SUN JULY 21 4^th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 3

• 4^а неділя після П’ятидисятниці.
• Divine Liturgy. Святa Літургія @ 9:00 AM
• Epistle Rom. 6:18-23
• Gospel Mt. 8:5-13

SAT JULY 27 Akathist to the Mother of God.

•  Акафіст до Пресвятої Богородиці @ 5:00 PM

SUN JULY 28 5^th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 4

• 5^тa неділя після П’ятидисятниці.
• Divine Liturgy. Святa Літургія @ 9:00 AM
• Epistle Rom. 10:1-10
• Gospel Mt. 8:28-9:1

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СЛАВА ІСУСУ ХРИСТУ! СЛАВА НА ВІКИ! GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY NOW AND EVER!

CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING: The regular monthly meeting will be held next Sunday, July 28. Council members are requested to make every effort to attend this meeting.

COFFEE and…: Thank you to the Pokotylo family for hosting Coffee last Sunday. The Dyrbavka family is hosting today, and Maria Kyrychenko is hosting next Sunday. Thank you for your continuous support…

КОРИСНО ЗНАТИ: Оскільки є багато питань про вищу освіту та мало ресурсів, існує веб-сайт, присвячений цьому. Посилання: https://cluesforcollege.com/ Деякі функції включають кроки щодо перекладу міжнародних дипломів: https://cluesforcollege.com/international-diplomas-1or або для студентів, які зацікавлені в приїзді до Америки на навчання: https://cluesforcollege.com/international-students Незабаром на сторінку будуть додані деякі додаткові ресурси (наприклад, про написання резюме), але поки що є безкоштовні ресурси, цифрові посібники для завантаження та cторінка річного членства з додатковими відео та ресурсами. 

THE RECTORY PORCH is still under construction. Please keep that in mind when you come to the office and apartments. Thank you for your patience and consideration.

ЦЬОГО тижня продовжується заміна веранди в церковному будинку. Будь-ласка, майте це на увазі, коли будете приходите в офіс чи квартири. Дякуємо за ваше порозуміння.

PLEASE LOOK AROUND our church on Sunday morning, and if you see some new people, don’t hesitate to talk to them and welcome them. They are the guests in our Lord’s house and your house of worship too. Do not be afraid of language barriers; the language of love is truly universal and the most comprehensible one.

БУДЬ-ЛАСКА, огляньте нашу церкву в неділю вранці, і якщо ви побачите нових людей, не соромтеся привітати їх. Вони є гостями в домі нашого Небесного Отця і у нашому домі молитви. Не бійтеся мовних бар’єрів; мова любові воістину універсальна і найбільш зрозуміла.

SAINTS OF THE DAY: The Holy Prophet Ezekiel is commemorated on July 21. He lived in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. He was born in the city of Sarir and descended from the tribe of Levi; he was a priest and the son of the priest Buzi. Ezekiel was led off to Babylon when he was twenty-five years old, together with King Jechoniah II and many other Jews, during the second invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Prophet Ezekiel lived in captivity by the River Chebar. When he was thirty years old, he had a vision of the future of the Hebrew nation and all mankind. The prophet beheld a shining cloud, with fire flashing continually, and in the midst of the fire, gleaming bronze. He also saw four living creatures in the shape of men, but with four faces (Ez. 1:6). Each had the face of a man in front, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle at the back (Ez. 1:10). There was a wheel on the earth beside each creature, and the rim of each wheel was full of eyes. Over the heads of the creatures, there seemed to be a firmament, shining like crystal. Above the firmament was the likeness of a throne, like a glittering sapphire in appearance. Above this throne was the likeness of a human form, and around Him was a rainbow (Ez. 1:4-28).

According to the explanation of the Fathers of the Church, the human likeness upon the sapphire throne prefigures the Incarnation of the Son of God from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who is the living Throne of God. The four creatures are symbols of the four Evangelists: a man (Saint Matthew), a lion (Saint Mark), an ox (Saint Luke), and an eagle (Saint John); the wheel with the many eyes is meant to suggest the sharing of light with all the nations of the earth. During this vision, the holy prophet fell upon the ground out of fear, but the voice of God commanded him to get up. He was told that the Lord was sending him to preach to the nation of Israel. This was the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophetic service. The Prophet Ezekiel announces to the people of Israel, held captive in Babylon, the tribulations it would face for not remaining faithful to God. The prophet also proclaimed a better time for his fellow countrymen, and he predicted their return from Babylon and the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple. There are two significant elements in the vision of the prophet: the vision of the temple of the Lord, full of glory (Ez. 44:1-10); and the bones in the valley, to which the Spirit of God gave new life (Ez. 37:1-14). The vision of the temple was a mysterious prefiguring of the race of man freed from the working of the Enemy and the building up of the Church of Christ through the redemptive act of the Son of God, incarnate of the Most Holy Theotokos. Ezekiel’s description of the shut gate of the sanctuary, through which the Lord God would enter (Ez. 44: 2), is a prophecy of the Virgin giving birth to Christ, yet remaining a virgin. The vision of the dry bones prefigured the universal resurrection of the dead and the new eternal life bestowed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The holy Prophet Ezekiel received from the Lord the gift of wonderworking. Like the Prophet Moses, he divided the waters of the river Chebar, and the Hebrews crossed to the opposite shore, escaping the pursuing Chaldeans. During a famine, the prophet asked God for more food for the hungry.

Ezekiel was condemned to execution because he denounced a certain Hebrew prince for idolatry. Bound to wild horses, he was torn to pieces. Pious Hebrews gathered up the torn body of the prophet and buried it upon Maur Field, in the tomb of Sim and Arthaxad, forefathers of Abraham, not far from Baghdad. The prophecy of Ezekiel is found in the book named for him and is included in the Old Testament. Saint Demetrius of Rostov explains to believers the following concepts in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel: if a righteous man turns from righteousness to sin, he shall die for his sin, and his righteousness will not be remembered. If a sinner repents and keeps God’s commandments, he will not die. His former sins will not be held against him because now he follows the path of righteousness (Ez. 3:20; 18:21-24).

A MIRACLE IS COMING: Our church will be hosting the myrrh-streaming and miracle-working icon of the Holy Kardiotissa “Tender Heart/Лагідне Серце” of the Virgin Mary from St. George Orthodox Church in Taylor, PA on September 6 and 7. Please spread this good news to your families and friends. Come to church these days and hear the miraculous stories of the Icon. Everyone is welcome!!! The icon is famous for its miraculous healing powers in healing all forms of cancers, for helping with childbearing, saving those with suicidal thoughts, and for many other illnesses and ailments. In addition, Holy Kardiotissa loves children very much. So, bring your children for a special blessing on that day.

+ + + CHURCH SCHOOL AND YOUTH MINISTRY NEWS + + +

SUPPORT YOUTH MINISTRY: From June 1 to September 1, your donations for “Coffee and…” will go to the Youth Ministry to fund their service projects and activities. Please be generous.