THIS WEEK’S FASTSSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sunday, January 23, 2011 • 35th Sunday after PentecostSANCTITY OF LIFE SUNDAY

Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus (312). Ven. Gennádii of Kostromá (1565). Translation of the relics of St. Theóctist, Archbishop of Novgorod (1786). Ven. Mausimas the Syrian (4th c.).

Ven. Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates (ca. 400). St. Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola (431). Commemoration of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680-681).

Announcements Please note we will have Matins on Tuesday morning instead of Vespers that evening.

Many Years May God grant Many Years to Nicholas Beal on his birthday yesterday. We also want to wish Many Years to our friend Timothy Ray visiting today on his namesday

yesterday.The cover photo is of Petru Voda Monastery in Romania. This is one of the famous painted monasteries of Romania.

THIS WEEK’S SERVICE SCHEDULE & SCRIPTURE READINGSMonday, 1/24

St. Xenia of St. PetersburgNO

SERVICEHeb. 11:17-

23, 27-31Mark

9:42-10:1

Tuesday, 1/125St. Gregory the Theologian

Matins8 a.m.

Hebrews 12:25-26; 13:22-25

Mark 10:2-12

1 Cor. 12:7-11

John 10:9-16

Wednesday, 1/26 Matins8 a.m.

James 1:1-18

Mark 10:11-16

Thursday, 1/27Relics of St. John Chrysostom

Matins8 a.m.

James1:19-22

Mark10:17-27

Hebrews 7:26-8:2

John 10:9-16

Friday, 1/28St. Ephraim the Syrian

Matins8 a.m.

James 2:1-13

Mark 10:23-32

Saturday, 1/29 Vespers4 p.m.

Ephesians 5:1-8

Luke 14:1-11

Sunday, 1/30Three Holy Hierarchs

New-Martyrs of Russia

3rd/6th Hours

9:40 a.m.

Divine Liturgy10 a.m.

1 Timothy 1:15-17

Matthew 15:21-28

Hebrews 13:7-16

Matthew 5:14-19

St. Luke Orthodox Christian ChurchDiocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America

The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/

basilncana@yahoo.com • (256) 235-3893

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Great Vespers“Lord, I Call”

SUNDAY (Tone 2)Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!Come, let us worship the Word of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, and incarnate of the Vir-gin Mary! Having endured the Cross, He was bur-ied as He Himself desired and having risen from the dead, He saved me, an erring man.

The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.Christ our Savior nailed to the Cross the bond against us, He voided it and destroyed the dominion of death. We fall down before His Resurrection on the third day.

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!

With the Archangels, let us praise the Resurrection of Christ! He is our Savior, our Redeemer! He is coming with awesome glory and mighty power to judge the world which He made.

Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!The Angel proclaimed Thee the crucified and buried Master. He told the women: “Come, see the place where He lay! He is risen as He said, for He is al-mighty.” We worship Thee, O Only Immortal One. Have mercy on us, O Christ, the Giver of Life!

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 1)If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall

stand? For with Thee is propitiation.Thou didst remain in the faith in the vineyard of Christ. Thou wast a husbandman through suffering in various ways. In accordance with thy name, O martyr, thou didst produce the fruit of salvation for the King and Husbandman, O glorious hieromartyr Clement.For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul

hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.The twenty-eight years of tortures thou didst endure, O wise one, were truly honorable in the sight of God, before Angels and men. As thou didst travel through cities and the countryside, thou wast subjected to cruel burning, mutilation and many wounds, and thou didst not depart from the love of Christ.

From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in the Lord!

Thou didst excel as a pastor, O hieromartyr of Christ, and thou didst undertake feats of suffering, O courageous one. Thou didst receive a crown for both, for thou wast adorned by both the priesthood and the sufferings of martyrdom. Therefore, pray that we may be saved!

Martyr AGATHANGELUS (Tone 4)For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous

redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.With good words the most excellent Clement en-riched thee, his fellow traveler and contender. With him, O Agathangelus, thou didst finish thy divine races, being tortured and experiencing many forms of suffering, to the end, when thou didst receive thy martyr’s crown. Thou wast translated to the realms above to exult with the Angels forever.

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!Wasted by flayings and roasted by flames, thou wast burned all over by torches while stretched on a bed, O wise Agathangelus. Like pure bread, thou wast baked over coals to be presented at the heavenly Table, entreating that those who honor thee with faith may be delivered from all punishment.For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of

the Lord remaineth forever.Thou didst suffer bravely being flogged with rods, and stretched on a tree, thou didst suffer mutilations with great endurance, O wise martyr. At the end of thy struggles thou wast beheaded, watering with the streams of thy blood the whole body of the sacred Church, which praises thy radiant feats, O fame of Martyrs, much-suffering Agathangelus.

