Holy anargyroi Orthodox Church (GOA) 703 W. Center Street, Rochester, MN (507) 282-1529 http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org

office@rochesterorthodoxchurch.org Rev. Fr. Mark Muoz, Proistamenos

/APOLYTIKIA FOR TODAY

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The heavenly powers appeared at Your tomb, and those

guarding it became like dead. Mary stood at Your grave

seeking Your pure body. You stripped the power of Hades, not

touched by its corruption. You met the virgin woman as one

who grants life. O Lord, who rose from the dead, glory to

You.

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Lord save your people, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to the faithful against the enemies of

the Faith, and protect Your commonwealth by your Holy Cross.

/KONTAKION FOR TODAY

Ti ypermacho stratigo ta nikitiria, os lytrotheisa ton deinon efharistia, anagrafo si e polis sou

Theotoke, allos ehousa to kratos aprosmahiton, ek pantinon me kyndinon eletheroson, ina

krazo si, Here nymfi anymfefte.

O Champion Leader, we your faithful inscribe to you the prize of victory as gratitude for being

rescued from calamity, O Theotokos. But since you have invincible power, free us from all

kinds of perils so that we may cry out to you: Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.

3rd Sunday of the FAST: Veneration of the Holy & Life-Giving Cross St. Nikon the Priest Martyr and those with him, St. Luke New-Martyr of Mytilene

March 23rd, 2014

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TODAYS SCRIPTURE READINGS

EPISTLE READING

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-6

BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of

God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize

with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and

find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to

act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently

with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is

bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not

take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not

exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my

Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest forever,

after the order of Melchizedek."

GOSPEL READING

Mark 8:34-38; 9:1

The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his

cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his

life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the

whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For

whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of

him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with

the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here

who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Liturgical/Program Schedule: TODAY: Annunciation/Greek Independence Commemoration & Luncheon after Liturgy

Mon. March 24th: Feast of the Annunciation: Great Vespers, 6pm

Mon. March 24th: AC/DC Religious Ed. 7pm

Tues. March 25th: Feast of the Annunciation, Orthros/Divine Liturgy, 8:30am

Wed. March 26th: Presanctified Liturgy, Lenten Potluck following, 6pm

Thurs. March 27th: Great Compline, 6pm

Fri. March 28th: Akathist Hymn, 6pm

Todays Trisagion Service: Mr. David Dividson passed this morning

Paschal Flowers Donors: THANK YOU to all who have donated so far towards the Paschal

Floral Dcor Fund: Koula Margaritsidis, Maria Thomas, Don/Elaine Jenkins, Angie Rustad,

Gus/Jackie Barbes, Ted Chafoulias, Maria Petersen, Ionel Dumitrascu, Tim Kelley, Nereida

Lecakis, Gina Kolas, Diana Orbelo, Catherine Weiler.

Panagia Icon Donors: We would like to thank and acknowledge those who have come forth

and offered a donation for the flowers used to decorate the large icon of the Theotokos used

during the Akathist hymn on Fridays of Great Lent: David/Marilyn Fibison, Dan/Loredana

Jerghiuta, Nina Cokinos, Russ/Terri Mettler, Angie Rustad.

Holy Week Liturgical Books: We have ordered several copies of the official Holy Week Book

endorsed by our Metropolis. This comprehensive book, compiled by Fr. Pappadeas, will be

used exclusively for all the liturgical celebrations from Palm Sunday evening through the Agapi

Vespers on Pascha. Each book is $25, and are now available!

WITH THE FEAR OF GOD, FAITH, AND LOVE DRAW NEAR: Only those Orthodox Christians in good

standing are encouraged to receive Holy Communion frequently, provided they have prepared

themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically. They should be on time for the Divine Liturgy and be

in a Christ-like, humble state of mind. They should be in a confession relationship with their priest or

spiritual father, have observed the fasting regulations, and they should have self-examined their

conscience. On the day of receiving Holy Communion it is not proper to eat or drink anything before

coming to church. When you approach the holy chalice state your baptismal name, and hold the red

communion cloth to your chin. After receiving wipe your lips on the cloth, step back carefully, hand the

cloth to the next person and make the sign the of the cross as you step away. Please do not be in a rush

while communing.

