Sts. Cyril and Methody Macedonian Orthodox Church

09/07/2026

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On September 8, we commemorate the Holy Martyr Adrian and the Venerable Natalia

A husband and wife, both of noble and wealthy birth, from Nicomedia. Adrian was a pagan and the praetor's chief, and Natalia a secret Christian. They were young and had lived in marriage for thirteen months before their martyrdom. When the cruel Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered the Christians to be arrested and subjected to torture. Near the city, in a cave, twenty-three Christians were gathered. Someone reported them to the authorities, and they were fiercely whipped with oxgoads and beaten with rods, and then thrown into prison. After this, they were taken out of prison and taken to the praetor for a census of their names. Adrian looked at these people, tormented and patient, calm and meek, and he adjured them to tell him what they expected from their God for so many sufferings they had endured. They spoke to him of the bliss of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. When he heard this and looked at them again, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: “Write down my name with the saints, for I am a Christian.” The scribe, when he heard this, asked him: “Have you gone out of your mind?” Adrian’s answer was: “I have not gone out of my mind, but have come to my senses.” Upon hearing this, Natalia was very happy, and when Adrian was sitting chained in prison with the others, she came and served everyone; and when her husband was beaten and tortured with various tortures, she encouraged him to persevere to the end. After long torments in prison, the emperor ordered an anvil to be brought there to hammer their hands and feet. This was done, and so Adrian and the other twenty-three men breathed their last in excruciating torment. Natalia transferred their relics to Constantinople, where she buried them honorably. A few days later, Saint Andrew, all in light and unearthly beauty, appeared to her and called her to go to the Lord. Saint Natalia peacefully gave up her spirit to God.

Драги браќа и сестри во Христа,

8.09 ги чествуваме Светиот маченик Адријан и преподобна Наталија

Маж и жена, обајцата од благороден и богат род, од Никомидија. Адријан беше незнабожец и началник на преторот, а Наталија потајна христијанка. Беа млади и живееја во брак тринаесет месеци до мачеништвото. Кога свирепиот цар Максимијан ја посети Никомидија, заповеда христијаните да се фаќаат и да се подложуваат на маки. Во близина на градот, во една пештера, беа собрани дваесет и тројца христијани. Некој ги поткажа кај власта и беа луто камшикувани со воловски жили и биени со стапови, па потоа ги фрлија во затвор. По ова ги изведоа од затворот и ги одведоа кај преторот заради попис на имињата. Адријан ги гледаше овие луѓе, измачени и трпеливи, мирни и кротки, па ги заколна да му кажат што очекуваат од својот Бог за толкуте претрпени маки. Тие му говореа за блаженството на праведните во Царството Божјо. Кога го чу тоа и повторно се вгледа во нив, Адријан одеднаш се сврте кон писарот и му рече: „Запиши го и моето име со светите, и јас сум христијанин.“ Писарот, кога чу, го праша: „Да не слезе од умот?“ Одговорот на Адријан беше: „Не слегов од умот, туку си дојдов на умот.“ Откако слушна за ова Наталија многу се израдува и кога Адријан со другите седеше окован во затворот, таа дојде и им служеше на сите; а кога мажот ѝ го биеја и го измачуваа со разни маки, таа го храбреше да истрае докрај. После долги маки во затворот, царот нареди таму да се однесе наковална за да им ги толчат со чекан рацете и нозете. Ова беше извршено, и така Адријан и останатите дваесет и тројца мажи издивнаа во претешки маки. Нивните мошти Наталија ги пренесе во Цариград, каде што ги погреба чесно. По неколку дена ѝ се јави Свети Андреј, сиот во светлост и надземна убавина и ја повика да појде кај Господ. Света Наталија мирно Му го предаде на Бога својот дух.
@следачи Божјиот Пат @најголеми обожаватели

09/07/2026

И, возвратившись, раб тот донес о сем господину своему. Тогда, разгневавшись, хозяин дома сказал рабу своему: пойди скорее по улицам и переулкам города и приведи сюда нищих, увечных, хромых и слепых. И сказал раб: господин! исполнено, как приказал ты, и еще есть место. Господин сказал рабу: пойди по дорогам и изгородям и убеди придти, чтобы наполнился дом мой. Ибо сказываю вам, что никто из тех званых не вкусит моего ужина, ибо много званых, но мало избранных (Лк. 14:21-24)

"Званными Евангелие называет иудеев как предварительно приглашенных посредством закона и пророков к христианству; бесприютные бедняки и калеки, бродящие по улицам и переулкам, странники, трудящиеся в дороге или остановившиеся на перекрестке для избрания пути, знаменуют язычников, пребывающих вне дома, вне Церкви, вне богопознания; исчисленные телесные недостатки их надо принимать по отношению к душе. Званые иудеи отказались решительно; вслед за ними призванные язычники едва убедились прийти на вечерю.

