5/20: Acts 16:16-34; John 9:1-38
5/21: Acts 17:1-15; John 11:47-57
5/22: Acts 17:19-28; John 12:19-36
5/23: Acts 18:22-28; John 12:36-47
5/24: Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53
5/25: Acts 19:1-8; John 14:1-11
5/26: Acts 20:7-12; John 14:10-21
Readings for the Week of May 20, 2012
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Readings for the Week of May 13, 2012
5/13: Acts 11:19-26, 29-30; John 4:5-42
5/14: Acts 12:12-17; John 8:42-51
5/15: Acts 12:25-13:12; John 8:51-59
5/16: Acts 13:13-24; John 6:5-14
5/17: Acts 14:20-27; John 9:39-10:9
5/18: Acts 15:5-34; John 10:17-28
5/19: Acts 15:35-41; John 10:27-38
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Prayer List for May 13, 2012
For healing: Metropolitan Constantine, Fr. Michael, Fr. Vladimir, Fr. Andrew, Brother Demetrios, Ross, Justine, Fred, Paul, Debbie, Annie, Marlene, Terry, Mary, Justin, Benjamin, Stephen, Fred, Mark, Peter, Mark, Michael, Charles, Susan, William, Mark, Vera, Michael, Shirley, Brayden, Katherine, Chuck, Katherine, Patricia, Joan, Catherine, Deborah, Joanne, Rose, Anthony, Barbara, Russell, John, Katherine, Thomas, Gregory, Tula, James, David, Nikolaos, Evangelia, Anna, Michael, Theodore, Eleanor, Ruth, Maria, Maria, Gregory, Ronald, John, John, Gloria, Irene, Nikolai, Maria, Heather, Richard, Vasilos, Steven, Joseph, Josie, Cynthia, Rebecca, Denise, Kendra, Derek, Brandon, Bill, Grace, Maureen, Nicolas, Maria, Pavlos, Panagiotis, Theodoros, Corey, Martha, Richard, Michael, Markella, Marian, Melhim, Catherine, Raisa, Xavier, Dorothy, Chryso, John, Dale, Maureen, Susanna, Ann, Nicholas, Betty, Elizabeth, Lea, Shirley, Bernice, Alice, Christos, Nancy, Florence, Paul, Stephen, Larry
For God’s protection and guidance: Matthew
For guidance: Mark and family
For guidance: Michael and Mary
Grieving: Lauren and family; Olga and family
For God’s blessings, guidance and protection: Nicolaos and family
For guidance: Margaret
For God’s protection: all those in the military
For God’s blessings and protection: John, Nancy and their unborn child
For God’s mercy, direction and protection: those who are unemployed, poor, hungry and/or homeless
*** We pray for: those who love us; those who hate us; those who have no one to pray for them; those who have asked us to pray for them, even though we are unworthy. ***
Departed: Nancy, George, Margaret, Arthur, Nikolaos, Peter, Richard, Charles, Farhan, Tiaina, Anna, Maria, Michael, David, Daniel
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The Meaning of “Pascha”
By Igumen Gregory (Valentine)
Recently I was asked this question: “Why do we use the word ‘pascha’ to describe this present feast of the church? What does it mean and why is it so important to us Orthodox Christians?” Let me address the answer now so that all can hear and reflect upon the richness of this feast.
The New Testament teaches us that the final three days, culminating in the resurrection of Jesus, which Pascha celebrates, is the foundation of the Christian Faith. The resurrection established Jesus as the powerful Son of God and is cited as proof that God will judge the world in righteousness. But it was necessary that Christ should undergo the events of Great Friday and remain in the tomb on Holy Saturday in order for God to give Christians “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Christians, through faith in the working of God are spiritually resurrected with Jesus so that they may walk in a new way of life. But like Christ we too must endure difficulties, illnesses and crosses in order to die with Christ that we might live with Christ.