Todays liturgical commemorations

The Holy Priestly-Martyr Nikon

Nikon was born in Naples of a pagan father and Christian mother. Nikon was a Roman officer in

Naples and was not baptized, even though his mother tutored him secretly from his father in the Faith

of Christ. Once, when Nikon was sent into battle with his troops, his mother counseled him to make the

sign of the cross and to call upon Christ for help if any misfortune would befall him. And, indeed,

while in battle, Nikon's troops were completely surrounded; and, toward the end of the battle, Nikon

made the sign of the cross in his heart and cried out to Christ. Immediately, he was filled with unusual

strength and pursued his enemies. Some he slew and others he forced to flee. Returning to his home,

Nikon continuously cried out in amazement, "Great is the Christian God." Since he had made his

mother happy with the news of his victory with the help of the Cross of Christ, he secretly sailed to

Asia where Theodosius the Bishop of Cyzicus baptized him. Following his baptism, he secluded

himself in a monastery where he devoted himself to study and asceticism. Before his death Theodosius

had a vision in which he was told to ordain Nikon as his successor. Immediately the aged Theodosius

summoned Nikon and ordained him a deacon; after that, a priest, and then, a bishop. Shortly

thereafter, according to God's Providence, Nikon came to Naples where he discovered that his mother

was still living. Following his mother's death, Nikon, with nine disciples, his former war companions,

withdrew to Sicily and there dedicated himself to preaching the Gospel. However, at that time there

was a terrible persecution of Christians. Prince Quintianus captured Nikon with his companions and

inflicted great pain and suffering upon them. His one-hundred ninety disciples and companions were

beheaded. The tormentor tied Nikon to the tail of a horse, hurled him from a steep wall into a gorge,

beat him, and skinned him; but Nikon survived all of these tortures. Finally, he was beheaded and took

up habitation with the Lord. His body was left in the fields to be devoured by the birds. A certain

herdsman, with a rabid evil spirit, tripped and fell over the dead body of Christ's martyr and

immediately the herdsman was healed. Proclaiming the news about Nikon's body, Christians came

forth and honorably buried the body of Nikon. St. Nikon suffered during the reign of the Emperor

Decius.

The Venerable Nikon of the Monastery of the caves in Kiev

Nikon was a companion of St. Anthony of the Caves and a spiritual father to the Venerable Theodosius. Because of

the monastic tonsuring of the Boyar Barlaam and of the eunuch Ephrem, Nikon was threatened by Prince Izjaslav;

but his wife, the princess, turned the anger of the prince into the fear of God. Then Nikon, the holy one, was left in

peace. Wanting to adorn the church with icons, Nikon implored God for assistance. As a result of his prayers,

certain Greek iconographers unexpectedly came to Kiev from Constantinople. St. Anthony and St. Theodosius

appeared to these iconographers in a vision and directed them to Nikon in Kiev.(*) Nikon was praised because of

his courageous asceticism and spiritual wisdom. Against his will, Nikon, in his old age, became the abbot of Pecer.

He presented himself to the Lord in the year 1066 A.D. His incorruptible relics are persevered in the Monastery of

the Caves in Kiev.

OCMC COIN BOXES

The Sunday School have received their coin boxes to help raise money for the Orthodox Christian

Mission Center (www.ocmc.org). The money the children and teens collect will go towards the

mission work of our Orthodox missionaries around the world. Currently there are about 18 brave

American men and women who are in countries such as Albania, Guatemala, Mongolia, Tanzania,

Moldova and Romania representing and teaching our Orthodox faith. A few of the programs they

help operate are medical clinics, schools, camps, soup kitchens, and addiction support groups. Please

talk to your child about the importance of praying for and raising money for others and also

encourage them to earn coins. In the past four years our Holy Anargyroi parish has sent a slow but steady increase of donations from year to year towards the Mission Coin Box project. On behalf of

our hard working missionaries, thank you!

