APOLYTIKION OF SAINT NECTARIOS
The offspring of Silyvria*
and the guardian of Aegina* the true friend of virtue who appeared in the
last years. O Nectarios* we faithful honor you* as a godly servant of
Christ, * for you pour forth healing* of every kind for those who piously
cry out. * Glory to Christ who has glorified you; * Glory to Him who has
shown wonders in you; * Glory to Him who works healing through you for
all.
ΑΠΟΛΥΤΙΚΙΟΝ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΟΥ
Σηλυβρίας
τὸν γόνον
καὶ Αἰγίνης
τὸν ἔφορον,
τὸν ἐσχάτοις
χρόνοις
φανέντα ἀρετῆς φίλον γνήσιον,
Νεκτάριον
τιμήσωμεν
πιστοί, ὡς ἔνθεον
θεράποντα
Χριστοῦ. Ἀναβλύζει
γὰρ ἰάσεις
παντοδαπὰς
τοῖς εὐλαβῶς
κραυγάζουσι :
Δόξα τῷ
σὲ δοξάσαντι
Χριστῷ, δόξα τῷ
σὲ θαυμαστώσαντι,
δόξα τῷ
ἐνεργούντι
διὰ σοῦ
πᾶσιν ἰάματα.
Sunday of the Blind Man
The Lord Jesus was coming from the Temple on the Sabbath, when,
while walking in the way, He saw the blind man mentioned in today's
Gospel. This man had been born thus from his mother's womb, that is, he
had been born without eyes (see Saint John Chrysostom, Homily LVI on
Matthew; Saint Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V:15; and the second
Exorcism of Saint Basil the Great). When the disciples saw this, they
asked their Teacher, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he
was born blind?" They asked this because when the Lord had healed
the paralytic at the Sheep's Pool, He had told him, "Sin no more,
lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14); so they wondered, if
sickness was caused by sin, what sin could have been the cause of his
being born without eyes. But the Lord answered that this was for the
glory of God. Then the God-man spat on the ground and made clay with the
spittle. He anointed the eyes of the blind man and said to him, "Go,
wash in the Pool of Siloam." Siloam (which means "sent")
was a well-known spring in Jerusalem used by the inhabitants for its
waters, which flowed to the eastern side of the city and collected in a
large pool called "the Pool of Siloam."
Therefore, the Saviour sent the blind man to this pool that he
might wash his eyes, which had been anointed with the clay-not that the
pool's water had such power, but that the faith and obedience of the one
sent might be made manifest, and that the miracle might become more
remarkable and known to all, and leave no room for doubt. Thus, the blind
man believed in Jesus' words, obeyed His command, went and washed
himself, and returned, no longer blind, but having eyes and seeing. This
was the greatest miracle that our Lord had yet worked; as the man healed
of his blindness himself testified, "Since time began, never was it
heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind,"
although the Lord had already healed the blind eyes of many. Because he
now had eyes, some even doubted that he was the same person (John 9:8-9);
and it was still lively in their remembrance when Christ came to the tomb
of Lazarus, for they said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes
of the blind man, have caused that even this man should not have
died?" Saint John Chrysostom gives a thorough and brilliant
exposition of our Lord's meeting with the woman of Samaria, the healing
of the paralytic, and the miracle of the blind man in his commentaries on
the Gospel of Saint John.
Holy Ascension
The Lord Jesus passed forty days on earth after His Resurrection
from the dead, appearing continually in various places to His disciples,
with whom He also spoke, ate, and drank, thereby further demonstrating
His Resurrection. On this Thursday, the fortieth day after Pascha, He
appeared again in Jerusalem. After He had first spoken to the disciples
about many things, He gave them His last commandment, that is, that they
go forth and proclaim His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
But He also commanded them that for the present, they were not to depart
from Jerusalem, but to wait there together until they receive power from
on high, when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
Saying these things, He led them to the Mount of Olives, and
raising His hands, He blessed them; and saying again the words of the
Father's blessing, He was parted from them and taken up. Immediately a
cloud of light, a proof of His majesty, received Him. Sitting thereon as
though on a royal chariot, He was taken up into Heaven, and after a short
time was concealed from the sight of the disciples, who remained where
they were with their eyes fixed on Him. At this point, two Angels in the
form of men in white raiment appeared to them and said, "Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven" (Acts 1:11). These
words, in a complete and concise manner, declare what is taught in the
Symbol of Faith concerning the Son and Word of God. Therefore, having so
fulfilled all His dispensation for us, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended in
glory into Heaven, and sat at the right hand of God the Father. As for
His sacred disciples, they returned from the Mount of Olives to
Jerusalem, rejoicing because Christ had promised to send them the Holy
Spirit.
