Bulletin for Sunday 25 May 2014--The Sunday of the Man Born Blind

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.

 

Christ is Risen!  He is truly Risen!

Kontakion of the Man Born Blind (Tone 4)

I have lost the very eyes of my soul, wherefore I come to You, O Christ, as did

the man who had been blind from birth, and I cry out to You with repentance:

“To those who stumble in darkness, You are a radiant and resplendent light.”

 

25 May 2014—6^th Sunday of Pascha:  The Man Born Blind.  Third Finding of the Head of the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John.  (Tone 5)

Readings    Apostolos:  Acts 16:16-34                                        Gospel:  John 9:1-38

10:30 am  Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am         Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom for the health & salvation of Dn. Joe & Marjorie Daratony, Griffin Barna, Jim Covello, David Georges, Elias Atallah, Ralph Farhat, Robert Kuri, Nick Nakfoor, Pam Nakfoor, Isaac Salim, Louise Hajj, Iva Butler, Kelsey Andrews, Elaine & Eva-Genevieve Scarborough, Michael Maslowski, Clay Thomas, Michael Harmuth, Elias Haggar, Fr John Leonard, Fr James Babcock; in memory of James Francis deSpelder, Louis Zarka (Nadia Washington), John Rashid (Metri & Jacqueline Souri), Abraham Saba (Monib Mekhayel), and Rizk Eid Haddad.

 

1 June 2014—7^th Sunday of Pascha:  Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher and his Companions.  (Tone 6)

Readings    Apostolos:  Acts 20:16-18, 27-36                       Gospel:  John 17:1-13

10:30 am  Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am         Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in memory of Danny Rahall (1 Year by Gloria Rahall and Family), Louis Zarka (Yvonne Rahme), John Rashid (Nemri Badawy), Abraham Saba (Samir Mekhayel), Rizk Eid Haddad, and James Francis deSpelder.

 

Troparia and Kontakion for Today

1. Troparion of the Resurrection in Tone 5, page 189.
2. Troparion of the Finding of the Head of John the Baptist, in Tone 4.
3. Troparion of St Joseph, in Tone 4, page 30A.
4. Kontakion of Pascha, in Tone 2, page 214.
    

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, about 100 people attended the Liturgy.  Our offering totalled $822 in the ordinary collection, $80 for liturgies and memorials, $12 for the bookstore, and $21 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.

 

Ascension of the Lord: Great Vespers Wednesday, 7 PM

The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven on the 40^th day after His glorious Resurrection will be celebrated at Great Vespers on Wednesday 28 May at 7 pm.  Be sure to make an effort to come to this important service.

 

Congratulations to Deacon Joe and Diakonissa Marge

Today, 25 May 2014, Protodeacon Joseph Daratony and Diakonissa Marjorie Daratony celebrate their 57^th wedding anniversary.  They have five sons, 20 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.  May God bless them with health and happiness, peace and love, for many, many years!

 

Memory Eternal:  James F. deSpelder

The beloved servant of God James Francis deSpelder, father of Jim deSpelder, father-in-law of Therese, and grandfather of James, Joel, and Jeoffrey, fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 90 years on 22 May.  May God have mercy on his soul, and may his memory be eternal! The sympathy of all the parish goes out to Jim and his family. May God comfort and strengthen them. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

 

Parish Vision Committee Will Re-start 27 May

The Vision Committee will meet to re-start at 7 pm on Tuesday 27 May in the parish hall.  Mr George Mansour has agreed to facilitate our effort to envision the future direction of our parish.  We will review our work to date, define our purpose and goal, and agree on a process for moving forward.

 

Coming Events

The Ladies Society will meet at 7 pm on Tuesday 3 June in the parish hall.

Sunday 8 June is the Great Feast of Pentecost, the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.  It will be the last day of Church School until the fall.

The Parish Pastoral Council will meet on Wednesday 18 June at 7 pm in the parish hall.

 

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 mailed to you.

 

New Book Available: The Melkite Church at Vatican II

At the Second Vatican Council, 1963-65, the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church had a great influence on the whole Catholic Church.  A collection of the speeches, memos, and letters of Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh and the other bishops has just been published in English by our diocesan Sophia Press.  The cost is $30 per book.  Contact Fr James right away if you want a copy; only a limited edition was printed and we have three available for sale.

 

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!

 

Saint Peter the Apostle, Part 2

By Nimer Haddad, Chair of St Joseph Evangelization Committee

     In a dialogue with His disciples (Matthew 16:13-19), Jesus declares, “I tell you that you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”

     Differences in the theological interpretation of this passage have caused major disputes between the Western Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

     The Catholic Church interprets the passage to mean that the “rock” was Peter, not Jesus Himself or Peter’s faith.  Accordingly, Catholic doctrine says that Jesus made Peter the shepherd of the apostolic flock.  This is the basis of the Catholic assertion of the Primacy of the Roman Pontiff; that is, that the Pope of Rome is the supreme bishop of the Church.

     The Orthodox Church understands Jesus’ words as referring to the faith shared by all the Apostles and voiced by Peter.

     Early Latin and Greek writers such as St. John Chrysostom considered the “foundation rock” as applying both to Peter personally and to his confession of faith.

     Many modern theologians have interpreted the “rock” as referring either to Christ or to Peter’s faith, not to Peter’s himself.

     Although Peter was one of the first disciples called by Jesus and had become their spokesman, he is an exemplar of “little faith.”  Jesus says to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  Eventually Peter denied Jesus three times, then wept bitterly when he realized what he had done.  Thus, Peter became the exemplar of the forgiven sinner.

     The first major internal conflict in Christianity was between Paul’s idea of a church universal at Antioch and Peter’s idea of a church for the Jews at Jerusalem.  For communion in Peter’s church men needed to be circumcised, but not in Paul’s church.

     Christianity owes more to Paul than to Peter, to Antioch than to Jerusalem.  But for a long time it was not at all certain whether Paul’s order of the Savior or the Judean cult of Jesus would win out.

     Paul affirms that Peter had the special charge of being apostle to the Jews, just as he, Paul, was the apostle to the Gentiles.

     Peter had a leadership role in the early Christian Church at Jerusalem according to the Acts of the Apostles, chapters 1-5.

     In the Gospel of John (21:18-19), Jesus indicated the death by which Peter would glorify God by saying to him, “You will stretch out your hands, and someone else will lead you where you do not want to go.”

     According to Christian Tradition, Peter labored in Rome during the last portion of his life, and there his life ended by martyrdom in the year 64 under Emperor Nero.  Peter was crucified with his head downwards, as he desired, considering himself unworthy to be crucified as Christ was.

     Catholic teaching says that the Pope of Rome—now the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who took the name “Francis”—is the direct successor of St Peter.