Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church
21 Evergreen Road
Lyndora, PA 16045
PeterAndPaulOCLyndora.5u.com
Rector: Father Paisius McGrath
Parish Board President: Keith McCarthy
Choir Director: Robert Shott
Cantor: Hope Burka
Reader: John Franchuk
November 22, 2009
Today’s Commemorated Feasts and Saints: 24th Sunday after Pentecost- Tone 7; Afterfeast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple; the Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus; Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal to the Apostles and Onesimus, disciple of St. Paul
TROPARION FOR THE RESURRECTION- TONE 7
By Your Cross, You destroyed death. To the thief, You opened Paradise. For the Myrrhbearers, You changed weeping to joy. And You commanded Your disciples, O Christ God, to proclaim that You are risen, granting the world great mercy.
TROPARION FOR ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS- TONE 4
Today is the prelude of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. The Virgin appears in the Temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: “ Rejoice, O Fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation!”
KONTAKION FOR THE RESURRECTION- TONE 7
The dominion of death can no longer hold mankind captive, for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers. Hell is bound, while the Prophets rejoice and cry: “ The Savior has come to those in faith; enter, you faithful into the Resurrection.”
KONTAKION FOR ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS- TONE 4
The most pure Temple of the Savior; the precious Chamber and Virgin; the sacred Treasure of the glory of God, is presented today to the house of the Lord. She brings with her the grace of the Spirit, therefore, the Angels of God praise her: “ Truly this woman is the abode of Heaven!”
PROKEIMENON- TONE 7
The Lord shall give strength to His people! The Lord shall bless His people with peace!
V: Offer to the Lord, O you sons of God! Offer young rams to the Lord!
The Lord shall give strength to His people! The Lord shall bless His people with peace!
TODAY’S EPISTLE READING IS FROM THE EPISTLE OF ST.PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS 2:14-22
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING IS FROM ST. LUKE 12:16-21
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “ The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘ What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘ I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “ Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’
But God said to him, ‘ Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
We welcome all who are worshiping with us this morning. This morning we invite everyone to join us for Coffee Hour following Divine Liturgy, provided by the James Family with all proceeds to benefit our Junior UOL.
Please continue to pray for all our parish shut-ins and all those who are unable to be with us this morning. If anyone needs Father Paisius for any reason, please call him at
724-287-4448 or 724-549-6651(cell).
Please remember in your prayers:
- A blessed repose for the servant of God, His All Holiness, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, who reposed in the Lord last Sunday.
- Hieromonk Joshua(Anna) who is suffering from multiple physical ailments.
- Gloria Lonchena as she recovers at home.
- Helen Wasilk, as she continues to recover.
- Walter Lonchena as he continues to recover at home.
- Larry Cygan who continues to recover at home.
- Bill O’Donnell who continues to recover from his recent surgery.
- Michael Romanyshyn as he continues to recover at home.
- Helen Boss for her continued recovery.
- Lovie Tymkiw for her continued recovery.
- Rose Hnatko for her continued recovery.
- Stephen Sheptak for continued recovery of his health.
- Charissa Martin for the continued recovery of her health.
- Ann Lenyk for her continued good health.
- Our parishioners living at Sunnyview: Katherine Duke, Mary De Marco, Marian Wetick, Helen Sewanich, Ann Miller and Mary Boss.
- Hope Burka for her continued recovery.
- Patty Prokopchak for her continued good health.
- Dorothy Cygan for her continued good health.
- Helen Lonchena for her continued good health.
- Harry Hnatko for his continued good health.
- Helen Olenic for her continued good health.
- Carolyn Cehily for her continued good health.
- Eva Bilowich for her continued good health.
- Marie Howryla for her continued good health.
- Kathryn Tymkiw for her continued good health
- Emil and Ann Russo for their continued good health.
- Rhea Jean Roxbury for her continued good health
- All others in our extended families who are sick and suffering.
- For the continued spiritual growth and health of our parish.
SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING DIVINE SERVICES
Saturday, November 28, Saturday evening Vespers
- Great Vespers 5 pm
Sunday, November 29, 25th Sunday after Pentecost
- Service of Holy Repentance 9:30 am
- Divine Liturgy 10 am
SCHEDULE OF OTHER UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS
No other events scheduled for this week.
