Today’s Readings:

Epistle: Romans 6:18-23

Gospel: Matthew 8:5-13

 

Schedule of Services: 

Saturday, July 8th, Great Vespers at 4pm.

Sunday, July 9th, Divine Liturgy at 10am. Hours begin at 9:40am.

 

Announcements:

-Thank you, Jan and Nellie, for hosting coffee hour today.

-The Sisterhood of St. Sophia would like to express its appreciation to our parish for its support with the bake and pierogi sale. All the remaining pierogi were sold and the bake sale was a success as well.

-Please consider donating to the Building Preservation/Rectory Fund. Sign up is located on the bulletin board. All donations are appreciated.

-Don’t forget the needy. Shop Rite gift cards or non-perishable foods are greatly appreciated.

-The baptism of Josephina Gall will take place on Saturday, July 15th at 10 am. All are welcome to attend.

 

Prayers for: 

Departed: Stella (10th anniversary), Helen.

Living: Nicholas, The newborn child, Josephina, Matushka Mary, Nicholas, Steven, Paul, Archpriest Paul, Melissa, Helen, John, Stephen, Michele, Janet, Teresa, Irina, Alla, Ira, Victor; Vinni, Caroline, Tyler, and Aubrey, 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:

No matter who you are, what kind of work you do, give an account of yourself as to how you have performed your work: as a Christian, or as a heathen (that is, motivated by self-love and worldly pleasure). A Christian must remember that every deed, even the smallest, has a moral principle. A 

 

Christian, who remembers the teaching of Jesus Christ, should perform every deed so that it will be of use toward the spreading of the grace of God and the Kingdom of Heaven among men.

(St. Gabriel of Imereti, Yearly Account)

 

Whoever does not want to know the will of God is mentally walking a path next to a cliff, and easily falls with any wind. If he is praised, he is proud. If he is rebuked he is angry. If he eats pleasant food, he is drawn into bodily passions. When he suffers he weeps. When he knows something, he wants to show that he knows. When he doesn't understand, he pretends to understand. When he is rich he puts on airs. When he is poor, he is a hypocrite. When he is full, he is bold. When he fasts he is vainglorious. When he is denounced he loves to argue, while he looks on those who forgive him as fools.
(St. Mark the Ascetic, Homilies, 2.193)

 

Next Week’s Readings:

Epistle: Romans 10:1-10. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

 

Gospel: Matthew 8:28-9:1.  At that time, when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,[a] two demon-possessed[b] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.