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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
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
AUGUST 3, 2008
TWELVTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
OUR VENERABLE FATHERS ISAAC, DALMATUS, AND FAUSTUS

Our Offerings
July 27: $666 — Candles: $13

GOSPEL THOUGHT ON THE 12TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (MATTHEW 19:16-26)
“Good Master, what must I do to gain eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16-17)
The young man in today’s Gospel heard the invitation of Jesus but did not come. He bowed his head and slowly walked away. He disappeared—perhaps forever—among the crowds of Judean humanity. There are those who believe that he returned at some later date and accepted Jesus on the Lord’s own terms, which, indeed, is the only way we can accept Him. Some Church Fathers, such as the illustrious John Chrysostom, believed that the youth was saved, even though he could not, at the precise moment of our Gospel lesson, bring himself to a point of total commitment. At any rate, the Gospels tell us no more of this young man.
Surely the Lord is patient and merciful, although we are warned many times in the pages of Holy Scripture not to try His patience, nor yet to tamper with His mercy. The invitation that Jesus Christ extended to that young man, He extends to each of us today. And our destiny for all of eternity depends on how, or whether, we respond to His call of, “Come, follow me.” Be sure to count the cost. Jesus demands all of your life, every part of you, to make a new creature in Himself, to bestow upon you a life that is truly abundant now and throughout the ages to come. The choice is yours. The invitation stands.
—The Reverend George Dimopoulos
AUGUST 6: HOLY DAY OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
THE BLESSING OF FRUIT: On this day of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior, the blessing of grapes — as well as other fruits and vegetables — is the most beautiful and adequate sign of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ. It signifies the ultimate flowering and fruitfulness of all creation in God’s paradise, where all will be transformed by the glory of the Lord.
Tolga (Commemorated on August 8)
A strange and marvelous thing happened on August 8, 1314. The Bishop of Yaroslavl, Prochor, had made a tour of his diocese and was on his way home. He had made camp on the banks of the Volga River, which was not far from the city of Yaroslavl, where the Tolga River meets the Volga.
During the night, he was awakened by a pillar of fire that was shining on the bank on the other side of the river. Upon arising, he saw that there was a bridge issuing from the pillar across the river to where he stood. Strengthening himself with prayer and trusting in the Lord, he then took his staff and crossed the bridge.
There among the trees, he saw an icon of the Mother of God with the Christ Child in her arms that stood about ten feet from the earth into the air!
Mystified, the Bishop returned to his tent in fervent prayer. In all the excitement, though, he had forgot his staff. The next morning, he related to his fellow travelers all that had happened during the night.
Deciding to return to the location where the vision had occurred, he found both his staff and the icon. At once, he decided to build a church at the exact site of the miracle. As the church was being built, news of the miracle reached Yaroslavl and many people began to come and pay homage. It wasn’t long before the church was finished and consecrated.
Later in 1394, the icon began to stream myrrh. Those with infirmities came to be anointed and received healing. Archbishop Seraphim of Uglich, the last abbot of the Tolga Monastery, wrote about the history of the icon. He is numbered among the new martyrs of the Communist yoke.
PRAYER OF THE THIRD ODE OF THE PARACLISIS IN HONOR OF THE THEOTOKOS BEFORE HER DORMITION
“O Virgin, help me who am pressed by incurable ills and distressing passions, for I know that you, All-Blameless One, are a perfect and abundant treasury of healing.”
PASTORAL PONDERINGS
Recently one of our local newspapers made mention of the fact that the CROSS ministry (Christians Reaching Out Serving Seymour) was in need of donations of food. The Scriptures for this Sunday as well as the following stories remind us of our responsibility to feed others. From her personal experience, Mother Teresa relates a story showing how the poor are generous and ready to share what little they have with others because they have experienced hunger and poverty. Learning of a poor Hindu family in Calcutta who had been starving for many days, Mother Teresa visited them and gave a parcel of rice to the mother of the family. She was surprised to see that the woman divided the rice into two equal portions and gave one to her Muslim neighbor. When Mother Teresa asked her why she had done such a sacrificial deed, the woman replied: “My family can manage with half of what you brought. My neighbor’s family is in greater need because they have several children who are starving.”
On a lighter note, there is the story of the young and very nervous minister who concluded his first sermon by telling his congregation, “For my text next Sunday, I will take the words, ’And they fed five men with five thousand loaves of bread and two thousand fishes.‘“ A member of the church raised his hand and said, “That’s not much of a trick. I could do that.” The minister didn’t respond. However, the next Sunday he decided to repeat the text. This time he did it properly. “And they fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes.” The minister then said to the noisy man, “Could you do that, Mr. Perkins?” The member of the congregation said, “I sure could.” “How would you do it?” asked the minster. “With all the food I had left over from last Sunday!”
—Father Thomas O’Connell

Last updated: 8-Sep-2008