Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
& Sixth Sunday of Matthew
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Deacons and Apostles of the Seventy; Venerable Paul, founder of Xeropotamou and St. Paul monasteries on Athos; Venerable Irene Chrysovalantou; Pitirim, bishop of Tambov
July 28, 2019
“Let us believers praise and worship the Word; coeternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation. For, He took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh to suffer death; and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.”
+Resurrectional Apolytikion in Tone Five
From the Synaxarion (What is that?)
On July 28 in the Holy Orthodox Church we commemorate the holy, glorious and all-laudable Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Deacons and Apostles of the Seventy. Verses Four men, the disciples of the Word Who is God-man, With a word preach the August Trinity to all men. On the twenty-eighth the four initiates went away together. These first-century deacons are named in the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6). The Apostle Peter ordained Prochorus as bishop of Nicomedia. For a time Prochorus was in the service of John the Evangelist and, on the Island of Patmos, copied the Book of Revelation which he heard from the mouth of St. John. After that he returned to Nicomedia where he exerted much effort and labor to convert the people to the Faith. He died a martyr’s death in Antioch at the hands of unbelievers. Nicanor was stoned to death in Jerusalem on the same day as the Proto-martyr Stephen the Archdeacon (Acts 7:58-60). Soon after them, two thousand other Christians were slain by the wicked Jews. Saint Timon was a bishop in Bostra in Arabia and suffered on the cross for Christ.
Saint Paramenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died in peace in Jerusalem before the eyes of the apostles and was mourned and buried by them. On this day, we also commemorate Venerable Paul, founder of Xeropotamou and Saint Paul monasteries on Athos; Venerable Irene Chrysovalantou; and Pitirim, bishop of Tambov.
By the intercessions of Thy Saints, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen.
The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. (12:6-14)
Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, and serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (9:1-8)
At that time, Jesus got into a boat, crossed over and came to His own city. And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He then said to the paralytic—“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they marveled, and they glorified God, Who had given such authority to men.
Source: antiochian.org
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Antiochian Archdiocese Convention
July 21-28, 2019 Grand Rapids, MI
Every two years the Orthodox Christian faithful and clergy of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America travel from all over the country to one location to build a deeper love for the Church and stronger bonds with one another.
The host parish, St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, is constantly updating their Facebook Page to keep the rest of us in-the-loop all week.
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Feast of St. Panteleimon the Great-Martyr and Healer
Friday July 26, 2019
Preparation Prayers 6:00PM
Divine Liturgy w/Litia & Artoklasia 6:30PM-7:30PM
[Followed by the anointing of the faithful with blessed oil of St. Panteleimon]
The holy, glorious and right-victorious Greatmartyr Panteleimon (born Pantaleon) the Unmercenary Healer was martyred under the reign of Emperor Maximian (ca. 305 A.D.). His feast day is celebrated on July 27.
His parents were Eustorgius of Nicomedia, a pagan, and Saint Eubula (March 30). They named him Pantaleon, which means in all things like a lion, but when he converted to Christianity, he changed his name to Panteleimon, which means all-merciful. He learned about Christianity from the priest who later baptized him, Saint Hermolaus. Hermolaus was living with two other priests, Hermippus and Hermocrates; the three were “survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28).”
St. Panteleimon had been educated as a physician, and he “dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to St. Panteleimon.”
Other physicians brought his case before the Emperor Maximian. St. Panteleimon confessed to being a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to the state gods.”[He] suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave St. Panteleimon over to fierce torture.”
Hermolaus, Hermippus, and Hermocrates were brought forth; they confessed and were beheaded. Throughout the many tortures, St. Panteleimon remained untouched. Enraged, Maximian ordered that St. Panteleimon be beheaded. The soldiers took him to an olive tree, but when they struck him while he was praying, the sword melted like wax. After he finished his prayer, “a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom.” He instructed the soldiers to rise from their knees where they had fallen in fear and to complete the execution. After they followed his instruction, the olive tree became covered with fruit.
