Sunday, January 29, 2023

(Thirty-third Sunday after Pentecost)

 

Tone 8 / Eothinon 11
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost & Seventeenth Sunday of Matthew

Translation of relics of Ignatius the God-bearer of Antioch

Saints of the Day: New-martyr Demetrios of Chios;

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TO OUR VISITORS

 

Welcome to Saint Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church.  We are a multi-cultural church of the Self Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.  We invite you to receive the Holy Eucharist (Communion) if you are an Orthodox Christian, having prepared yourself by Sunday morning fasting, plus prayer and recent confession.  If you are not an Orthodox Christian, we invite you to receive, at the dismissal, a piece of blessed bread from the altar servers.  Our priest will be pleased to explain to you why only Orthodox Christians may commune.

 

Donations can be mailed to the address above or given electronically via Zelle at give@stmaryegypt.org

 

DIVINE LITURGY VARIABLES

 

BEFORE THE LITTLE ENTRANCE

 

THE FIRST ANTIPHON

Bless the Lord, O my soul; blessed art Thou, O Lord.

 

Refrain: Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. (Refrain)

 

Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy. (Refrain)

 

Glory… Both now… (Refrain)

 

THE SECOND ANTIPHON

Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord in my life, I will chant unto my God for as long as I have my being.

 

Refrain: Save us, O Son of God, Who rose from the dead; save us who sing to Thee. Alleluia.

 

The Lord shall reign forever, Thy God O Zion, from generation to generation. (Refrain)

 

Glory… Both now… O, only begotten Son and Word of God…

 

DURING THE LITTLE ENTRANCE

 

Resurrectional Troparion in 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.

AFTER THE LITTLE ENTRANCE

 

1. Resurrectional Troparion in 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.

2. Troparion of St Ignatius of Antioch in Tone 4: By choosing the Apostles’ way of life, thou hast succeeded to their throne. Inspired by God, thou didst find the way to divine contemplation through the practice of virtue. After teaching the Word of Truth without error, thou didst defend the Faith to the very shedding of thy blood, O Holy Martyr among bishops Ignatius. Entreat the Lord our God to save our souls.

3. Troparion of St Mary of Egypt in Tone 8: In thee O Mother was preserved that which is according to God’s image. For thou hast taken up the cross and followed Christ. By thine actions thou hast taught us to ignore the flesh, for it passes away, but to care for the soul, which is a thing immortal; and so thy spirit, Oh holy Mary, rejoices with the angels.

4. Kontakion of the Presentation of Christ in Tone 1: Thou, O Christ God, Who by Thy Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and, as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us; preserve Thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom Thou didst love, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.

 

THE EPISTLE

(For the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Make your vows to the Lord your God, and perform them.
In Judah God is known; His Name is great in Israel.
The Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (6:16-7:1)

Brethren, you are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from them, and be separate from them,” says the Lord, “and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.

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THE GOSPEL

(For the Seventeenth Sunday of Matthew)

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (15:21-28)

At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

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UPCOMING AT ST MARY OF EGYPT

 

Schedule of Upcoming Events and Services:

 

Friday, February 3

5 PM – 7 PM Community Dinner
5 PM Vespers

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Saturday, February 4

5:00 PM Vespers

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Sunday, February 5

9:05 AM Reader’s Matins

10:00 AM Divine Liturgy

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Schedule subject to change

 

Parish Council: On Sunday, at the end of Divine Liturgy, we will have the installation of the parish council for the upcoming year. During coffee hour, the council will meet briefly to nominate and elect officers.

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Feast of the Presentation: This coming Thursday, February 2, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, which commemorates the 40th day after the Nativity of Christ. In consideration of Fr Athanasius’ health and stamina, we will not be having services for this feast, but everyone is encouraged to attend other parishes for this service as you are able and willing. 

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Triodion: Next week starts the Triodion period of preparation for Great Lent, which begins with Forgiveness Vespers on February 26th. There will be notices coming out in the next few weeks with the additional services we will be having during Lent as we prepare for Great and Holy Week and PASCHA.