Pascha, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Pesach or Passover, is linked to the Passover and Exodus from Egypt as recorded in the Old Testament and recounted in ritual read at the Seder Meal. In the New Testament the Mystical Supper, held on Thursday evening, and the Crucifixion of Christ that preceded the Resurrection are re-presented liturgically at the Divine Liturgy. Passover is for both the Jewish people and for the Christians, then a series of events stretching over a period of time, which find fulfillment in a remarkable conclusion. For the Jews it was the forty year wandering in the desert, finally arriving at the Promised Land of Canaan and ritually celebrated for 8 days. For Christians we begin our preparation during the 40 days of the Great Lent, which then flows into the mixture of joy and immense sorrow of the Holy and Great Week. The Paschal Feast itself reaches its high point in the Resurrection Services, and has an extended celebration for 50 days, culminating in the Ascension of Christ into heaven and His subsequent sending of the All Holy Spirit from His Father in the form of fiery tongues upon His Holy Apostles and the entire new creation, the Holy Orthodox Church. The final days of the Paschal season is celebrated on Pentecost, (Greek for 50) Sunday, also called Troitsa or Sunday of the Trinity.
Both Christians and Jews observe events which are celebrated in a ritualized meal that seeks to express in time that which is timeless, doing so in order to recall the care of God for His People. According to the New Testament, Jesus gave the pre-Passover meal a new meaning, as he prepared himself and his disciples for his death by a special meal in the upper room during the Mystical Supper. He gave the sanctified loaf of bread and cup of wine as His Body soon to be sacrificed and His Blood soon to be shed. St. Paul states, “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed”; this quote refers to the Passover requirement to have no yeast in the house and to the allegory of Jesus as the paschal lamb. One interpretation in the Gospel of John is that Jesus, as the Passover lamb, was crucified at roughly the same time as the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple, on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, roughly equivalent to early to mid April in our calendar. The scriptural instructions specify that the lamb is to be slain “between the two evenings”, that is, at twilight. Christ was taken down from the cross some time after 3 PM on that Great Friday.
Unlike the Old Testament Passover, which is celebrated annually, our Paschal Feast is to be done again and again in His Memory, which we do at every Divine Liturgy. Once a year we give the Feast a special emphasis during Holy Week and the Bright Resurrection. This is, par excellence, the Great Paschal Mystery. The high point occurs at the Holy Saturday Liturgy, the event in which often catechumens receive their final instruction and then are admitted into the Church through the Rites of Christian Initiation, which include Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion. Carried out in the context of this service, in a most dramatic sense they do mystically die and then rise with Christ. I have experienced the joy of this Holy Saturday Initiation Rite a number of times during my years as a priest. What a blessing it has been!
Perhaps the most notable reason why few contemporary Orthodox Christians are really able to make the connection to the Passover of the Old Testament, is because they seldom, if ever, have attended the Holy Saturday Divine Liturgy. If one were to attend that Liturgy one would hear 15 lessons from the Old Testament that prefigure Christ in the lives of various persons and in the events of the first passover before the Jewish people were delivered from Egypt under the leadership of Moses, who is a prefigurement of Christ the Liberator. It is preeminently in this Liturgical Rite that the passover is so clearly and richly presented. It takes about one hour to read and listen to these lessons, which then lead into the epistle of St. Paul who declares Christ to be our new Passover, followed by the reading of the Gospel of St. Matthew which announces Christ’s Resurrection from the dead, coupled to the Eucharistic Sacrifice, our new Pascha in deed. The combination of all these lessons, while admittedly lengthy, nevertheless, is so worth while for our deeper understanding of the Paschal Mystery, as we recount its unfolding for the Jews in one way, and for us in another and more perfect Way. The Fathers tell us that the New Testament is hidden within the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New. Hence the Orthodox Church maintains a point of contact with the Old Testament community in terms of the Scriptures that we read along with the Gospels, Epistles, Acts of the Apostles, and the Book of Revelation, which together form the New Testament.
But as was stated earlier, we are not limited to just this time in our liturgical calendar. In a real sense, Pascha is observed by Orthodox Christians whenever we gather to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and, in deed, in every major Sacrament of the Church. What a great blessing we have received as a Gift from our Risen Lord!
