1-1-12
TRANSCRIPT
Liturgy Intentions:
January 1, 2012
The parishioners of Saint Joseph
Parish
The Deceased members of the
Shehedi and Barron Families
E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://melkitescranton.org Webmaster: Sal Zaydon
January 1, 2012
Tone 4 and Orthros Gospel Circumcision of the Lord – St. Basil the Great
Liturgy Schedule: Saturday Vespers 4pm Compline Weds 8:30PM
Sunday Orthros 8:55 am Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church 130 North Saint Francis Cabrini Avenue
Scranton, PA 18504
Rev. Protodeacon Michael Jolly Administrator pro tempore 570-213-9344 Reader Michael Simon
Parish Office 570-343-6092
Parish Notes:
Today—Saint Joseph Day Potluck
after Divine Liturgy—All are Welcome!
Thanks to the Bolus family for their generous
donation of $2000 to our parish
Thanks to Betsy Zaydon and the folks who
decorated our sanctuary for the feast. Nice Job!
2012 Calendars and envelops are available in the
narthex of the church.
Parish Council meets after Divine Liturgy Next
Sunday
Qurban today was baked by Dn Michael
Today’s Icon: Saint Basil the Great
Feast of the Theophany -
Vespers
Thursday Evening 7PM
Divine Liturgy
Friday Evening 7PM
The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great
Antiphons: First Antiphon
Through the prayers of the Mother of God Tone 2 O God, Father above time, Who in Your wisdom have created all things
and in Your Almighty Word keep them into being, bless in Your
goodness the crown of the year. Safeguard Your Church in peace.
Unify all the Christians in faith and love. Grant the world Your great
mercy through the intercession of our all-holy Lady the Theotokos and
all Your Saints.
For You are All-good and the Lover of mankind and we render glory to
You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Second Antiphon
1- Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
O Son of God, Who were circumcised in the flesh, save us who sing
to You: Alleluia!
2- Sing to God, chant praises to His name, extol Him Who rides upon
the clouds.
3- From Sion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Glory be to the Father… now and always… Only-begotten Son and
word of God… Hymn of incarnation Tone 4 Third Antiphon Tone 4 Entrance O Son of God, Who were circumcised in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia!
Hymns:
Resurrectional Troparion Tone 4
Troparion of the Circumcision Tone 1
O Merciful Lord who, being God assumed our human nature without undergoing
change, You fulfilled the Law by accepting to be circumcised in the flesh, so as to
put an end to prefigurations and remove the veil of our passions, Glory to Your
goodness, O Word! Glory to Your compassion! Glory to Your ineffable
condescension!
Troparion of Saint Basil the Great Tone 1
Your voice has sounded over all the earth, that accepted your preaching. You gave a
divine explanation of doctrine, and made clear the nature of creatures, and set a rule
of life for men. Holy father, kingly priest, intercede with Christ God to grant us His
great mercy.
Troparion of Saint Joseph Tone 1
Kontakion for the Circumcision of Our Lord Tone 3
Today the Lord of all endures circumcision, circumcising the sins of men, for He is
good and merciful. And He grants salvation to the whole world while Basil, the high
priest of the Creator, Christ’s mystic and shining star, rejoices now in heaven.
Prokiemenon (Tone 1) Ps. 48:4,2 My mouth shall speak wisdom, prudence shall be the utterance of my heart.
Stichon: Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all who dwell in the world.
Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians 2:8-12 BRETHREN, see to it that no one deceives you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to human
traditions, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him Who is the head of every Principality and Power you
have received of that fullness. In Him, too, you have been circumcised with a circumcision not
wrought by hand, but through putting off the body of the flesh, a circumcision which is of Christ. For
you were buried with Him in baptism, and in Him also rose again through faith in the working of God
Who raised Him from the dead.
Alleluia (Tone 8) Ps. 79:2; 36:30
Listen, O Shepherd of Israel, O Guide of Joseph’s flock!
Stichon: The mouth of the just tells of wisdom, and his tongue says what is right.
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke 2:20-21 & 40-52 At that time the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, even
as it was spoken to them. And when eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, He
was called Jesus, the name given Him by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And the
child grew and became strong in spirit. He was full of wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him.
And His parents were accustomed to go every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. And
when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. And
after they had fulfilled the days, when they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and
Joseph and His mother did not know it. But thinking He was in the caravan, they had come a day’s
journey before it occurred to them to look for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not
finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him. And it came to pass after three days, that
they found Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking
them questions. And all who were listening to Him were amazed at His understanding and His
answers. And when they saw Him, they were astonished. And His mother said to Him, “Son, why
have You done so to us? Behold, Your father and I have been seeking You sorrowing.” And He said
to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know I must be about My Father’s business?”
And they did not understand the word He spoke to them. And He went down with them and came to
Nazareth, and was subject to them; and His mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. And
Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.
Hirmos:
In you O full of grace, all creation rejoices, the orders of angels and the human race as well. O
sanctified temple, spiritual paradise and glory of virgins fro whom Our God, Who exists before all
eternity, took flesh and became a little child. He has taken your womb as His throne., making it more
spacious than the heavens. Wherefore O full of Grace, all creation rejoices, glory to you.
Post-Communion Hymn Troparion of the Circumcision
Theophany
(from Greek theophania, meaning "appearance of
God") is one of the Great Feasts of the Melkite
Church, celebrated on January 6. It is the feast
which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world
through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark
1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22).
Baptism of Christ
This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by
John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the
beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. The Feast of
Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas
Season, which starts on December 25 and ends on
January 6. In mystic commemoration of this event,
the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this
day, and the holy water so blessed is used by the
local priest to bless the homes of the faithful.
The feast is called Theophany because at the
baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly
to mankind for the first time -- the Father's voice is
heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and
standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy
Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove.
Epiphany
This feast is also sometimes referred to as Epiphany
by English-speaking Orthodox Christians, but that
name more properly refers to the Western Christian
feast falling on that same day and commemorating
the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. The term
"Epiphany" does appear in the services for this
feast, however.
Originally, there was just one Christian feast of the
shining forth of God to the world in the human
form of Jesus of Nazareth. It included the
celebration of Christ's birth, the adoration of the
Wisemen, and all of the childhood events of Christ
such as his circumcision and presentation to the
temple as well as his baptism by John in the Jordan.
There seems to be little doubt that this feast, like
Easter and Pentecost, was understood as the
fulfillment of a previous Jewish festival, in this case
the Feast of Lights.
Celebration of the feast
The services of Theophany are set up exactly as
those of the Nativity. Historically the Christmas
services were established later.
The Royal Hours are read and the Divine Liturgy of
St. Basil the Great is served with Vespers on the
eve of the feast. The Vigil is made up of Great
Compline and Matins
The Liturgy of the feast begins with psalms of
glorification and praise instead of the three normal
Antiphons. And the baptismal line from Galatians
3:27 once again replaces the Thrice-Holy.
All of you who have been baptized into Christ,
have put on Christ Alleluia
The gospel readings of all the services tell of the
Lord's baptism by John in the Jordan River. The
epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy tells of the
consequences of the Lord's appearing which is the
divine epiphany.
Since the main feature of the feast is the blessing of
water. It is prescribed to follow both the Divine
Liturgy of the eve of the feast and the Divine
Liturgy of the day itself. But most local parishes do
it only once when most of the parishioners can be
present. The blessing verifies that mankind, and all
of creation, were created to be filled with the
sanctifying presence of God.
OUR CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S NATIVITY draws to a close today with the Feast of His
Circumcision. Many primitive cultures have traditions of
marking the body in some way to distinguish the recipient
as a member of the tribe, a warrior, or a member of the
ruling class. In the Middle East circumcision has been
practiced as a sign of belonging at least since the time of
Abraham. To this day it is a defining rite among both
Jews and Muslims.
In the book of Genesis we read God’s requirement: “This
is my covenant with you and your descendants after you
that you must keep: every male among you shall be
circumcised. Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and
that shall be the mark of the covenant between you and
me. Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he
is eight days old, shall be circumcised, including house-
born slaves and those acquired with money from any
foreigner who is not of your blood. Yes, both the house-
born slaves and those acquired with money must be
circumcised. Thus my covenant shall be in your flesh as
an everlasting pact. If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if
the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one
shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my
covenant…” (Gen 17:10-14)
In accordance with this law the Lord Jesus was
circumcised eight days after His birth. It was also the time
that He was formally given the name Jesus. At first
glance we see that in this Jesus’ family was simply doing
what was customary among Jews. They were making the
infant a part of God’s People, the people of the Covenant.
