Byzantine Catholic Mission
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Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission |
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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. Archives:
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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY FOREVER!
DIVINE LITURGY BEGINS AT 4 P.M. EVERY SUNDAY EVERY THIRD SUNDAY IS FOOD SUNDAY: BRING NON-PERISHABLE FOODS OR ITEMS FOR THE NEEDY We always welcome all visitors among us! We hope that you find our worship true and reverent and our people friendly and cordial. If you are seeking a spiritual home, we would be honored by your presence in our family. We are glad you chose to worship with us. AUGUST 31, 2003 — 12TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — DEPOSITION OF THE VENERABLE CINCTURE OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
Divine Liturgy Intentions Thank you for joining us in celebrating the 25th wedding anniversary of Darrell and Julie Drouhard and Tim and Donna Scripa. As servants of the Lord, they readily answered and remained faithful to their vocations to the married life. Through their willingness and fidelity — to the Lord and their spouses — may they be an inspiration to all of us as we seek to answer and fulfill our own vocations, so that all may be done according to His will. God grant them many years! If you would like the Divine Liturgy offered for a loved one, deceased or living, please give your offering to Father and obtain a Liturgy intention card from William Gogar. Please write down the intention so it can be put in the bulletin.
OFFERINGS
TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (MATTHEW 19: 16-26)
TONE 3 GOSPEL THOUGHT
“Good Master, what must I do to gain eternal life?” (Matthew 19: 16-17)
The young man in today’s Gospel heard the invitation of Jesus but did not come. He bowed his head and slowly walked
away. He disappeared — perhaps forever — among the crowds of Judean humanity. There are those who believe that he
returned at some later date and accepted Jesus on the Lord’s own terms, which, indeed, is the only way we can accept
Him. Some Church Fathers, such as the illustrious John Chrysostom, believed that the youth was saved, even though he could
not, at the precise moment of our Gospel lesson, bring himself to a point of total commitment. At any rate, the Gospels tell
us no more of this young man.
Surely the Lord is patient and merciful, although we are warned many times in the pages of Holy Scripture not to try His
patience, nor yet to tamper with His mercy. The invitation that Jesus Christ extended to that young man, He extends to each of
us today. And our destiny for all of eternity depends on how, or whether, we respond to His call of “Come, follow
me.” Be sure to count the cost. Jesus demands all of your life, every part of you, to make a new creature in Himself, to
bestow upon you a life that is truly abundant now and throughout the ages to come. The choice is yours. The invitation stands.
— The Reverend George Dimopoulos
THE BELT OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
One of the things that children do instinctively is turn to their mother in time of need. Children know their mother will be
there to protect them and keep them safe. As Christians, our instinct is to turn to the Mother of God in times of trial and
affliction. She is our unfailing intercessor and our “gentle protectress.” This sentiment for the Mother of God is
at the center of a special feast celebrated on Aug. 31 — The Feast of the Deposition of the Belt of the Mother of
God.
After her Dormition, the Mother of God left her Belt to the Apostle Thomas. This Belt was later taken to Constantinople and
kept there in a sealed casket in the church at Blachernae. This casket was never opened until the time of Emperor Leo the Wise
(886-912), when his wife, Empress Zoe, became ill.
The emperor had been inspired in a vision to take the Belt of the Mother of God and place it upon his ailing wife. The casket
was opened and the Belt of the Holy Virgin was placed upon the empress, who recovered immediately. This present feast was
instituted as a memorial of the event.
Throughout the centuries, other feasts, such as the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on Oct. 1, have been
instituted to commemorate the intercession of the Holy Virgin. The Mother of God is never at a loss to come to the aid of
her children in time of need. St. Bernard tells us that “whoever turns to the Holy Virgin in time of need will never
remain unaided.”
THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR OF GRACE
On Sept. 1 we begin the “New Liturgical Year.” The Holy Spirit, at the beginning of a new year of Grace,
calls our attention to Jesus’s most important teaching, which is LOVE. Jesus said the first commandment is about love,
and so is the second. Love is the greatest commandment; it crowns and holds together all Christian attitudes, virtues and
deeds.
What is Christian love? CHRISTIAN LOVE IS GOD’S GRACE IN ACTION: FORGIVING, HEALING, AND UNITING PEOPLE IN FAITH AND LOVE.
Christ not only spoke of and preached about the centrality of love, He also lived it fully. Thus Christianity’s central
and eternal message, the glowing core of its existence, is love. Christians are lovers. When Christ lives in the Christian and
truly reigns in the parish, He lives and reigns as Holy Love — the parish is the focus of the power of Love and not the
love of power.
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ON PRAYER
“As trees cannot live without water, so man’s soul cannot live without prayerful contact with God.”
“If you deprive yourself of prayer, you will do as though you had taken a fish out of water; as life is water for a
fish, so is prayer for you.”
“We can obtain benefit from praying during our entire lives by devoting to it the greater part of our time.”
Last updated: 7-Sep-2003 |