Today we remember the Holy Myrrh bearers, this being the 3rd Sunday of Pascha. Let us now unite ourselves today with these women and men who were with Christ during His final hours on the first Great Friday, and who were then rewarded by being among the first to greet the Risen Lord. They sought a dead body to anoint but encountered the Risen Lord Jesus. In the Paschal Canon we sing during Matins of Pascha: “Why do you seek the living among the dead, why do you seek the Incorrupt amid corruption? Go, tell His apostles that He is Risen as He foretold.” May we too do the same today as we proclaim:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED, HE IS RISEN!
Amen.
Alleluia!
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The Paschal Greeting (Christ is Risen!)
Albanian – Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall!
Aleut – Kristus aq ungwektaq! Pichinuq ungwektaq!
Arabic – Al-Masih-Qam! Hakkan Qam!
Church Slavonic – Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
French – Le Christ est ressuscité! Vraiment Il est ressuscité!
German – Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
Greek – Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti!
Hebrew (modern) – Ha Masheeha houh kam! A ken kam!
Italian – Cristo è risorto! È veramente risorto!
Latin – Christus Surrexit! Surrexit vere!
Romanian – Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Spanish – Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente, ha resucitado!
Yupik – Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!
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Paschal Season Devotional — 2012
St. Panteleimon
Orthodox Christian Outreach
20525 Center Ridge Rd. Suite 301
Rocky River, OH 44116
440-941-4850
Leader: Gerald Largent
Paschal Season 2012
CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED HE IS RISEN!
Pastoral Visits
Many of the residents we serve are in regular contact with their home parishes. However, please let us know if you need help getting in touch with your parish, or if you are not currently a member of a parish. We would be happy to contact a priest on your behalf. Call 440-941-4850 and let us know how we can help. Feel free to leave a message on our voice mail if no one is available to take your call.
Prayers for the Season
April 15 – May 23: Hymn of the Resurrection
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing Life!
April 22: St. Thomas Sunday
Thomas touched Your life-giving side with an eager hand, O Christ God, when You did come to Your apostles through closed doors. He cried out with all: You are my Lord and my God!
April 23: St. George the Great-Martyr
As the deliverer of captives and the protector of the poor, as the physician of the feeble and combatant of kings, holy champion and great martyr George, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.
April 25: St. Mark the Evangelist
From your childhood the light of truth enlightened you, O Mark, and you loved the labor of Christ the Savior. Therefore you followed Peter with zeal and served Paul as a fellow laborer and enlightened the world with your holy Gospel.
April 29: Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-bearers
The angel came to the Ointment-Bearing Women at the tomb and said: Myrrh is appropriate for the dead, but Christ has revealed Himself to be a stranger to corruption! So proclaim: The Lord is risen, granting the world great mercy.
April 29: St. Joseph of Arimathea
The Noble Joseph, when he had taken down Your Most-Pure Body from the Tree: He wrapped It in fine linen, anointed It with spices, and placed It in a new tomb. But Your Third Day Resurrection, Lord, granted the world great mercy.
May 1: The Holy Prophet Jeremiah
Your pure heart was enlightened by the Spirit, O great Prophet and Martyr Jeremiah. You received the gift of prophecy from on high and cried aloud to the nations: This is our God and there is no other beside Him Who has appeared incarnate on the earth.
May 5: St. Irene the Great Martyr
Christ our God has called you Irene, for you grant peace to those who hasten to your church with hymns. You intercede for all before the Light-creating Trinity. Together we celebrate your memory as we magnify God Who has glorified you.
May 6: Sunday of the Paralytic
O Lord, as You raised up the paralytic of old by Your divine intercession, so raise up my soul, paralyzed by sins and thoughtless acts; so that being saved I may sing to You: “Glory to Your power, O compassionate Christ!”
May 9: Mid-Pentecost
O Savior, in the middle of the Feast, fill my thirsting soul with the waters of piety, as You cried to all: If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink! O Christ God, the Fountain of our life, glory to You!
May 9: The Holy Prophet Isaiah
O Prophet-Martyr Isaiah, herald of God, through your gift of prophecy you made God’s Incarnation clear to all by proclaiming: Behold, the Virgin shall conceive in her womb.
