Liturgy Intentions

September 29, 2013

Frank Milewski - 40 Day

PH&S Izabel Dos Santos on the occasion of her

baptism

October 6, 2013

Deceased members of the Shehadi and Barron

Families—Marie Barron

Frank Milewski

E-Mail: scrantonmelkite@yahoo.com Web: http://melkitescranton.org Webmaster: Sal Zaydon

September 29, 2013

Tone 2 and Orthros Gospel 8 2nd Sunday After the Holy Cross

Liturgy Schedule: Saturday Vespers 5 pm Compline Weds 8:30PM

Sunday Orthros 8:55 am Sunday Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Holy Confession—after Vespers and Compline

Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church 130 North Saint Francis Cabrini Avenue

Scranton, PA 18504

Rev. Father Michael Jolly— Pastor 570-213-9344 Reader Michael Simon Reader John Fitzgerald

Parish Office 570-343-6092

Parish Notes:

Parish Council Election next week … Nominations accepted at today’s Liturgy.

Starting October 5, the Divine Liturgy will be served with Vespers on Saturday evenings at 5PM

THE BISHOP’S APPEAL begins today in every church of the Eparchy. The funds generated by this annual appeal are essential for meeting the needs of our Melkite Church in America and for its future growth. This year, a tithe (10%) of all appeal donations will be sent to our Patriarchate for relief of our suffering brothers and sisters in war-ravaged Syria. When you receive your personal appeal letter from Bishop Nicholas in the mail please be as generous as you possibly can be.

Religious Education Begins NEXT SUNDAY

The Qurban consecrated at this morning’s liturgy was baked by Mary Clark.

Today’s cover icon

\The Lord approached the village of Nain,

and raised up the son of the widow who was

grieved.

And so the King of Glory, who rules the sun and

stars,

summons to life the lifeless one.

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom Antiphons:

First Antiphon Through the prayers of the Mother of God Tone 2 Pg. 11

Second Antiphon O Son of God, who are risen from the dead Tone 2 Pg. 11 Hymn of incarnation Tone 4 Pg. 13 Third Antiphon Resurrectional Troparion Tone 2 Pg. 16

Hymns: Resurrectional Troparion Tone 2 Pg 16 Cyriakos Tone 1

You appeared as a citizen of the wilderness, an angel in the flesh and a wonderworker,

our God inspired father, Cyriakos. By fasting vigils and prayer, you received heavenly

gifts. You cure the sick and the souls of those who run to you in faith. Glory to Him

who gave you this power; Glory to Him who crowned you; Glory to Him who through

you performs healings for all.

Saint Joseph Tone 2 Pg 20 Kontakion Tone 4 Pg 21

Prokiemenon (Tone 2) Ps.117: 14,18 My strength and my courage is the Lord, and He has been my Savior.

Stichon: The Lord has chastised me through His teaching, yet He has not delivered me to death.

Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians 11:31-33 & 12:1-9, Brethren, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, Who is blessed forever, knows that I do not lie. In

Damascus, the Governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest

me, but I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped his hands.

(12: 1) It is not fitting for me to boast: but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a

man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not

know: God knows) was caught up into paradise and heard secret sayings that man may not repeat. Of

such a man I will boast; but of myself I will glory in nothing except my weaknesses. For if I do wish to

boast, I shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I give up, lest any man have an idea of

me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me. And lest the greatness of the revelation puff me up,

there was given to me a thorn for the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. Concerning this, I begged

the Lord three times that it might leave me, but He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for strength

is made perfect in weakness.” Gladly, then, will I glory in my weaknesses, that the strength of Christ may

dwell in me.

Alleluia (Tone 2) Ps.19:1,10 The Lord shall hear you on the day of distress; the name of the God of Jacob shall defend you.

Stichon: O Lord, save Your king and listen to us on whatever day we call upon You.

The Holy Gospel According to St .Luke 6:31-36, The Lord said, “Even as you wish men to do to you, so also do you to them. And if you love those who

love you, what merit have you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those

who do good to you, what merit have you? For even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom

you hope to receive in return, what merit have you? For even sinners lend to sinners that they may get

back as much in return. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, not hoping for any return, and

your reward shall be great, and you shall be children of the Most High, for He is kind towards the

ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, therefore, even as your Father is merciful.”

