St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church

 

Sunday Bulletin – October 2^nd, 2011 A.D.

 

 

 

 

Relics of St. Cyprian the Hieromartyr & St. Justina the Virgin, whose Feast Day is today!

May their blessings be with us all. Amen.

(Read the “Synaxarion” in this Bulletin for details about their blessed lives)

 

Church Address: 80 de Castelnau Est, Montreal, QC, H2R 1P2 – Office: 514-270-9788; Fax: 514-270-6424;

Hall: 514-276-3102; Pastoral Emergency: 514-926-7875 - www.stnicholasmtl.org/office@stnicholasmtl.org

+ Fr. Mark-Arsenios Wyatt (Pastor)

 

+ The Holy Epistle (2 Corinthians 6-1-10) +

Brethren, working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.  For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.”  Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:  through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute.  We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

يا إخوةُ بما أنَّا معاوِنونَ نطلُبُ إليكُم أن لا تَقبَلُوا نعمَةَ اللهِ في الباطِل* لأنَّهُ يقولُ إنِّي في وقتٍ مقبولٍ استجبْتُ لَكَ وفي يومِ خلاصٍ أعَنْتُكَ. فهوذا الآنَ وقْتٌ مقبولٌ. هوَذَا الآنَ يومُ خلاصٍ* ولَسْنَا نأتِي بِمَعثَرَةٍ في شيءٍ لئلاّ يلحقَ الخدمَةَ عيْبٌ* بَلْ نُظْهِرُ في كلِّ شيءٍ أنفسَنا كخدَّامِ اللهِ في صَبْرٍ كثيرٍ في شدائِدَ في ضروراتٍ في ضيقاتٍ* في جَلَداتٍ في سجونٍ في اضطراباتٍ في أتعابٍ في أسهارٍ في أصوامٍ* في طهارةٍ في معرفةٍ في طولِ أناةٍ في رِفْقٍ في الروحِ القُدُسِ في محبةٍ بلا رياءٍ* في كلمةِ الحقِّ في قُوَّة اللهِ بأسلِحَةِ البِرِّ عن اليمينِ وعن اليسار* بِمَجْدٍ وهوانٍ، بسوءِ صِيتٍ وحُسْنِهِ* كأَنّا مُضِلُّونَ ونحنُ صادِقُون، كأنّا مجهولونَ ونحن مَعروفون، كأنّا مائِتُونَ وها نحن أحياءٌ، كأنّا مؤَدَّبُونَ ولا نُقتَلُ* كأنّا حزانٌ ونحنُ دائماً فرِحُون، كأنّا فقراءُ ونحنُ نُغْني كثيرين، كأنّا لا شيءَ لنا ونحنُ نملِكُ كُلَّ شيءٍ

+ The Holy Gospel (St. Luke 6:31-36) +

The Lord said, “As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.  If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

قالَ الربُّ كما تريدونَ أن يفعَلَ الناسُ بِكُم كَذَلِكَ افعلوا أنتُم بِهِم* فَإنَّكُم إنْ أحبَبتُم الذينَ يُحِبُونَكُم فَأيَّةُ مِنَّةٍ لكُم. فَإنَّ الخطأةَ أيضاً يُحِبُونَ الذينَ يُحِبوُنَهُم* وإذا أحسَنتُم إلى الذينَ يُحسِنُونَ إليكُم فأيَّةُ مِنَّةٍ لكم. فإنَّ الخطأةَ أيضاً هكذا يَصنَعونَ* وإنَّ أقرضتُمُ الذينَ تَرجُونَ أن تَستَوفُوا مِنهُم فأيَّةُ مِنَّةٍ لكُم. فإنَّ الخطأةَ أيضاً يُقرِضُونَ الخطأةَ لكي يَستَوفوا مِنهُمُ المِثلَ* ولكِنْ أحِبُّوا أعداءَكُم وأحسِنوا وأَقرِضوا غيرَ مُؤَمِّلينَ شيئاً فيكونَ أجرُكم كثيراً وتكونُوا بني العَليِّ. فَإنَّهُ مُنعِمٌ على غيرِ الشاكرينَ والأشرار* فكونوا رُحمَاءَ كما أنَّ أباكُم هُوَ رَحِيمٌ.

