Sunday, February 28, 2021
Sunday of the Prodigal Son
Tone 5 and Eothinon 5
Venerable Basil the Confessor, Companion of Prokopios of Decapolis
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 5
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.
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 the Prodigal Son – Tone 3
When I disobeyed in ignorance thy fatherly glory, I wasted in iniquities the riches that thou gavest me. Wherefore, I cry to thee with the voice of the prodigal son, saying, I have sinned before thee, O compassionate Father, receive me repentant, and make me as one of thy hired servants.
Epistle – I Corinthians 6:12-20 (Prodigal Son)
Prokeimenon. Psalm 32.22,1. Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us.
Verse. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
BRETHREN, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” – and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two shall become one flesh.” But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belong to God.
Gospel – Luke 15:11-32 (Prodigal Son)
THE LORD SPOKE THIS PARABLE: “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.
Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’ But the son was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”
Next week’s homework: I Corinthians 8:8-9:2 (Meat Fare)
Matthew 25:31-46 (Meat Fare)
FEBRUARY 28, 2021 – SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
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, FEBRUARY 28 – We pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Yvonne Absey, Najibi Anthony, Jodat Arida, Tamina Arida, Mary Assatly, Mary Samara D`Angelico, Donald Farkouh, Alexander and Regina Ghazal, William Haddad, Sr., Mounir Kaba, Walter John Lattof, Dianna G. Lewis, Lillian Malouf, Isabel Massabni, Eugenie Morgan, Naaman Nehme, Wendy Sadaka-Zavolas, Amin Salem, George Senior, and George Shamyer. Memory eternal!
Albert Absey offers Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of his beloved wife, the handmaiden of God Yvonne Absey. Memory eternall!
Aline Farkouh, Camil Malouf and Corinne Nahas offer Prayers of Oblation and a 40-Day Memorial for the repose of the soul of their aunt, Laurice Barbar, who departed this life in Lebanon on December 30. Memory eternal!
NEXT SUNDAY, MARCH 7 – We will pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Albert Bittar, Nicholas Ghiz, Emeline Halibi, Maude Sarkis, Laurice Merhige Schuh, Gloria Sparsidis, Georgette Hamwi, Adma Jabran, Charles Kassatly, and William Simon. Memory eternal!
HOLY BREAD – Gloria Darzi offers the Holy Bread of Oblation in February for the repose of the soul of her husband Elias. Memory eternal! Rolland Salloum and Wanda Salloum offer the Holy Bread of Oblation for the month of February in memory of their sister Giselle Kronfli who departed this life in Maryland on January 5. Memory eternal! We ask for a donation of $50/week.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYERS – At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a reader will read the Post-Communion Prayers of Thanksgiving. Please reverently hear these prayers before beginning to “chat.”
CHURCH ATTENDANCE - We have increased capacity in line with civil and Archdiocese guidelines while still maintaining the social distancing of 6 feet. There is always a possibility that the church may reach social distance capacity in which case worshippers may wait safely 6 feet apart outside the church. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy people outside may enter the church as attendees exit to receive Holy Communion, holy bread, and/or light a candle. We still ask everyone who wants to attend in person either to call the church office or email pastor@smaoc.org ahead of time.
FOR THE INFIRM – Please remember our ailing brethren in your daily intercessions, especially, Clair Banat (Norwegian), Khalil Eid (Hamilton Park), Albert Castley (FL), Charles Bryant, Nadim Dahdouh, Diana Finger, Robert Forcina, Mary Ganim, Susan Hadad, Edward Hanna, Alfred Nahas, Louis Savarese, Evelyn Shamoun, Leon Smatt, Jim Thompson (NJ), George Trisciuzzi, Dr. Samir Zamaria (MD), and Rose Zrake (at home).
PLEDGE GIVING – During these extraordinary times we ask everyone to maintain their pledge giving as much as possible. Please remember that St. Mary's Church now accepts donations online. Just visit https://smaoc.squarespace.com/donate and pay securely by credit card, debit card, or check. There is an option to indicate gifts made in honor of or in remembrance of someone.
SPIRITUAL MESSAGE - In case you missed the Living Faith Series presentation sponsored by the Antiochian Women of the East (AWE) last Sunday with Khouria Laila Ellias, you can view the recording at https://youtu.be/71AVRWR2yVU.
ZOOM CLASSROOM – Please remember to mark your calendars for Wednesday’s Zoom Classroom at 7:30 PM. We will discuss Chapters 21-24 of Section II from Fr. John Breck’s book God with Us: Critical Issues in Christian Life and Faith. The book is available from our bookstore at a deeply discounted price. Please contact Lorraine Deeb to obtain a copy at ldeebsped@verizon.net. Use the Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/4735214754?pwd=dFFGVHVnODR6YzZaTVE3UWR3bWNpQT09,
Meeting ID: 473 521 4754, Passcode: 7S5EHj. Our sessions only last 40 minutes.
