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Forgiveness Sunday: The Expulsion of Adam from Paradise

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

This coming Sunday, 26 February 2023, is Forgiveness Sunday. Following the Divine Liturgy we will serve the Rite of Forgiveness, the communal act of mutual forgiveness before entering into the Great Fast.

This Sunday is also Cheesefare, the last day for those fasting to consume dairy products before Lent. (But yet again, to loosely paraphrase St. Basil the Great: don’t forsake your cheese and milk only to consume your brother with anger!)

The Epistle and Gospel readings for Sunday are:

⁜ Romans 13:11-14:4 (Epistle)
⁜ Matthew 6:14-21 (Gospel)

About this Sunday we read from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website: “… The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise… | continue reading at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.

Expulsion of Adam from Paradise
The Expulsion of Adam from Paradise

Sunday of the Last Judgement

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! 

This coming Sunday, 19 February 2023, is the Sunday of the Last Judgement, as well as the commemoration of the Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and the Martyr Apphia, among others.

This Sunday is also Meatfare, so called as it is the last day we consume meat before entering into the Great Fast. | See also the helpful article And When You Fast by Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis.

The Epistle and Gospel readings for Sunday are:

⁜ 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2 (Epistle)
⁜ Matthew 25:31-46 (Gospel)

About the Sunday of the Last Judgement we read: “On the past two Sundays of this pre-Lenten period, the focus was placed on God’s patience and limitless compassion, of His readiness to accept every sinner who returns to Him. On this third Sunday, we are powerfully reminded of a complementary truth: no one is so patient and so merciful as God, but even He does not forgive those who do not repent. The God of love is also a God of righteousness, and when Christ comes again in glory, He will come as our Judge. Such is the message of Lent to each of us: turn back while there is still time, repent before the End comes. … | Continue reading at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.

The Last Judgement
Last Judgment detail, Vatican Museums, Rome. Image from Jim Forest | Flickr

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

This coming Sunday, 12 February 2023, is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, as well as the commemoration of St. Ethilwald of Lindisfarne (+740) and St. Alexis of Moscow (+1378), among others.

The Epistle and Gospel readings for Sunday are:

⁜ 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (Epistle)
⁜ Luke 15:11-32 (Gospel)

About this Sunday we read from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website: “… As with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the theme of this Sunday is repentance, and the focus on the parable of the Prodigal Son leads Orthodox Christians to contemplate the necessity of repentance in our relationship with our Heavenly Father”. | continue reading at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.

Parable of the Prodigal Son

House Blessings

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Please note the following dates available for House Blessings. As always, please check with Fr. Gregory beforehand for availability or alternative dates/times.

07 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm
09 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm
14 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm
16 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm
21 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm
23 February – 7:30pm or 8:30pm

House blessings are a beautiful occasion to sanctify our homes and bring Christ more intimately into our lives! | see here for more information about house blessings.

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever! 

This coming Sunday, 05 February 2023, is the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, as well as the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.

The Epistle and Gospel readings for Sunday are: 

⁜ Timothy 3:10-15
⁜ Luke 18:10-14

On this day we are brought to mind our own need of humility and repentance, aspiring to be like the Publican in St. Luke’s Gospel. | Learn more about the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. 

In preparation for the intense focus on our repentance, the week following this Sunday is fast free. As a reminder, the fasting seasons that the Church provides are for our benefit as we seek Christ more deeply and not for our stumbling, bragging rights, diet, etc. Better to abstain from anger while eating a burger than to strictly fast and judge your neighbor, to paraphrase St. Basil the Great. Please see Fr. Gregory if you have any questions about fasting during Great Lent.

Finally, this day also begins the use of the Lenten Triodion, the liturgical book that informs our services during the season of Great Lent. The hymns we sing from the Triodion are some of the most enriching and beneficial you will hear. Let us attend!

Publican and the Pharisee
Flickr image Publican and the Pharisee by Nick Thompson