 

Synaxarion – Today in the Holy Orthodox Church we commemorate the Holy Hieromartyr St. Cyprian and St. Justina the Virgin. St. Cyprian moved from Carthage to Antioch, where St. Justina lived with her idolatrous parents, Edesius and Cleodonia. St. Justina came to know the true Faith, brought both her father and mother to Christ the Lord and all three were baptized by the Bishop, Optatus. St. Cyprian was a magician prior to his conversion, and had links with unclean spirits and powers of divination. A dissolute youth Aglaidas, a pagan, tried to lead St. Justina astray, and, when the Holy Maiden firmly rejected him, sought Cyprian’s help. Cyprian invoked evil spirits, one after the other, on St. Justina, but they were totally unsuccessful. St. Justina, with the sign of the Cross and prayer to God, drove out the evil spirits. Then St. Cyprian came to know the power of the Cross, and was himself baptized, in time becoming Priest and Bishop. The pagans seized both him and St. Justina, and they were sent for trial to Damascus, and then tortured and beheaded in Nicomedia at the end of the third century. By their intercessions, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen.

 

v    Meditation: “People who walk with Integrity walk Securely!”

(By: Purpose Driven Connection)

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)

People with integrity live by fairness, even when fairness puts them at a disadvantage or causes them significant difficulty. They fight fair even when those around them do not. People of integrity consider their word their bond, allowing their “yes” to mean “yes” and their “no” to mean “no.” People of integrity are authentic and transparent; they act the same, no matter who is present. Their lives are “what you see is what you get.” People of integrity are straightforward in their conduct. They don’t hide what they’re doing, and they don't say one thing and do another. They are people “in whose spirit is no deceit” (Psalm 32:2). People with integrity explain the facts in an even-handed manner, not in a way that makes them look better than the other person. They are respectful, helpful and gracious to everyone and anyone. People of integrity go the extra mile with a smile. They do more than is required of them. People of integrity are not afraid to ask for help. They’re not afraid to let God be their strength. They’re able to handle tough situations, knowing God is at work in them. People of integrity focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,” anything at all that is excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

 

 

 

 

v    Meditation: “Being Mistaken as a Servant!”

(By: Purpose Driven Connection)

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17–19)

Jesus didn’t care if someone mistook him for a servant, and that’s why he was comfortable grabbing the towel instead of the spotlight. Can you see how much trust Jesus had in the Father, that he would lay down all of his privileges in order to pick up the towel and bowl of a servant? What we see in Jesus is what God wants in us: someone who fully grasps the magnitude of God’s love, allowing the length, width, depth and height of his love to seep into our deepest parts. His love scrubs away our insecurities, and it gives us that fresh-scented energy and grace to serve others with the same passion that Jesus has to serve us (Ephesians 3:18–19). The more you become like Jesus, the more you will passionately serve others. And that means they may mistake you for the “help.” Don’t let that bother you, because if you get down on your knees, say, to clean up a spill, you’ll find Jesus is already there with a wink, a smile and a towel. You’ll find him pleased that you are as passionate to serve others as he is to serve you. By passionately serving others, God will ignite the power in you to grasp the width, length, height and depth of his love for you and for those you serve. Ask God to show you specific ways you can serve others, starting today.

 

 

 

* Announcements *

v   Every Saturday: Great Vespers at 5:00 p.m.

v   Every Sunday: Orthros at 9:30 a.m. & Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.

v   Confession: in the Church and by appointment only.

v   Church Bookstore - open after all Church Services & upon request. (See Fr. Mark).

Ø    A big thank you from Fr. Mark & Family to all those who organized, attended, supplied the food and offered gifts for the Baby Shower last Sunday. Thank you & God bless you all!

Ø    A big thank you to Olga Assaly & Marie Azakie for chairing another amazing Bazaar! We thank God for the wonderful weather that weekend compared to the rainy week days! We would also like to thank ALL Volunteers who worked inside with the goods & outside with the food & who helped prepare everything. The total collected for the Church was: $30,029.18. Excellent job!

Ø    Olga Assaly & Marie Azakie would like to thank ALL of the Volunteers who helped in all areas of the Bazaar, including those who worked hard with the BBQ & food outside. This was the best Bazaar so far and we could not have done it without everyone’s help! Everyone’s help was much appreciated and we hope that nobody felt left out. We look forward to your support next year! Thank you once again!

