August 15, 2010

Dormition of the Holy Theotokos

    We celebrate this month the Feast of the Dormition (or "Falling Asleep") of the Theotokos.  Church Tradition states that the Virgin Mary died in her early fifties.  The icon shows her lying upon her funeral bier.  On either side of the bier stand the Apostles; the group on the left is led by St. Peter who stands at the head of the bier; the group on the right is led by St. Paul who stands at the foot of the bier.  At the time of her death many of the Apostles were scattered throughout the world preaching the Gospel.  However, they all returned to Jerusalem upon learning of her death.  All arrived in time for the burial except St. Thomas.  Standing by the bier is her Son, who had come to receive His Mother's soul into heaven.  He holds in His arms an infant in white symbolizing the soul of the Theotokos.  The Orthodox Church, although it has never had the need to make it a dogma (as has the Roman Catholic Church), also believes in the Virgin Mary's "assumption" or bodily resurrection into heaven.  Tradition relates that when the other disciples showed St. Thomas (who arrived in Jerusalem after the burial) the tomb in Gethsemane where the Theotokos had been buried near her parents, they discovered that the tomb was empty.

Philippians 2:5 - 11:  This passage calls us to ponder the humility of Christ, a truth necessary for suf­fering Christians to un­derstand and live out.  The passage has been incorporated into many hymns of the Orthodox Church, especially for feasts of the Virgin Mary, through whose humble obedience Christ came in the likeness of men.

Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28:  In these passages from Luke the focus is on devotion and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the first part, Martha was distracted and troubled about many things in providing hospitality for Jesus.  But the one thing needed was for her to listen to Christ, to hear His words - a priority which certainly does not exclude serving Him.  In the second part, we read that God's blessing falls not upon those who have prominent family connections, but upon those who hear the word of God and keep it.  Jesus is not denigrating His mother; she both heard God's word and kept it, and thus be­came the most blessed of women.

Troparion of the Resurrection:  Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; for the Lord hath done a mighty act with his own arm.  He hath trampled down death and become the First-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.

Troparion of the Dormition:  In thy birth-giving, O Theotokos, thou didst keep and preserve virginity; and in thy falling-asleep thou hast not forsaken the world; for living thou wast translated, being the Mother of Life.  Wherefore, by thine intercessions, deliver our souls from death.

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear.  We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

Kontakion of the Dormition:  Verily, the Theotokos, who is ever watchful in intercessions, who is never rejected, neither tomb nor death could control.  But being the Mother of Life, he who dwelt in her ever-virgin womb didst translate her to life.

CALENDAR

Sunday, August 15   (Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

            12:00 p.m.       -- Pot Luck Meal

5:30 p.m.         -- Young Adults

Monday, August 16

            Office Closed  -- Father John's Day Off

Tuesday, August 17

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Wednesday, August 18

            6:30 p.m.         -- Daily Vespers

Thursday, August 19  

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Friday, August 20 

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Saturday, August 21

            5:00 p.m.         -- Catechism Class

            5:45 p.m.         -- Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, August 22   (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after the Dormition of

the Theotokos)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

            12:00 p.m.       -- Ladies of St. Peter

5:30 p.m.         -- Youth Group

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Fahmys for the Divine Liturgy today.

Please be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion.  Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor.  Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

                                                      Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour

         August 15                             Fahmys                                    (Pot Luck) Skirtechs

                  Feast of the Dormition                                                 Parkers & Katools

         August 22                             Bakers                                     Morrises

         August 29                             Woods                                     Joneses

Memory Eternal!  Very Rev. Fr. Matthew MacKay, the pastor of St. Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston, TX and the Dean of his deanery, died of a heart attack this past Monday while jogging.  Father Matthew was a friend of several in our parish.  Please keep his family (Kh. Lynn and their sons, Patrick and Sean) in your prayers.

Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew.  Please be sure to use this book when you read.

                                    Reader                              Reading                            Page#

August 15                    Tom Willingham                Phil. 2:5-11                             403

August 22                    Tom Skirtech                    I Cor. 16:13-24                      152

August 29                    Walt Wood                      Acts 13:25-33                         406

Please remember the following in your prayers:  Anna Kathryn and Cliff Stewart and their unborn child; The Longa and Dn. Sidney Elliott families from St. John's in Memphis; Fr. Donald Lloyd; Sh. Charlotte Algood, Dn. Terry and their family; Fr. James and Kh. Linda Ellison; Bobby and Sue Webb (Deborah Finley's parents); Tom Skirtech, Amy and Brantley Oliver; Reader Basil's family; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Jared and Stacy Autrey and their daughter Olivia Kate  (St. Ignatius in Franklin).

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, bishop ANTOUN.        

Andrew Sellers will be baptized Saturday morning, September 18^th.  Please pray for him, his parents and his godparents.

Welcome! to the Zouboukos family, Anthony and Athena with their children Demetrius, Alexa and Nicholas.  

Ellie Wise, a member of St. Anthony Orthodox Church in Arlington, WA will be starting her freshman year at Belhaven College soon.  Ellie wishes to attend Vespers and Divine Liturgies, but she will be living on campus and has no car.  We need 3-4 volunteers to be able to work out transportation for her.  If you can help, please let Father John know.

