March 5 The Holy Martyr Conon

The holy martyr Conon was brought up in the Christian Faith and baptized in the name of the All-holy and Life-giving Trinity by the Archangel Michael himself. Until his death, the archangel of God invisibly watched over him. Conon was illumined and empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that his heart was driven not by anything worldly but only by the spiritual and heavenly. When his parents forced him into marriage, the first evening he took a candle and placed it under a vessel and asked his bride: “Which is better, light or darkness?” She replied: “Light.” He began to talk to her about the Faith of Christ, and about the spiritual life as being far superior and more desirable than the physical. Afterward Conon converted his wife and her parents to the Christian Faith. Conon and his wife lived as brother and sister. Shortly thereafter, his wife and parents died, and he withdrew completely from this worldly life and devoted himself totally to prayer, fasting, and divine contemplation. He performed great miracles, through which he converted many to Christianity. He even compelled evil spirits to serve him. During a time of persecution, Conon was captured, tortured, and pierced throughout with knives. The sick anointed themselves with his blood, and they were healed. Afterward he lived for two more years in his town of Isauria. Conon lived and was martyred in the second century.

 

Troparion

With our hymn, let us praise Conon as a hard worker and a great martyr. He is a blessed sufferer who received authority over devils, so let us cry out to him: Beg Christ to save our souls.

 

Kontakion

Having lived an angelic life on earth in your purity, you were admitted to their company in heaven. You brought your parents to a knowledge of Christ and shed your blood to profess the one God in the Trinity. Pray unceasingly for all of us, O martyr Conon. 

 

Epistle

Hebrews 1:10 – 2:3

Brothers and sisters: (Scripture says:) “Lord, of old you established the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; all of them will grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same and your years will have no end.”

To which of the angels has God ever said, “ Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation?

In view of this, we must attend all the more to what we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels stood unchanged, and all transgressions and disobedience received its due punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore a salvation as great as ours? Announced first by the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who had heard him. 

 

Gospel

Mark 2: 1-12

At that time Jesus came back to Cappernaum after a lapse of several days and word got around that he was at home. At that the people began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door. While Jesus was delivering God’s word to them, some people arrived bringing a paralyzed man to him. The four who carried him were unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they began to open up the roof over the spot where Jesus was. When they had made a hole, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “My Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves”: “Why does the man talk that way? He commits blasphemy! Who can forgive sins except God alone?’ Jesus was immediately aware of their reasoning, though they kept it to themselves, and he said to them: “Why do you harbor these thoughts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk again’? That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (he said to the paralyzed man), “I command you: Stand up! Pick-up your mat and go home.” The man stood and picked up his mat and went outside in the sight of everyone. They were awestruck; all gave praise to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Sunday Bulletin 3/5/23

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 4  –  2nd All Souls Saturday        

5:00 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy

6:30 PM          Reader Vespers

Sunday, March 5  –  2nd Sunday of the Great Fast    

8:30 AM     Matins

9:30 AM          Divine Liturgy

Monday, March 6  –  42 Martyrs of Ammorium          

8:30 AM          Morning Prayer

4:00 PM          Evening Prayer

5:30 PM          Akathist* for those suffering Addictions & Mental Illness

Wednesday, March 8  –  Theophylact, Bishop-Confessor     

8:30 AM          Morning Prayer

9:30 AM          Photina Prayer & Trash Pick-up

6:30 PM          Presanctified Divine Liturgy

7:45 PM          Firepit Social

Friday, March 10  –  Codratus and Others, Martyrs       

6:15 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Presanctified Liturgy

Saturday, March 11 – 3rd All Souls Saturday       

8:30 AM          Divine Liturgy & Panachida 

5:00 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy

Sunday, March 12  –  3rd Sunday of the Great Fast        

8:30 AM          Matins

9:30 AM          Divine Liturgy 

*Add first names to this prayer service by emailing niemirick@gmail.com

MYSTERY OF REPENTANCE (Confession)

St. Mary’s: Sundays 8:45 AM or by appointment

Santa Paula: Saturdays 4:15 PM or by appointment

PRAYER REQUESTS

(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, All the sick and suffering of St. Mary’s

WEEKLY DEPOSIT:

Collection: $1,309.00; Online: $500.00; Santa Paula: $560.00; Candles: $73.50; Property Rental: $800.00

Total: $3,242.50 / Attendance – PSM: 62  

 

Happy 90th Birthday Pat O’Neill!!! May God grant you many happy and blessed years!

