Sunday of the Announcement to the Virgin Mary



Sunday of the Announcement to the Virgin Mary

 November 25, 2017

Biblical Story

The biblical story of the Visitation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke (1:26-39). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, who was living in Nazareth, and said to her, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” Mary was perplexed and wondered what kind of greeting this was.

The angel told her not to be afraid, for she had found favor with God. He said, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary responded to the angel by asking how this could happen since she had no husband. The angel told her that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her, and that the child to be born of her would be called holy, the “Son of God.”

The angel then proceeded to tell the Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age (John the Baptist), and affirmed that with God nothing is impossible.
In faith and obedience to the will of God, Mary replied to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be according to your word.” Upon her response, the angel departed.
It is on this Sunday in the Maronite Catholic Church, Maronite Christians commemorate both the divine initiative of God, whereby He took on flesh from the Virgin for our salvation, and the human response, whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation offered to her. He elected to become man, and He desired to do this with the willing agreement of her whom He chose as His mother. Mary could have refused, for she was not a passive instrument, but an active participant with a free and positive part to play in God’s plan for our salvation.


Galatians 3:15-22

The Promise to Abraham

Brothers and Sisters:

I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. Now a mediator involves more than one party;   but God is one. Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Praise be to God always!

 Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

The Evangelist said:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. This is the truth. Peace be with you.

Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

Ephesians 1:1-14
 Salutation / Spiritual Blessings in Christ

 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. Praise be to God always!

Gospel According to St. Luke 1:39-45

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Meditation/thought's:

One thing that is associated with the celebration of Christmas everywhere is giving. Christmas is the celebration of giving. Christmas is the one time in the year when everyone is sure to give and receive a present, even if its just a Christmas card. People will spend a lot of time and money shopping for the perfect Christmas gift. We put up Christmas trees and decorate our homes to surprise family members with our gifts and to be surprised with theirs. Santa Claus is the perfect symbol of Christmas because Santa is the one who gives and gives and never gets tired of giving. Christmas is a feast of giving even from God's point of view. For at Christmas we celebrate the mystery that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). God gives, and the people of God give, and that is the spirit of Christmas.

If Christmas is the feast of giving, then the question of what to give and how to give becomes very important. After all what is worth doing is worth doing well. How can we improve on the quality of our giving? How can we improve on the quality of our Christmas celebration? Today's Gospel reading helps us to answer some of these questions.

The Gospel according to St. Luke, we read the story of Mary visiting with Elizabeth. What gift did Mary bring to Elizabeth? We are not told that she brought foodstuff, although she might as well have brought some. We are told she brought just one thing: herself. She gave Elizabeth the gift of her very presence. This is the best and the hardest gift of all. It is easy to send flowers, it is easy to send a gift via mail, but to give the gift of ourselves, to make out the time to be with somebody, that is the gift that many people long for but do not receive at Christmas. You can give your family members and friends a costly gift, but the gift of oneself, your presence, and time is more valuable than any gift you can buy. Following Mary's example in today's Gospel story, we must, in addition to the flowers and parcels, give of ourselves, our presence, our time. We must find the time to visit and be with people. This is the greatest gift because its value cannot be calculated in terms of money.

Another point we can make out of Mary's gift to Elizabeth is that one should give not according to one's convenience but according to the needs of the receiver. It was not convenient for Mary to travel the lonely, dangerous road from Galilee to the hills of Judea. It was certainly for her an uphill task. But Elizabeth needed a helping hand. She was six months pregnant and would no longer be able to go and draw water from the village well, to look after the crops in her garden and the animals in her farm, she would no longer be able to go to the market to do her shopping. So Mary, as soon as she learned that Elizabeth was six months pregnant went with haste and stayed with her for about three months, meaning, until she gave birth. Mary gave to Elizabeth what she needed when she needed it. That is the perfect gift.

Do you know one thing everybody needs today? Everybody needs encouragement. Someone who is alone? Everybody needs the interior peace and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. This is what Mary's visit did for Elizabeth. Mary brought the Holy Spirit with her to visit Elizabeth.  Mary's visit was an inspiration to Elizabeth. When you visit people this Christmas, let us try to bring some inspiration into their lives, let us seek to bring them closer to God, and let us try to share with them the Spirit of God in us, the Spirit of consolation, of courage, of peace and joy, just as Mary did, bring them the Holy Spirit that is within you.



Saint Marina the Monk, Saint. Marina (Margaret), Great Martyr, of Antioch in Pisidia

Marina, distinguished as Marina the Monk and also known as Pelagia and as Mary of Alexandria, was an 8th-century, a Christian Saint of Byzantine of Syria in the area now part of of the Country Lebanon.

Born Mariam, Marina was the daughter of wealthy Christian parents. Marina's mother died when she was very young and she was raised in devout Christian life by her father Eugenius. As her age of marriage drew near her father wished to retire to the Monastery of Qannoubine in the Kadisha Valley of Lebanon after he had found her a husband. When Marina learned of her father's plan she asked why he intended to save his own soul "and destroy mine"? When asked by her father, "What shall I do with you? You are a woman", Marina answered that she would renounce women's clothing and live as a monk, in the body she was supposed to take. She then immediately shaved the hair from her head and changed her clothes. Her father, seeing his daughter's strong determination gave all his possessions to the poor and traveled with her to the Kadisha Valley to live in monastic community life, sharing a cell with her under the name Marinus.

After ten years of prayer, fasting and worship together her father died, leaving her alone. Marina increased her level of asceticism and continued to conceal the fact that she was a woman. The other monks attributing her soft voice to long periods of prayer and strict ascetic life. One day, the abbot of the monastery sent her with three other monks to attend to some business for the monastery. As the journey was long, they were forced to spend the night at an inn. Also lodging there was a soldier of the eastern Roman front. Upon seeing the beauty of the inn keeper's daughter the soldier defiled her virginity and impregnated her, instructing the daughter to say, "It was the monk, Father Marina, who has done this to me."

After some time, it was discovered that the inn keeper's daughter was pregnant and, as was agreed, she told her father that Marina was to blame. On hearing the story, the man went furiously to the abbot of the monastery. The abbot calmed the man and told him that he would see to the matter. He called for Marina and reprimanded her severely. When she realized what was happening she fell to her knees and wept, confessing to the false accusation and asking forgiveness. The fact that there was no attempt to deny the fault made the abbot so furious that he told her to leave the monastery. She left at once and remained outside the gates as a beggar for quite a long time. When the inn keeper's daughter gave birth, he took the child and gave him to Marina. She fed the child with sheep's milk, provided by the local shepherds, and remained caring for him outside the monastery for ten years. Finally the monks convinced the abbot to allow Marina to return; he accepted but he also imposed heavy penalties upon her. She was to perform hard labour in cooking, cleaning and carrying water in addition to her regular monastic duties.

At the age of forty, Marina became ill. Three days later she died. The abbot ordered that her body was cleaned, her cloths changed and that she was transferred to the church for funeral prayers. While cleaning and sewing her, the monks discovered that she was, in fact, a woman, and became very distressed. The monks informed the abbot, who came to her side and wept bitterly for the wrongs he had done. The abbot then called for the inn keeper and informed him that Marina was actually a woman. The inn keeper went to where the body lay and also wept for the pain and suffering which he had unjustly brought upon her. During the funeral prayers, one of the monks who was blind in one eye, after he touched the Saint, received full sight again. God also allowed a devil to torment the inn keeper’s daughter and the soldier. This caused them to travel to where the Saint was buried. There they both confessed their iniquity in front of everyone and asked for forgiveness

Some Statistics on Saint Marina

Born 8th century AD

Died July 19, 750 AD +/-

Venerated in Maronite Catholic, Albanian Orthodox Church and Coptic Orthodox churches.

Feast June 18

Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul - 2016

Maronite Icon of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

We remember today Saints Peter and Paul who guided the early church just after the time of Jesus. Both died as martyrs for the faith in Rome, in the early years after Jesus' Death and Resurrection, sometime around the yeas of 50-60 A.D.,  just thirty years after the death of Jesus. Peter was crucified upside down in the courtyard to the left of St. Peter’s Basilica (in the courtyard behind the arch where the Swiss Guards stand on duty)  at his request as he did not want to be looked upon as his death in the same way as Jesus, and Paul was beheaded between Rome and the sea, in a place now called Tre Fontane (Italian for three fountains after the legend that the three springs in the spot mark the three places where Paul’s head bounced after being beheaded). Paul did not receive the same death as Peter, as Paul was a Roman Citizen and could not be crucified.  Peter was buried in the nearest cemetery which was on top of Vatican Hill and St. Peter’s Basilica was later built on top of Peter’s tomb, the main altar being directly on top of his tomb.  Paul was also buried in the nearest cemetery and the Basilica of St. Paul’s outside the Walls was later build on top of his tomb, the main altar being directly on top of his tomb.

