Today’s Readings:
Epistle: 1 Timothy 4:9-15
Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
Schedule of Services:
Saturday, February 24th, Great Vespers at 4pm.
Sunday, February 25th, Divine Liturgy at 10am. Hours begin at 9:40am.
Announcements:
-Thank you to Valli for hosting coffee hour last week. And many thanks to Mila for hosting today.
-On Sunday, February 25th, Fr. Tristan will hold an education session during coffee hour.
-Today is the last Sunday before the Orthodox Church opens the book of the Triodion. The Triodion is the book in which the Church receives most of its hymns and texts for the time of Great Lent. This means, we are now spiritually preparing ourselves for Great Lent in a few weeks. In her wisdom, the Church offers us Sundays to “get ready” for Great Lent. This tells us that Great Lent is extremely beneficial for our spiritual well-being and a spiritual necessity. May we begin to take this time to prioritize how we will allow the wisdom of the Church to fashion and form us.
-The next Church School for children will be on February 25th.
-The SGP Growth Committee needs your help. As mentioned at the Annual Meeting, we are looking to update the parish website. If you have photos from services, coffee hour, Sunday School, picnic, etc. that you are willing to share, please email them to Vinni at vinni1234@live.com or text them to 908.247.8994. Your participation is greatly appreciated!
-Again, please note that Michele Lelo's cell phone number has changed. It is now 908.329.8702. Steve and Michele look forward to company. You can contact them at Michele's new number if you plan to stop by.
-Steve W. is currently residing at Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington, NJ. He is happy to welcome any visitors. His room number is C 120.
-Please text Robert Fisher at (609) 306-4714 if you would like to visit or are able to bring him to church. His address is 47 Lincoln Ave., Lambertville, NJ.
Prayers for:
Departed: Archpriest Moses, Elena, Helga (Jan. 10), Michel, Teresa
Living: Michael, Elena, Janis, David, Robert, Karen, Steven, Archpriest Paul, Melissa, Stephen, Michele, Janet, Teresa, Irina, Victor; 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 the suffering victims of the war in Israel and Palestine.
Words for the Day
The devil makes small sins seem smaller in our eyes, for otherwise he can't lead us to greater evil.
(St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 2:94)
When anyone goes into sin, his thoughts are is it were enchained and his vision is changed for the worse through that by means of which the evil one, instigating and flattering, weakens and darkens us. But after the sin has been committed he sets before our eyes what we have done and cruelly reveals that to which he has drawn us with much guile and, condeming the severity of the deed, endeavours by the same to draw the sinner into despair.
(St. Photius the Great, Amphilochius, 14)
If suffer some misfortune, then think: "The Lord sees my heart, and if it pleases Him, it will be well both for me and and others." And thus your soul will always be at peace. But if someone murmurs, "This is bad, and that is bad," then he will never have peace in his soul, even though he fasts and prays a lot.
(St. Silouan the Athonite, Writings, IV.1)
Next Week’s Readings:
Epistle: 2 Timothy 3:10-15. Brethren, you, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gospel: Luke 18:10-14. Jesus said this parable, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”