St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church

June 5, 2011
Holy Fathers of the first Council of Nicea

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 6
• Troparion of the Ascension, Tone 4
• Troparion of the Holy Fathers, Tone 8
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Ascension, Tone 6

Epistle: Acts 20:16-18, 28-36
Gospel: John 17:1-13

Sunday of the Holy Fathers

On the Sunday that falls from the 13th to the 19th of the present month, we chant the Service to the Holy and God-bearing Fathers who came together in the Seven Ecumenical Councils, that is: the First Council, of the 318 Fathers who assembled in Nicaea in 325 to condemn Arius, who denied that the Son of God is consubstantial with the Father; the Fathers of the First Council also ordained that the whole Church should celebrate Pascha according to the same reckoning; the Second Council, of the 150 Fathers who assembled in Constantinople in 381 to condemn Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who denied the Divinity of the Holy Spirit; the Third Council, of the 200 Fathers who assembled in Ephesus in 431, to condemn Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who called Christ a mere man and not God incarnate; the Fourth Council, of the 630 who assembled in Chalcedon in 451, to condemn Eutyches, who taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in Christ after the Incarnation, and Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who illegally received Eutyches back into communion and deposed Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople, who had excommunicated Eutyches; the Fifth Council in 535, of the 165 who assembled in Constantinople for the second time to condemn Origen and Theodore of Mopsuestia, the teacher of Nestorius; the Sixth Council in 680, of the 170 who assembled in Constantinople for the third time, to condemn the Monothelite heresy, which taught that there is in Christ but one will, the divine; and the Seventh Council in 787, of the 350 who assembled in Nicaea for the second time to condemn Iconoclasm.

June 12, 2011
Sunday of Pentecost (Feast of the Holy Trinity)

• Troparion for Pentecost, Tone 8
• Kontakion for Pentecost, Tone 8

Epistle: Acts 2:1-11
Gospel: John 7:37-52, 8:12

Sunday of Pentecost
June 12th

Pentecost is the “Descent of Holy Spirit”. This is the day that our Lord Jesus Christ promised to his disciples would happen. “When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place and suddenly a sound came from Heaven like the rush of a mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed upon each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 1-4). The fullness of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit is manifested with the Spirit coming to man. The disciples now the Apostles had received “the power from on high” had the responsibility to spread the Good News. They began to preach and bear witness to Jesus as the risen Christ, the King and Lord. Because the fullness of the Holy Spirit appeared in the room that day, Pentecost is also referred to as Trinity Day in the Orthodox Church. The tongues of fire over the Apostles heads were the tongues of many languages so they could speak the language of the country they were going to.

June 19, 2011
First Sunday after Pentecost
All Saints Sunday

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 8
• Troparion of the Saints, Tone 4
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Saints, Tone 8

Epistle: Hebrew 11:33-12:2
Gospel: Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30

All-Saints Sunday
(First Sunday after Pentecost)

Sunday following Pentecost is dedicated to the memory of all the saints. The Holy Spirit joins the saints unites itself with them and acts with them to make the light shine in the world. Each saint becomes a stream or branch of the Holy Spirit. According to the Gospel, “out of his heart shall flow the rivers of living water” (John 7: 38). When we know how to act in the light of God, we as Christians become the container of the Holy Spirit. “Walk as children of the light. St Paul tells us for the fruit of light is found in all that is God and right and true. (Eph 5:9). When we sing the Beatitudes at the liturgy during the procession with the Gospel, we honor all the saints that have pleased God by what they have done such as faith, hope and love. Through the Beatitude hymn we sing, the faithful can reflect about the saints, the joy and comfort they bring to us as an intercession to Jesus. For they share and are part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

June 26, 2011
Second Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 1
• Troparion of St. David, Tone 8
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• ontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4

Epistle: Romans 2:10-16
Gospel: Matthew4:18-23

Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul
(Celebrated on June 29th)

With the help of Sts. Peter and Paul they both reestablished the confidence of the Christian nation and led them out of their hopeless state to an era of new prosperity. Keep in mind Christianity was still in its infancy. Out of all the disciples, Peter seems to be the most prominent. He ranks with St Paul without whom Christianity flourished and survived during the pagan era of false gods and spiritual persecution. The moving verse from the New Testament of St Matthew when Christ told Peter: “And I say to thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock, I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18).
St Paul conversion to Christianity began when he met our Lord on the road to Damascus. It was on this road he embraced Jesus the risen Messiah whom he set out to defeat. Christ spoke to him saying: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4)
Thereafter he was called Paul, and devoted himself to the new Christian faith, announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord. St Paul conversion to Christianity began when he met our Lord on the road to Damascus. It was on this road he embraced Jesus the risen Messiah whom he set out to defeat. Christ spoke to him saying: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4)
Thereafter he was called Paul, and devoted himself to the new Christian faith, announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord.