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« Newsletter 4 – Sunday, 12 June 2011 | Main | Newsletter 2 – Sunday 3 April 2011 »
Thursday
May052011

Newsletter 3 – Sunday, 1st May 2011

2nd Sunday of Pascha: Thomas Sunday

Troparion, Tone VII
When the tomb was sealed, Thou, the Life, O Christ our God, didst rise up from the grave; and when the doors were closed, Thou, the Resurrection of all, didst stand among the disciples, and through them renew a right spirit in us, according to Thy mercy.

Kontakion, Tone VIII
With his inquisitive right hand, Thomas probed Thy life-giving side, O Christ our God. For when Thou didst enter, the doors being shut, with the rest of the Apostles he cried to Thee: Thou art my Lord and my God.

Epistle: Acts 5:12-20
And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 

 

Gospel: John 20:19-31

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

 

Calendar for May and June

●      Wednesday 6th May: Great Martyr George the Victory-bearer (303)
●      Sunday 8th May: Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
●      Wednesday 13th May: Holy Apostle James, the son of Zebedee (44)
●      Sunday 15th May: Sunday of the Paralysed Man
●      Monday 16th May: Venerable Theodosius, Abbot of the Monastery of the Caves of Kiev, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia (1074)
●      Sunday 22nd May: Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
●      Tuesday 24th May: Sts Methodius (885) and Cyril (869), Equal-to-the-Apostles, First Teachers of the Slavs, Namesday of His Holiness Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia
●      Tuesday 31st May: Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils
●      Thursday 2nd June: ASCENSION OF THE LORD
●      Friday 3rd June: Vladimir icon of the Mother of God; feast which commemorates the deliverance of Moscow from invasion by the Crimean Khan, Makhmet-Girey (1521): Holy Emperor Constantine (337) and his mother Holy Empress Helena (327), Equal-to-the-Apostles
●      Saturday 5th June: Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325)

●      Saturday 11th June: Trinity Saturday of Ancestors: we keep the memorial of all departed Orthodox Christians throughout the ages, our fathers and brothers 


Times of next Liturgies

●     Sunday 12th June 2011: DAY OF THE HOLY TRINITY. PENTECOST:
Hours and confession 10.30 Liturgy 11.00

 

Parish news

We congratulate Peter O’Neill, the newest member of our parish, who was baptised into the Church by Fr Joseph yesterday afternoon. Many congratulations and Many Years to Peter! Mnogaya Leta!

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year by St. Theophan the Recluse

Thomas’ Sunday. [Acts 5:12–20; John 20:19–31]

My Lord and my God! (John 20:28) cried the holy apostle Thomas. Do you feel the strength with which he has grasped the Lord, and how tightly he is holding onto Him? A drowning man grasps the plank on which he hopes to be saved in the same way. We will add that whoever does not have the Lord like this for himself and does not keep himself this way in relation to the Lord, does not yet believe in the Lord as he should. We say: “Saviour and Lord,” meaning that He is the Saviour of all; but Thomas says: “my Saviour and Lord.” He who says: “my Saviour,” feels his own salvation proceeding from Him. The feeling of salvation lies adjacent to the feeling of perishing, out of which the Saviour pulls whomever He saves. The feeling of perishing, for a man who is life-loving by nature and who knows that he cannot save himself, forces him to seek the Saviour. When he finds Him and feels the power of salvation proceeding from Him, he grasps Him tightly and does not want to be torn from Him, though he be deprived for this of life itself. Such a nature of events in the spiritual life of a Christian are not only imagined in the mind, but are experienced in deed. Then, both his faith and his union with Christ become firm, like life and death. Only such a person can sincerely cry: Who shall separate me! (cf. Rom. 8:35).

 

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

EASTER SERMON  after reading St. John Chrysostom's Easter message

April 11th, 1999

If I may, I wish to add just a few words of my own. Christ is life and the victory of life. In the world in which He came, death was prevalent and seemed to be all-powerful over men; when He came, He defeated death by His resurrection. And nowadays we live in a world which is full of torment, of pain, of fear, of murder, of death, and we  may say, “But where is the victory?”.. The victory is in each of us, the victory is in all those of us who believe that death cannot separate us from God, that death is no longer a victory of evil over us, but a triumph of us through our faith, because death is no longer separation. Saint  Paul  says  that for him death is a meeting with Christ; as long as he lives in the flesh he is separated, partly, from God. But with his death he enters in full unity and communion with Him. This is our faith, but there is more to it in a sense, because life is triumphant in our midst. However frightening and dark the world is nowadays, we know that victory has already been won, that God has won and that we who believe in Him partake together with Him in His  victory. And therefore, let us bring, to all around us, this message of life and glory!

 

Christ is risen!

 

Diocesan Events

The Diocese’s annual conference, which will be held on Friday 3rd June- Sunday 5th June, has now put all available information about it online at www.sourozh-conference.org. The subject this year will be “Living the Liturgy”.

Conference 2010

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