SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2017
15th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST:
HOLY HIEROMARTYR PETER OF DABAR-BOSNIA
У четвртак 21. септембра прослављамо Рождество Пресвете Богородице. Света Дева Марија роди се од старих родитеља својих, Јоакима и Ане. Отац јој беше из племена Давидова, а матер од рода Аронова. И тако она беше по оцу од рода царска, а по мајци од рода архијерејска, и тиме већ предображаваше Онога, који ће се из ње родити, као Цара и Првосвештеника. Њени родитељи беху већ остарели, а немаху деце. И зато беху постидни пред људима и скрушени пред Богом. И у скрушености својој мољаху се Богу с плачем, да обрадује старост њихову даровањем једнога чеда, као што је некад обрадовао старца Аврама и старицу Сару даровавши им сина Исака. И Бог свемогући и свевидећи обрадова их радошћу, која је превазилазила далеко сва њихова очекивања и све најлепше снове. Јер им дарова не само ћерку но и Богомајку; озари их не само радошћу временом него и вечном. Даде им Бог само једну ћерку, која им доцније роди само једног унука, – али какву ћерку и каквог унука! Благодатна Марија, благословена међу женама, храм Духа Светога. олтар Бога Живога, трапеза хлеба небеснога, кивот светиње Божје, дрво најслађега плода, слава рода људског, похвала рода женског, источник девства и чистоте – то беше Богом дарована ћерка Јоакима и Ане. Рођена у Назарету, а после 3 године одведена у храм Јерусалимски, одакле се вратила опет у Назарет, да ускоро чује благовест св. архангела Гаврила о рођењу Сина Божјег, Спаситеља света, из њенога пречистога и девичанскога тела.
The Nativity of the Most-holy Theotokos The Holy Virgin Mary was born of aged parents, Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the lineage of David, and her mother of the lineage of Aaron. Thus, she was of royal birth by her father, and of priestly birth by her mother. In this, she foreshadowed Him Who would be born of her as King and High Priest. Her parents were quite old and had no children. Because of this they were ashamed before men and humble before God. In their humility they prayed to God with tears, to bring them joy in their old age by giving them a child, as He had once given joy to the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah by giving them Isaac. The Almighty and All-seeing God rewarded them with a joy that surpassed all their expectations and all their most beautiful dreams. For He gave them not just a daughter, but the Mother of God. He illumined them not only with temporal joy, but with eternal joy as well. God gave them just one daughter, and she would later give them just one grandson-but what a daughter and what a Grandson! Mary, Full of grace, Blessed among women, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Altar of the Living God, the Table of the Heavenly Bread, the Ark of God's Holiness, the Tree of the Sweetest Fruit, the Glory of the race of man, the Praise of womanhood, the Fount of virginity and purity-this was the daughter given by God to Joachim and Anna. She was born in Nazareth, and at the age of three, was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. In her young womanhood she returned again to Nazareth, and shortly thereafter heard the Annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel concerning the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, from her most-pure virgin body.
The reading is from the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (4: 6-15)
Brethren, for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
THE GOSPEL READING FROM ST. MATTHEW (22: 35-46)
At that time, a certain lawyer asked Jesus a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on, did anyone dare question Him anymore.
Today we commemorate Saint Joanikije, Archbishop and First Patriarch of Serbia
Joanikije was born in Prizren, and initially served as secretary to King Dušan. He became archbishop in 1339, and was elevated to the rank of patriarch in 1346. Joanikije was a zealous archpastor and organizer of the Serbian Church, “a great upholder of the laws of the Church.” He entered into rest on September 3, 1349. His relics repose in the Patriarchate of Peè.