May 11: Ss Cyril and Methodius
Let us honor our two holy enlighteners, who by translating the divine writings have poured forth a well-spring of knowledge from which we still draw today. We call you blessed, O Cyril and Methodios: as you stand before God pray fervently for our souls.
May 13: Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
The Samaritan Woman came to the well in faith; she saw You, the Water of Wisdom, and drank abundantly. She inherited the Kingdom on High and is ever glorified!
May 17: St. Peter the Aleut
O Peter, on the rock of your faith Christ has built the Church of your land, and has hallowed it in the streams of your blood. In you, O Aleut, your people are made holy; from the farthest islands of the west He has raised you as a light to all. Glory to Him Who has glorified you; glory to Him Who has crowned you; glory to Him Who through you works healings for all.
May 20: Sunday of the Blind man
O Christ, I come to You, blind from birth in my spiritual eyes. And I call to You in repentance: You are the most radiant light of those in darkness!
May 21: Ss Constantine and Helen
O Lord, your disciple Emperor Constantine, who saw in the sky the Sign of Your Cross, accepted the call that came straight from You, as it happened to Paul, and not from any man. He built his capital and entrusted it to Your care. Preserve our country in everlasting peace, through the intercession of the Mother of God, for You are the Lover of mankind.
May 24 – June 1: Ascension
You have ascended in glory, Christ our God, having made Your disciples joyful by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the blessing they were assured, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.
June 2: Memorial Saturday
Only Creator, in the depth of Your Wisdom, You lovingly govern and do what is best for all. Now give rest to the souls of Your servants, for they have placed their hope in You, our Creator, Maker, and our God.
Sundays of Pascha
The Paschal (Easter) season lasts for 40 days, from Pascha itself until the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven. There are six Sundays during the Paschal season, and they are as follows:
1) PASCHA — Mary Magdalene, and the other women who were present at the burial of our Savior on Friday evening, returned from Golgotha to the city and prepared fragrant spices and myrrh, so that they might anoint the body of Jesus. On Saturday, because of the law which forbids work on the day of the Sabbath, they rested for the whole day. But at early dawn on the Sunday that followed, almost thirty-six hours since the death of the Life-giving Redeemer, they came to the tomb with the spices to anoint His body. While they were considering the difficulty of rolling away the stone from the door of the tomb, there was a fearful earthquake; and an Angel, whose countenance shone like lightning and whose garment was white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards that were there became as dead from fear and took to flight. The women, however, went into the tomb, but did not find the Lord’s body. Instead, they saw two other Angels in the form of youths clothed in white, who told them that the Savior was risen, and they sent forth the women, who ran to proclaim to the disciples these gladsome tidings. Then Peter and John arrived, having learned from Mary Magdalene what had come to pass, and when they entered the tomb, they found only the winding sheets. Therefore, they returned again to the city with joy, as heralds now of the supernatural Resurrection of Christ, Who in truth was seen alive by the disciples on this day on five occasions.
Our Lord, then, was crucified, died, and was buried on Friday, before the setting of the sun, which was the first of His “three days” in the grave; observing the mystical Sabbath, that “seventh day” in which it is said that the Lord “rested from all His works” (Genesis 2:2-3), He passed all of Saturday in the grave; and He arose “while it was yet dark, very early in the morning” on Sunday, the third day, which, according to the Jewish calculation, began after sunset on Saturday.
As we celebrate today this joyous Resurrection, we greet and embrace one another in Christ, thereby demonstrating our Savior’s victory over death and corruption, and the destruction of our ancient hostility with God, and His reconciliation toward us, and our inheritance of life everlasting. The feast itself is called Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew word which means “passover”; because Christ, Who suffered and arose, has made us to pass over from the curse of Adam and slavery to the devil and death unto our original freedom and blessedness. In addition, this day of this particular week, which is the first of all the rest, is dedicated to the honor of the Lord; in honor and remembrance of the Resurrection, the Apostles transferred to this day (Sunday) the rest from labor that was formerly assigned to the Sabbath (Saturday) of the ancient Law.
