His Eminence Metropolitan SABA Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, His Grace Bishop Alexander
Pastor: Fr John Vazquez | (518) 462-0579 | fatherjohnvazquez@gmail.com | stgeorgealbany.org | 1 St George's Pl Albany, NY
Office Hours: Mon/Fri 10am-5pm | Confessions: After weekly services (Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun) or by appointment
Beloved,
This week's section of the creed that we will look at is—Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified.
This line from the creed is the main way that the holy fathers of the second ecumenical council established the fact that the Holy Spirit is one of the Holy Trinity in the creed. Since worship is given to no one but God alone—Thou shalt worship no other God (Ex 34.14) and take heed to yourselves that your heart not be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them (Deut 11.16)—we can definitively say that the Holy Spirit is God and one of the Holy Trinity.
Earlier in this series I wrote about how the Son—the second person of the Trinity—is homoousios with the Father as a definitive and precise way to establish His true divinity. When the question about the divinity of the Spirit arose later in the 4th century some of the Fathers wanted to say that the Spirit was also homoousios with the Father. This tact was decided against because, according to St Basil the Great, it was more important to use language that would satisfy as many people as possible while at the same time communicating clearly that the Spirit is God.
In the same way that the Son had to become man because only God can unite us to Himself, the Spirit, as Divine, is the One who sanctifies, inspires to prayer, gives divine vision, makes possible divine revelation and preserves the Church. In the words of St Irenaeus of Lyon the Son and the Spirit are the two hands of God by which he draws us to Himself.
It is the vivifying Spirit of God that preserves us, helps us, moves us to pray. And this work of the Spirit is not just for us but it upholds all of the world. We worship thee O Holy Spirit together with the Father and His only Begotten Son—Amen.
With love in the risen Lord,
Fr John
Services and Events
Friday, November 15th—8am—Orthros (THE BEGINNING OF THE ADVENT FAST)
Saturday, November 16th—5pm—Great Vespers with Bible Study to follow
Sunday, November 17th—9am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy
Monday, November 18th—8:15am—Coffee with the Fathers at Alias Coffee on North Pearl St in Albany.
Wednesday, November 20th—6pm—Great Vespers w/Litia and Artoklasia for the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
Thursday, November 21st—8am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
Friday, November 22nd—8am—Orthros
Saturday, November 23rd—5pm—Great Vespers with Bible Study to follow
Sunday, November 24th—9am—Orthros and Divine Liturgy
Monday, November 25th—8:15am—Coffee with the Fathers at Alias Coffee on North Pearl St in Albany.
FR JOHN OUT OF TOWN FOR THANKSGIVING—Wednesday the 27th through Monday the 2nd—CONTACT FR EMMANUEL MANTZOURIS AT ST BASIL'S IN TROY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY (508) 573-1884
Fr Paul Fedoroff serving Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Sunday December 1st
Education
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Pet 3.18
READ METROPOLITAN SABA'S WEEKLY TEACHING—A Christian Response to Crisis Part IV HERE
Get some caffeine for the soul with Coffee with the Fathers. Join us at ALIAS COFFEE on N. Pearl St in Albany as we study Hymns on Paradise by St Ephraim the Syrian.
Study the Scriptures with us—Bible Study Saturday evenings at 6pm after vespers as we continue to study the Gospel of Matthew.
Sunday Education—learn with us about a topic for the week after the dismissal. Talk with me if you are interested in teaching a lesson.
Click HERE for some resources for learning about our Faith
Click HERE for a great article on advice for mothers.
Did You Know...that Christ is Risen!...and...
*DECEMBER 7TH WE WILL HOST OUR SECOND ANNUAL NATIVITY FAST RETREAT ON PRAYER AND OUR LIFE IN CHRIST. COST IS $20. LUNCH DINNER AND CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED. SIGN UP HERE
*Our church is need of some smaller items—speak with Fr John if you are interested in helping meet a need of the Church.
*We are planning to schedule a meeting with the representatives from Merrill Lynch to discuss if we should make changes with out investment. THIS MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE SOMETIME AFTER NATIVITY AND THE NEW YEAR. Please reach out if you are interested in attending this meeting and having your voice heard.
Parish Prayer List
"Remember Me O Lord When You Come Into Your Kingdom." Lk 23.42
Please include in your daily prayers the following. Contact me to have someone added to the list. These are the names that will be remembered during the Divine Liturgy.
Living:
Bishop Alexander, Fr Gregory Potter, Fr Joseph, Dn Jorge, Dn Horia, Leila, Helen, Lew, Marsha, Mary, Anastasia, Hassib, Georgette, Jess, Angelina, Callie, Rosemary, Nadia and Alex.
