the camp, and even if he was a king, was expelled

along with his crown, so much more should we expel

from this sacred camp the one who has leprosy in his
soul. Just as in the beginning I used exhortation and
advice, so now after all this exhortation and teaching
it is necessary from now on to deploy exclusion. For
it is a year since I entered your city, and I have not
ceased from frequent and constant reminders to you
about this. [277] But since some have persisted in
the putrefaction, well then from now on we should
introduce exclusion. If I do not possess an iron sword,
at least I have a word which is sharper than iron. If
I cannot touch fire, I have a doctrine which is hotter
than fire, and can burn more fiercely.
Do not scorn my decree. Although we are worthless
and most pitiable, nevertheless we have been granted
a status by the grace of God that can achieve these
things. Let such people be ejected, so that those of us
who are healthy may become more healthy, and those
who are sick may restore themselves from serious
illness. If you shudder when you hear this decree (and
I see that you are all looking gloomy and flinching),
let them repent, and the decree will be cancelled. For
just as I have received the power to bind, so I have
the power to release, and to recall them back. I do not
wish to excommunicate our brothers, but to dispel
the disgrace of the Church. For as things stand even
the pagans will laugh at us, and the Jews will mock
us, when we overlook our own members sinning in
this way. But in the other case they will greatly praise
us, and admire the Church, and respect our laws.
So let not a single one of those who remain in this
prostitution set foot in the church, but let him be
censured by you, and let him be a common enemy.
For if anyone, as it is said, will not heed my word set
out in my letter, mark him out and do not associate
with him. But do this: do not share conversation, or
receive him into your home, or share your table, or
your going out or going in, or visit the forum with
him. In this way we will easily win them back. Just as
hunters chase their difficult prey not just from one
direction but from all sides, and so drive them into
the net, so too shall we herd together those who have

been driven into a frenzy, and quickly hurl them into

the nets of salvation, we on one side and you on the
other. In order that this will happen you too will share
our anger, or rather suffer pain on account of Gods
laws, and soon retrieve those of the brethren who
are diseased in this way and breaking the law, so that
you will keep them for ever. For it will be no ordinary
charge against you, if you ignore such destruction, but
you will be subject to the greatest penalty. In mens
households if one of the servants is caught stealing
silver or gold, the thief himself is not the only one
punished, but also his conspirators and anyone who
did not report him. So much more does the same
thing happen in the Church. For at that time God will
ask you: When you saw no silver or gold vessel being
robbed from My house, but temperance itself being
stolen, and the one who had taken the venerable
body, and shared in so great a sacrifice, departing into
the place of the devil and committing such sins, how
could you keep silent? How did you tolerate it? Why
did you not report it to the priest? And you will be
subjected to extreme chastisement. For that reason
I too, though it will cause me pain, will not fail to
use any of the more grievous penalties. [278] For it
is much better that we should suffer pain here and
be freed of the coming judgement, rather than use
indulgent words here and be punished then alongside
you. For it is not safe or without danger for us to
tolerate such things in silence. Each of you will give
an account of himself. But I am liable to account for
the salvation of all of you. For that reason I shall not
cease doing and saying everything, even if I have to
cause you pain or appear hateful, or tiresome, so that
I will be able to stand before that awesome tribunal,
without a stain or a blemish or any such thing. May it
be with the help of the prayers of the saints that those
who have been lost may quickly return, and those
who have remained unharmed may advance towards
greater propriety and temperance. In this way you
may be saved, and we may rejoice, and God may be
glorified now and always, and for unending ages upon
ages. Amen.

SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST

GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

oc tobe r 19, 2 01 4
3 r d S u n day of lu k e
The Prophet Joel (800 B.C.) predicted the desolation of Jerusalem. He also prophesied that the
Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all people, through the Savior of the world ( Joel 2:28-32).
The hymnographer Anatolius links Joels prophecy to the Nativity of the Lord. In the Praises at
Matins on the Sunday following the Nativity, he refers to Joel 2:30, saying that the blood refers to
the Incarnation, the fire to the Divinity, and the pillars of smoke to the Holy Spirit.
Martyr Varus lived in Egypt during the period of several persecutions against Christians (late
third to early fourth century). Varus (Ouaros) was a military commander and secretly a Christian.
He gave assistance to many of the persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and he visited the
prisoners at night. He also brought food to the prisoners, dressed their wounds, and gave them
encouragement. Once Varus spent a whole night talking with seven imprisoned monks. These
men were Christian teachers who had been beaten and starved. Varus marched with the teachers
when they were led to their execution. The judge, seeing Varus strong faith, had him fiercely
beaten. Varus died during the beating. After his death, the monks were beheaded.
Saint Cleopatra and her son John came from the village of Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine.
She was a contemporary of the holy Martyr Varus and witnessed his voluntary suffering. After the
execution, St Cleopatra brought the body of the holy martyr to her own country and buried him
with reverence. Cleopatra had one beloved son, John, who had attained the honorable rank of
officer. To the great sorrow of his mother, John suddenly died. Cleopatra with tears of grief turned
to the relics of the holy Martyr Varus, begging him for the return of her son.
Varus and her son appeared to Cleopatra in a dream, radiant in bright attire with crowns upon
their heads. She realized that the Lord had received her son into the heavenly Kingdom, and was
comforted. After this vision blessed Cleopatra started to live by a church she built over the relics
of the holy martyr Varus and her son John, and performed many good deeds. She distributed her
property to the poor and spent her time in prayer and fasting. After seven years she fell asleep in
the Lord.
1510 audubon drive columbia, missouri, 65201 tel. 573.817.0050 / fax 573.449.8452
email: info@saintlukecolumbia.org web: www.saintlukecolumbia.org

at the small entrance we sing

. .

apolytikion. Mode 2.

, ,
,
,

.

hen You descended unto death, O Lord who

yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify
Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also
when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all
the Powers of the heavens were crying out: O Giver
of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.

. . .

Apolytikion for the Church. Mode pl. 1.

,
,
, ,
, , .

he holy Apostle, the All-hymned Luke, * who

is acknowledged by the Church of Christ * as
the recorder of the Acts of the Apostles, * and the
splendid author of the Gospel of Christ. * Let us
praise with sacred hymns as a physician, * who heals
the infirmities of man, * and the ailments of nature, *
who cleanses spiritual wounds, and prays unceasingly
for our souls.

. .

Kontakion. Mode 4.

, , , ,
, ,
, , ,
, , ,
.

rotection of Christians unshamable, mediation

with the Creator immovable, we sinners beg you,
do not despise the voices of our prayers, but anticipate,
since you are good, and swiftly come unto our aid as
we cry out to you with faith: Hasten to intercession,
and speed now to supplication, O Theotokos you
who defend, now and ever those who honor you.

In ancient times, because men were very imperfect, God did not scorn to receive
the blood which they were offering to idols. He did this to draw them away from
those idols; and this very thing again was because of His indescribably, tender
affection. But now He has transferred the priestly action to what is most awesome
and magnificent. He has changed the sacrifice itself, and instead of the butchering
of dumb beasts, He commands the offering up of Himself.

St. John chrysostom

The cause of this is that you do not return home

alone, but keeping the prostitute with you. She
does not go visibly and openly, which would have
been easier. For your wife could have quickly driven
her away. But she is ensconced in your mind and
your consciousness, and she lights within you the
Babylonian furnace, or rather something much worse.
For it is not tow, naphtha and pitch, but her qualities
mentioned above that provide fuel for the fire, and
everything is upside down. It is just like people
suffering from a fever, who have no reason to rebuke
those who attend them, but because of the affliction
of their illness are unpleasant to everyone, reject their
food, insult their doctors, are bad tempered with their
families and furious with those who care for them.
Just so those who suffer from this dread disease are
restless and vexed, and see that woman at every turn.
What a terrible state of affairs! The wolf and the
lion and other beasts when they are shot at flee the
huntsman. But a man, though the most intelligent,
when wounded pursues the woman who has wounded
him, so as to receive a much more deadly missile and
revel in the wound. What is most sickening of all, is
that he makes the disease incurable. For if someone
does not hate the injury and does not want to be free
of it, why would he summon a doctor? Therefore I
lament and am in torment, because after receiving
such a brutal outrage you return from the theatre, and
for the sake of a small pleasure you undergo continual
pain. For even before the punishment of Hell, you
demand the ultimate penalty here. Tell me, does it not
merit the final punishment, to nurture such a desire,
to be constantly enflamed, and to carry everywhere
the furnace of unnatural love and the condemnation
of your own conscience? How will you climb those
sacred steps?
How will you touch the heavenly table? How will
you hear the sermon about temperance, when you are
full of such injuries and wounds, and your intellect is
the slave of your passion? Why should I say anything
else? From what is now going on amongst us it is
possible to see the pain of your intellect. Now just
as I am speaking these words I can see some people