Each of these two saints is important for different reasons. Peter is important because he was the first Pope and kept the church united which was growing very rapidly in the years following Pentecost. In the first years after Pentecost it was the Jews who accepted Jesus as the Savior and so the early church was a very Jewish church. But as time went on Paul began to preach also to non-Jews, the Gentiles as they were called. All of us are Gentiles. His preaching was very successful and he brought huge numbers of non-Jews into the church, so much so that the number of Jews in the church was greatly outnumbered by non-Jews. It is because of Paul that we are now in the Church. So both Peter and Paul had very important tasks in the early church, Peter maintaining the unity in the church which during his lifetime had already spread throughout the Middle East and Europe, and Paul who taught the Jews that Jesus is the fulfillment of their Old Testament hopes and taught the non-Jews that Jesus is the Savior. Whenever you see statues of Peter and Paul, usually Peter is holding a key, symbolizing his duty as head of the church, and Paul is holding the Bible, symbolizing his preaching.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul tells us something of the difficulties in his preaching journeys (2 Cor 11:24-25,27):

Five times I have been given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked, and once I have been in the open sea for a day and a night; I have worked with unsparing energy, for many nights without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty, and often altogether without food or drink; I have been cold and lacked clothing.

Three times Paul set out from Syria where he was based and preached all over what we now call Turkey, and in his second and third journeys he preached all over Greece also. Although not one of the Twelve Apostles we call him an apostle of the nations.

It is interesting to note the personalities of both Peter and Paul. Peter was impetuous, telling Jesus that he would die with him on Holy Thursday night if necessary (John 13:37) but later that night he denied he knew him. We also remember Peter’s objection to Jesus’ prediction that he would suffer and die in Jerusalem and Jesus said ‘Get behind me Satan because they way you think is man’s way and not God’s way’ (Matt 16:23). Yet what made Peter a suitable candidate for Jesus’ call was his love, so three times Jesus asked him if he loved him and asked him to look after the flock.

Paul was a controversial character in his own way. He had a fiery personality. In his early life he channeled that fire towards persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem, even witnessing the death of Stephen, the first martyr for Jesus (Acts 8:1). After his conversion Paul’s preaching was fiery and upset the churches. In Acts we read that Paul then returned to Tarsus, and the next sentence says it all, “the churches throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria were left in peace” (9:31). Paul spent 10 years back in Tarsus before he began his preaching. It was a time for him to cool down and learn what the death and resurrection of Jesus meant for us all. Why did God call Paul? Paul was a highly educated Pharisee and it would be only someone like him who could see that faith in Jesus demanded a totally new relationship with God for Jews, and also he had a very strong personality which he needed to help the Jews to accept that Jesus was the Savior of all peoples, and that because of Jesus there is no difference between Jew and non-Jew. Paul had the strong personality needed for that daring challenge and the insight to see that faith in Jesus the fulfillment of their Old Testament hopes was now required for salvation.

As we look at the personalities of Peter and Paul, we see that God called them to use their personalities to spread the Gospel, Peter to use his impetuous love to look after the flock, and Paul to use his training as a Pharisee and his strength of character to ensure that the non-Jews would be welcomed into the church. It is a reminder to us that our talents and our weaknesses too can become God’s means of helping others, if we allow. We don’t have to be perfect for God to work through us, God can work through us, faults and all, as he did with Peter and Paul.

Birth of John the Baptist, The Forerunner - His Name will be John!

Icon of the Birth of John the Baptist, The Forerunner

 Galatians 4:21-5:1

Brothers and Sisters:
Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married.” Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.” So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman. For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Praise be to God always!

 Luke 1:57-66 
 The Birth of John the Baptist
The Evangelist said:
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. This is the truth. Peace be with you.

Meditation

“Among those born of women no one is greater than John” (Luke 7:28). These words which our Lord said about John the Baptist are probably behind the solemn feast of the birthday of John the Baptist which we celebrate today.  This is the church’s way of saying with Jesus that “among those born of women no one is greater than John.”

