Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church8306 NC HWY 751

Durham NC 27713
919-484-1600
fatherstavroforos2012@gmail.com
www.stbarbarachurchdurhamnc.com
News & Announcements
July 28, 2024

5th Sunday of Matthew

Day of Mourning for Hagia Sophia
Prochoros, Nicanor, Timon, & Parmenas the Apostles of the 70 7/28/2024
Irene the Righteous of Chrysovalantou 7/28/2024
Our Righteous Father Paul of Xeropotamou 7/28/2024

Morning Matins 9:00 am
Morining Great Doxology starts at 9:45 am
Morning Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
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The Sunday Epistle ReadingO Lord, how manifold are your works. You have made all things in wisdom.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 10:1-10
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. I bearthem witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of
the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not
submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has
faith may be justified. Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which isbased on the law shall live by it. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say inyour heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will
descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which wepreach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heartthat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart andso is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.
Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου Κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.
Στίχ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.
Πρὸς ῾Ρωμαίους  τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα 10:1-10Ἀδελφοί, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ
ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν. Μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὅτι ζῆλον θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐ κατʼ ἐπίγνωσιν.
Ἀγνοοῦντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν δικαιοσύνην ζητοῦντες στῆσαι,τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν. Τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶτῷ πιστεύοντι. Μωϋσῆς γὰρ γράφει τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει, Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇκαρδίᾳ σου, Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; - τοῦτʼ ἔστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν - ἤ, Τίςκαταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; - τοῦτʼ ἔστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει;Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τοῦτʼ ἔστιν τὸ ῥῆματῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν· ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶπιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· καρδίᾳ γὰρπιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν.
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The Sunday Gospel Reading
The Gospel According to Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
At that time, when Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, twodemoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would
pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us,O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Nowa herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And thedemons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd ofswine." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into theswine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into thesea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city
they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. Andbehold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, theybegged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat hecrossed over and came to his own city.
Ἐκ τοῦ Κατὰ ΜατθαῖονΕὐαγγελίου τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα 8:28-34, 9:1
Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἐλθόντος τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὸ πέραν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γεργεσηνῶνὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ δύο δαιμονιζόμενοι ἐκ τῶν μνημείων ἐξερχόμενοι, χαλεποὶ λίαν,ὥστε μὴ ἰσχύειν τινὰ παρελθεῖν διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐκείνης. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· τίἡμῖν καὶ σοί, ᾿Ιησοῦ υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; ἦν δὲμακρὰν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἀγέλη χοίρων πολλῶν βοσκομένη. οἱ δὲ δαίμονες παρεκάλουναὐτὸν λέγοντες· εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡμᾶς, ἐπίτρεψον ἡμῖν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶνχοίρων. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ὑπάγετε. οἱ δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶνχοίρων· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὥρμησε πᾶσα ἡ ἀγέλη τῶν χοίρων κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τὴνθάλασσαν καὶ ἀπέθανον ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν. οἱ δὲ βόσκοντες ἔφυγον, καὶ ἀπελθόντες εἰςτὴν πόλιν ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα καὶ τὰ τῶν δαιμονιζομένων. καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ πόλιςἐξῆλθεν εἰς συνάντησιν τῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν παρεκάλεσαν ὅπως μεταβῇἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον διεπέρασε καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίανπόλιν.
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Today’s Comemoration
Everything is clothed in beauty; everything you will perceive with eyes full of wonder. But nowords are sufficient to describe the illumination in the evening: you might say that some
nocturnal sun filled the majestic temple with light.
Paul the Silentiary, Description of Hagia Sophia
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
We mark the fifth anniversary of the seizure of the Great Church of Holy Wisdom, HagiaSophia, with further mourning; for the Chora Monastery Church has now been converted for analien purpose. The fact that both of these monuments to the Byzantine genius have been
forcibly re-converted to mosques adds to the grief that we all feel just days after the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the invasion and subsequent illegal dismemberment of Cyprus. We can neverforget that of the over five hundred churches in the occupied region, at least seventy-seven havebeen converted into mosques — another sign of cultural misappropriation and religious
triumphalism unsuited to our modern, interconnected world.
But even though our spiritual monuments have been defaced and subjected to veils andwrappings that make a pretense of respecting their intended aesthetic, their spiritual brilliancecannot be diminished by such feeble efforts. As Paul the Silentiary rhapsodized of Hagia Sophia
over fourteen hundred years ago, “Everything is clothed in beauty….”
Because the essence of these monuments is not found only in their physical presence, but intheir intended spiritual meaning and activity — the worship of God through Divine Liturgy.
Their architectural forms and interior illuminations were designed to nurture the adoration ofour Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Mysteries in which we partake of His Divine Presence.
The spaces themselves came alive through our glorious worship; even the magnificent columnsof Hagia Sophia were perceived to move, “as if they were yielding to one another in a choraldance, with a structure of crescent shape hanging above them” [ὥσπερ ἐν χορῷ ἀλλήλοις
ὑπεξιστάµενοι, καὶ αὐτῶν ὑπεράνωθεν οἰκοδόµηµα µηνοειδὲς ἀποκρέµαται], (Procopius ofCaesarea, On the Buildings of Justinian I. i.35)
Our monuments now stand silent in the face of history’s exigencies, while they await theirredemption. In the meantime, let us take some measure of comfort in the knowledge that a“nocturnal sun” continues to illumine them from within. This paradoxical starlight is visible inevery Orthodox church building throughout the world, perceived as we worship “in spirit and4