Званными посреди христианства должны быть признаны славные, богатые, ученые, благополучные в мире сем: Богом дарованные им преимущества пред другими, сопряженное с этими преимуществами удобство к Богопознанию и Богослужению, выражают, без сомнения, призвание Божие к спасению и высшему блаженству… Увы! зрелище, достойное плача! Званные пребывают, как камни, невнимательными к Призывающему. Кажется, только пораженные бедствиями, болезнями, нищетою, лишениями, – только увечные и нищие в гражданском смысле способны послушать Бога: оказывают повиновение Богу, по выражению апостола, невежи по разуму мира, немощные, худородные, уничиженные в мире (1Кор. 1.27-28). Очень верно изображает притча, что нищих, слепых, хромых и калек чудный Раб должен был уговорить и убедить, чтоб они пришли на вечерю. Нам сроднилось и полюбилось наше падение: тяжело разлучаться с ним.

Грозным приговором заключил Господь притчу. Он, прозревая всевидящим оком настоящее и будущее невнимание к Нему человеков, сказал: «мнози суть звани, мало же избранных». Всех призывает милосердый Бог ко спасению, но весьма немногие повинуются Ему. Все мы принадлежим к числу званных по неизреченной любви Божией к нам, но весьма немногие из нас включаются в число избранных, потому что включение в число избранных предоставлено нашему собственному произволению."

Святитель Игнатий Брянчанинов

"Вечеря сия приготовляется ежедневно, и все мы призываемся в Царство, которое Бог уготовал людям еще прежде создания мира (Мф.25,34). Но мы не удостаиваемся оного, одни по любопытству мудрости, другие по любви к вещественному, иные по любви к плоти. А человеколюбие Божие дарует сие Царство другим грешникам, которые слепы разумными очами, не понимают, что есть воля Божия, или и понимают, но хромы и неподвижны к исполнению оной, и нищи, как лишившиеся небесной славы, и увечные, как не обнаруживающие в себе непорочной жизни. К сим-то грешникам, блуждающим по широким и пространным путям греха, Отец Небесный посылает с приглашением на вечерю Сына Своего, который стал рабом по плоти, пришел позвать не праведников, но грешников (Мф.9,13), и обильно угощает их вместо тех разумных и богатых, и угождающих плоти. На многих Он посылает болезни и бедствия, и через то невольно заставляет отказаться от такой жизни, по судьбам, по каким Сам знает, и приводит их на Свою вечерю, обращая в побуждение для них наведение бедствий. Примеров сему много.

В более простом смысле, притча научает нас подавать лучше нищим и увечным, чем богатым. К чему Господь убеждал несколько выше, к тому самому, кажется, сказал и притчу сию, уверяя оною еще более, что угощать должно нищих. Научаемся (сей притчей) еще и другому, именно: что мы должны быть так усердны и щедры на принятие братьев (меньших), что должны убеждать их к участию в наших благах и тогда, когда они не желают. В этом для учителей сильное внушение, чтобы они наставляли учеников своих должному и тогда, когда сии не желают."

Блаженный Феофилакт Болгарский

"Итак, звано много на вечерю, да оказалось мало достойных вкусить этой вечери по причине их привязанности к земле; и они – страшное несчастье – не вкусят небесной вечери, не будут возлежать в Царстве Небесном, не наследят блаженной вечности. Вместо них на вечере будут люди презренные по понятию мира. Приложи это к себе каждый: каждого и теперь приглашает Господь на Свою вечерю – не отказываются ли и ныне по разным мелким предлогам? Отказываются: и теперь люди те же, как и прежде. Божественный Спаситель наш! Как хорошо Ты предвидел это! Как метки Твои притчи! Какая дается в них небесная премудрость!"

Праведный Иоанн Кронштадтский

09/06/2026

Macedonian Orthodox Church
"Sts Cyril and Methody “
4785 Lake Ave. Blasdell, NY 14219
( 716) 823-9292
Very Rev. Trajko Boseovski
( 416) 805-2622
E- mail: [email protected]
Weekly BulletIn 14th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
September 6,2026

"For many are called, but few are chosen.”

09/06/2026

GOSPEL Matthew (22,1-14)
'And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage or his son, "and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to he wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out ther servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.
'ome to the wedding."» 5"But they made light of it and went their ways, me to his own farm, another to his business. 6"And the rest seized his ervants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7"But when the king
card about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed hose murderers, and burned up their city.
&Then he said to his servants,
The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the redding.
10%So those servants went out into the highways and gathered ogether all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall vas filled with guests. ! But when the king came in to see the guests, he aw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12"So he said
b him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' and he was speechless.
13‹Then the king said to the servants,
'Bind him
and and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there vill be weeping and gnashing of teeth? 14 For many are called, but few re chosen."
EPISTLE: 2 Corin (1,22-2,4)
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has nointed us is God, 'who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit n our hearts as a guarantee. Moreover I call God as witness gainst my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. 24Not hat we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for our joy; for by faith you stand.
But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again o you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who nakes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?
And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should ave sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having Confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. *For out of nuch affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many ears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the ove which I have so abundantly for you.