 

The Search for Sacred Quietude

Today our Byzantine Churches commemorate Gregory Palamas, the 14th century monk and theologian that championed the Jesus Prayer and many other aspects of our Byzantine spirituality. You can read all about him and his spirituality at https://melkite.org/faith/the-search-for-sacred-quietude.  Here is a quick explanation of his teaching on God’s Essence and Energies:  

  1. The light which shone at Tabor, during the Transfiguration of the Savior, is declared to be neither a creature nor the essence of God, but His energy: the uncreated and natural grace springing eternally from the divine essence itself;
  2. There are in God two inseparable things: His essence and the natural and substantial energies flowing from His essence in line with the relationship of cause and effect. We cannot enter into His essence but we can participate in His energies. Both the one and the other are uncreated and eternal;
  3. This real distinction between essence and energies or operations does not destroy the simplicity of God…;
  4. The word θεότης (godly) does not apply solely to the divine essence, but is said also of its operation…;
  5. The light of Tabor is the ineffable and eternal glory of the Son of God, the kingdom of heaven promised to the saints, the splendor in which He shall appear on the last day to judge all mankind.

“Arise, take up your mat and go to your house.” Our Lord healed the paralysis of the suffering man brought through the roof. His words of healing centered on spiritual healing by forgiving his sins. In response to God’s love and forgiveness, are you being called to a life of prayer and intercession as a religious, monastic, or a priestly life? Contact the Vocations Office at 206-329-9219 or email: vocations@ephx.org

 

The February 2023 edition of GCU magazine is available in the back of the church

March 4 Our Venerable Father Gerasimus of the Jordan

Our venerable father Gerasimus first learned about the ascetic life while he was in the Egyptian Thebaid. He went to the Jordan and founded a community in which there were seventy monks. He instituted a special rule in his monastery: each monk spent five days a week in their cell weaving baskets and rush mats. They were never allowed to light a fire in their cells. Five days a week they ate only a little dry bread and a few dates. The monks were required to keep their cells open so that, when they went out, anyone could enter and take whatever they needed. On Saturdays and Sundays they gathered in the monastery church. They had a common meal with a few vegetables and a little wine. Each monk would then bring in and place at the feet of the abbot that which he made during the past five days. St. Gerasimus set the example to all. During Great Lent he did not eat anything except what he received in Holy Communion. Gerasimus attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451. Although at the beginning he leaned toward the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, he was a great defender and champion of Orthodoxy at the Council.

 

Troparion

Living a life angelic in fasting and powerful in prayer, a life unwavering in trials, unceasing in vigil, and temperate in all things, you astonished the angels and vanquished the legions of devils, O father Gerasimus. You gladden the hearts of the faithful, O blessed saint. The beasts were obedient to you for all of this. Since you have achieved a place of honor before the Lord, pray for the salvation of our souls.

 

Kontakion

Inflamed with an exalted ideal, you preferred Jordan severity to worldly delights. Until the day you died, the wild animals listened to you; and they died of sorrow upon your grave, O father. Truly they praised you before God. Pray to Him, O father Gerasimus, and keep us in your holy memory. 

 

Epistle

Hebrews 3: 12-16

Brothers and sisters, take care lest any of you have an evil and unfaithful spirit and fall away from the living God. Encourage one another daily while it is still “today,” so that no one grows hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ only if we maintain to the end that confidence with which we began. When Scripture says, “Today, if you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts as at the revolt,” who were those who revolted when they heard that voice? Was it not all whom Moses had led out of Egypt?