truth” (John 4:24), and share in the beauty they continue to manifest, even if a harsh andmisplaced ignorance has sought to cover their sacred purpose.
With Paternal Love in our Lord Jesus Christ,† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America

Irene the Righteous of Chrysovalantou
Saint Irene, who was from Cappadocia,
flourished in the ninth century. Because of her
great beauty and virtue, she was brought toConstantinople as a prospective bride for theyoung Emperor Michael (842-867); however, asSaint Joannicius the Great foretold, it was God'swill that she assume the monastic habit instead.
She shone forth in great ascetical labours, andsuffered many attacks from the demons; while
yet a novice, she attained to the practice of SaintArsenius the Great, of praying the whole night
long with arms stretched out towards Heaven(see May 8). God showed forth great signs and wonders in her, and she
became the Abbess of the Convent of Chrysovalantou. She was granted
the gift of clairvoyance and knew the thoughts of all that came to her. She
appeared in a vision to the king and rebuked him for unjustly imprisoning
a nobleman who had been falsely accused. Through a sailor from Patmos
to whom he had appeared, Saint John the Evangelist sent her fragrant andwondrous apples from Paradise. She reposed at the age of 103, stillretaining the youthful beauty of her countenance. After her repose,
marvelous healings beyond number have been wrought by her to thepresent day.
5Οσία Ειρήνη η Χρυσοβαλάντου

Ημερομηνία
Εορτής:28/07/2024Τύπος εορτής:Σταθερή. Εορτάζει στις 28Ιουλίου εκάστου έτους.

Άγιοι πουεορτάζουν:Οσια Ειρηνη ηΧρυσοβαλαντουΒιογραφίαEιρηνικώς έζησας Eιρήνη πάλαι,Kαι νυν κατοικείς ένθα ειρήνη βρύει.
Η Οσία Ειρήνη έζησε στα χρόνια της βασίλισσας Θεοδώρας, που αναστήλωσε τις άγιες εικόνες.
Η Ειρήνη καταγόταν από την Καππαδοκία και διακρινόταν όχι μόνο για την ευσέβειά της, αλλάκαι για την σωματική ωραιότητά της και για την ευγενή ανατροφή της. Είχε ζητηθεί λοιπόν σεγάμο, από διακεκριμένο άνδρα του παλατιού και ξεκίνησε για το Βυζάντιο. Στη διαδρομή όμως,πέρασε από τη Μονή του Χρυσοβαλάντου και τόσο ελκύστηκε από τη συναναστροφή τωνκαλογριών, ώστε πήρε τη μεγάλη απόφαση να παραμείνει μαζί τους. Έτσι απέρριψε τις κοσμικέςδόξες, γύρισε στην πατρίδα της, πούλησε τα υπάρχοντά της, βοηθώντας πολλούς φτωχούς καιτα υπόλοιπα χρήματα τα εναπόθεσε στη Μονή. Έγινε μοναχή και η ζωή της μέσα στο μοναστήριυπήρξεπολύασκητικήκαιαγία.
Όταν πέθανε η ηγουμένη, η Ειρήνη, παρά την άρνηση της, ορίστηκε διάδοχος της. Από τη νέατης θέση, επετέλεσε τα καθήκοντα της άριστα. Ο Θεός μάλιστα, την προίκισε με το προφητικόκαι θαυματουργικό χάρισμα. Έτσι διά της προσευχής της, απάλλαξε πολλούς από τα δαιμόνια.
Προαισθάνθηκε τον θάνατο της και απεβίωσε ειρηνικά, γεμάτη χαρά για το ευχάριστο ουράνιοταξίδι της.