beating their foreheads, and I am very grateful to you

for being such a compassionate people. In fact I think
many of those who have never sinned are beating
themselves, because they suffer pain from their
brothers wounds. Therefore I lament and grieve,
because the devil is tormenting this flock. But if you
want to we can quickly block his entrance. How and
by what means? If we could see those who are diseased
becoming healthy. If we could unfurl the nets of our
doctrine and go around seeking those who have been
captured by wild beasts, and snatch them from the
lions throat. Do not say to me There are only a few
who have been taken from the flock. Even if there
were only ten, it would be no ordinary loss. Even if
there were five, or two or one. That famous shepherd
left behind the ninety nine sheep for the same reason,
and ran after the one sheep, and did not return
until he brought it back with him, and completed
the defective number of one hundred through the
restoration of that one which had wandered away.
Do not say It is only one. But consider, it is a soul,
on whose account everything that can be seen came
into being: laws, penalties and punishments, and
countless wonders, and the infinitely varied works of
God. On that souls account he did not spare his onlyborn son. Consider what a price has been paid even
for the one man, and do not undervalue his salvation,
but go away and bring him back to us, and persuade
him no longer to fall into the same mistakes. Then we
have a sufficient defence. But if he should not give in,
either to our advice or to your entreaties, then I shall
thereafter use my power, which God gave us not for
destruction but for construction.
Therefore I make this proclamation, in a clear and
loud voice, that if anyone after this exhortation and
teaching deserts back to the unlawful disgrace of the
theatre, I shall not receive him within these precincts,
I will not let him share in the sacraments, I will not
let him touch the sacred table. Just as shepherds
separate the sheep that are afflicted by mange from
the healthy sheep, so as to prevent the rest from
catching the disease, so I shall act in the same way. For
if in ancient times the leper was ordered to sit outside

But you simply put down your business and left it

as it was, and sat watching other peoples victories,
frittering away such a day idly and in vain and for a
base purpose.
Do you not know that just as when we hand over
money to our servants, and we demand accounts
from them down to the last obol, in the same way
God will demand an account from us of the days of
our life, as to how we have spent each day? What then
shall we say? What shall be our defence, when we are
requested to give our accounts of that day? For your
sake the sun rose, and the moon brightened the night,
and the intricate pattern of the stars shone forth.
Winds blew for your sake, and rivers flowed. For your
sake seeds sprouted and plants grew, and the course
of nature preserved its own order. Day appeared and
night followed. And all of this happened for your
sake. But do you, when all creation serves you, satisfy
the desire of the devil? You have rented such a home
from God, I mean this world, but you have not paid
the rent. And you were not satisfied with the first day,
but on the second day, when you should have paused
for a while from the evil that was enveloping you, you
returned again this time to the theatre. You ran from
smoke into fire, descending into another pit that was
even worse. Old men shamed their grey hair, and
young men threw their youth away. Fathers brought
their sons, from the beginning guiding inexperienced
youth into the pits of depravity, so it would not have
been a mistake to call those men child killers rather
than fathers, as they surrendered their childrens
souls to evil. What kind of evil, you ask. Because of
it I am in agony, because although you are ill you
do not know you are ill or call the doctor. You have
become filled with adultery, and you ask What kind
of evil? Have you not listened to Christ when he
said: Anyone who looks at a woman with desire has
already committed adultery with her? What if I do
not look at her with desire? you ask. How will you
be able to convince me? For if anyone cannot control
what he watches, but is so enthusiastic about doing
so, how will he be able to remain virtuous after he has
finished watching? Is your body made of stone? Or

