Saturday, Mar. 16 – Akathistos Saturday
3:30 PM Santa Paula Outreach Akathist to the Theotokos
5:00 PM Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy
5:30 PM Reader Vespers
Sunday, Mar. 17 – 5th Sunday of the Great Fast – St. Mary of Egypt
8:30 AM Matins
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
Monday, Mar. 18 – Cyril of Jerusalem, Archbishop
8:30 AM Morning Prayer
Tuesday, Mar. 19 – Chrysanthus & Daria, Martyrs
5:30 PM Akathist* for those suffering Addictions & Mental Illness
Wednesday, Mar. 20 – Venerable Fathers of the St. Sabbas Monastery
8:30 AM Morning Prayer
6:30 PM Presanctified Divine Liturgy
7:30 PM Firepit Social
Friday, Mar. 22 – Basil of Ancyra, Priest-Martyr
6:00 PM Santa Paula Outreach Presanctified Divine Liturgy
Saturday, Mar. 23 – Lazarus Saturday
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
5:00 PM Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy
Sunday, Mar. 24 – Palm and Flowery Sunday
8:30 AM Matins
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
*Add first names to this prayer service by emailing niemirick@gmail.com
St. Mary’s: Sundays 8:45 AM or by appointment
Santa Paula: Saturdays 4:15 PM or by appointment
(Please resubmit or submit names to admin@ByzantineLA.com)
The Carlin Family, Michael Hefferon, Shirley Kunze, Michael Mina, Peter Mina, Fr. John Mina, Mila Mina, Lana Zimmerman, Patrick Zimmerman, Shannon O’Neill, Fern Bonowicz, Carolina Chirdon, All the sick and suffering of St. Mary’s
Collection: $1,517.00; Santa Paula: $879.00; Online: $455.00; Candles: $38.75; Church Improvements: $125.00; Parish Socials: $91.00; Holydays: $25.00; Flowers: $30.00; Initial Offering: $20.00; Pascha: $25.00
Total: $3,205.75 / Attendance – PSM: 63 SPO: 75
This Sunday, the 5th Sunday of the Great Fast, we remember the extraordinary saint we call Mary of Egypt. After living a young adult life of addiction and malicious debauchery, she encountered the cross of Christ, and through the guidance of His mother, lived the rest of her life in heroic conversion. She died at an old age, and her body was found with her arms crossed in a prayerful “orans” position and facing east. She is not the only saint who died facing east (St. Macrina et al), and there is a prophetic and scriptural reason why. It is the same reason that our temples traditionally face east, and why we position the casket of a Christian facing east in the temple.
In the Old Testament, Zechariah 6:12 prophesies that someone called “The Branch/Shoot” (Hebrew) or “The Sunrise/East/Orient” (Greek) will be the Messiah, the Savior of God’s people. (These versions aren’t as different as they may seem. The “shoot” of a plant is the beginning, “rising”, of its life; and the sun “rises” in the East.) Zechariah is speaking of the coming of the Messiah, who we now know is Jesus. God, through his prophet (“mouthpiece”) Zechariah, compares the arrival of the Messiah to the arrival of a newly sprouted plant, or the newly rising sun (see Psalms 130 (129). But if Jesus the Messiah (“Savior”) has come, why do we still look for his arrival? John 14:3 and other passages record Jesus comforting His disciples by revealing to them that after His ascension into heaven, he will come again. This “second coming” is what we are looking forward to now. (See also the Nicene creed “and he is coming in glory to judge the living and dead…, and Revelation 22:20.)
We are encouraged by this tradition to always face east when we pray (you will find Zosimas doing this immediately before encountering Mary of Egypt), and so we face east when praying in church, in our icon corners, or even if we are separated from both of these.
-Father Michael
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Our Savior walked with his disciples and shared that his ministry’s height would come through a descent, becoming the servant of all in the baptism of his Cross. Are you open to giving your life as a servant of all as a priest, deacon, monk or nun? Contact the Vocations Office at 206-329-9219 or email: vocations@ephx.org
3/23: Lazarus Saturday
9:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Divine Liturgy
5:00 PM (Santa Paula) Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy
3/24: Palm and Flowery Sunday
8:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Matins
9:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Divine Liturgy with procession
3/25: Annunciation of the Theotokos
8:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Matins
6:30 PM (St. Mary’s) Vesper-Liturgy for Annunciation
3/26: Great and Holy Tuesday
8:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Bridegroom Matins
6:00 PM (Santa Paula) Bridegroom Matins
3/27: Great and Holy Wednesday
8:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Bridegroom Matins
6:30 PM (St. Mary’s) Presanctified Divine Liturgy with Anointing
3/28: Great and Holy Thursday
8:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Matins
6:30 PM (St. Mary’s) Vesper-Liturgy
3/29: Great and Holy Friday
12:00 PM (St. Mary’s) Strasti Matins
6:00 PM (Santa Paula) Vespers with Shroud Procession
6:30 PM (St. Mary’s) Vespers with Shroud Procession
3/30: Great and Holy Saturday
9:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Jerusalem Matins
5:00 PM (St. Mary’s) Vesper-Liturgy for the Paschal Vigil (with baptisms and blessing of baskets)
3/31: Pascha/ Resurrection of our Lord
10 PM Saturday, Mar. 30, evening (Santa Paula) Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy (with blessing of baskets)
9:30 AM (St. Mary’s) Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy (with blessing of baskets)
4/1: Bright Monday
6:30 PM (St. Mary’s) Divine Liturgy
Saturday, March 16 –
