St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Sunday February 11, 2018 Meatfare Sunday. Weekly Schedule of Services/Events

Transcription

1 St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Sunday February 11, 2018 Meatfare Sunday Removal of the Relics of Ignatius the God-bearer Epistle: I Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 Weekly Schedule of Services/Events Sunday, February 11 9:00AM Divine Liturgy - Epistle: Greg Morrison + Suchyak (2nd Sunday) Annual Meeting 10:30AM Church School Rescue Mission Monday, February 12 5:00PM Prospect House 7:00PM Choir Rehearsal Tuesday, February 13 12:00PM St. John's Seniors Wednesday, February 14 7:00PM Meeting of our Lord - Great Vespers Thursday, February 15 9:00AM Meeting of our Lord 10:00AM Monthly Pirohi Prep Friday, February 16 9:00AM Pirohi Sunday, February 18 9:00AM Divine Liturgy - Epistle: Jennifer Morrison Pre-Lenten Breakfast 10:30AM Church School 40th Day George Vasil 4:00PM Forgiveness Vespers Service Schedule Divine Liturgy 9am Weekday Eve Service 7pm General Information Street Address: 384 Mill Hill Ave., Bridgeport, CT Mailing Address 40 Beaver Dam Road Stratford, CT Contact Information Fr. David Cochran H: C: pauldcochran@gmail.com Carol Feduik, President carolcfeduik@yahoo.com John Galpin, Choir Dir. choir@stjohnsmillhill.com Peter Adzima, Editor newsletter@snet.net Diocesan Online Resources Diocesan Website: Camp Nazareth: Facebook: acroddiocese Twitter: acrodnews You Tube: youtube.com/ acroddiocese

2 Weekly Announcements ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING: This is the third of three announcements for the upcoming annual meeting of our Church. It will take place today following Divine Liturgy. All members in good standing are encouraged to attend. PRE_LENTEN BREAKFAST: Will be held next Sunday, February 18, following Divine Liturgy. Cost is $6 for adults with kids eating free. R Club members are asked to bring a meatless dish to share. Please see Cathy or Cindy to let them know what you are bringing. FEBRUARY FOOD BANK: Will take place on February 25. Please be as generous as possible. Thank you. DIOCESAN LENTEN RETREAT: The Diocese is holding its annual Eastern Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 24th, from 9am to 6:30 at St. Francis Center for Renewal in Bethlehem, PA. Please see flyer for info and the Church office for registration forms. DONATION CORRECTIONS: Please note the following corrections to the donation page last week: Two hearts lit Dec 10 in memory of Mother Anna Stefanik from Dorothy and Donald Hutchinson. Scripture Readings for Sunday Epistle Reading The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 Gospel Reading The Reading is from Matthew 25:31-46 The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." He indicates the dispositions of each, calling the one kids, the other sheep, that He might indicate the unfruitfulness of the one, for no fruit will come from kids; and the great profit from the other, for indeed from sheep great is the profit, as well from the milk, as from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the kid is destitute. St. John Chrysostom Homily on Matt. XXV, 4th Century

4 The Sunday of the Last Judgment The foregoing two parables -- especially that of the Prodigal Son -- have presented to us God's extreme goodness and love for man. But lest certain persons, putting their confidence in this alone, live carelessly, squandering upon sin the time given them to work out their salvation, and death suddenly snatch them away, the most divine Fathers have appointed this day's feast commemorating Christ's impartial Second Coming, through which we bring to mind that God is not only the Friend of man, but also the most righteous Judge, Who recompenses to each according to his deeds. It is the aim of the holy Fathers, through bringing to mind that fearful day, to rouse us from the slumber of carelessness unto the work of virtue, and to move us to love and compassion for our brethren. Besides this, even as on the coming Sunday of Cheese-fare we commemorate Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight -- which exile is the beginning of life as we know it now -- it is clear that today's is reckoned the last of all feasts, because on the last day of judgment, truly, everything of this world will come to an end. All foods, except meat and meat products, are allowed during the week that follows this Sunday. be the pure bread of God." Saint of the Day - Ignatius the God-bearer Saint Ignatius was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, and a successor of the Apostles, and he became the second Bishop of Antioch, after Evodus. He wrote many epistles to the faithful, strengthening them in their confession, and preserving for us the teachings of the holy Apostles. Brought to Rome under Trajan, he was surrendered to lions to be eaten, and so finished the course of martyrdom about the year 107. The remnants of his bones were carefully gathered by the faithful and brought to Antioch. He is called Godbearer, as one who bare God within himself and was aflame in heart with love for Him. Therefore, in his Epistle to the Romans (ch. 4), imploring their love not to attempt to deliver him from his longed-for martyrdom, he said, "I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found to Saint John Chrysostom has a homily in honour of the translation of the Saint's relics (PG 50:587).

5 On Stewardship - Part 69 Acceptable Offering Part 2 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them. And fire came forth from the presence of the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord has said, I will show myself holy among those who are near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10: 1-3 RSV) The Old Testament of our Scriptures is full of meaningful but sometimes not understandable stories. The brief story of Nadab and Abihu is one of them. The sons of Aaron (second in command of the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses) are serving as God s priests in the tabernacle (tent-church). Of their own accord, they place fire in the censers for worship. It is clear that this offering was not acceptable to God. God had not given the command to light this fire. God s laws and commands in the Old Testament are strict and to be followed without question. The punishment for this seemingly minor offense is death. Nadab and Abihu are dead because they did not follow the command of God in making their offering. Why is this story in our Scriptures, and what does it mean for us? It relates directly to our stewardship topic of Acceptable Offering? Church Father and Bishop St. Cyprian was bishop of Carthage, born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa. In his work The Unity of the Church, St. Cyprian says of this story of Nadab and Abihu: These examples are being followed wherever the tradition which comes from God is despised by lovers of strange doctrines and replaced by teaching of merely human authority. These stories are examples for us of how we are to determine the appropriateness of any action we take on behalf of the Church. For example, there has been little or any change in the Divine Liturgy served in the Orthodox Church for centuries. There has been no change in the teachings of the Church enshrined in the canons of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. New beliefs and practices that are based on what St. Cyprian calls merely human authority are not acceptable. The sons of Aaron did something on their own personal authority, and without the command of God. In Old Testament times the outcome of such outright disobedience is startling. Church practices, including how we support our parishes and missions, must not be done under merely human authority or what we think will work. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back (Luke 6:38 RSV). This weekly series of brief thoughts on stewardship and Orthodox life is brought to you by your Diocesan Stewardship Commission.

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