March 2, 2025

Forgiveness Sunday

Sunday of Cheese Fare

The theme of the Sunday before Lent is FORGIVENESS (cheese fare) and the Gospel lesson is Matthew 6:14-21 which teaches us both of forgiveness and of fasting. “To forgive is to put between me and my enemy the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless dead-ends of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a breakthrough of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world” (Great Lent, Page 28). And to fast is to first fast before God and not men so as to curb the desires and cravings of our fallen nature. This effort can help free us from the dictatorship of the flesh over our spirit, so we can more fully love and forgive.

Romans 13:11-14:4: Brethren, now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and licentiousness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. But as for the one who is weak in faith, receive him, but not for disputes over opinions. For one believes he may eat anything; but the weak person eats herbs. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to be the judge over the servant of a stranger? To his own master he either stands or falls; but he will be made to stand; for God is able to make him stand.

Matthew 6:14-21: The Lord said to His Disciples: If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

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 Cheese Fare Sunday: O thou who guidest to wisdom, and givest understanding and intelligence, the Instructor of the ignorant and Helper of the poor, strengthen my heart and grant it understanding, O Master. Give me word, O Word of the Father; for behold, I shall not refrain my lips from crying to thee, O merciful One, have mercy upon me who am 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, March 2 (Sunday of Cheese Fare)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

9:00 a.m. – Christian Education

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

12:00 p.m. – TEENS Fundraising Meal

6:30 p.m. – Forgiveness Vespers

Monday, March 3

Father Herman off

6:30 p.m. – Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Tuesday, March 4

6:30 p.m. – Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Wednesday, March 5

5:20 p.m. – Catechism Class

6:30 p.m. – Presanctified Liturgy followed by Soup Supper

Thursday, March 6

6:30 p.m. – Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Friday, March 7

6:30 p.m. – Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos

Saturday, March 8

11:00 a.m. – Ladies of St. Peter Lenten Retreat with Lenten Lunch

4:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

6:00 p.m. – Great Vespers

Sunday, March 9 (First Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy)

8:50 a.m. – Orthros

9:00 a.m. – Christian Education

10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy (webcast)

4:00 p.m. – Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers with sister churches

5:15 p.m. – Pot Luck Soup Supper

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Eucharist Bread Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

March 2 Karam TEENS FUNDRAISER MEAL

March 9 Brock Meadows/Brock

March 16 R. Root Dansereau/Alaeetawi

March 23 Pacurari Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites

March 24 (Mon. p.m.) Lasseter D. Root/Meadows

(Feast of the Annunciation)

March 30 Milnor Miller/Weatherly

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.

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#

March 2 Brenda Baker Rom. 13:11-14:4 279

March 9 Katie Miller Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40 281

March 16 Mary Martha Ellis Heb. 1:10-2:3 283

March 23 Kh. Sharon Meadows Heb. 4:14-5:6 285

March 24 (Mon. p.m.) Brenda Baker Heb. 2:11-18 376

March 30 Katie Miller Heb. 6:13-20 287

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; Marilyn (Kyriake) Snell; Jack and Jill Weatherly; Dn. Terry Algood and their family; Reader Basil and Brenda Baker and their family; Fr. Joseph Bittle; Rick Carlton; Very Rev. Fr. Nicholas and Kh. Jan Speier; Lee Greene; Fr. John and Kh. Janet Henderson and their family; Galina Singletary; Emily and Cole Parker.

Thank you to Jenny Rodriquez who is now serving as the new church secretary. Also, a huge thank you to Kh. Sharon Meadows for her service to the church in this position for so many years. Please keep them both in your God-pleasing prayers!

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.

* Great Lent begins this year on Clean Monday, March 3rd.

* The Schedule for Services for the first week of Lent are as follows:

Sunday, March 2nd – Forgiveness Vespers, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 3rd – 1st part of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4th – 2nd part of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 5th – Presanctified Liturgy with Soup Supper, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 6th – 4th part of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, March 7th – Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 9th – Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers with sister churches followed by

Pot luck soup supper, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

* This year’s dates for serving at Stewpot Ministries are Saturday, March 1st and Saturday, September 27th.

The Ladies of St. Peter will have a Lenten Retreat and Lenten Lunch with Father Herman as our speaker NEXT Saturday, beginning at 11:00 a.m. We will not have Akathist that morning.

We are currently in the beginning process of updating our Church directory. On the bureau in the foyer there are information sheets to be filled out by each family and individual. We are asking EVERYONE to please fill out one of these information sheets and get it back to Fr. Herman or Kh. Sharon by March 10. (Please be sure to PRINT as neatly as you can.) Thank you for your timely cooperation with this.

Seating spaces in the Nave: As a gentle reminder, please be mindful of seating spaces in the Nave during Sunday Divine Liturgy. Due to our growth over the past few years seating has become a little more limited and there has been an overflow toward the back of the Nave near the Narthex, which makes it “tight” for the clergy to make the Great Entrance. While this is a good problem to have, and until we can begin work on the new Temple, please make sure there are enough spaces available in the “seating” area of the Nave for as many people as possible. This means we may have “squtch in” on the rows. Thank you for your help in this.

Fasting Discipline for March

The traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all days of the week. However, there is a katlysis on Saturdays and Sundays when wine and oil are allowed and on March 25th (Feast of the Annunciation), when fish, wine and oil are allowed.

Major Commemorations for March

March 2 Forgiveness Sunday; Sunday of Cheese Fare

March 9 1st Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy

40 Martyrs of Sebaste

March 16 2nd Sunday of Lent; Commemoration of Gregory Palamas

March 23 3rd Sunday of Lent; Adoration of the Holy Cross

March 25 Feast of the Annunciation

March 26 Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

March 30 4th Sunday of Lent; Commemoration of John Climacus

Quotable: “Fasting gradually disperses and drives away spiritual darkness and the veil of sin that lies on the soul, just as the sun dispels the mist. Fasting enables us spiritually to see that spiritual air in which Christ, the Sun who knows no setting, does not rise, but shines without ceasing. Fasting, aided by vigil, penetrates and softens hardness of heart. Where once were the vapors of drunkenness it causes fountains of compunction to spring forth.”

St. Symeon the New Theologian

Worship: Sunday, March 9, 2025 (First Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy)

Scripture: Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40; John 1:43-51

Epistle Reader: Katie Miller

Prosphora: Brock

Coffee Hour: Meadows/Brock