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January 1, 2012 Tone 4 and Orthros Gospel Liturgy Schedule: Saturday Vespers 4pm Compline Weds 8:30PM
Circumcision of the Lord St. Basil the Great Sunday Orthros 8:55 am Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Liturgy Intentions:
January 1, 2012 The parishioners of Saint Joseph Parish The Deceased members of the Shehedi and Barron Families
Parish Notes:
TodaySaint Joseph Day Potluck after Divine LiturgyAll are Welcome! Thanks to the Bolus family for their generous donation of $2000 to our parish Thanks to Betsy Zaydon and the folks who decorated our sanctuary for the feast. Nice Job! 2012 Calendars and envelops are available in the narthex of the church. Parish Council meets after Divine Liturgy Next Sunday Qurban today was baked by Dn Michael
Feast of the Theophany Vespers Thursday Evening 7PM Divine Liturgy Friday Evening 7PM
Hymns:
Resurrectional Troparion Troparion of the Circumcision Tone 4 Tone 1
O Merciful Lord who, being God assumed our human nature without undergoing change, You fulfilled the Law by accepting to be circumcised in the flesh, so as to put an end to prefigurations and remove the veil of our passions, Glory to Your goodness, O Word! Glory to Your compassion! Glory to Your ineffable condescension! Troparion of Saint Basil the Great Tone 1 Your voice has sounded over all the earth, that accepted your preaching. You gave a divine explanation of doctrine, and made clear the nature of creatures, and set a rule of life for men. Holy father, kingly priest, intercede with Christ God to grant us His great mercy. Troparion of Saint Joseph Kontakion for the Circumcision of Our Lord Tone 1 Tone 3
Today the Lord of all endures circumcision, circumcising the sins of men, for He is good and merciful. And He grants salvation to the whole world while Basil, the high priest of the Creator, Christs mystic and shining star, rejoices now in heaven.
Prokiemenon
(Tone 1) Ps. 48:4,2 My mouth shall speak wisdom, prudence shall be the utterance of my heart. Stichon: Hear this, all you peoples; hearken, all who dwell in the world. 2:8-12
BRETHREN, see to it that no one deceives you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to human traditions, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him Who is the head of every Principality and Power you have received of that fullness. In Him, too, you have been circumcised with a circumcision not wrought by hand, but through putting off the body of the flesh, a circumcision which is of Christ. For you were buried with Him in baptism, and in Him also rose again through faith in the working of God Who raised Him from the dead.
At that time the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them. And when eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, He was called Jesus, the name given Him by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And the child grew and became strong in spirit. He was full of wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him. And His parents were accustomed to go every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. And after they had fulfilled the days, when they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and Joseph and His mother did not know it. But thinking He was in the caravan, they had come a days journey before it occurred to them to look for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him. And it came to pass after three days, that they found Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who were listening to Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when they saw Him, they were astonished. And His mother said to Him, Son, why have You done so to us? Behold, Your father and I have been seeking You sorrowing. And He said to them, How is it that you sought me? Did you not know I must be about My Fathers business? And they did not understand the word He spoke to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; and His mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.
Hirmos:
In you O full of grace, all creation rejoices, the orders of angels and the human race as well. O sanctified temple, spiritual paradise and glory of virgins fro whom Our God, Who exists before all eternity, took flesh and became a little child. He has taken your womb as His throne., making it more spacious than the heavens. Wherefore O full of Grace, all creation rejoices, glory to you.
Theophany
(from Greek theophania, meaning "appearance of God") is one of the Great Feasts of the Melkite Church, celebrated on January 6. It is the feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22).
Baptism of Christ
This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by John the Forerunner in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. The Feast of Theophany is the culmination of the Christmas Season, which starts on December 25 and ends on January 6. In mystic commemoration of this event, the Great Blessing of Water is performed on this day, and the holy water so blessed is used by the local priest to bless the homes of the faithful.
The gospel readings of all the services tell of the Lord's baptism by John in the Jordan River. The epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy tells of the The feast is called Theophany because at the consequences of the Lord's appearing which is the baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly divine epiphany. to mankind for the first time -- the Father's voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and Since the main feature of the feast is the blessing of standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy water. It is prescribed to follow both the Divine Liturgy of the eve of the feast and the Divine Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove. Liturgy of the day itself. But most local parishes do Epiphany it only once when most of the parishioners can be present. The blessing verifies that mankind, and all This feast is also sometimes referred to as Epiphany of creation, were created to be filled with the by English-speaking Orthodox Christians, but that sanctifying presence of God. name more properly refers to the Western Christian feast falling on that same day and commemorating the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. The term "Epiphany" does appear in the services for this feast, however. Originally, there was just one Christian feast of the shining forth of God to the world in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. It included the celebration of Christ's birth, the adoration of the Wisemen, and all of the childhood events of Christ such as his circumcision and presentation to the temple as well as his baptism by John in the Jordan. There seems to be little doubt that this feast, like Easter and Pentecost, was understood as the fulfillment of a previous Jewish festival, in this case the Feast of Lights.
