Christ God presents us with an opportunity today to consider how we’ve responded to His gracious and loving invitation to life with and in Him: Great are the distractions and temptations that we face in the world. They can smother the seed of faith that’s been planted in us; we can find ourselves on the ‘rocky soil’ or choked by the ‘weeds’ of worldly concerns and priorities. Tending our soul is a lot like tending a garden. Vigilance and patience is demanded of us. If we want to see our ‘garden’ flourish and bring forth a fruitful harvest, we make use of the tools that Christ has entrusted to us through His Church. A good gardener removes the rocks, the weeds, provides good soil, water, and all that his garden needs. So it is with our souls: we make use of the Sacrament of Confession so that we can invite the Master Gardener into our souls to tend it, remove from it the passions that would otherwise prevent our growth, healing, and salvation. We pray daily, we participate in the divine worship. We read the Scriptures. The life in Christ demands of us much patience, perseverance, humility and obedience. So, we examine our lives today to see what is lacking: have we lost our fervor for the faith? We pray for renewal. Have we allowed the cares of the world to preoccupy us? We ask God to help us prioritize once again the life only in Him. Have we withheld our gifts and talents from Him? We pray that God would help us to return to Him from our first fruits. Have we been indifferent to the needs of others and not spoken the truth in love? We ask God to give us opportunities to do so, eyes to see, and a heart to love as He loves. May we all grow to be as the good seed, yielding a crop a hundredfold. Our Lord Jesus Christ bless you! Fr. Robert+
THIS WEEK AT HOLY ARCHANGELS:
- Wed, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., St. John’s Boathouse (parking in Gym lot or on King George St.): Applied Orthodox Theology Discussion: This week: How has Orthodox Christianity kept the Apostolic Faith for 2,000 Years?
- Saturday, Oct. 25, 11-4 p.m., Centreville Day on the Eastern Shore. HELP NEEDED! Share the Orthodox Faith in Christ and Holy Archangels Church. Volunteers needed to help with set up and to share the faith. Meet at Lawyers Row and Courthouse Green at 9:30 a.m. RSVP to Fr. Robert if you are able to volunteer some time on Sat. for this Outreach.
- Sat, Oct.25, 6:30 p.m. No Great Vespers due to Centreville Day outreach. Please let Fr. Robert know ahead of Sunday if you’d like to have your confession heard before the Divine Liturgy.
- Sun, Oct. 26, 9:30 a.m., Matins followed by Divine Liturgy, Trapeza following
Mark Your Calendars!
- Fri-Sat., Nov. 7-8, HOLY ARCHANGELS PATRONAL FEAST.
- Friday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Great Vespers of the Feast with Litya followed by Crab Cake dinner, dessert, Georgian wine. Suggested donation: $25 and $15 each additional family member. Children under ten free. Folk Dancing, iconography presentation.
- Saturday, Nov. 8, 9:30 Hours, 10 a.m. Divine Liturgy followed by Feasting Trapeza.
September Financial Report: Holy Archangels received a total of $2018 in offerings in September ($1986 in August). $2500 was pledged. $18,538 was received in offerings from January thru September 2014. The budgeted amount based on pledges is $22,500. This leaves us a gap of over $4000 (a new high) to make up between now and Dec. to meet our expenses! Please stay current with your pledges/offerings, and consider increasing your offering and/or making a special one-time gift to help meet this deficit. Thank God for His provision and thank you for your faithful support, which ensures that our Mission can continue and grow! The Holy Archangels Mission Council
NEW 2015 Commitment Cards at the Entrance Table. Please take one and prayerfully consider what commitments of “Time, Talent, and Treasure” Christ God is calling YOU to commit to in 2015. We will offer our commitments to Christ together on Sunday, November 16 as we begin the Nativity Fast.
Prayer Requests:
- That God may grow our Mission “in spirit and in numbers…”
- For God’s financial provision for our Mission and ACM (Annapolis College Ministry);
- For our Mission that we may find a Choir Director;
- Departed servant of God, Simeon (grandfather of Ho Simeon); handmaidens of God Mary and Maria (Great Aunts of Fr. Robert)
- Metropolitan Isaiah of Georgia, Archpriest George, Priest John, Dcn. Basil, Rdr. John, Benedict, James, Daniel, Seraphim, Ed, Bede, Wanda, Peter, the Church in Georgia and Romania as they address the relativism of the West, speaking the truth in love, our suffering, persecuted Orthodox brethren in Iraq and Syria, a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine., for all those suffering from the Ebola epidemic and a speedy end to the disease.
Troparion (Prophet Joel) Tone 2
We celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Joel, O Lord;
through him we beseech Thee://Save our souls!
Troparion (Martyr Varus) Tone 4
Thy holy martyr Varus, O Lord,
through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God.
For having Thy strength, he laid low his adversaries
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.//Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Kontakion (Resurrection) Tone 2
Hell became afraid, O almighty Savior, // seeing the miracle of Thy Resurrection from the tomb!
The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with Thee,//
and the world, O my Savior, praises Thee forever.
Kontakion (Martyr Varus) Tone 4
Following Christ, O Martyr Varus, thou didst drank of His chalice;
thou didst receive the crown of martyrdom and now rejoicest with the Angels.//
Pray for our souls unceasingly!