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Today’s Scheduled Coffee Hour 7/28
Youth Parents

Today’s Scheduled Narthex Greeters for 7/28
Kerri Zaferatos
George Delas

Our Volunteer Chantors
Nicholas Georgiou
Pete Marinos

Our Volunteer Choir Directors
Panos Messis
Costa Constantinou

Our Volunteer Organist
Eleni Christakos

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Explanation of the Paraclesis:
The word “paraclesis” has two different meanings: the first is“consolation,” from which the Holy Spirit is called the “Paraclete,” or“Consoler”; the second is “supplication” or “petition”. The Service of theParaclesis to the Theotokos consists of hymns of supplication to obtain
consolation and courage. It should be recited in times of temptation,
discouragement or sickness. It is used more particularly during the two
weeks before the Dormition, or Assumption, of the Theotokos, from
August 1 to August 14. The theme of these Paraclesis Services centersaround the petition. “Most Holy Mother of God, save us.”If you have a problem or if something is burdening your soul, if you feel spiritually uneasy
and if you are not at peace with yourself and with those around you, then, you should cometo the Church during the first fifteen days of August and ask for the intercessions of theMother of God. Even if you are fortunate enough to be one of those very few who are atpeace with themselves and with God, then those blessed ones should come to these services
and thank God and His Blessed Mother for the blessings that they have bestowed upon you
and your family.
Since these Paraclesis Services to the Theotokos are primarily petition for the welfare of
the living, let the whole Church pray for you during the first fifteen days of August andespecially on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th. Don’t let
your laziness and your apathy cause you to miss this great blessing and inspiration that theChurch can bestow upon you. Let the peace and holiness that only the Mother of God cangive you enter into your life. “Let us lay aside all earthly cares,” and let us truly, during
these fifteen days, participate in the fasting and prayer life of the Church so that we can“taste and see that the Lord is good” and so that we may fully experience the spiritual
blessings that the Church has to offer.
Dates When the Small Paraclesis will be offered at St. Barbara:
Thursday, August 1st at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, August 7th at 6:00 pm
Friday, August 9th at 6:00 pm
Monday, August 12th at 6:00 pm
8Names for the Health and Well Being of Loved Ones are Submitted at the Service:
As noted above, the Paraclesis service is a supplication specifically for the well-being of theliving. During the services, Father Stavroforos will commemorate the names of the living
faithful for whom prayers have been asked. Accordingly, if you have family members,
godparents, godchildren, friends, etc., who you would like to have commemorated at theseservices, please make a list of their names and provide it to Father.
The Reason We Fast for the Feast of the Dormition:
So why do we fast before Dormition ? In a close-knit family, word that its matriarch is on
her deathbed brings normal life to a halt. Otherwise important things (parties, TV, luxuries,personal desires) become unimportant; life comes to revolve around the dying matriarch. It
is the same with the Orthodox family; word that our matriarch is on her deathbed, couldnot (or at least should not) have any different effect than the one just mentioned. TheChurch, through the Paraclesis Service, gives us the opportunity to come to that deathbed
and eulogize and entreat the woman who bore God, the vessel of our salvation and our chief
advocate at His divine throne. And as, in the earthly family, daily routines and theindulgence in personal wants should come to a halt. Fasting, in its full sense (abstaining fromfood and desires) accomplishes this. Less time in leisure or other pursuits leaves more time
for prayer and reflection on she who gave us Christ, and became the first and greatest
Christian. In reflecting on her and her incomparable life, we see a model Christian life,
embodying Christ’s retort to the woman who stated that Mary was blessed because shebore Him: blessed rather are those who hear His word and keep it. Mary did this better
than anyone. As Fr. Thomas Hopko has stated, she heard the word of God and kept it sowell, that she of all women in history was chosen not only to hear His Word but give birth toit (Him). So while we fast in contemplation of her life, we are simultaneously preparing
ourselves to live a life in imitation of her. That is the purpose of the Dormition Fast.