VIRTUAL RETREAT – The combined Dioceses of the East will host a Virtual Spring Retreat led by His Grace Bishop Thomas (Joseph) on March 4-7 on the theme of “Exploring Servant Leadership.” There will be multiple presentations over the four days. Please see the flyer in this bulletin for more information and the Zoom links, or see the bulletin board.
SATURDAY OF THE SOULS - We will celebrate a Divine Liturgy for the Saturday of the Souls this Saturday, March 6, at 10:30 AM. Please submit the names of your departed loved ones to Fr. Michael by Friday morning.
BLOOD DRIVE – Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church will sponsor a Blood Drive on Sunday, March 7, 11:00 AM–3:00 PM in the DGK Parochial School. To sign up contact Javier Jiminez at jjimenez@nyc.org. Please see the flyer in this bulletin or on the bulletin board for more information.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING – We will hold our Annual Parish Meeting today via twitch.tv/smaoc. There will be a brief recess following the end of the Divine Liturgy, then we will reconvene for a brief meeting. Please review the annual report which we mailed with the 2020 pledge statements prior to the meeting. The parish organizations will not give oral reports unless there are specific questions. Parishioners will be able to listen to the meeting and to submit questions either by the chat feature of twitch.tv/smaoc or by calling (425) 436-6399 and using code 5457060.
LENTEN RESOURCES – Great Lent is approaching. Our parish Bookstore, recently dedicated to the memory of Elena Paris, has copies of the service books for Great Lent, including Little Compline with the Akathist Hymn, the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, and Holy Week. There are also a few Lenten cookbooks available. Please contact Lorraine Deeb at ldeebsped@verizon.net or (718) 491-4996 to reserve your books.
WINTER COAT DRIVE – The Teen SOYO Winter Coat Drive ends today. Coats, scarves, gloves, blankets, and other cold weather attire are welcome. Please place your offerings on the table in the vestibule. We will distribute all items directly to local charities and recipients.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION – Dorothy Downie, the daughter of our late beloved pastor, Fr. Paul Schneirla, has sent us two DVDs of television interviews Fr. Paul did in 1979 and 1981. We will debut the second of these interviews during our Zoom Classroom on Wednesday, March 10, at 7:30 PM. The presentation gives an excellent historical summary of Orthodoxy’s introduction to North America. St. Mary’s Church is clearly visible, and our choir is easily audible. You will recognize many people as well.
FASTING DISCIPLINE FOR FEBRUARY – The week following the second Pre-Lenten Sunday of the Prodigal Son (March 1-6), the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, cheese, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, olive oil, and their by-products) is observed on Wednesday and Friday as normal. The week following the third Pre-Lenten Sunday of the Last Judgment (March 8-13), known as Cheese Week, we observe what is popularly referred to as a “white fast.” This means that while we abstain from all meats (beef, lamb, pork, poultry and their by-products), other types of foods (including cheese, eggs, dairy, fish, wine, olive oil and their by-products) are permitted on all days of the week. The Great Fast begins on Monday, March 15.
PLEASE MAKE SURE all electronic devices are turned off in church or at home.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, March 3 Zoom Classroom, 7:30 PM via Zoom
March 4-7 Virtual Retreat – Dioceses of the East via Zoom
Saturday, March 6 Saturday of the Souls – Matins, 9:30 AM
Divine Liturgy, 10:30 AM
Juliana Rich Baptism, 2:00 PM
Great Vespers, 5:00 PM
Monday, March 8 Parish Council, 7:30 PM via Zoom
Wednesday, March 10 Zoom Classroom – Special DVD Presentation, 7:30 PM
Thursday, March 11 Teen SOYO Zoom Meeting, 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 13 Andrew Nehme Baptism, 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 14 Cheese Fare/Forgiveness Sunday
Daylight Saving Time begins
Monday, March 15 Great Lent Begins
Great Compline, 7:00 PM
We livestream all divine services via https://www.twitch.tv/smaoc.
FROM THE FATHERS – “For this is the work of the Father’s loving-kindness and goodness, that not only should He make him alive from the dead, but that He should render His grace illustrious through the Spirit. Therefore, instead of corruption, He clothes him with an incorruptible garment; instead of hunger, He kills the fatted calf; instead of far journeys, [the Father] watched for his return, providing shoes for his feet; and, what is most wonderful, placed a divine signet-ring upon his hand; whilst by all these things He begot him afresh in the image of the glory of Christ. These are the gracious gifts of the Father, by which the Lord honors and nourishes those who abide with Him, and also those who return to Him and repent.”
- St. Athanasius the Great
A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America