By His incarnation the Word of God became a human
being, one of us by nature. By His circumcision He
became a member of a specific people, a Jew. He would
observe the Sabbath, study Torah and observe the festival
pilgrimages to Jerusalem (see Lk 2:41-52). He would
observe the traditions of Israel because it was through
Israel that the world would be saved. As we sing at
vespers on this feast: “The most merciful God did not
disdain circumcision in the flesh. He offered Himself
instead as a symbol and example of salvation to all. He
made the Law, and yet submitted Himself to its commands
and to what the prophets had foretold of Him. O our
God, who hold all things in Your hands, and yet
were wrapped in swaddling clothes: O Lord, glory to
You!
The Church, reflecting on His circumcision, looked at it
from other vantages as well. St. Cyril of Alexandria, for
example, in his third homily on the Gospel of St. Luke,
noted: “It seems to me that circumcision achieved three
distinct ends. In the first place, it separated the
descendants of Abraham by a sort of sign and seal and
distinguished them from all other nations.
“Second, it prefigured in itself the grace and efficacy of
divine baptism. Formerly a male who was circumcised
was included among the people of God by virtue of that
seal; nowadays a person who is baptized and has formed
in himself Christ the seal becomes a member of God’s
adopted family.
“Third, circumcision is the symbol of the faithful when
they are established in grace, as they cut away and
mortify the tumultuous rising of carnal pleasures and
passions by the sharp surgery of faith and by ascetic
labors. They do this, not by cutting the body but by
purifying the heart. They do this by being circumcised in
the spirit and not in the letter.”
Our Spiritual Circumcision
A circumcision is a cutting of the flesh; circumcision
according to the letter, as St Cyril describes it, is also a
cutting, but of the heart. It is the removal of something,
often painful, so that we can be fitting members of Christ
by “the sharp surgery of faith and by ascetic labors.”
The sharp knife of faith removes from our hearts its
reliance on whatever we trust for our security other than
the true God. In the Roman Empire Jews trusted in the
Law of Moses and pagans trusted in the gods and
goddesses of the state. In our day it may be our family,
our job, our culture or our political and economic systems
that we feel will take care of us. People continually find
that any of these can fail them drastically if they put the
confidence in them that is due to God alone.
The surgery of ascetic labors is the way we deal with our
pride, our greed, our lust and the like: often particularly
painful as it is a surgery we face daily. St. Paul described
this dynamic as “…the circumcision made without hands,
by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh” (Col
2:11). Elsewhere he catalogued these sins as “…your
members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness,
passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry” (Col 3:5). Lest we feel too confident in our
“sinlessness,” he continues the list with “anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy language” and lying (Col 3:8-
9). Of these we continually need to be circumcised.
What Is “The Flesh”?
When speaking of “the sins of the flesh” St Paul uses a
Greek word, sarx. This is not the Greek word for body –
soma – which shows that the Apostle is not equating the
body with sin. As the fourth-century Egyptian ascetic
Poemen said, “We were taught, not to kill the body, but to
kill the passions.” Sarx has been described as “the
complex of sin, death and futility into which humanity has
imprisoned itself…” (John S. Custer, The Apostolic
Writings, p. 78). The term “flesh,” then, includes anything
including mental attitudes and even religious practices
which are opposed to the kingdom of God.
Circumcising the flesh, in fact, involves dealing more with
our motivations, our imaginations and the whole range of
our conscious and subconscious thoughts. It is a refocusing
of all our attitudes as well as our actions on God and the
godly way of life. Asceticism, then, is the means by which
we restore the natural hierarchy of body and spirit. The
body is meant to serve the spirit; not the other way around,
as is the case in the fallen world. Human nature in its
fallen, sinful condition finds the spirit enslaved to the
flesh, and to the need to gratify the appetites of the flesh.
Insofar as the spirit remains in this state of bondage, it is
rendered incapable of communing with God.
Spiritual circumcision, then, is an indispensable part of our
progress toward union with God. It is an aspect of what we
are urged to do continually in our liturgical services: “Let
us commend ourselves, one another and our whole life to
Christ God.”
Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord
Circumcising
the Sins
of Men
Hymns of the Feast
The most merciful God did not disdain cir-
cumcision in the flesh. He offered Himself
instead as a symbol and example of salva-
tion to all. He made the Law, and yet sub-
mitted Himself to its commands and to
what the prophets had foretold of Him. O
our God who hold all things in Your hands,
and yet were wrapped in swaddling clothes:
O Lord, glory to You! (Vespers sticheron)
O Merciful Lord who, being God, assumed
our human nature without undergoing
change, You fulfilled the Law by accepting
to be circumcised in the flesh, so as to put
an end to prefigurations and remove the veil
of our passions. Glory to Your goodness, O
Word! Glory to Your compassion! Glory
to Your ineffable condescension!