2) St. Thomas Sunday — The Holy Apostle Thomas was not present when Christ appeared to the disciples on Pascha, and he doubted reports of the Savior’s Resurrection. His doubt turned to faith when he encountered the Risen Lord and touched His resurrected and glorified Body. Thomas cried out “My Lord and my God!”
3) Sunday of Joseph of Arimathea and the Myrrh-bearing women — The Orthodox Church takes us back to the Gospel account of the death, burial and Resurrection of Christ this Sunday. St. Joseph of Arimathea approached Pontius Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus. He took Him down from the Cross and laid Him in a new tomb. The Holy Myrrh-bearers came to anoint the Lord’s Body early on Sunday morning — since He had been buried hastily on Friday and since Saturday was a solemn holy day for Jews. To their amazement they discovered the tomb was empty and Christ had risen from the dead. They all serve as an example of loving Christ and how that love can transform ordinary things into extraordinary ones.
4) Sunday of the Paralytic — Jesus encounters a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years, waiting for someone to put him into the Sheep’s Pool in Jerusalem so that he might be healed. Unfortunately someone always entered the pool before him. The Lord feels compassion for the man and heals him. The Church reminds us that, as great as physical healings are, the greater miracle is the healing of spiritual illness and the forgiveness of our sins.
5) Sunday of the Samaritan Woman — The Lord meets a woman at a well who had been married five times — and was living with a man who was not her husband. He ended up offering her the living water — which He offers to each and every one of us. She came to faith when Jesus “told [her] everything [she] ever did” (John 4:29). Our Lord revealed Himself openly (4:26) to a Samaritan — who was considered an enemy of the Jews — because she possessed a heart that was open to Him. She had eyes to see and ears to hear. May our hearts be softened and opened to Him in a similar way!
6) Sunday of the Blind man — On the final Sunday of Pascha the Church presents us with the story of a man who had been blind from birth. We do not know exactly how old he is, but his parents mention that “he is of age”, so he must be an adult. Our Lord Jesus Christ makes clay and puts it on the man’s eyes; he then washes his eyes as instructed by the Lord. The man is healed on the spot. The lesson here is similar to that of the fourth Paschal Sunday: spiritual illness and infirmity is far worse than physical illness and infirmity. Let us pray to the Lord that He will heal our spiritual blindness and have mercy on us!
Ascension of our Lord — May 24
The Lord Jesus passed forty days on earth after His Resurrection from the dead, appearing continually in various places to His disciples, with whom He also spoke, ate, and drank, thereby further demonstrating His Resurrection. On this Thursday, the fortieth day after Pascha, He appeared again in Jerusalem. After He had first spoken to the disciples about many things, He gave them His last commandment, that is, that they go forth and proclaim His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. But He also commanded them that for the present, they were not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait there together until they receive power from on high, when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
Saying these things, He led them to the Mount of Olives, and raising His hands, He blessed them; and saying again the words of the Father’s blessing, He was parted from them and taken up. Immediately a cloud of light, a proof of His majesty, received Him. Sitting thereon as though on a royal chariot, He was taken up into Heaven, and after a short time was concealed from the sight of the disciples, who remained where they were with their eyes fixed on Him. At this point, two Angels in the form of men in white raiment appeared to them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:11). These words, in a complete and concise manner, declare what is taught in the Symbol of Faith concerning the Son and Word of God. Therefore, having so fulfilled all His dispensation for us, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended in glory into Heaven, and sat at the right hand of God the Father. As for His sacred disciples, they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, rejoicing because Christ had promised to send them the Holy Spirit.
It should be noted that the Mount of Olives is a Sabbath’s day journey from Jerusalem, that is, the distance a Jew was permitted to walk on the day of the Sabbath (Saturday). This distance is equivalent to one mile.
Some Paschal Hymns
This is the day of resurrection. Let us be illumined, O people. Pascha, the Pascha of the Lord. For from death to life and from earth to heaven has Christ our God led us, as we sing the song of victory.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless One. We venerate Your Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify Your holy Resurrection; for You are our God, and we know no other than You; we call on Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection. For, behold, through the Cross joy has come into all the world. Let us ever bless the Lord, praising His Resurrection, for by enduring the Cross for us, He has destroyed Death by death.
