SAINT JAMES ORTHODOX CHURCH 195 N. Main Street Milpitas, Ca 95035 www.sjorthodox.org Matins 8:00 a.m. The Very Reverend Fr. Jiris Hanna (408) 509-8802 Liturgy 10:30 a.m. Sunday September 27 (9/14), 2015 17 th Sunday after Pentecost The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross األحد السابع عشر بعد العنصرة تذكار رفع الصليب الكريم المحيي في كل العالم Matins: John 12:28 36 Epistle: I Corinthians 1:18 24 Gospel: John 19:6 11, 13 20, 25 28, 30-35 To Allow More Time To Enjoy The Festival, The Liturgy Service this Sunday 9/27 will start at 9:30am We will be doing the service of the Elevation of the Cross at the end of the liturgy service 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 Sunday 9/27. Wine and Oil are allowed on this day. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ About The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross 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 األحد 27 ايلول )14 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 614 حيث أخذه الفرس بعد احتاللهم المدينة المقدسة وهدمهم كنيسة القيامة. وفي سنة 628 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. فبق وة صليبك أيها المسيح اإلله. إرحمنا وخل صنا. آمين.
Saturday September 26 (9/13) Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (the Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem 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. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The Nativity of the Theotokos Monday September 21 (9/8) In addition to the celebration of the Annunciation, there are three major feasts in the Church honoring Mary, the Theotokos. The first of these is the feast of Her nativity, which is kept on September 21 (9/8). The record of the birth of Mary is not found in the Bible. The traditional account of the event is taken from the apocryphal writings which are not part of the New Testament scriptures. The traditional teaching which is celebrated in the hymns and verses of the festal liturgy is that Joachim and Anna were a pious Jewish couple who were among the small and faithful remnant the poor and the needy who were awaiting the promised messiah. The couple was old and childless. They prayed earnestly to the Lord for a child, since among the Jews bareness was a sign of God s disfavor. In answer to their prayers, and as the reward of their unwavering fidelity to God, the elderly couple was blessed with the child who was destined, because of her own personal goodness and holiness, to become the Mother of the Messiah-Christ. The fact that there is no Biblical verification of the facts of Mary s birth is incidental to the meaning of the feast. The divine meaning of it for us men and for our salvation is obvious. There had to be one born of human flesh and blood who would be spiritually capable of being the Mother of Christ, and she herself had to be born into the world of persons who were spiritually capable of being her parents. The feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, therefore, is a glorification of Mary s birth, or Mary herself and of her righteous parents. It is a celebration as well of the very first preparation of the salvation of the world. For the Vessel of Light, the Book of the Word of Life, the Door to the Orient, the Throne of Wisdom is being prepared on earth by God himself in the birth of the holy girlchild Mary. The verses of the feast are filled with titles for Mary such as those in the quotations above. They are inspired by the messages of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. The specific Biblical readings of the feast give indications of this. At the Vespers the three Old Testamental readings are Mariological in their New Testamental interpretation. Thus, Jacob s Ladder which united heaven and earth and the place which is named the house of God and the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:10-17) are taken to indicate the union of God with men, which is realized most fully and perfectly both spiritually and physically in Mary the Theotokos, Bearer of God. So also the vision of the temple with the door to the East perpetually
closed and filled with the glory of the Lords symbolizes Mary, called in the hymns of the feast the living temple of God filled with the divine Glory (Ezekiel 43:27 44:4). Mary is also identified with the house which the Divine Wisdom has built for himself according to the reading from Proverbs 9:1 11. The Gospel reading of Matins is the one read at all the feasts of the Theotokos, the famous Magnificant from St. Luke in which Mary says: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:47). The epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy is the famous passage about the coming of the Son of God in the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man (Philippians 2:5 11), and the gospel reading is that which is always read for feasts of the Theotokos the woman in the crowd glorifies the Mother of Jesus, and the Lord himself responds that the same blessedness which his mother receives is for all who hear the word of God and keep it (Luke 11:27 28). Thus, on the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, as on all liturgical celebrations of Christ s Mother, we proclaim and celebrate that through God s graciousness to mankind every Christian receives what the Theotokos receives, the great mercy which is given to human persons because of Christ s birth from the Virgin. تذكار مولد سيدتنا والدة االله الكلية القداسة األثنين 21 ايلول )8 ايلول( هناك تقليد قديم ذكره في القرن الثاني بعد