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
January 25, 2004
Bio: St. Gregory the Theologian
St. Gregory is one of the greatest writers and poets of the Church. He is also one of the four great doctors of the
Byzantine Rite
Divine Liturgy Intention: If you would like the Divine Liturgy offered for a loved one, deceased or living, please give your offering to Father O’Connell and obtain a Liturgy intention card from William Gogar. Please write down the intention so it can be printed in the bulletin.
Our Offerings Pray for the protection of human life in all its forms, especially the unborn! Journey to Pascha: Preparation Today salvation has come to this house - the Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost - Luke 10:9-10
At the start of this 20-day preparation period for the Great Fast the first theme we encounter is Desire. The Zacchaeus story
is a reminder that we should burn with the desire to see the Lord. Zacchaeus heard of Jesus’ great deeds and came to
meet Him on the road to Jericho. But Zacchaeus was not the only one to hear of Jesus. The crowd was large. But the desire of
Zacchaeus was strong, so he searched out a place ahead of the crowd where he would have the vantage point to see. He climbed a
tree.
We are called to that same intense desire. Do we go and seek out the Lord? Do we then go out of our ways to get the best
vantage points? Or do the cares of our daily lives pull us in other directions?
Zacchaeus also reminds us of our own unworthiness. He was the chief tax collector, a cheat, and a traitor to his own people.
Zacchaeus’ case is extreme; he is a great public sinner. But he hears the Word of God in his heart, and a desire to
approach the Lord wells up from within. Once he meets the Lord in person, he has the strength of faith to renounce his own
sinfulness and to pledge to make things right. Does that desire for God effect the same change in our lives? Can we pledge to
make right all of our wrongs? The desire for God and a willingness to change our own behaviors are the first steps toward the
Great Fast.
From the Church Fathers
“In all our actions and in all our circumstances we ought to hold submission to God before our eyes. When that is rooted
in the soul, not only comfort, honors and rank, but also slanders, injuries, tortures, in fact everything, will produce in us
fruits of joy. The roots of a tree are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. In the same way afflictions, when they are in
accordance with God’s will, will provide us with immense joy. Those who have often prayed and shed tears of suffering
know what joy they have afterwards reaped. They feel their conscience purified, they are buoyed up with relief and the
strength of hope. It is not from external circumstances but from internal attitudes that sorrows and joys are born. As far as
the soul is concerned, everything depends on the will. So you want peace of heart? Then do not seek health, nor wealth, nor
fame, nor power, nor luxury. Seek wisdom in God’s sight, stick to the virtues, and nothing will be able to make you
sad. What do I mean, make you sad? That which makes the rest of the human race sad, will make your joy greater.”
St. John Chrysostom
Pastoral Ponderings
As was noted in last week’s bulletin, tonight will mark the first training session of the Virtus program here at Holy
Family. We are fortunate to have had Bob and Julie Niles take the training to be facilitators for this program for the
prevention of the sexual abuse of children and for the creation of safe environments. Many thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Niles
for the time and effort that their involvement has cost them. While anyone may attend these sessions, attendance is
compulsory for anyone working with children, such as CCD teachers, youth ministers etc. The same requirements are in effect
for the Byzantine community, although the record keeping of who has taken the course will be forwarded to Pittsburgh.
During the past week I visited with Archbishop Basil in Pittsburgh, where I suspect I may have contracted the flu bug which
gave rise to the briefest liturgies in Holy Family’s history last Sunday. The Archbishop sends his best wishes to both
the members of Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic as well as the members of Holy Family Roman Catholic churches. The
harmonious coexistence of both East and West portions of Catholic Christianity in East Tennessee is a model of the unity and
diversity of the Church....as it should be.
—Father O’Connell
Last updated: 27-Jan-2004 |
