From Fr. Alex Radulescu - Tonight’s service (which is actually the Orthros service of Tuesday) brings to mind the idea of preparedness. And this idea comes from the Scripture readings of the day (Tuesday) taken from Matthew 24:36-51; 25:1-46; 26:1-2.
From Fr. Nick Kotsis - We just participated in the first Bridegroom Service of Holy Week. The service tonight is really the Orthros for Holy Monday (remember, during Holy Week, the services are “switched” to show anticipation for the next day – the Orthros services are in the evening, and the Vespers services are in the morning).
From Fr. Alex Radulescu - Last night, we have officially concluded the Forty days of preparation before Pascha. We have now started the Holy Week commemoration of Christ's suffering, death and Resurrection. The first two events in this cycle are interconnected: Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday. Let’s explore their meaning one by one:
From Fr. Nick Kotsis - My mother’s sister and her three children would come up to visit the family from San Antonio, Texas every summer. Each of our three cousins matched us in age. Since they would spend nearly the whole summer up here, we grew particularly close to them, and we still are. We couldn’t wait until school was over because we knew that our cousins were just days away from coming up.
From Fr. Alex Radulescu - The Book of Genesis 46:1-7 recounts the travel preparations Jacob (Israel) took to ensure the survival of his family. His son, Joseph, was in Egypt by now and became Pharaoh’s right hand. But remember how Joseph was sold by his own brothers (betrayal) and taken to Egypt as a slave. In spite of that, God helped Him become so famous there, that the ruler of that country had total confidence in him and gave him command over the food supply and other strategic assets.
From Fr. Nick Kotsis - May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ guide us, protect us, and heal us. May He drive away all fear from our hearts and strengthen us with confidence in our faith in Him.
Part of today’s Old Testament reading comes from the Prophecy of Isaiah (9b-11): By Fr. Alex Radulescu - Today, we read from the Book of Isaiah 49:6 “Thus says the LORD: ‘I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’" By Fr. Nick Kotsis - Many of you know that I grew up at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Sterling Heights. Fr. Nicholas Kyritses was the first, and still only, priest the parish has ever known. And in throughout the 1980’s, soccer was sport to play.
By Fr. Alex Radulescu – Sunday evening I had the pleasure to participate in the GOYA video conference called “Night with God” along with our bishop, Metropolitan Nicholas, Fr. Nick and a few other priests from the neighboring parishes. This teleconference seems to be well attended and popular, especially during this time, and I hope it will become more permanent, even after the pandemic is over.
By Fr. Nick Kotsis - One of my fondest memories of growing up takes me to the porch at my parents’ house. When we lived in Fraser, the porch was outdoors and had an awning. So, in the late spring, summer and early fall, I would love to go outside and sit on my dad’s lap. I remember him talking to me about the moon and its phases, about the fireflies that we would try to count, and about the different noises we would hear in the backyard.
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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
3109 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Phone: (734) 332-8200
Fax: (734) 332-8201
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
3109 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Phone: (734) 332-8200
Fax: (734) 332-8201