August 3, 2014 Specials

Divine Liturgy Specials on Sunday, August 3, 2014

Tone 7 / Eothinon 8, 8^th Sunday of Matthew (Feeding the 5,000)

Ven. Isaakios, Dalmatos, and Faustus (†4^th c.); Salome, Myrrh-Bearer (†1st c.)

Ἀντίφωνον α´ – Ἦχος β´ 1 Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ. 2 Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου πάσας τὰς ἀνταποδόσεις αὐτοῦ. 3 Κύριος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἡτοίμασε τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ πάντων δεσπόζει.     Ταῖς πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, Σῶτερ, σῶσον ἡμᾶς. Ἀντίφωνον β´ – Ἦχος ὁ αὐτός 1 Αἴνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, αἰνέσω Κύριον ἐν τῇ ζωῇ μου, ψαλῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου ἕως ὑπάρχω. 2 Μακάριος οὗ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ βοηθὸς αὐτοῦ, ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ. 3 Βασιλεύσει Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ὁ Θεός σου, Σιών, εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν.     Σῶσον ἡμᾶς, Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ψάλλοντάς σοι· Ἀλληλούϊα. Δόξα... Καὶ νῦν... Ὁ Μονογενὴς Υἱός... Ἀντίφωνον γ´ – Ἦχος βαρὺς 1 Αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα, καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν ἐν αὐτῇ. 2 Αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ ἡ γῆ, θάλασσα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἕρποντα ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἀπολυτίκιον –  Ἦχος βαρὺς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέωξας τῷ Ληστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Εἰσοδικόν – Ἦχος β´ Δεῦτε προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν Χριστῷ. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς, Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ψάλλοντάς σοι· Ἀλληλούϊα. Ἀπολυτίκιον –  Ἦχος βαρὺς Κατέλυσας τῷ Σταυρῷ σου τὸν θάνατον, ἠνέωξας τῷ Ληστῇ τὸν Παράδεισον, τῶν Μυροφόρων τὸν θρῆνον μετέβαλες, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις κηρύττειν ἐπέταξας, ὅτι ἀνέστης Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, παρέχων τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος. Ἀπολυτίκιον – Ἦχος πλ. δ' Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ πανσόφους τοὺς ἁλιεῖς ἀναδείξας, καταπέμψας αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην σαγηνεύσας, φιλάνθρωπε, δόξα σοι. Ἀπολυτίκιον – Ἦχος δ' Κανόνα πίστεως καὶ εἰκόνα πραότητος, ἐγκρατείας Διδάσκαλον, ἀνέδειξέ σε τῇ ποίμνῃ σου, ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκτήσω τῇ ταπεινώσει τὰ ὑψηλά, τῇ πτωχείᾳ τὰ πλούσια, Πάτερ Ἱεράρχα Νικόλαε· πρέσβευε Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ, σωθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν. Κοντάκιον – Ἦχος βαρὺς  Αὐτόμελον Ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μετεμορφώθης, καὶ ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ Μαθηταί σου τὴν δόξαν σου, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεάσαντο, ἵνα ὅταν σε ἴδωσι σταυρούμενον, τὸ μὲν πάθος νοήσωσιν ἑκούσιον, τῷ δὲ κόσμῳ κηρύξωσιν, ὅτι σὺ ὑπάρχεις ἀληθῶς, τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα. Τρισάγιον. Εἰς τό ᾽Εξαιρέτως:  ῎Αξιόν ἐστιν.... Κοινωνικόν: Αἰνεῖτε.... Εἴδομεν τό φῶς... Εἴη τό ὄνομα Κυρίου… Ἀπόλυσις· Ὁ ἀναστάς ἐκ νεκρῶν....	Divine Liturgy Hymnal, p. 16:  ANTIPHON I – Tone 2 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy name.  [Psalm 102:1] 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.  [Psalm 102:2] 3 The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom rules over all.   [Psalm 102:19]     Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us. Divine Liturgy Hymnal, p. 18:  ANTIPHON II – Same tone 1 Praise the Lord, O my soul, I shall praise the Lord all my life, I shall sing to my Lord as long as I exist.  [Psalm 145:1-2] 2 Happy is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is upon the Lord his God.  [Psalm 145:5] 3 The Lord will reign unto the age, your God, O Zion, unto generation and generation.  [Psalm 145:10]     Save us, O Son of God, Who is risen from the dead; who sing to You.  Alleluia. Glory… Both now… O, only begotten Son… Divine Liturgy Hymnal, p. 24:  ANTIPHON III – Tone 7 1 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad therein.  [Psalm 117:24] 2 Let the heavens and the earth praise Him, the sea and every creature crawling in it.  [Psalm 68:35] APOLYTIKION resurrectional of the tone of the day – Tone 7 O Lord by Your sacred Cross You abolished death, and granted unto the thief blessed paradise.  The myrrh- bearers ceased lamenting and turned to joy.  The apostles did preach the Good News at your command, that You had risen from the dead O Christ our God, bestowing Your mercy upon the world ever more.                 (DLH, p. 87) EISODIKON –Tone 2 Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, Who are risen from the dead; who sing to You. Alleluia. APOLYTIKION resurrectional of the tone of the day – Tone 7 O Lord by Your sacred Cross You abolished death, and granted unto the thief blessed paradise.  The myrrh- bearers ceased lamenting and turned to joy.  