From Evangelicalism to Byzantine Christianity

A recent online interview about a family of Evangelical Christians who came to Byzantine Christianity through a relationship with the pastor of a Kyivan Church in Richmond, British Colombia. Thanks to God’s Grace and the great work of Jesuit Father Richard Soo the parish is growing (with a large number of Chinese people).

The article: “Bridging Protestantism and Eastern Catholic Orthodoxy.”

May the Holy Theotokos and all the saints continue to move hearts and minds to be in relation with Jesus Christ and His Church.

Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ

Sunday, 3/31, 4th Sunday of Lent —St John Climacus —Parish Mission
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Bohdana requested by Lubomyr Chermak

Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20
Gospel: Mark 9:17-31, Tone 4

Monday, 4/01, Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt

Tuesday, 4/02, Our Venerable Wonderworker Titus
9:00 +Ivan and Halyna Lobay requested by Maria Lobay

Wednesday, 4/03, Our Venerable Confessor Nicetas

Thursday, 4/04, Our Venerable Fathers Joseph the hymnographer and George

Friday, 4/05, Holy Martyr Theodulus
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts

Saturday, 4/06, Our Holy Father Eutychius
9:00 a.m. +Valentyna Kulish (Pan.) requested by Halia Lodynsky

Sunday, 3/07, 5th Sunday of Lent —Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt
9:00 Special Intention
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14
Gospel: Mark 10:32-45, Tone 5

Parish announcements this week

Christ is in our midst!

This week the vigil light is offered to God’s glory in memory of all deceased of Waselik family. by members of the family.

The Divine Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts (compiled by St Gregory the Great) will be celebrated on Friday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. Please come and join in this beautiful tradition of our Church.

Sestrechi will next meet on Sunday, April 7, after the 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy. The meeting will be held in the church hall Classroom 1.

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the Holy Name Room. All council members, organization representatives and interested parishioners are invited.

The next meeting of Knights of Columbus Blessed Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Ukrainian Council will be held on Monday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. in the Holy Name Room. All men of the parish are invited to attend.

The traditional Easter parish “SVIACHENE” will be held on May 5, following the Divine Liturgy. We will celebrate only one (1) Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. We will be running a raffle. If you would like to donate any items to be raffled, please bring them to our church hall on Sundays before our “Sviachene” or on Sunday, May 5. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth from 12 to 18. Free for altar boys, and under 12. Also, we ask you to donate homemade cakes for desert. We trust that all parishioners will join this parish gathering and through their presence attest to cherishing in our hearts a love for one another which builds our parish family.

Our next PYROHY PROJECT will be Saturday, April 13. We need your help on Friday to peel potatoes and especially on Saturday to make pyrohy (varynyky). Please come and help. See Walter Ushchak for more information.

The Knights of Columbus Have available for sale a freshly cooked batch of 2 1/4 lb. secret, tasty recipe Kovbasa and Cabbage meals for $10.00 each or a 2 lb. vegetable only mix for just $6.00. These meals may be purchased in the church hall, please see Walter Ushchak

Knights of Columbus raffle tickets are being sold in the church hall after each Divine Liturgy. 1st Prize is $ 5,000.00!!! The tickets are $10.00 each. Please see Michael or Mary Muryn to purchase your tickets.

The annual Pysanka Demonstration and Workshop will be held on Sunday, March 31, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the church hall. This is wonderful opportunity to carry on an old tradition. Bring your family-children and grand-children. There is no charge for parish youth or students of Ridna Shkola.

The world-renowned Kyiv Chamber Choir returns to perform a Hartford concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at St. John’s  Episcopal Church, 679 Farmington Ave, West Hartford, CT. Tickets are available at Ukrainian National Home (860-296-5702) or online at www.universe.com or you may call Platinum Concerts International, toll-free at 877-232-9835 and at the door. For concert information: www.platinumconcerts.com. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s great choirs share ‘hidden treasures, from 1,000 years of Ukrainian sacred and folk music.’

Olga Iastrubchak will be offering private dance classes for children ages 3-18. Classes will be held on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. in St Michael’s church hall. For more information please contact Olga at (203) 400-4467 or email olgaiastrubchak@gmail.com

The organizational meeting of the newly formed Facilities Maintenance Team of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church took place on Friday evening, January 18th. The schedule of work sessions was also established for the entire year so that plans can be developed for doing all the projects and arrangements made for the purchase of required supplies and equipment. 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.

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Presanctified Liturgy TONIGHT

Today, Friday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. Father Iura will serve the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, in English and Ukrainian.

This is our weekly Lenten devotion. Join us in prayer and the reception of the Eucharist. Bring a friend.

Liturgy for the Annunciation TODAY

Today is the feast of the Annunciation of Mary, the Mother of God. It is a Holy Day of Obligation
 
The Divine Liturgy for today:
 
Monday, March 25, Annunciation of the Theotokos
 
8:45 a.m. Litija and Blessing of Bread
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and health for children, grandchildren requested by Stephanie Tsitaridis
~Myrovann
 
AND
 
7:00 p.m. For the People of the parish
~Anointing

The Feast of the Annunciation

Today the Church celebrates summit of our salvation.

