FEBRUARY 18, 2024
Saturday, February 17 – 4:00 PM – First Sunday of the Great Fast
✞ Anna Koprowski – Robert and Theresa Kporowski
Sunday, February 18 – 8:30 AM – First Sunday of the Great Fast
Wednesday, February 21- 6:30 pm
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts – At Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish
Friday, February 23 – 4:00 PM
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts – SS Peter & Paul Parish Plymouth
All Souls Saturday, February 24 – 8:00 am at Transfiguration of Our Lord
Saturday, February 24 – 4:00PM –
God’s Blessings, Natalia Becker – The Becker Family
Sunday, February 25 – 8:30 AM – SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
God’s Blessings and Good Health for all Parishioners
The first Sunday of the Great Fast is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. What do we mean by “orthodoxy”? The word “orthodoxy” stems from the Greek word “orthodoxia” (orthos=right; doksa=thinking) which signifies the True Faith and the true worship of God. The orthodoxy that we celebrate this Sunday is Universal (Catholic) Orthodoxy, professed by the entire Church of Christ of the first centuries in the battle against the heresy of Iconoclasm (Gr – eikon=image; klastes=a breaker; – an image breaking heresy). The Sunday of Orthodoxy is a festival for the whole Church, both Eastern and Western. It is the festive celebration of the decisive victory over Iconoclasm and other heresies. Because God became man, we can write images of God, Jesus Christ.
The purpose of this feast is to pay solemn public homage and veneration to the holy icons of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother of God, and all the Saints.
The Church of Christ deeply respects and honors the holy icons as it also does holy relics. She places them in church for public veneration and recommends that we venerate them privately in our homes, and wear small icons around our necks in the form of little crosses or medals.
Remember, icons are story in image and the icon teaches us while also making present the person in the icon. Icons are also windows into heaven. You literally see heaven when you peer into an icon.
SUNDAY LITURGIES DURING LENT:
WHY DO THEY SEEM LONGER?
Our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church prescribes that the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is to be celebrated on all of the Sundays of The Great Fast, instead of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is usually celebrated throughout the rest of the church year. St. Basil’s Anaphora prayers are older and has longer priestly prayers than that of St. John Chrysostom Liturgy (which was derived from the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great), and is celebrated ten times during the church year: the five Sundays of Lent (not Palm Sunday), Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, Christmas Eve, Epiphany Eve, and on the actual Feast of St. Basil which we celebrate on January 1st.
When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes,
when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
The Great Lesson
A young girl named Sally, relates an experience she had in a catechism class, given by her teacher, who we’ll call Brother Smith. She says Brother Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.
One particular day, Sally walked into class and knew they were in for another fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Brother Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry . . . and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.
Sally’s girlfriend (on her right) drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend (on her left) drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of Brother Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing. Sally was pleased at the overall effect she had achieved.
The class lined up and began throwing darts at the picture which Brother Smith put on the wall, with much laughter and hilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Brother Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.
As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Brother Smith began removing the targets from the wall.
Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus . . .
A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced out.
Brother Smith said only these words, “In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you have done it to Me.”
No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of each student focused only on the picture of Christ. The students remained in their seats…
even after the bell rang . . . then slowly left the classroom, tears streaming down their faces.
⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘
Turn to God when you become doubtful or discouraged.
Lord, Your love for me is so great that with this knowledge I am able to face my biggest challenges.
SANCTUARY LIGHT: No request for the Sanctuary light this week.
SS Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church 