Icon of the Resurrection Holy Resurrection
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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 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 25, 2007 TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
OTDANIJE (LEAVE-TAKING) OF THE FEAST OF THE ENTRANCE OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS IN THE TEMPLE
OUR HOLY FATHERS AND MARTYRS CLEMENT, POPE OF ROME, AND PETER, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA

Our Offerings
Nov. 18: $390 — Candles: $12

PRAYER TO THE WEEPING MOTHER of MARIAPOCS
(LOCATED ON THE SMALL TABLE NEXT TO ST. NICHOLAS ON THE ICONOSTASIS)
O Most Holy Refuge of sinners, our Weeping Mother of Mariapocs, we pray to you, and earnestly implore you, to obtain by your tears, pardon for our sins from your son, Jesus; and to bestow on us, through your gracious intercession, the blessings of your son.
Be our protectress, comfort us in our suffering, cure us of our infirmities, console us in our sorrows, help us to lead a virtuous life, and finally lead us to the joyous kingdom of heaven.
O Weeping Virgin, O most precious Mother of God, commend us to Jesus and pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
THE WONDERWORKING ICON OF THE THEOTOKOS
OUR LADY OF MARIAPOCS
This icon of the Mother of God and the Christ Child belongs to the general type of Mother of God icons referred to as the hodegetria (a Greek word meaning she who guides and points the way to Jesus) icon.
When one looks at the Theotokos, her right hand points to her son, showing believers the way to live their lives. This is one of the earliest types of Mother of God icons, which originated in the catacombs of Rome.
The Virgin Mary is robed with a deep red colored maphorion or veil, signifying her perpetual virginity. Two of the tree stars of virginity are articulated—one on her forehead and the second on her right shoulder—the figure of the Christ Child covers the third star on her left shoulder.
Interestingly, the Virgin Mother’s face resembles that of a very young Jewish maiden, and not of a Slavic or Byzantine girl. The embroidery on the Virgin’s right shoulder highlights the theological doctrine which states that the Theotokos wove or described the Son of God in her flesh.
Our Lord wears a gold colored himation or cloak which covers a white colored chiton or robe. Of interest is the fact that the Christ Child holds a triple branched flowering sprig. This carries a double meaning of indicating the flowering of the virginal womb of the Virgin Mary and in signifying the Blessed Trinity. The triple petaled flowers denote fertility and are also painted in the frame of the icon and in the halos of both the Theotokos and the Christ Child. Distinctively, the Christ Child wears a cross on a neck chain which foreshadows His sacrificial death on the cross.
This icon of Our Lady of Mariapocs first shed tears on November 17, 1696, and continued to do weep for two weeks. After stopping for a brief time, it then wept again between December 8 to 19 of the same year. This precious icon resides in Pocs, Hungary—formerly of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is a place of pilgrimage for many Ruthenian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian Byzantine Catholics.
Let us pray with the two cherubs located in corners of the icon, recalling the liturgical hymn chanted in honor of the Virgin Mother:
More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim; who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Theotokos, we magnify!
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
Every day you provide your body with good to keep it from failing. In the same way, good works should be the daily nourishment of your soul. Your body is fed with food and your spirit with good works. Never deny your soul what you grant to your body; for your soul will live forever, but your body is going to die.

Last updated: 10-Dec-2007