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 AND A POTLUCK DISH FOR THE HUNGRY: POTLUCK SUPPER FOLLOWS LITURGY 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. SEPTEMBER 7, 2003 — SUNDAY BEFORE THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS — FOREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE MOST HOLY MOTHER OF GOD — COMMEMORATION OF THE HOLY MARTYR SOZON
Divine Liturgy Intention 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.
OUR OFFERINGS
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
As many of you are aware, the property adjacent to the parking lot has been put up for sale. The Holy Family Parish Council
and Finance Committee have both discussed the desirability as well as the feasibility of procuring a portion of the property,
if not the entire acreage. An expenditure of this proportion, however, involves the Diocese of Knoxville as well as Holy
Family Parish. At this point in time, we are still in an exploration process which involves offers and counter-offers until a
firm asking price is reached. When that has been accomplished, it will then be time for hard decisions to be made. In
speaking with Bishop Kurtz on this issue, we have also invited Metropolitan Basil to be a part of this exploration process.
As for the desirability of the property, there could be numerous possibilities for building. Our current property of about
eight acres is not altogether “buildable.” With additional land, the parking lot can be expanded, new buildings
such as a classroom, a fellowship hall, a new church — even the possibilities of a cemetery, school, and assisted living
residences — have been mentioned. While all of this “dreaming” is good, the realities of the financial
situations of both the parish and the diocese/archeparchy may temper our speculation. At any rate, as information becomes
available, it will be shared with the mission as a whole. — Father O’Connell
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
Since we will celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross next Sunday, let us examine the deep meaning of the
sign of the cross, which True-believing Christians make on their bodies as they pray. The two index fingers and the thumb of
the right hand are joined together to show that we believe in God the Father, Who lives in us. The three fingers are joined
together to show that we believe not in three Gods but in one. The remaining two fingers stand for the two natures of Christ,
for He is both God and man at the same time. These two fingers are brought down into the palm of the hand to show that Jesus
“came down from heaven” for our salvation. The act of crossing ourselves reminds us not only of the price Jesus
paid to save us from sin but is also an expression of the greatest Christian commandment: “You shall love the Lord your
God with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength.” When you touch your head, you are saying in effect, “I love
You, Lord, with all my mind.” When you touch your chest, you are saying, “I love You, Lord, with all my heart and
soul.” And when you touch your shoulders, you are saying, “I love You, Lord, with all my strength.” When we
pray, we pray to God with our mind and heart. But when we cross ourselves, we are praying to God with our body. Thus, the
whole person, body, mind, and heart, prays to God. Other words we use when we cross ourselves are: “In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Eastern-rite Christian always prays in the name of the Trinity.
— Anthony M. Coniaris
FROM A BARREN STEM
“Today God who dominates the Spiritual Thrones of heaven welcomes on Earth the holy throne that He had prepared for Himself. In His love for His people, He who established the heavens in wisdom has fashioned a living heaven. From a barren stem He has brought forth for us his Mother as a branch full of life. O God of miracles and hope of those who have no hope, Lord, glory be to You.” — Vespers of the Nativity of the Mother of God
The icon of the Nativity of the Mother of God shows St. Anne reclining on a bed with an attendant at her side. Mary is
generally represented in swaddling clothes and held in the arms of a midwife seated on a stool. The midwife is reduced in size
to focus attention on the parents. St. Anne gazes downward upon her newborn daughter. The servant in the center stands ready
to assist the mother.
Spiritual and poetic chants and hymns help us to welcome the Mother of God and to rejoice in this special occasion of
God’s love for humanity: “This is the day of the Lord; Rejoice, therefore, O nations! Behold: the chamber of
Light, the scroll of the living Word, has come forth from the womb. The gate that opens to the Rising Sun and is ready for the
entrance of the High Priest is here today. She is the only one who introduced Christ, and Christ alone, into this world for
the salvation of our souls.
“In her He fulfilled His divine plan through which our human nature was renewed and by which we were to be transferred
from corruption to eternal life.”
Last updated: 7-Sep-2003 |
