Bulletin for Sunday 21 June 2015--Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

SAINT 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

Website:  www.MelkiteChurch.org            Facebook:  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 the Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus (Tone 4)

Your martyr Julian, O Lord, received the crown of immortality from you,

O our God, on account of his struggle.

Armed with your strength, he has vanquished his persecutors and crushed the powerless arrogance of demons.

Through his supplications, O Christ God, save our souls.

21 June 2015—Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.  Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus.  (Tone 3)

Readings    Apostolos:  Romans 6:18-23                                                                                           Gospel:  Matthew 8:5-13

10:30 am    Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am          Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom for the health and salvation of Our Fathers, Fr Basil Samra, Theresa Ramsey, George El-Hage, Nadia Badawi, Fares Eid, Maroun Daher, Dennis Flint, Eleanora Lindo, Max, Angel, Simone, Mikayla Slocum, Samira El-Chaer, Awatef Chahine, Raymond Rashid, Bonita Saba, Griffin Barna, Jim Covello, David Georges, Elias Atallah, Ralph Farhat, Robert Kuri, Pam Nakfoor, Isaac Salim, Iva Butler, Alessandra, BJ & Liz, Cam, Janice, Jeanne, Wayne, Lucy Palmer, Kelsey, Kathleen Edwards, Edgar & Katherine Fickenscher, Kamal & Eugenie Neimat, Clay Thomas, Michael Maslowski, Elaine & Eva-Genevieve Scarborough, Antonio Carvalho, Elias Haggar, Marie Dahdouh, Dn. Joe & Marge Daratony, Fr Joseph Haggar, Fr Damon Geiger, Fr James Babcock, Fr Maximos, Dn. Robert Spencer, Dn. Daniel Klockowski; in memory of Our Departed Fathers, Nickolas Nakfoor (Jayne Johns), and Louis Zarka (Louise Shaheen).

27 June 2015—Great Vespers, 6 pm.

28 June 2015—Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.  Transfer of the Remains of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus and John.  (Tone 4)

Readings    Apostolos:  Romans 10:1-10                                                                                       Gospel:  Matthew 8:28-9:1

10:30 am    Orthros (Morning Prayer)

11 am          Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in memory of Nickolas Nakfoor (Adel & Nadia Badawi), Louis Zarka (Louise Shaheen), and Timothy J. Warford.

Music for Today

1. Troparion of the Resurrection in Tone 3, Liturgikon, page 185.
2. Troparion of the Martyr Julian, in Tone 4.
3. Troparion of St Joseph, in Tone 4, page 30A.
4. Kontakion of the Theotokos, in Tone 2, page 31.
    
    
   Read the Bulletin and Homily on our Website
   The bulletin and the homily for each Sunday are posted on our parish website, www.MelkiteChurch.org, every week, for reference and (we hope) inspiration.  Remind those who don’t come to church to check the website.
   Pope Francis Issues Encyclical Letter on Care for Creation
   On 18 June, Pope Francis issued an encyclical letter (the most authoritative form of papal document) entitled Laudato Si.  Many people have commented on it, including his All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholo­mew, who praised it.  Here is the statement by Roman Catholic Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of San Jose, CA:
        I am grateful to the Holy Father for the courage to address what he calls “the care for our common home,” the Earth. Because the welfare and very existence of humanity is dependent upon the Earth and the environment, this letter becomes part of the social justice teaching of the Catholic Church. The state of the planet and its future have grave moral implications, and it is for this reason that Pope Francis, who readily admits that he is a religious teacher and not a scientist, has issued his second encyclical letter, Laudato Si. There is much in this letter to ponder, to pray over, and to unite all people of good will in solidarity.
        Addressing the “common good” as the moral framework from which future action must be taken, Francis calls for a bold cultural revolution that is marked by charity, solidarity, temperance, political accord and a willingness to sacrifice.
        The encyclical presents a compendium of the Church’s teaching on the care for creation and the environment, citing the Scriptures, the evangelical witness of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of ecology, and modern popes: Saint John XXIII, Blessed Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Addressed to all who will listen, the Pope’s message is one of solidarity, uniting both the developing and developed world, since there is only one Earth, one home to all of humanity.
        He is forthright in noting that the Church has “no reason to offer a definitive opinion [on these matters]; she knows that honest debate must be encouraged among experts, while respecting divergent views.” Yet “our common home is falling into serious disrepair… humanity has disappointed God’s expectations.”
        The Pope cites the 97% of climate scientists who attribute the speed of climate change to human actions. He likewise gives consideration to the culture of technology that believes that it alone can heal the planet. Calling the Earth our Sister, in the terminology of Saint Francis, Pope Francis writes that “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.”
        The pontiff calls for a renewed dialogue, a conversation which “includes everyone” since the environmental challenge also affects all. Citing the recurring theme of his papacy, outreach and encounter with those who are marginalized, and quoting the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference, he notes that the poor will be most affected by a “global inequality” by which the gravest effects of the attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest, who are also the majority of the world’s population. A true “ecological debt” exists, “particularly between the global north and south” because of commercial imbalances and the “disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries” over a lengthy period of time. Quoting the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he writes that greater attention must be given to “the needs of the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests.”
        Situating these concerns within a perspective beyond that of the Catholic Church, the Pope quotes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who asks us “to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which ‘entails learning to give, and not simply give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is a liberation from fear, greed and compulsion.’”
        Near the end of the encyclical, Pope Francis calls “all believers” to return to the beautiful and meaningful custom of giving thanks to God before and after meals. This brief action reminds us of our dependence on God for our lives and strengthens our gratitude for the creation we share, and “it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.”
    
