Christ is Baptized!

THEOPHANY OF OUR LORD: At Your baptism in the Jordan River, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was proclaimed: the voice of the Father bore witness to You by calling You “My beloved Son.” The Spirit, in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of this declaration. O Christ-God, manifested Light of the world, glory to You.

Parish Facilities Maintenance Team Formed

The organizational meeting of the newly formed Facilities Maintenance Team of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church will take place on Friday evening, January 18th starting at 6:30 p.m. During this meeting, the team will discuss what maintenance or repair projects will be worked on during this new year. The schedule of work sessions will also be established for the entire year so that plans can be developed for doing all of the projects and arrangements made for the purchase of required supplies and equipment.

Once the projects have been determined and prioritized, the group will spend the rest of this “meeting” beginning to work on the first project. The usual time frame for the work sessions will run from 6:30 to about 9:30 p.m. There will be occasions when it is necessary to work later than 9:30 to complete some of the projects.

All parishioners who would like to become part of the team should leave your contact information with Father Iura after the Liturgy. Forms for providing your contact information can be found in the vestibule of the church.

Awakenings —Adult Faith Formation: “Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you,”1 Peter 3:15.

Adult Faith Formation at St Michael’s strives to create an environment and opportunities that foster adult learning, addressing the varied dimensions of Byzantine Catholic life and the spiritual life. Our Byzantine tradition is rich and we aim to deepen our understanding so as to inform the way we live.

As a result of the leadership of His Beatitude, Patriarch Sviatoslav from his letter that we heard last week, we are aiming to address the hopes of the Patriarch to generate a new appreciation for the beauty of the Byzantine tradition of faith that we have inherited. Beginning now, we will offer a word from the Catechism of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Christ Our Pascha  and a word from one of the Fathers of the Church on a weekly basis. It is our hope that these words will awaken a new hope in the promises of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for communion with the Holy Trinity.

The Freedom of the Creator: Holy Scripture begins the account of the creation of the world with these words: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). God was, is, and remains always “in the beginning” of everything created, and all that comes forth in time. The evangelist John writes about God as the beginning of everything: “ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8). St. Irenaeus of Lyons writes that all things came forth from the hands of God, by the Word and the Holy Spirit. (Christ Our Pascha, 103)

In Communion: From the Christmas Sermon of St Gregory Palamas

“Peace,” it says, “good will toward men”… Brethren, let us preserve this peace in ourselves as far as we can, for we have received it as an inheritance from our Savior who has now been born, who gives us the Spirit of adoption, through which we have become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Let us be at peace with God, and doing those things which are well-pleasing to Him, living chastely, telling the truth, behaving righteously, “continuing in prayer and supplication,” “signing and making peace with ourselves,” by subjecting our flesh to our spirit, choosing to conduct ourselves according to our conscience, and having the inner world of our thoughts motivated by good order and purity. Thus we shall put an end to the civil conflict in our own midst. Let us be at peace with one another, “forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you,” and showing mercy to each other out of mutual love, just as Christ, solely for love of us, had mercy on us and for our sake came down to us. Then, recalled from the sinful fall through His help and grace, and lifted high above this world by virtues, we may have our citizenship in heavenly places, whence also we wait for our hope, redemption from corruption and enjoyment of celestial and eternal blessings as children of the Heavenly Father.”