Читање из Друге посланице Корићанима светог Апостола Павла(4: 6-15)
Браћо, Бог који рече да из таме засветли видело, засветли у срцима нашим на светлост познања славе Божије у лицу Исуса Христа. Али ово благо имамо у земљаним судовима, да премноштво силе буде од Бога, а не од нас. У свему имамо невоље, али нам се не досађује; збуњени смо, али не губимо наду; Прогоне нас, али нисмо остављени; обаљују нас, али не гинемо. И једнако носимо на телу смрт Господа Исуса, да се и живот Исусов на телу нашем покаже. Јер ми живи једнако се предајемо на смрт за Исуса, да се и живот Исусов јави на смртном телу нашем. Зато дакле смрт влада у нама, а живот у вама. Имајући пак онај исти дух вере као што је написано: веровах, зато говорих; ми верујемо, зато и говоримо. Знајући да ће Онај који подиже Исуса, и нас подигнути с Исусом, и поставити с вама. Јер је све вас ради, да благодат умножена изобилује хвалама на славу Божију.
Читање Светог Јеванђеља од Матеја (22: 35-46)
У време оно упита један од њих законик кушајући Га и говорећи: Учитељу! Која је заповест највећа у закону? А Исус рече му: Љуби Господа Бога свог свим срцем својим, и свом душом својом, и свом мисли својом. Ово је прва и највећа заповест. А друга је као и ова: Љуби ближњег свог као самог себе. О овима двема заповестима виси сав закон и пророци. А кад се сабраше фарисеји, упита их Исус Говорећи: Шта мислите за Христа, чији је син? Рекоше Му: Давидов. Рече им: Како дакле Давид Њега духом назива Господом говорећи: Рече Господ Господу мом: Седи мени с десне стране, док положим непријатеље Твоје подножје ногама Твојим? Кад дакле Давид назива Њега Господом, како му је син? И нико Му не могаше одговорити речи; нити смеде ко од тог дана да Га запита више.
REFLECTION from Prologue of Ohrid by St. Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic
He who desires to be saved must be absolutely obedient to spiritual authority. Without this obedience, a man can perish even with the greatest desire for salvation. The great saints, who prescribed obedience as the condition for salvation, also fulfilled the act of obedience to perfection. When St. Simeon chose the pillar for his ascesis, it struck the other ascetics as some kind of novelty. Because they did not know if this form of asceticism was of the Spirit of God or of the spirit of pride, the desert fathers sent spiritual men to determine the answer. The monks were to command Simeon in their name to come down from the pillar. If he did not want to come down, it would have meant that his elevation on the pillar was from the spirit of pride. But if he obeyed the command and began to descend, they were to leave him as he was, for his readiness to obey would show that his asceticism was from the Holy Spirit. When those sent arrived and told Simeon that the council of the holy fathers of the desert commanded him to descend from the pillar, Simeon immediately began to climb down the ladder. Seeing his obedience, they cried out to him rejoicing: “Do not come down, holy Father, but remain where you are. We see now that your asceticism is of God.”
From Prologue of Ohrid by Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic - St. Dionysius the Areopagite writes of the immeasurable joy, the outer and inner radiance, and the indescribable fragrance that he sensed in the presence of the Holy Theotokos when he visited her in Jerusalem. In his zeal, he says that if he had not known the One True God, he would have recognized her, the Holy Virgin Mary, as God. The Holy Virgin made such a powerful and unique impression on men during her earthly life-and she received an incomparably greater power and glory after her physical death when, by the will of God, she was exalted above the heavenly hosts. Her power comes from her ceaseless prayer for the faithful, for all those who turn to her for help. When St. John of Novgorod and his people prayed to her for help against a hostile army, he understood that she was simultaneously praying to the Lord with tears in their behalf, and Novgorod was miraculously saved. As she was compassionate toward her crucified Son, so the Holy Most-pure One is also compassionate toward all those in need, to, where, after the priest prayed over him before the icon of the Holy Theotokos, he received his sight. The first monk at Pochaev saw a fiery pillar extending from earth to heaven, and in that flaming pillar he saw the Holy Theotokos. She was standing on a rock. On the spot where she stood, a spring of healing water sprang forth: even today, it heals many of the sick.