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 8)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Thou wast led through the cities and countryside for twenty-eight years. Called by God, thou wast beat-en, torn and crucified for Christ, yet neither the fire, nor the sword, nor wounds broke the firmness of thy soul. Thou didst destroy the power of the demons, O hieromartyr Clement. Therefore, pray to Christ that our souls may be saved!

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DOGMATIKON (Tone 2)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The shadow of the Law passed when Grace came. As the Bush burned, yet was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth, yet remained a Virgin. The Righ-teous Sun has risen instead of a pillar of flame! In-stead of Moses, Christ, the Salvation of our souls.

ApostichaSUNDAY (Tone 2)

Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior, has enlight-ened the whole universe, recalling Thy creation. Glory to Thee, O Almighty Lord!The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath he clothed himself.By the Tree Thou didst destroy the curse of the Tree, O Savior. By Thy burial Thou didst mortify the maj-esty of death. Thou hast enlightened our race by Thy Resurrection. O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory to Thee!For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved.When Thou wast seen nailed to the Cross, O Christ, Thou didst restore the beauty of Thy creatures. The soldiers showed their inhumanity when they pierced Thy side with a spear. The Hebrews not knowing Thy power asked that Thy tomb might be sealed. But through the mercy of Thy compassions, Thou didst accept the tomb and didst rise on the third day! O Lord, glory to Thee!

Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days!O Christ, the Giver of Life, for the sake of the dead Thou didst voluntarily endure death, descending into hell as the Mighty One, to save those who awaited Thy coming, granting them the life of para-dise instead of hell. Grant also to us who glorify Thy Resurrection on the third day, cleansing of our sins and great mercy!

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 1)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Glorious among priests, the Martyr Clement, long tested through torture, was granted to receive sweet-

ness and divine riches among the blessed forever. He anointed many for the contest by his own example, and subdued the flesh that his mind might be above death. O faithful, let us cry out to him: “O glorious martyr, by thy prayers to the Lord, release us from our chronic passions, and by thy prayers, deliver us from evils!”

THEOTOKION (Tone 1)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Behold, Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. For the Virgin gave birth, yet remained a Virgin! God was born, and so nature was restored anew. But do not despise the entreaties of thy servants, O Mother of God! We offer them to thee in thy temple. Since thou didst carry in thine arms the Compassionate One, have compassion on thy servants, and pray that our souls may be saved!

TropariaSUNDAY (Tone 2)

When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immor-tal, Thou didst slay hell with the lightning flash of Thy divinity. And when from the nether regions Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life, Christ our God, Glory to Thee.

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 4)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

You sprang up, most holy one, as a branch and stem of holiness, a most sacred flower of the contest of martyrdom and as a most sweet fruit given by God to the faithful. But as one who shared the struggle of the martyrs and the throne of hierarchs, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved!

Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion (Tone 4)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The mystery of all eternity, unknown even by An-gels, through thee, Theotokos, is revealed to those on earth: God incarnate by union without confu-sion. He voluntarily accepted the Cross for us, by which He resurrected the first-created man, saving our souls from death.

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Divine Liturgy of St John ChrysostomBeatitude Verses

SUNDAYBlessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

We offer Thee the voice of the thief and cry aloud to Thee; ‘Remember us, O Savior in Thy kingdom.’

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.We bring Thee the cross for the forgiveness of offences. For us hast Thou accepted it, O lover of mankind.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

We venerate, O Master, Thy tomb and Thy rising, through which Thou hast delivered the world from corruption, O lover of mankind.Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.By Thy death, O Lord, death has been swallowed up, and by Thy resurrection, Savior, has the world been saved.

Hieromartyr CLEMENTBlessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.Thou broughtests forth fair fruits, being a branch of the life-giving Vine; and garnishing them with mar-tyric splendours, thou didst dedicate them to the Sav-iour of all.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Thou wast seen to be an imitator of Paul, O all-blessed Clement, running throughout the whole world and sanctifying it with deifying Baptism and the sprin-kling of the blood of thy confession.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…Thy God-inspired life, the hardship of struggles, and the endurance of tortures became for thee a mystical crown, and a diadem of comeliness, and a robe of in-corruption.

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.O all-pure Lady, who gavest birth to the Lord Pilot for us mortals, assuage the dire shifting turbulence of my passions and grant my heart tranquility.