المسيح مؤلف كتاب "ميالد مريم" وأورده أيض ا في القرن الرابع مؤلف "إنجيل يعقوب" المنحول. نعرف منه. أن يواكيم وحن ة إذ لم يكن لهما ولد تراءى لهما مالك الرب وبش رهما بمولد ابنة لهما قد اختارها العلي لشرف أثيل. وبعد ميالد الطفلة حرصا أشد الحرص على تربيتها إلى يوم تمك نا من تقدمتها إلى هيكل الرب حيث عاشت إلى أن خ طبت ليوسف. تدعونا الكنيسة في رتبة العيد إلى التأمل في الدور الذي شغلته مريم العذراء في عمل الفداء. وإذ اختارها هللا منذ األزل لتكون أم الكلمة المتجس د نراها منذ مولدها سلطانة العالم ألنها هي التي أعطت البشري ة شمس العدل واغدقت عليها بابنها االلهي الفرح األبدي. ذلك ما يعب ر عنه القديس يوحنا الدمشقي إذ يهتف بيواكيم وحن ة: "هنيئ ا لكما أيها الزوجان! فإن الخليقة كلها لمدينة لكما. ألنها استطاعت بكما أن تقد م للخالق الهدي ة التي ال تعلوها هدي ة األم البتول التي هي وحدها جديرة بالخالق. فافرح يا يواكيم ألن االبن أعطي لنا مولود ا من ابنتك". فبشفاعة والدة اإلله. أيها الرب إلهنا ارحمنا وخل صنا. آمين. You don t become holy by fighting evil. Let evil be. Keep your focus on Christ and that will save you. ~ Saint Porphyrios Tithing Alms for Those in Need 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. 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. E-mail sjoc@earthlink.net for your bulletin personal announcements, comments, or feedback. Happy Birthdays Ferial Bateh 9/21 Walter Alwxin 9/21 Lazar Twigg 9/22 Anna Perry 9/22 Laith Theodosy 9/23 Anwar Behnam 9/25 Michael Alshammas 9/25 Celine Saydawi 9/26 Angelina Wahhab 9/26 Nabil Khashan 9/27 Christine Dabaie 9/27 عقبال المئة سنة!!!
St. James 10 th Annual Middle Eastern & Greek Food Festival September 25 th,26 th, and 27 th Join Us This Weekend Please see any of the Festival Committee members for our nice All-Inclusive Festival Packages for the festival. Please check out the flyer for details. Help in Buying Tickets Help in Selling Tickets In order to make our Festival successful we have to have everyone s help (Men & Women). You are invited to be an active part of a great blessing working and preparing for our 10 th annual Festival. Please call Ghada Khoury at (925) 699-5792 or Georgette Isied (408) 406-3546 for times and dates when help is needed. Thank you and God Bless you all. Festival Setup EVERYONE S HELP IS NEEDED THIS WEEK!!! If you can, please plan to take a day off from work and come help with festival setup. We need as many hands as possible to help, mainly on Wednesday 9/23, Thursday 9/24, and Friday 9/25. Just come in any time from 10AM or after. A lot of help will also be needed on Monday 9/28 to take down the setup and cleanup. Just show up any time (as early as possible) on any one or more of the above dates and offer your help. No experience necessary! But commitment, hard work, and rolled-up sleeves!
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE In every situation, always try to be pleasant, that is, maintain and peaceful and humble spirit. Do not judge, or grieve anyone, striving so that your words, according to the commandments of the apostles, will be mixed with spiritual salt. - St. Ambrose New Sunday School Start Date Sunday October 4 Immediately after Holy Communion Parents: Please keep you children seated with you in the church until the start of Sunday School If you need more information, please contact Heba Khoury or Luma Theodossy. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Do you know how much help the departed seek! By Elder Ephraim of Arizona Do you know how much help the departed seek? Since there is no repentance after death, and as humans they also departed with stains and blemishes, and since they see that the help of the living greatly assists them to be perfected and find rest, they yearn, seek, and long for someone to commemorate them. They also long for one of their descendants to become a priest or a virtuous Christian who will care for them. Let me tell you about a vision of a certain bishop which he himself told me while we were serving together years ego. He told us that there was a priest who had a drinking problem and often got drunk; this was going on for many years. Other than this, though, the priest was virtuous and pious. One day he drank wine as usual and got drunk, and then before he was fully sober, he went and served Liturgy. So God allowed an accident to happen: he spilled the holy Body and Blood of the Lord! The poor fellow froze with fear, while also thinking about the heavy penance his bishop would give him! Finally, after he confessed, his bishop told him, Go I will notify you when to return, and then I ll give you the penance. So as the bishop was all alone reflecting and pondering, and as he picked up a pen to write his decision to depose him, he saw an endless multitude of people of every age, kind, and class unwind before him like a movie. The bishop was stunned by this vision but was also overcome with fear. Then all those people together said to him, Your Eminence, do not punish the priest; do not depose him. Then, little by little, they disappeared. Afterwards, the bishop called the priest to come. The poor priest was terrified, thinking about being deposed. The bishop said to him, Tell me something, do you commemorate many names when you serve Liturgy? The priest answered, In the proskomidi, Your Eminence, I commemorate names for a long time from kings and emperors down to the last pauper. The bishop then said to him, Go, then, and whenever you serve Liturgy, commemorate as many people as you can, and take care not to get drunk anymore. You are pardoned. Thereafter, the priest with the help of God was delivered from drinking.''
