Category: Adult Faith Formation

Third Sunday after Pentecost

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” Only after Jesus has shown the hurt to be unspeakable, then and not before does he make the instruction stricter. He not only asks us to cast away what we have but also forbids us to take thought even for the food we need, saying, “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat,” not because the soul needs food, for it is incorporeal. He spoke figuratively. For though the soul as such needs no food, it cannot endure to remain in the body unless the body is fed. (St. John Chrysostom)

As always, God With Us Online, there are several things to help us go deeper in knowing and following the Scripture we hear at the Divine Liturgy. So, at the link above for the resources there is a very brief piece on the Domestic Church (the church at home) by Melkite Deacon Thomas Moses. Most importantly listen to the Gospel reflection.

Sunday of the Paralytic

Can you feel it? Can you notice the warmth of the Holy Spirit? We are moving toward the great feast Pentecost. You can feel the dramatic intensity of the praying Church getting ready for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In preparation for receiving the Holy Spirit the Church gives us this weekend the gift of the Sunday of the Paralytic.

Resources from God With Us Online

Don’t miss the April reflection –only one page– by Fr. Vasile Colopelnic, “Developing a Eucharistic Lifestyle.” Fr. Vaisle is a priest the Stamford Eparchy serving in New York State.

There is also the Resurrectional Troparion in Tone 3 to listen to as well as the resources for catechism class.

Prepare for hearing Sunday’s Gospel by listening to the Gospel Reflection.

St. John Chrysostom teaches: “What kind of a cure is this? What mystery does it signify to us?… It was the greatest of gifts, a baptism purging all sins and making people alive instead of dead. These things then are foreshown as in a picture by the pool.… so that those [at the pool] who had learned over and over how it is possible to heal the diseases of the body by water might more easily believe that water can also heal the diseases of the soul.”

Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women –resources

Three weeks ago we celebrated Pascha. Now we are at the Second Sunday after Easter (April 18, 2021) — the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women. These women pour the oil of our salvation over the bodies of those who belong to Christ Jesus; the oil announces LIFE. Who are these women? Do you know who we are talking about? Scripture reveals to us the names of the women, each with a personal history and each with a mission (like us). They are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jose, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome. Plus, we have Joseph of Arimathea. Each person here is essential for making the Risen Lord known and loved and followed.

When the women encounter the Risen Lord at the tomb He tells them not to be afraid at the sight of Him and of His announcement: the crucified is now risen. His promise is true; the offer to be united with God is made good, Life is bestowed upon us. The first act of the Risen Lord is to give the women a central mission, a particular service (a diaconia) for the spread of the Gospel: go and tell the disciples and Peter, that crucified Jesus is now risen, He is alive.

The Church understands this biblical narrative of vocation and place in the Way –the Way of the Lord– in generations: the first generation are the Apostles, then the disciples, and the deacons (seen first in the person of Joseph of Arimathea, then the other deacons we read about in the Apostles). No one group can exist without the other because of the particularity of each God-mission given to each person. This mission we speak of, as St John Henry Newman tells us, is the mission given by God is unique, unrepeatable, not transferable, given for a specific purpose. Some are called to be priests, some deacons, some catechists, some nurses, some bakers, some gardeners, some machinists, some writers, some lawyers, etc. The mission the Lord gives us links us to him and those others who have served the Gospel and the Church through 2000 years.

St. Peter Chrysologus speaks of the mission of the Women and the apostles, “The women were first to honor the risen Christ, the apostles first to suffer for him. The women were ready with spices; the apostles prepared for scourges. The women entered the tomb; the apostles would soon enter the dungeon. The women hastened to express their eulogy; the apostles embraced chains for his sake. The women poured oils; the apostles poured out their blood.”

The Resurrectional troparion (in the Ukrainian tone), the catechetical resources for the children AND the Gospel reflection with Melkite Father Hezekias and Sebastian are found here.

Christ is risen!

Honoring the Patriarch’s 10th Anniversary

The Church is honoring the 10th Anniversary of the election and enthronement of His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

A special program has been prepared for His Beatitude’s 10th anniversary (March 27, 2011). There is a review of the Patriarch’s first ten years and there is a revelation of his vision for our Church for the next ten years.

The TV presentation is mostly in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

You may watch the presentation here.

Parish Mission 2021 Part II

On Saturday, March 27, at the 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy we will have part II of the Parish Mission given by Father Gregory Lozinskyy, pastor of St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Trumbull. Father Gregory will preach in both Ukrainian and English.

Part I of the parish mission happened at last Sunday’s 10:30 a.m. Liturgy.

The Jesus Prayer

The Sunday of the Pharisee and Publican is a fitting day for us to familiarize us with the Jesus Prayer. Father Iura spoke of the Jesus Prayer in today’s homily.

The Jesus Prayer
Alice Herro

Prayer, essential to Christian life, is one way we may communicate with God. It is the means by which we experience Jesus. Liturgical prayers conclude with the phrase, “through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” he name, Jesus, is at the heart of faith and prayer. It is through Jesus that heaven’s gates are open. It is in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, that we ultimately return to the Father.

To early Christians, Jesus was not only a belief, but an experienced reality. Early Christians understood the healing, comforting power of the name, Jesus. From this understanding arose one of the earliest Christian prayers, the Jesus Prayer. It is simple, concise and direct, but rooted in the name of our Lord. It is an insistent prayer that can be said anywhere and anytime.

Jesus emptied Himself as His gift to us. Likewise, we return the gifts and empty ourselves as our gift to Him. How do we empty ourselves? How do we achieve this exchange of gifts?

Repeating the Jesus Prayer continuously is one way. With the Jesus Prayer, heart addresses Heart. Thus, the Jesus Prayer establishes communion between your heart and the Heart of Jesus. With practice, the Jesus Prayer will lead you into the Presence of Christ.

