Sunday, December 3, 2023

Tone 1

26th Sunday after Pentecost (11th of Luke)

Prophet Zephaniah

Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

Commemorated on November 30

(OCA) The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). The future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Declaring Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian.

After the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. He went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands.

He stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” The apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. Having prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. From here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, and again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. The name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Orthodox Church of Ukaine.

On his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. In Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. The final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom.

The Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. The miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith.

Few pagans remained at Patra, but among them was the prefect of the city, Aegeatos. The Apostle Andrew repeatedly turned to him with the words of the Gospel. But even the miracles of the Apostle did not convince Aegeatos. The holy Apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, striving to reveal to him the Christian mystery of life eternal, through the wonderworking power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. The angry Aegeatos gave orders to crucify the apostle. The pagan thought he might undo Saint Andrew’s preaching if he were to put him to death on the cross.

Saint Andrew the First-Called accepted the decision of the prefect with joy and with prayer to the Lord, and went willingly to the place of execution. In order to prolong the suffering of the saint, Aegeatos gave orders not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. For two days the apostle taught the citizens who gathered about. The people, in listening to him, with all their souls pitied him and tried to take Saint Andrew down from the cross. Fearing a riot of the people, Aegeatos gave orders to stop the execution. But the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would grant him death on the cross. Just as the soldiers tried to take hold of the Apostle Andrew, they lost control of their hands. The crucified apostle, having given glory to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” Then a blazing ray of divine light illumined the cross and the martyr crucified upon it. When the light faded, the holy Apostle Andrew had already given up his holy soul to the Lord. Maximilla, the wife of the prefect, had the body of the saint taken down from the cross, and buried him with honor.

A few centuries later, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles beside the relics of the holy Evangelist Luke and Saint Paul’s disciple Saint Timothy.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Thank you, everyone, for submitting names for those you would like to have commemorated at Liturgy. You can do so either on the sheets by the candle tray in the back or online. Either click on the graphic above or go here. 

Thursday (11/30) is the Feast of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Vespers for the feast are at 5:30 PM (11/29) with Liturgy (11/30) at 7:00 AM.

The latest issue of the Ukrainian Orthodox Word is now available. 

The Akathist to our Lady, Queen of All will be served next Thursday (12/7) Please submit the names of those you'd like remembered here.

Please consider making a gift to support St Sophia Seminary (see below).

In Christ,

Fr Gregory

November issue of Ukrainian Orthodox Word

This Week at Ss Cyril & Methodius

Wednesday, November 29

• 1:00-5:00 PM: Office Hours/Confessions 
• 5:30 PM: Vespers (St Andrew the Apostle)
• TBD: OCF Meeting

Thursday, November 30 (St Andrew the Apostle)

• 7:00 AM: Divine Liturgy
• 12:00-1:30 PM: URW Meeting St Francis House

Saturday, December 2

• 3:30 PM: Catechumen Class
• 4:30 PM: Confessions
• 5:00 PM: Great Vespers
• 6:00 PM: Confessions

Sunday, December 3

• 9:00 AM: Hours & Precommunion Prayers
• 9:30 AM: Divine Liturgy

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, December 5

• 1:00-5:00 PM: Office Hours/Confessions 
• 5:30 PM: Vespers (St Nicholas)

Wednesday, December 6 (St Nicholas)

• 7:00 AM: Divine Liturgy
• 11:00 AM-3:00 PM: Office Hours/Confessions [canceled]

Thursday, December 7

• 1:00-5:00 PM: Office Hours/Confessions
• 5:30 PM: Akathist to the Queen of All (submit names here)
• TBD: OCF Meeting

Friday, December 8

• 5:30 PM: Vespers (Conception of St Anne)

Saturday, December 9 (Conception of St Anne)

• 9:00 AM: Hours & Precommunion Prayers
• 9:30 AM: Divine Liturgy
• 3:30 PM: Catechumen Class
• 4:30 PM: Confessions
• 5:00 PM: Great Vespers
• 6:00 PM: Confessions

Sunday, December 10

• 9:00 AM: Hours & Precommunion Prayers
• 9:30 AM: Divine Liturgy

Hymns After the Small Entrance

Tone 1 Troparion (Resurrection)

When the stone had been sealed by the Jews, while the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body, Thou didst rise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. The powers of heaven therefore cried to Thee, O Giver of Life: “Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to Thy Kingdom!//Glory to Thy dispensation, O Thou Who lovest mankind!”

Tone 4 Troparion (Ss Cyril & Methodius)

Divinely-wise Cyril and Methodius, / equals-to-the-apostles and teachers of the Slavs, / entreat the Master of all / to strengthen all nations in Orthodoxy and unity of mind, / to grant peace to the world and to save our souls.

Tone 2 Troparion (Prophet Zephaniah)

We celebrate the memory of Thy prophet Zephaniah, O Lord; through him we beseech Thee://“Save our souls!”

Tone 1 Kontakion (Resurrection)

As God, Thou didst rise from the tomb in glory, raising the world with Thyself. Human nature praises Thee as God, for death has vanished. Adam exults, O Master! Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage and cries to Thee://“Thou art the Giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!”

Tone 3 Kontakion (Ss Cyril & Methodius)

Let us honor the sacred pair, who translated divine scripture / pouring forth a fountain of divine knowledge from which we still draw today. / Now as you stand before the throne of the Most-high / we call you blessed, Cyril and Methodius, / as you fervently pray for our souls. 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, 

Tone 4 Kontakion (Prophet Zephaniah)

Thou hast been revealed by the Spirit of God to be brilliant, O Prophet Zephaniah, for thou didst proclaim the coming of God: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Proclaim Him, O Jerusalem!// Behold, your King is coming to save mankind!” 

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. 

Tone 6 Theotokion

O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the Creator most constant, O despise not the suppliant voices of those who have sinned; but be thou quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession, and speed thou to make supplication, thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.

Epistle: Ephesians 5:9-19

Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord

Gospel: Luke 18:18-27 

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

By the age of 25, about 60% of those baptized as infants will no longer consider themselves members of the Orthodox Church. A parish on a university campus is an important witness not only to the surrounding community but also to high school age and younger parishioner. Establishing a parish on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison helps remind young people that graduating high school doesn't mean "graduating" from the Church. Please consider joining those who have committed their time, treasure and talent in establishing an Orthodox community on the Isthmus. Help us reach your children and grandchildren with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.