There is a Workday scheduled for NEXT Saturday morning, August 21^st.  We have several items, both in the building and also the grounds, which need attention.  Come for breakfast and stay to enjoy the fellowship while we "spruce" up our facilities.

Father John has returned  from the Clergy Symposium at the Antiochian Village.  The talks, concerning the diaconate, priesthood and episcopacy were recorded.  These may be found on Ancient Faith Radio, probably under "Coverage for Symposium."  Bishop MICHAEL Dahulich's talk on the episcopacy was especially good.

Calendar Items:

·         We will celebrate the Feast of the Dormition today with a Pot Luck Meal following the Divine Liturgy.  We invite all visitors to stay for the meal and the fellowship.

·         Our next time to serve a meal at the Stewpot will be on October 30^th.

Fasting Discipline for August

The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.  August 29^th is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the Beheading of the Forerunner.

Major Commemorations During August

         August 29        Beheading of the Forerunner (strict fast day)

Quotable:  "God has created all people spiritually equal.  Every person has the same propensity for good and evil.  Every person has the same choice, as to whether to obey God or defy him.  Yet, in other ways, we are very unequal.  Some people are highly intelligent, while others have feeble intellects.  Some people are physically strong and healthy, while others are weak and prone to illness.  Some people are handsome and attractive, while others are plain.  Those who are gifted in some way should not despise those less gifted.  On the contrary, God has distributed gifts and blessings in such a way that every person has a particular place and purpose within a society—and thus everyone is equally necessary for a society to function well.  So do not resent the fact that someone is more intelligent or stronger than you are.  Instead give thanks for their intelligence and strength, from which you benefit.  And then ask yourself:  'What is my gift, and thence what is my place in society?'  When you have answered this question, and you act according to your answer, all contempt and all resentment will melt away."

                                                                              St. John Chrysostom

Worship:         Sunday, August 22, 2010 (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost;

                        Sunday after the Dormiton of the Theotokos)

         Scripture:                 I Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42

         Celebrant:                Father John

         Epistle Reader:        Tom Skirtech

         Prosphora:               Bakers

         Coffee Hour:           Morrises

August 1, 2010

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Procession of the Precious and Life-giving Cross

I Corinthians 4:9-16:  We hear St Paul speak to the Corinthians as their spiritual father and exhort them to imitate him in their actions.

Matthew 17:14-23:  The Lord Jesus again shows His abundant mercy when He heals a boy possessed by a demon.  We also hear Him foretell His betrayal, death and resurrection, but the disciples do not understand.

Troparion of the Resurrection:  The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world.  Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom!  Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.

Troparion of the Holy Cross:  O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance, granting our believing kings victory over the Barbarians, and by the power of thy Cross preserving thy commonwealth.

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear.  We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

 Kontakion of the Transfiguration: Thou wast transfigured on the mount, and thy Disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld thy glory, O Christ our God; so that, when they should see thee crucified, they would remember that thy suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that thou art truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.

CALENDAR

Sunday, August 1   (Tenth Sunday after Pentecost; Procession of the Holy Cross)

                        FAST OF THE DORMITON BEGINS TODAY

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m.         -- Young Adults

Monday, August 2

            Office Closed  -- Father John's Day Off

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

Tuesday, August 3

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Wednesday, August 4

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

            7:30 p.m.         -- Choir Practice

Thursday, August 5  

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

            6:00 p.m.         -- Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

Friday, August 6    (Feast of the Transfiguration)

  Before His Passion, Jesus ascended Mount Tabor with His disciples Peter, James and John, for the purpose of prayer.  There the three disciples beheld Him transfigured and saw a vision in which Moses the Lawgiver (shown on the icon on the right holding the tablets of the Law) and Elijah the Prophet appeared and spoke with Him.  "And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light.  And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him" (Matt. 17:2-3).  The fact that Moses and Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration is very significant in that these two men were the leading figures of the Old Testament - which confirms the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 5:17).  Their presence confirmed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah whom the people of the Old Testament had been anticipating.  The Gospel account also says that a voice from a bright cloud said "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him" (Matt. 17:5), further confirming the person of Jesus as the divine Messiah.  When the three disciples saw and heard these things they fell on their faces and were filled with awe (this is shown on the icon by the way Peter, James and John are depicted at the foot of the mount).  When they came down the mountain Jesus told His disciples to "tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead" (Matthew 17:9).  Jesus did not want everyone to know what had happened until the time was right.  The Kontakion of the feast gives understanding as to why Jesus allowed Peter, James and John to be present at His transfiguration: "On the mountain wast Thou transfigured, O Christ God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, and would proclaim to the world that Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father." 

            NO  Daily Orthros

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

Saturday, August 7

            5:00 p.m.         -- Catechism Class

            5:45 p.m.         -- Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, August 8   (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after the Transfiguration)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m.         -- Youth Group

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by Joanna Meadows for the Divine Liturgy today.