TropariaSUNDAY (Tone 2)

When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the lightning flash of Thy di-vinity. And when from the nether regions Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life, Christ our God, Glory to Thee.

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 4)You sprang up, most holy one, as a branch and stem of holiness, a most sacred flower of the contest of martyrdom and as a most sweet fruit given by God to the faithful. But as one who shared the struggle of the martyrs and the throne of hierarchs, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved!

ST. XENIA of St. Petersburg (Tone 4)Having renounced the vanity of the earthly world, thou didst take up the cross of a homeless life of wandering; thou didst not fear grief, privation, and the mockery of men, and didst know the love of Christ. Now taking sweet delight of this love of heaven, O Xenia, the blessed and divinely wise, pray for the salvation of our souls.

KontakiaSUNDAY (Tone 2)

Thou didst rise from the grave, All-powerful Savior; and Hades seeing the wonder was affrighted; and the dead arose, and creation beholding rejoiceth with Thee; and with Thee Adam also is glad; and the world, O my Savior, hymneth Thee forever.

Hieromartyr CLEMENT (Tone 4)You have become an honored branch of the vine of Christ, revealed as one of many struggles, all praised Clement, with your fellow champion you cried out:

“Christ is the shining joy of martyrs.”

ST. XENIA of St. Petersburg (Tone 4)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

You gave your wealth to the poor, O Xenia, and ac-cepted poverty out of love for Christ; having lived a life rivaling the angels, you were accounted worthy of glory on high.

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STEADFAST PROTECTRESS (Tone 6)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Steadfast Protectress of Christians, constant Advo-cate before the Creator; despise not the entreating cries of us sinners, but in thy goodness come speed-ily to help us who call on thee in faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theoto-kos, for thou dost always protect those who honor thee!

ProkeimenonSUNDAY (Tone 2)

My might and my song is the Lord, and He is become my salvation.

Vs: The Lord hath sorely chastened me; but He hath not given me over unto death.

Epistle ReadingSUNDAY (Colossians 3:12-16)

Brethren, put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one an-other, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and ad-monishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Alleluia VersesSUNDAY (Tone 2)

Vs: May the Lord hear Thee in the day of trouble! May the Name of the God of Jacob protect Thee!

Vs: Save the King, O Lord, and hear us on the day we call!Gospel Reading

SUNDAY (Luke 18:35-43)At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hear-ing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is pass-ing by.” And he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front re-buked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me receive my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Please note Holy Communion is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves beforehand through confession and fasting. All are welcome to receive the blessed bread and Father’s blessing after services.

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The Orthodox Faith > Doctrine > Sources of Christian Doctrine

The SaintsThe doctrine of the Church comes alive in the lives of the true believers, the saints. The saints are those who literally share the holiness of God. “Be holy, for I your God am holy” (Lev 11:44; 1 Pet 1:16). The lives of the saints bear witness to the authenticity and truth of the Christian gospel, the sure gift of God’s holiness to men.In the Church there are different classifications of saints. In addition to the holy fathers who are quite specifically glorified for their teaching, there are a number of classi-fications of the various types of holy people according to the particular aspects of their holiness.

Thus, there are the apostles who are sent to proclaim the Christian faith, the evangelists who specifically announce and even write down the gospels, the prophets who are directly inspired to speak God’s word to men. There are the confessors who suffer for the faith and the martyrs who die for it. There are the so-called “holy ones”, the saints from among the monks and nuns; and the “righ-teous” those from among the lay people.

In addition, the church service books have a special title for saints from among the ordained clergy and another special title for the holy rulers and statesmen. Also there is the strange classification of the fools for Christ’s sake. These are they who through their total disregard for the things that people consider so necessary -- clothes, food, money, houses, security, public reputation, etc. -- have been able to witness without compromise to the Chris-tian Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. They take their name from the sentence Of the Apostle Paul: “We are fools forChrist’s sake” (1 Cor 4:10; 3:18).

There are volumes on lives of the saints in the Orthodox tra-dition. They may be used very fruitfully for the discovery of the meaning of the Christian faith and life. In these “lives” the Christian vision of God, man, and the world stands out very clearly. Because these volumes were written down in times quite different from our own, it is necessary to read them carefully to distinguish the essential points from the artificial and sometimes even fanciful embellishments which are often contained in them. In the Middle Ages, for instance, it was customary to pattern the lives of saints after

literary works of previous times and even to dress up the lives of the lesser known saints after the manner of earlier saints of the same type. It also was the custom to add many elements, particularly supernatural and miraculous events of the most extraordinary sort, to confirm the true holiness of the saint, to gain strength for his spiritual goodness and truth, and to foster imitation of his virtues in the lives of the hearers and readers. In many cases the miraculous is added to stress the ethical righteousness and innocence of the saint in the face of his detractors.

