Today’s Readings:
Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14
Gospel: Mark 10:32-45
Schedule of Services:
-Wednesday, April 5th, Pre-sanctified Liturgy at 6:30pm.
-Saturday, April 8th, Lazarus Saturday Divine Liturgy at 10am.
-Sunday, April 9th, Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10am. Hours begin at 9:40am.
Announcements:
-Thank you to Bill Cordasco for hosting coffee hour today.
-This Wednesday is the last pre-sanctified Liturgy we will be serving this year. A pot-luck meal will follow the service.
-A reminder that we are asked to go to confession before the start of Holy Week, so kindly plan ahead. Fr. Tristan will be at the church before and after services this week, or call to make an appointment.
-On April 23rd, the week after Pascha, Matushka Mary will hold a Church School lesson for the children.
-A brief parish council meeting will be held on Sunday, April 9th (Palm Sunday).
-Please note that there will be Divine Liturgy Saturday morning in celebration of Lazarus Saturday. There will be no Great Vespers held that evening this year.
Holy Week Services:
Monday April 10th, Bridegroom Matins at 6pm.
Tuesday April 11th, Bridegroom Matins at 6pm.
Wednesday April 12th, Bridegroom Matins with Unction at 6pm.
Thursday April 13th, Vesperal Liturgy at 3pm, 12 Passion Gospels at 6pm.
Friday April 14th, Burial of Christ at 3:30pm, Descent into Hades at 6pm.
Saturday April 15th, Liturgy of St. Basil at 9am, Pascha at 11pm.
Note: there will be a pot-luck in-between services on Thursday and Friday.
Prayers for:
Departed: Archpriest Daniel
Living: Steven, Paul, Melissa, Helen, John, Stephen, Michele, Janet, Teresa, Irina, Alla, Ira, Victor, the child of God, Gideon; the servant of God, Brendan; Metropolitan Onuphry and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the suffering people and innocent victims of the Ukrainian/Russian war and those being persecuted; the suffering people of Yemen, Syria and Turkey, and Palestine.
Words for the Day:
Do not say that faith in Christ alone can save you, for this is not possible if you do not attain love for Him, which is demonstrated by deeds. As for mere faith: "The demons also believe and tremble" (James, 2:19). The action of love consists in heartfelt good deeds toward one's neighbor, magnanimity, patience, and sober use of things.
(St. Maximus the Confessor, Chapters on Love, 1.39-40)
We partake of Holy Communion only because we have been made holy by Christ and in Christ; and we partake of it in order to become holy, i.e. to fulfill the gift of holiness in our life. It is when one does not realize this that one “eats and drinks unworthily”—when, in other terms, one receives Communion thinking of one’s self as “worthy” through one’s own, and not Christ’s, holiness; or when one receives it without relating it to the whole of life as its judgment, but also as the power of its transformation, as forgiveness, but also as the inescapable entrance into the “narrow path” of effort and struggle.
Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent, pg. 122.
Next Week’s Readings:
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Gospel: John 12:1-18. Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.