(Troparion)
The Epistle reading from Titus on the Feast of the
Theophany says: “...not by works of righteousness
which we have done but according to His mercy He
saves us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). So we are
saved by baptism; but yet salvation is broader than a
one-time event.
Scripture References to Salvation:
There are three aspects to salvation referred to as
follows:
We have been saved: Besides the reference in Titus
above, many other places refer to salvation as having
occurred at the time of our belief and baptism. For
example, Ephesians 2:4-9 speaks how we have been
saved by Grace through faith and made to sit in the
heavenly places with Christ in the Church. 2 Timothy
1:9 refers to how we are saved and called with a holy
calling according to His purpose and Grace which was
given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
We will be saved: The Lord spoke on several
occasions about: “He who endures to the end will be
saved”. He said this to the Twelve as He sent them out
two by two (Matthew 10:22) and again as He spoke of
the times leading up to His coming in Glory (Matthew
24:13, Mark 13:13). Paul even took measures
concerning a reprobate believer in an effort to secure
his salvation on Judgment Day in spite of his current
immoral behavior (1 Corinthians 5:5).
We are being saved: Paul spoke concerning the Word
of the Cross (compare Mark 8:34-38) and how it “is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved it is the Power of God” (1 Corinthians
1:18). This is the action of the Cross in our lives. (For
more on this, see The Word of the Cross Parts I and II).
Hebrews also refers to our High Priest according to the
order of Melchizedek (that is, the Lord Jesus) who
makes intercession for us and who is able to save to the
complete end those who come to God through Him
(Hebrews 7:25).
The Grace of God that Brings Salvation: The Epistle
reading begins with “For the Grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared (literally made His Epiphany) to
all men” (Titus 2:11, 3:4). John Chrysostom points out:
“Do not think that Grace stops at the pardon of former
sins; it secures us against them in the future; for this is
also of Grace. And this is of Grace, to deliver us from
worldly things, and to lead us to heaven. He (Paul)
speaks here of two appearings (i.e. Epiphanies); the
first of grace, the second of retribution and
justice” (Homily V on Titus 2).
The second aspect of Grace, Paul says, teaches us:
to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (2:12)
to live soberly, righteously and godly in the
present age (2:12)
to look for the blessed hope and glorious Epiphany
of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ (2:13)
that the Lord is purifying for Himself, a people of
His own possession, zealous for good works (2:14)
to be subject to rulers and authorities (3:1)
to obey and to be ready for every good work (3:1)
to speak evil of no one (3:2)
to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all
men (3:2)
The first aspect of Grace had already taught us:
that the Holy Spirit has been poured out
abundantly on us (3:6)
that we are justified by His Grace (3:7)
17. that we have become heirs according to the
hope of eternal life (3:7)
The first aspect of Grace came with baptism when
we were saved. The second aspect of Grace
comes (1) as we take up our crosses in being saved
in this age and (2) as we approach the
Judgment Seat where we will be saved in the age
to come.
Burial in Baptism is Part of Salvation: (6th Hour,
Romans 6:1-11) Romans 6:1-21 is another
of the Epiphany readings (at the 6th Hour) and gives
additional details on the saving effects of
baptism. As many as were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into His death (v.3). This
means that:
we were buried with Him through baptism into
death (v.4)
Devotions and Readings for this week
Mon 1/2
Sylvester Pope of Rome Heb 8:7-13 Jn 3:1-15
Tues 1/3
Holy Prophet Malachy and the Holy Martyr Gordios
Heb 9:8-23 Jn 5:24-30
Weds 1/4
Synaxis of the 70 Apostles Holy Father Theoctistos
Heb 10:1-18 Jn 1:18-28
Thurs 1/5
The Holy Martrys Theopemptos and Theonas Venerable Mother Syncletica
1 Cor 9:19-27 Lk 3:1-18
Fri 1/6
Theophany of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ
Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7 Mt 3:13-17
Sat 1/7
Synaxis of John the Baptist Acts 19:1-8 Jn 1:29-34
we are united together in the likeness of His death
(v.5)
our old man was crucified with Him (v.6, Ephesians
4:22, Colossians 3:9, Galatians 2:20,5:24, 6:14)
he who has died has been freed from sin (v.7)
the body of sin has been done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin (v.6, 2 Peter 2:19,
John 8:34)
we are also united together in the likeness of His
resurrection (v.5, Philippians 3:10) if we have been
united to His death
having been raised from the dead, Christ dies no
more. Death no longer has dominion over Him (v.9)
or us
as Christ was raised, so we should walk in newness
of life (v.4).
