Parish Bulletin – April 7, 2013
SUNDAY OF THE CROSS
AND ST. TIKHON OF MOSCOW, ENLIGHTENER OF NORTH AMERICA
TONE 3
Hebrews 4:14-5:6
Mark 8:34-9:1
Choir Director: Veronika
Welcome
We welcome you to the Orthodox Church. Please feel at ease and free to participate in the singing. As a visitor you are welcome to come forward at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy and venerate the Cross offered by the priest. Additionally you may receive the blessed bread (Antidoron) that is offered at that time. If you have questions or would like further information, the priest or one of the members of the parish will be pleased to help.
A word to our visitors on Holy Communion
The Orthodox Church does not practice open Communion. Therefore, only members of Canonical Orthodox Churches exercising jurisdiction in America may approach the Chalice for Holy Communion. The Orthodox do not regard Holy Communion solely as an act of personal piety, but also as an expression of union with the Orthodox Church’s faith, doctrine, and discipline. Orthodox visitors wishing to receive Holy Communion should make their intention known to the priest in advance — ask any member of the parish for help in relaying your intention to the priest. Orthodox Christians should prepare themselves to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion through recent Confession, prayers of preparation for Holy Communion, and fasting (at minimum, from midnight before receiving).
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” – I Corinthians 11:27
TROPARIA AND KONTAKIA
Troparion from the Triodion, in Tone I:
O Lord, save Thy people / and bless Thine inheritance, / grant victory to the Orthodox Christians / over their adversaries, / and by virtue of Thy Cross, // preserve Thy habitation.
Kontakion from the Triodion, in Tone VII:
The fiery sword no longer guards the gate of Eden, / for in a strange and glorious way the wood of the Cross has quenched its flames. / The sting of death and the victory of hell are now destroyed / for Thou art come, my Saviour, / crying unto those in hell: // ‘Return again to Paradise.’
Opportunities to give:
➢ Food donations to the Ashland Food Project
Announcements:
- Please sign up for coffee fellowship/kitchen cleanup.
- There will be a Lenten Potluck after the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on every Wednesday night. There will also be a reflection from the book “Return” by Archimandrite Nektarios Antonopoulos at each of these potlucks. Welcome, and bring a dish to share if you can.
- Archbishop Benjamin will bless us with a visitation this coming weekend, April 13-14. Please do your utmost to be there. We want to have a full house! In anticipation of his visit, we will clean the church on Friday, after the Liturgy of the Presanctified gifts. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Confession are heard around services or by appointment!
Other Activities Next Week:
- Saturday, 4.30 PM – Choir practice
Service Schedule this Week
Wednesday, 6.00 PM – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Friday, 7.00 AM – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Saturday, 6.00 PM – Great Vespers
Sunday, 8.40 AM – Hours, Divine Liturgy
The Parameters of Fasting
Dear ones in Christ,
Several parishioners, new as well as old, have come to me with questions regarding the fast. I will here give the general expectation during Great Lent. If you have dietary issues, or other reasons why you cannot fulfill the expected path of the fast, a pastoral exception can be made. It is expected that you discuss these concessions with your parish priest or spiritual father.
Regular Fast Days
During most days in Great Lent we fast completely from the following:
- Meat (all meat, including chicken)
- Animal products (such as cheese, milk, butter, eggs, lard, drippings)
- Fish (i.e. any fish with a backbone)
- Oil (more specifically, “olive oil”)
- Wine (i.e. all alcoholic drinks)
There are certain days when alcohol and olive oil are permitted, primarily on Saturdays and Sundays. Consult the wall calendar if you are unsure. Fish is allowed for the Feast of Annunciation and Palm Sunday.
Wine and oil is also permitted on Wednesday to Friday in the fifth week of Great Lent (when we sing the Great Canon again, and celebrate the “Akathist Friday”).
A peculiarity in the Fast is that eating animals without a backbone, are allowed. This includes shrimp, scallops, mussels, octopus, crab, etc… Just remember that having a lobster dinner may abide by the letter of the Law, but to make that a habit during Great Lent would certainly miss the spirit of the Fast!
Pre-Communion Fast
If you are preparing to take Communion during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, you are expected to prepare as usual with prayer, fasting and recent Confession. Practically, if the Liturgy is in the morning, you fast completely from midnight until Communion. If the Liturgy is in the evening, you fast at least from noon until the time of Communion.
An Important Note
We fast according to our strength. From the earliest days the Church has held that for the elderly, pregnant and those of poor health, the rules of fasting should be relaxed. The same can be true in situations when the faithful live with non-Orthodox family-members, or must eat in cafeterias or school lunchrooms. There are many situations that make fasting difficult. At all times it is essential to bear in mind that ‘you are not under the law but under grace.’ (Rom 6:14).
However, fasting has never been easy. We must always do what we can, and we can almost always do more than we think. If you are uncertain, always seek the advice of your spiritual father.
Yours in the Lenten journey,
Fr. Andreas
Leave a Reply