APART FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT texts themselves,

there are few historically verifiable references to the

lives of the holy Apostles. We know most about those

whose writings are found in the Scriptures: St. Paul, St.

Peter, and St. John, whose dormition (peaceful repose)

Byzantine Churches remember on September 26.

The Gospels tell us that John and his brother James

were the sons of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman, and

disciples of John the Baptist. Along with Peter and

Andrew, they were among the first whom Jesus called

to follow him and become “fishers of men” (Mt 4:19,

Mk 1:17). Their mother, Salome, would become one of

the myrrh-bearers, the women who attended to the needs

of Christ and His disciples.

James and John would form, along with Peter, the

innermost circle of Christ’s followers. It was they who

were privileged to witness His transfiguration on Mount

Tabor and to pray with Him in Gethsemane before His

arrest. In addition John is referred to as “the disciple

whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23, 19:26, 21:7), the one who

leaned on the Lord’s chest at the Supper. He was

perhaps the youngest of the twelve and the one for

whom the Lord had a special affection. Since Christ’s

own step-brother, James the son of Joseph, would not be

one of His disciples until after the Resurrection, it was

to John that the Lord entrusted the care of His holy

Mother as He hung dying on the cross (see Jn 19:26).

Finally, we see that John was Peter’s companion in

exploring the empty tomb of Christ (Jn 20:1-10). The

Acts of the Apostles tell us that, after Pentecost, John

accompanied Peter in his ministry in Jerusalem and the

surrounding region. Along with Peter and his brother,

James, John is one of the “pillars” of the Jerusalem

community whom Paul visits in the holy city (See Gal

2:9). After that John disappears as a character in the

Scriptural narrative and we must turn elsewhere to learn

about him.

John in Asia Minor

St Irenaeus of Lyons, who died in 202, tells us that John

wrote his Gospel in Ephesus. His source for this is the

hieromartyr St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (+156) who

was himself a disciple of John in his youth. At some

point – perhaps after the death of the Theotokos or that

of his brother James – John left Jerusalem and

ministered among the Christians in Ephesus, one of the

largest cities in the Mediterranean world at the time.

John lived longer than any other of the disciples and

people came to believe that he would not die before the

Lord’s return in glory. Finally, of course, he did repose;

according to St Polycarp, it was during the reign of the

Emperor Trajan (98-117). It may be that the last chapter

of John’s Gospel was added in light of his passing.

There we read that “Peter, turning around, saw the

disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had

leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, ‘Lord, who

is the one who betrays You?’ Peter, seeing him, said to

Jesus, ‘But Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to

him, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to

you? You follow Me.’ Then this saying went out among

the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus

did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If I will

that he remain till I come, what is that to you?’(Jn 21:18

-23). Then the author of this chapter – perhaps John’s

disciple Prochoros, who assisted John in his writing –

adds, “This is the disciple who testifies of these things,

and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony

is true” (v. 24).

John died peacefully at Ephesus – the only one of the

Twelve not martyred – and was buried outside the city.

The sixth century chronicler Procopius of Caesarea

wrote that “On that site the natives had set up a church

in early times to the Apostle John… This church, which

was small and in a ruined condition because of its great

age, the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and

replaced by a church so large and beautiful, that, to

speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects,

and is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the

Apostles in the imperial city…” (The Buildings of

Justinian, 5).

John as Theologian

When Procopius described the burial place of St John he

noted that “this Apostle has been named ‘the

Theologian,’ because the nature of God was described

by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man.”

John’s emphases on Christ as the eternal Word of God,

on the Holy Spirit as the living water energizing the

believer and on the Lord as the Bread of life are just a

few of the aspects of John which prompted Clement of

Alexandria to call it the most spiritual of the Gospels.

As Origen would write, “I daresay that the first-fruits of

all the Scriptures are the Gospels and the first-fruits of

the Gospels is the Gospel handed on by John. No one

can grasp its meaning without reclining on Jesus’ breast

and receiving Mary from Jesus to become his own

mother” (On John 1, 4). Writing in the eleventh century

Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid summed up the

Church’s esteem for John’s Gospel, saying that it is

“the beginning of theology.”

Only two other figures would be accorded a similar

title in the Byzantine Churches: St Gregory the

Theologian in the fourth century and St Symeon the

New Theologian in the eleventh. Gregory’s

reflections on the Holy Trinity and Symeon’s on the

Holy Spirit spoke to the Church as coming from a

deep familiarity with the mystery of God which was

manifested in their writings.

