Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion

February 5, 2017

ST. GEORGE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 44 Bowers Street, Lowell, MA 01854

Phone: (978) 452-4816 Fax: (978) 452-6041

Email: fatherfaris@comcast.net Web: www.saintgeorgelowell.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/saintgeorgelowell

Rt. Rev. Fr. Leonard Faris, Pastor

WORSHIP SERVICE Sunday: Matins (Orthros) Service 9:00 a.m. Sunday School, Every other Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

Divine Liturgy begins at 10:00 a.m. and we should not arrive late. When we do arrive late and the Epistle

or Gospel is being read or the priest is preaching the sermon or the Great Entrance is taking place, please REMAIN in the Vestibule until it is finished before entering the Church. At the end of the Divine Liturgy please keep your

conversation until the “Coffee Hour”. We should leave the Church in silence. Important Notice: The reception of Holy Communion is limited to Orthodox Christians who have prepared them-selves by prayer, fasting and recent Confession. Confessions are heard on Sunday mornings during the Matins Ser-vice or by special appointment. The Eucharistic Fast begins at midnight on Saturday and ends up with the receiv-

ing of Holy Communion. If you are on medication or a young child, you can have a light breakfast before coming to church. If you have any questions, please call Fr. Leonard.

Our faithful are reminded that as you leave the sanctuary, to do so reverently and quietly. Properly, one should

approach the celebrant to receive his blessings, kiss the cross, depart and then greet neighbors and friends at fel-

lowship hour. We must never lose reverence for our church sanctuary as the house of God simply because services

have ended. Also, please take the Sunday bulletins with you or return them to the Vestry Committee rather than

leaving them in the pews or bookracks. Also, out of respect to your fellow parishioners and to God, please turn off

all electronic devices such as cell phones before entering the church so as to not interrupt the solemnity of our

prayers.

Thank you, + Father Leonard

Church Office Hours: If you would like to meet with the Pastor, please call the office to set up an appointment. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Prayer Requests and Bulletin News: All prayer requests and articles for the weekly bulletin must be submitted each week by Noon, Tuesday: emailed to Fr. Leonard at fatherfaris@comcast.net or call 978-452-4816, otherwise, the requests and articles will

be published the following week.

Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 8 From the heights Thou didst descend, O Compassionate One, and

Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our Life and our resurrection: O Lord, glory to

thee!

Entrance Hymn

Ha-lum-mu li-nas-jud, wa-nar-ka’ lil-ma-sih, khal-lis-na ya bna l-lah, ya man qa-ma min bal-nil-am-wat, li-nu-rat-til la-ka, Hal-li-

lu-ia

Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 8 (repeated)

Troparion of the Presentation of Christ, Tone 1 Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace, for from thee arose the Sun

of Justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness. Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, Who granteth us Resurrection.

Troparion of St. George, Tone 4

As deliver of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the

infirmed, champion of kings, victorious great martyr George, intercede with Christ our God, for our souls’ salvation.

Kontakion of the Presentation of Christ, Tone 1 Thou, O Christ God, Who by Thy Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s

womb, and, as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us; preserve Thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom Thou didst love, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.

Epistle: Paul 3:10-15

Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them. In Judah, God is known; His name is great in Israel

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy

Timothy my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my

aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, and my sufferings; and what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. What persecutions I endured; yet from them all, the Lord

rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned

and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are

able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 18:10-14

The Reading of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

The Lord spoke this parable: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men,

extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God,

be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be

humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Prayers are being offered for the Health and Safety of:

Nora Abdelahad Connie Abodeely Patti Aiken

Ed & Lillian Betor David and Cindy Boragine Ida Boragine George Ellis Connie Gholias

Mr. & Mrs. Elias Grivas Nicholas, Veronique, Annabelle & Chloe Groff Duayne Habib

Rosalind Hajjar & Family

Elaine Hamwey Mary Howie Joseph Husson Lloyd Jennings

Joe Kadir Fr. Stephen, and Family Rose Lowe Joseph Mansour Marcotte Family

Thomas Marcotte Edna Panagiotakos Paul & Lillian Panagopoulos Spero Saati

Freda Sadak & Family Fred Simon Amad Tayebi Gladys Tracanna Jack Trottier

Dr. Vartan & Lisa Yeghiazarians & Family Genia Yeghiazarians Christian Yianopoulos Hilda Zananiri

Nahil Zananiri

Prayers are being offered in Memory of:

Charles Abdelahad George Abodeely

Miriam Abodeely Mazen Alwarad

Toula Anasoulis Andrew Ansara

Elias Ansara John Ansara Maurice Ansara Gladys Assaly Linda Assaly

Yaacoub Awad Juliette Bahou

Laurice Bahou Widad Batten James “Jimmy” Beaudry

Mary Bogosian Dorothy Boragine Sal Boragine Cleopatra Bouras

Sofie & Paul Brown Toma Calache Dr. Christos Daoulas Fred Ead Frances Ellis

Frank Ellis George & Elsie Faris Mary T. Faris Connie Fumia Elizabeth & Joseph

Ghareeb

MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE ETERNAL!!

John & Irene Gkolias George P. Habib

Philip Hajjar Sadie Halim

Eleanor Husson N. Mary Husson

Terry Husson Kadir Emtisal & Musalam Kazmeh Siham Khadij George Lowe Efthymios & Paraskevi Manolis

Nafie Moses Frederick & Matilda Noonan

Anisse Saad Hanna Saad Mary Saati

George W. & Mary Saba Badwi Sabbouh Veto & Vasiliki Selvagio Eleanor Shalhoup

Judy Skaff Mildred & Arthur Skaff Minnie Skaff Nellie Husson Skaff Ricky Skaff

Stephen Skaff T. Michael Skaff Elaine Viera Leon Yeghiazarians Charles Zaharias

Mary Ann Zaharias

ALTAR BREAD

Today’s Altar Bread is being offered for the health and safety of Fred and Gwen Noonan on the occasion

of their anniversary, by Lindsay, Patrick, Jonathan, Kerri, Alexander, and Emma. May God bless them all with peace,

good health, and happiness.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Fr. Leonard will be attending the Clergy Retreat on

Wednesday and Thursday, February 8 and 9 at St. Metho-

dius Camp with Bishop John and the clergy of this Diocese.

He will retrn to the Parish on Friday afternoon.

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Beginning of the Lenten Triodion

The Sunday after the Sunday of Zacchaeus is devoted to the Pub-

lican and the Pharisee. At Vespers the night before, the TRIODI-

ON (the liturgical book used in the services of Great Lent) begins.

Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee who

scrupulously observed the requirements of religion: he prayed,

fasted, and contributed money to the Temple. These are very good

things, and should be imitated by anyone who loves God. We who

may not fulfill these requirements as well as the Pharisee did

should not feel entitled to criticize him for being faithful. His sin

was in looking down on the Publican and feeling justified because

of his external religious observances.

The second man was a Publican, a tax-collector who was despised

by the people. He, however, displayed humility, and this humility

justified him before God.

The lesson to be learned is that we possess neither the Pharisee’s

religious piety, nor the Publican’s repentance, through which we

can be saved. We are called to see ourselves as we really are in

the light of Christ’s teaching, asking Him to be merciful to us, de-

liver us from sin, and to lead us on the path of salvation.