The apostles did preach the Good News at your command, that You had risen from the dead O Christ our God, bestowing Your mercy upon the world ever more.                 (DLH, p. 87) APOLYTIKION of our Church (Holy Trinity) – Tone 8 O Blessed are you, O Christ our God, who by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them, made the fishermen wise and through them illumined the world.  And unto you, the universe was ever drawn, all glory to you, O God.  (DLH, p. 115)                                                                                                             APOLYTIKION of our Church (St. Nicholas)–Tone 4  (DLH, p. 110) As a yardstick of faith and an icon of gentleness; as a teacher of temperance, your actual deeds have declared you as being among your flock.  In this manner you gained by humility, things most sublime, and through poverty earned true wealth.  Father and our hierarch St. Nicholas intercede with Christ our God that our souls may be saved. KONTAKION of the Transfiguration – Tone 7 Upon Mount Tabor you were transfigured, and the disciples beheld your glory Christ our God as any mortal can bear.  So that when they saw you being crucified, they would recognize your suffering as voluntary, and they would preach to the entire world that you truly were manifest to us as the Father’s divine radiance. Divine Liturgy Hymnal, p. 26:  TRISAGION. DLH, p. 54: AT THE Especially…,  It is truly meet… DLH, p. 66: KOINONIKON:  Praise the Lord… DLH, p. 70: After Communion, We have seen the true light… DLH, p. 74: Blessed be the Name of the Lord… Divine Liturgy Hymnal, p. 78:  THE DISMISSAL: May He Who is risen from the dead, Christ...
A great blessing of God is the central theme of this 42nd Clergy-Laity Congress of our Church (2014):  The Orthodox Family: A Dwelling of Christ and a Witness of His Gospel. This is a theme of vital importance for us, not only as a Church but also as members of the contemporary American society, a theme worthy of a thorough study leading to action. It was not long ago that the word "family" evoked a particular image in the minds of most Americans.   In this mental picture we saw a man and a woman, not just living together but joined legally and in most cases through a religious ceremony, in a lifelong bond of marital commitment and deep mutual love.   We saw children, usually more than one or two, who belonged to both their parents by birth or adoption.   For many of us also, that family portrait included one or more members of the previous generation, a grandmother and/or grandfather who lived in the home of their adult son or daughter, rather than in a retirement community or a nursing home. Today, there is a movement in our society to change and redraw this portrait completely.   We hear about the "modern family," which in essence means everything and anything.  It seems that in many cases any two people who share an address are to be considered a family, whether or not they are married or have children together.  So, the family is under heavy pressure, because its very sense of identity and uniqueness is being eroded by this huge change in public sentiment.   If everybody and everything is a family, then nobody is truly a family in any meaningful sense.	Then, it is not unreasonable that the modern world finds itself asking not only "What is a family?," but even "Why is a family?" To this question, our Church based on the Bible, the Ecumenical Synods, and the 2000 years old Tradition gives an answer with clarion voice:  the family is a divine institution, a special creation of God, one that bears His own holy name and dignity.   Saint Paul articulates this thought precisely addressing the Christians in Ephesos. He says to them:  “I bow my knees before God the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph 3:14).  What St. Paul says is this:  The family is an institution of divine origin and character, not merely a social arrangement that arises from the exigencies of earthly affairs.  From God every family in heaven and on earth is named.   The family is a powerful microcosmic expression of God's fatherly care for the whole universe.   Therefore, if the concept and the very name of "family" derives directly from God the Father, it is truly a holy thing.  When St. Paul said “I bow my knees before God the Father from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named”, he added that he did that in order to pray for them, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend and to know the love of Christ which surpassed knowledge, and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19). This goes beyond any happiness, any dream, any blessing that our human heart could ever desire.                  ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS
This insert is a gift from our Byzantine School.  We invite you to join us on the last Wednesday of each month at 6 pm, as we explore the selection of liturgy “specials” for each week, and other issues related to the liturgical services of our Church. Next mtg – 08/27/14. Please consult the Sunday Bulletin for our regular announcements, or contact Tasos Ioannides, ioanniam@uc.edu or (513)556-3137.  Translation Sources: DLH= Divine Liturgy Hymnal; FSD=Fr Seraphim Dedes; KL=Kevin Lawrence; FEH =Fr Edward Hughes; FEL=Fr Ephraim Lash.