Sunday, February 7, 2021
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Tone 2 and Eothinon 2
After-Feast of the Presentation (Meeting) of Christ in the Temple
Today’s Hymns and Readings
Apolytikion of the Resurrection – Tone 2
When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life! Glory to thee, O our God!
Apolytikion of the Presentation of Christ into the Temple – Tone 1
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace, for from thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness. Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, who granteth us 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 Presentation of Christ in the Temple – Tone 1
Thou, O Christ God, who by thy Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and, as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us; preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
Epistle – II Corinthians 6:1-10 (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Prokeimenon. Psalm 28.11, 1. The Lord will give strength to his people
Verse. Bring to the Lord, O sons of God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.
BRETHREN, working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Gospel – Matthew 25:14-30 (Sixteenth Sunday of Matthew)
THE LORD SPOKE THIS PARABLE: “A man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’”
As he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Next week’s homework: II Corinthians 6:16-7:1 (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)
Matthew 15:21-28 (Seventeenth Sunday of Matthew)
FEBRUARY 7, 2021 – AFTER-FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION (MEETING) OF CHRIST
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.
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 7 – We pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Elias Darzi, Jacob Khoury, James Pappas, Wadih Rahhal, Olga Shawah Roccosanto, Louis Sabah, Farieda Sarafien, Edward Saydah, and Florence Ventrice. Memory eternal!
George Trisciuzzi offers Prayers of Oblation for the repose of the soul of the newly departed servant of God Pedro Trisciuzzi–Almendola of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Memory eternal!
Rolland Salloum and Wanda Salloum offer Prayers of Oblation and the Holy Bread for the repose of the soul of their sister, the handmaiden of God Giselle Kronfli, who departed this life in Maryland on January 5. Memory eternal!
The Family of the handmaiden of God Sally Takla offers Prayers of Oblation and a 10-Year Memorial for the repose of her soul. Memory eternal!
NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14 – We will pray for the repose of the souls of the servants of God Mary Alexander, Charles Balady, III, David Bittar, Gloria Fadel, George Ganim, Emily Nassoor, George Sabah, and Eleanor E. Saleeby. Memory eternal!
HOLY BREAD – 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! Linda and George Salamy have also made an offering for the entire year. Many years! 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.”
FOR THE INFIRM – Please remember our ailing brethren in your daily intercessions, especially, Clair Banat (Norwegian), Khalil Eid (Hamilton Park), Albert Castley (FL), Nadim Dahdouh, Diana Finger, Robert Forcina, Mary Ganim, Susan Hadad, 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.
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.
SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY – In the past we have marked “Super Bowl Sunday” with a collection of canned food and cash donations in order to participate in IOCC’s “Souper Bowl Sunday.” This year we simply inviting everyone to make a cash donation which we will send to IOCC in support of the relief efforts in both Syria and Lebanon.
TEEN SOYO – Teen SOYO will host a workshop on making prosphora/holy bread on Thursday, February 11, at 7:30 PM. We encourage all teens and their families to participate. You will need to make some arrangements in advance in order to bake along with the demonstration, so please be in touch with Co-Advisor Angela Athineos at athineos@verizon.net or (646) 522-2859.
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 CAMP – The Antiochian Village Camp will host a virtual Winter Camp this Saturday, February 13 from 2:00-4:00 PM. The Zoom link is available on the camp’s website, www.avcamp.org. Fr. Nicholas Belcher will address the topic “Having Endurance during a Challenging Time.”
BLESSING OF HOMES – The Archdiocese recommends that the traditional blessing of homes following Holy Epiphany must be done with great caution this year due to our current state of high transmission and low hospital capacity in most areas of our Archdiocese. Clergy may bless the homes of those who request it - following all safety precautions. Once this current surge subsides, priests can begin blessing and visiting homes at a more usual pace. Blessings may continue throughout the course of next year.
When the priest blesses homes during the Epiphany season, the recommendation is that he visit quickly and limit the time to the blessing itself - not staying for dinner or coffee. Although this is very difficult pastorally, clergy should be careful not to contract the virus at one home and then spread it throughout the parish community. The Archdiocese also recommends not doing more than one or two per day and postponing the vast majority of house blessings until later in the year when, God willing, the situation improves.
CHURCH SCHOOL – Our Church School has made an arrangement with our brothers and sisters at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Little Falls, NJ, to make their online church school sessions open to enrollment by St. Mary's students. Because St. George is a much larger parish, they're able to offer church school classes that are differentiated by individual grade level, while still small enough to work online. It's an important opportunity to put a bit of Christian education back in our kids' schedules, especially as we approach Great Lent and Holy Week.
St. George's class schedule is listed below. Note that many classes are held on Sunday afternoons, while a few take place on Saturday or weeknights. If you're interested in having your child join, even just to try one class, please contact either Lorraine Deeb at ldeebsped@verizon.net or (718) 491-4996, or Michael Regnier at regnier@gmail.com or (347) 860-1206 with the name and grade level of each child. We will share that information with the St. George teacher, who will then contact you directly with a Zoom link and details.
Kindergarten Saturday 10:30am
Grade 1 Sunday 12:45pm
Grade 2 Monday 4:30pm
Grades 3 & 4 Thursday 6:30pm
Grade 5 Sunday 1:00pm
Grade 6 Sunday 2:00pm
Grade 7 Sunday 2:00pm
Grade 8 Sunday 1:00pm
Grades 9 & 10 Sunday 2:30pm
Grades 11 & 12 Sunday 12:15pm
WINTER COAT DRIVE – The Teen SOYO Winter Coat Drive will continue through February. 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.
PLEASE MAKE SURE all electronic devices are turned off in church or at home.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, February 10 Zoom Classroom, 7:30 PM
Thursday, February 11 Teen SOYO Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 13 Antiochian Village Winter Camp via Zoom
Great Vespers, 5:00 PM
Sunday, February 28 Annual Parish Meeting via smaoc - Twitch
We livestream all divine services via smaoc - Twitch.
FROM THE FATHERS – “When they badmouth you, you must with all your strength struggle to maintain the peace of your heart. And if you are disturbed, do not show it, so in this way you might begin to completely uproot your passions.”
- Staretz Efstratios of Glinsk
A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America