19So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’’”

21And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

22So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” †

23But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

24And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” †

26And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

27But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

SOURCE: Bible, Crimson Publishing. The Orthodox study bible (updated Old and new testament) (Kindle Locations 73850-73851). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Analysis:

Question: "Why did Jesus tell the rich young ruler he could be saved by obeying the commandments?"

Answer: To understand Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s question—“What must I do to be saved?”—we must consider three things: the background of the rich young ruler, the purpose of his question, and the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The young man had asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Jesus responded, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments” (verse 17). At first glance, it appears that Jesus is saying that the young man and, by extension, all people must obey the commandments in order to be saved. But is that really what He was saying? Since the essence of the salvation message is that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), why would Jesus offer the rich young ruler an “alternative plan”?

The story of the rich young ruler is found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew 19:16–23, Mark 10:17–22, and Luke 18:18–23. The man is described as a “ruler,” which means he was a prince or magistrate of some sort. Since no Roman ruler would address Jesus as “teacher” or “master,” it is assumed that this man was a Jewish ruler in the local synagogue. This man also had “great wealth” (Matthew 19:22), and Jesus later used His conversation with this man to teach the detrimental effect money can have on one’s desire for eternal life (verses 23–24). The lesson Jesus draws from this incident concerns money, not salvation by works.

The first thing Jesus says to the man’s greeting, “Good teacher,” is to remind him that no one is good except God (Matthew 19:17). Jesus was not denying His own divinity. Rather, Jesus was immediately getting the man to think about what “good” really means—since only God is good, then what we normally call human goodness might be something else entirely This truth comes into play later in the conversation. When the man asked Jesus to specify which commandments he should keep, Jesus recited six of the commandments, including “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19). The man replies, “All these I have kept. . . . What do I still lack?” (verse 20), and that is a key statement. The young man was obviously religious and sincere in his pursuit of righteousness. His problem was that he considered himself to be faultless concerning the Law. And this is the point that Jesus challenges.

Jesus tells the man, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). The young man decided that Jesus was asking too much. “He went away sad, because he had great wealth” (verse 22). Rather than obey Jesus’ instructions, he turned his back on the Lord and walked away. The man’s choice undoubtedly saddened Jesus as well, because Jesus loved him (Mark 10:21).

In telling the young man to keep the commandments, Jesus was not saying that he could be saved by obeying the commandments; rather, Jesus was emphasizing the Law as God’s perfect standard. If you can keep the Law perfectly, then you can escape sin’s penalty—but that’s a big if. When the man responded that he met the Law’s standard, Jesus simply touched on one issue that proved the man did not measure up to God’s holiness. The man was not willing to follow the Lord, if that meant he must give up his wealth. Thus, the man was breaking the two greatest commands; he did not love the Lord with all his heart, and he did not love his neighbor as himself. He loved himself (and his money) more. Far from keeping “all” the commandments, as he had claimed, the man was a sinner like everyone else. The Law proved it.

If the man had loved God and other people more than he did his property, he would have been willing to give up his wealth to the service of God and man. But that was not the case. He had made an idol of his wealth, and he loved it more than God. With surgical precision, Jesus exposes the greed in the man’s heart—greed the man did not even suspect he had. Jesus’ statement that only God is good (Matthew 19:18) is proved in the young man’s response to Jesus’ command.

In His conversation with the rich young ruler, Christ did not teach that we are saved by the works of the Law. The Bible’s message is that salvation is by grace through faith (Romans 3:20, 28; 4:6; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:9; 2 Timothy 1:9). Rather, Jesus used the man’s love of money to show how the man fell short of God’s holy standard—as do we all. The rich young ruler needed the Savior, and so do we.

Source link: https://www.gotquestions.org/rich-young-ruler.html

Resurrectional Apolytikion

Mode pl. 4.

You descended from on high, O compassionate One, and condescended to

be buried for three days, so that from the passions You might set us free. Our life and

resurrection, O Lord, glory be to You.

Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον.

Ἦχος πλ. δʹ.

Ἐξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν κατεδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς

ἐλευθερώσῃς τῶν παθῶν. Ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ Ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι.

Resurrectional Kontakion

When You had risen from the grave, You also raised those who had died and

resurrected Adam; and now Eve is celebrating in Your Resurrection, and the ends of the

world keep festival, for Your rising from the dead, O Most-Merciful.

Κοντάκιον Ἀναστάσιμον.

Ἐξαναστὰς τοῦ μνήματος, τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἥγειρας, καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ

ἀνέστησας, καὶ ἡ Εὔα χορεύει ἐν τῇ σῇ Ἀναστάσει, καὶ κόσμου τὰ πέρατα

πανηγυρίζουσι, τῇ ἐκ νεκρῶν Ἐγέρσει σου Πολυέλεε.

NOVEMBER 30th – Andrew the First Called Apostle

MONDAY, November 30th, 2020 – Andrew the First Called Apostle

· 8:00 am -Matins/Orthros

Click this link to Orthros/Matins Gospel Reading

9:00 am - Divine Liturgy.

Click this link to Epistle Reading

Click this link to Holy Gospel Reading

Reading

JOHN 1:35-52 - THE BAPTIST'S DISCIPLES FOLLOW JESUS

(Mt 4:18–22; Mk 1:16–20; Lk 5:1–11)

35Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. †than these.” 36And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

40One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

43The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” †

48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” †

Source: bible, crimson publishing. The Orthodox study bible (updated Old and new testament) (Kindle Locations 75069-75072). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Analysis:

1: 35-51 These new disciples used several names for Jesus: Lamb of God (1: 36), Rabbi (1: 38), Messiah (1: 41), Son of God (1: 49), and King of Israel (1: 49). As they got to know Jesus, their appreciation for him grew. The more time we spend getting to know Christ, the more we will understand and appreciate who he is. We may be drawn to him for his teaching, but we will come to know him as the Son of God. Although these disciples made this verbal shift in a few days, they would not fully understand Jesus until three years later (Acts 2). What they so easily professed had to be worked out in experience. We may find that words of faith come easily, but deep appreciation for Christ comes with living by faith.

1: 37 One of the two disciples was Andrew (1: 40). The other was probably John, the writer of this book. Why did these disciples leave John the Baptist? Because that’s what John wanted them to do— he was pointing the way to Jesus, the one John had prepared them to follow. These were Jesus’ first disciples, along with Simon Peter (1: 42) and Nathanael (1: 45).

1: 38 When the two disciples began to follow Jesus, he asked them, “What do you want?” Following Christ is not enough; we must follow him for the right reasons. To follow Christ for our own purposes would be asking Christ to follow us— to align with us to support and advance our cause, not his. We must examine our motives for following him. Are we seeking his glory or ours?

1: 40-42 Andrew accepted John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus and immediately went to tell his brother, Simon, about him. There was no question in Andrew’s mind that Jesus was the Messiah. Not only did he tell his brother, but he was also eager to introduce others to Jesus (see 6: 8-9; 12: 22). How many people in your life have heard you talk about your relationship with Jesus? 1: 42 Jesus saw not only who Simon was, but who he would become. That is why he gave him a new name— Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek (the name means “a rock”). Peter is not presented as rock-solid throughout the Gospels, but he became a solid rock in the days of the early church, as we learn in the book of Acts. By giving Simon a new name, Jesus introduced a change in character. For more on Simon Peter.

1: 46 Nazareth was despised by the Jews because a Roman army garrison was located there. Some have speculated that an aloof attitude or a poor reputation in morals and religion on the part of the people of Nazareth led to Nathanael’s harsh comment. Nathanael’s hometown was Cana, about four miles from Nazareth. When Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he was surprised. Philip responded, “Come and see.” Fortunately for Nathanael, he went to meet Jesus and became a disciple. If he had stuck to his prejudice without investigating further, he would have missed the Messiah! Don’t let people’s stereotypes about Christ cause them to miss his power and love. Invite them to come and see who Jesus really is.

1: 47-49 Jesus knew about Nathanael before the two ever met. Jesus also knows what we are really like. An honest person will feel comfortable with the thought that Jesus knows him or her through and through. A dishonest person will feel uncomfortable. You can’t pretend to be something you’re not. God knows the real you and wants you to follow him.

1: 51 This is a reference to Jacob’s dream recorded in Genesis 28: 12. As the unique God-man, Jesus would be the ladder between heaven and earth. Jesus is not saying that this would be a physical experience (that they would see the ladder with their eyes) like the Transfiguration, but that they would have spiritual insight into Jesus’ true nature and purpose for coming.

Source: Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition (p. 7529). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Kindle Edition.

Reading About Andrew, the First Called Apostle

This Saint was from Bethsaida of Galilee; he was the son of Jonas and the brother of Peter, the chief of the Apostles. He had first been a disciple of John the Baptist; afterwards, on hearing the Baptist's witness concerning Jesus, when he pointed Him out with his finger and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1.29,36), he straightway followed Christ, and became His first disciple; wherefore he is called the First-called of the Apostles. After the Ascension of the Saviour, he preached in various lands; and having suffered many things for His Name's sake, he died in Patras of Achaia, where he was crucified on a cross in the shape of an "X," the first letter of "Christ" in Greek; this cross is also the symbol of Saint Andrew.

Source link: https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=316&PCode=11LM&D=M&DT=11/30/2020

Apolytikion of Andrew the First Called Apostle

Fourth Tone

As first of the Apostles to be called, O Andrew, brother of him (Peter) who was foremost, beseech the Master of all to grant the world peace and our souls great mercy.

Kontakion of Andrew the First Called Apostle

Second Tone

Let us praise the namesake of bravery, the divinely eloquent and first to be called of the Disciples of Christ, the kinsman of Peter. As he called out to him in days of old, so now he calls to us, "Come, we have found Him for whom we yearned."

WEDNESDAY, December 2nd, 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.