The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary that she would be the Theotokos almost always falls during the Great Fast. (*) According to the liturgical norms, it is celebrated on whatever day it falls, and the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, even on Good Friday. (**) The meaning of the Annunciation, however, is in conformity with the meaning of the Great Fast. The Great Fast is a journey from the sin of Adam and Eve to the Resurrection of our Lord. It is a passage from human pride to fidelity to God’s plan of salvation. The sin of Eve, which became the fundamental sin of the whole human race was to choose one’s own plan for salvation over God’s. It’s result, though, was death. Jesus in the resurrection, takes the power of death and twists it into life, as St. Paul said, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Jesus was able to do this because he became a human being in the womb of Mary, who replaced Eve’s disobedience with obedience to God, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)” Thus, God “condescended” (that is, he came down to be with us) so that the plan of God could be lifted up. “Though he was in the form of God, [Christ] did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Therefore, the Annunciation is a part of Pascha, as Melito of Sardis explained in his Paschal Homily: “And indeed there were many other things proclaimed by numerous prophets concerning the mystery of the passover, which is Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.”

When this one came from heaven to earth for the sake of the one who suffers, and had clothed himself with that very one through the womb of a virgin, and having come forth as man, he accepted the sufferings of the sufferer through his body which was capable of suffering. And he destroyed those human sufferings by his spirit which was incapable of dying. He killed death which had put man to death” (65-66). We sing, “Today is the summit of our salvation.” (Troparion)

(*) It may fall in Bright Week, but this is rare. In 2035 and 2046, it will fall on Pascha itself, and these are the only two instances in the rest of the twenty-first century. On the Julian calendar, it will fall on Bright Tuesday in 2037 and 2048.

(**) This has been the case since the Council of Trullo (AD 692). The feast itself was established in its modern form about AD 560. Earlier, it may have been transferred to Saturday or Sunday (Akathistos Saturday may be a remnant of this). Also, it may have been celebrated only with a Liturgy of a Word, or only in churches dedicated to the Theotokos. This is discussed by Stefanos Alexopoulos in his book, The Presanctified Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite, pp. 67-77.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras

Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Glory to Jesus Christ
Divine Liturgy for the coming week

Sunday, 3/24 3rd Sunday of Lent —Veneration of the Holy Cross
9:00 a.m. For the People of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Wasylyna Yukash requested by Katia and Andrew Bamber

Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-5:6
Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1, Tone 3

Monday, 3/25 Annunciation of the Theotokos —A Holy Day of Obligation
8:45 a.m. Litija and Blessing of Bread
9:00 a.m. God’s blessing and health for children, grandchildren requested by Stephanie Tsitaridis
~Myrovann

7:00 p.m.  For the People of the parish
~Anointing

Tuesday, 3/26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

Wednesday, 3/27 Our Venerable Mother Matrona

Thursday, 3/28 Our Venerable Hilarion and Stephen

Friday, 3/29 Our Venerable Fathers Mark and Cyril
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Saturday, 3/30/19 Our Venerable John Climacus
9:00 a.m. For All deceased of the Parish —Memorial Saturday, All Souls Sorokousty

10:00 a.m. Yaroslava Kalynec (Pan.) requested by Nataliya and Roman Sokhan

Sunday, 3/31 4th Sunday of Lent
9:00 a.m. Special Intention —The Parish Mission
10:30 a.m. For the People of the parish

Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20
Gospel: Mark 9:17-31, Tone 4

Too gentle?

“You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.”

— St Seraphim of Sarov

On Fasting by St. John Chrysostom

The value of fasting consists not in abstinence only from food, but in a renouncing of sinful practices. Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him! If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all members of your bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free from greed. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by observing modesty and disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful. For it would be an instance of the highest ridiculousness to abstain from meats and unlawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to feed on what is forbidden. Let the ear fast, by not listening to evil talk and gossip. Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism. For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fish, and yet bite and devour our brothers?

St. John Chrysostom

All Souls Saturday

Everlasting life, promised in Holy Communion, is a central teaching of our faith. In the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which we recite in every Divine Liturgy and also frequently in the Divine Praises, says, “I expect the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” It is interesting that here we say, “I expect” rather than “I believe.” This is because this life beyond death is not only a matter of faith but also a matter of hope. And both faith and hope are virtues beyond human power alone, but need also the grace of God. In a way, we do not understand this life beyond death, probably we can that just as a child in the womb does not understand what it is to live in the world.

Death is the breakdown of our secular time and space to eternity and boundlessness. We are as yet unable to comprehend or understand this. Jesus taught it would be different, “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30), and St. Paul cautions us, “So also is the resurrection of the dead …. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42.44). We do have analogous ways of thinking about death, when we pray in the Liturgy, “Grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of your departed servants in a place of light, joy and peace where there is no pain, sorrow, nor mourning.” We must be humble in our concepts of death, but still live in hope, for Jesus also said, “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). We also know that we will continue to be human, that is, have a body, as St. Paul says, a “spiritual body,” which we foresee already in our Lord’s resurrection. What is also undeniable is that we can pray for the dead, for no one of us dies already perfect, but we need to be purified of sin to be in the presence of the thrice-holy God.

The communion of saints tells us that we are one in Christ, and that we can pray for one another, and in this way not only help release our brothers and sisters in Christ but also ourselves from the bonds of sin. The souls of the faithful departed were always remembered on Saturday in our liturgical worship, because Saturday was the day that our Lord rested from all his works, after his death on the cross and before his glorious resurrection, for which we also hope.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras