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Home , Burial of Jesus, Myrrhbearers, Resurrection of Jesus

Annette Oaks, Sherrie Sharp, Theodore "Ted" Polas, Theodore, Evolanne, , Father Myron Zuder & Pani Dolores, Protopresbyter John Gido, Protopresbyter St. & Pani Anna Marie Slovesko, Leigh & Elaine Urda, Michael and Bill Kopchick, Deborah (Kopchick), Emily and Mary Elizabeth Kopchick, Sonia & William Kopchick, Judy Groves, The intentions of the Urda and Bush Families, Norman Bush, Kelly Mulhall, Donald King, Nancy Zajdel, Andrew King, Phyllis Kotula, Jack Address: 450 Glenwood Drive, Ambridge, PA 15003 Mihaloew, George & Carol Harmotto, Boyde Klesser, Margaret Kotula, Mary Ann Phone: 412-407-5102 Kirish, Kathryn Semenko, Carol Willgruber, Martin & Samatha Basalyga, Lissa Web: orthodoxambridge.org Hannan, Mary Rekasie, All the members of the Darbut Family, and the staff and Email: [email protected] clients of Christain Counseldin Associates: Bruce Hammerle, Chris McCown, Dan Father Marc Wisnosky Kutt, Emmanuel Lillios, and Molly Duffy, friends, and all Orthodox ; Administrator especially those who are sick and suffering with Covid-19. Phone: 412-407-5102 Email: [email protected] Departed Mr. Timothy Polas Rose Gulish, Gloria Kouvolo, Andrew & Helen Sovich, Tony Rusinak, Joseph, Council President Phone: (724) 462-3942 Joseph & Mary Fitsko, Sheldon Harr, Georgann & Ron, Robert Willgruber, Bertha Email: [email protected] Pensy, George Kirish, Andrew Polas, Helen Polas, George Nedelkov, Sister Nymphodora, James T. Yeager, Lee, Rosalie, Anna and Michael Kopchick, Leila and George Popovich, Christine Popovich, Ann Chemsak, Brian Harmotto, Services Schedule Georgia Polas, Jack Semenko, George Semonik, Harry Coe, Janet Mickel, Wanda, Confessions: 9:00 AM - 9:25 AM Vicky Harris, Stephen Polas, Mary Polas, John Kirish, Michael Laba, all the Sunday : 9:30 AM departed of the Murga and Rekasie Families; the departed Members of the Shema Feast Day Divine Liturgy: 9:30 AM and Kuzma Families; all the departed of John the Baptist Orthodox Church; and all departed Orthodox Christians who have fallen asleep in due to Bulletin for Sunday, May 16, 2021 Covid-19. Liturgical Schedule

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

And these [the women] first see ; and the sex that was most condemned, this first enjoys the sight of the blessings, this most shows its courage. And when the disciples had fled, these were present. Sunday, May 16, 2021 - 9:30 am - Third Sunday of Pascha: The -bearing Women. Tone two.

St. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Sts. Myrrh-Bearing Women, righteous and ; Sts. Mary and , Homily 88 on , 4th Century sisters of St. Lazarus (1st c.). Venerable Theodosius, of the Kiev Caves Monastery and founder of cenobitic monasticism in Rus' (1074). New Hieromartyr Nicholas priest (1941). St. Theophanes of Vatopedi, metropolitan of Peritheorion (14th c.). Translation of the Dormition of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev-Pechersk Far Caves (1073). Pechersk Not-Wrought-by-Hand Saint John's News (1085), "Pechersk" (with Sts. Anthony and Theodosius) (1085), "Sven-Caves" (1288). St. Brendan of Clonfert ("the Navigator") (578).

Candle Intentions for May Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 9:30 am - Fourth Sunday of Pascha: The Paralyzed Man. Eternal Light - requested by Ted and Tim Polas - Thanking God for answered Tone three. prayers and for blessing upon our newly installed permantent parish preist and his family: Fr. Marc, Pani Alison, and Anastasia. "Mnohia l'ita, blahaja l'ita" The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Righteous Tabitha of Joppa (1st c.). Apostle (1st. c.). St. Simon, of Vladimir and Suzdal (Kiev Caves) (1226). Martyr Hesychius of Antioch (4th c.). Venerable Isidora the Fool of Prayer Requests that need Your Prayers (Candles & Vigil Candles Requests) Tabenna () (365). Blessed Thais (Taisia) of Egypt (5th c.). Icon of the Mother of God "Kiev- This is a list of those who are sick or have fallen asleep in the Lord and are in need Bratsk" (1654). of the prayers of the whole Body of . Some of those listed have had one of the following lite on their behave, a vigil light, eternal light, or a candle in front of the Holy Icon of the of Our Lady of Chicago. Some have been added by Father Vincent for extra prayers. Please pray for the intentions of those Sunday, May 30, 2021 - 9:30 am - Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman. listed below for their healing of body and or their Blessed repose in the Tone four. Paradise of . The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Living Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow laborer Junia (1st c.). Martyrs Solochon, Pamphamer, and Pamphalon at Chalcedon (298). St. Stephen, of Constantinople (893). of their crying was heard on the other side of the river.

Sunday, June 6, 2021 - 9:30 am - Sixth Sunday of Pascha: The Blind Man. Tone May 16 five. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Holy Martyr Peter of Blachernae Venerable Symeon Stylites (the Younger) of the Wonderful Mountain (596). Venerable Nicetas Stylites, wonderworker of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski (1186). 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, Didymus, all of whom suffered in Galatia (218). Venerable Vincent of Lerins (ca. 450). St. Gregory, archbishop of Novgorod (1193). -martyr May 16 Martha, of Monemvasia (990).

Brendan the Navigator

Thursday, June 10, 2021 - 9:30 am - The Ascension of our Lord. Tone five.

The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Venerable Nicetas, bishop of Chalcedon (9th c.). St. Ignatius, bishop and wonderworker of Rostov (1288). St. Eutychius, bishop of Melitene (1st c.). Martyrs Heliconis and Dapni of Thessalonica (244). St. Germanus, bishop of Paris (576) (Gaul). St. William of Languedoc (812) (Gaul). St. Andrew the fool-for-Christ of Constantinople (911). Wisdom of the Fathers

They [the women] had followed Him ministering to Him, and were present even unto the time Sunday, June 13, 2021 - 9:30 am - Seventh Sunday of Pascha: The Fathers of the of the dangers. Wherefore also they saw all; how He cried, how He gave up the , how First . Tone six. the rocks were rent, and all the rest.

The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom St. John Chrysostom

Homily 88 on Matthew 27, 4th Century of , he came to Him by night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of Apostle Hermes of the Seventy (1st c.). Martyr Hermias at Comana (160). Martyr Philosophus at myrrh-oils and an aromatic mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence and love for the Alexandria (252). Martyr Marus the Magician who was converted on witnessing the martyrdom of divine Teacher (:39). Joseph, who was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy Hermias. and noble man, and one of the counsellors who were in . He went boldly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of another , he placed the Lord's body in his Hymns of the Day own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as the Evangelist says (Matt. 27:60). of Great and Holy Pascha in the Fifth May 16 Tone

Alexandros, Archbishop of Jerusalem Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the bestowing life! Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Tone

When You submitted to death, O Immortal Life,* You made death powerless by the radiance of Your .* When You raised the dead from the depths of the earth,* all the heavenly powers exclaimed:* "O Giver of Life Christ our God Glory to You!" May 16 Apolytikion for Holy Sunday in the Theodore the Sanctified Second Tone This Saint, who was born in the Upper Thebaid of Christian parents, joined the community of Saint Pachomios at about the age of fourteen When You submitted to death, O Immortal Life, * You made death powerless by the years, and became the greatest of his disciples. Because of Theodore's radiance of Your Divinity. * When You raised the dead from the depths of the earth, * all the utter humility and unquestioning obedience, Pachomios called him more heavenly powers exclaimed: * "O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory to You." and more to his aid in governing the monasteries he had established. Although some found fault with this, because Theodore was younger than they, Pachomios Apolytikion for Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday in the continued to put his confidence in him, to such a degree that once he told the brotherhood, "Theodore and I fulfil the same service for God; and he also has the authority to give Second Tone commands as father." Pachomios was succeeded as governor of the by Saint Orsiesius in 346, and Orsiesius later took Theodore as his fellow abbot. At Theodore's death in the year 368, the monks mourned him so bitterly that the sound The noble Joseph, * having taken Your most pure body down from the Cross, * wrapped it in These women were greatly blessed by God. They were the first witnesses to the . They a clean shroud * and anointed it with fragrant spices * and laid it in a new tomb. * But You, O belong to their own special class of given by the Church, that of the myrrh-bearers. Let us Lord, arose on the third day, * granting Your great mercy to the world. remember them this Sunday and ask them to intercede for us that we can be as faithful to Jesus Christ in our lives as they were in theirs. Apolytikion for Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday in the Second Tone Saints and Feasts