    
   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 85 people attended the Liturgy.  Our offering totalled $2027 in the ordinary collection, $100 donation for NAMY, $605 for the new roof, and $23 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.
   Happy Fathers Day
   Today is the civil holiday of Fathers Day.  We pray for all of our fathers that they will enjoy good health, happiness, love, and God’s protection.  Let us remember that the model for good fatherhood is God our heavenly Father, who created us in His image and likeness, who knows all of us from our mothers’ wombs, who sustains us and the whole world in love, who overlooks our offenses, who wants us to repent and be saved, and who forgives us our sins and grants us eternal life.  We pray that all human fathers, with God’s grace, will imitate God the Father in love, care, protection, mercy, and justice.
   Pitch In Next Saturday Morning for a Parish Clean-Up Day
   We will have a clean-up day next Saturday, 27 June, from 10 am to 12 noon.  We have lots of weeds to be pulled, bushes to be trimmed, and trash to be hauled.  Bring tools, gloves, hats, lunch, and water bottles.
   New Signs Show Where to Park So Vehicles Will not be Blocked
   Many parishioners have complained that sometimes very large vehicles are parked in such a way that other cars cannot make their way through the parking lot.  The Parish Pastoral Council has approved a parking plan developed by the Property Council to solve this problem if everyone cooperates.  Signs have been posted in the parking lot to indicate what types of vehicles should park in what areas.  Large vehicles—SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks should be parked on the south side of the parking lot, on the right as you enter from Rundle St.  This is the long side of the church building.  On the short side of the church building, the east side of the property, please park only cars, not SUVs, vans, or trucks, both along the church and along the planting strip that marks the edge of the parish property.  Also, please pull your vehicle forward as far as you can, so that it does not stick out into the lane where vehicles drive between the rows of parked cars, and make sure that you park between the lines in only one parking space.  A poster showing the designated areas of the parking lot has been posted on the bulletin board in the church hall.  Your cooperation will make our parking lot safer and more convenient for everyone.
   NAMY Conference Begins Next Sunday
   The annual conference of our diocese-wide National Association of Melkite Youth will begin next Sunday at the Colombiere Retreat in Clarkston, MI, and end on Thursday 2 July.  Eight teens from our parish will attend, with Dalida Raad and Fr James as adult advisors.  They have been working hard on their skit about the conference theme, which is Jesus’ question to His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 15.  Those going to the conference should bring their bags with them to church next Sunday; we will leave after the Divine Liturgy and social hour.
   New Facebook Page Connects Great Lakes Melkites
   At the recent Clergy Retreat, it was decided to establish a Facebook page for news of all ten parishes in the Great Lakes Region.  Find it and like it by searching on Facebook for Great Lakes Melkites.  We hope that it will help develop closer relationships among our parishes and people in this large area.