Please be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion.  Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor.  Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

                                                      Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour

         August 1                               Joanna Meadows                     Schelvers

         August 5 (Thurs. p.m.)          Dansereaus                              Algoods

                  Feast of the Transfiguration

         August 8                               Freundts                                   D. Roots/Dansereaus

         August 15                             Fahmys                                    (Pot Luck) Skirtechs

                  Feast of the Dormition                                                 Parkers & Katools

         August 22                             Bakers                                     Morrises

         August 29                             Woods                                     Joneses

Our condolences go out to Amy and Michael Surratt on the death of Amy's grandmother, Davey Mae, this past week.  Please remember her and them in your prayers.

Memory Eternal!  Very Rev. Fr. Matthew MacKay, the pastor of St. Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston, TX and the Dean of his deanery, died of a heart attack this past Monday while jogging.  Father Matthew was a friend of several in our parish.  Please keep his family (Kh. Lynn and their sons, Patrick and Sean) in your prayers.

Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew.  Please be sure to use this book when you read.

                                    Reader                               Reading                               Page#

August 1                      Mildred Morris                   I Cor. 4:9-16                            135

August 5 (Thurs. p.m.) Brenda Baker                     II Pet. 1:10-19                          401

August 8                      Kh. Be'Be' Schelver           I Cor. 9:2-12                            141

August 15                    Tom Willingham                  Phil. 2:5-11                               403

August 22                    Tom Skirtech                      I Cor. 16:13-24                        152

August 29                    Walt Wood                        Acts 13:25-33                           406

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, bishop ANTOUN.        

Please remember the following in your prayers:  Anna Kathryn and Cliff Stewart and their unborn child; The Longa and Dn. Sidney Elliott families from St. John's in Memphis; Fr. Donald Lloyd; Sh. Charlotte Algood, Dn. Terry and their family; Fr. James and Kh. Linda Ellison; Bobby and Sue Webb (Deborah Finley's parents); Tom Skirtech, Amy and Brantley Oliver; Reader Basil's family; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Jared and Stacy Autrey and their daughter Olivia Kate  (St. Ignatius in Franklin).

Welcome! to the Zouboukos family, Anthony and Athena with their children Demetrius, Alexa and Nicholas.

There is a Workday scheduled for Saturday morning, August 21^st.  We have several items, both in the building and also the grounds, which need attention.  Come for breakfast and stay to enjoy the fellowship while we "spruce" up our facilities.

Father Leo is serving today and next Sunday at Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church in Jackson while they are waiting for their new pastor to arrive.

Father John has returned  from the Clergy Symposium at the Antiochian Village.  The talks, concerning the diaconate, priesthood and episcopacy were recorded.  These may be found on Ancient Faith Radio, probably under "Coverage for Symposium."  Bishop MICHAEL Dahulich's talk on the episcopacy was especially good.

Instead of holding our monthly Pot Luck Meal today, we have scheduled it for Sunday, August 15^th, when we will celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is set to the optimum temperature for the building when unoccupied.

Fasting Discipline for August

The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed August 1 through 14 (the Dormition Fast), except on August 6 (the Feast of the Transfiguration) when fish and wine are permitted.  After the 15^th the traditional fasting is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.  August 29^th is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the Beheading of the Forerunner.

Major Commemorations During August

         August 1          Procession of the Cross

         August 6          Transfiguration of our Lord

         August 15        Dormiton of the Theotokos

         August 29        Beheading of the Forerunner (strict fast day)

Calendar Items:

·         The fast of the Dormition begins TODAY and will continue until the feast of the Dormition on the 15^th.  As usual, we will be celebrating the Paraklesis service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings during this time.  Please make plans to attend as many of these beautiful services as possible.

·         The Feast of the Transfiguration will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy beginning at 6:00 p.m. this Thursday, August 5^th .

·         Our next time to serve a meal at the Stewpot will be on October 30^th.

Quotable:  "Do you feel upset when you drop a plate or a pot, and it smashes into tiny pieces on the ground?  Do you feel anxious when a strong wind is blowing, and you can hear the tiles on your roof coming loose?  Do you feel worried about the crops in your field when it rains so hard that the ground is flooded?  Do you feel frightened at night when you hear a door click or squeak, wondering if robbers have come to steal your goods?  To feel those things is quite normal.  Yet the challenge of our faith is that we become so indifferent to material possessions that nothing of this kind can concern us.  Of course while we remain on this earth, we must have plates on which to serve our food, roofs to keep us dry, crops growing in the fields to feed us, and some basic furniture in our homes.  But if we work hard day by day to the best of our abilities, we can be sure that God will provide what we need.  And if something is broken, lost, or stolen, God will decide if and when to replace it."

                                                                              St. John Chrysostom

Worship:         Sunday, August 8, 2010 (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after

                        the Transfiguration)

         Scripture:                                I Corinthians 9:2-12; Matthew 18:23-35

         Celebrant:                               Father John

         Epistle Reader:                        Kh. Be'Be' Schelver

         Prosphora:                              Freundts

         Coffee Hour:                           D. Roots/Dansereaus