Today, Cheesefare Sunday also known as Forgiveness Sunday – March 2nd.
For those who observe the full fasting disciplines, today we say farewell to dairy products until Pascha. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us good advice: fast as you are able. But do something.
Listen closely when you next pray the Our Father.
Blessed Lent!
Glory to Jesus Christ
Sunday, 3/2, Sunday of the Cheese Fare, Sunday of Forgiveness
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by Matejko, Larissa and Romchyk Rabarsky
Epistle: Romans 13:11-14-4
Gospel: Matthew 6:4-21, Tone 8
Monday, 3/3, The Holy Martyrs Eutropius and Cleonicus
9:00 a.m. An Aliturgical Day (strict abstinence from meat and dairy products)
Tuesday, 3/4, Our Venerable Father Gerasimus
9:00 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by Ann Czebiniak
Wednesday, 3/5, Holy Martyr Conon
9:00 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by The Welte Family
Thursday, 3/6, The 42 Martyrs of Ammoria
9:00 a.m. +Joseph Sobko (11th Anniv., Pan.) requested by Maria Sobko
Friday, 3/7, Holy Hieromartyrs Basil and Ephrem
7:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts
Saturday, 3/8, Holy Theophylactus, Bishop of Nicomedia
9:00 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by M/M Myron Krajnyk
Sunday, 3/9, First Sunday of Lent
9:00 a.m. For the people of the parish
10:30 a.m. +Teodor Czabala requested by John and Kay Czebiniak
Epistle: Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-12:2
Gospel: John 1:43-51, Tone 1
Christ is among us!
This week vigil light is offered by Andrue and Brandon Czabala in memory of Teodor Czabala.
Sestretsi will be having Corporate Communion on Sunday, March 9 at 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy with a short meeting after in the classroom. For more into speak with Barbara Schwartz
From Monday March 10 until Friday March 14 rectory office will be closed. Fr. Iura Godenciuc will be away for Stamford Clergy Retreat.
Our local Andrey Sheptytsky Knights of Columbus Council here at St. Michael’s is looking for a few good men. Please join us in our work to support our parish, provide aid to war-torn Ukraine, and work for the betterment of our community. For further information please contact Myron Melnyk: mmelnyk@yahoo.com or 203-397-2087.
SOROKOUSTY (All Souls’ Saturdays) will be celebrated on March 15, March 22, March 29 and June 7. Please take a book found at the entrance of the church, fill it out, place it in envelope, and drop it in the collection basket. Let us remember all our loved ones who have gone to their heavenly reward. Eternal Memory!
For sale: frozen pyrohy $18 -2 dozen packages; stuff cabbage with meat $20.00 per container, stuff cabbage with mushrooms $15.00 per container, borsht $7.00 per container, ceburek $7.00 each by preorder.
FOOD DONATIONS: A container is in our church vestibule for non-perishable food. Please give generously new items within the expiration date. These items will be given out to the poor in our community. Thank you for your generosity and support.
The wisdom of the Church is that we fast according to what we are able. Some can follow the Lenten guide well, others due to age or health may not be able to follow the guide –do the best you can do. All can do something. An important note: we do not approach the Fast legalistically.
A good rule of thumb is do as much as you think you can, and then a little bit more (and next year, build on that). Remember that prayer and almsgiving are the other two pillars of Lent, so attend the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts (Fridays at 7pm starting on March 14) and whatever other Lenten services are offered; and give generously to those in need. The purpose of fasting is to open ourselves up to the spiritual life, to theosis (divinization), coming closer to life in the Holy Trinity, turning away from sin and living in Grace.
When questions/concerns arise, you ought to prayerfully discern with your spiritual father (e.g., Father Iura) how you will observe the fast this year. If you become fixated on what you are eating, you are doing it wrong.
Lisa Reisman wrote a story for the New Haven Independent on our observance of the third anniversary of the Ukrainian War.
Read: “Local Ukrainians Mourn 3 Years of War” here.
“Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: ‘This is my body’ is the same who said: ‘You saw me hungry and you gave me no food’, and ‘Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me’… What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.”
Reflection on Matthew 25:31-46
St. John Chrysostom (349-407)
The local channel 8 (ABC News) carried today’s Divine Liturgy and comments by Carl Harvey and Myron Melnick.
Watch the brief coverage here.
The sign that Great Lent is fast approaching is the proclamation of the Gospel pericope of the Last Judgement found in Matthew 25. Today is known as the Sunday of the Last Judgement or Meat-fare Sunday. The latter name is taken from St Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians where we hear that the eating of meat ought not to be consumed when people of weak faith would be scandalized. St. Paul and the Christian community is adamant that the weak ought never be weakened further in faith by those who know better.
The content of today’s gospel reading is the only teaching of Jesus that is not given in a parable but in a direct teaching making it edgy and direct, cutting close to how we live as his followers. The criteria of salvation is given in the image provided in this post. You are very familiar with what Matthew 25 says. Do you live Matthew 25? If not, you ought to ask yourself why?
Watch this informative interview with His Beatitude, the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk, about the situation in Ukraine:
