Today’s Readings:
Epistle: Romans 13:11-14:4
Gospel: Matthew 6:14-21
Schedule of Services:
-Tuesday, February 28th, Canon of St. Andrew at 6pm.
-Wednesday, March 1st, Canon of St. Andrew at 6pm.
-Thursday, March 2nd, Canon of St. Andrew at 6pm.
-Saturday, March 4th, Great Vespers at 4pm.
-Sunday, March 5th, Forgiveness Sunday: Divine Liturgy at 10am. Hours begin at 9:40am.
Announcements:
-Today is Cheesefare Sunday. After today, we take cheese out of our diets until the celebration of Pascha. Remember, as well, that this week, the first week of Lent, is called “Clean Week.” This year, the Canon of St. Andrew will be served three days this week—Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. May we put forth our best effort in attending to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
-Saturday, March 11th, the weekend of the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, we will be hosting a Lenten Retreat. Again, Matushka Mary’s sister, Phoebe, will come to give a presentation on “Joy and the Christian Life.” The schedule for the day is posted downstairs. There is also a sign up sheet for those of us who are willing to bring Lenten dishes for a meal that afternoon. Please check the freezer for the sign-up sheet for dishes to bring.
-Also, again, the weekend after our Retreat, Fr. Deacon Corrado will be presenting at St. Mark’s Orthodox Church in Wrightstown, PA, for another Retreat. Our parish has been invited to St. Mark’s to attend their Retreat and attend Great Vespers. Once a schedule is in place for that day, it will be posted. Thus far, the Retreat will begin at 10am.
-Please see the flyers downstairs for the Vespers of the Sunday of Orthodoxy that is being held in South River, NJ at Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, and for our Deanery’s Mission Vespers services. If you do plan to attend the Vespers in South River for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, please let Fr. Tristan know as soon as possible.
-Today, we will be collecting clothes and food for Syrians to be dropped off at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, and then sent to Syria. Thank you, Mila, for being willing to drive to Brooklyn and drop off our offerings.
-We are also taking collections for the victims of the February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria. These donations will be sent to International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). If you would like to make a personal contribution, you may do so either online or by mail at IOCC, marked “Syria / Turkey Earthquake Relief”, 110 West Road, Suite 360, Baltimore, MD 21204.
Prayers for:
Departed: The victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Fr. Sergius.
Living: Archpriest Nicholas, Steven, Nellie, 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 Palestine. And the suffering people of Turkey.
Words for the Day:
We have such a law: If you forgive, it means that God has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, it means that your sin remains with you.
(St. Silouan the Athonite, Writings, VII.9)
Next Week’s Readings:
Epistle: Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-12:2. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Gospel: John 1:43-51. The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,[a] you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”