Ø    2^nd Tray today – See enclosed letter from the Archdiocese for more information.

Thank you to those who donated last Sunday, we gathered $241.00 of the $600.00 that we need to send to the Archdiocese. Please be generous!

Ø    Corn Roast hosted by the Sunday School: Today following the Divine Liturgy.

Ø    Note: Fr. Mark will be away at the Annual Clergy Retreat for the Diocese next week. For emergencies you can still call his cell (514-926-7875), for anything else please call the Office.

Ø    Parish Council Meeting: October 3^rd at 7:00 p.m.

Ø    Antiochian Women Meeting: October 4^th at 7:15 p.m.

Ø    Sunday School Meeting: October 13^th at 7:00 p.m.

Ø    Children’s Wii Bowling Tournament: October 16^th after the Divine Liturgy.

Ø    Annual Turkey Lunch: October 30^th after the Divine Liturgy. Note: the Parish Council will also at the lunch be honoring Mr. Lorne Zakaib, who recently resigned from the Parish Council due to personal reasons. We thank Lorne for all he has done for us, and continues to do. (For tickets please contact Sylvia Mefrige 514-344-0550).

Ø    Teen SOYO Pizza Party: November 6^th after the Divine Liturgy

Ø    We give our condolences to Emy Matouk (& Family) on the repose of her mother Nelly Boutari Habib. The funeral was at St. George Church last Monday and Fr. Mark was in attendance. Memory eternal!

Ø    We wish to thank Myriam Zakaib for delivering her wonderful Oratorical presentation last Sunday after the Divine Liturgy. Great job! A copy of her presentation is enclosed in this bulletin.

Ø    The Cedars Home (CHSLD) needs a full-time Social Worker with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work; is a member of the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux du Québec; must speak English, French & Arabic. Please consult www.centrelescedres.ca (Job Postings) or call 514-389-1023 to apply or for more information.

 

 

 

Today’s Holy Oblation is offered for the Good Health of:

 

Elie Abboud (Rita), Howard Abboud (Kimberly, Anthony, Kenneth, Norman), Therese Abboud (Eugenie), Tony Abboud (Louise), Andrew Abdalla (Marie, Rachel, Patrick), William Abdalla (Virginia), Chucrallah Abdallah (Claire), Gordon Abdelhay, Gregory Abdelhay (Wendy, Jodi, Sean), Sandra Abdelhay, Elias Abou Assaleh, Fadi Abou Assaleh, Jamal Abou Assaleh, Kamil Abou Assaleh, (Diane, Moussa, Nicolas), Mounir Abou Assaleh, (Jean, Kimberley, Amber), Nasser Abou Assaleh (Pamela, Kiara), Rosa Abou Assaleh, Youssef Abou Assaleh (Najat, Lucy, Rosine, Christine), Zouhier Abou Assaleh, Michel Abou Assaly (Helene, Gabriel, Robert), Georgette Abouassali (Jamil, Peter),  Daher Abouassaly (Salwa, Robert),  Fouad Abouassaly (Amal, Marcel, George, Marlene), René Abouassaly (Amanda), Rima Abouassaly, Rola Abouassaly, Nahia Aboud, Robert Aboud (Ingrid, Genevieve, Naomi, Kayla, Caitlin), Ronald Aboud, Fares Abras(Madona, Michel, Roy), Albert Absi (Mouna , George, Claudia),  Joseph Al Haddad (Huda, Nawal, Christine), Hassan Al Saba (Majd, Tami), Gordon Anber (Carole, Lydia), Fr. Andrew Anderson (Karen, Justina, Mary-Eve), Steve Arless (Lina, Dustin, Anne-Michelle), Ron Assaf (Lyse), Pierre Assali (Melissa, Tristan), Alice Assaly, Doreen Assaly (Norma Saad), Gloria Assaly, Joanne Assaly, John Assaly (Julie), Kim-Marie Assaly (Eric, Jacqueline), Leona Assaly, Leonard Assaly (Olga, Andrew, Laurie, Jeremy), Lisa Cappadocia Assaly (Allesandro, Nicole, Jason), Nancy Assaly, Rudy Assaly (Elaine), Thomas Assaly (Jacqueline, Tiffany, Krystal), Maureen Assi (Nehman, Joseph, Lauren, Tina)

 

Today’s Tray Collectors

As October is Teen SOYO Month, Members of the Teen SOYO will be assisting the Parish Council with collecting the Offering Trays today.

