St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church

Sunday
July 3, 2011
Third Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 2
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4

Epistle: Rom 5:1-10
Gospel: Matt 6:22-33

Sunday
July 11, 2010
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 3
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4

Epistle: Rom 6:18-23
Gospel: Matt 8: 5-13

Sunday
July 17, 2011
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 4
• Troparion for the Holy Father, Tone 8
• Troparion of St. Marina, Tone 4
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
  
  

Epistle: Titus 3:8-15
Gospel: Matthew 5:14-19

The Prophet Elias
(Celebrated July 20th)

Elias, also known as Elijah is a prophet of the Old Testament who lived in the ninth century before the Coming of Jesus Christ. Prophet Elias means the Lord is God. He was filled with passion for spreading the word of the Holy God. He lived in the wilderness and relied in God in everything. God entrusted him with different tasks to reestablish the worship of Him.
The King (Ashab), the Queen (Jezebel) and the people had abandoned worshiping Holy God for the idol of Baal. The prophet Elias fought the god Baal and strove to invigorate the belief in the one God of universe, preaching with passion to those whose faith waned and bringing many back into the fold. Jezebel intensified her efforts to disprove Elias, who had correctly predicted a three-year drought which ravaged the land and ruining the crops.
A challenge to test the powers of God and those of Baal was accepted by the Queen. Each side will call for fire to be ignited after placing of sacrifices at two altars, one to Baal and the other to God. The winner being the one whose fire lit first for his God. First, the Queen and her priests called forth the power to light the fire until they gave up in disgust, but the fire burst forth at the first prayer of the Prophet Elias. Finally, Prophet Elias called for an end to the drought and a heavenly rain descended, ending a three-year dry spell that had parched the land.
The end of the earthly life of Elias came mysteriously. As he was conversing with Eliseus on the hills of Moah, "a fiery chariot, and fiery horses parted them both asunder, and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (Kings. 2:11).
Jews, Christians and Moslems pay high honor to Elias; Carmelite monks
cherish the belief that their order was in some sense founded by him. Together with Moses, he appeared at Christ’s transfiguration.
St Elias is commemorated on July 20th.

Sunday of the Holy Fathers
of the 4th Ecumenical Council

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.

Sunday
July 24, 2011
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 5
• Troparion of St. Christina, Tone 4
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4

Epistle: Rom 12:6-14
Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8

Saint Joachim and Saint Anna
(Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

So much attention is paid by Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, sanctified in every conceivable way; that there is a tendency to overlook her parents. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, were a very old couple, who lived in the small town of Nazareth. They wanted a child very much, but Anna just never became pregnant. They prayed frequently to God asking Him to give them a child. One day Anna was walking in her garden when she discovered a nest of birds. This reminded her that she was childless, and she began to cry. She then prayed again to God for a child, and pledged to dedicate the child to His service. Joachim also prayed to God for a child. God sent an angel who appeared to both Joachim and Anna at the same time, even though they were not together. The angel told them God would answer their prayers. About nine months later they had a baby girl and named her Mary.
The Dormition of the Mother of the Theotokos (Anna) is commemorated on Jul 25th.

Sunday
July 31, 2011
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 6
• Troparion of St. Eudokimos, Tone 4
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
  
  

Epistle: Romans 15:1-7
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-35

Sunday
August 7, 2011
Eight Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Feast of the Transfiguration

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 7
• Troparion of the Transfiguration, Tone 7
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Transfiguration, Tone 7
  
  

Epistle: I Corinthians 1: 10-17
Gospel: Matthew 14: 14-22

The Transfiguration and the Divine Liturgy

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6. This event is recorded in three of the four Gospels: Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.
Jesus Christ Showed Himself as God when he transfigured, performed miracles and resurrected from the dead. The transfiguration, which occurred on Mt. Tabor, happens in every Divine Liturgy. Through the Liturgy we are brought into the very presence of God. The Holy Spirit is present. He transforms our gifts of bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus is present. Like the disciples on Mt. Tabor, we, too, fall on our faces before Him penitently expressing our unworthiness to stand in His Holy presence. But we also enjoy being in His presence. Like St. Peter we say. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you will, let us stay here. Let us make three tents; one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elias.” Also it is good to be with Jesus in the liturgy, to hear Him speak to us, to receive the Hoy Spirit and to receive Christ within us. It is the greatest “good” on earth.

Sunday
August 14, 2011
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
The Pre-Feast of the Falling Asleep
of our Lady The Most Holy Theotokos

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 8
• Troparion of the Pre-Feast of the Dormition, Tone 4
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Pre-Feast of the Dormition, Tone 4
  
  

Epistle: I Cor. 3:9-17
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34

The Feast of the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos

When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He announced this to her through an Angel three days beforehand. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their sorrow. Then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and then lay back upon her pillow. Thus she did surrender her spirit into the hands of her Son and Lord. As the Apostles took up the saintly body to its resting place, heavenly voices could be heard accompanying them on the way. Thomas the Apostle did not arrive in time for the burial, so the others led him to Mary’s tomb to view the remains of the beloved Virgin and when they arrived they discovered to their astonishment that the body was gone.

Was Mary’s Body Taken Up to Heaven?

The Orthodox Church believes that upon death, Mary’s body was translated to heaven. Upon coming to the grave and not finding her saintly body, the disciples became assuredly convinced that she ascended to heaven in the body. Like her son, Mary underwent physical death but her body, like His, was afterwards raised from the dead and she was taken up into heaven in her body as well as in her soul. We Honor the theotokos above all saints, we do not pray to Mary. We pray only to God. We ask the theotokos and the saints to pray for us.
The name most often used for the mother of God is Theotokos or God bearer because God chose her to bring His Son, Jesus into the world.

Sunday
August 21, 2011
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Dormition of the Theotokos

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 1
• Troparion of the Dormition, Tone 1
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Dormition, Tone 2

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4:9-16
Gospel: Matthew 17:14-23

Did you know?

The name most often used for the mother of God is Theotokos or God bearer. We honor the Theotokos above all saints, we do not pray to her. We pray only to God. We ask the Theotokos and the saints to pray for us.

Why do we Honor the Mother of God?

The Incarnation (God becoming man in the person of Christ) was not only the work of God by His power and by His Spirit, but it was also the work, the will and the faith of the Virgin. The Blessed Mother said yes to God. She bears her Son freely and with her full consent. This, then, is why we honor the Virgin so greatly and we sing for her: “it is truly meet to bless thee O Theotokos, ever blessed and blameless, and the Mother of our God. More Honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious than the Seraphim. Who a Virgin gave birth to God the word: True Theotokos we magnify thee.”

Sunday
August 28, 2011
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

• Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 2
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Tone 4
  
  

Epistle: I Cor. 9: 2-12
Gospel: Matthew 18:23-35

Saint Joachim and Saint Anna
(Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

So much attention is paid by Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, sanctified in every conceivable way; that there is a tendency to overlook her parents. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, were a very old couple, who lived in the small town of Nazareth. They wanted a child very much, but Anna just never became pregnant. They prayed frequently to God asking Him to give them a child. One day Anna was walking in her garden when she discovered a nest of birds. This reminded her that she was childless, and she began to cry. She then prayed again to God for a child, and pledged to dedicate the child to His service. Joachim also prayed to God for a child. God sent an angel who appeared to both Joachim and Anna at the same time, even though they were not together. The angel told them God would answer their prayers. About nine months later they had a baby girl and named her Mary.