The gospel story of the birth of John focuses on the naming ceremony. Why does the gospel show such an interest in the naming of the child? But not everybody would agree with this view. In biblical times, and still today in many African cultures, personal names function the way business names do, that is, they aim to convey what the bearer of the name stands for. When Simon shows that he could be relied on as a leader of the apostles, he gets the name “Rock.” When the sons of Zebedee, James and John, petition Jesus to call down lightning from heaven to burn up the inhabitants of a Samaritan village who do not welcome Jesus, they get a new name “Sons of Thunder.” Names reveal an essential character or destiny of the bearer.

The name John means “God is gracious.” His birth signals the beginning of a new era in God-human relationship, an era to be characterized by grace and not by law. God himself gave John that name and it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision as we heard a few weeks ago for the Announcement to Zachariah (Luke 1:13). Zachariah did not believe the Angels words, so by Gods will he could not talk anymore,  The Angel delivered the name that would be given to this baby.  That this name was given to the child already before his birth shows that God has a purpose and plan for the child. The words of Isaiah apply equally to John: “The lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. … he formed me in the womb to be his servant (Isaiah 49:1, 5).  In John we see that God already has a purpose for His children before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for them to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands.

The purpose for which God created you may require that you walk to a different drumbeat than other people. For John it required that he live in the desert far from normal human contact and civilization. God’s purpose for his life dictated even the minutest details of how he would dress and eat, since he had to dress in rough animal skin and eat the vegetarian food of locusts and wild honey. He adopted a lifestyle that would enhance his calling in life. He did not go for any unnecessary trappings that would weigh him down or encumber his life. To discern what God is calling us to be we need to cultivate some sort of desert in our lives where we can listen to God. We need to make Samuel’s words to the Lord, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3;10) part of our daily prayer. And, to be faithful to the call of God, we need the courage and discipline to keep away from any choice of association or lifestyle that does not help us along the path to which God has called us. John is great today not just because God called him to a special vocation but because he walked faithfully in the path that leads to the goal that God had set for him.

The neighborhood in which John was born did not help him to realise his divine calling. In fact they wanted to prevent John from receiving his God-given name and identity. They wanted to give him his father’s name “Zachariah.” They objected to his being named John because “None of your relatives has this name” (Luke 1:61). For them what a child can be is determined by what his family and lineage has been. Their dream of a wonderful future for the child is limited by his family background. But God’s dream for us far exceeds anything that has been in our family background.  Our life’s work is to wake up and make God’s glorious dream for us a reality.

As we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist and read the marvellous story of how he got his God-given name, let us ask ourselves: If God willed it to have an angel appear to me, would i believe and would I listen and do what the angel asks of me, or would i be like the Priest Zachariah and question and not believe the angel?  If I am now to receive a new name, a name that represents my God-given identity and calling in life, what would that name be? If you do not know your God-given name, the name which represents all that God sent you into the world to be and to accomplish, then it is time to find out by listening in prayer. This is because our greatness as children of God, like the greatness of John the Baptist, consists in discovering what God has created for us to be and living out the demands of that call without any questions or doubts and ........without compromise.

Jesus sending the 12 Apostles



Gospel Reading
Matthew 10: 16 - 25

The Lord Jesus says to His Disciples

"See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is

enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!”

Maronite Celebration of Pentecost and the Rite of Kneeling on Pentecost

Description of the Icon

This Icon of Pentecost is full of many colors. It shows us the Light of the Holy Spirit and the Ora(light) of the first reconciliation of the 11 Apostles and others who were there. The first Sacrament of "Reconciliation"

"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:22-23

The Icon shows the Blessed Mother in the center. The 11 Apostles are the there with her

and surround her during this event. The leaders of the Catholic Church, at its infant stage

are depicted. The women in front of the Blessed Mother and the 11 apostles are shown as women who are kneeling and who are showing their faith in the Lord. These women are also symbols of the sacrifice for the faith that many would endure. The blue and orange circle at the top of the Icon represents God the Father and his divinity.  The dove, which is a well known symbol of the Holy Spirit is clearly visible over everyone and is also visable in each of the tonges of fire over each persons head.  This Icon is the the ultimate representation of the strength and fire of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Catholic Church.

The Rite of Kneeling dates back over 1,000 years.

RITE OF KNEELING ON PENTECOST

From the Qurbono, the Book of Offering According to the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church, Season of the Glorious Resurrection, Dated 1994, St. Maron Publications

This rite is composed of three stations/qawney of the canonical hours of the office with their proper psalms, hymns, hoosoyeh (prayer of forgiveness), and readings. The stations are addressed to the Three Divine Persons: the first to the Father; the second to the Son; the third to the Holy Spirit. Each station is concluded by kneeling in honor of each Divine Person: on the left knee (for the Father), on the right knee (for the Son), and on both knees (for the Holy Spirit).

ADORATION OF THE FATHER

The congregation stands with reverence and in prayer, imploring the coming of the grace of the Holy Spirit, while they repent for their sins.

Invitation to Kneel

The celebrant faces the congregation and cries in a loud voice:

“Let us kneel before the Lord on the left knee!”

Diaconal Proclamation
Deacon: Let us kneel and ask the Lord for His mercy. Bend your knee to the exalted Godhead and receive pardon of your faults from the Holy Spirit. In the likeness of tongues of fire, He was sent to the Upper Room so that you may receive, by His hovering, happiness of life, confidence, and victory.

Meanwhile, the celebrant prays silently, then stands up and cries aloud:

Celebrant: By the power of God, stand up!

Prayer
Celebrant: This is the day of salvation and consolation. The Father poured forth His gift of tongues, renewed by the Spirit. He divided them among the apostles, that they might call the nations back from error. Rejoicing with the disciples of the Son, we adore and praise Christ, so that we may receive the pardon of our faults and glorify Him, now and forever.

Congregation: Amen

ADORATION OF THE SON

The celebrant faces the congregation and cries in a loud voice:

“Let us kneel before the Lord on the right knee!”

Diaconal Proclamation
Deacon: Let us kneel and ask the Lord for His mercy. With the angels who worship Him in fear, we bend our knee and adore the Father of truth; for He is our maker and Lord. Before Him, all knees bend, and to Him, all tongues give praise. By Him, all nations live.

Come, let us worship the true Son, sent by the Father of Light. He knelt on our behalf, offered prayer for our sake, and raised us up from our fall from grace. He showed His mercy to us and forgave us. Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, and bend our knee before Him. On this day, He was sent from the mysterious depths of the Father and came to us. By His hovering over us, He took away our sins and clothed us with glorious victory.

Meanwhile, the celebrant prays silently, then stands up and cries aloud:

Celebrant: By the power of God, stand up!

Prayer
Celebrant: This is the day when heaven and earth, angels and seraphim, exult with the apostles; for they received the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. On this day, the saving unction taken away from Adam our father, because of his disobedience, was restored to us. With it, the disciples were anointed, the nations were granted forgiveness, and all races were allotted salvation. We glorify and praise You, O Christ, Your Father, and Your Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Congregation: Amen

Paraclete, Comforter (L. Consolator; Greek parakletos), an appellation of the Holy Ghost. The Greek word which, as a designation of the Holy Ghost at least, occurs only in St. John (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), has been variously translated "advocate", "intercessor", "teacher, "helper", "comforter". This last rendering, though at variance with the passive form of the Greek, is justified by the Hellenistic usage, a number of ancient versions, patristic and liturgical authority, and the evident needs of the Johannine context. According to St. John the mission of the Paraclete is to abide with the disciples after Jesus has withdrawn His visible presence from them; to inwardly bring home to them the teaching externally given by Christ and thus to stand as a witness to the doctrine and work of the Savior. There is no reason for limiting to the Apostles themselves the comforting influence of the Paraclete as promised in the Gospel (Matthew 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11, 21:14) and described in Acts 2.

 ADORATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 The celebrant faces the congregation and cries in a loud voice:

“Let us kneel before the Lord on both knees!”

Diaconal Proclamation
Deacon: Let us kneel and ask the Lord for His mercy. Bow your heads, O mortals, and worship God, the Holy Spirit. He speaks through the prophets; to visionaries. He whispers the secrets of hidden things; and to seers, He reveals the future. Then in the likeness of tongues of fire, He descended upon the blessed disciples. To Him are due glory and thanksgiving, now and forever.

Meanwhile, the celebrant prays silently, then stands up and cries aloud:

Celebrant: By the power of God, stand up from the earth!

Prayer
Celebrant: Lift up Your heads and sign yourselves with the cross of light. Place in your souls the assistance and salvation that comes from the Holy Spirit, whom we worship in true faith with the Father and the Son, now and forever.

Congregation: Amen.


