August 23, 2020
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Leave-taking of the Commemoration of the Beheading of the Forerunner
I Corinthians 15:1-11: Continuing our reading from I Corinthians we hear St Paul present the facts of the resurrection as the basis for our salvation and the cornerstone of our faith.
Matthew 19:16-26: St Matthew describes Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. In this
incident we learn that spirituality is not founded only on keeping the law, but on giving mercy to others and denial of oneself.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; for the Lord hath done a mighty act with his own arm. He hath trampled down death and become the First-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
Troparion for the Forerunner: The memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise, but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner. Thou wast shown indeed to be the most honorable of the prophets, for in the waters thou didst baptize Him Who had been proclaimed. After suffering with joy in behalf of the truth, thou didst proclaim even to those in Hades the God Who appeared in the flesh, Who takest away the sin of the world, and granteth us the Great Mercy.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Nativity of the Theotokos: By thy holy birth-giving, O pure one, Joachim and Anne were delivered from the reproach of barrenness; and Adam and Eve were delivered from the corruption of death; thy people do celebrate it, having been saved from the stain of iniquity, crying unto thee, The barren doth give birth to the Theotokos, who nourisheth our life.
From Father John: In His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH’s last communique regarding the restrictions for participation in the services at our churches, he stated that, we should follow the guidelines based on our local numbers with the virus. As our numbers locally are rising, we will be dropping back to 25 participants at liturgies (which includes the priest and chanters). I will continue to try my best to rotate, as fairly as possible, our members who are healthy and wish to come to the services.
Please continue to follow the CDC Guidelines to limit contagion and the spread of the COVID virus.
ATTENTION: Please be reminded that both the Archdiocese and the Governor have issued directions which mandate that masks be worn while in public/group settings. If you are inside of the church, you must wear a mask. Only the chanters and serving clergy are exempted from this during services. Masks should be worn outside, too, if you are in close proximity to others. You have done well with this for the most part, but with a few lapses recently, I wanted to remind you of this essential precaution. — Fr. John
CALENDAR
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: All services listed on the calendar will be available through streaming and webcast.
Sunday, August 30 (Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)
Monday, August 31 (Deposition of the Belt of the Theotokos)
Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, September 1 (Indiction of the Ecclesiastical Year)
Wednesday, September 2
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
Thursday, September 3
NO services
NO services
6:00 p.m. — Great Vespers (No Ninth Hour Prayers)
Sunday, September 6 (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Schelvers for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Eucharist Bread Schedule (NO Coffee Hour):
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
September 6 Morris
September 13 Jones
September 14 (Mon. a.m.) Meadows
(Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross)
September 20 Davis
September 27 D. Root
Please remember that the schedule for prosphora is still in place as we will continue to serve the Divine Liturgy. Also, please remember that we still need your tithes and offerings which should be sent to: St. Peter Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 2084, Madison, MS 39130-2084. If you need Father John for anything, do not hesitate to get in touch with him. If you become ill, please let him know.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; David Morris and his family; Jay and Joanna; Chris and Rebecca Dansereau and their daughters; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family; Emad and Natalia Alaeetawi and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Memory Eternal! Kh. Cheryl Morris (wife of Fr. John Morris, former pastor of St. George in Vicksburg) fell asleep in the Lord this past week. Our condolences and prayers go out to Fr. John and their family. Please keep them in your prayers.
Please pray for Lauren Jones (sister of Ben Brock), her husband Brady and their children Maggie, Meredith and George. Lauren has been diagnosed with Corona-virus. Other members of the family are symptomatic but have not yet been tested.
Please continue to pray for the following members of St. Peter:
Warren Strain and their family. Warren has been hospitalized following a stroke on December 23rd. Warren came home from the rehab facility in Atlanta this past Wednesday. Please remember Sandra, Tiffany and Brandon as they care for Warren at home.
Maria Costas, who has been moved St. Catherine’s Village.
All those affected by the Corona-virus Pandemic.
If you are ready to return to the services of our church, please let Fr. John know so that he can add you to the list of attendees. It is up to individuals to request attendance at the services. Fr. John attempts to be fair in allotting slots, but he does not make assignments or phone calls.
If you get sick, especially with the Corona virus, please let Fr. John know.
Congratulations to Walt and Charlotte Wood (and to George and Mary Quinn of course) on the birth of Elizabeth True Wood on the 18th. Liza True was 20 inches long and weighed 5 lbs. 15 oz. She was about 5 weeks early and will be staying in the NICU at Baptist for a little longer. Mary Quinn is at home recovering from a C-section.
A Benevolence account has been established at St. Peter to help the Strain family deal with Warren’s medical bills and other needs. If you would like to make a donation to this fund, please note on your check that it is for the Warren Strain Benevolence Fund. 100% of these funds will go to the Strain family.
We will NOT have a service this year for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos as is our usual parish custom.
We will celebrate the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross on Monday morning, September 14th with Divine Liturgy (only), beginning at 7:00 a.m.
Save the Date for the 3rd Annual Spiritual Fall Retreat. This will be a virtual retreat and it’s free! The dates are October 2nd – 4th, 2020.
Instructions for streaming our services can be found on the parish website.
Fasting Discipline for August/September
Following the 15th, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. In September, the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. The Feast of the Elevation of the Cross on the 14th is also a strict fast day.
Major Commemorations for August/September
August 31 Depostion of the Belt of the Theotokos
September 1 Indiction of the Ecclesiastical Year
September 6 Miracle of the Archangel Michael
September 8 Nativity of the Theotokos
September 9 Righteous Joachim and Anna
September 13 Dedication of the Church of the Anastasis
September 14 Elevation of the Precious Life-giving Cross
September 23 Conception of the Forerunner
September 24 Proto-martyr Thekla
September 26 Apostle John the Theologian (repose)
ead of ManHead of Maonasteries
Quotable: “He who loves God both believes truly and performs the works of faith reverently. But he who believes and does not love, lacks even the faith he thinks he has; for he believes merely with a certain superficiality of intellect and is not energized by the full force of love’s glory. The chief part of virtue, then, is faith energized by loveoly Spirit, goiven and sent by both the FFaa.”
St. Diadochos of Photiki
Worship: Sunday, September 6, 2020 (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: I Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42
Celebrant: Father John
Prosphora: Morris
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 