Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission

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.

Archives:

HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
PASTOR: REV. THOMAS O'CONNELL
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH
307 BLACK OAK RIDGE ROAD PO BOX 817
SEYMOUR, TN 37865
PHONE: 865-609-1081
www.hrbcc.org

Slava Isusu Chrisu! Slava Na Viky!
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.

Every Third Sunday of the Month is Food Sunday
Potluck Supper Follows Liturgy
Please Bring Non-perishable Foods and Items for Those in Need!

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
November 7, 2004
The Holy 33 Martyrs at Melitene
Our Venerable Father Lazarus

Divine Liturgy Intention:
Griffin Bond, living

Our Offerings
October 31: $275 — Candles: $7

Solemn Holy Day — Monday, November 8
The Feast of St. Michael the Archangel and All the Heavenly Host
Divine Liturgy will begin at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, Nov. 8, here at the church.

The Archangel Michael and All the Bodiless Powers of Heaven

We should pray to the holy angels for they have been given to us as our guardians.

— St. Ambrose of Milan

A missionary working on a Pacific island told the story of how hostile natives surrounded the mission church one night. They intended to burn the church and kill the missionaries. The missionaries prayed that God would deliver them. When daylight came, they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christianity. Remembering what had happened, one of the missionaries asked the chief what had prevented him from burning down the house and killing them a year earlier. Surprised, the chief replied, “Who were all those men with you there?” The missionary knew no men were present — but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.

As Christians we believe that we have the added protection of unseen guardians who surround us and watch over us. These unseen guardians are the holy angels. Every baptized Christian is assigned to the special care of a particular guardian angel.

On Nov. 8 we commemorate the Feast of the Archangel Michael and All the Angels of Heaven who surround God’s throne and watch over us. Let us pray that all the holy angels — especially our own guardian angels — surround us and protect us from danger, harm, and the works of the Evil One.

Two Prayers in Honor of the Angels and Archangels

God, our Father, in a wonderful way You guide the work of angels and men. May Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and all Your angels who serve you constantly in heaven keep us safe from all harm on earth. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever — Amen.
Lord, hear the prayers of those You renew with the Bread of Life. Make them strong by the courage it gives. Through the watchful care of the archangels and all the angels, may we advance along the way of salvation. We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord — Amen.

From the Fathers of the Church

“To be devoted to you, O Holy Theotokos, is a weapon of salvation that God gave to those whom He positively wants to save.”

— St. John Damascene

“There is only one cause and root of all our evils: sin.”

— St. John Chrysostom

Pastoral Ponderings: Some Thoughts on Purgatory

In addition to being Election Day, Nov. 2 was also All Souls Day, a day for remembering and praying for those in a state of purification. Since time immemorial, people have believed in the immortality of the soul and have prayed for the dead. The Jews, for example, believed that there is a place of temporary bondage from which the souls of the dead receive their final release. Since Jesus in no way contradicted this ancient belief, the infant Church incorporated it into its teachings. The inclusion of “prayers for the dead” is found in many of the ancient liturgies that originated in the early centuries of the Church.

This belief in a period of purification is supported by Scripture in the Old and New testaments: 2 Maccabees 12:46, 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, 1 Corinthians 3:15.

The Church’s teaching on purgatory is plain and simple. There is a place or state of purification where souls can be helped by the prayers of the faithful. The catechism describes purgatory as the “final purification of the elect — entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” Modern theologians suggest that purgatory may be an “instant” purification immediately after death and varies in intensity from soul to soul, depending on the individual. According to this view, the refining fire of purgatory is a mere relic of medieval imagery.

— Father O’Connell

Last updated: 13-Nov-2004