40So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. † 41And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, † 44came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ †

46But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.†

48And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

49While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”

50But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.

54But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” † 55Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.

56And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Source: Bible, Crimson Publishing. The Orthodox study bible (updated Old and new testament) (Kindle Locations 73106-73114). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Analysis:

8: 41 The synagogue was the local center of worship. The synagogue leader was responsible for administration, building maintenance, and worship supervision. It would have been quite unusual for a respected synagogue leader to fall at the feet of an itinerant preacher and beg him to heal his daughter. Jesus honored this man’s humble faith (8: 50, 54-56).

8: 43-48 Many people surrounded Jesus as He made His way toward Jairus’s house. It was virtually impossible to get through the multitude, but one woman fought her way desperately through the crowd in order to touch Jesus. As soon as she did so, she was healed. What a difference there is between the crowds that are curious about Jesus and the few who reach out and touch him! Today, many people are vaguely familiar with Jesus, but nothing in their lives is changed or bettered by this passing acquaintance. It is only faith that releases God’s healing power. Are you just curious about God, or do you reach out to Him in faith, knowing that His mercy will bring healing to your body, soul, and spirit?

8: 45-46 Certainly Jesus knew who had touched Him— He knew that someone had intentionally touched Him in order to receive some sort of healing. Jesus wanted the woman to step forward and identify herself. To let her slip away would have meant a lost opportunity for Jesus to teach her that His cloak did not have magical properties. Rather, her faith in Him had healed her. He may also have wanted to teach the crowds a lesson. According to Jewish law, a man who touched a menstruating woman became ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15: 19-28). This was true whether her bleeding was normal or, as in this woman’s case, the result of an abnormal condition. To protect themselves from such defilement, Jewish men carefully avoided touching, speaking to, or even looking at women. By contrast, Jesus proclaimed to hundreds of people that this “unclean” woman had touched him— and then He healed her. In Jesus’ mind, this suffering woman was not to be overlooked. As God’s creation, she deserved attention and respect.

8: 50 Anyone with a child can readily put himself or herself emotionally in Jairus’s place. His daughter had died while they were on the way home. Luke did not record it, but the poor man probably cried out in grief. Jesus surely felt the father’s very human grief. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Again, Luke didn’t record Jairus’s reaction to these words, but Jairus must have had at least some flicker of hope because he did complete his mission in bringing Jesus to his house. When you experience intense grief over the loss of a loved one, breakup of a marriage, loss of a job, or rejection of a close friend, don’t abandon hope. Don’t turn away from the one Person who can help you. Do what Jairus did: Don’t be afraid; just believe. Your hope is found in the resurrected Lord, the one with power over life and death.

8: 56 Jesus told the parents not to talk about their daughter’s healing because He knew the facts would speak for themselves. Jesus was concerned for His ministry. He did not want to be known as just a miracle worker; He wanted people to listen to His words that could heal their broken spiritual lives.

Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition (pp. 7456-7457). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Resurrectional Apolytikion

Mode pl. 1. Automelon.

Let us worship the Word who is unoriginate * with the Father and the

Spirit, and from a Virgin was born * for our salvation, O believers, and let us sing His

praise. * For in His goodness He was pleased * to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and to

undergo death, * and to raise up those who had died, * by His glorious Resurrection. [

Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον.

Ἦχος πλ. αʹ. Αὐτόμελον.

Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ καὶ Πνεύματι, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθέντα εἰς

σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, ἀνυμνήσωμεν πιστοὶ καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν, ὅτι ηὐδόκησε σαρκί,

ἀνελθεῖν ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ, καὶ θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ ἐγεῖραι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, ἐν

τῇ ἐνδόξῳ Ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ.

Resurrectional Kontakion

You descended to Hades, my Savior, and shattered its gates, as the Almighty. As

Creator, You raised the dead with yourself, and smashed the sting of death, O Christ.

You freed Adam from the curse, O Lover of humanity. Therefore we all cry out to You,

Save us, O Lord.

Κοντάκιον Ἀναστάσιμον.

Πρὸς τὸν ᾍδην Σωτήρ μου συγκαταβέβηκας, καὶ τὰς πύλας συντρίψας

ὡς παντοδύναμος, τοὺς θανόντας ὡς Κτίστης συνεξανέστησας, καὶ θανάτου τὸ

κέντρον Χριστὲ συνέτριψας, καὶ Ἀδὰμ τῆς κατάρας ἐῤῥύσω Φιλάνθρωπε· διὸ πάντες

σοι κράζομεν· Σῶσον ἡμᾶς Κύριε.

NOVEMBER 9th – SAINT NECTARIOS THE WONDERWORKER

MONDAY, November 9th, 2020 – Saint Nectarios Name Day with Artoklasia and will be presided by our own Fr. Kostas Douvikas.

· 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

LUKE 12:13-15, 22-31 – AGAINST GREED AND ANXIETY

Reading

The Gospel:

13Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” †

14But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

22Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. † 23Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Source: Bible, Crimson Publishing. The Orthodox study bible (updated Old and new testament) (Kindle Locations 73106-73114). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Analysis:

12: 13-21 Problems like this were often brought to rabbis for them to settle. Jesus’ response, though not directed to the topic, is not a change of subject. Rather, Jesus is pointing to a higher issue— a correct attitude toward the accumulation of wealth. Life is more than material goods; far more important is our relationship with God. Jesus put his finger on this questioner’s heart. When we bring problems to God in prayer, he often responds in the same way, showing us how we need to change and grow in our attitude toward the problem. This answer is often not the one we were looking for, but it is more effective in helping us trace God’s hand in our lives.