It should be noted that the Mount of Olives is a Sabbath's day
journey from Jerusalem, that is, the distance a Jew was permitted to walk
on the day of the Sabbath. Ecumenius writes,
"A Sabbath day's journey is one mile in length, as Clement says in
his fifth Stromatis; it is two thousand cubits,
as the Interpretation of the Acts states." They draw this conclusion
from the fact that, while they were in the wilderness, the Israelites of
old kept within this distance from the Holy Tabernacle, whither they
walked on the Sabbath day to worship God.
Elected Archbishop of America on May 11, 2019
Biography of His Eminence
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America
His Eminence
Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis)
of America was born in 1967 in Bakirköy,
Istanbul. He studied at the Department of Pastoral Theology at the
Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
graduating in 1991. In 1993, he completed postgraduate studies at the
Philosophical School of the University of Bonn in Germany, submitting a
dissertation entitled: “The Brothers Nicholas and John Mesarites.”
He was ordained to the Diaconate in 1994 at the Patriarchal Cathedral and
appointed Kodikographos (Scrivener) of the Holy
and Sacred Synod.
In 1995, he
was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. From
1996-1997 he studied at the Theological School of St. John the Damascene in Balamand,
Lebanon, where he advanced his knowledge of the Arabic language. In 2001,
he presented a doctoral dissertation at the Theological School of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki under the title: “Severus of Antioch
and the Council of Chalcedon” and was proclaimed a Doctor of Theology. In
2004, he was invited to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in
Boston, where he taught as Visiting Professor for a semester.
In March 2005, at the proposal of
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he was elevated by the
Holy and Sacred Synod to the position of Chief Secretary and ordained to
the priesthood by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the Patriarchal Cathedral.
In 2009, he submitted two
dissertations to the Theological School of Thessaloniki and was
unanimously elected Assistant Professor of Symbolics, Inter-Orthodox Relations, and the
Ecumenical Movement. The dissertations are entitled: “The Synaxes of the
Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Throne (1951-2004)” and “Luther’s Ninety-five
Theses: Historical and Theological Aspects. Text - Translation -
Commentary.”
In March 2011, he was elected
Metropolitan of Bursa and in August of the same year was appointed Abbot
of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegial
Monastery of the Holy Trinity on the island of Halki. He has served as
Orthodox Secretary of the Joint International Commission for the
Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran World
Federation and member of the Patriarchal delegations to the General
Assemblies of the Conference of European Churches and the World Council
of Churches. He was the Secretary of the Pan-Orthodox Synods in Sofia
(1998), Istanbul (2005), Geneva (2006), and Istanbul (2008). He has been
a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of
Churches since 1996.
Source Link: https://www.goarch.org/archbishop/biography
Special Announcement:
·
If someone wants
to sponsor the coffee hour, there is a sign-up sheet in the Hall. Please
write legibly your name next to the date you want to sponsor
·
We need oil (Extra
Virgin Olive Oil) for the Church, please donate.
·
Please notify us
if someone in the member of the family or yourself is sick, so that we
may offer healing prayer.
·
We would like to invite all ladies of our church to join Saint
Nectarios Philoptochos Society. All ladies 18 years and older are asked to
join. We will be meeting every other month on the last Sunday
of the month. The executive board will meet the alternating month after
church on the last Sunday of the month. All
meetings will be after coffee time in the last modular building on the
left or Learning Center. Girls of younger than 18 years
and husband of a member can join as Associate member but no voting
privilege. There is a $50-member signup fee.
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