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LENTEN POTLUCK

Every Wednesday eve of Great Lent the Liturgy of the

Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. Afterwards we gather in

the library for a simple Lenten meal. Please plan on

attending these compunctionate services and bring a

fasting meal to share!

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Pascha flowers: A table will be set up in the Narthex for collections of monetary donations towards the Pascha flowers on Sundays from March 9th until April 13th.

Donations can also be made at any time to the Church during Lent, please mark

Pascha flowers with your check or donation. Thank you!

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Annunciation/Greek Independence Day Celebration Today!

Please join us this morning after Liturgy for a Lenten Luncheon sponsored by AHEPA and prepared by Chef Johnny Mango. Program will include guest

speaker, Dr. Eric Tangalos. FREE WILL OFFERING TO BENEFIT SUNDAY SCHOOL!

third SUNDAY OF THE FAST: veneration of the

holy cross

With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of

the course of the Fast, where our strength has been worn

down through abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labour

set before us becomes apparent. Therefore our holy Mother,

the Church of Christ, now brings to our help the all-holy

Cross, the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the

staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so that by venerating

it reverently, we might receive strength and grace to complete

the divine struggle of the Fast.

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Pearls from the Desert

What is more precious than anything in the world? Time! And what do we waste uselessly and

without being sorry? Time! What do we not value and what do we disregard more than anything?

Time! When we waste time, we lose ourselves Time is given by God to use correctly for the

salvation of the soul and the acquisition of the life to come The Lord will call us to account for

having stolen time for our own whims, and for not using it for God and our souls. St. Sebastian of

Optina (Russia)

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TEACHINGS FROM ST KOSMAS AITOLOS

FASTING

We who are pious Christians must fast always, but especially on Wednesday, because the Lord

was sold on that day, and on Friday, because He was crucified on that day. Similarly, it is our

duty to fast during the Lent seasons, as the Holy Spirit illumined the holy Fathers of the Church

to decree, in order to mortify the passions and humble the body. Moreover, if we limit the food

we eat, life becomes easier for us. Fast according to your ability, pray according to your ability,

give alms according to your ability, and always hold death before the eyes of your mind.

CONFESSION

If you want cure your soul, you need four things. The first is to forgive your enemies. The second is to confess thoroughly. The third is to blame yourself. The fourth is to resolve to sin no more. If

we wish to be saved, we must always blame ourselves and not attribute our wrong acts to others.

And God, Who is most compassionate, will forgive us.

Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is a fundamental element of Orthodox

life. It should be second nature to anyone who claims to be an

Orthodox Christian. The Sign of the Cross is used in virtually

every situation in life. Before we eat, before we sleep, or

when we awaken in the morning, we should automatically

make the Sign of the Cross. The great spiritual advantage of

making a habit of this is that, when we are confronted with a

dangerous or compromising situation, we will make the Sign

of the Cross without hesitation. This might save our life or

even our soul, depending on the circumstance. Saint Barsanuphios the Great has written:

[T]he Lord Jesus Christ, an angel or another person can be portrayed by demons, not only in sleep but when a person

is awakefor satan can transform himself into an angel of light. But the Cross of the Lord, upon whose power, as the Church chants, the devil does not even dare to gazefor he trembles and is convulsed being unable to behold its powerthis he cannot represent.