9AUGUST 1-15: THE DORMITION FAST

The Dormition (Koimisis) Fast was established as preceding the great feasts of the Holy
Transfiguration of the Lord and of the Holy Dormition (Koimisis) of the Mother of God. It lasts
two weeks--from August 1-15.
The Dormition Fast comes down to us from the early days of Christianity. We find a clear
reference to the Dormition fast in a conversation of St. Leo the Great from around the year 450
AD. "The Church fasts are situated in the year in such a way that a special abstinence isprescribed for each time. Thus, for spring there is the spring fast [--the Forty Days(Great Lent;
for summer there is the summer fast...[the Holy Apostle's fast]; for autumn there is the autumn
fast, in the seventh month [Holy Dormition fast]; for winter there is the winter fast [HolyNativity fast]."Saint Symeon of the Thessaloniki writes that, "Thefast in August [Dormition fast] was established inhonor of the Mother of God the Logos/Word,
Who, foreknowing Her repose, ascetically laboredand fasted for us as always, although She was Holyand Immaculate, and had no need for fasting.
Thus, She especially prayed for us in preparation
for being translated from this life to the future life,
when Her blessed soul would be united through theDivine spirit with Her Son. Therefore, we also
should fast and praise Her, emulating Her life,urging Her thereby to pray for us. Some, by theway, say that this fast was instituted on theoccasion of two feasts--the Holy Transfigurationof Jesus Christ (August 6th) and the Dormitionof the Theotokos. I also consider it necessary toremember these two feasts--one which gives light,
and the other which is merciful to us andintercedes for us."The Dormition fast is not as strict as the Great Fast, but it is stricter than the Holy Apostle's andHoly Nativity fasts.
On Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays of the Dormition fast, the Church rubrics prescribe
xerophagy, that is, the strictest fast of uncooked food (without oil); on Tuesdays and10Thursdays, "with cooked food, but with no oil"; on Saturdays and Sundays wine and olive oil
are allowed.
Until the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord, when grapes and apples are blessed in
the churches. On the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord, the Church rubrics allow
fish. After that day, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the fruits of the new harvest would
always be included in the meals.
The spiritual fast is closely united with the bodily, just as our soul is united with the body,
penetrates it, enlivens it, and makes one united whole with it, as the soul and body make one
living human being. Therefore, in fasting bodily we must at the same time fast spiritually:"Brothers and sisters, in fasting let us also fast spiritually, severing all union withunrighteousness," the Holy Church enjoins us.
The main thing in fasting bodily is restraint abundant, tasty and sweet foods; the main thing infasting spiritually is restraint from passionate, sinful movements that indulge our sensual
inclinations and vices. The former is renunciation of the more nourishing foods for fasting
food, which is less nourishing; the latter is the renunciation of our favorite sins for exercise(ascesis) in the virtues which oppose them.
The essence of the fast is expressed in the following Church hymn: "If you fast from food, mysoul, but are not purified of the passions, in vain do we comfort ourselves by not eating. For if
the fast does not bring correction, then it will be hateful to God as false, and you will be likeunto the evil demons who never eat."11

Names of the Living August 1 to 14
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
6. ______________________________
7. ______________________________
8. ______________________________
9. ____________________________
10.
_____________________________
11.
___________________________
12.
___________________________
13.
___________________________
14.
___________________________

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