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
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 15, 2008
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
THE PROPHET AMOS/ THE VENERABLE JEROME, PRIEST OF STRIDON
FATHER’S DAY

Our Offerings
June 8: $364 — Candles: $11

A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED FATHER’S DAY TO ALL OUR FATHERS!

Mary — Panhagia — the “All-Holy One”

In writing about the Annunciation, St. Luke gives both the fact and the reason for Mary’s holiness: Her being destined to become the mother of God’s Son. The angel addresses her as “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, called out to her, “Of all women you are the most blessed!” (Luke 1:42)

Holiness consists in being open to God’s will and cooperating with it. Mary is the supreme example of synergy, the cooperation between God’s will and human freedom. Forever respecting the free will of His human creatures, God became incarnate through the free consent of the person He chose to be His mother. Mary could have refused, but she did not. Her compliance is evident in her answer, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.” (Luke 1:38)

Origen was the first to call Mary — Panhagia — meaning the “All-Holy One”. Others quickly followed his lead, and to this day, we continue to call her by this most respectful and well-deserved title.

Mother Mary, “All-Holy One” pray for us now and ever and forever!

GOSPEL THOUGHTS ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
(MATTHEW 8:28-34)

In today’s Holy Gospel, we have related the account of two men possessed by devils who were miraculously cured by our Divine Savior. We can learn two things from today’s Gospel: to always keep Christ in our souls, and to always be grateful to God for all the graces which we have received from Him. The Gerasenes were so engrossed in their daily preoccupations that they could not appreciate the miracle which Christ performed in their district. Neither did they realize what the presence of Christ meant for their district.

There are many people today who refuse Christ’s entrance into their souls and show Him absolutely no gratitude for the many graces which they have received from Him. The Gerasenes, had they accepted our Lord, would have enjoyed His presence for only a few days. We, however, have the tremendous privilege of having God with us always in the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar. In addition, we can always receive Him in Holy Communion. Christ is with us through His church.

Why do certain individuals seek to banish Christ from their lives? The reason is that they have forgotten or totally ignored the purpose of our existence—to bring glory to God and to save one’s soul. To satisfy the body, they have replaced God as the number one priority in life. In essence, they have no regard for the salvation of their souls. We keep God in our soul by avoiding serious mortal sin. We show our gratitude for the graces we have received (both “manifest and hidden”) by using them to adore God and save our souls.

Today’s Holy Gospel also teaches us to never place material goods above the spiritual. There is such thing as a hierarchy of values. The spiritual values should always be on top of the list. If we wish to attach ourselves closer to God, we must detach ourselves as much as possible from the things of this world.

—Rev. James Melnic

FATHER’S DAY

On this third Sunday of June we celebrate Father’s Day. We thank our living fathers for the gift of life and for their love and sacrifices. We also pray that God bless them grant them many years in health and happiness. For our deceased fathers, we pray that God grant them blessed repose and eternal memory.

It is also a day of thanksgiving to our heavenly Father. To be able to address the God of heaven as “Father” is an awesome privilege. It is only because we have been adopted by God that we are able to address Him in this way. Saint John says, “To all who accept Him, He gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in His name.” Saint Paul expresses this same idea of adoption and fatherhood of God. “Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Daddy.’ The Spirit Himself and our spirits bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ.”

Here Saint Paul speaks of a Christian being adopted into the family of God and compares it with the Roman civil ceremony of adoption. The consequences of adoption in Roman law that are of primary interest to Saint Paul are: (1) the adopted son lost all rights in his old family and gained all rights in the new, (2) he became heir to his new father’s estate, (3) the old life with its debts was completely wiped out — he was a new person in a new life, (4) he was absolutely the son of his new father. Seven witnesses guaranteed the fact of adoption.

Applying these consequences to our adoption into the family of God is as follows: (1) instead of sin, God now has absolute power over us, (2) we become heirs to God’s riches and joint heirs with Christ, God’s own Son, (3) the past is canceled and debts wiped out, (4) we begin a new life with God. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our adoption as children of God.

May God grant many years to our living fathers and eternal rest to our deceased fathers. May we always remain grateful to them for their sacrifices and dedication.

Last updated: 21-Jun-2008