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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
Slava Isusu Chrisu! Slava Na Viky!
Divine Liturgy begins at 4 p.m. Every Sunday
Every Third Sunday of the Month is Food Sunday
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Divine Liturgy Intention:
Our Offerings
The Six Ecumenical Councils
Today the Church remembers all of the bishops who, guided by the Holy Spirit, took part in the first six ecumenical councils,
in which the firm foundation of our Faith was given.
In 325, the First Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea, condemned Arianism, a heresy that denied Christ’s divinity.
This council gave us the Nicene Creed and the fixing date for Pascha.
The second council, the Council of Constantinople I, was held in 381. This council expanded and adapted the Nicene Creed
— in particular, it further developed our understanding of the Holy Spirit, who was affirmed to be God even as the
Father and the Son are God: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified.”
The third, the Council of Ephesus, 431, condemned the Nestorian heresy, which denied the unity of the divine and human natures
in Christ. The Council of Ephesus also defined Mary as the Theotokos, the Mother of God.
In 451, the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, affirmed the humanity of Christ. In their proclamation of
faith, the fathers at this council stated their belief in “one and the same Son, perfect in Godhead and perfect in
humanity, truly God and truly human.”
The fifth council, Constantinople II, held in 553, condemned Nestorianism, which considered the title “Mother of
God” erroneous. The Holy Fathers of this council taught us that Mary is truly the Theotokos, the Mother of God by
conceiving, bearing, and giving birth to the person Jesus, true God and true man.
And in 680, the Council of Constantinople III, the Sixth Ecumenical Council, condemned the doctrine of Monotheletism,
which claimed that Jesus had only one will, a divine will, and not a human will. The council replied that if Jesus has two
natures, then He must have a human as well as a divine will.
St. Elias the Glorious Prophet (1 Kings 17—2 Kings 2)
St. Elias, whose feast we will celebrate on Tuesday, went to the court of King Ahab and denounced the widespread worship
of pagan gods. He warned that as punishment God would send a drought throughout Israel. King Ahab was so furious that Elias
had to flee for his life. He settled beside a brook to which God sent ravens bearing bread and meat to feed His prophet.
When the drought dried up the brook, Elias moved into Phoenician territory where he had been told that a widow would feed him.
But food was also scarce in that territory because of the drought. The widow was quite willing to give the stranger a drink of
water, but she hesitated to feed Elias, lest she not have enough for herself and her son. Elias promised the woman that
“The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ’The jar of flour shall not go empty nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day
when the Lord sends rain upon the Earth.’” She took Elias at his word and the miraculous feeding of the
widow’s family occurred. Later, however, the widow’s son fell so ill that his breath left his body. When his
grief-stricken mother accused Elias of having caused the death of her son, Elias raised him to life.
After fulfilling his role as prophet, Elias was taken into heaven on a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire.
Pastoral Ponderings: Make the Decision to Make a Decision
Sometimes a decision is hard to make because both options seem bad. We don’t want to choose because we will feel sad
once we make the choice. But a failure to choose also brings frustration and sorrow.
When the answer is not clear outside of us, we turn inward. We pray. We ask God for a sign. We look for some clear direction.
Sometimes God is silent; sometimes He speaks.
Moses once told his people that the task is not as hard as they might think. God’s command is not up in the sky. You
don’t have to look for someone to go up there and bring it back. God’s command is not across the sea. You
don’t have to find someone to cross over and get it. No, God’s command is something very near, “already in
your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”
If we live our lives in the spirit of the Gospel, we know what the answers to our dilemmas should be. We only have to carry
them out.
— Father O’Connell
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