Because the Sign of the Cross has such a powerful effect on demonic powers, people often experience a

sense of selfconsciousness when attempting to make it. Our weak flesh also rebels against outward manifestations of faith. But this can be overcome quite easily, if we only strive to train ourselves and

come to understand the tremendous power of the Cross, in which, Saint Paul tells us, we should glory

To make the Sign of the Cross, we place the thumb and the first and second fingers of our right hand

together, representing the Three Persons or Hypostases of the Holy Trinity. Next, we fold the fourth and

fifth fingers against our palm, representing the two Natures of Christ, Who came down from Heaven to

the earth, in order to save mankind. Holding our right hand in this way, we touch the tips of the three

fingers to our forehead, our abdomen, the right shoulder, and the left shoulder. We then put our hand

down to the side of our body. Properly executedand one should be careful to make it slowly and with carethe Sign of the Cross has tremendous spiritual power. This is because we are not only affirming our faith in Christs Sacrifice on the Cross at Golgotha, but confirming our belief in the Holy Trinity and the Human and Divine Natures of Christ, that is, the basic dogmas of the Orthodox Faith.

Thus Saint Basil the Great says the following of this custom in his treatise On The Holy Spirit:

For were we to attempt to reject such customs as have no written authority,

on the ground that the importance that they possess is small, we should

unintentionally injure the Gospel at its very vitals; or, rather, should make

our public definition a mere phrase and nothing more. For instance, to take

the first and most general example, who is there who has taught us in writing

to sign with the cross those who have trusted in the name of Our Lord Jesus

Christ?

You Dont Have to Like Your Priest!

By Fr Anthony Perkins

There are many reasons for you not to like your priest. It may be because his

homilies are too dry, lack patristic moorings, or stray too far from the Biblical

text. His answers to your deepest theological, spiritual, and personal

challenges may leave you cold and unsatisfied. He may be a poor confessor,

offering only absolution and standard responses about prayer rules,

forgiveness and humility. He may not offer the kind of charismatic and

visionary leadership that would inspire your parish to grow. He may chant out

of tune, his accent may be too strong, or he might try to sing all his liturgical

parts fortissimo espansimo. He may be too ignorant, over-educated, emotional, impersonal, shy, gregarious,

fundamentalist, liberal, political, or dull. Whatever his human failings, there is sure to be plenty about him

you do not like. And thats okay: you dont have to like your priest. Orthodox Christians often feel guilty

or dissatisfied if they are unable to feel good about their their priest. They have memories of priests who were

great liturgists, pastors, leaders, confessors, teachers, and managers. The Orthodox are reared on stories of

startsi (great elders) and sainted priests that, along with the hagiographic memories of former priests, set the

bar of competency impossibly high. And yet, there is something within the heart of the Orthodox Christian

that still wants to be close to his parish priest despite all his very real shortcomings. This desire for a

meaningful connection shows that there is more to the relationship between priest and parishioner than meets

the eye. This relationship is different from all the other ones we know. The priest is not the commanding

officer of a military unit or the manager of a parish franchise or even the professor of a class everyone has to

pass in order to receive their reward. He isnt a lawyer trying to get people in good with the judge so he will

excuse them of their crimes. He isnt an entertainer the parish has hired to make everyone feel better every

Sunday morning or a museum curator responsible for preserving ancestral stories, cultures, and languages. He

is not a psychiatrist or family counselor that can solve everyones personal problems. Nor has he been

assigned to the parish to be anyones friend. He may or may not exhibit bits of each of these, but they do not

capture who he is or how his parishioners should relate to him.

The priest is a shepherd. Some lead their sheep with gentle and melodious coaxing, others drag them through

the brambles by the scruff of the neck. Some take on the wolves with the ferocity of a warrior, others focus

on keeping the sheep in a guarded pasture and cower at every hint of a howl. No matter how he tends them,

one thing is constant: the shepherd loves his sheep. He doesnt judge them or mistreat them; he cares for

them. Some parishioners may be offended at the idea of being sheep or sheeople, and admittedly the

analogy is not perfect. But it is still powerful; after all, it is the one Christ Himself used (St. John 10).

Continued in next Sundays bulletin