John Chrysostom comments on this as follows: “Baptism
is the Cross. What the Cross and Burial is to Christ,
baptism has been to us, even if not in the same respects.
For He died Himself and was buried in the flesh, but we
have done both to sin... For if you have shared in death
and burial, much more will you share in the resurrection
and life.”
“After the resurrection to come had been set before us,
He demands of us something additional, which is
brought about in the present life by a change in
habits” (Homily X on Romans 5).
The Tonsuring of Gabriel Joseph Fitzpatrick
Among Todays Saints
One of the four greatest Eastern Doctors of the Church, Saint
Basil was a man of learning, talent, and holiness-all to an
incredibly advanced degree. He came from the same brilliant
family that produced Saint Gregory of Nyssa and Saint Peter
of Sebaste (his brothers), and was born at Caesarea in
Cappadocia in 329. His education began in Caesarea and
continued at Constantinople and Athens. His classmates in the
latter city included his friend Saint Gregory Nazianzen
(another Cappadocian) and Julian the Apostate, the future
Roman emperor. School days were anything but frivolous in
Athens; according to Gregory, he and Basil knew only two
streets in the city: those leading to the church and to the
school.
Faithful as Basil may have been to those streets, when he
returned to Caesarea about 356, both his brother Gregory and
his sister Macrina (who is also honored as a saint) noticed
pronounced tendencies to worldliness in him. Easily the most
learned person in Caesarea by this time, Basil had established
himself as a teacher of rhetoric and seemed to be enjoying,
very complacently, the prestige the position was bringing him.
He was shaken out of this self-satisfied attitude by Macrina,
who, through her appeals to Basil's good sense and spiritual
awareness, made him see the cramping limitations of a life
taken up entirely by worldly activity. Mainly through her
influence, Basil left on a tour, in 357, to the monastic centers
in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia. When he
returned to Caesarea the next year, he knew what he had to do;
breaking all his former ties, he traveled northward to Pontus,
near the Black Sea, and there, on the banks of the river Iris,
established his own monastery.
Basil was to be involved in other kinds of activity later in life,
but this monastic foundation was probably his most important
work and the one he loved the most. With a profound
understanding of the role played by monasticism in
Christianity and of how that way of life should be carried out,
Basil wrote a set of rules-later called the Basilian Code -that
became the inspiration of all later Eastern monasticism. Even
today Orthodox monks and most Eastern Catholic monks
follow the Basilian Code; first of all, and in particular, the
Basilian Monks of the Grottaferrata Abbey.
The pressure of the times, however, soon interrupted Basil's
life in Pontus. With the support of the emperor Valens,
Arianism was threatening the Church in Cappadocia, and
strong leadership was needed to meet the attack. Basil was
persuaded to come to Caesarea first to assist its bishop, and
then, succeeding the bishop after his death in 370. One of his
first acts in his new position was to show open defiance to
Valens, who was trying to secure a profession of Arian faith
from all the Cappadocian clergy; Basil refused and, by the
weight of his influence and personality, made the emperor
cease his demands. Active as he was in the fight against
heresy, Basil was closely attentive to the other needs of his
diocese. Just outside Caesarea, he built a travelers’ hospice
(the first of its kind) with a hospital attached for the poor.
Other projects included a revision of the liturgy for his diocese
(this is the older of the two liturgies of the Byzantine Rite) and
a careful weeding out of heretical priests from his clergy. A
brilliant orator and writer, Basil also poured out a steady
stream of sermons and theological works, most of them aimed
at strengthening his people against Arianism. Heresy was the
ever-present danger and was accompanied by such minor
misfortunes as a quarrel with his old friend Gregory of
Nazianzen and misrepresentations of his orthodoxy to the
pope by his enemies.
