HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
FATHER PAUL C. BEBIS
SUNDAY, MAY 25TH, 2008
ALTAR BOYS: CAPTAIN, GREG KAPLANIS, PANTELIS KAPLANIS, TRIANDAPHILLOS KAPLANIS, DEMETRIOS KAPLANIS, AND FRANK MAKRIDAKIS.
EPISTLE READING: 2 CORINTHIANS, 4: 6-15.
GOSPEL READING: ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, 4: 5-42.
COMMEMORATION:THE THIRD FINDING OF THE PRECIOUS HEAD OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.
CHRISTOS ANESTI!
O Lord, save your Your people and bless your inheritance.
To you, O Lord, have I cried, O my God.
The reading is from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.
Brethren, it is God who said, “let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the Body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we too believed, and so we speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Last Wednesday, our Church observed the Feast of Mid-Pentecost, which is twenty-five days after Easter and 25 days before Holy Pentecost. This Feast of the half way point towards the great Feast of Holy Pentecost reminds us of the Feast of Pentecost celebrated by the Israelites in ancient Israel when they drew water from the Pool of Siloam, which they poured over the place of sacrifices to God in the Temple. Today, the Sunday after the Feast of Mid-Pentecost, our Church reads the text from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of St. John which relates to us the famous dialogue between Christ and the Samaritan Woman which took place when our Lord was passing Samaria, the region to the north, located between the regions of Judea and Galilee. As He was going through Samaria, Christ stopped at a city called Sychar, located near to the plot of ground given by Jacob to his son Joseph. In this area was also Jacob’s well. Due to the fact that Christ was tired from His journey, He sat by the well. When a Samaritan Woman came to the well to draw water, Christ asked her to give Him a drink of water to satisfy His thirst, showing His human nature. As the disciples of our Lord went away to buy food in the city for their group, the dialogue between our Lord and the Samaritan Woman takes place. The entire discussion is one of the most important and beautiful texts of the Holy Bible. Christ declares to the Samaritan Woman that “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give Him will never thirst, but the water that I shall give Him will become in Him a fountain of water springing up into Everlasting Life.” The term “Living Water” simply means fresh, cool, flowing water derived from a spring rather than water from a still cistern or a pond. Spiritually living water carries the symbolism and significance that the Living Water is true life derived from God, who after all is the spring and the fountain of life. Our Lord in His discussion with the Samaritan Woman defines the nature of God declaring that God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth. Christ tells us that God possesses a spiritual nature and as such cannot be confined to a particular geographic area or location, thus, He must be worshipped everywhere. This sentence of our Lord that “God is Spirit” is so important that St. John Chrysostom wrote five long sermons interpreting it’s meaning and St. Cyril of Alexandria has written works which complete an entire volume of Patristic writing.
Announcements
There is Sunday School today after Holy Communion.
Memorial Day: Father Paul will be at the Lindenwood Cemetery from 8:00AM to 11:00AM tomorrow. Father Paul will then go to Greenlawn Memorial Park from 11:30AM to 1:00PM to read the Memorial Prayers over the graves of our departed relatives, communicants, and friends.
Sunday School Graduation next Sunday, June 1st, 2008 after Divine Liturgy. Make sure you bring your children.
Ahepa Dinner: next Sunday after Divine Liturgy will be our Annual Scholarship Presentation Dinner, and Ahepa will be honoring and recognizing our Parish’s High School and College graduates. During that event, Ahepa will be presenting the graduates with certificates of accomplishment and Holy Bibles and will be providing them complementary dinners. If you are graduating or if you know of anyone graduating this year, please submit the graduate’s name to Ahepa, (Contact Themis Gountras at 485-7089). Six names of graduates have already been submitted to Ahepa, but there might be more students graduating. Ahepa doesn’t want to omit any graduate from this great event.
The Raffle Tickets for this year’s festival have arrived. The tickets are $1.00 a piece and the Grand Prize is $1.000 of Free Gas from Lassus Brothers. Because of the High Gas Prices, these tickets should be easily sold!!! We ask that each member of the Church sells at least 20 tickets each. Call Nikos or Paula Nakos for tickets at 637-8989.
Orthodox Missions Coin Boxes: If you have your IOCC Coin Boxes, please give them to Father Paul or Sunday School Director Stacy Raptis.
Stewardship: Please fill out your “Stewardship Cards.” Your contribution is important!
Dove News: We need your June Dove News by this Wednesday afternoon. Thank you!
Purchase your “Scrip” cards after church today.
Philoptochos Dues: if you would like to give your Philoptochos Dues, see Eva Collis.
Dance Troupes: the E. Meraklides, every Thursday at 7:00PM, and every Saturday at 2:00PM.
The Coffee Hour is sponsored today by Kosmas and Thomai Sistevaris of Fort Wayne. May God Bless you!
Today’s Prosphora was prepared today by Thomai Sistevaris. Thank you Thomai.
