Sunday, February 23, 2020
Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meat Fare)
Tone 3 and Eothinon 2
Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna
We are pleased to welcome you to worship with us today. Please note that only Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves with prayer, fasting and a recent confession may approach to receive Holy Communion. Everyone is welcome to reverence the cross and to partake of the blessed bread at the dismissal. Please introduce yourself to our pastor, and ask him about membership in the Orthodox Church.
Today’s Hymns and Readings
Apolytikion of the Resurrection – Tone 3
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 depth of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
Apolytikion of the Nativity of the Theotokos – Tone 4
Thy nativity, O Theotokos, hath proclaimed joy to the whole universe. For from thee did shine forth the Sun of justice, Christ our God, annulling the curse, and bestowing the blessing, abolishing death and granting us life everlasting.
Kontakion of Meat Fare Sunday – Tone 1
When thou comest, O God, to earth with glory, and all creatures tremble before thee, and the river of fire floweth before the Altar, and the books are opened and sins revealed, deliver me then from that unquenchable fire, and make me worthy to stand at thy right hand, O righteous Judge.
Epistle – I Corinthians 8:8-9:2 (Meat Fare Sunday)
Prokeimenon. Psalm 117.14, 18. The Lord is my strength and my son.
Verse. The Lord has chastened me sorely.
BRETHREN, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Gospel – Matthew 25:31-46 (Meat Fare Sunday)
THE LORD SAID, “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see the hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Next week’s homework: Romans 13:11-14:4 (Cheese Fare)
Matthew 6:14-21 (Cheese Fare)
POST-COMMUNION PRAYERS – As the faithful approach to reverence the cross, receive a blessing and a piece of antidoron (holy bread) at the dismissal, a reader will read the Post-Communion Prayers of Thanksgiving. Please greet each other quietly as we reverently hear these prayers.
FASTING DISCIPLINE – During this second week of the season of the Triodion we keep the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, and olive oil) on Wednesday and Friday.
FEBRUARY 23, 2020 – SUNDAY OF THE LAST JUDGMENT (MEAT FARE)
Mission Statement - The mission of St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church of Brooklyn, NY, is to love and worship God through participation in the liturgical life of the Church, and to live and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We carry out this mission through education, outreach, fellowship, and works of mercy with love for each other, our neighbors, and our diverse world.
TODAY, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 – We pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Thomas Abdallah, Almaza Allawh, Charles Assatly, Mary Samara D`Angelico, Vincent D’Angelico, Margaret Fiani Dib, Wadie Jabbour, Rt. Rev. Ananias Kassab, George Kassab, Lily Malouf, Albert Mesnooh, Melia Murad, Gabriel Murad, Renges Orfaly, Alice Puccarielli, and Olga Saba. Memory eternal!
Irene Tashji offers Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of the servant of God Thomas Abdallah. Memory eternal!
NEXT SUNDAY, MARCH 1 - We will pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Yvonne Absey, Najibi Anthony, Jodat Arida, Tamina Arida, Mary Assatly, Donald Farkouh, Alexander and Regina Ghazal, William Haddad, Sr., Mounir Kaba, Walter John Lattof, Dianna G. Lewis, Isabel Massabni, Eugenie Morgan, Naaman Nehme, Amin Salem, George Senior, George Shamyer, and Wendy Sadaka Zavolas. Memory eternal!
Brenda Sabbagh and Family will offer Prayers of Oblation and a 40-Day Memorial for the repose of the soul of her brother, the servant of God, Dr. Douglas Kalesh. Memory eternal!
Diana Finger and Family will offer Prayers of Oblation and a One-Year Memorial for the repose of the soul of the handmaiden of God Lily Malouf. A Coffee Hour in her memory will follow the Divine Liturgy. Memory eternal!
HOLY BREAD – Karen and Matthew Spolar offer the Holy Bread of Oblation for the month of February. Many years! Gloria Darzi also offers the Holy Bread in loving memory of her departed husband Elias. Memory eternal! Donors are welcome for March and succeeding months. We ask for a donation of $50/week.
FOR THE INFIRM – Please remember our ailing brethren in your daily intercessions, especially, Clair Banat (Norwegian), Khalil Eid (Hamilton Park), Louis Savarese (Haym Salomon), Charlie Bryant, Albert Castley (FL), Nadim Dahdouh, Diana Finger, Robert Forcina, Mary Ganim, Susan Hadad, Louise Hamwi, George Khoury, Jr., Victor Khoury, Loulou Malouf, Emily Maren (ME), Alfred Nahas, Elena Paris, Evelyn Shamoun, Leon Smatt, Claudette Teen, Jim Thompson (NJ), Marianne Trabulsi (NJ), Dr. Sam Zamaria (MD), and Rose Zrake (at home). If a member of your family is in the hospital or recuperating at home, please call the church office and let us know as soon as possible.
