Sunday Bulletin 9-8-19

Holy Trinity

Greek Orthodox Church

24411 Rampart Blvd

Port Charlotte, FL 33980

Phone: 941.629.3888

web: http://www.HolyTrinitypc.org

V. Rev. Father Mojmir Zalcik, Ph.D

will lead us in the Divine Liturgy

Psalte: George Vriniotis

Attendants Today: Jim Sanders, Tom Bobotas,

Michael O’Dougherty, Monica Vallee

Next Week:Cathy Roy, Nick Louloudis,

Debbie Kontos and Peter Kyriakopoulos

Sweet Ladies Today: Judy Stavropoulos,

Cathy Roy, Eve Manthous, Maria Louloudis

Next Week:Fran Kyriakopoulos, Rose Marie Tsourkas, Eileen Tassa, Nickie Doukas,

Divine Services Schedule

Sun. Sept. 8 – Nativity of the Theotokos

Sunday before Holy Cross

Orthros at 9am, Divine Liturgy at 10am

Memorial Service for + Doukellis 40th day

Sat. Sept. 14 – Exaltation of the Holy Cross

& Holy Cross Procession

Orthros at 9am, Divine Liturgy at 10am

Sun. Sept. 15 – Sunday after Holy Cross

Orthros at 9am, Divine Liturgy at 10am

Sun. Sept. 22 – 1st Sunday of Luke

Orthros at 9am, Divine Liturgy at 10am

New Members

Congratulations on the Baptism & Chrismation of Atlas Blaise/βλάσιος Mullis and Hunter Sebastian McCarthy

Birthdays and Anniversaries

May our Lord and God grant you

Many Blessed Years

Choir News

Choir will be back on Sunday September 15th

Philoptochos Meeting First of New Year September 10th at 10am in the church hall

Online Donations

Our web site now offers contributions to be made online via a credit card.

Church Library

Open every Sunday after service

Contact Fr. Mojmir Zalcik

Please let Fr. Mojmir know if you would like to have a memorial for a loved one.

If you need a prayer for yourself, or for your

beloved one who is sick or in need, or spiritual talk,

do not hesitate to tell Fr. Mojmir.

Holy Confession

The sacrament of Holy Confession has always been very important part of the Orthodox Christian’s spiritual journey during our pilgrimage with the Lord in our life. All who are interested in participating in this Holy Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation, please call.

Fr. Mojmir Zalcik’s Office Hours

Tuesday-Friday: 9:00 to 12:00 Noon

Phone: 941.629.3888

Cell: 304.319.3441

Communion

We welcome all who have come to pray with us. Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christians who are properly prepared though prayer, fasting, repentance and alms giving are invited to come forward to receive the Holy Eucharist. Everyone is invited to receive blessed bread which is called Antidoron from the priest at the end of the Liturgy.

On the Nativity of the Theotokos

People often said that God must come into the world to restore faith and not permit the ruin of mankind. But, God never left His creation. And more, from the moment when Adam and Eve were fallen into the sin and left the direct presence of God in the Garden of Eden, He prepared the mankind for His entering in right time into “their” fallen nature (see Gen. 3:15). The reason for that was His love to His creation, His love to man, restoring a full and loving and tender bondage of man with Him, saving His creation. The part of His plan to save His creation was to come to this world as a man, to be born from women.

According to the holy tradition of the Church, the Theotokos-Most Holy Virgin Mary was born at a time when people had reached such a degree of moral decay that it seemed altogether impossible to restore them. God chose to take on human nature for the salvation of mankind, and chose as His Mother the All-Pure Virgin Mary, who alone was worthy to give birth to the Creator and Source of purity and holiness, the Son of God, the Word of God, God himself, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Mother of God, the Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, is celebrated by the Church as a day of universal joy. Within the context of the Old and the New Testaments, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was born on this radiant day, having been chosen before the ages by Divine Providence to bring about the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. She is revealed as the Mother of the Savior of the World, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born in the small city of Galilee, Nazareth. Her parents were Righteous Joachim of the tribe of the Prophet-King David, and Anna from the tribe of the First Priest Aaron. The couple was without child, since Saint Anna was barren. Having reached old age, Joachim and Anna did not lose hope in God’s mercy. They had strong faith that for God everything is possible, and that He would be able to overcome the barrenness of Anna even in her old age, as He had once overcame the barrenness of Sarah, spouse of the Patriarch Abraham. Saints Joachim and Anna vowed to dedicate the child which the Lord might give them, to the service of God in the Temple.

Childlessness was considered among the Hebrew nation as a Divine punishment for sin, and therefore the righteous Saints Joachim and Anna had to endure abuse from their own countrymen. On one of the feast-days at the Temple in Jerusalem the elderly Joachim brought his sacrifice to offer to God, but the High Priest would not accept it, considering him to be unworthy since he was childless. Saint Joachim in deep grief went into the wilderness, and there he prayed with tears to the Lord for a child. Saint Anna wept bitterly when she learned what had happened at the Jerusalem Temple. Never once did she complain against the Lord, but rather she prayed to ask God’s mercy on her family.  The Lord fulfilled her petitions when the pious couple had attained to extreme old age and prepared themselves by virtuous life for a sublime calling: to be the parents of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the future Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Archangel Gabriel brought Joachim and Anna the joyous message that their prayers were heard by God and of them would be born a most blessed daughter Mary, through Whom would come the Salvation of all the World.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary surpassed in purity and virtue not only all mankind, but also the angels. She was manifest as the living Temple of God, so the Church sings in its festal hymns: “the East Gate... bringing Christ into the world for the salvation of our souls” (2nd Stikhera on 'Lord, I Have Cried', Tone 6).

The Nativity of the Theotokos marks the change of the times when the great and comforting promises of God for the salvation of the human race from slavery to the devil are about to be fulfilled. This event has brought to earth the grace of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Truth, piety, virtue and everlasting life. The Theotokos

is revealed to all of us by grace as a merciful Intercessor and Mother, to Whom we have recourse with filial devotion.