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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.

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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
FATHER THOMAS O’CONNELL, PASTOR
FATHER DEACON RON VOLEK, PASTORAL ASSISTANT
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH
307 BLACK OAK RIDGE ROAD PO BOX 817
SEYMOUR, TN 37865
PHONE: 865-609-1081
www.hrbcc.org

Slava Isusu Christu! Slava Na Niky!
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.

Potluck supper follows Liturgy on the third Sunday of the month
Also at this time non-perishable foods and items for those in need

JULY 8, 2007
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE HOLY AND GREAT MARTYR PROCOPIUS

Our Offerings
July 1: $402 — Candles: $15

GOSPEL THOUGHT
In today’s Holy Gospel, the Scribes were angered and scandalized in how Jesus cured the paralytic. He dared to forgive sins! The Scribes knew only God could forgive sins. In their eyes, Jesus blasphemed! He had insulted God by making Himself equal to God. Among the Jews of Palestine, it was believed all sickness and suffering was the result of sin. No illness could be cured until sin was first forgiven. This unity and unbreakable connection between suffering and sin was part of the Orthodox Jewish belief at the time of Jesus. There are even illnesses today which are caused by the guilt of sin. We feel this ourselves and see it also in others. Reaction to the guilt feeling of sin causes tension, worry, and other symptoms that harmfully effect the human body. A guilt complex contributes to mental disturbance and emotional problems. Thus, even today, unless we are healthy spiritually, we will be affected physically. Health of body and peace of mind go hand in hand with peace with God. The key to forgiveness and peace of soul is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.

Prayer When Lighting a Candle
O Blessed Lord and my beloved Mother Mary accept this burning candle as a sign of my faith and love for You. Like this candle, I am ready to be used in Your service, without asking why and for what purpose. Even as this candle, I wish to stand in Your presence to be consumed in the light and warmth of Your love. Please hear my prayer and, if it is Your will, grant my petition. But above all make me loyal and faithful to You in all circumstances of my life. Amen

FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF OUR LADY, THE HOLY THEOTOKOS
For so the Holy Scriptures tell us, concerning Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus: “Henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)
Bishop Theophan the Recluse instructs us: “Learn to give praise to our Lord for His every gift, whether large or small, from her, who in the first minutes after becoming the Mother of God, sang a song of praise to God: ’My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!’”

PASTORAL PONDERINGS
This week and next we will look at the last two of the Sacraments, which basically deal with vocational issues. First we will look at the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
  1. Through Baptism all the members of the Church share in the priesthood of Christ. This is known as the “common priesthood of the faithful.”
  2. Through Holy Orders there is another participation in Christ’s priesthood, the ministerial priesthood of bishop and priest. This differs in essence from the common priesthood because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful.
  3. The ordained ministry occurs in three degrees or orders: bishop, priest, and deacon. These ministries are essential for the life of the church.
  4. Bishops receive the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They are the chief teachers, sanctifiers, and shepherds in their dioceses.
  5. Priests are united with the bishops in priestly dignity and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions. With the bishop priests form a presbyteral (priestly) community and assume with him the pastoral mission for a particular parish.
  6. Deacons receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, but no the ministerial priesthood. Deacons in the Latin Church may baptize, read the Gospel, preach the homily, assist the bishop or priest in the celebration of the Eucharist, assist at and bless marriages, and preside at funerals. They dedicate themselves to charitable endeavors, which was their ministerial role in New Testament times.
It should be noted that within the priesthood there is the division between the diocesan (sometimes called secular) priests and priest who belong to a religious community (sometimes called regular). While both are priests by virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, religious order priests follow a separate vocation to live in a community taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The Paulist Fathers would be a local example of religious order priests. Diocesan priests do not live in community nor do they take the three vows mentioned above, and they usually serve within a specific diocese. Religious order priests serve in a variety of dioceses depending upon the religious orders commitments.
—Father Thomas O’Connell

Last updated: 21-Jul-2007