Although his body was thrown into a fire, it came out unharmed and was buried by Christians. His head is located on the island of Andros at the Panachrantos monastery and, on occassions, is taken to other monasteries for veneration. Some of his relics can be found at the Putna Monastery (Bucovina, Romania), as well as in the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Constanţa, Romania.
“St. Panteleimon is invoked in the prayers at the blessing of water and the blessing of oil, together with St. Hermolaus and the other unmercenaries and wonder-workers.” There is an Akathist hymn in his honor.
Source: orthodoxwiki.org
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The Children’s Word
[Click the image to view]
Each issue includes a message about the Sunday reading(s) and one of the saints or Feasts during the week. There is also a coloring page and other activities to help your child learn.
The Children’s Word is also available for pickup Sunday morning at church.
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Join us immediately after the Divine Worship each Sunday for Fellowship Coffee Hour.
There is great joy in serving, offering hospitality, and “breaking bread” together, which are essential elements of the Christian life.
In order to avoid allowing this “labor of love” to fall upon the same few people week-after-week, please sign-up to sponsor the Fellowship Coffee Hour on any available Sunday.
“Great – what exactly am I signing up for?”
Simply bring 1 1/2 – 2 dozen Bagels sliced in half (or specialty breads, breakfast cake, etc.) to the kitchen, upon arrival to service Sunday morning. After service, set the food out and then clean up at the end – there is help so you’re not alone! We already have the toppers (peanut butter, jam, etc.), paper goods, and coffee at the parish!
“Can I support Fellowship Coffee Hour in a different way?”
No problem – make an offering that would donate towards the bagels and we will handle the rest!
Either way, keep it simple and give it a shot!
Don’t wait – send a note back to this email (info@stpaulnaples.org) or reach out to our Antiochain Women (AW) Chair, Anna Castley (anna@icsamerica.com), to learn which Sunday is available.
May it be blessed!
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Weekly Community Bible Study
Thursday 6:00PM-7:00PM
If we don’t know our faith, how can we live it?
We will continue our “pilgrimage” through the edifying spiritual counsels of St. Paisios the Athonite concerning the “Passions and Virtues”.
Come learn about the Faith, which was “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
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Great Vespers
Saturday’s 6:00PM-6:45PM
Why is Great Vespers important?
“The service leads to the meditation of God’s word and the glorification of his love for men. It instructs and allows us to praise God for the particular events or persons whose memory is celebrated and made present to us in the Church. It prepares us for the sleep of the night and the dawn of the new day to come. On the eves of the Divine Liturgy, it begins the movement into the most perfect communion with God in the sacramental mysteries.”
Learn more about Great Vespers here
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Not being with God is the real punishment
Now, it’s true that most people who don’t have much sense expect to be content with avoiding hell. But I say it’s a far worse punishment than hell to be excluded from the glory of the other world. I think that someone who has failed to reach it should be sorry, not so much because of the miseries of hell, but because of his rejection from heaven. For that by itself is more dreadful than any other kind of punishment.
Often now when we see a king with a large bodyguard entering the palace, we say that the people near him are fortunate to have a share in what he says and thinks, and to partake of the rest of his glory. And even if we have countless other blessings, we can’t see any of them, and think ourselves miserable when we look at the glory of those who surround the king—even though we know that glory like that is slippery and insecure, both because of wars and plots and envy, and because apart from these things it is not worthy of any consideration.
But when it comes to the King of everything seen and unseen, the One who owns not a piece of the earth but the whole globe, or rather who holds it in the palm of his hand, and measures the heavens with a span, who upholds everything by the word of His power, who counts the nations as nothing, like a drop of saliva—when it comes to a King like that, wouldn’t we think it the worst punishment possible to miss being numbered in the company that surrounds Him? Would we be content if we merely avoided hell?
Based on St. John Chrysostom
source: asceticexperience.com