14th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST THE BEST STYLE OF CLOTHING
(Matthew 22:1-14)
We cannot help but marvel at the wonderful way Jesus taught people by parables. If we were going to teach someone about the Kingdom of Heaven, the chances are we would get involved in a complicated lecture about eternity, timelessness, and the vision of God. But Jesus, in teaching His listeners about heaven, told them a story about a marriage feast.
The Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus said, is like a king who made a marriage banquet for his son. The servants were sent out to call all the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come. The king sent still more messengers, urging the guests to come, for the food was all prepared and everything was ready for a glorious meal. The guests claimed they were busy with their farms and business, and would not come.
Not only that, but they began to fight with the king's servants and killed them. The king got angry when he heard this, and sent soldiers to punish the wicked people. Then he said to other servants: "Go out into the highway and byways and call as many people as you find to the marriage feast of my son."
The servants went out and called everybody, the good and the bad, into the banquet hall. The tables were loaded and the candles were lit. Everything was ready. Then the king made his entrance. And there, at one of the tables, he found a man who wasn't properly dressed. He went over to him and asked,
"Friend,
how come you came here without the proper wedding clothes?" The man gave no answer. The king ordered him to be tied hand and foot and cast outside. Then Jesus ended the parable by saying, "For many are called but few are chosen."
What is the meaning of this story? What did the Lord want to teach by it? The king in the story represents God the Father Himself. The king's son is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's relationship to His Church has been compared to the relationship of bride and groom in a marriage. Through this Church the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all who would come in.
The king's servants are the prophets, apostles, and priests of God, who announce to the people that the feast of heaven is ready. All the invited guests need to do is believe and come into the Church of Christ for salvation. The invited quests who refused to come are all the ungrateful people of the Old Testament who refused to listen to Christ and rejected Him, as well as those today who remain outside the kingdom of the Church.
regardless of nationality or color, through its doors.
The good and the bad are mixed together within the Church. There are those who truly believe and try to live the Christian way of life; but there are also those whose faith is not sincere and who serve God with the lips and not the
heart. Of course, one day the great sifting process will come when Jesus will make the division of the good and the evil for all eternity.
But what about the one man who wasn't dressed correctly for the wedding feast? What does this mean? It means that not even one person gets into God's Kingdom if he doesn't belong there. And his silence at the time of questioning teaches that there will be no complaint to make as we stand before Christ at the bar of judgment.
Another question is, what was wrong with the clothes he had on? What kind of wardrobe do we need to enter the Kingdom of God? Of course, the Lord here is not talking about a gown or tuxedo or hat or gloves or shoes. None of these do we take with us when we die. But what we do take is our faith, and our deeds, the good ones and the bad.
So it is that the kind of wardrobe with which we appear at God's feast in
etemity consists of three things:
1. We must be dressed with faith in Christ as the Son of God. This conviction of our Lord's divinity serves as a covering or protection for us.
Remember the hymn we sing at the great feast days of our Church: "For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." There it is. Through our faith in Christ, and our baptism, we "put on Christ," we garment ourselves with Him, we identify ourselves with Him. Jesus places on us the robe of righteousness, the robe He wove with the fibers of pain and suffering and death on the cross.
2. Then this garment also includes our sorrow for the sins of life. How difficult it is to sincerely repent for our wrongs. But they are there bare wounds upon our souls. And we must heal them and cover them.
3. Finally, the wedding garb also contains the jewels of good deeds. Our Christian acts of kindness and mercy shine like diamonds. It is through our virtues that others see the light of Christ. "Not everyone who prays Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of God," Jesus said, "but who does the will of My Father." The will of the Father means living like the Son.
So it is that day by day, week by week, and year by year, as we go through life we are weaving the garment that we shall wear on judgment day. The old saying that you can't take anything with you when you die is not exactly correct.
You do take life's mantle, you do take the clothes of a life lived. Our task is to see to it that we are clothed with the garment of Christ, repentance, and virtue.
And we must work while it is day, Jesus said, "for the night (of death cometh when no man can work."
The Gospel story ends with the words of our Saviour: "For many are called, but few are chosen." The call of Christ for faith, for repentance, for Christian living and loving, goes on and on. Precious few heed the call to follow the Lord.
We are all among the called, God grant that we might all also be among the chosen. Amen.