 

Today’s Ushers

As October is Teen SOYO Month, Members of the Teen SOYO will be assisting the Parish Council with ushering and assisting in the Narthex.

 

Today’s Epistle Reading: Myriam Zakaib (Teen SOYO President)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oratorical Presentation by Myriam Zakaib

Recited at the 2011 PLC in Mississauga & at St. Nicholas Church last Sunday

 

I will never forget growing up within our Church community. Every Sunday as a child, our priest called up all the children present to come and sit at the bottom of the steps in front of the altar. He would discuss with us that Sunday’s gospel reading in a way that we could understand and apply to our daily lives by giving us examples that we could relate to, even as younger parishioners. Your Grace Bishop ALEXANDER, Reverend Clergy, Distinguished Judges, Fellow Orators, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are here today to acknowledge what our clergy have done for us, as this year’s Parish Life Conference theme from The Anaphora of Basil says “Be mindful, O Lord of the priesthood, the diaconate and every priestly rank...”

 

How can I even begin to list all the times we need a member of the priesthood? We call them for all occasions like weddings, baptisms, confession and someone’s falling asleep in the Lord. Not only this, but our clergy are always out of the house visiting us in the hospital, are always praying for us, are blessing our homes, and are taking care of everything that needs to be done. Not once have I heard a complaint.  It is truly their calling. We all know that no one just wakes up one day and is all of a sudden a doctor, just like we know that none of our clergy fathers were ordained out of nowhere.  Their spiritual fathers helped them along their own spiritual path, and now they are trying to do the same for us. Saint John Chrysostom himself wrote about priests “We have to accomplish the salvation of men by word, meekness and exhortation.”  That is why when our bishop, or our priest or deacon advises us about something, or makes a change in the Church that we’re unfamiliar with; we should trust him because he knows what he is doing. It is important to listen to the clergy’s advice and be thankful for it. In Philippians 2:3-5 we read, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” I truly believe this is what our clergy do. They always put themselves second to the needs of others. For this we should thank them.  We should also thank the clergy wives who are a support to their husbands as they minister to us.

 

Our relationships with our priests can be compared to that of the Good Samaritan’s and the injured man, as described in Luke 10:25-37. I won’t repeat the entire story, but the main point is that after a man was robbed, beaten and stripped of his clothes, and after being ignored by two other people who saw him lying in a ditch, the third person who found him took pity and helped him. This is what our priests do for us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: they help us, they don’t just walk away. They make sure that we are completely healed after any traumatizing event.

 

There was a time, when I was younger, that I was scared of ghosts and spirits. My priest helped me understand that God always wins. He did everything to make me feel safe, and show me that God is greater than all. Just like in the book of Matthew 17:19-21,  “ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”, this experience, with the help and guidance of my priest, helped me realize that nothing can scare me or stop me with the help and love of God, especially through prayers and fasting. Sometimes our priests are the ones who are in need of our help and support. This is our time to help them out. It is our turn to be the Good Samaritans. After all, we all need help one way or another.  As parishioners, we should try to be a bit more understanding when or if our priest makes a mistake – not purposely of course but they are only human. We should come together and learn from our mistakes rather than blame the priest and start rumors about him. . “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:24-25). We can respectfully ask our priest “Why?” and try to understand why things are being done in a certain way, and not another. I can guarantee you one hundred percent there is a logical explanation that comes along.

 

In conclusion, it is important to always remember and thank the clergy because the truth is, without them, the Church would fall apart. There’s always a specific reason why Christ lets a man be ordained: for his and our own good.  That is why it is important to respect the clergy for what they do and try to do for us. I myself take this opportunity to say thank you to our wonderful clergy and thank you for your attention.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to our 2011 Church Bulletin Sponsor:

TRAVELWAY GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC – THE SHADEED FAMILY

Our Bulletins are designed and printed at our Church Office. Please take your copy home with you!