 

Fast-free Week: Next week, following the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, will be a fast free week as we strive to maintain the humility of the Publican in our daily lives and avoid the pride of the Pharisee.

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Confession: Confession for Orthodox Christians should be done at least 4 times a year; especially during the major fasting seasons (Lent, Apostle’s Fast, Dormition, and Nativity.) Fr Athanasius is available for this sacrament on Saturdays after Vespers or by appointment during the week.

 

Coffee Hour: Coffee hour is our time of fellowship after the Liturgy. Parents, please, in the interest of maintaining sanitation, take care of your children’s plates. We are now scheduling who helps with coffee hour by last name. This week, as it is the fifth Sunday of the month, the Parish Council will be handling coffee hour, Next week, the families are Zolotareva, Alexeev, Blanchard, and Brown. 

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Adult Classes: Sunday Bible Study will be at 12:30 and will be looking at the Universal Letter of St Jude with the next book to be announced, and the book study will be via Zoom on Monday at 7 PM, studying Byzantine Theology by Fr John Meyendorff. 

 

Sunday School: The Sunday School for our parish children meets after Communion, with two classes: ages 3-6 with Ms. Duncan and ages 7 and up with Ms. Cornelius. To help them have the most time available for this, please allow them to be in the Communion line immediately after the subdeacons and altar servers.

 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

 

Community Dinner: Our next community dinner will be on the evening of February 3. The menu will be beef pot roast with vegetables, roll, and fruit and/or dessert. Anyone willing to assist with this or future meals, please contact Amal at (317)445-3508 with your availability.

 

Blessing Box:  We continue to be grateful for everyone who assists us with the blessing box pantry. The most pressing needs currently are soups, saltine crackers, hamburger helper, meats (spam, tuna, Vienna sausages, sardines…), pasta sauce, ramen noodles, and small cereal boxes. Be aware that as the weather is now cold, some items may freeze if left out, so we need to start concentrating more on dry goods that won’t freeze. Please remember those in need as you do your grocery shopping, as this is our (to date, very successful) project for our community at large. If you are very busy and cannot get food to donate, there is a basket in the narthex where you can give money earmarked for this ministry of our parish

 

Horizon House: As we are now in the cold winter months it is time to collect things for the homeless.  Kendra Blanchard is heading this project, and the needs this month are underwear (thermal and regular) and jeans, as well as scarves, socks, gloves, hand and footwarmers, coats, and hats. The needs are constant. It is never too early or too late to bring any of these items.

 

REFLECTION FOR THE DAY

 

“Do not let pass any opportunity to pray for anyone, either at his request or at the request of his relatives, friends, of those who esteem him, or of his acquaintances. The Lord looks favorably upon the prayer of our love, and upon or boldness before him. Besides this, prayer for others is very beneficial to the one himself who prays for others; it purifies the heart, strengthen faith and hope in God, and enkindles our love for God and our neighbor. When praying, say thus: ‘Lord, it is possible for Thee to do this or that to this servant of Thine; do this for him, for Thy name is the Merciful Love of Men and the Almighty.’”  
St John of Kronstadt

 

Parish Prayer Requests

 

LIVING: Metropolitan SABA, Bishop NICHOLAS, Bishop JOHN (nominees to be our next Metropolitan); Archpriest Athanasius, Archpriest Jerome, Fr. Isaac, Sdn Mark & Bobbi Cornelius; Maya Shebeshi; Meriana and Pauleen; Jerry & Carrie Ventura; Christina Ventura & child (daughter-in-law and granddaughter of Jerry & Carrie Ventura); Tanya Brown; Connie Heermann; Lenora & Fred (friends of Eve Wincel); Darren Glasscock; Joel & Jagger Saxton; Joshua Leffew; Gleb & Charlee Alexeev; Christopher & Jabran Soubeih (Lee Soubeih’s sons); Anna Michael; Joanne (Bonnie Thelen’s sister); Carol (Eve’s friend), Wyatt Sobczyk & Family; Katya Alexeeva, Evgeni & Elena Alexeev (Sdn Alexander’s parents); Eileen Cornelius (Sdn Mark’s mother); Natalia (friend of the Alexeevs); Dennis & Lynn Ciurej; Crystal; Reggie Jeffries (Christopher’s dad); Demetrios & Joanna Zaharako; Robert & Bonnie Thelen; Carl & Becky Cafouros; Khalil & Amira Saba; Jill Kerr (Kendra’s grandmother); those suffering due to the conflict in Ukraine; and those who have lost loved ones to disease and violence 