We celebrate the death of death and the overthrow of hell, the beginning of another life which is eternal, and in exultation we sing the praises of its source. He alone is blessed and most glorious: the God of our Fathers.
Prayer for Acceptance of God’s Will
Lord, I do not know what to ask of You. You know better than me what my needs are. You love more than I know how to love. Help me to see clearly my real needs which I do not see. I open my heart to You. Examine and reveal to me my faults and sins. I put all trust in You. I have no other desire than to fulfill Your will. Teach me how to pray. Pray in me. Amen.
Prayer Before Reading the Bible
Shine within my heart, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that I may understand Your teachings. Instill in me also reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered sinful desires I may pursue a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ my God, are my light, and to You I give glory together with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer for a forgiving heart
O Lord, grant to me an image of repentance and of forgiveness, and not to hold on to the memory of wrongs done to me. O Christ, Who prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” pray that we might repay evil with good and pray for all who betray us, even as they know full well what they do in treachery and betrayal. Help me, for I am small in heart and not wise in the ways of a forgiving heart. Help me, with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer for the Sick
Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, Who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal also Your servant(s) ___ from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant him/her/them patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed. I pray, heal Your servant(s) ___ and grant to him/her/them the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer for the Departed
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and upon ___ bestowing Life!
Daily Bible Readings
4/15: Acts 1:1-8; John 1:1-17; John 20:19-25
4/16: Acts 1:12-17, 21-26; John 1:18-28
4/17: Acts 2:14-21; Luke 24:12-35
4/18: Acts 2:22-36; John 1:35-51
4/19: Acts 2:38-43; John 3:1-15
4/20: Acts 3:1-8; Philippians 2:5-11;
John 2:12-22; Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28
4/21: Acts 3:11-16; John 3:22-33
4/22: Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31
4/23: Acts 3:19-26; John 2:1-11
4/24: Acts 4:1-10; John 3:16-21;
1 Corinthians 15:39-57; John 5:24-30
4/25: Acts 4:13-22; John 5:17-24
4/26: Acts 4:23-31; John 5:24-30
4/27: Acts 5:1-11; John 5:30-6:2
4/28: Acts 5:21-33; John 6:14-27
4/29: Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43-16:8
4/30: Acts 6:8-7:5, 47-60; John 4:46-54
5/1: Acts 8:5-17; John 6:27-33
5/2: Acts 8:18-25; John 6:35-39
5/3: Acts 8:26-39; John 6:40-44
5/4: Acts 8:40-9:19; John 6:48-54
5/5: Acts 9:19-31; John 15:17-16:2
5/6: Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15
5/7: Acts 10:1-16; John 6:56-69
5/8: Acts 10:21-33; John 7:1-13
5/9: Acts 14:6-18; John 7:14-30
5/10: Acts 10:34-43; John 8:12-20
5/11: Acts 10:44-11:10; John 8:21-30
5/12: Acts 12:1-11; John 8:31-42
5/13: Acts 11:19-26, 29-30; John 4:5-42
5/14: Acts 12:12-17; John 8:42-51
5/15: Acts 12:25-13:12; John 8:51-59
5/16: Acts 13:13-24; John 6:5-14
5/17: Acts 14:20-27; John 9:39-10:9
5/18: Acts 15:5-34; John 10:17-28
5/19: Acts 15:35-41; John 10:27-38
5/20: Acts 16:16-34; John 9:1-38
5/21: Acts 17:1-15; John 11:47-57
5/22: Acts 17:19-28; John 12:19-36
5/23: Acts 18:22-28; John 12:36-47
5/24: Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53
5/25: Acts 19:1-8; John 14:1-11
5/26: Acts 20:7-12; John 14:10-21
5/27: Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13
5/28: Acts 21:8-14; John 14:27-15:7
5/29: Acts 21:26-32; John 16:2-13
5/30: Acts 23:1-11; John 16:15-23
5/31: Acts 25:13-19; John 16:23-33
6/1: Acts 27:1-44; John 17:18-26
6/2: Acts 28:1-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17;
John 5:24-30; 21:15-25
Various Programs Available
The St. Panteleimon Ministry is pleased to offer numerous spiritual programs to the residents and facilities we serve. In addition to group prayer we are also able to provide:
one-on-one visits
Bible studies
small-group discussion
small-group prayer
name day celebrations
Orthodox instruction
See Gerald or call our office (440-941-4850) if you are interested in any of the items on the list, or if you have ideas for how we may better serve you. Also feel free to have your activities director contact us.