MEMORY ETERNAL! We are saddened to announce that the servant of God Malak Karkenny departed this life in the hope of the Resurrection late last week. His funeral was from St. Mary’s Church on Friday. We extend our sympathies to his sons, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. Memory eternal!
WINE NIGHT – Please see the flyer in this bulletin about this special social event sponsored by the Young Adult Fellowship. President Diana Kaiami and her committee have planned a wonderful evening prior to the beginning of the Great Fast. We might consider this event our “Mardis Gras.”
LECTURE SERIES – Fr. Eugene Pappas, pastor of Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, will be the speaker at the next lecture sponsored by the Brooklyn Clergy Brotherhood on Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 PM at Kimisis Greek Orthodox Church, 224 18th Street. His topic will be “The Working of Miracles: The Apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people (Acts 5:12).” Refreshments will follow. There is no charge, and all are welcome.
HOUSE BLESSINGS – Please note that there is only one more Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent. If you would like the priest to bless your home, please make an appointment as soon as possible.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING – We will hold our Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, March 8, following the Divine Liturgy. Teen SOYO will provide a light lunch at a nominal cost. Copies of the parish’s financial report are available in advance by request. Please submit all nominations for the Parish Council to Vice Chairman Michael Regnier by Sunday, March 1, after receiving the nominee’s agreement to serve.
PLEASE MAKE SURE all cell phones and electronic devices are turned off in church.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Sunday, February 23 Meat Fare Sunday Luncheon
Thursday, February 27 Brooklyn Clergy Brotherhood Lecture @ Kimisis, 7:00 PM
Saturday, February 29 Bay Ridge Cares Pancake Breakfast, 10:00 AM -12:30 PM
Young Adult Wine and Cheese Reception, 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 1 Forgiveness Sunday Vespers
Monday, March 2 Great Lent Begins
Great Compline @ St. Mary’s Church, 7:00 PM
Wednesday, March 4 Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, 7:00 PM
Pot Luck Supper
Friday, March 6 Lenten Supper, 6:30 PM & First Akathist Hymn, 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 7 Great Vespers, 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 8 Annual Parish Meeting
Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers @ St. Nicholas, 5 PM
Monday, March 9 Parish Council, 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 15 Ladies of St. Mary’s Meeting
FROM THE FATHERS – “The more days of fasting there are, the better the healing is; the longer the period of abstinence, the more abundant the gain of salvation is.”
- Blessed Augustine of Hippo
A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
When Thou, O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father bare witness unto thee, and called thee His beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed these words. O Christ our God, who has appeared to us and has enlightened the world, glory to thee!
- Troparion of the Feast of Epiphany, Tone 1
EPIPHANY 2020
Blessing of Homes
The blessing of homes during the season of Theophany is a long-standing tradition of our Orthodox Church. Following the Great Blessing of Water, it is customary for the priest to visit the homes of the faithful, bringing with him the “blessings of the Jordan.” Through the solemn prayers, we rededicate our home to be a place where a family is guided by Jesus Christ. Since this is the time in our Church Year when we remember the coming of Christ and the beginning of His ministry, when He descended into the Jordan to be baptized by St. John the Forerunner, it is fitting that the Lord enter our homes and our hearts now. It reminds us that we must “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) This is why our homes must be blessed and sanctified on a regular basis.
When the priest comes for the house blessing, please use these guidelines:
1. Have as many family members as possible present for the appointment.
2. Set up a place for prayer in the dining room or kitchen with an icon and candle.
3. Print a list of the first names of all family members, making a distinction between the living and the departed.
4. Turn off the television, radio, stereo, computer or any other distraction.
5. Make the priest aware of any special needs or issues you may have.
6. Tell the priest about any family members who are ill or in need of a visit.
Either complete the form below and return it to the office, or call the office at (718) 238-8008. The Church also blesses homes between Holy Pascha and Pentecost and between the Feast of the Cross and October 1.
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Dear Father Michael:
I/we would like to have you bless my/our home in 2020.
Name: _________________________________ Phone: _____________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Best Season: Between Epiphany (January 6) and Great Lent (March 2)
(Please circle one) Between Holy Pascha (April 19) and Pentecost (June 7)
Between the Feast of the Cross (September 14) and October 1
Best Day: Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun (Please circle)
Best Time: ________________ AM