 

DEPARTED: Mark & Kala (family members of Bobbi Cornelius); Doris Fesi (aunt of Connie Heermann); Sue Nelson (friend of the Cornelius’s)

 

Please notify Charles or Amal of any new prayer requests by Wednesday for inclusion in the bulletin.

 

SAINTS OF THE DAY

(from abbamoses.com)

 

Translation of the relics of St Ignatius of Antioch (107)

 

For his life, see December 20.

  After his martyrdom, devoured by wild beasts in the amphitheater in Rome, only a few bones remained. These precious relics were gathered by the faithful, who took them back to Antioch, where they were received with joy by his former flock.

 

St Andrei Rublev, iconographer (1430)

 

Many consider him the greatest iconographer of all time, and his "Holy Trinity" the finest icon. Very little is known of his life. He was born around 1360, and probably studied with the Byzantine iconographer Theophanes the Greek. He is known to have created icons for the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow and the Cathedral of the Dormition at Vladimir. He created a highly spiritual and distinctively Russian iconographic style that set the standard for Russian iconography for centuries thereafter. It is said that he knew St Sergius of Radonezh (July 5). In his later years he became a monk.

 

Our Holy Father Aphrahat the Persian (4th c.)

 

He was from the pagan Persian aristocracy but came to faith in Christ and left his home for the Christian city of Edessa, where he was baptized. He later moved to Antioch, where he lived in prayer and asceticism a short distance from the city. He ate nothing but a small amount of bread until he was extremely old, when he added some greens to his diet. Though he knew very little Greek, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to win many converts to Christ and to confound the learned Arian heretics who were disturbing the Church in Antioch.
  When Aphrahat learned that the Arian Emperor Valens was persecuting Christ's Church, he moved to the city to support the true Faith. One day the Emperor himself met Aphrahat in the city square and asked him why he had left his solitude and come to Antioch. The Saint answered 'Tell me this: if I were a maiden at home in my secluded apartment and saw someone setting fire to my father's house, would you not advise me to put out the blaze as soon as possible? That is what I am doing now, because the Church, the heavenly Father's house, is burning down in the fire that you have set!' One of the Emperor's attendants threatened Aphrahat with death for this impertinence; but the attendant himself later perished, drowned as he was heating water for the Emperor's bath. This made the Emperor afraid to persecute the holy one, who continued to preach the true Faith and to perform many miracles. He reposed in peace.

 

Repose of Blessed Father Dimitrios Gagastathis (1975)

 

Though not yet officially a Saint of the Church, Papa Dimitrios is widely revered in Greece and abroad. His life is an inspiring example of the possibility of great holiness for those living in the world: a simple married parish priest, he spent forty-two years serving his childhood parish, and had nine daughters. He was a spiritual child of Elder Amphilochios of Patmos, and in turn became a spiritual father to many. His biography describes his last years thus: “On October 1, 1973, he resigned for reasons of health.  Since then, he remained confined at home, living as a saint with incessant prayer, glorifying and thanking God for the trial of his illness.  He delivered his holy soul to the hands of the living God on January 29, 1975, in peace.”

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(from https://www.antiochian.org/liturgicday/3352 )

Ignatius and Nicandrus of Sinai

Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves

Gildas the Wise