descendants of Abraham by a sort of sign and seal and distinguished them from all other nations. Second, it prefigured in itself the grace and efficacy of divine baptism. Formerly a male who was circumcised was included among the people of God by virtue of that seal; nowadays a person who is baptized and has formed in himself Christ the seal becomes a member of Gods adopted family. Third, circumcision is the symbol of the faithful when they are established in grace, as they cut away and mortify the tumultuous rising of carnal pleasures and passions by the sharp surgery of faith and by ascetic labors. They do this, not by cutting the body but by purifying the heart. They do this by being circumcised in the spirit and not in the letter. Our Spiritual Circumcision A circumcision is a cutting of the flesh; circumcision according to the letter, as St Cyril describes it, is also a cutting, but of the heart. It is the removal of something, often painful, so that we can be fitting members of Christ by the sharp surgery of faith and by ascetic labors. The sharp knife of faith removes from our hearts its reliance on whatever we trust for our security other than the true God. In the Roman Empire Jews trusted in the Law of Moses and pagans trusted in the gods and goddesses of the state. In our day it may be our family, our job, our culture or our political and economic systems that we feel will take care of us. People continually find that any of these can fail them drastically if they put the confidence in them that is due to God alone. The surgery of ascetic labors is the way we deal with our pride, our greed, our lust and the like: often particularly painful as it is a surgery we face daily. St. Paul described this dynamic as the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh (Col 2:11). Elsewhere he catalogued these sins as your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col 3:5). Lest we feel too confident in our sinlessness, he continues the list with anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language and lying (Col 3:89). Of these we continually need to be circumcised. What Is The Flesh? When speaking of the sins of the flesh St Paul uses a Greek word, sarx. This is not the Greek word for body
soma which shows that the Apostle is not equating the body with sin. As the fourth-century Egyptian ascetic Poemen said, We were taught, not to kill the body, but to kill the passions. Sarx has been described as the complex of sin, death and futility into which humanity has imprisoned itself (John S. Custer, The Apostolic Writings, p. 78). The term flesh, then, includes anything including mental attitudes and even religious practices which are opposed to the kingdom of God. Circumcising the flesh, in fact, involves dealing more with our motivations, our imaginations and the whole range of our conscious and subconscious thoughts. It is a refocusing of all our attitudes as well as our actions on God and the godly way of life. Asceticism, then, is the means by which we restore the natural hierarchy of body and spirit. The body is meant to serve the spirit; not the other way around, as is the case in the fallen world. Human nature in its fallen, sinful condition finds the spirit enslaved to the flesh, and to the need to gratify the appetites of the flesh. Insofar as the spirit remains in this state of bondage, it is rendered incapable of communing with God. Spiritual circumcision, then, is an indispensable part of our progress toward union with God. It is an aspect of what we are urged to do continually in our liturgical services: Let us commend ourselves, one another and our whole life to Christ God.
Hymns of the Feast The most merciful God did not disdain circumcision in the flesh. He offered Himself instead as a symbol and example of salvation to all. He made the Law, and yet submitted Himself to its commands and to what the prophets had foretold of Him. O our God who hold all things in Your hands, and yet were wrapped in swaddling clothes: O Lord, glory to You! (Vespers sticheron) O Merciful Lord who, being God, assumed our human nature without undergoing change, You fulfilled the Law by accepting to be circumcised in the flesh, so as to put an end to prefigurations and remove the veil of our passions. Glory to Your goodness, O Word! Glory to Your compassion! Glory to Your ineffable condescension! (Troparion)
The Epistle reading from Titus on the Feast of the Theophany says: ...not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saves us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). So we are saved by baptism; but yet salvation is broader than a one-time event.
sins; it secures us against them in the future; for this is also of Grace. And this is of Grace, to deliver us from worldly things, and to lead us to heaven. He (Paul) speaks here of two appearings (i.e. Epiphanies); the first of grace, the second of retribution and justice (Homily V on Titus 2). The second aspect of Grace, Paul says, teaches us: to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (2:12) to live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age (2:12) to look for the blessed hope and glorious Epiphany of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ (2:13) that the Lord is purifying for Himself, a people of His own possession, zealous for good works (2:14) to be subject to rulers and authorities (3:1) to obey and to be ready for every good work (3:1) to speak evil of no one (3:2)
to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men (3:2) The first aspect of Grace had already taught us: that the Holy Spirit has been poured out abundantly on us (3:6) that we are justified by His Grace (3:7) 17. that we have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (3:7) The first aspect of Grace came with baptism when we were saved. The second aspect of Grace
comes (1) as we take up our crosses in being saved in this age and (2) as we approach the Judgment Seat where we will be saved in the age to come. Burial in Baptism is Part of Salvation: (6th Hour, Romans 6:1-11) Romans 6:1-21 is another of the Epiphany readings (at the 6th Hour) and gives additional details on the saving effects of baptism. As many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death (v.3). This The Grace of God that Brings Salvation: The Epistle reading begins with For the Grace of God that brings means that: salvation has appeared (literally made His Epiphany) to we were buried with Him through baptism into death (v.4) all men (Titus 2:11, 3:4). John Chrysostom points out: Do not think that Grace stops at the pardon of former
we are united together in the likeness of His death (v.5) our old man was crucified with Him (v.6, Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9, Galatians 2:20,5:24, 6:14) he who has died has been freed from sin (v.7) the body of sin has been done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (v.6, 2 Peter 2:19, John 8:34) we are also united together in the likeness of His resurrection (v.5, Philippians 3:10) if we have been united to His death having been raised from the dead, Christ dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him (v.9) or us
as Christ was raised, so we should walk in newness of life (v.4). John Chrysostom comments on this as follows: Baptism is the Cross. What the Cross and Burial is to Christ, baptism has been to us, even if not in the same respects. For He died Himself and was buried in the flesh, but we have done both to sin... For if you have shared in death and burial, much more will you share in the resurrection and life. After the resurrection to come had been set before us, He demands of us something additional, which is brought about in the present life by a change in habits (Homily X on Romans 5).
weight of his influence and personality, made the emperor cease his demands. Active as he was in the fight against heresy, Basil was closely attentive to the other needs of his diocese. Just outside Caesarea, he built a travelers hospice (the first of its kind) with a hospital attached for the poor. Other projects included a revision of the liturgy for his diocese (this is the older of the two liturgies of the Byzantine Rite) and a careful weeding out of heretical priests from his clergy. A brilliant orator and writer, Basil also poured out a steady stream of sermons and theological works, most of them aimed at strengthening his people against Arianism. Heresy was the ever-present danger and was accompanied by such minor misfortunes as a quarrel with his old friend Gregory of Nazianzen and misrepresentations of his orthodoxy to the pope by his enemies. Basil surmounted all the difficulties, however, and during his short tenure as bishop (less than nine years) he became the leading force in Caesarea. When he died on January 1, 379, the Jews and pagans there, as well as the Catholics, were willing to admit that the city had lost its best friend. Years after his death, Basil was described by a Church council as the Great Basil, the minister of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole world: a just verdict, and one that has stood the test of time.
in the Eastern Church right up through the fourth century. The Canon of the Feast was written by St Stephen of the St Sava Monastery (October 28 and July 13). In addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a sign of God's Covenant with mankind, He also received the Name Jesus (Savior) on the eighth day after His Nativity as an indication of His service, the work of the salvation of the world (Mt.1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Phil 2:9-10). These two events, the Lord's Circumcision and Naming, remind Christians that they have entered into a New Covenant with God and "are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11). The very name "Christian" is a sign of mankind's entrance into a New Covenant with God. The Gospel tells us about the circumcision of Jesus Christ: And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)
Some Things to Do
Listen to a CD or tape of Handels Messiah as a family during dinner one evening before the Nativity, and pay special attention to the names given to the coming Messiah. Discuss why the names are proclaimed so joyfully, and what they mean. Hold a family scavenger hunt to see who can find and list the most names revealed for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Use your Bible and the troparia and kontakia for the eight tones (from the appendix of your Divine Liturgy book) as the hunting ground. As a family, discuss how you and your spouse chose names for your children, and how you all decided on names for your pets. Research the meaning of your own name(s), both in a baby name book (from the library or the grocery checkout line) and a compilation of the lives of the saints, Do you fit your name? Attend the Divine Liturgy served for the Feast of the Circumcision, if your parish offers it. Its a wonderful way to start out the secular New Year partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, and praising His name!
The Circumcision
On the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. All male infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God's Covenant with the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:1014, Lev. 12:3). After this ritual the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, as the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos (Luke 1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers of the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of how faithfully the divine ordinances ought to be fulfilled. The Lord was circumcised so that later no one would doubt that He had truly assumed human flesh, and that His Incarnation was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics (Docetists) taught. In the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured (Col. 2:11-12). Accounts of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord continue
Prayer Requests
Rev. Father Philip Azoon Rev. Deacon John Karam Rev. Seraphim Michalenko Rev. Basil Samra Rev. Peter Boutros Rev. Deacon Bryan McNiel Rev. Deacon Irenaeus Dionne Rev. Father David White
Parish Calendar
January 1 5 6 8 Byzantine Celebration of Saint JosephPotluck after Divine Liturgy Vespers for the Feast of the Theophany 7PM Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Theophany 7PM Parish Council Meeting After Divine Liturgy
Sacrificial Giving 12/25/2011 Candles Weekly Holyday Monthly Flowers $ 4.00 $ 455.00 $ 2975.00 $ 80.00 $ 30.00
Marie Abda Marie Abda Marie Barron Joseph Barron Mary Sue Betress Chris Carey Nikki Boudreaux Dr. Frances Colie John Colie Ann Coury
Margaret Dillenburg Mark Dillman Karen Haddad Karen Kane Niko Mayashairo Mary McNeilly Marie Patchoski Joanna Simon William Simon Dr. Thomas Zaydon
All those Serving in our Armed Forces The Christian Community in the Middle East