COFFEE HOUR SCHEDULE FOR NOVEMBER
Sunday, November 29, George Pawluk ( Junior UOL)
PARISH NEWS AND UPDATES
This morning we offer our thanks to all those who came out to help with our Pirohi Sale this past week. It was once again wonderful to see us all working together for the good of our Parish. Our next Pirohi Sale will be Thursday/ Friday, December 3 and 4 and we again invite everyone to come and help.
We wish to announce a change to our Divine Services schedule at the end of this month. On Monday, November 30, for the Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called we will not celebrate Divine Liturgy here but rather will join with Father Joseph Wargo and the faithful of St. Andrew’s Orthodox Church that day as they celebrate their Parish Feast Day with Divine Liturgy at 9 am.
As we continue on with our preparation season for the Nativity of Christ, we offer the opportunity for anyone who wishes to do so to make a donation of $10 for each Poinsettia you would like to donate to help beautify our Church during this season. These donations can be made for ourselves or in the name of a loved one or family member and should be made by Sunday, December 6. Please use your offering envelopes and mark the “Other” box as “Poinsettia Donation” .
Also, as we continue in our season of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, we are calling for volunteers to join us on Saturday, December 5 at 9 am to help with a day of Parish cleaning and decorating for Nativity. We need everyone’s help with this and we encourage each of us to set this day aside to help with this important part of the ongoing life of our Parish.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE FOLLOWING UPCOMING EVENTS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4
LADIES GUILD CHRISTMAS COOKIE SALE
We offer this notice that on Friday, December 4 at our Pirohi Sale, our Ladies Guild will be holding their annual Christmas Cookie Sale. We need volunteers to help bake cookies for this sale and encourage anyone who is able to help to please contact our Ladies Guild President, Ruth Dally for what is needed. Also, make plans to come and buy our wonderful and delicious cookies in time for the holidays!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5
PARISH CLEANING DAY AND DECORATION FOR NATIVITY
9 AM
We need volunteers to join us on Saturday, December 5 at 9 am as we clean up our Church and decorate for the coming Feast of the Nativity of Christ. We need the help of everyone on this day as we beautify our Church in order to celebrate the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
MONDAY- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7-9
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE
As we look ahead to the coming Feast of the Birth of our Lord, it is time to plan to come and help with our Parish Christmas Bake Sale to be held Monday-Wednesday, December 7-9. The deadline for placing your orders will be Saturday, December 5, so place your orders as soon as possible and NO ORDERS AFTER THE DEADLINE PLEASE!!!!Please make plans to come and help and also remember to get your orders in early. Please check back here for further information as that will be posted as it becomes available
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
“THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD” 3rd ANNUAL PAN-ORTHODOX CHORAL CELEBRATION
HOLY CROSS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH MT.LEBANON, PA
5 PM
Make plans to join us for the 3rd Annual “ Nativity of our Lord” Pan-Orthodox Choral Celebration to be held this year on Sunday, December 13 at 5 pm at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church located at 123 Gilkeson Road in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Please join us as we enjoy wonderful Orthodox Nativity Choral music sung by choirs from numerous Pittsburgh Area Orthodox parishes. This special evening will feature many beautiful Nativity hymns and ethnic Christmas carols as we share in how the Birth of our Lord is celebrated through song among the various national Orthodox traditions. A free-will offering will be taken at this event to help support the ongoing ministry of the Three Hierarchs Orthodox School, a Pan-Orthodox school that ministers to the educational needs of Orthodox children in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
PREPARING FOR THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD
II: THE LITURGICAL FEASTS
DURING THE NATIVITY FAST
As we go through the season of the Nativity Fast, there are several Liturgical aspects which call for our attention. One of these is the fact that while we fast, yet at the same time we feast in a liturgical sense as we find certain important feasts days during this season. This week and next week we will be taking a look at these feasts to see what lessons we might learn about them and the Nativity of our Lord.
I: THE ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTKOS INTO THE TEMPLE
As is true of the all four of the major fasting periods in our lives as Orthodox Christians, so during the Nativity Fast we find a Great Feast(one of the 12 Great Feasts) falling during the time of our preparation. This is of course the Feast of the Entrance of the Holy Theotokos(Holy Birth-Giver of God) on November 21.
