Sunday Bulletin for 30 March 2014--The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent

ST JOSEPH THE BETROTHED

Melkite-Greek Catholic CHURCH

725 W. Mt. Hope Ave, Lansing, MI 48910                             517-575-6264

FMailing Address:  921 Westover Circle, Lansing, MI 48917E

www.MelkiteChurch.org   /   www.facebook.com/MelkiteChurchLansing

Rev. Father James K. Graham, Pastor                           frjamie@earthlink.net

Rev. Protodeacon Joseph Daratony                                                   248-719-5169

Phone or email Fr James with items for the bulletin by Thursday night.

Troparion of St John Klimakos (Tone 8)

Your abundant tears made the wilderness sprout and bloom,

and your deep sighings made your labor fruitful a hundredfold.

You became a start shining over the world with miracles, Holy Father John.

Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.

30 March 2014— 4^th Sunday of Great Lent (St John Klimakos).  (Tone 4)

Readings    Apostolos:  Hebrews 6:13-20                             Gospel:  Mark 9:17-31

10:30 am  Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am         Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great for the health & salvation of Griffin Barna, David Georges, Elias Atallah, Ralph Farhat, Robert Kuri, Nick Nakfoor, Isaac Salim, Louise Hajj, Iva Butler, Michel Badawi, Kelsey Andrews, Elaine & Eva-Genevieve Scarborough, Michael Maslowski, Clay Thomas, Michael Harmuth, Elias Haggar, Deacon Joe Daratony, Fr John Leonard, Fr James Babcock; in memory of Louis Zarka, Abraham Saba (by Iskandar Andraous), John Rashid (by Marie Albert), and Fred Doelker (by Fr James).

6 April 2014—5^th Sunday of Great Lent (St Mary of Egypt).  Holy Father Eutychios of Constantinople.  (Tone 5)

Readings    Apostolos:  Hebrews 9:11-14                          Gospel:  Mark 10:32-45

10:30 am  Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am         Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great in memory of Abraham Saba (by Bishara Gedeon), John Rashid (by Mark Kamar), Chester Bullard and Michael P. Garten (by Fr James).

Chant the 2^nd Typika Psalm Instead of Antiphons Today

Instead of singing the usual three Antiphons in today’s Liturgy, we will chant the second of the Typika (Psalm 145) on page 17 of the Liturgikon.

Troparia and Kontakion for Today

1. Troparion of the Resurrection, in Tone 4, Liturgikon, page 187.
2. Troparion of St John Klimakos, in Tone 8, page 204.
3. Troparion of St Joseph, in Tone 4, page 30A.
4. Kontakion of the Theotokos in Tone 2, page 31.
    

Our Offerings to the Lord

The collection taken in the Liturgy is part of our worship.  We offer the Lord our lives, our prayers, our gifts of bread and wine, and our financial gifts.  Last Sunday, more than 100 people attended the Liturgy.  Our offering totalled $1759 in the ordinary collection, $25 for liturgies, and $29 for candles.  Not everyone can make an equal gift, but everyone can make an equal sacrifice.  Please make a generous sacrifice to support your church in proportion to the many blessings God has given you.

 

Fr Michael Skrocki Presents Lenten Mission This Week

Fr Michael Skrocki will come to St Joseph’s to give our Lenten Retreat at 7 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 1-3 April.  On Tuesday, he will speak mainly to the junior high and high school students.  On Wednesday his talk will follow our 6 pm celebration of Great Compline.  His talks will focus on the Liturgy and how it inspires us and prepares us to live and proclaim the Gospel.  Fr Michael is pastor of St Ann Melkite Church in Danbury, CT.  He is also a Doctor of Canon Law (Church law).

 

Great Compline, Presanctified Liturgy on Weds. & Friday

During Great Lent we should intensify our prayer life.  To help us do this, the Church offers special services on the weekdays of the Great Fast.  You can find announcements of our Lenten services on our Facebook page.  This week Great Compline will be celebrated at 6 pm on Wednesday and Presanctified Liturgy on Friday at 6 pm.  Great Vespers will be served on Saturday at 5 pm.  Please attend as many of these services as you can.

 

Bulletin, Homilies On Line; Can Be Mailed Also

Every week, the Sunday bulletin and the homily from the Liturgy are posted on our website, www.MelkiteChurch.org.  If you do not have internet access, the bulletin and homily can be mailed to you.  Please contact Nimer Haddad if you need to have the bulletin and homily sent to you by mail.

 

Contribute Something Every Day to The Shepherd’s Care

St. John Klimakos, whom the Church celebrates this Sunday, was abbot of the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai.  He wrote a famous book called The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which emphasizes the fact that our spiritual life is a journey and a struggle.  Great Lent has placed us on this journey once more, and calls us to deepen our spiritual life step by step.  St. John’s “Ladder” encourages us to persevere and renew our efforts.  Don’t forget that almsgiving is one of the main efforts we are called to make during Lent.  Make a contribution every day for The Shepherd’s Care, our national Melkite charity fund.

 

Get Your Easter Cookies Now

The Ladies Society is selling ma’amoul with date or walnut stuffing for only $10 a dozen.  Contact Lamia Haddad (517-323-0819) to order yours now.

 

Upcoming Meetings

Ladies Society meets Tuesday 1 April at 7 pm in the parish hall.

NAMY will meet 6-8 pm on Sunday 6 April in the parish hall.

 

Take a Look at our Reactivated Facebook Page

St Joseph parish’s Facebook page is now very active, with fresh postings of announcements, Bible quotations, photos, and other parish news.  Friend us and invite your friends to friend us.  See what’s happening in your church!

 

Contact Father James to Schedule Your House Blessing

Traditionally, we bless houses from Theophany to the beginning of Great Lent.  Because the severe weather made blessing houses very difficult, Fr James will continue blessing homes and businesses into Great Lent.

 

Paul the Apostle

By Nimer Haddad, Chair of St Joseph Evangelization Committee

     Paul the Apostle was originally a Jew, a Pharisee, born around 5 AD as a Roman citizen in Tarsus, in today’s southwest Turkey.  Paul had a brilliant mind, a commanding knowledge of philosophy and religion, and could debate with the most educated scholars of his day.

     Paul was a merciless persecutor of the early church and had approved the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58).  On one of his journeys from Jerusalem to Damascus to arrest and persecute Christians, Paul had an experience with Christ that dramatically changed the course of his life.

     He began to preach in Damascus that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and the son of God.  Three years later he returned to Jerusalem, where he met the Apostles.

     He then went to Antioch, where he and Barnabas converted Greek-speaking “Gentiles” to Christianity without requiring them to be circumcised.  This eventually led to a “showdown” with Peter the Apostle in Jerusalem.  It was Christianity’s first conflict between Paul’s idea in Antioch of a church universal and Peter’s idea in Jerusalem of a church for the Jews.

     To belong to Paul’s church one need not be circumcised or pass through the synagogue as in Peter’s.  But for a long time it was not at all certain which idea of Christianity would win out.  Finally, Paul’s idea prevailed.  Christianity owes more to Paul than to Peter, to Antioch than to Jerusalem.

     Then Paul went to Cyprus, where he was so well received by the converted Roman proconsul that out of gratitude he romanized his name, changing it from Saul to Paul.

     He returned to Jerusalem in 57 AD.  After a riot, Paul was sent to Caesarea, but he demanded trial in Rome, which was his right as a Roman citizen.  Christian tradition holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome around mid-60s, during the reign of Nero whose wife Poppaea Sabina became a Jewess.

     Paul is credited as the author of 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament.  His letters have been characterized as being the most influential books of the New Testament after the Gospels of Matthew and John.  Paul saw himself as an ambassador for Jesus who carried out the directives and teachings of his Lord (2 Cor.5:18-20).

     One of Paul’s most famous statements is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  This reminds us that our power to live the Christian life comes from God, not ourselves.

     God can change anyone.  God gave Paul the strength, wisdom, and endurance to carry out the mission Jesus entrusted to him and to establish the Christian Church.  The Apostle Paul was truly one of the most influential individuals in history.