 

Gospel

Mark 1: 35-44

At that time Jesus went off to a lonely place in the desert; there he was absorbed in prayer. Simon and his companions managed to track him down, and when they found him, they told him, “Everybody is looking for you!” Jesus said to them: “Let us move on to the neighboring villages so that I may proclaim the good news there also. That is what I have come to do.” So he went into their synagogues preaching the good news and expelling demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

A leper approached Jesus with a request, kneeling down as he addressed him, “If you will do so, you can cure me.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said: “I do will it. Be cured.” The leprosy left him then and there, and he was cured. Jesus gave him a stern warning and sent him on his way. “Not a word to anyone, now,” he said. “Go off and present yourself to the priest and offer for your cure what Moses prescribed. That should be a proof for them.” The man went off and began to proclaim the whole matter freely, making the story public. As a result of this, it was no longer possible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He stayed in desert places; yet people kept coming to him from all sides.

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

March 3 The Holy Martyr Eutropius and his Companions

The Holy martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308. The brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, and Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, were comrades. After the martyric death of St. Theodore, they wound up in prison and by their preaching brought many of the pagans in prison with them to the Christian Faith. Saints Eutropius, Cleonicus, and Basiliscus were brought before the governor Asclepiodotus, they firmly confessed their faith in Christ before him. They were mercilessly beaten, so that their bodies were entirely bruised. On the morning of March 3, Saints Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified, but Basiliscus was left in prison. St. Basiliscus was executed on May 22 in the city of Komana. They beheaded  him and threw his body into a river, but Christian followers found his relics and buried them in a plowed field. Later at Komana a church was built and dedicated to St. Basiliscus. 

 

Troparion

O Lord our God, your holy martyrs have deserved the crown of immortality on account of their good fight. Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors and crushed Satan’s dreadful might. Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls. 

 

Kontakion

This trinity of martyrs confessed the Holy Trinity before many nations. Undergoing their suffering of martyrdom, they have been presented to the angels. Today we are honoring them, celebrating their sacred and life-saving memory.

 

Genesis 5:32 – 6:8

When Noah was five hundred years old, he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

When human beings began to grow numerous on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw how beautiful the daughters of human beings were, and so they took for their wives whomever they pleased. Then the Lord said: My spirit shall not remain in human beings forever, because they are only flesh. Their days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years. 

The Nephilim appeared on earth in those days, as well as later, after the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of human beings, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men renown. 

When the Lord saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil, the Lord regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart was grieved.

So the Lord said: I will wipe out from the earth the human beings I have created, and not only the human beings, but also the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air, for I regret that I made them. But Noah found favor with the Lord. 

 

Proverbs 6:20 – 7:1

Observe, my son, your father’s command, and do not reject your mother’s teaching;

Keep them fastened over your heart always, tie them around your neck.

When you lie down they will watch over you, when you wake, they will share your concerns; wherever you turn, they will guide you.

For the command is a lamp, and the teaching a light, and a way to life are the reproofs that discipline, 

Keeping you from another’s wife, from the smooth tongue of a foreign woman. 

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty, do not let her captivate you with her glance!

For the price of a harlot may be scarcely a loaf of bread, but a married woman is a trap for your precious life.

Can a man take embers into his bosom, and his garments not be burned?

Or can a man walk in live coals, and his feet not be scorched?

So with him who sleeps with another’s wife– none who touches her shall go unpunished.

Thieves are not despised if out of hunger they steak to satisfy their appetite. 

Yet if caught they must pay back sevenfold, yield up all the wealth of their house.

But those who commit adultery have no sense; those who do it destroy themselves.

They will be beaten and disgraced, and their shame will not be wiped away;

For passion enraged the husband, he will have no pity on the day of vengeance;

He will not consider any restitution, nor be satisfied by your many bribes.

My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands.

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

March 2 The Holy Priest Martyr Theodotus, Bishop of Cyrene

The Hieromartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus. During a time of persecution against Christians under the impious emperor Licinius, St. Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling the pagans to abandon idolatry and turn to the true God. Sabinus, the governor of Cyprus, ordered Bishop Theodotus be arrested and brought to trial. The governor ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy, suspended from a tree, raked with sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. Five days later, St. Theodotus was brought to the governor, who presumed that after his tortures the bishop would prefer to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. Many witnessed the sufferings of the martyr. Astonished at the saint’s endurance and his divinely-inspired speech, they came to believe in Christ. Learning this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and throw the saint in prison. During the reign of St. Constantine the Great, freedom to confess their faith was given to all Christians, and among those set free from prison was St. Theodotus. The saint returned to Cyrenia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in about the year 326. 

