ST. HARALAMBOS CHURCH
MAY &
JUNE LITURGICAL CALENDAR
MAY
MAY 4
SUNDAY
HOLY SUNDAY OF THE MYRRH BEARERS -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
MAY 11
SUNDAY
SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
MAY 18
SUNDAY
SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - S
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
MAY 21
WEDNESDAY STS. CONSTANTINE AND HELEN -
9:00 a.m. Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy.
MAY 25
SUNDAY
SUNDAY OF THE BLINDMAN - U
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
MAY 26
MONDAY
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES
Held at the following cemeteries for our departed loved ones.
9:00 a.m. - Forest Hill Cemetery. 10:00 a.m. - West Lawn. 11:00 a.m. - Sunset Hills.
North Lawn by appointment.
MAY 29
THURSDAY
ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST - TOY KYPIOY
9:00 a.m. - Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy.
JUNE
JUNE 1
SUNDAY
FATHERS OF THE 1ST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy
JUNE 7
SATURDAY
SATURDAY OF THE SOULS -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros followed by the Divine Liturgy.
SATURDAY
GREAT VESPERS - EVE OF PENTECOST at HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
EVENING
S S S
7:00 p.m. Service
JUNE 8
SUNDAY
SUNDAY OF PENTECOST - S at HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
8:30 a.m. - Orthros. 9:30 a.m. - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh officiating.
Our church will be closed as we will celebrate together at Holy Trinity Church.
JUNE 15
SUNDAY
SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
JUNE 22
SUNDAY
2ND SUNDAY OF MATTHEW -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
JUNE 29
SUNDAY
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL THE APOSTLES -
9:00 a.m. - Orthros. 10:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy.
Koinonia May & June 2014
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Holy Ascension Day
May 29
tFr. Nicholas V. Gamvas
So we have come to the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Thus we have come
to the last day of Christ's physical presence on Earth. This marks the fulfillment of
all things, since His Conception at the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin, His Birth
and all the events of His earthly life, recorded for us in the Gospels.
Christ came down from Heaven in order to destroy the power of Satan over man-
kind. Christ was crucified and rose from the dead in order to destroy death. Christ ascends into the skies in order
to raise up fallen human nature to the heights of Heaven.
But He ascends not as He came down. He ascends taking with Himself a human body, a human soul, a human
mind, a human will, all the attributes of human nature, except of course for sin, for Christ's human nature is hu-
man nature as it was first intended to be, not fallen human nature, but human nature redeemed and made all
comely.
We should note, however, that all these victories of Christ over Satan, death and sin are accomplished in humility.
At His Birth there was, as we would say now, no media. All happened in obscurity, lowliness and poverty, as the
Savior of mankind was born in a cave by the ox and the ass.
At His Crucifixion also there was no glory: on the contrary, there was shame, thieves, reviling, mockery, bodily
death, a lonely death. At His Resurrection, nobody saw anything. The women who saw the empty tomb were not
even believed. Only a few dozen believers came to believe in the first few weeks after His Resurrection.
So also at His Ascension the only witnesses were His Mother and the eleven disciples amid the obscure olives
groves on the Mount outside the City. We see that all the great events, all the victories, of the life of Christ were
accompanied by humility. This is because in the Church victory is humility. Every act of humility is a victory over
the pride of Satan.
He comforts us and the disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Who will guide us into all truth,
into all humility. Secondly, through His holy angels, He reminds us that as He ascends, so He will return, with an-
gels and a cloud of glory. He reminds us that He will return in His Second and Glorious Coming to judge all the
Earth.
When He ascends, He promises us the Holy Spirit. When He descends at the Second Coming, He will come in glory
as the Victor over death to judge all deathly acts, that is, all sins, for as the Apostle writes, the wages of sin are
death. Thus God is victorious in humility. Therefore the Orthodox Church and faithful Orthodox Christians are also
victorious, but only in humility. God is the Merciful Savior among us, granting us the Holy Spirit in order to guide
us on our path to the victory of humility.
As we have sung this day: 'I am with you and no-one will be against you'. God is the Righteous Judge among us,
granting us His Coming again as the Judge of the Universe, guiding us on our path to the victory of humility: 'I am
with you and no-one will be against you'. Glory to Thee, O God, Glory to Thee! Amen.
Koinonia May & June 2014
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