Sunday, March 18, 2018
Fourth Sunday of Great Lent
Commemoration of John Climacus, Author of “The Ladder”
Cyril, patriarch of Jerusalem; Martyrs Trophymos and Eukarpos of Nicomedia and those with them;
Nikolai (Velimirovic), bishop of Zhicha who labored in America
Nourishment of the Soul: “The humility of the Theotokos also has much to teach women today. Let us all call upon her, for holy humility will provide us with ease, freedom, joy, grace, sanctity, redemption and a foretaste of the delight in Paradise, which will render us without problems, graceful and truly joyful even in this life.” – Blessed Moses the Athonite
Parish Council meets around noon.
Women’s Month: Alice Piercefield will read the Epistle this morning.
The Food for Hungry People Campaign continues. On your check, please differentiate between donations to this campaign and to the regular, local benevolence/charitable fund for families in need.
All Saints Food Pantry: Thank you for donations last week. Hot dogs and ground beef (in the freezer) as well as paper towels and toilet tissue are STILL NEEDED. God bless you!
Tonight: Joy of All Who Sorrow is hosting Lenten Vespers at 5:00. Fr. Dragan Petrovich is the guest homilist. A fellowship meal follows.
Social Hour: Scheduled contributors this Sunday are those whose last names start with G-H; however, all donations are welcome!
Serving Dishes, Left in the Pantry and Kitchen! We appreciate your food donations, but wonder if you have forgotten to take your serving vessels home! Take a look in cabinets or kitchen storeroom.
Receiving the Eucharist: We invite you to receive the Holy Eucharist if you are an Orthodox Christian who has prepared yourself through fasting, prayer, and recent confession. If you are not Orthodox, or are Orthodox but have not prepared, we invite you to receive a piece of the blessed bread in the wooden bowls held by the altar servers at the front of the church.
If you are visiting today, we warmly welcome you and invite you to stay for the fellowship hour that follows Divine Liturgy.
Special prayers for the Catechumens and specifically, “Those preparing for Holy Illumination” (who will be chrismated on Lazarus Saturday) will be heard during services leading up to Holy Pascha.
Father Peter Jon can be reached by cell phone and email; however text messages may not be received on his flip phone due to texting limitations. Father continues to encourage each of us to to consider fasting from social media and electronic media in general for the duration of the fast.
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, March 21: Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts 6:00, followed by light meal & teaching
Thursday, March 22: Bible Study at Becky’s 3:00 – 5:00
Thursday, March 22: Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and the Life of St. Mary of Egypt at 6:00
Friday, March 23: Little Compline and Akathist Hymn at 6:00
Saturday, March 24: Great Vespers with Artoklosia (blessing of the loaves for a GREAT FEAST) at 5:00 – Orthodoxy 101 with Fr. Peter Jon presenting “Preparing for Burial.”
Sunday, March 25: Annunciation – Matins at 8:50; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – Myrrh Bearers meet.
Sunday Evening, 18: Lenten Vespers at St. Mary of Egypt in Greenwood at 5pm; Fr. Nabil Hanna, presenter.
LOOKING AHEAD
… Bible Study: Gospel of John at the Webb’s home – 7:00-8:30 at 3960 E. Fenbrook Lane, on Thursdays, but not on March 22nd. The series is almost finished.
…Lazarus Saturday, March 31st: Chrismations and Divine Liturgy begin at 9:00 am. Afterward there is a light meal, followed by an ALL-PARISH WORKDAY. Plan to come and prepare the building and grounds for Palm Sunday and for Holy Week. You will enjoy your time of service with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
FAMILY NOTES
Birthday Blessings: Kh. Kristina Gt(18th); Marah P (19th); Lilly B (20th); Saraqael H (21st); Georges T (21st); Ghada L (21st); Heidi S (21st)
Name Day Celebration: Mezy A (St. Photini – 20th); Hannah G(St. Photini – 20th); Shirley R (St. Photini- 20th); Galina McLaws (St. Galina – 23rd) (St. Photini in the Slavic tradition is March 20th>)
Memory Eternal: Norman (Marija’s brother-in-law); Philip (Marcia’s brother);Victims in Florida school tragedy
Prayer List: Barbara; Paul; Caden, Dylan,& Maddie; Marvin & Alice; Cathy; Kh. Kristina; Sitto; Elias; Waded; Neva; Bill; Lonnie; Fr. George; Iva Lee; Adrian T; Nancy & Shalayna; Jennifer A’s family; Rigsby family; those suffering in the drug crisis in the USA; Safety in our Schools
Today’s Epistle and Gospel Readings
Prokeimenon: “The Lord will give strength to His people.”
Verse: “Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.” Psalm 28:11,1
Epistle: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews. (6:13-20)
Brethren, when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by one greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He interposed with an oath. So that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Gospel: The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (9:16-30)
At that time, a man came to Jesus, kneeling down and saying unto him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked Thy Disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And Jesus answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to Me.” And they brought the boy to Him; and when the spirit saw Jesus, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if Thou canst do anything, have pity on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when Jesus had entered the house, His Disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And Jesus said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And Jesus would not have anyone know it; for He was teaching His Disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and after He is killed, He will rise on the third day.”
Divine Liturgy Variables
Resurrectional Apolytikion – Tone 8
From the heights Thou didst descend, O Compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.
Apolytikion of St. John Climacus – Tone 8
The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears; and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundredfold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father John Climacus, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion for the Annunciation (and Great Lent) – Tone 8
To thee, the Champion Leader, do I offer thanks of victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror; but as thou that hast that power invincible, O Theotokos, thou alone can set me free: from all forms of danger free me and deliver me, that I may cry unto thee: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom.
St. Basil’s Megalynarion (instead of “It is truly meet…”)
All of creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace, the assembly of angels and the race of men. O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a child: our God before the ages. he made thy body into a throne, and thy womb He made more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace, glory to thee!