12: 15 Jesus says that the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy, so be on guard against greed (desire for what we don’t have). This is the exact opposite of what society usually says. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more and more of their products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, more comfortable. How do you respond to the constant pressure to buy? Learn to tune out expensive enticements and concentrate instead on the truly fulfilled life— living in a relationship with God and doing his work.

12: 22-34 Jesus commands us not to worry. But how can we avoid it? Only faith can free us from the anxiety caused by greed and covetousness. Working and planning responsibly is good; dwelling on all the ways our planning could go wrong is bad. Worry is pointless because it can’t fill any of our needs; worry is foolish because the Creator of the universe loves us and knows what we need. He promises to meet all our real needs but not necessarily all our desires.

Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition (p. 7476). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Reading

About the Life of Saint Nectarios, the Wonderworker

Saint Nektarius was born in Selyvria of Thrace on October 1, 1846. After putting himself through school in Constantinople with much hard labour, he became a monk on Chios in 1876, receiving the monastic name of Lazarus; because of his virtue, a year later he was ordained deacon, receiving the new name of Nektarius. Under the patronage of Patriarch Sophronius of Alexandria, Nektarius went to Athens to study in 1882; completing his theological studies in 1885, he went to Alexandria, where Patriarch Sophronius ordained him priest on March 23, 1886 in the Cathedral of Saint Sabbas, and in August of the same year, in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, made him Archimandrite. Archimandrite Nektarius showed much zeal both for preaching the word of God, and for the beauty of God's house. He greatly beautified the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, and years later, when Nektarius was in Athens, Saint Nicholas appeared to him in a dream, embracing him and telling him he was going to exalt him very high.

On January 15, 1889, in the same Church of Saint Nicholas, Nektarius was consecrated Metropolitan of the Pentapolis in eastern Libya, which was under the jurisdiction of Alexandria. Although Nektarius' swift ascent through the degrees of ecclesiastical office did not affect his modesty and childlike innocence, it aroused the envy of lesser men, who convinced the elderly Sophronius that Nektarius had it in his heart to become Patriarch. Since the people loved Nektarius, the Patriarch was troubled by the slanders. On May 3, 1890, Sophronius relieved Metropolitan Nektarius of his duties; in July of the same year, he commanded Nektarius to leave Egypt.

Without seeking to avenge or even to defend himself, the innocent Metropolitan left for Athens, where he found that accusations of immorality had arrived before him. Because his good name had been soiled, he was unable to find a position worthy of a bishop, and in February of 1891 accepted the position of provincial preacher in Euboia; then, in 1894, he was appointed dean of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens. Through his eloquent sermons his unwearying labours to educate fitting men for the priesthood, his generous alms deeds despite his own poverty, and the holiness, meekness, and fatherly love that were manifest in him, he became a shining light and a spiritual guide to many. At the request of certain pious women, in 1904 he began the building of his convent of the Holy Trinity on the island of Aegina while yet dean of the Rizarios School; finding later that his presence there was needed, he took up his residence on Aegina in 1908, where he spent the last years of his life, devoting himself to the direction of his convent and to very intense prayer; he was sometimes seen lifted above the ground while rapt in prayer. He became the protector of all Aegina, through his prayers delivering the island from drought, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Here also he endured wicked slanders with singular patience, forgiving his false accusers and not seeking to avenge himself. Although he had already worked wonders in life, an innumerable multitude of miracles have been wrought after his repose in 1920 through his holy relics, which for many years remained incorrupt. There is hardly a malady that has not been cured through his prayers; but Saint Nektarius is especially renowned for his healings of cancer for sufferers in all parts of the world.

Source link: https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=283&PCode=8LM&D=M&date=11/09/2020

Apolytikion of Nectarios the Wonderworker

First Tone

O faithful, let us honor Nektarios, divine servant of Christ, offspring of Silivria and guardian of Aegina, who in these latter years was manifested as the true friend of virtue. All manner of healing wells forth for those who in piety cry out, "Glory to Christ who glorified you; glory to Him who, through you, wrought wonders; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all."

Kontakion of Nectarios the Wonderworker

Plagal of the Fourth Tone

In joy, let our hearts praise the latest shining star of the Orthodox, the newly erected rampart of the Church. For, glorified by the work of the Spirit, he abundantly pours forth the grace of healing to those who cry out, "Hail, Father Nektarios".

WEDNESDAY, November 11th, 2020

· There will be NO 7:00 pm -Paraklesis Service to Saint Nectarios.

Reopening of our Parish

DUE TO THE MANDATE of STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY, the SUNDAY SERVICES ARE ONLY OFFERED OUTDOORS TO A LIMITED CAPACITY.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

Those with any signs or symptoms of any acute illness (whether it is COVID-19 or not) MUST stay home, as shall those who have come into contact with COVID-19. It is strongly recommended that parishioners who are 65 or older, especially those living in long-term care facilities and who suffer from serious medical conditions such as cardiac and/or pulmonary disease, diabetes, a compromised immune system, or other underlying health issues are advised to participate in live-streamed services home at this time. Parishioner assumes all responsibly in risks and Covid-19 related health risk should they occur for attending in person services. Questions should be directed to your healthcare provider.

Dismissal hymn of Saint Nectarios of Aegina

Special Announcement:

· 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.

· Our schedule of church services is now uploaded on a monthly basis, so if you plan to request memorial service for the soul of your loved ones and would like it to be posted on our weekly bulletin, please send us your request two weeks ahead of the following month. For example, our next schedule of church service would be for the month of December 2020, therefore, the request should be made on or before November 16, 2020.