St. Panteleimon Orthodox Christian Outreach is presently operating under the umbrella of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). 2101 Quail St. in Lakewood.
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NEW ADDRESS
Effective immediately our new mailing address is:
St. Panteleimon Orthodox Christian Outreach
20525 Center Ridge Rd. Suite 301
Rocky River, OH 44116
Please note the change.
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Readings for the Week of May 6, 2012
5/6: Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15
5/7: Acts 10:1-16; John 6:56-69
5/8: Acts 10:21-33; John 7:1-13
5/9: Acts 14:6-18; John 7:14-30
5/10: Acts 10:34-43; John 8:12-20
5/11: Acts 10:44-11:10; John 8:21-30
5/12: Acts 12:1-11; John 8:31-42
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Readings for the Week of April 29, 2012
4/29: Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43-16:8
4/30: Acts 6:8-7:5, 47-60; John 4:46-54
5/1: Acts 8:5-17; John 6:27-33
5/2: Acts 8:18-25; John 6:35-39
5/3: Acts 8:26-39; John 6:40-44
5/4: Acts 8:40-9:19; John 6:48-54
5/5: Acts 9:19-31; John 15:17-16:2
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Readings for the Week of April 22, 2012
4/22: Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31
4/23: Acts 3:19-26; John 2:1-11
4/24: Acts 4:1-10; John 3:16-21; 1 Corinthians 15:39-57; John 5:24-30
4/25: Acts 4:13-22; John 5:17-24
4/26: Acts 4:23-31; John 5:24-30
4/27: Acts 5:1-11; John 5:30-6:2
4/28: Acts 5:21-33; John 6:14-27
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The First Paschal Sermon of St. Gregory the Theologian
Yesterday the Lamb was slain
And the door-posts were anointed,
And Egypt bewailed her Firstborn,
And the Destroyer passed over us,
And the Seal was dreadful and reverend,
And we were walled in with the Precious Blood.
Today, we have escaped from Egypt and from Pharoah; And there is none to hinder us
From keeping a Feast to the Lord our God —
The Feast of our Departure;
Or from celebrating that Feast,
Not in the old leaven of malice and wickedness,
But in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, Carrying with us nothing of ungodly and Egyptian leaven.
Yesterday, I was crucified with Him;
Today, I am glorified with Him;
Yesterday, I died with Him;
Today I am quickened with Him;
Yesterday, I was buried with Him;
Today, I rise with Him.
But let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us — you will think perhaps that I am going to say gold, or silver, or woven work, or transparent and costly stones, the mere passing material things of earth, that remains here below, and is for the most part always possessed by bad men, slaves of the world, and of the Prince of the World.
Let us offer ourselves,
The possession most precious to God, and most fitting; Let us give back the image that is made after the Image, Let us recognize our Dignity; let us honour our Archetype;
Let us know the power of the Mystery,
And for what Christ died.
Let us become like Christ,
Since Christ has become like us.
Let us become God’s for His sake,
Since He for ours became Man.
He assumed the worse
So that He might give us the better;
He became poor,
So that we through his poverty
Might become rich;
He took upon Him the form of a servant
That we might receive back our liberty;
He came down,
That we might be exalted;
He was tempted,
That we might conquer;
He was dishonoured,
That He might glorify us;
He died,
That He might save us;
He ascended,
That He might draw Himself to us,
Who were lying low in the Fall of sin.
Let us give all, offer all,
To Him who gave Himself
As Ransom and a Reconciliation for us.
But one can given nothing like oneself,
Understanding the Mystery,
And becoming for His sake,
All that He became for ours.
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