Byzantine Catholic Mission
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Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission |
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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. Archives:
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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 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
JUNE 8, 2008
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF THE GREAT MARTYR THEODORE THE RECRUIT
Our Offerings
THE CENTURION, AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH
The healing of the centurion’s servant is one of nine miracles described by Matthew following the Sermon on the
Mount. These miracles show Jesus’ power over sickness, evil and death, and His authority over the laws of nature. He
is revealed as the Messiah of Deed, just as His teachings show Him as the Messiah of Word.
The centurion’s faith was pivotal: it astonished Jesus and opened the way for a miracle. Jesus said: “Let it be
done for you according to your faith,” indicating the importance of the man’s faith. Faith draws down the power
of God. The same is true for us today: If we have faith, we will see God work great things in our lives and in the lives of
our family members.
We do not need great knowledge: we need only to act on what we do know about Jesus. The centurion could not have known in
his time what we now know about Jesus’ death and resurrection. But the centurion still had the courage to approach
Jesus and ask for the help he needed. Then after the miracle, he had an even deeper knowledge of Jesus!
Faith grows in this way; each step taken bears fruit in greater knowledge of the Lord. As we base our decisions on what we
know about Jesus, we will experience Him working. Test the goodness of God and we will find the words of the prophet Isaiah
fulfilled in our own lives: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Isaiah 53:4)
Lord Jesus, show us how to grow in faith so that we may see Your loving intervention in our lives, in our families, and in
the Church!
AXION ESTIN (IT IS TRULY MEET)
COMMEMORATED JUNE 11
In 980, during the reign of Emperor Basil II, when Nicholas Chrysoberges was the Ecumenical patriarch, the Holy
Archangel Gabriel appeared to a monk living in a hermitage that belonged to the Monastery of Pantocrator on the holy
mountain, Athos.
During Matins, after the monk had chanted the usual hymn, “More honorable than the Cherubim…,” composed
by St. Cosmas the Hymnographer, the Angel Gabriel—having appeared as another visiting monk—chanted the
same hymn, but with the following prelude: “It is truly meet to call thee blessed, the Theotokos, the ever-blessed
and all immaculate and the Mother of our God.”
Marveling at the hymn’s beauty, the monk asked his visitor to record this new text in writing. The Angel Gabriel,
complying to the monk’s request, did so by miraculously inscribing the words on a piece of slate using only his
finger! After completing the task, he then vanished.
As evidence of the miracle, the slate was brought to the Church of the Protaton and from there to the imperial court in
Constantinople and then to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Henceforth, this version of the hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos began to be chanted in the Divine Liturgy in all the
churches. The place where the miracle took place is now called Adein, from the Greek word which means “to
sing.” The icon itself, before which this hymn was first chanted is called the icon of AXION ESTIN (it is
truly meet) and is kept in the sanctuary of the Church of the Protecton on the holy mountain.
Hymn to the Theotokos
It is truly meet to call thee blessed, O Theotokos,
the ever blessed and all immaculate and Mother of our God. Thou art more honorable than the cherubim and more glorious than the seraphim. Thou, who without corruption, bearest God the Word, the true Birthgiver of God, we magnify thee. Amen
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
Have you noticed something new at the entrance to the parking lot? For the first time since the beginning of the parish
there is a mailbox! Prior to the existence of the building there was a post office box (817) in addition to the address of
307 Black Oak Ridge Road. For years all the mail, however, has ended up at 407 Overlook Drive. In order to lessen the
complication of the mail, the post office box has been closed. In the future, do not send anything to box 817…it has
been deleted! If you want mail to go to the church, use the 307 Black Oak Ridge Road address; if you want it to go to me,
use the 407 Overlook Drive address.
—Father Thomas O’Connell
Last updated: 20-Jun-2008 |