iron? You are clothed with flesh, human flesh, which

is enflamed by desire as easily as grass.
Why do I talk about the theatre? Often if we
meet a woman in the marketplace, we are alarmed.
But you sit in your upper seat, where there is such
an invitation to outrageous behaviour, and see a
woman, a prostitute, entering bareheaded and with a
complete lack of shame, dressed in golden garments,
flirting coquettishly and singing harlots songs with
seductive tunes, and uttering disgraceful words. She
behaves so shamelessly that if you watch her and give
consideration, you will bow your head in shame. Do
you dare to say you suffer no human reaction? Is your
body made of stone? Or iron? I shall not refrain from
saying the same things again. Surely you are not a
better philosopher than those great and noble men,
who were cast down merely by such a sight? [275]
Have you not heard what Solomon says: If someone
walks onto a fire of coals, will he not burn his feet? If
someone lights a fire in his lap, will he not burn his
clothing? It is just the same for the man who goes to
a woman that doesnt belong to him. For even if you
did not have intimate relations with the prostitute, in
your lust you coupled with her, and you committed
the sin in your mind. And it was not only at that time,
but also when the theatre has closed, and the woman
has gone away, her image remains in your soul, along
with her words, her figure, her looks, her movement,
her rhythm, and her distinctive and meretricious
tunes; and having suffered countless wounds you
go home. Is it not this that leads to the disruption of
households? Is it not this that leads to the destruction
of temperance, and the break up of marriages? Is it
not this that leads to wars and battles, and odious
behaviour lacking any reason? For when, saturated
with that woman, you return home as her captive, your
wife appears more disagreeable, your children more
burdensome, and your servants troublesome, and
your house superfluous. Your customary concerns
seem to annoy you when they relate to managing
your necessary business, and everyone who visits is
an irritating nuisance.

THE READINGS OF THE DAY

e p i s t l e r e a di ng

g o s p e l r e a di ng

The second letter of paul

to Corinthians 11:31-33; 12:1-9

luke 9:23-27

RETHREN, the God and Father of the Lord

Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I
do not lie. At Damascus, the governor under
King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order
to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through
a window in the wall, and escaped his hands. I must
boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will
go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know
a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught
up to the third heaven-whether in the body or out
of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know
that this man was caught up into Paradise-whether
in the body or out of the body I do not know, God
knows-and he heard things that cannot be told,
which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I
will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast,
except of my weaknesses. Though if I wish to boast,
I shall not be a fool, for I shall be speaking the truth.
But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more
of me than he sees in me or hears from me. And to
keep me from being too elated by the abundance
of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from
being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord
about this, that it should leave me; but he said to
me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness. I will all the more gladly
boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.

t that time, Jesus went to a city called Nain,

and his disciples and a great crowd went with
him. As he drew near to the gate of the city,
behold, a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow;
and a large crowd from the city was with her. And
when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her
and said to her, Do not weep. And he came and
touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And
he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And the
dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave
him to his mother. Fear seized them all; and they
glorified God, saying, A great prophet has arisen
among us! and God has visited his people!

This is the office of angels:

to minister to God for our
salvation. To do all for the
salvation of the brethren, is an
angelic work; or rather, it is
the work of Christ Himself: for
Hee saves us as Master, they as
servants.

ST. john chrysostom

announcements

Against those who have Abandoned

the Church And Deserted it
for Hippodromes and Theatres

Saturday,
January
25,
Great
Vespers,
SSaatu
turday
rrd
daayy, JJa
an
nu
uaarr y 2
25
5, G
Gr
reeaat Ve
V
Vesp
esp
speerrs,
rs,
s, 5pm
5p
pm
m

u p c om i ng c h u rc h s e r v ic e s:
Tuesday, October 21, St. Socrates the Presbyter, Divine Liturgy, 9am
Saturday, October 25, Great Vespers, 5pm.
college student sunday
Today is College Student Sunday benefiting
Orthodox Christian Fellowship. Through
fellowship, education, worship, and service, our
college students seek opportunities to deepen
their own faith in Jesus Christ while sharing the
Orthodox Tradition with love and humility with
their peers on campus. OCF continues to provide
students with opportunities to encounter Christ
and grow in their Orthodox faith through their
growing network of on campus OCF chapters,
as well as through programs such as College
Conference, Real Break, and Summer Leadership
Institute. A special collection basket will be in the
Narthex during coffee hour in support of the good
work of OCF. Thank you for your generosity!
flower donations - thank yoU!
Thank you to those who made donations for
the feast day of St. Luke. Donations are still being
accepted.
catechism
If you are interested in learning more about becoming an Orthodox Christian, please see Fr. Michael.
philoptochos - gift cards
The next deadline to order gift cards will be
Nov. 10. These cards make great gifts and also
are great for everyday spending. Proceeds benefit
the ministries of Philoptochos. Please see Ronni

Harwood or Karen Sade to purchase or to order

other gift cards.
philoptochos - cancer awareness
During the month of October, Philoptochos
will be honoring all cancer survivors and the
memory of those who have fallen asleep. Please
purchase a card for $5 in honor, in celebration, or
in memory of your loved ones and friends. Cards
will be displayed in the Narthex during the month
as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness
month. Proceeds will benefit the ministries of
Philoptochos. Thank you for your generosity!
ramberg wedding
Next week, following Divine Services, Peter and
Elizabeth Ramberg will be married in the Church.
All are invited to attend the service and reception.