This feast, coming as it does during the first week of the Nativity Fast, celebrates the entrance of the child Mary into the Temple in Jerusalem. At her conception her parents, Joachim and Anna, had promised God that their child would be offered back to Him. This feast is the celebration of the bringing of the three year old Theotokos to the Temple as the fulfillment of this promise. She will be taken into the Holy of Holies by the priest Zachariah(father of St. John the Baptist) where she is to remain fed by the Angels in preparation for her virginal conception of the Son of God. By entering the Holy of Holies, we begin to see the contrast between the earthly and physical Temple building of the Old Covenant and the living, spiritual reality of the Temple of the New Covenant, which is of course Jesus Christ who will be born of the Virgin Mary.
The hymns of this feast speak of this event as the
“ prelude of the good will of God... Of the preaching of the salvation of mankind.” Thus we see this feast as the first liturgical announcement of the Nativity of our Lord, which is confirmed by the fast that at this Feast the Canon of Nativity is sung. This canon which opens with the words, “ Christ is Born! Glorify Him!” will now be sung at each festal vigil service leading up to the Nativity of Christ.
We see in brief detail that this feast is truly a crucial part in the announcing of the coming of the Nativity of our Lord. In celebrating the entrance of His Holy Mother into the Temple, we find the announcement of the coming of Salvation to mankind, the first step of which comes through the Incarnation- the Son of God becoming Man- which is after all what the Nativity season is all about.
II: THE FEAST OF ST. ANDREW- THE FIRST CALLED APOSTLE
As we continue on through this liturgical season of preparation, we next encounter the Feast of St. Andrew the First- Called Apostle on November 30. This Feast continues the theme of introducing the coming celebration of the Birth of Christ, because at this feast we begin to hear the first of the prefeast hymns of Christmas.
In the Gospel reading for this Feast, which gives the account of our Lord calling his first disciple in St. Andrew(hence the name “ the First- Called”), we also find the words of our Lord to St. Andrew to “Come and see”. This reminds us that we also are invited during this season to “ Come and see” what is being celebrated. We are invited to witness the great mystery of the salvation of mankind which begins with the Incarnation and continues with our Lord’s Baptism at Theophany and His life, death, and Resurrection which are celebrated in Holy Week and Pascha. Thus at the beginning of this journey we are invited to see what a great wonder is taking shape and how this brings to us the salvation which is necessary for all mankind
As we celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew and continue in the season of moving toward the celebration of the Incarnation made plain by the Nativity of Christ, we are invited to come and see what is happening. We are invited to enter into this season by faith as we observe and celebrate the great mystery of the Virgin Birth and the coming of the promised Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The next major feast we would encounter on our journey to the Nativity of Christ would be the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6. But we will leave our look at that feast for next week, and instead look at a group of feasts which help us to see how the Incarnation and coming of the Messiah were prophesied in the Old Covenant.
III: THE FEASTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
In our discussion of St. Andrew, we made note of how what we are celebrating is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming Messiah. During the course of this preparation season we are reminded of this again and again as we celebrate the feasts of the Old Testament Prophets who prophesied the coming of the Messiah. So we find during the forty days of this fast our celebration of the following figures from the Old Testament: Obadiah(11/19), Nahum(12/1), Habbakuk(12/2), Zephaniah(12/3), Haggai(12/16) and Daniel and the Three Holy Youths(12/17). Each of these prophets in their turn and their time foretold something important about the coming Messiah and the Incarnation. Then the Three Holy Youths are included because of how they followed the Jewish fasting regime in a foreign land and against all opposition( which is an encouragement coming toward the end of the fast for us to be vigilant in our own fasting) and also because they were preserved unharmed in the midst of the fiery furnace which is understood also as a symbolic reference to how the Virgin Mary would conceive God the Word in her womb without being consumed by the fire of the Godhead.
In noting how these feasts come as we move along our journey through this season of preparation, we are again reminded how they fit into the season by continuing the theme of the announcement of the coming Birth of our Savior. We are reminded again that the Great Mystery of the Incarnation of God becoming Man comes not out of nowhere but the way has been carefully prepared by God. So we are called to “ Come and See” and learn how not only the Incarnation takes place but also how God prepares the way for the Nativity of our Lord.
