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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.

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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 15, 2007
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
MEMORY OF THE FATHERS AT THE FIRST SIX ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
THE HOLY MARTYRS CYRICUS AND JULITTA
THE HOLY GREAT PRINCE VLADIMIR, EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES

SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS OF THE FIRST SIX ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
The Fathers of the Councils, inspired by God, declare and explain that in Christ there is a divine act and a divine will, uncreated and infinite; these are the act and will of the Son of God and the human act and human will of those of the Son of Man. Thus, did they proclaim that Christ is one Divine Person having two natures, those of God and those of man. Wherefore, we the faithful honor these Fathers every year and glorify Christ who glorified them.
The Fathers of the Council proclaim to us today that the Eternal Trinity is one God and one Lord, explaining to us that it is of one nature, consubstantial, of one will and one act, not divided nor shared but existing in the simplicity of God’s being; and defining that this will and act of God have no beginning and will never have an end.
Wherefore, we the faithful glorify these Fathers as the Equals of the Apostles, for they taught all mankind the true doctrine of God.

THOUGHTS ON THE GOSPEL
“Have pity on us, Son of David” was the cry of two blind men in today’s gospel. And in receiving a positive reply to His question, “Do you believe that I can do this for you?” our Lord said, “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” (Matthew 9:29). For these blind men, the love and mercy of God meant the physical restoration of their sight. At last, light came into their darkened lives through our Lord’s loving concern. For us, the blind men also represent individuals in spiritual darkness. There are many people today who have brought darkness into their souls by shutting out light of God’s grace. Among the signs of spiritual darkness are the following - treating serious sins lightly, and being indifferent or lukewarm to our Lord’s teaching especially, concerning moral values. Spiritual blindness can be caused by the sin of pride, a weakness that caused the fall of rebellious angels. Pride darkens the light of the soul by closing out the Light of Life, God’s saving grace. A sensual person has difficulty in controlling sensual attractions. Such a person thinks lightly of spiritual matters and thus rationalizes one’s behavior. Indifference to matters spiritual increases. Spiritual blindness loosens our sense of values. Such a person looks only to his or her own selfish ends. Sacramental participation is no longer meaningful, and such a person descends on the “slippery slope” which may only end in disaster. A spiritual blind person can recover one’s sight through faith in Christ and a true spiritual conversion
—Rev. James Melnic

Commemoration of the Holy Prophet Elias—July 20
Elias was a hero of faithfulness to God in Israel and courageous prophet. Achab, seventh King of Israel, (875-854 BC), influenced by his pagan wife, Isabella, had forgotten the true God and returned to paganism. Elias reproached him for his idolatry and killed the priests of Baal. He fled to the mountains because of Isabella’s anger. God appeared to him there, and a crow brought him bread for food. At the time of Josaphat, King of Israel (874-850 BC), Elias was taken up in a chariot of fire in the presence of his disciple Eliseus. The Prophet Malachias had said: “Behold I will send you Elias the Prophet, before the coming and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” (Mal. 4:5) The prophet refers to the second coming of the Lord, at the end of the world.

PASTORAL PONDERINGS
We conclude our review of Sacramental Theology, taken from the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, with a study of the Sacrament of Matrimony.
  1. God is the author of marriage.
  2. The matrimonial covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.
  3. Marriage is a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ’s spousal love for the Church.
  4. In the Latin Church, the spouses, as ministers of Christ’s grace, mutually confer upon each other the Sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. The agreed consent of the couple is at the heart of the marriage celebration.
  5. The Christian home is the place where the children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family is rightly called “the domestic church,"” a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
Here at Holy Family it is necessary that one of the couples seeking to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony be a member of the parish. A minimum of four months of preparation is required, during which time the couple will meet frequently in order to explore various aspects of married life. It should also be noted that in the Diocese of Knoxville, marriages must take place in a church structure, not outdoors or in “wedding chapels.”
—Father Thomas O’Connell

Last updated: 21-Jul-2007