A Mission of the Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of New England 425 South Main Street, Brewer, ME 04412 Services held in St. Theresa’s website: orthodoxmaine.org

May 24, 2020: 6th SUNDAY OF PASCHA — Tone 5. Blind Man. Ven. the Stylite (the Younger) of the Wonderful Mountain (596). Ven. Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl’— Zalesskii (786). Martyrs Meletius Stratelates, Stephen, John, and 1,218 soldiers, with women and children, including Serapion the , Callinicus the Magician, Theodore, Faustus, the women: Marciana, , and Palladia, two children: Cyriacus and Christian, and twelve Tribunes—Faustus, Festus, Marcellus, Theodore, Meletius, Sergius, Marcellinus, Felix, Photinus, Theodoriscus, Mercurius, and Didymus, all of whom suffered in Galatia (138-161). St. Vincent of Lérins.

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! KRISTOS ANESTI! ALETHOS ANESTI! KRISTOS VOSKRESI! VOESTENOS VOSKRESI!

Welcome to the Divine Liturgy. Herein are the changeable portions of the service; binders available at the front contain the framework of the service. You are welcome to join with us in song and prayer. Communion is only given to Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves by prayer, fasting, and recent confession. All are welcome to venerate the cross at the end of the service. Please join us for luncheon in the church hall after the liturgy.

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Priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom… “ Choir: “Amen.” Priest: “ is risen from the dead…” (2 ½ times) Choir: “and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!” (The Divine Liturgy is begun in this manner until the Leavetaking of Pascha.)

Tone 5 Troparion (Resurrection)

Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born for our salvation from the Virgin; for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead// by His glorious Resurrection.

Tone 4 Kontakion ()

I come to Thee, O Christ, blind from birth in my spiritual eyes, and call to Thee in repentance:// “Thou art the most radiant Light of those in darkness.”

Tone 8 Kontakion (Pascha)

Thou didst descend into the tomb, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of death. In victory Thou didst arise, O Christ God, proclaiming, “Rejoice!” to the Myrrhbearing Women,// granting peace to Thine Apostles, and bestowing Resurrection on the fallen.

Tone 8 Prokeimenon

Pray and make your vows / before the Lord, our God! (Ps 75/76:11) v: In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Ps 75/76:1)

Epistle Acts 16:16-34

[16] And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: [17] The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. [18] And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. [19] And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and , and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, [20] And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, [21] And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. [22] And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 2

[23] And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: [24] Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. [25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. [26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. [27] And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. [28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. [29] Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, [30] And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? [31] And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. [32] And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. [34] And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Tone 8 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! v. Look upon me and have mercy on me! (Ps 118/119:132) v. Guide my steps according to Thy word! (Ps 118/119:133)

Gospel John 9:1-38

[1] And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? [3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. [4] I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. [5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [6] When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, [7] And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. [8] The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? [9] Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. [10] Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? [11] He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. [12] Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. [13] They brought to the him that aforetime was blind. [14] And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. [15] Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. [16] Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. [17] They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a 3 prophet. [18] But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. [19] And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? [20] His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: [21] But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. [22] These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. [23] Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. [24] Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. [25] He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. [26] Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? [27] He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? [28] Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his ; but we are Moses' disciples. [29] We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. [30] The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. [31] Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. [32] Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. [33] If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. [34] They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. [35] Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? [36] He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? [37] And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. [38] And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

(Instead of “It is truly meet …,” we sing:)

The cried to the Lady, full of grace: “Rejoice, O pure Virgin! Again, I say: Rejoice, thy Son is risen from His three days in the tomb! With Himself He has raised all the dead.” Rejoice, O ye people!

Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem! The glory of the Lord has shone on thee. Exult now, and be glad, O Zion! Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of thy Son!

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Communion Hymn

Receive the Body of Christ; taste the fountain of immortality! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! (Ps 148:1) Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Priest: “In the fear of God…” Choir: “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord… “ Priest: “O God, save Thy people… “ Choir: “Christ is risen from the dead… “ (sung once, instead of “We have seen the True Light… ) Priest: “Always, now and ever…” Choir: “Let our mouths be filled…”

(At the Dismissal, the Priest says: “Glory to Thee, O Christ…” and the choir sings “Christ is risen from the dead…” (thrice).)

And unto us He has given eternal life Let us worship His Resurrection on the third day

The Sunday of the Blind Man After the Midfeast (John 7:14), the Lord Jesus Christ came to the Temple again and taught the people who came to Him (John 8:2). After leaving the Temple, He opened the eyes of a man “who was blind from his birth (John 9:1). The miracle described in today’s (John 9:1-38) is even more remarkable than it might seem at first. Saint Basil and other Fathers tell us that this was not just a case of giving sight to a blind man born with eyes that did not function, but to someone who had no eyes at all! The second Exapostilarion for this Sunday says, “Along the way, our Savior found a man who lacked both sight and eyes...”. The Gospel says, “Since the world began, it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one who was born blind” (John 9:32). There are examples in the Old (Tobit 2:17) and New (Mark 8:22-26) Testaments of blind people receiving sight, but this is something completely unprecedented. The Savior placed clay in the man’s empty sockets and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. When he obeyed these instructions, the eyes of clay became living eyes! In his MENAION, Saint Demetrius of Rostov calls the blind man Saint Celidonius (see his account of Saint Lazarus in the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4).

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Please pray for: Christ the Savior Mission, Metropolitan Tikhon, The Orthodox Church of America, Father Scott, Faith, Bob, Alex, Scott, Anthony, Annie, Chris, Karen, Mel, Polly, , Whitney, Madeline, Baxter, Vivienne, Cindy, Matthew, Gary, Linda, Mary, Jerry, Joan, Johan, Kathryn, Karen, Ben, Anna, Michael, Christina, Rebecca, Mary, Michael, Cecilia, Theresa, Phil, Esther, Christian, Nicholas, Adriana, Stephan, Olga, Cornelia, Nektarios, Anastasia, Julia, Neil, Michael, Michael, Melissa, Anthony, Carolyn, Aiden, Lincoln James, Lincoln Scott, Victoria, Colton, Lisa, Adam, Victoria, Fred, Demetrios, Demi, Xenia, Thomas, Andre, Lani, Jane, Jim, Chris, Tabitha, James, Claudia and family, Cole, Joel, Ingrid, Sena, Eric, Bev, Father Anthony, Carol, Sue, Dave.

Due to the Coronavirus, all serviced in our normal settings are canceled until further notice. We are holding video services, streaming on YouTube and through Zoom. Please contact Chris Maas for more details.

Service Schedule: Sundays starting at 10:30am-3rd Hour, 6th Hour, Divine Liturgy, Wednesdays at 6:00 pm-9th Hour, Vespers, followed by study Confessions are available upon request. Contact the rector for an appointment. Contact Information: Rector: Father Scott Ceraphim 207-478-3088 [email protected] Parish Council President: Chris Maas, 207-924-4553, [email protected] Website: orthodoxmaine.org

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