 

Troparion

O holy priest-martyr Theodotus, you lent yourself to the apostles’ way of life and succeeded them on their throne. Inspired by God, you found the way to contemplation through the practice of virtue. Therefore, you became a perfect teacher of truth, fighting for the faith unto the shedding of your blood. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

 

Kontakion

You dried up the sea of false belief and smashed the guile of the vicious idolatry by the true faith. Having become a heavenly holocaust, you feed the whole world on miracles. O sanctifying father Theodotus, beg Christ our God to have mercy on us. 

 

Genesis 5: 1-24

This is the record of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God; he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and named them mankind.

Adam  was one hundred and thirty years old when he begot a son in his likeness, after his image; and he named him Seth. Adam lived eight hundred years after he begot Seth, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Adam was nine hundred and thirty years; then he died. 

When Seth was one hundred and five years old, he begot Enosh. Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he begot Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Seth was nine hundred and twelve years; then he died. 

When Enosh was ninety years old, he begot Kenan. Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he begot Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Enosh was nine hundred and five years; then he died. 

When Kenan was seventy years old, he begot Mahalalel. Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he begot Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Kenan was nine hundred and ten years; then he died. 

When Mahalalel was sixty-five years old, he begot Jared. Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he begot Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Mahalalel was eight hundred and ninety-five years; then he died. 

When Jared was one hundred and sixty-two years old, he begot Enoch. Jared lived eight hundred years after he begot Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Jared was nine hundred and sixty-two years; then he died. 

When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he begot Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he begot Methuselah for three hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime of Enoch was three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him.

 

Proverbs 6: 3-19

So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: Go, hurry, rouse your neighbor!

Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;

Free yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, or like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 

Go to the ant, O sluggard, study her ways and learn wisdom;

For though she has no chief, no commander or ruler, 

She procures her food in the summer, stores up her provisions in the harvest. 

How long, O sluggard, will you lie there? When will you rise from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest–

Then poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like a brigand.

Scoundrels, villains, are they who deal in crooked talk. 

Shifty of eye, feet ever moving, pointing with fingers,

They have perversity in their hearts, always plotting evil, sowing discord.

Therefore their doom comes suddenly; in an instant they are crushed beyond cure. 

There are six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to him,

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that are quick to run to evil,

The false witness who utters lies, and the one who sows discord among kindred.

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Mar. 01 The Holy Venerable Martyr Eudoxia

The holy monastic martyr Eudoxia was a Samaritan, a native of the city of Heliopolis in Phoenicia. Eudoxia awoke one night at midnight and heard singing from the house of a Christian woman next to hers. A monk was reading from a book which described the Last Judgment, the punishment of sinners, and the reward of the righteous. The grace of God touched Eudoxia’s heart, and she grieved because of her great wealth and for her sinful life. This was a monk named Germanus, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Places to his own monastery. Eudoxia listened for a long time to the guidance of the Elder, and her soul was filled with joy and love for Christ. The Elder Germanus told her to give away her wealth and to forget her previous life. Eudoxia received holy Baptism from Bishop Theodotus of Heliopolis. She entered a monastery and took upon herself very strict acts of penitence. She was arrested and beheaded for the Faith under the emperor Trajan in the 2nd century. 

 

Troparion

You bound your soul to love of Christ by purity of heart, and you spurned perishable things as a disciple of the Word. You brought your senses under control by fasting, and then you shamed the enemy by enduring martyrdom. Because of this, Christ gave you a double crown, O glorious Eudoxia; therefore, beg Him to save our souls, O venerable martyr.

 

Kontakion

You fought a good fight by your sufferings, and you sanctify us after your death by miracles. We come with joy to your heavenly Church to celebrate. We beg you to deliver us from spiritual afflictions and to grace us with your miracles, O venerable Eudoxia. 