How does one pray continuously? A simple breathing technique will help sustain continuous repetition of the prayer:

~Inhale
~Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, (invocation)
~Exhale
~be merciful to me, a sinner. (petition)

Many people recite the Our Father on the crucifix, the Jesus Prayer on all the beads, and the Glory Be on the crucifix. Although the Jesus Prayer is traditionally recited, you may say any prayer, word or group of words. Whatever leads you into the Presence of Christ is correct. Examples beside the Jesus Prayer: + Glory be to the Father, etc.; + Jesus; + My Lord and my God; + Lover of mankind; + Blessed be God (or any of the Divine Praises).

Begin by reciting the prayer 100 times. That sounds like forever, but it’s just a few minutes. The Jesus Prayer rosary (sometimes called prayer rope) beads enable you to count the prayers “automatically” without thinking about numbers.

Ancient saints stood in an “orans” position: arms bent forward from the elbows, palms up, in a receptive position. However, you may elect to kneel, sit or lie on your back. You may be actively engaged in something as ordinary as washing dishes. Any position or any activity is correct as long as you can remain focussed, thus preparing yourself for the exchange of gifts. Recited repeatedly, the prayer will be naturally synchronized with your breathing. As you breathe and pray, one in concert with the other, you will begin to empty yourself, cultivating an inner stillness that makes room for the Presence of Christ. Continue this practice from time to time throughout the day. Summon the Holy Spirit for guidance and help. Try to increase the number of recitations as your focus permits. Persevere and the Jesus Prayer will not only become habitual and continuous; it will fill your heart.

The power of Christ transcends everything. In seeking Jesus you can receive peace and contentment, even in the midst of darkness and despair. However, when you pray the Jesus Prayer, do not focus on peace, contentment or any other intention. You won’t find them and you won’t find Jesus either. Rather, seek Jesus only and He will bless each person individually and accordingly.

Pages: 1 2

Resources for the Sunday of the Pharisee and Publican

Sunday, January 24, 2021 is the Sunday of the Pharisee and Publican. Here are the resources for sacred Scripture, Church teaching and reflection, and for the Divine Liturgy.

The reflections on the offering of the gifts (Proskomedia) is quite good as well as the video presentation on the Gospel. Be sure to listen the Resurrectional Troparion.

These resources are offered to you for your formation in the Catholic faith by deepening your appreciation of sacred Scripture and the Liturgy. Let us together pray for the renewal of our parish and Eparchy of Stamford.

Zacchaeus Sunday

”He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.’” (Lk 19: 1-10)

Zacchaeus, a despised tax-collector, did not feel “entitled” to meet the Lord, let alone receive Him in his house. But he also did not hide in his house, when Jesus was “passing through” Jericho, hoping just to catch a glimpse of the famous teacher from afar. And he didn’t hesitate to scramble up into a tree, to realize this humble ambition. Hence Zacchaeus’s great, life-changing joy at the Lord’s unexpected “Hello,” and politically-incorrect offering of fellowship to him, a despised tax-collector.

Humility does not feel “entitled,” when it comes to fellowship, be it with the Lord Himself, or with others. But humility also does not hide from fellowship in its own “house,” and embraces it joyfully when it is offered. That’s what I’m thinking, as we read this passage about Zacchaeus this upcoming Sunday, one week before the beginning of the “Lenten Triodion.” As Lent approaches, and I might find myself isolated in my “smallness of stature” with respect to the Lord and others in His vicinity, let me venture out of the “house” of my own head, and become a bit more open to Him and others. Let me “come and see,” wherever He happens to be “passing through” my neighborhood, this upcoming Lenten season. Because our Lord is a Lord Who tends to surprise those of us who venture out to catch a glimpse of Him, beyond our humble expectations.

Meditation by Sister Vassa, SEOD

#ByzantineCatholicNewHaven
#ByzantineCT
#ByzantineConnecticut

Online study on the Divine Nature

God With Us Online is offering a free 3 part study on Theosis, deification –an essential point of our Eastern Christian faith. This brief course of study contributes to our ongoing work of Adult Faith Formation.

“God has called his people to become partakers of His Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4). Join us for this three-part series as we explore this process of participating in the Sacramental and moral life of Christ by which each individual and the whole Church are transformed into the mystical body of Christ.”

PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE: A Patristic Study of Deification

Instructor: Father Nathan Symeon

Register at the link above. The course is free.

Wednesdays, January 13 – 27 @ 8 – 9 PM ET

****Look at the link noted above and read the document under the heading of “Resources.”

UPDATE: Here is the video presentation in case you weren’t able to watch the original airing by Father Nathan.

Theophany

“When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan / The worship of the Trinity was revealed, / For the voice of the Father bore witness to You / And called You His beloved Son. / And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, / Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. / O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself / And have enlightened the world, glory to You!” (Byzantine Troparion-hymn of Theophany)

The Lord “reveals” Himself; He appears unto us. That’s what He does, on this great feast of Theo-phany (θεο-φάνεια, Бого-явление, or «appearance/revelation of God»)…. He doesn’t hide Himself from us, but exposes Himself, immersing Himself into, and giving His light and “enlightenment” to, the “waters” of my world in the river Jordan.

Let me not hide myself from Him either, today, but come to Him in honesty, in some heartfelt prayer. Let me respond to His openness to me, and to His readiness to immerse Himself in all the “waters” of my life, opening my heart to His enlightening presence, and letting myself be immersed in it. Thank You, Lord, for sanctifying all our “waters,” however muddy they may be. “You have revealed Yourself and have enlightened the world. Glory to You!”

Sr. Vassa
text of 2019