All those suffering from illness, violence and want in this country and throughout the world and especially those in Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Lebanon and the middle east
Departed:
Fr Gregory DesMarais, Fr Alvian, Selena, Sayid, Hanna, Raymond, Helen those who have lost their lives and who have no one to pray for them, those who have passed in the conflicts in Ukraine and the middle east.
Divine Liturgy Variables on Sunday, November 17, 2024
Tone 4 / Eothinon 10; Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost & Ninth Sunday of Luke
Gregory the wonderworker, bishop of Neo-Caesarea
Gennadios and Maximos, patriarchs of Constantinople; Nikon the wonderworker, disciple of Sergios of Radonezh; Hilda, abbess of Whitby
During the Little Entrance, chant the Resurrectional Apolytikion. The Eisodikon (Entrance Hymn) is “O come, let us worship… save us, O Son of God, Who art risen from the dead…” After the Little Entrance, chant these hymns in the following order:
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE FOUR
Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel the women disciples of the Lord cast from them their parental condemnation. And proudly broke the news to the Disciples, saying: Death hath been spoiled; Christ God is risen, granting the world Great Mercy.
APOLYTIKION FOR ST. GREGORY OF NEO-CAESAREA IN TONE EIGHT
By vigilance in prayer, and continuance in the working of wonders, thou didst acquire thine achievements as a surname; wherefore, intercede with Christ our God, O Father Gregory, to enlighten our souls, lest we sleep in sin unto death.
Now sing the apolytikion of the patron saint or feast of the temple.
KONTAKION OF ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS IN TONE FOUR
(**Thou Who wast raised up**)
The sacred treasury of God’s holy glory, * the greatly precious bridal chamber and Virgin, * the Savior’s most pure temple, free of stain and undefiled, * into the House of the Lord * on this day is brought forward * and bringeth with herself the grace * of the Most Divine Spirit; * her do God’s Angels hymn with songs of praise, * for she is truly the heavenly tabernacle.
THE EPISTLE
O Lord, how magnified are Thy works. In wisdom hast Thou made them all. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (2:16-20)
Brethren, you know that a man is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the Law died to the Law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
THE GOSPEL
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (12:16-21)
The Lord spoke this parable: “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” As He said this, Jesus called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom continues as usual.
THE DISMISSAL
Priest: May He Who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-immaculate and all-blameless holy Mother; by the might of the Precious and Life-giving Cross; by the protection of the honorable Bodiless Powers of Heaven; at the supplication of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious and all-laudable apostles; of our father among the saints, John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, whose Divine Liturgy we have now celebrated; of the holy, glorious and right-victorious Martyrs; of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers; of Saint N., the patron and protector of this holy community; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; of our father among the saints Gregory the wonderworker, bishop of Neo-Caesarea, whose memory we celebrate today, and of all the saints: have mercy on us and save us, forasmuch as He is good and loveth mankind.
Parish Giving Summary—Fiscal Year 2024/25
Help us Reach our Goal of $132,000—Our estimated budget for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ST GEORGE!
Giving for Week of 11.10.24—$1041
Online Donations for Week of 11.10.24—$100
Total Giving for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—$5995.76
Families who have contributed for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—32
Families who have contributed over $5,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—
Families who have contributed over $1,000 for fiscal year to date (October 24–September 25)—
*You can set up a recurring monthly donation to the Church by clicking HERE
A Note to our Visitors
WELCOME!
We are blessed by your presence! Join us for fellowship after. Please note, in the Orthodox Church only baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared can partake of the Holy Eucharist. All others may come forward for a blessing with the chalice held over their head and receive a piece of blessed bread from the altar servers.
From a Father of the Church
St Basil the Great
"I will pull down my barns"
Temptations come in two forms. Sometimes affliction proves the heart like gold in a furnace, testing its purity by means of suffering. But for many, it is prosperity of life that constitutes the greatest trial. For it is equally difficult to preserve one's soul from despair in hard times, and to prevent it from becoming arrogant in prosperous circumstances. The great Job, that invincible athlete, is an example of perseverance in the first kind of temptation. With a steadfast heart and an unwavering mind, he braved all the devil's violence as if it were a raging current, the more daunting and formidable the tactics employed against him by the adversary, the more Job's superiority over the temptations was clearly demonstrated. But there are others who are examples of the temptations that come from the good life, including the rich man whose story was just read for us. Not only did he possess wealth, but he hoped to obtain even more. As the lover of humankind God, did not immediately judge him for the ingratitude of his ways, but rather attempted to satisfy him by adding even more wealth to what he already had, thus inviting his soul to a more sociable and civilized demeanor.