Generally speaking, it does not take much effort to distin-guish the sound kernel of truth in the lives of the saints from the additions made in the spirit of piety and enthu-siasm of the later periods; and the effort should be made to see the essential truth which the lives contain. Also, the fact that elements of a miraculous nature were added to the lives of saints during medieval times for the pur-poses of edification, entertainment, and even amusement should not lead to the conclusion that all things miracu-lous in the lives of the saints are invented for literary or moralizing purposes. Again, a careful reading of the lives of the saints will almost always reveal what is authentic and true in the realm of the miraculous. Also, the point has been rightly made that men can learn almost as much about the real meaning of Christianity from the legends of the saints produced within the tradition of the Church as from the authentic lives themselves.

The series The Orthodox Faith is intended to provide basic, comprehensive information on the faith and the life of the Orthodox Church for the average reader. The author is Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY.

These articles are available as a set of four books—commonly known as the Rainbow Series and are available for purchase.

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Theology of Lay Ministries - Volume III, 2009

Time Management: an Orthodox PerspectiveBy Albert Rossi, PhD and Julia Wickes, MA

Our freedom consists in embracing all that happens to us, exhaustion and all, as a blessing in divine disguise.Making the most of timeThere is a paradox inherent in the Orthodox approach to time. We do not “manage” our time yet we must be prudent and skillful in the way we use our time. We must plan without being a slave of our plans. So, we are back to basics. We need to allow the Lord to flow through us all the time, as best we can. Sometimes we must use the pres-ent moment to plan for tomorrow and the long-term fu-ture. But, again, it is the Lord doing the planning through us. When we finish the planning we can’t obsess about it or allow the plans to become larger than life. We must be stable in the present moment and flexible enough to change plans as the Lord directs, at a moment’s notice. One saint said she wanted to be a ball on a table top in the hands of the Lord, allowing Him to move her anyway He chose, for His pleasure.

The truth is that we have all the time we need, and abun-dantly more, to do all that the Lord has us on the planet to do. He gives us our tasks and ministry, and resources with sufficient time. “And my God will supply your ev-ery need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19)

We, however, often have other ideas. Enter stress and dis-satisfaction. We make our own stress, in large part.

Ready for virtually anythingWe can only be ready for virtually anything if we know what else we have to do and choose to not do. Then we can do or not do what appears in the moment, based on a deep intuition of what the Lord is calling for now. All too often we walk through life responding to the “latest and loudest” voice clamoring for our attention.

David Allen in his interesting book, Ready for Anything, emphasizes a few key points. We need to have some sys-tem where we have written down everything we need to do. These are called projects, anything that requires more than one step to accomplish. We also need a list of next

action steps, those things that can be accomplished in one action. These next actions can be grouped into categories that make life better organized. We might group togeth-er all the next actions which require a computer, or the phone, or when talking with my boss. Then, when we are at the phone or have a slice of free time, we will know what calls we might or might not make on the spot. All this helps us think less about what we need to do.

The brain is a fine instrument for creative thought but a poor container to remember all the outstanding commit-ments and projects that are ours. When projects and next actions are written down, and backed up, in some trusted system, we can allow the system to remember for us. For computer users, an external hard drive can serve as a trust-ed backup system. For those who prefer pen and paper (and this number is growing), a copy should be made of all that is written down. A backup is necessary because we must feel free from the possibility that we wrote down everything we need to do and that list got misplaced, or thrown out with the trash, or mauled by a well-meaning pet.

The idea is to free our mind from worry about commit-ments we have made with ourselves and others. Then we can use our brain for other things. If we try to keep our commitments in our head, like a computer with too much in the memory, the entire system slows down.

We need to take copious notes and be willing to process and organize these notes at least weekly so we have more freedom in the way we use our time.

To be free in the Lord requires that we are as free as we can be from internal baggage and preoccupation. David Allen calls this “Mind like water,” that is, a mind ready to receive the next pebble thrown in and naturally allow the ripples to move out.

To be continued

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Bible Creatures 1

St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church1415 Woodstock Ave.Anniston, AL 36207

Russian Orthodox priest blessing the waters on The Feast of the Theophany.