Other Johannine Writings

The author of the Book of Revelation says that he

had been exiled to the largely barren island of

Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony

of Jesus” (Rev 1:9). The early second century

writer, St Justin the Philosopher, was the first to

equate the author of Revelation with John the

Apostle (Dialogue with Trypho, 81.4). John, it came

to be said, was exiled from Ephesus along with his

companion Prochorus in the reign of the Emperor

Domitian (81-96) and was allowed to return only

after Domitian was assassinated. In many editions

of the New Testament the book came to be

identified as “The Revelation to St John the

Theologian” (or, in older English usage, St. John

the Divine).

Yet this identification did not pass unchallenged in

the East. St Dionysius the Great, Pope and Patriarch

of Alexandria from 248-265, argued that the style

of Revelation is too different from that of the fourth

Gospel to have been composed by the same man.

Some contemporary scholars agree that it is

“doubtful that the book could have been put into its

present form by the same person(s) responsible for

the fourth gospel” (Introduction, St Joseph Edition,

New American Bible).

By and large, however, East and West accepted that

Revelation was given to John the Apostle. A

monastery dedicated to the ‘beloved disciple’ was

founded on Patmos in the late tenth century and it

has been a place of pilgrimage ever since.

It is generally recognized that the First Epistle of

John emphasized themes from the Gospel and could

have been written by the same hand. The same is

not true of 2 and 3 John. Around AD 600, St

Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, noted that “two

epistles bearing his name ... are considered by some

to be the work of a certain John the Presbyter,”

perhaps another of the Theologian’s disciples in the

Church at Ephesus.

September 26

Dormition of St John the Theologian

The Disciple

Whom Jesus

Loved

Saint Cyriacus was born at Corinth to the priest John and

his wife Eudokia. Bishop Peter of Corinth, who was a

relative, seeing that Cyriacus was growing up as a quiet and

sensible child, made him a reader in church. Constant

reading of the Holy Scriptures awakened in him a love for

the Lord and of a yearning for a pure and saintly life.

Once, when the youth was not yet eighteen years old, he

was deeply moved during a church service by the words of

the Gospel: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny

himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24).

He believed these words applied to him, so he went right to

the harbor without stopping at home, got onto a ship and

went to Jerusalem.

After visiting the holy places, Cyriacus dwelt for several

months at a monastery not far from Sion in obedience to the

igumen Abba Eustorgius. With his blessing, he made his

way to the wilderness Lavra of St Euthymius the Great

(January 20). St Euthymius, discerning in the youth great

gifts of God, tonsured him into the monastic schema and

placed him under the guidance of St Gerasimus (March 4),

pursuing asceticism at the Jordan in the monastery of St

Theoctistus.

St Gerasimus, seeing the youthfulness of Cyriacus, ordered

him to live in the community with the brethren. The young

monk easily accomplished the monastic obediences: he

prayed fervently, he slept little, he ate food only every other

day, nourishing himself with bread and water.

During Great Lent it was the custom of St Gerasimus to go

into the Rouva wilderness, returning to the monastery only

on Palm Sunday. Seeing Cyriacus’ strict abstinence, he

decided to take him with him. In complete solitude the

ascetics redoubled their efforts. Each Sunday St Gerasimus

imparted the Holy Mysteries to his disciple.

After the death of St Gerasimus, the twenty-seven-year-old

Cyriacus returned to the Lavra of St Euthymius, but he was

no longer among the living. St Cyriacus asked for a solitary

cell and there he pursued asceticism in silence,

communicating only with the monk Thomas. But soon

Thomas was sent to Alexandria where he was consecrated

bishop, and St Cyriacus spent ten years in total silence. At

37 years of age he was ordained to the diaconate.

When a split occurred between the monasteries of St

Euthymius and St Theoctistus, St Cyriacus withdrew to the

Souka monastery of St Chariton (September 28). At this

monastery they received even tonsured monks as novices,

and so was St Cyriacus received. He toiled humbly at the

regular monastic obediences. After several years, St

Cyriacus was ordained priest and chosen canonarch and did

this obedience for eighteen years. St Cyriacus spent thirty

years at the monastery of St Chariton.

Strict fasting and total lack of evil distinguished St Cyriacus

even among the ascetics of the Lavra. In his cell each night

he read the Psalter, interrupting the reading only to go to

church at midnight. The ascetic slept very little. When the

monk reached seventy years of age, he went to the Natoufa

wilderness taking with him his disciple John.

