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Icon of the Archangel Gabriel

O ye incorporeal angels who stand before the throne of God, luminous with the brilliance thereof and everlastingly shining with radiance. As secondary luminaries, entreat Christ, that He grant unto our souls peace and great mercy.

O immortal messengers of the truly incorruptible Life, ye most blessed ones who received life from the first Life, ye have become holy beholders of the eternal Wisdom, full of light, and reflecting lamps shown forth as is meet.

O ye archangels and angels, principalities, thrones, dominions, six-winged seraphim, and divine, many-eyed cherubim, instruments of wisdom, virtues and powers most divine. Pray ye to Christ, that He grant our souls peace and great mercy.

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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
FATHER THOMAS O’CONNELL, PASTOR
FATHER MICHAEL MAPLES, ASSISTANT PASTOR
FATHER DEACON RON VOLEK, PASTORAL ASSISTANT
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH
307 BLACK OAK RIDGE ROAD PO BOX 817
SEYMOUR, TN 37865
PHONE: 865-609-1081
www.hrbcc.org
Slava Isusu Christu! Slava Na Niky!
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
Divine Liturgy begins at 4 p.m. Every Sunday
Ninth Hour Prayer precedes Liturgy at 3:30 p.m.
Potluck supper follows Liturgy on the third Sunday of the month
Also at this time non-perishable foods and items for those in need
MAY 11, 2008
PENTECOST SUNDAY
GREEN SUNDAY
MOTHER’S DAY

Our Offerings
May 4: $534 — Candles: $19

Green Sunday
On this day, churches and private homes are decorated with green branches and green flowers — that is why today is also called “Green Holy Day” or “Green Sunday.” Green represents eternal life and reminds us that on this day our heavenly Father sent down into the world the Life-giving Spirit, who was first received by the Apostles and then passed on to us in baptism and chrismation. Through these sacraments we are reborn into an everlasting life with Christ Jesus.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who are everywhere present and fill all things, Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One!
Pentecost Monday
The Eastern Churches had from ancient times the custom of honoring in a special way the person or persons who played a very significant role in connection with a prominent feast. The Feast of Pentecost honors the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The Monday following Pentecost is the Feast of the Blessed Trinity. This feast reminds the faithful that the Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and to the Son — for there is but one God in three Divine Persons.
A very Happy and Blessed Mother’s Day to all our Mothers - living and deceased - but most of all, a very blessed Mother’s Day to the most Holy Theotokos! God could not have created a more perfect mother than the most Holy Theotokos. Nobody else of all God’s creatures could love us and bring us closer to Jesus than her. The more we love the Holy Theotokos, the closer we get to our Lord Jesus !
Mother’s Day
The past several decades have seen great changes in the status of women in our society. What is not known, however, is the impact that Christ made for women during the years of His life, and the continuing impact of His Church for women. It is thanks to the influence of Christ that women have reached the status of today, and it is through the influence of His teaching that this enlightenment will continue in the future. On this happy occasion, Mother’s Day, we all have a great deal to celebrate and be thankful for, because we all had a mother. Today we also pay a special honor to our Theotokos, the mother of our beloved Savior. God bless all of our mothers and may He keep all of them in His loving care. For those who do not have a living mother, our fond memories of her brightens each Mother’s Day more and more with our remembrance of her.
A Prayer for our Mothers
O merciful Lord God, I humbly beseech You to hear my prayer and have mercy on my mother. Protect her from every evil, danger, and sickness. Grant her health and, in Your mercy, pour out upon her your abundant blessings. Have mercy on her, according to your great mercy, that she may faithfully serve you, and that through her, I also may be worthy to praise and serve you. Amen.
—Byzantine Book of Prayer
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
Both Jews and Christians celebrate Pentecost. Along with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, Pentecost was one of the major feasts of the Jews living in Jesus day. During these three great festivals, every male Jew living within twenty miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to go to the city and participate in the feast. The word Pentecost literally means “Fiftieth,” because the feast was celebrated fifty days after the Feast of Passover. Originally Pentecost was a day of thanksgiving for the completion of the harvest. During Passover, two loaves of bread were offered in gratitude for the harvest. Later, the Jews added to the Feast of Pentecost the element of Yahweh’s covenant with Noah, which took place fifty days after the great deluge. Still later, this feast became an occasion to thank God for his covenant with Moses, which also occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Exodus from Egypt.
The Christian Pentecost marks the end of the Easter Season. For Christians it is a memorial of the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and the Virgin Mary in the form of fiery tongues, an event that took place fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus. Pentecost also commemorates the official inauguration of the Christian Church by the apostolic preaching of Peter, resulting in the conversion of 3,000 Jews to the Christian faith. This Rock magazine reports that there are now 34,000 Protestant denominations which means, on the average, more than sixty-nine new denominations have sprung up every year since the Reformation began in 1517. So whose birthday is it anyway? You could say that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church Jesus established nearly 2,000 years ago.
We look forward to seeing everyone next week at the celebration dinner on Sunday, May 18th, at 6:00 p.m. at The Barn. Hopefully, this may be the last time that we will have to use The Barn!!!!
—Father Thomas O’Connell

Last updated: 12-May-2008