ST. GREGORY S DIVINE SERVICES FOR THE WEEK Tuesday, November 28 Venerable martyr Stephen the Confessor 7:00 P.M. Moleben to Emmanuel-Advent Prayer Service Saturday, December 2 The holy prophet Habakkuk 5:00 P.M. Vigil Divine Liturgy Supplications will be offered for +Karen Joyce (Bilock) Stehle, 40 th Day Commemoration Sunday, December 3 Twentysixth Sunday after Pentecost 9:10 A.M. Third Hour 9:30 A.M. Divine Liturgy The Epistle Reading will be Ephesians 5:9-19 and the Gospel Luke 18:18-27. Supplications will be offered for +Msgr Victor G. Romza, 40 th Day Commemoration. Please join us in the Church hall following the Divine Liturgy for a time of fellowship and refreshments. Spiritual Laws vs. Physical Laws Just as we have physical laws in nature, we also have spiritual laws in spiritual life. For example, when someone throws a heavy object in the air as high as he can, with as much force as he can, that object will fall back down with all the force and be shattered to pieces. This is a law of physics. In spiritual life, the more one exalts himself with pride, the greater his spiritual fall will be; and analogous with the height of his pride, he too will be shattered into pieces. For the proud rise, reaching a point, and then they fall crushed to the ground for everyone that exalts himself shall be abased. This is a spiritual law. - Venerable father Paisios of Mount Athos
Advent Outreach to St. Joseph House of Hospitality St. Gregory s Bethany Ministry is asking for your support in a Works of Mercy outreach to men sheltered at St. Joseph House of Hospitality. St. Joseph s, located in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, is a ministry of Catholic Charities. They serve men over age 50 who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. The men receive medical and mental health treatment, life skills training, job readiness, and housing assistance. The men pay a service fee on a sliding scale according to their income, but must rely on donations to continue offering services. If you wish to help, please place your donations in the Mother of God Chapel during Advent. The following items are needed: Toiletries Pillows Hoodies Tissues Socks Blankets Towels T-Shirts Coats Bathrobes Slippers Winter Clothing for Men: New or Used (in good condition, clean, folded or on hangers) Announcements Today: Wedding Anniversary Celebration As a parish family we offer our prayers and best wishes to all our couples who are celebrating their wedding anniversary in 2017. As part of this celebration we will have a special blessing service at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. May the Lord s blessings be upon them as they journey together in faith and love! Today: Cookie Sale Meeting Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy, a meeting will take place in the Mother of God Chapel in preparation for the upcoming Taste of Heaven Cookie Sale. This will be the last meeting before the event, so please join us for this important meeting. Please be a part of preparing this fundraiser event. Our Sympathies Our prayers and sympathies are extended to the family and friends of +Mildred L. Tury who was buried on Wednesday, November 22 nd. May the Lord commit her soul to the place where the just repose, and may her memory be eternal Vičnaja Pamjat! Tuesday: Moleben-Advent Prayer Service We continue during this Nativity Fast-Advent with the celebration of the beautiful Moleben to Emmanuel-Advent Prayer Service. Plan to come on Tuesday, November 28 th at 7:00 p.m. for our next Moleben Service during which a short meditation will be given as we continue together our journey to Bethlehem. Final Cookie Sale Announcement The TASTE OF HEAVEN cookie sale is next Saturday, December 2 nd, from 8:00 a.m. 12:00 noon. This is the last day to sign up with your choice of cookies and the amount (8 or more dozen). Please deliver your cookies to the Church hall on Friday, December 1 st, from 1:00 7:00 p.m. This year you will have the opportunity to purchase the wonderful St. Gregory s A TASTE OF HEAVEN COOKIES AND TREATS recipe book. On Friday we will tray your cookies but if you have a tray you would like to use, that s fine be sure you have a sticker with your name on the tray. Thanks for being part of our amazing cookie fund raiser! Haven t Seen Someone in a While? Give them a call. See how they are doing. Let them know that you not only miss them but also care enough to see if everything is okay. A kind word can go a long way.