 

Genesis 4: 16-26

Cain then left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Cain also became the founder of a city, which he named after his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael; Mahujael became the father of Methusael, and Methusael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took two wives; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. Adah gace birth to Jabal, who became the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and keep livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal, who became the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the reed pipe. Zillah, on her part, gave birth to Tubalcain, the ancestor of all who forge instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

Wives of Lamech, listen to my utterance:

I have killed a man for wounding me. 

If Cain is avenged seven times,

Then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

Adam again had intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son who she called Seth. “God has granted me another offspring in place of Abel,” she said, “because Cain killed him.” To Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh.

At that time people began to invoke the Lord by name. 

 

Proverbs 5:15 – 6:3

Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.

Should your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?

Let them be yours alone, not shared with outsiders;

Let your fountain be blessed and have joy of the wife of your youth, your lovely hind, your graceful doe. Of whose love you will ever have your fill, and by her ardor always be intoxicated.

Why then, my son, should you be intoxicated with a stranger, and embrace another woman?

Indeed, the ways of each person are plain to the Lord’s sight; all their paths he surveys;

By their own iniquities the wicked will be caught, in the meshes of their own sin they will be held fast;

They will die from lack of discipline, lost because of their great folly.

My son, if you have become surety to your neighbor, given your hand in pledge to another, 

You have been snared by the utterance of your lips, caught by the words of your mouth. 

So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: Go, hurry, rouse your neighbor!

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Feb. 28 Our Venerable Father and Confessor Basil, Fellow Ascetic of Procopius

Our venerable father Basil the Confessor was a monk and suffered during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian. When a persecution started against those who venerated holy icons, St. Basil and his companion St. Procopius of Decapolis were subjected to much torture and locked up in prison. Here both martyrs languished for a long while, until the death of the impious emperor. When the holy Confessors Basil and Procopius were set free along with other venerators of holy icons, they continued in their monastic struggles, instructing many in the Orthodox Faith and virtuous life. 

 

Troparion

You made the wilderness your dwelling, O father Basil, the bearer of God. You became an angel in the flesh and a wonderworker. Through fasts, vigils, and prayers, you obtained from God special graces to heal the sick and to sanctify the souls of those who come to you with trust. Glory to the One who gave you strength! Glory to the One who crowned you! Glory to the One who through your intercession grants healing to all!

 

Kontakion

Holy and wise father, when you received your calling from God, you left the troubles of this world and embraced the ascetic life. Most holy Basil, you received the graces of miracles and healing diseases.   

 

Genesis 4: 8-15

Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.” When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. The Lord asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel? He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God then said: What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are banned from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. If you till the ground, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall become a constant wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the Lord: “My punishment is too great to bear. Look, you have now banished me from the ground. I must avoid you and be a constant wanderer on the earth. Anyone may kill me at sight.” Not so! The Lord said to him. If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged seven times. So the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one would kill him at sight. Cain then left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 

 

Proverbs 5: 1-15

My son, to my wisdom be attentive, to understanding incline your ear,

That you may act discreetly, and your lips guard what you know. 

Indeed, the lips of the stranger drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; 

But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death, her steps reach Sheol;

Her paths ramble, you know not where, lest you see before you the road to life. 

So now, children, listen to me, do not stray from the words of my mouth. 

Keep your way far from her, do not go near the door of her house,

Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to a merciless one;

Lest outsiders take their fill of your wealth, and your hard-won earnings go to another’s house;

And you groan in the end, when your flesh and your body are consumed;

And you say, “Oh, why did I hate instruction, and my heart spurn reproof!

Why did I not listen to the voice of my teachers, incline my ear to my instructors!

I am all but ruined, in the midst of the public assembly!”

Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Feb. 27 Our Venerable Father and Confessor Procopius the Decapolite

Our venerable father and confessor Procopius the Decapolite lived during the eighth century in the region of Decapolis, to the east of Lake Galilee. There he labored for his salvation, struggling in asceticism. St. Procopius, his fellow ascetic St. Basil, and others zealous for holy Orthodoxy rose up against the Iconoclast heresy of those times. By order of the emperor Leo the Isaurian, St. Procopius was arrested, subjected to a fierce scourging and thrown into prison. Here he languished together with St. Basil until the death of the oppressive emperor, after which the holy confessors were set free. St. Procopius lived the rest of his life in peace, guiding many on the way of virtue and salvation. 

 

Troparion

Your abundant tears made the wilderness bloom, and your suffering made your labors fruitful a hundredfold; you became a shining torch over the world. O venerable father Procopius, pray to Christ our God that He may save our souls.

 

Kontakion

Today the church acknowledges you as a star before dawn, dispelling the darkness of error. Therefore, she honors you, O glorious Procopius, as one who contemplates heaven. 

 

Genesis 3:21 – 4:7

The Lord God made for the man and his wife garments of skins, with which he clothed them. Then the Lord God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever? The Lord God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. He expelled the man, stationing the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword east of the garden of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have produced a male child with the help of the Lord.” Next she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a herder of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground, while Abel, for his part, brought the patty portion of the firstlings of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and dejected. Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you so angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it. 

 

Proverbs 3:34 – 4:22

Those who scoff, he scoffs at, but the lowly he favors.

The wise will possess glory, but fools will bear shame.

Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!

Yes, excellent advice I give you; my teaching do not forsake.

When I was my father’s child, tender, the darling of my mother,

He taught me and said to me: “Let your heart hold fast my words: keep my commands, and live!

Get wisdom, get understanding! Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will safeguard you;

The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom; whatever else you get, get understanding.

Extol her, and she will exalt you; she will bring you honors if you embrace her;

She will put on your head a graceful diadem; a glorious crown will she bestow on you.”

Hear, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life shall be many.

On the way of wisdom I direct you, I lead you on straight paths.

When you walk, your step will not be impeded, and should you run, you will not stumble.

Hold fast to instruction, never let it go; keep it, for it is your life.

The path of the wicked do not enter, nor walk in the ways of the evil;

Shun it, do not cross it, turn aside from it, pass on.

For they cannot rest unless they have done evil; if they do not trip anyone they lose sleep.

For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 

But the path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know on what they stumble.

My son, to my words be attentive, to my sayings incline your ear;

Let them not slip from your sight, keep them within your heart;

For they are life to those who find them, bringing health to one’s whole being. 

With all vigilance guard your heart, for in it are the source of life.

Dishonest mouth put away from you, deceitful lips put far from you.

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Feb. 26 Our Holy Father Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza

Our Holy Father Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza was born in the year 346. He grew up with wealthy parents, but was drawn to monastic life. He left home at the age of twenty five  and set off for Egypt, where he lived in the desert under the guidance of St. Macarius the Great. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to see all the holy places, and to venerate the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. He moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. St. Porphyrius was summoned from his cave by Metropolitan John to become the next bishop of Gaza. Gaza needed a bishop who could contend against the pagans, which were predominant there and were harassing the local Christians. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to call for his priest Porphyrius to uphold Christianity in Gaza. Porphyrius did just that to the very end of his life, and he guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. The holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty five years, and fell asleep in the Lord in the year 420.

 

Troparion

Who can recount all your works and sufferings of piety? You never stopped working day or night until you washed Gaza clean of impurity and replaced its evil ways with sound holiness. You are a constant guardian over your flock. Now beg Christ to save our souls, O Porphyrius.

 

Kontakion

You were splendid in the robes of the priesthood, adorned with your priestly virtue, O blessed saint. You dispense treasures of cures, O wise-in-God, praying unceasingly on our behalf, O Porphyrius. 

 

Epistle

Hebrews 11: 24-26, 32-40, 12: 1-2a

Brothers and sisters: By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; he wished to be ill-treated along with God’s people rather than enjoy the fleeting rewards of sin. Moses considered the reproach borne by God’s Anointed greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

What more shall I recount?I have no time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was just, obtained the promises; they broke the jaws of lions; put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; though weak they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders. Women received back their dead through resurrection. Others were tortured and would not receive deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Still others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned; sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point; they went about garbed in the skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, they dwelt in caves and in holes of the earth. Yet despite the fact that all of these were approved because of their faith, they did not obtain what had been promised. God had made a better plan, a plan which included us. Without us, they were not to be made perfect. 

