Four Evangelists Orthodox Church, Bel Air, Maryland

You are here: Home / Archives for Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy

5th Week of Lent and the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

at

Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 06 April 2025, is the 5th Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.

St. Mary of Egypt is commemorated on 01 April and on the 5th Sunday of Holy Lent. She is commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance.1

Enlightened by the grace of the Cross, * thou wast seen to be a bright light of repentance, * dispelling the darkness of passions, O all holy one. * thou didst appear as an angel in the flesh * to holy Zosimas in the wilderness. * Intercede with Christ for us, O Mary our righteous Mother.
— Troparion for the Feast of St. Mary of Egypt

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Galatians 3.23–29 (Epistle, Saint)
  • Luke 7.36–50 (Gospel, Saint)
  • Hebrews 9.11–14 (Epistle)
  • Mark 10.32–45 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

1st Sunday of Lent: Sunday of Orthodoxy

at

Glory to Jesus Christ!

This coming Sunday, 09 March 2025, is the 1st Sunday of Great Lent and the Sunday of Orthodoxy. All are invited to bring an icon from home or to use one available in the church for the Rite of Orthodoxy following the Divine Liturgy.

What is the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the Rite of Orthodoxy?

You might have heard this day also referred to as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy”. Any Sunday of… or Triumph of… language should never be understood in a prideful, triumphant manner. The day also does not understand the word Orthodoxy in a modern sense of denomination or jurisdiction or group over and against another group. That would anachronistically limit the term. Orthodoxy here is understood in a much fuller sense, the “faith that has established the universe”.

The day commemorates the restoration of icons in 843 under the Empress Theodora and reflects the great significance which icons possess for the Orthodox Church. They are not optional devotional extras, but an integral part of Orthodox faith and devotion. The “triumph of Orthodoxy” over the iconoclasts involved important issues (and still important issues!) such as the character of Christ’s human nature, the Christian attitude towards matter, and the true meaning of Christian redemption. Icons are a necessary consequence of the Incarnation of the Word (John 1.14), Jesus Christ.1

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a brief service is conducted in commemoration of the affirmations of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 and the restoration of the use of icons in 843. Orthodox faithful carry icons in procession, while the clergy offer petitions for the people, civil authorities, and those who have reposed in the faith. Following is a recitation of excerpts from the Affirmation of Faith of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the singing of the Great Prokeimenon.2

Sunday of Orthodoxy procession with icons — 27 March 2019
Sunday of Orthodoxy procession with icons — 27 March 2019

The readings for this Sunday are:

  • Hebrews 12.1-10 (Epistle – 40 Martyrs of Sebaste)
  • Matthew 20.1-16 (Gospel – 40 Martyrs of Sebaste)
  • Hebrews 11.24-26, 32-12.2 (Epistle)
  • John 1.43-51 (Gospel)

Upcoming services during Great Lent:

  • Vespers for the First Sunday in Lent on Saturday, 08 March, at 6 PM
  • Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on Sunday, 09 March, at 9 AM 
  • Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday, 12 March, at 6 PM

Access our full Lent, Passion Week, and Pascha calendar here.

Blessing of Backpacks

at

Glory to Jesus Christ!

As another academic year begins, we will be praying for those returning to school with our annual Blessing of the Backpacks following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, 25 August 2024.

Whether student, teacher, or staff, please bring your backpack or bag to be blessed before returning to the classroom! All ages welcome!

Feast of Pentecost

at

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Tomorrow, 23 June 2024, is the 8th Sunday of Pascha and the Feast of Holy Pentecost, the celebration by the Church of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the end—the achievement and fulfillment—of the entire history of salvation.1

Please join us for the Festal Divine Liturgy at 9:00 AM, followed by a portion of Kneeling Vespers at which we will kneel together for the first time since Great and Holy Pascha. These prayers are traditionally prayed after Vespers but commonly celebrated immediately following the Liturgy in modern parish usage.

Pentecost
Feast of Holy Pentecost

The Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

at

Christ is Born!

As we approach the Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, please join us for the Festal Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Theophany on Saturday, 06 January 2024, at 9:00 am.

Following the Divine Liturgy will be the Great Blessing of the Water. Please bring a container if you would like to take home some blessed water for personal use.

As always, all are welcome and invited to join us as we celebrate this Great Feast of the Orthodox Church.

When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan / the worship of the Trinity was made manifest / for the voice of the Father bore witness to You / and called You His beloved Son. / And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, / confirmed the truthfulness of His word. / O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself / and have enlightened the world, glory to You!

— Troparion for the Feast

The Feast of the Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