The stood by the tomb and to the women bearing spices he cried aloud: * Myrrh is fitting for the dead * but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption. * So now cry out, May 16 "The Lord has risen, * bestowing great mercy upon the world." Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women Apolytikion of Saint John the Baptist in the About the beginning of His thirty-second year, when the Lord Jesus was Fourth Tone going throughout , preaching and working , many women who had received of His beneficence left their own homeland and from O Holy Saint John the Baptist,* Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ,* in spite of then on followed after Him. They ministered unto Him out of their own our honor and devotion* we are unable to give you worthy praise.* Through your glorious possessions, even until His and entombment; and afterwards, and noble birth* your mother's childlessness was ended,* your father's tongue was freed,* neither losing faith in Him after His death, nor fearing the wrath of the Jewish rulers, they and the Incarnation of the Son of God* was proclaimed to the world. came to the sepulchre, bearing the myrrh-oils they had prepared to annoint His body. It is because of the myrrh-oils, that these God-loving women brought to the that Seasonal in the Eighth Tone they are called the Myrrh-bearers. Of those whose names are known are the following: first of all, the most holy Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and :40 is called "the mother You descended into the grave, O Immortal One, * yet You destroyed the power of death. * of James and " (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, and she was As Conqueror You arose, O Christ God, * saying to the myrrh-bearing women, "Rejoice!", * therefore their step-mother); (celebrated July 22); Mary, the wife of ; granting peace to Your Apostles, * and offering resurrection to the fallen. Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of ; , the mother of the sons of , Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence (Matt 27:55-56; 28:1-10. Mark 15:40-41. Luke and Readings 8:1-3; 23:55-24:11, 22-24. John 19:25; 20:11-18. :14). Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of the Saviour, Joseph and Epistle Reading Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the and of the order of the , learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of our Saviour's preaching became the first bishop of Jerusalem and was well-respected by and the early Christian Prokeimenon. Second Tone. Psalm 117.14,18. community, and he wrote the Epistle of St. James. The Lord is my strength and my song. Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely. The third was a woman named Joanna, who was the wife of Chuza, a wealthy man. Chuza, her husband, was King Herod’s household steward— the same Herod who had John the Baptist killed. The reading is from 6:1-7. According to tradition, it was St. Joanna who saved the head of John the Baptist after disposed of it. In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the The fourth myrrh-bearing woman was Salome. Salome was the daughter of St. Joseph, the foster- twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up father of Jesus. This makes Mary the Theotokos her step-mother. She married Zebedee and her preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you sons are the Apostles James and John, often referred to as James and John, the sons of Zebedee. seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this These two Apostles, along with St. Peter, were with Jesus at the Transfiguration as well as in the duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they Garden of Gethsemane. St. John is also known as St. or St. John the said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Theologian, and he wrote of John as well as the . St. John is also Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and , and Nicolaos, a Mary’s step-grandson, so it is understandable that Jesus asks him to take care of his mother at the of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their Crucifixion, when he tells His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” and to John, “Behold your mother!” hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied and we are told from that hour St. John took Mary into his home and cared for her, since her husband greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Joseph was dead and she had no other natural children (John 19:27-27). His James preached in Spain and was the first Apostle to be martyred.

