May 3, 2026 A. D.
Saturday, May 9 SUNDAY OF THE MAN BORN BLIND
4:00 PM All Mothers Living & Deceased
Sunday, May 10 SUNDAY OF THE MAN BORN BLIND
8:30 AM All Mothers Living & Deceased
Thursday, May 14 ASCENSION OF OUR LORD- OBLIGATION
8:30AM God’s Blessing & Good Health for All Parishioners
Saturday, May 16 SUNDAY OF THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
4:00 PM Irene Frisbie- Dempsey Family
Sunday, May 17 SUNDAY OF THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
8:30 AM Joseph Kane- Gloria Udiski
MOTHERS…..
A teacher asked the class a question: “Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were five of you– two parents and three children. What part of the pie would you get?” Quickly a little boy shot up his hand to answer, and then confidently responded, “One fourth. “No. You didn’t understand the question, or you don’t know your fractions,” said the teacher. “Remember, there are five of you.” “Yes, I realize that,” said the boy, “But you don’t know my mother. My mommy would say she didn’t want any pie so that everyone else could have more.” How many of us have mothers like this? I was fortunate to grow up with a mother who possessed such a spirit. If one phrase summarizes authentic motherhood, it is “sacrificial love,” (agape). She is always ready to give of her very self in a quiet, humble way.
St. John Chrysostom on Motherhood and Mother’s Prayer
As someone who studies motherhood and theology and who has five children myself, fellow Catholic mothers often ask me if I can point them to prayers for mothers for their children, since few of our prayer books include prayers on this subject. While I do have a few prayers I pass on, I also recommend that they read Saint John Chrysostom’s thoughts on prayer and motherhood. Saint John of the fourth century is a frequent source for reflection on family life in the twenty-first. His reverence for family rings clear across the centuries, and this is true especially in his appreciation for motherhood. Saint John elevated motherhood to something beyond the mundane, daily care of children and into the realm of spiritual significance. Directing his remarks at mothers, he said, “I mean, the children being born, provided they receive proper care and are brought up to virtue by your attention, prove a basis and occasion of complete salvation for you; and in addition to your own virtuous acts you will receive a great reward for your care of them.” (Homily on Hannah, Old Testament Homilies) Thus Chrysostom saw motherhood as a salvific opportunity, as a vocation that can lead to the heavenly reward. Saint John was particularly moved by the vision of motherhood he saw in Hannah, the mother of Prophet Samuel in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 1-2). He admired the power of Hannah’s spontaneous prayer when she visited the temple eager to have a child. He wrote of the intensity of the prayer she prayed in her quest for motherhood and in her later dedication of her child to the Lord. In praising Hannah’s spontaneous prayer, Saint John contrasted it with more typical, less mindful prayer: “I mean, while we all pray, we do not all do it before the Lord: when the body is lying on the ground and the mouth is babbling on, and the mind wandering through all parts of the house and the market place, how will such people be in a position to claim that they prayed before the Lord?” (Homily on Hannah, Old Testament Homilies) In short, Hannah provides the model for all types of prayer, not just a mother’s prayer. Most prayer is half-hearted, barely present, whereas Hannah’s prayer is fully present, felt in her body and her soul. Yet, Saint John also saw a special role for prayer by mothers. His specific instruction to mothers is that they should consecrate their children through prayer. As a mother and a theologian, I find this to be an important reminder of the importance of my prayers for my own children. Though the Catholic Church lacks many composed prayers for mothers, and though the addition of such prayers would be welcome, Hannah’s tale shows that mothers have taken prayers for their children into their own hands for millennia—and that the Church has celebrated this initiative. This is why I point mothers to Saint John: he reminds us that our spontaneous prayers as mothers are powerful on their own. Whatever words we choose, it is our sacred responsibility as mothers to bless and consecrate our children by praying for them.-The Catalog of Good Deeds
To us he gave life everlasting, let us bow before His third-day Resurrection.
PRAYERS: Please remember in your prayers all who are in need of God’s help. Remember those in the nursing facilities, hospital and at home, all the sick and the suffering. Please say a special prayer for all of our nation’s soldiers and their families at home and abroad. Please pray for all our priests, active and retired.
SOROKOUSTY SERVICE: The fifth Sorokousty is Saturday, May 23rd at 8:00 am.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!: Father Walter wishes all of the Mothers of our Parish a Very Happy and Blessed Mother’s Day and Eternal Rest to all Deceased Mothers.
PETITIONS TO THE MOTHER OF GOD: May is the month of Blessed Mother of God. We will have Petitions to the Mother of God following Divine Liturgies this month.
Petitions & Prayers for Our Parishioners: John Ostrum, Donna Winsock, Sonia Dempsey, Catherine Halloway, Charles Hallaway, Louise Hubiack, Frank Udiski, Paul Hoover & James Bencho. Keep them in your prayers. If anyone would like to be included in the prayer list drop a note in the basket, email the church or text Michalene Ostrum at 570-704-7079.
WALKING PILGRIMAGE: FOOTSTEPS OF OUR ANCESTORS: Save the date Saturday, June 13. A Seven Mile Walking Pilgrimage from St. Mary’s Church in Mocanaqua through the Pinchot State Forest, Mocanaqua Tract to St. Nicholas Church, Glen Lyon. Divine Liturgy offered and lunch served at the end of the walk. Register by June 6, 2026 at www.tinyurl.com/foapilgrimage26. For more information call/text 570-301-9253 or email foapilgrimage@gmail.com. The faith lives on in Glen Lyon……….
The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday. The Feast itself commemorates when, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, and after blessing them and asking them to wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ascended into heaven. The account of the Ascension of our Lord, celebrated as one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, is found in the book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:3-11. It is also mentioned in the Gospels of Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:50-53). The moment of the Ascension is told in one sentence: “He was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). Christ made His last appearance on earth, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead. The Acts of the Apostles states that the disciples were in Jerusalem. Jesus appeared before them and commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the “Promise of the Father”. He stated, “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). After Jesus gave these instructions, He led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. Here, He commissioned them to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is also at this time that the disciples were directed by Christ to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus also told them that He would be with them always, “even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). As the disciples watched, Jesus lifted up His hands, blessed them, and then was taken up out of their sight (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). Two angels appeared to them and asked them why they were gazing into heaven. Then one of the angels said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The icon of The Ascension of Our Lord is a joyous icon. It is written with bright colors. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla. A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a symbol of teaching. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Church, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work. The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the whiteness of the garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church. The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. St. Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. At that time, St. Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church. The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; it receives its commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
SS Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church 