January 30, 2022
The Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers:
Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chyrsostom
Hebrews 13:7-16: Brethren, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore, let us go forth to Him outside the camp and bear the abuse He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city, which is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Luke 19:1-10: At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see Who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Troparion of the Resurrection: Thou didst shatter death by thy Cross; thou didst open paradise to the thief; thou didst turn the mourning of the ointment-bearing women into joy, and didst bid thine Apostles proclaim warning that thou hast risen, O Christ, granting the world Great Mercy.
Troparion of the Three Hierarchs: Let us all come together and honour with songs of praise those three great stars of the three-sunned Trinity, who illuminated the universe with rays of divine doctrines; those rivers of wisdom flowing with honey, who watered the whole universe with streams of divine knowledge, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and glorious John the golden-tongued; for they shall intercede with the Trinity for our sakes, who love their sayings.
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 Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
CALENDAR
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: All services listed on the calendar will be available through streaming and webcast.
Please continue to follow the CDC Guidelines to limit contagion and the spread of the COVID virus.
Sunday, January 30 (The Three Hierarchs)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)
Monday, January 31 (Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers)
Father Herman off
Tuesday, February 1
6:30 p.m. — Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia
Wednesday, February 2 (Meeting of the Lord in the Temple)
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
Thursday, February 3 (Simeon the God-receiver)
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, February 4
NO Services
Saturday, February 5
Sunday, February 6 (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros (webcast)
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (webcast)
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Eucharist Bread Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
No Coffee Hour for the remainder of the month
January 30 Jones
February 1 (Tues. p.m.) D. Root (Artoklasia Bread)
(Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
February 6 Pacurari
February 13 Davis
February 20 Karam
February 23 (Wed. p.m.) Meadows (Artoklasia Bread)
(Feast of The Forerunner)
February 26 (Sat. a.m.) Brock
(Saturday of the Souls)
February 27 R. Root
We will discontinue Coffee Hour for the remainder of January due to the rise in Co-vid cases. We will re-evaluate the resumption of Coffee Hour and Pot Luck for the month of February.
Also, please remember that we still need your tithes and offerings which may be placed in the tithe box at the back of the nave or be mailed to: St. Peter Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 2084, Madison, MS 39130-2084.
We will pray the Trisagion Prayers for the Departed for the Forty Day Memorial for Tom Willingham on Sunday, February 13th and for Saliba Dabit on Sunday, February 27th.
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the Chanters’ stand at the front of the nave. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
January 30 Brenda Baker Heb. 13:7-16 365
February 6 Walt Wood II Cor. 6:16-7:1 173
February 13 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver II Tim. 3:10-15 258
February 20 Sam Habeeb I Cor. 6:12-20 265
February 26 (Sat. a.m. Ian Jones I Thess. 4:13-17 412
February 27 Walt Wood I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273
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.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Lamia Dabit and her family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Jay and Joanna; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ and their family; Kathy Willingham; Marilyn (Kyriake) Snell; Jack and Jill Weatherly; Lottie Dabbs (Sh. Charlotte Algood’s mother), Sh. Charlotte and their family; Maria Costas (currently at St. Catherine’s Village).
Calendar Items:
* The Ladies will meet at the church at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children on behalf of our children. They will also enjoy a book study afterwards.
* The Ladies will meet for lunch on the last Tuesday of the month.
* Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on Tuesday, February 1st, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
* His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will be at St. Peter the weekend of March 5-6, 2022 to help us celebrate Fr. John’s retirement and our 35th anniversary as a parish. Please mark your calendars now.
* The dates for Stewpot for 2022 are Saturday, May 7th and Saturday, September 3rd.
Pledge Letters have been mailed. Please return them to the church as soon as possible.
House Blessings: Fr. Herman will be blessing homes January 7 – February 25 (except for February 23-37 when he will be out for the Winter Retreat). A sign-up sheet is located on the bureau in the hallway. Please indicate 3 dates that would work for your family and he will get back with you to schedule your house blessing. Everyone should their house blessed, but the responsibility for scheduling this lies with individuals and not Fr. Herman.
If you are not feeling well, PLEASE do not attempt to come to the services. This also includes anyone who may have been exposed to you during this time. Also, please let Fr. Herman know if you are not feeling well and have COVID like symptoms.
DOMSE Winter Retreat! The Diocese of Miami and the Southeast has rescheduled the annual Winter Retreat to the week-end of February 25-27, at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. Registration is now open. Please go to the Diocesan website, DOMSE.org for information on registration, hotels, etc.
Dn. Richard is in charge of showing photos from St. Peter’s last 35 years for the celebration on March 5th. Please look through your photos and submit good selections to him within the next couple of weeks. They may be physical prints or digital clips. Be sure to put your name on them if you want them returned. The deadline for submitting your photos to Dn. Richard is the end of January. Suggested Categories:
Weddings, Baptisms, Chrismations Bible Studies
Fishing Trips Men’s and Women’s lunches
Retreats Angel Tree
Fall Festival Sunday School and Garden work
Stew Pot Work Days
Any other things involving the life of our parish
Instructions for streaming our services can be found on the parish website.
Fasting Discipline for January /February
Following January 6th, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. In February the fasting discipline is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays except February 2nd (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple when fish, wine and oil are permitted) and the week following the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican (February 14-18) when there is no fasting at all. Following Meatfare Sunday on February 27th, meat will no longer be eaten until Pascha.
Major Commemorations for January/February
January 30 The Three Hierarchs
January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
February 2 Meeting of the Lord in the Temple
February 3 Simeon the God-receiver
February 10 Hieromartyr Haralampos
February 11 Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
February 13 Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican
February 20 Sunday of the Prodigal Son
February 24 The Forerunner (1st and 2nd Discoveries)
February 26 Saturday of the Souls
February 27 Sunday of Meatfare
Quotable: “Our life is child’s play, only not innocent, but sinful, because, with a strong mind, and with the knowledge of the purpose of our life, we neglect this purpose and occupy ourselves with frivolous, purposeless matters. And thus our life is childish, unpardonable play. We frequently amuse ourselves with our own selves…but what answer shall we give to our immortal King, Christ our God, Who shall come again in the glory of His Father to judge both the quick and the dead, to declare the secret thoughts of all hearts, and receive from us our answer for every word and deed. O, woe, woe, woe to us who bear the name of Christ, but have none of the spirit of Christ in us; who bear the name of Christ, but do not follow the teaching of the Gospel! Woe to us who ‘neglect so great salvation’! Woe to us who love the present fleeting, deceptive life, and neglect the inheritance of the life that follows after the death of our corruptible body beyond this carnal veil!”
St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
Worship: Sunday, February 6, 2022 (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Scripture: II Corinthians 6:16-7:1; Matthew 15:21-28
Celebrant: Father Herman
Epistle Reader: Walt Wood
Prosphora: Pacurari
Coffee Hour: NO Coffee Hour
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 