Hello Parents, Sunday School Registration Form Ages 3-12 Sunday School is the perfect opportunity for your children to learn about Orthodoxy and to grow close to their faith. Sunday School will offer the children a chance to achieve spiritual growth through the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Our Sunday School is now much more structured, ATTENDANCE IS THE KEY FOR ITS SUCCESS. Please bring your children to church every Sunday so that they do not fall behind on the lessons and learning. As a parent, please try your very best to encourage your children to sit with you during the service and attend class on time (immediately after communion) every Sunday. By the end of the school year, in June, the students will have developed extensive knowledge on the Orthodox religion. One of our main goals as teachers this year is to make the children eager about going to church. We appreciate a $25 donation per student to help us buy required Sunday School supplies, books, and snacks. Thank you for your support. Father s Name: Mother s Name: First Name Last Name Middle First Name Last Name Middle Home Address: (where mail) (can be sent) City: Home Telephone: Zip Code: E-MAIL: Student s Name: Birthdate: First Name Last Name Middle Month/Date/Year Grade in School: Has the Student been Baptized Orthodox? YES NO Circle One Notes:
MAKE A DIFFERENCE 2015 Give-A-Thon Starts 8/15 until 10/11 100% of the profits go to benefit the The Theotokos Girls Orphanage in Calcutta and hungry and needy children in Greece! Checks payable to: Fili or to St s Peter and Paul Missions Ministry. Mail to attn: Rosa Deamant c/o St. Nicholas Church 986 Chapman St. San Jose, CA 95126. Online Donations at Facebook - Saints Peter and Paul Mission Ministry or www.fili-inc.com. Enter GiveAThon and your name in the paypal special instructions please. So we can track who supported you and what prizes you are eligible for. First drawing for those that have raised $50-$299 on 9/27. Two prizes for $100 in cash. Drawing for those that have raised $300+ is on 10/11. Two prizes for $300 cash prizes. The more you raise the more the children benefit. See fundraising form at www.saintnicholas.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sponsorship Template for you to use Dear Would you join me to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of less fortunate children in India and Greece by sponsoring me in a Give-A-Thon? The first drawing if I raise $50+ is on Sunday, September 26th. The final drawing is on Sunday, October 11th if I raise $300+. The sponsor is Fili Inc. and it is a non-profit organization that funds humanitarian efforts around the world. This Give-A-Thon will help the orphan children of St. Ignatius School in Calcutta, India and we will send money to support a food stamp program for unemployed families of children in Greece through the IOCC. Your donation can be made online with your credit card just enter my name in the special instructions like Walkathon & My_Name in the paypal special instructions and the memo section of your check. Please go to www.fili-inc.com. Please make checks payable to Fili and mail to St. Nicholas Church Attn. Rosa Deamant, 986 Chapman Street, San Jose, CA 95126. Thank you for making a difference!
You Are Cordially Invited to the Annual Dinner Fundraiser for The Life-Giving Spring Monastery Sunday, October 4, 2015 5:00 pm St. Nicholas Community Center 1260 Davis Street, San Jose, CA $60 Adults $30 Children under 12 yrs Hosted by Paul, Nick & George Pries Organized by Maria Anagnostos Questions & Tickets Meroulas@yahoo.com 408-316-6609 I Dig the Monastery A structure is built with boards and beams. The expansion of a Monastery is built with love and dreams. Together, we can make this dream come true Your presence and support is greatly appreciated. The proceeds will help to defray the costs of the Monastery s Expansion Project.
For Tickets Contact: Maria Anagnostos 408-316-6609 Georgette Isied 408-406-3546 Angela (Kiki) Kasidiaris 650-580-0854 Presvytera Lisa Koo 408-759-2669 Presvytera Madalina Lapustsia 408-564-9829 Theoni Maroudas 408-265-8643 Pam Xenia 831-336-2586 John & Camelia Toma 510-432-3769 Maria Tsamboukos 408-723-5175 God Bless You!