Reading for the Sunday of Pentecost:

Acts 2

New International Version (NIV)

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^{[b] 10} Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’^[c]  



Celebrating the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple



Presentaion of Our Lord in the Temple



Luke 2:22-35

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2:22-35.

The Evangelist Writes:

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

This is the Truth, Peace be with you!

 

Some Comentary on the Reading and the Feast Day

 

Known originally as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a relatively ancient celebration. Forty days after Jesus Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph, brought Christ to the Temple to make the customary offering for purification; a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons (according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a child was forbidden to enter the Temple of God for forty days).

The prophetess Anna and the aged Simeon met Mary Joseph and the Child Jesus. Simeon sensed the fulfillment of Isaiah’s puzzling prophecies of a virginal birth (Isaiah 7:14), and received God Incarnate just as he was promised he would before his death. Then Simeon praised God singing a hymn now called the Nunc Dimittis: “Now let Your servant depart in peace, O Master” (Luke 2: 29-32). Also, in the Temple was Anna the Prophetess. She had been a widow for many years. Anna was about eighty-four years old and spent her time in the Temple worshiping, fasting, and praying. When she saw the Christ Child she praised God and spoke of him to all who were awaiting the Messiah. After Jesus was presented in the Temple, the family returned to Galilee to the town of Nazareth. The Bible tells us that Jesus grew and became strong, and was filled with wisdom. (Luke 2:22-40)

Sunday of the Priest - “You are The Priest for eternity in the image of Melchizedek.”

Icon of St. Melchizedek

Hebrews 7 1This Melchizedek is The King of Shalim, Priest of The Most High God, and he met Abraham when he returned from the massacre of Kings and blessed him. 2And Abraham distributed to him a tenth of everything that he had with him; but his name is interpreted, “King of Righteousness” and again “King of Shalim”, which is, “King of Peace”, 3Without his father and his mother being written in the genealogies, neither having beginning of his days nor end of his life, but in the likeness of The Son of God, his Priesthood remains for eternity. 4But how much greater is This One than the man Abraham, Chief of The fathers, to whom he gave the tithe of the best? 5For those of the sons of Levi who received Priesthood had a commandment of The Written Law to take a tenth part from those people of their brethren, as also they had come forth from the loins of Abraham. 6But This Man who is not written in their genealogies received the tithe from Abraham and blessed him who had received The Promise. 7But without dispute, he who is lesser is blessed by him who is greater than he. 8And here the children of men who die receive tithes, but there, he about whom the Scriptures testify that he lives. 9And as a man, let us say about him that by Abraham, Levi, who receives tithes, was caused to tithe. 10For he was yet in the loins of his father when he met Melchizedek. 11If perfection therefore is by Priesthood of Levi, ( for by it The Written Law was established to the people ), why was another Priest needed to arise in the image of Melchizedek? But does it say that he would be in the image of Aaron? 12But just as there was a change in The Priesthood, in this way there was also a change in The Law. 13For he about whom these things were said was born from another tribe, from which a man never ministered at the altar. 14For it is revealed that our Lord arose from Judah, about which tribe Moses never said anything concerning Priesthood. 15And moreover, again, it is apparent by this that he said that another Priest arises in the image of Melchizedek, 16He who was not by the law of carnal commandments, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17For he testified about him, “You are The Priest for eternity in the image of Melchizedek.” 18But there was a change in the first testament because of its impotence, and there was no benefit in it. 19For The Written Law perfects nothing, but hope, which is greater than it, entered in its place, by which we approach God. 20And he confirmed it to us by an oath. 21For they were Priests without an oath, but this one, with an oath, as he said to him by David: “THE LORD JEHOVAH has sworn and will not lie, that you are The Priest for eternity in the image of Melchizedek.” 22This Covenant, of which Yeshua is The Guarantor, is entirely better. 23And there were many Priests because they were dying and were not permitted to continue. 24But This One's Priesthood, because he is Eternal, does not pass away. 25And he can give life for eternity to those who come near to God by him, for he lives always and offers prayers for our sakes. 26For because this Priest also was right for us: pure, without malice and without defilement, who is separate from sin and exalted higher than Heaven, 27And he has no compulsion every day as The Chief Priests to offer sacrifice, first for his sins and then for the people, for This One did it one time by his Life which he offered. 28For The Law establishes weak men as Priests, but the word of the oath which was after The Law, The Son, who is perfect for eternity. Gospel of Luke 12 42:48   41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.