Today’s Readings:
Epistle: Colossians 1:12-18
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14
Schedule of Services:
Saturday, January 27th, Great Vespers at 4pm. Panikhida at 3:40pm.
Sunday, January 28th, Divine Liturgy at 10am. Hours begin at 9:40am.
Friday, February 2nd, Divine Liturgy for the Presentation of Christ in the Temple at 10am.
Announcements:
-Thank you to the Lopes family for hosting coffee hour today.
-Our Annual Parish Council Meeting will be held next Sunday, January 28th, after coffee hour. The snow date for the Annual Meeting is scheduled for February 4th.
-Just for now, when donating to the food pantry, only bring canned goods (or gift-cards), until the issue is resolved. Thank you.
-The next Church school for children is scheduled to be held on Sunday, January 28th.
-Panikhidas before Vespers: January 27: Mila’s grandparents. Feb. 3: Friends of the Burns’.
-Again, Steve W room number at Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington is C 120. He would be happy for visitors.
-Thank you to Larry Kloss and Pam Heitz for hosting coffee hour last week. And many thanks to the Lopes Family for hosting this Sunday.
-Next Church School: Sunday, January 28th.
Prayers for:
Departed: 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
When bad thoughts are planted in you, then cry to God: "Lord, my Maker and Creator. You see that my soul is in agony from bad thoughts. Have mercy on me." Teach yourself to root out thoughts immediately. But when you forget and don't root them out immediately, then offer repentance. Work on this, so that you get a habit.
(St. Silouan the Athonite, Writings, XVII.4,6)
Everyone who loves God shows himself patient and steadfast in times of suffering. Whoever bears them bravely becomes strong and obedient to God, and whoever enters the path of following the will of God conquers his natural weakness. On the other hand, whoever does not recognize his own powerlessness is proud and not inclined to submit himself to the will of the Lord. Whoever does not submit to it and hopes only in his own power does not receive the power and help of God and, not having been strengthened in spirit, cannot become patient. But whoever does not endure misfortune and afflictions has not faith, and whoever does not have faith, does not love God.
(St. Alexis of Senaki, Concerning Afflictions)
Next Week’s Readings:
Epistle: Colossians 3:4-11. Brethren, When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Gospel: Matthew 22:35-46. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.