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.

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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
FATHER THOMAS O’CONNELL, PASTOR
FATHER MICHAEL MAPLES, ASSISTANT 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

NOVEMBER 11, 2007
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAYAFTER PENTECOST
THE HOLY MARTYRS MENAS, VICTOR, AND VINCENT
THE HOLY MARTYR STEPHANIS
OUR VENERABLE FATHER AND CONFESSOR, THEODORE THE STUDITE
THE PASSING OF THE BLESSED MARTYR
BISHOP VINCENT EUGENE BOSSILKOV IN BULGARIA
VETERANS DAY

Our Offerings
Nov. 4: $369 — Candles: $17

Please remember in your prayers all veterans — both living and deceased — and all those in the service of our country. Lord have mercy!

November 12: St. Josaphat, Byzantine Ukrainian Archbishop of Polotsk

St. Josaphat was not only a great saint and zealous apostle of Christ, but he was also a martyr. He was killed for his strong belief and life-long struggle of keeping souls in the Eastern Church in union with Rome.

The Catholic Church (the Body of Christ) breathes with two lungs — the East and the West. To be Catholic does not mean one must be Roman; nor does it mean, one who is “Orthodox” can’t be in union with Rome.

St. Josaphat, pray for us that we will never abandon our Byzantine Catholic Faith and Tradition, and that there will be one flock and one shepherd.

St. Philip's Fast
by Rev. Glenn Davidowich

St. Philip's Fast, also known as the Christmas Fast, marks the penitential season preceding the festive time of Christmas and Theophany. Like the Great Fast of Lent, it lasts 40 days and is also known as Winter Lent. Its name is derived from the Feast of St. Philip, which falls on November 14, the day before the fast begins.

This time is truly a fasting season, a time of penitential contemplation of the fact that the Second Person of the Triune God condescended to take on human nature. If He is willing to do that, maintaining a spirit of repentance and cleansing is the least we can do, especially since the Christmas-Theophany Season is a time of great joy and celebration. In fact, this is why it is sometimes referred to as the Winter Pasch.

Many in our society, Christians especially, bemoan the fact that Christmas has been so commercialized and that the reason for the season has been forgotten. The period from November 15 to December 25 is filled with so many celebrations that by the time the Feast of the Nativity arrives it is anti-climactic! On December 26, Christmas trees are taken down, even though, the celebration has just begun and lasts until the final day of the Theophany Postfestive. Christians need to reclaim the preparatory Advent time of Philip’s Fast for what it is: a fast. Just how do we do that?

Fast! Fasting from meat products on Friday is virtually mandatory, but one can and should do more. One should fast from meat products on weekdays or fast from meat and dairy products on Wednesday and Friday or do a combination of both. There is no fasting on weekends, and we have several feasts during the season which abrogate the fast: the Entrance of the Theotokos, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas’s Feast, and the Conception of St. Anne.

And now here’s the hard part: Avoid giving or attending Christmas parties during the fast. It is not Christmas until we sing “God Is with Us” the night of December 24. Do not be afraid of offending someone; simply explain the reason why you must decline their invitation or why you are changing the date of your annual party. Most will find it fascinating, and you have just evangelized them. Besides, there are weeks after Christmas for celebrating.

Enshrine the icon of Our Lady of the Sign in your icon corner or on your dining room table, and each evening sing the Troparia of the Christmas Fast. Go ahead and Christmas shop — fighting mobs of delirious people in a crowded mall is pretty penitential, and if it is done in the right spirit, it teaches humility and patience, things that are needed to be learned during a fast.

And when you finally sing “God Is with Us” celebrate and don’t stop, for Christ is born! Glorify Him!

WORDS OF WISDOM BY ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Even if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God’s mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.

Last updated: 19-Nov-2007