In the desert the hermits fed themselves only with bitter

herbs, which through the prayer of St Cyriacus was

rendered edible. After five years one of the inhabitants

found out about the ascetics and brought to them his demon

-possessed son, and St Cyriacus healed him. From that time

many people began to approach the monk with their needs,

Devotions and Readings for this week Mon Sept 30

Hieromartyr Gregory, Bp of Armenia Phil 2:12-16 Lk 6:24-31

Tues Oct 1

Protection of the Mother of God, Romanos the Melodist

Heb 9:1-7 Lk 10:38-42 & 11:27-28

Weds Oct 2

Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Virgin Martyr Justina

Phil 3:1-8 Lk 6:46-7:2

Thurs Oct 3

Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite Phil 3:8-19 Lk 7:17-30

Fri Oct 4

Holy martyrs Callistratus and his companions

Phil 1:27-2:4 Lk 6:17-23

Sat Oct 5

Martyr Charitina 2 Cor 1:8-11 Lk 5:27-32

Among Today’s Saints

UPCOMING PROGRAMS HOSTED BY THE

BYZANTINE FRANCISCANS AT HOLY

DORMITION FRIARY, SYBERTSVILLE.

Join the Franciscans for the feast of St Francis of Assisi,

October 4

Transitus, remembering how St Francis embraced Sister Death: Thursday October 3 at 6pm

Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St Francis: Friday October 4 at 7pm

Blessing of Animals:

Saturday October 5 at 2pm for more information, email holydormition@gmail.com or

call 570-788-1212.

Melting Ice, Mending Creation: a Catholic Approach to

Climate Change

Sunday October 6, 4:30-6:30

In celebration of the Feast of St Francis, we will join

hundreds of other Catholic parishes, schools and colleges to

present this program which highlights the Pontifical

Academy of Science’s Working Group (PAS) statement, Fate

of Mountain Glaciers in the Anthropocene, combined with

viewing a “TED” talk (video) by James Balog, the science

photographer behind the documentary film Chasing Ice, who

documented some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate

change. The program will offer a facilitated discussion and

steps that viewers can take to respond to the unfolding

climate perspective based on authentic Catholic teaching.

For more information, contact PhilYevics@gmail.com and

visit www.catholicclimatecovenant.org

Stories of Faith: Living a Fulfilling Life amidst Storms

Sunday October 27 at 3pm: Neil Oberto, director of Catholic Social Services in Hazleton,

n Hazleton, will speak about his faith journey through

chronic illness and other life storms that have buffeted his

family. Social following. Let us know if you would like to

help with refreshments. This program is free and open to the

public.

The Birth of the Messiah: Monday Bible Study (Oct 7 &

21, Nov 4 & 18) Prepare for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord exploring

Scripture on the birth of Christ: Gospel of St Luke, Prophets,

Liturgical prayer, and Writings of St Paul. Choose morning

(10-11:30) or evening (7-8:30pm) sessions. Cost $20 per

person. Please bring a Bible. Register or more information:

holydormition@gmail.com or 570-788-1212 ext 402.

but he sought complete solitude and fled to the Rouva

wilderness, where he dwelt five years more. But the sick

and those afflicted by demons came to him in this

wilderness, and the saint healed them all with the Sign of

the Cross and by anointing them with oil.

At his 80th year of life St Cyriacus fled to the hidden

Sousakim wilderness, where two dried up streams passed

by. According to Tradition, the holy Prophet David

brought Sousakim to attention: “Thou hast dried up the

rivers of Etham” (Ps 73/74:15). After seven years,

brethren of the Souka monastery came to him,

beseeching his spiritual help during a period of

debilitating hunger and illness, which God permitted.

They implored St Cyriacus to return to the monastery,

and he settled in a cave, in which St Chariton had once

lived.

St Cyriacus rendered great help to the Church in the

struggle with the spreading heresy of the Origenists. By

prayer and by word, he brought the wayward back to the

true path, and strengthened the Orthodox in their faith.

Cyril, the author of the Life of St Cyriacus, and a monk

of the Lavra of St Euthymius, was a witness when St

Cyriacus predicted the impending death of the chief

heretics Nonos and Leontius, and soon the heresy would

cease to spread.

The Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded St

Cyriacus to keep to the Orthodox teaching in its purity:

Having appeared to him in a dream together with the Sts

John the Baptist and John the Theologian, She refused to

enter into the cell of the monk because in it was a book

with the words of the heretic Nestorius. “In your cell is

My enemy,” She said (The appearance of the Most Holy

Theotokos to St Cyriacus is commemorated on June 8).

At the age of ninety-nine, St Cyriacus again went off to

Susakim and lived there with his disciple John. In the

wilderness a huge lion waited on St Cyriacus, protecting

him from robbers, but it did not bother wandering

brethren and it ate from the monk’s hand.

Once in the heat of summer, all the water in the hollow

of a rock dried up, where the ascetics had stored water

during the winter, and there was no other source of

water. St Cyriacus prayed, and rain fell, filling the pit

with water.

For the two years before his death St Cyriacus returned

to the monastery and again settled into the cave of St

Chariton. Until the end of his life the righteous Elder

preserved his courage, and prayed with fervor. He was

never idle, either he prayed, or he worked. Before his

death St Cyriacus summoned the brethren and blessed

them all. He quietly fell asleep in the Lord, having lived

109 years.

Joseph Bolus $700.00

Rich & Betty Bachefski (Betsy's parents)NJ & FL $500.00

P & R Grocery, Charlie Rizzo, Ron Wittiak $500.00

Anthracite Auto Exchange $200.00

Keyser Valley Auto Wreckers $200.00

Carl Savino Funeral Home $200.00

Bill & Toni Abda, Jr. $200.00

Rev. Father Michael Jolly and Marie Fagan $200.00

Eugene & Thalia Assaf (Atlanta) $200.00

Barbara Albert, Wilkes-Barre $200.00

Jim & Alexis Davis, North Wales, PA $200.00

Jim & Charlotte Abda $150.00

Atty. Henry & Denise Nahal, New York $100.00

Marie Patchoski $100.00

Nick & Lois Cianci $100.00

Karen Kane & family $100.00

Anthony & Kathie Barrett $100.00

Robert & Thea Davis Osborne, Gilbertsville,PA $100.00

Agel Fuel & Coal Co. (West Scranton) $100.00

Ann (Barron) Fernandez, Media PA $100.00

Michael & Elizabeth (Zaydon) Dessoye $100.00

Jim & Betsy Zaydon $100.00

Dr. John & Nancy Abda $100.00

William & Kim Abda Santarsiero $100.00

Vincent & Geraldine Salico (Zaydon friends) $100.00

Frank J. Assaf $100.00

Marie Barron $50.00

Anthony Simon $50.00

Joe & Margaret Dillenburg $50.00

Joseph Bomrad & family $50.00

Thomas Lambert $50.00

AJ BOLUS $50.00

MaryLou Vandorick $25.00

Citizens Savings Association $25.00

Tha

nk

You F

estiv

al

Sponsors T

ha

nk

You F

estiv

al S

ponsors

Prayer

Requests

Rev. Deacon John Karam

Rev. Basil Samra

Rev. Michael Skrocki

Rev. Father David White

Rev. Deacon Richard Downer

Michael Abda Yolande Haddad

Marie Barron Niko Mayashairo

Nikki Boudreaux Mary McNeilly

Chris Carey Marie Patchoski

Dr. Frances Colie Charles Simon

John Colie Charlene Simpson

Mark Dillman Ruth Sirgany

Margaret Dillenburg Kennedy Stevenson

Carol Downer Jane Warn

Karen Fuerherm Jemille Zaydon

Karen Haddad

All those Serving in our Armed Forces

The Christian Community in the Middle East

Sacrificial Giving 9/22/2013

Weekly $ 628.00

Candles $ 6.00

Monthly $ 140.00

Holyday $ 15.00

The Weekly Quiz Who was the Prophet that confronted David with his adultery?

Samuel

Nathan

Elisha

Elijah

Last week’s answer: Q. Where was the boat headed for that Jonah

boarded to run away from the Lord? A. Tarshish

Parish Calendar

October

6 Parish Council Elections

Elementary Religious Education begins

13 Fundraiser for Michael Abda

20 Parish Council after Liturgy

23 Annual Spaghetti Dinner

November

20 Vespers for the feast of the presentation

of the Theotokos in the temple 7PM

21 Divine Liturgy for the Feast 7PM