Fifth, there was Mary the mother of James, the wife of , also called . There were Gospel Reading two Apostles named James. This James is often referred to as the son of Alphaeus or St. , and his brother was St. Matthew the Evangelist. This James proclaimed the Gospel mostly in Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women Egypt and was crucified in the Egyptian city of Ostrachina. The Reading is from Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8

The sixth myrrh-bearer that we know of was Susanna, a wealthy woman who we don’t know too At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself much about except that she was one of the women who attended to Jesus and provided support for looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of His ministry. Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he The seventh and eighth Myrrh-bearers were Mary and Martha of , the sisters of Lazarus. was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him These women were good friends of Jesus and were also among the wealthy women who supported down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of Jesus’ three-year ministry. Jesus was at their house and raised their brother Lazarus from the dead the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we call . So too they were among the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. faithful women who went to the tomb to anoint his body. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and in the council that condemned Jesus to death. We don’t know much about what happened Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day to Nicodemus after the Resurrection, but it is believed that he was martyred. Joseph of Arimathea of the they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one preached the Gospel all over the world and finally died peacefully in Britain, where he had been another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, preaching the Gospel. they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they Because the was so hastily done on Friday, the body had not been prepared saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a robe; and they were amazed. properly according to Jewish tradition. The holy myrrh-bearing women went to the tomb after the And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of , who was crucified. Sabbath, on Sunday morning, to anoint the body with fragrant spices, or myrrh, as was the proper He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and burial custom. However, when they arrived at the tomb they found it empty and an angel of the Lord Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And they announced to them the . These holy women were the first witnesses to the most went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and profound event in human history! But who were the Myrrh-bearing women? they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. There was Mary Magdalene. She is sometimes called the Apostle to the Apostles because she brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to the Apostles. She is also called Equal-to-the-Apostles for this reason, as well. We know she was from the town of Magdala, which is on the , she Fr. Marc's Homily was quite wealthy, and that she had been possessed by seven demons which Jesus cast out. After her exorcism, she became one of His most devoted disciples, even standing at the foot of the Cross Today we commemorate the Myrrh-bearing Women. with His mother and St. John, and helping Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus put the body of Jesus in the tomb. Many think Mary Magdalene was also a former prostitute and the sinful woman who Today’s Gospel lists three of the myrrh-bearing women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of washed Jesus’ feet with her hair in the book of Luke (7:36-50). However, this is not true. This James, and Salome. However, the other list several other women coming with them to the prostitute story of Mary Magdalene is attributed to St. Gregory the Dialogist, who is also known as tomb, and the Church recognizes eight myrrh-bearing women that we know of for sure. I’d like to talk St. Gregory the Great. It is not confirmed by the scriptures nor is it believed by the Orthodox about these extraordinary women, these women who were so brave to go to the tomb to anoint the Church, but is a Western Christian myth. After Jesus ascended into heaven, she became a body of Jesus, even though they didn’t know if they could find someone to roll away the heavy stone missionary. There is a story that Mary was having dinner with the Roman emperor Caesar enclosing the tomb. They were faithful Jewish women who loved their teacher. We know five of them and told him of Christ’s resurrection. He scoffed at her and said a man can rise from the dead no were very wealthy and essentially funded Jesus’ three-year public ministry. Some of them were even more that the egg in your hand can turn red, and of course the egg turned red in Mary’s hand. This is relatives of Jesus. Their stories and families are amazing. thought to be the origin of the tradition among some ethnic groups of giving out red eggs at Pascha. Mary Magdalene, we are told, died peacefully in Ephesus helping St. John evangelize to the people Today, we also commemorate two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. We remember from there. , as well as from one of today’s troparia, that Joseph of Arimathea asked to take the body of Jesus down from the Cross and lay it in a new tomb before the Sabbath, so his body The second myrrh-bearer was the Theotokos, Jesus’ mother. In today’s Gospel reading, she is wouldn’t be hanging on the Cross during the holy day. Time was short so he and Nicodemus put the referred to as both Mary the mother of Joses and as Mary the mother of James. Joses and James body of Jesus in Joseph’s own tomb, and the body was never properly anointed. Joseph of were Joseph’s sons from his first marriage. James is often called James the Just or “the brother of Arimathea and Nicodemus were both secret disciples of Jesus; they were secret disciples because the Lord,” and should not be confused with either of the two Apostles named James. This James they were members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish temple leaders. However, they did not participate