Therefore, since we for our part are surrounded by this cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead; let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith. 

 

Gospel

John 1: 43-51

At that time Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee, but first he came upon Philip. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. Philip sought out Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses spoke of in the law– the prophet too– Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” Nathanael’s response to that was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  and Philip replied, “Come, see for yourself.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he remarked: “This man is a true Israelite. There is no guile in him.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked Jesus. “Before Philip called you,” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree.” “Rabbi,” said Nathanael, “you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus responded: “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than that.”

Jesus went on to tell them, “I solemnly assure you, you shall see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Sunday Bulletin 2/26/23

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Saturday, Feb. 25  –  Commemoration of the Miracle of the Great-Martyr Theodore        

5:00 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy

6:30 PM          Reader Vespers

Sunday, Feb. 26  –  Sunday of Orthodoxy (1st Sunday of the Great Fast)   

8:30 AM     Matins

9:30 AM          Divine Liturgy

Monday, Feb. 27  –  Procopius, Venerable Confessor         

8:30 AM          Morning Prayer

4:00 PM          Evening Prayer

5:30 PM          Akathist* for those suffering Addictions & Mental Illness

Wednesday, March 1  –  Eudoxia, Venerable-Martyr   

8:30 AM          Morning Prayer                   

6:30 PM          Presanctified Divine Liturgy

7:45 PM          Firepit Social

Friday, March 3  –  Eutropius & Others, Martyrs          

6:15 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Presanctified Liturgy

Saturday, March 4  –  2nd All Souls Saturday      

8:30 AM          Divine Liturgy and Panachida

5:00 PM          Santa Paula Outreach Divine Liturgy

6:30 PM          Reader Vespers

Sunday, March 5  –  2nd Sunday of the Great Fast       

8:30 AM          Matins

9:30 AM          Divine Liturgy

*Add first names to this prayer service by emailing niemirick@gmail.com

MYSTERY OF REPENTANCE (Confession)

St. Mary’s: Sundays 8:45 AM or by appointment

Santa Paula: Saturdays 4:15 PM or by appointment

PRAYER REQUESTS

(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, All the sick and suffering of St. Mary’s

WEEKLY DEPOSIT:

Collection: $1,280.00; Online: $220.00; Santa Paula: $969.00; Candles: $62.75; Church Improvements: $100.00; Holydays: $60.00; Initial Offering: $5.00

Total: $2,696.75 / Attendance – PSM: 77  

 

Sunday of Orthodoxy

Today is the First Sunday of the Great Fast, which is traditionally referred to as the Sunday of Orthodoxy.  This is the Sunday where we commemorate the restoration of the Holy Icons in the Byzantine churches after what basically was a 117-year period of iconoclasm, where images that were hidden away in homes, caves, barns, and monasteries were processed in the streets and restored to the churches.   This restoration was a clear profession of faith in Jesus Christ and the new economy of salvation whereby it was clearly affirmed that orthodox faith and worship included the veneration of the images of Christ, the angels and the saints who were part of the glorious cloud of witnesses in heaven.   The Church affirmed that all those who were “in Christ” and part of His Mystical Body in heaven could now be seen visibly through sacred iconography incorporated into the worship of the Church and in our homes and shrines.

In our churches, then, the realms of heaven and earth are brought together, united in Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty surrounded by the angels and the saints in glory.  The earthly church becomes a living, vibrant icon of the heavenly kingdom that awaits us.   

-Father Daniel Dozier, pastor of St. George Byzantine Catholic Church, Olympia, WA

 

“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law and also the prophets.” Finding our Savior during this Great Lent, we see that our “soiled image was restored to its original form, commingled with divine beauty.” God may be helping you find that a vocation to monasticism or holy orders is the beauty meant for you. To learn more, contact the Vocations Office at 206-329-9219 or email: vocations@ephx.org