When you see [the Body of Christ]

lying on the altar, say to yourself,
Because of this Body, I am not
longer earth and ask, no longer a
prisoner, but free. Because of this
Body I hope for heaven, and I hope
to receive the good things that are
in heaven, immortal life, the lot of
the angels, familiar conversation
with Christ
st. john chrysostom

by St. John Chrysostom

an this be tolerated? Can this be accepted? I
want to call you to witness against yourselves.
That is what God did with the Hebrews. He called
them as witnesses against themselves when he said:
My people, what have I done to you? How have I
hurt you or how have I annoyed you? Answer me.
Again: What fault did your fathers find in me? I
shall imitate this, and shall ask you again: Can this be
tolerated? Can this be accepted? After hearing lengthy
series of speeches and so much teaching, some people
have left us, and deserted us for the spectacle of horse
racing. They have become so frenzied that they fill
the whole city with their shouting and disorderly
racket, creating huge laughter or rather lamentation.
Meanwhile I, sitting at home, hearing the outbreak
of shouting, have suffered more grievously than
seafarers in a storm. For in the same way as those
seafarers, when the waves break against the side of
their ship, fear that their lives are in danger, so too
have I, when those more dreadful cries have broken
over me, cowered to the ground and covered myself
up. The spectators higher up behave so disgracefully,
while the ones further down in the middle of the
crowd cheer on the riders and shout worse than the
first group.
What shall I say? Or what explanation shall I give,
if a visitor arrives from somewhere and challenges
us and says: Is this the city of the Apostles? Is this
the city that received so great a teacher? Is this the
people who love Christ, who is the genuine, spiritual,
spectacle? You have not even shown respect for the
very day on which the sacraments of the salvation of
mankind were celebrated. But on Good Friday, when
your Lord was being crucified on behalf of the world,
and such a sacrifice was being offered, and paradise
was being opened, and the robber was led back to
his old country; when the curse was being undone
and sin was made to vanish, and the ancient war was

ended and God was reconciled towards men, and

everything was being transformed on that very day,
when it was necessary to fast and give glory, and to
raise prayers of thanksgiving for the good things in
the world to the one who created them, instead you
left the church and the spiritual eucharist, and the
assembly of the brothers, and the solemnity of the
fast, and as a prisoner of the devil were you dragged
off to that spectacle? Can this be tolerated? Can
this be accepted? I shall not stop saying these things
constantly, and assuaging my pain that way, not by
suppressing it with silence, but by bringing it out into
public view and putting it in front of your eyes.
How will we be able to propitiate God from now
on? How can we mollify his anger? Three days ago
a stormy raincloud burst and soaked everything.
It snatched their food from the very mouths of the
farmers, so to speak, flattened the waving cornfields,
and ruined everything else due to the abundance of
water. Processions and supplications were held, and
our whole city like a torrent ran to the places of the
apostles. We claimed as advocates St Peter and the
blessed Andrew, and the famous pair of apostles,
Paul and Timothy. After that, when the anger eased,
we crossed the sea and mastered the waves, and ran
to the chief apostles, Peter the foundation of our
faith, and Paul the instrument of divine election. We
conducted a spiritual gathering, and proclaimed their
struggles, their achievements and their victories over
the demons. And yet, unalarmed by dread about what
had happened, and not learning from the magnitude
of the apostles achievements, at once within the
space of a single day, do you jump around and shout,
not seeing that your own soul is being dragged into
captivity by its base pursuits? If you were addicted to
watching the circuit of wild beasts, why did you not
yoke the wild passions in yourself, namely fury and
desire, and place on them the bridle of philosophy,
which is virtuous and light, and impose the correct
argument, and drive them towards the prize of a
higher vocation, not running from defilement to
defilement, but from earth to heaven? That type of
horse race produces great benefit as well as pleasure.