Basil surmounted all the difficulties, however, and during his
short tenure as bishop (less than nine years) he became the
leading force in Caesarea. When he died on January 1, 379,
the Jews and pagans there, as well as the Catholics, were
willing to admit that the city had lost its best friend. Years
after his death, Basil was described by a Church council as
“the Great Basil, the minister of grace who has expounded the
truth to the whole world”: a just verdict, and one that has
stood the test of time.
in the Eastern Church right up through the fourth century.
The Canon of the Feast was written by St Stephen of the
St Sava Monastery (October 28 and July 13).
In addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a
sign of God's Covenant with mankind, He also received
the Name Jesus (Savior) on the eighth day after His
Nativity as an indication of His service, the work of the
salvation of the world (Mt.1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17;
Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Phil 2:9-10). These two events,
the Lord's Circumcision and Naming, remind Christians
that they have entered into a New Covenant with God and
"are circumcised with a circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by
the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11). The very name
"Christian" is a sign of mankind's entrance into a New
Covenant with God.
The Gospel tells us about the circumcision of Jesus
Christ:
And when eight days were completed for the
circumcision of the Child, His name was called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was
conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)
Some Things to Do
Listen to a CD or tape of Handel’s Messiah as a family
during dinner one evening before the Nativity, and pay
special attention to the names given to the coming Messiah.
Discuss why the names are proclaimed so joyfully, and
what they mean.
Hold a family “scavenger hunt” to see who can find and
list the most names revealed for God — the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Use your Bible and the troparia and kontakia for the eight tones (from the appendix of your
Divine Liturgy book) as the “hunting ground.”
As a family, discuss how you and your spouse chose names
for your children, and how you all decided on names for
your pets.
Research the meaning of your own name(s), both in a
“baby name” book (from the library or the grocery check-
out line) and a compilation of the lives of the saints, Do
you “fit” your name?
Attend the Divine Liturgy served for the Feast of the
Circumcision, if your parish offers it. It’s a wonderful way
to start out the secular New Year — partaking of the Body
and Blood of Christ, and praising His name!
You Shall Call His Name Jesus
Long before the Christ Child was born in the flesh in a humble
cave outside Bethlehem, His Father had named him for us
through His angels and prophets:
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the
government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will
be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, RSV — other
translations of the Bible are not as lyrical)
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name
Jesus [that is, “God saves”]. He will be great, and will be
called Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:30-32)
…behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you
Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His
name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all
this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet [Isaiah], saying, “Behold, the virgin
shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Emmanuel,” which is translated “God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-
23, citing Isaiah 7:14)
The Circumcision
On the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was
circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. All male
infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God's Covenant with
the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:10-
14, Lev. 12:3).
After this ritual the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, as
the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to
the Most Holy Theotokos (Luke 1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers of
the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law,
underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of
how faithfully the divine ordinances ought to be fulfilled. The
Lord was circumcised so that later no one would doubt that He
had truly assumed human flesh, and that His Incarnation was not
merely an illusion, as certain heretics (Docetists) taught.
In the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the
Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured (Col. 2:11-12).
Accounts of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord continue
Parish Calendar
January
1 Byzantine Celebration of Saint
Joseph—Potluck after Divine Liturgy
5 Vespers for the Feast of the
Theophany 7PM
6 Divine Liturgy for the Feast of
Theophany 7PM
8 Parish Council Meeting After Divine
Liturgy
Prayer
Requests
The Weekly Quiz
Who asked God to bless him and enlarge his territory?
Job
Jabez
Jeremiah
Isaiah
Last Week’s Answer
Q. How did the shepherds who visited Baby
Jesus know where to find Him? A. An angel of the Lord told them.
Rev. Father Philip Azoon
Rev. Deacon John Karam
Rev. Seraphim Michalenko
Rev. Basil Samra
Rev. Peter Boutros
Rev. Deacon Bryan McNiel
Rev. Deacon Irenaeus Dionne
Rev. Father David White
Marie Abda Margaret Dillenburg
Marie Abda Mark Dillman
Marie Barron Karen Haddad
Joseph Barron Karen Kane
Mary Sue Betress Niko Mayashairo
Chris Carey Mary McNeilly
Nikki Boudreaux Marie Patchoski
Dr. Frances Colie Joanna Simon
John Colie William Simon
Ann Coury Dr. Thomas Zaydon
All those Serving in our Armed Forces
The Christian Community in the Middle East
Sacrificial Giving
12/25/2011
Candles $ 4.00
Weekly $ 455.00
Holyday $ 2975.00
Monthly $ 80.00
Flowers $ 30.00