact on the premises NO Drop Offs please
Sunday, October 12, 2014 6:00 pm St Nicholas Community Center 1270 Davis Street San Jose, Ca 95126 Guests of Honor: His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas of Dardanelles Gerontissa Markella Given by: Paul, Nick & George Pries $60 adults $30 children under 12 yrs Limited Seating Purchase your tickets soon! Organized by: Maria Anagnostos for tickets or questions contact meroulas@yahoocom or 408-316-6609 Salmon dinner will be served Proceeds will benefit the monastery! Thank you for your love & support for the monastery!