May 26, 2024

Sunday of the Paralytic

In the miracle of the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, we see the Son’s power over life and sin, power which becomes fully evident in the Resurrection. The paralytic is a man crippled in body and spirit, for, even as He heals the body, Jesus warns against results of further sin. Christ frees us from our bodies of corruption and grants us flesh glorified in Him; He also frees us from the power of sin and grants us perfection in His Spirit. As the man at the pool accepted God’s grace and found life, so let us walk in His light and come into His presence.

Acts of the Apostles 9:32-42: In those days, as Peter went throughout all regions, he came down also to the saints who dwelt at Lydda. There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who was bedridden for eight years and paralyzed. And Peter said to him: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise and make your bed.” And immediately he arose. And all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned back to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha (which means Gazelle). She was full of good works and of charitable deeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her, they placed her in an upper chamber. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him entreating him: “Come to us without delay!” So Peter arose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him into the upper chamber. All the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and other garments which Tabitha made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body, he said: “Tabitha, arise!” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and raised her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

John 5:1-15: At that time, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and troubled the water; whoever stepped in first, after the troubling of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. One man was there, who had been ill for 38 years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befalls you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had healed him.

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 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 Pascha: When Thou didst descend into the grave, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades. In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming Rejoice! to the myrrh-bearing women, granting peace to Thine apostles and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.

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, May 26 (Sunday of the Paralytic)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

Monday, May 27

Father Herman off

Tuesday, May 28

NO Services

Wednesday, May 29

5:20 p.m. – Catechism Class

6:30 p.m. – Daily Vespers

7:30 p.m. – Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, May 30

NO Services

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Vacation Church School at Holy Resurrection in Clinton

Friday, May 31

NO Services

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Vacation Church School at Holy Resurrection in Clinton

Saturday, June 1 (Justyn the Martyr)

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Vacation Church School at Holy Resurrection in Clinton

4:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

5:00 p.m. – Catechumen Class

6:00 p.m. – Great Vespers

Sunday, June 2 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Brocks for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

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.

Updating the Parish Directory: We will in the very near future, begin another update on our parish directory. If you have any changes since the last directory was updated, or think you have not been added to the directory, please see Kh. Sharon or Fr. Herman within the next two weeks to have this done.

Eucharist Bread Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

May 26 Brock Lasseter/Miller

June 2 R. Root D. Root/Baker

June 9 Pacurari Lockhart/Karam/Snell

June 12 (Wed. p.m.) Lasseter Meadows/Pacurari

(Feast of the Ascension)

June 16 Baker Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

June 22 (Sat. a.m.) Henderson Algood/Schelver/I. Jones

(Saturday of the Souls) Koliva: Anastasia Jones

June 23 Algood PICNIC POT LUCK

(Feast of Pentecost) Pigott/Stewart

June 29 (Sat. a.m.) Schelver Lasseter/Miller

(Feastday of Sts. Peter and Paul)

June 30 Jones 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#

May 26 Sam Habeeb Acts 9:32-42 45

June 2 Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 11:19-30 52

June 9 Ian Jones Acts 16:16-34 58

June 12 (Wed. p.m.) Brenda Baker Acts 1-12 63

June 16 Walt Wood Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 66

June 22 (Sat. a.m.) Reader Basil Baker I Thess. 4:13-17 412

June 23 Reader Chad Miller Acts 2:1-11 77

June 29 (Sat. a.m.) Brandon Strain II Cor. 11:21-33; 12:6-9 389

June 30 Katie Miller Heb. 11:33-12:2 84

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; Galina Singletary; Emily and Cole Parker; Dane and Stephanie Skirtech.

Congratulations to Noor Alaeetawi who graduated from Madison Central High School last week-end. A special Coffee Hour will be held in her honor on Sunday, June 9th.

The next Saturday Catechumen Class will be held June 1st, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Vacation Church School: This year we will be having Vacation Church School in conjunction with Holy Resurrection and Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Orthodox Churches May 30-June 1. VCS will be held at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton and will begin Thursday, May 30th, starting at 8:45 a.m. and ending at 12:30 p.m. Please bring your child into the Fellowship Hall at Holy Resurrection. Please do not drop off any child. You will pick up your child from the same location. Snacks and a light lunch will be served. Your child will need an old shirt or t-shirt to wear during craft time. Please complete and send in the registration forms to Kari East, Elizabeth Root, Daniel Root, Elise Graham, Maddy Dietrich or Susan Ainsworth.

From Holy Resurrection: Vacation Church School will start on Thursday, May 30th, at 8:45 a.m. We are excited and looking forward to our three days of learning about the feasts of the Theotokos. To honor Her and in gratitude for our many blessings, VCS will collect donations of food and school materials for the 4 C’s in Clinton. The boxes will be located in the HROC Parish Hall and children may drop off their contributions as they go to their classrooms. Help us fill the boxes to the brim with our gifts.

Fr. Herman (and Fr. James) will be out of town at the Parish Life Conference June 12-15 in Atlanta, GA. If you need a priest during this time, please contact Fr. John or Fr. Leo.

As a kind reminder, please remember to lock all doors of the church if you are the last to leave. There have been several occasions where doors were left unlocked. Please, for the safety of the church building, remember to lock up when you leave.

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.

* Wednesday Catechumen Class resumes on May 22nd, beginning at 5:20 p.m.

* Vacation Church School May 30 – June 1 at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton.

* Saturday Catechumen Class on June 1st, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

* Remaining Stewpot date for 2024 will be November 30th.

A new publication from the Archdiocese has recently been sent out to all the churches. The publication is entitled “Joy” and is a magazine geared specifically toward our children. If you would like to know more about the magazine, please visit the ministries section of the Arch-diocese website. Copies have been placed on the bureaeu in the foyer for any parents or their children to take.

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.

Fasting Discipline for May/June

There is no fasting of any kind during Bright Week which follows Pascha (May 6-11). The Holy Synod of Antioch has given instruction that there will be no fasting during the entirety of the Paschal Season. Following the Leave-taking of Pascha (June 12th), the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) will once again be observed on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, there is no fasting during the week following the Feast of Pentecost (June 24-28). As a result, there will not be a Fast of the Apostles this year.

Major Commemorations for May/June

May 26 Sunday of the Paralytic

June 1 Justyn Martyr

June 2 Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

June 8 Theodore the General (transfer of relics)

June 9 Sunday of the Blind Man

June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

June 12 Leave-taking of Pascha

June 13 Feast of the Ascension

June 16 Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council

June 22 Saturday of the Souls

June 23 Feast of Pentecost

June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner

June 29 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul

June 30 Sunday of All Saints

Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles

Quotable: “Our prayer life must not depend on our desires or our sense of feeling inspired. Just as we do not breathe of our good will, so too must prayer not be relative to our desire, but something that we do because it is an absolute necessity, something that we have no choice in. Not wanting to pray is a serious sin and reveals that we are in a more general state of sin for which we must ask God’s forgiveness.”

-Elder Sergei of Vanves, Life & Teachings

Worship: Sunday, June 2, 2024 (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

Scripture: Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15

Celebrant: Father Herman

Epistle Reader: Sam Habeeb

Prosphora: Brock

Coffee Hour: Lasseter/Miller