Next Sunday: Bethany Ministry As part of our Nativity Fast-Advent journey, we will have a Bethany Ministry meeting next Sunday, December 3 rd. This meeting will take place following the Divine Liturgy, in the Mother of God Chapel. If you are interested in becoming part of this parish ministry, please come and join us for this meeting. Christmas Basket of Cheer St Gregory s Men s Club is again sponsoring the Annual Christmas Basket of Cheer, winning ticket will be selected at our St. Nicholas party on Sunday, December 17 th. We are asking that each parishioner participate by taking tickets to sell to friends and family, and of course a chance or three themselves. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. For more information please contact Ken Coval at 412 343 9755 or any Men s Club member with questions. St. Gregory Christmas Kolbasa Sale Once again our parish will sell kolbasa during the Holiday Season and we are again asking that parishioners buy our kolbasa personally and also sell some of this fine product to friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Sign-up sheets are available in the Church narthex for placing orders and kolbasa can also be ordered on the St. Gregory home page (www.stgregoryusc.org). The price is $6.00 per pound and orders will be available for pickup during the weekend of December 16 th and 17 th. Thanks to all St. Gregory parishioners for the continued enthusiastic support of this important fundraiser. Our St. Nicholas Party The annual parish St. Nicholas party will be held in our Church Hall on Sunday, December 17 th following the 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, our parish children will come forward to welcome St. Nicholas to our parish (parents may accompany the smaller children). Following the welcome in Church we will continue in our Church hall with our parish celebration. Sign-up sheets have been placed in the Church vestibule for parishioners to indicate their intention to attend the party. Anyone wishing to contribute a salad, dessert, or traditional Christmas ethnic dish can also indicate this on the sign-up sheet. We are looking forward to filling the hall with happy parishioners. Collection- May God bless you The total for Sunday, November 19 th, 2017 was $2845.33 (Envelopes: $2590.00; Loose: $16.00; Candles: $57.00; Debt: $120.00; Phone reimbursement: $62.33). Sincere thanks to all of you for your kindness and generosity! Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost In our Gospel reading for today, we find Christ in the synagogue. He was teaching there on the Sabbath day. He saw a woman who had been ill for 18 years. She was bent over. For 18 years, all she could look at was the ground. Christ showed her great compassion. He called to her. Woman, he said, You are loosed from your illness. He laid hands on the woman. St. Luke the Evangelist tells us that immediately she was made straight. And she glorified God. This poor woman is so much like many of us in this life. Many people in the world are broken. They are bent over, so to speak, by the weight of living this life. They are bent over by life s cares, sorrows, pressures. And even if we seem overwhelmed by our own cares think of others. Think of those who might be worse off than we are. Think of the hungry, the naked, and the homeless. Think of mothers and fathers out of work. Human suffering is everywhere ant throughout this earth. There are many in this world who are bent over with the infirmity that is their own lives. Besides healing this woman Our Lord teaches us a valuable lesson. We witness that this act of healing of the poor bent woman was an act of love, an act of charity. Christ is telling the ruler of the synagogue and us that an act of love can be done any time! This act of love done by Christ far transcends any law or any rule. This is a call for us to follow Christ in the same daring. We are called to dare to break away from our daily comforts and concerns. We are called to dare to reach out to those less fortunate. We are called to give and give, and give some more. We are called to give, as the expression goes, until it hurts. This is the way to follow Christ. And for those among us who feel crushed and bent over by the cares and worries of this life? It is to Christ Himself that we must turn. It is only Christ who can straighten our backs. It is only Christ who can make us look, not at the ground, but up to the heavens. This time of preparation for the arrival of Christ at Christmas is a time to not only to be ashamed of our way of life that keeps us bent over. It is to prepare for the great rejoicing at the glorious things being done by God. He sends His Son to straighten our lives so that we can join Him in straightening others.