February 25, 2024

Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican

Yes, it is that time again. Lent begins on Monday, March 18th, but we begin the preparations for the journey of “bright-sadness” by especially dealing with our hearts and our spiritual condition. In her wisdom the Church is a great aid to us, for the four Sundays before Lent carry special themes that enable us to examine ourselves.

The theme of the fourth Sunday before Lent is HUMILITY and the Gospel lesson of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14) is read. Here we are taught to avoid the arrogant thoughts of the Pharisee and to emulate the humble prayer of the Publican “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

II Timothy 3:10-15: My son Timothy, you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings, what things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. What persecutions I endured! And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Indeed all who would live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But people who are wicked and deceivers will proceed from worse to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and how from infancy you have known the sacred temple writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Luke 18:10-14: The Lord spoke this parable: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.

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 Pharisee and the Publican: Let us flee from the boasting of the Pharisee and learn the heights of humility from the publican’s words. Let us cry out in repentance: O Savior of the World, be gracious to thy servants.

CALENDAR

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: All services listed on the calendar will be available through streaming and webcast. (Instructions can be found on the parish website.)

Sunday, February 25 (Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

9:00 a.m. – Christian Education

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

5:30 p.m. – Book Study with Father John

[NO FASTING THIS WEEK]

Monday, February 26

Father Herman off

Tuesday, February 27

NO Services

Wednesday, February 28

6:30 p.m. – Daily Vespers

7:30 p.m. – Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, February 29

NO Services

Friday, March 1

NO Services

Saturday, March 2

4:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

6:00 p.m. – Great Vespers

Sunday, March 3 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)

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 Joneses for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

February 25 Jones Lavric/Skirtech/Dabit

March 3 Meadows Meadows/Pacurari/Cooper

March 9 (Sat. a.m.) Davis Pigott/Stewart

(Saturday of the Souls) Koliva: Pacurari

March 10 D. Root POT LUCK MEAL Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

March 17 Karam TEENS FUNDRAISER MEAL

March 24 Brock Algood/Schelver/I. Jones

March 25 (Mon. a.m.) R. Root Lasseter/Miller

(Feast of the Annunciation)

March 31 Pacurari D. Root/Baker

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#

February 25 Walt Wood II Tim. 3:10-15 258

March 3 Sophie Dansereau I Cor. 6:12-20 265

March 9 (Sat. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Thess. 4:13-17 412

March 10 Brenda Baker I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273

March 17 Katie Miller Rom. 13:11-14:4 279

March 24 Anastasia Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40 281

March 25 (Mon. a.m.) Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 2:11-18 376

March 31 Brenda Baker Heb. 1:10-2:3 283

Also, please remember that we still need your tithes and offerings which may be placed in the tray that is passed during the Divine Liturgy, 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.

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 Davis; Fr. Leo and Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver and their family; Kathy Willingham; Marilyn (Kyriake) Snell; Jack and Jill Weatherly; Lottie Dabbs (Sh. Charlotte Algood’s mother), Sh. Charlotte and their family; Reader Basil and Brenda Baker and their family; Buddy Cooper; Georgia and Bob Buchanan; Fr. Joseph Bittle; Steve and Sheryl Chamblee; Rick Carlton; Very Rev. Fr. Nicholas and Kh. Jan Speier; Dora Lambert (Dimitri Zouboukos’ fiancée); Lee Greene; Joseph, Amanda and Hunter Hines; Fr. John and Kh. Janet Henderson and their family.

Pilgrimage to Holy Dormition: the meeting pertaining to the pilgrimage to Holy Dormition Monastery will be held today during Coffee Hour. All thise interested in attending the pilgrimage, please meet in the St. Athanasius room

Samantha Dabit, daughter of Sam and Dana Dabit, will be baptized Saturday March 16th, at 11:30 a.m. Please keep the Dabit family in your prayers.

Registration is now open for this year’s Parish Life Conference which will be held June 12-15th in Atlanta at the Hilton Peachtree City Atlanta Hotel and Conference Center and hosted by St. Stephen in Hiram. Please go to the Diocesan website (DOMSE.org) to register for the conference and for the hotel.

Update on Kitchen Repairs: Currently all damage to the kitchen from the water break has been cleaned up. ServPro has finished everything they needed to get done. The insurance adjuster has been out to inspect the damage, and we are now waiting to hear back from contractors to come back in and repair/replace those things that were damaged. We are continuing to have Coffee Hour as we have been. The coffee machines are working and are safe to use for coffee hours. Please do not prepare any type of food in the kitchen until it can be properly sanitized. By God’s grace everything will be back to normal soon.

Camp St. Thekla registration opened on February 1st. If your children are going to camp, please register as soon as possible. If financial help is needed, please let Father Herman or Daniel know. This year the church will not be providing transportation to camp. If you have children going to camp who need a ride, please let Father Herman or Daniel know.

The book study group with Father John meets every other Sunday in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. The next meeting will be tonight. Of course, there may arise a need where these dates are subject to change.

There will be an icon writing workshop at Holy Resurrection July 8-13. The iconographer who will be teaching this class is Theodoros Papadopoulos. Tuition for this class is $780. For further information and enrollment, please visit the website http://www.theodoreicons.com/clinton. Holy Resurrection is only providing space for this class.

Calendar Items:

* The men of the parish meet for lunch at 11:00 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month.

* The Ladies 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.

* The Ladies meet for lunch at 1:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month.

* Book Study –February 25th.

* Stewpot dates for 2024 will be March 30th and November 30th.

Fasting Discipline for February/March

There will be no fasting during the week following the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican (February 25th this year). In March the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on Wednesday and Friday of the first week. Following Meatfare Sunday (March 10th), meat will no longer be eaten until Pascha. The week following Meatfare Sunday is Cheesefare week, when dairy products are allowed on all days of the week. Beginning with Clean Monday on March 18th, the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except for the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 28th, when fish , wine and oil are permitted).

Major Commemorations for March

March 3 Sunday of the Prodigal Son

March 9 Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

Saturday of the Souls

March 10 Sunday of Meatfare

March 16 Christodoulos, Wonder-worker of Patmos

March 17 Sunday of Cheesefare

March 18 Clean Monday (Great Lent Begins)

March 24 1st Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy

March 25 Feast of the Annunciation

March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

March 31 2nd Sunday of Lent; Commemoration of Gregory Palamas

Quotable: “Every evil screams only one message: ‘I am good!’”

Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Worship: Sunday, March 3, 2024 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)

Scripture: I Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 15:11-32

Celebrant: Father Herman

Epistle Reader: Sophie Dansereau

Prosphora: Meadows

Coffee Hour: Meadows/Pacurari/Cooper