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SUNDAY,
November 1st, 2020 –Fifth Sunday of Luke the Evangelist
·
8:30 am
-Matins/Orthros
Click
this link to Orthros/Matins Gospel Reading
9:30 am -
Divine Liturgy.
Click
this link to Epistle Reading
Click this link to Holy Gospel Reading
·
There will
be NO 12:00 pm Paraklesis to Saint Nectarios.
Reading
LUKE 16:19-31 – THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND
LAZARUS
The Gospel:
19“There was a certain rich man
who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every
day. 20But there was a certain
beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21desiring to be fed with the
crumbs which fella from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came
and licked his sores. 22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried
by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was
buried. † 23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24“Then he cried and said,
‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the
tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame.’† 25But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he
is comforted and you are tormented. 26And besides all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot,
nor can those from there pass to us.’
27“Then he said, ‘I beg you
therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house,† 28for I have five brothers,
that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of
torment.’ 29Abraham
said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father
Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31But he said to him, ‘If they
do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though
one rise from the dead.’ ”†
SOURCE: Bible, Crimson Publishing. The Orthodox
study bible (updated Old and new testament) (Kindle Locations
73850-73851). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Question: "What should we
learn from the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16?"
Answer: Luke 16:19-31 contains the
account of a very rich man who lived a life of extreme luxury. Laid
outside the gate of this rich man’s house, however, was an extremely
poor man named Lazarus who simply hoped “to eat what fell from
the rich man’s table” (v.
21). The rich man was completely indifferent to the plight of Lazarus,
showing him no love, sympathy, or compassion whatsoever. Eventually,
they both died. Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to
hell. Appealing to “Father Abraham” in heaven (scripture
says Abraham’s bosom (v.22)), the rich man requested that Lazarus
be sent to cool his tongue with a drop of water to lessen his “agony in
this fire.” The rich man also asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to
earth to warn his brothers to repent so that they would never join him
in hell. Both requests were denied. Abraham told the rich man that if
his brothers did not believe in Scripture, neither would they believe a
messenger, even if he came straight from heaven.
This story also illustrates that once we
cross the eternal horizon, that’s it. There are no more chances. The
transition to our eternal state takes place the moment we die (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23). When believers die, they are immediately
in the conscious fellowship and joys of heaven. When unbelievers die,
they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and
torment of hell. Notice the rich man didn’t ask for his brothers to
pray for his release from some purgatorial middle ground, thereby
expediting his journey to heaven. He knew he was in hell, and he knew
why. That’s why his requests were merely to be comforted and to have a
warning sent to his brothers. He knew there was no escape. He was
eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that
there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow.
Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their
rejection of the gospel.
Like many these days who buy into the
“prosperity gospel,” the rich man wrongly saw his material riches as
evidence of God’s love and blessing. Likewise, he believed the poor and
destitute, like Lazarus, were cursed by God. Yet, as the apostle James
exhorted, “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You
have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter” (James 5:5). Not only do riches not get one into
heaven, but they have the power to separate a person from God in a way
that few other things can. Riches are deceitful (Mark 4:19). It is certainly not impossible for the
very rich to enter heaven (many heroes of the Bible were wealthy), but
Scripture is clear that it is very hard (Matthew 19:23-24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25).
True followers of Christ will not be
indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story
was. God loves the poor and is offended when His children neglect them
(Proverbs 17:5; 22:9, 22-23; 29:7; 31:8-9). In fact, those who show mercy to the
poor are in effect ministering to Christ personally (Matthew 25:35-40). Christians are known by the fruit they
bear. The Holy Spirit’s residence in our hearts will most certainly
impact how we live and what we do.
Source link: https://www.gotquestions.org/rich-man-and-Lazarus.html
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Resurrectional Apolytikion
Mode 4.
When the women
Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful
message of the Resurrection
and rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to
the Apostles
triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting
His
great mercy to the
world.
Ἀπολυτίκιον
Ἀναστάσιμον.
Ἦχος δʹ.
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς
Ἀναστάσεως
κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ
Ἀγγέλου
μαθοῦσαι
αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου
Μαθήτριαι,
καὶ τὴν
προγονικὴν
ἀπόφασιν
ἀποῤῥίψασαι,
τοῖς Ἀποστόλοις
καυχώμεναι
ἔλεγον· Ἐσκύλευται
ὁ θάνατος,
ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ὁ
Θεός, δωρούμενος
τῷ κόσμῳ
τὸ
μέγα ἔλεος.
Resurrectional Kontakion
Savior and Deliverer,
is He who raised up from the tomb and from the bonds those born
on earth, for He is
God; and He destroyed Hades' bars and gates, and on the third day
arose, as the Master of
all.
Κοντάκιον Ἀναστάσιμον.
Ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ
ῥύστης μου, ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου,
ὡς Θεὸς
ἀνέστησεν,
ἐκ τῶν
δεσμῶν
τοὺς γηγενεῖς,
καὶ πύλας
ᾅδου συνέτριψε,
καὶ ὡς Δεσπότης ἀνέστη τριήμερος.
WEDNESDAY, November 4th, 2020
·
There will be NO 7:00 pm -Paraklesis Service to Saint Nectarios.
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