NEWSLETTER & DEVOTIONAL GUIDE Second Week of the Monday, March 22 — Sunday, March 28, 2021

The Holy Forty of St. Euthymius, Bishop of St. Gregory Palamas the Sebaste Novgorod, wonderwoker Archbishop of Thessalonica (1458)

1 ~ CONTENTS ~ A Note from Fr. John Look It Up! “Twitter Summary” Prayer Corner Thoughts for Every Day Bookstore Ponder This

~ A NOTE FROM FATHER JOHN ~ This past Sunday was the triumph of Orthodoxy, and a hymn sung today states solemnly and simply: "This is the Apostolic faith, this is the Orthodox faith, this is the faith of the Fathers, this is the faith that is the foundation of the world." My dear brothers and sisters, this is also our own faith. We are chosen. We are elected. We are the happy few that can say of our faith, "apostolic," "universal," "the faith of our fathers," "Orthodoxy," "the truth." Having this wonderful treasure, let us preserve it, let us keep it, and let us also use it in such a way that this treasure becomes the victory of Christ in us and in His Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

~ “TWITTER SUMMARY” ~ The main points from Sunday’s sermon, in 280 characters or less! Worship is accorded only to God. In the words of Saint Basil the Great, we hear explained that “the honor which is given to the passes over to the prototype.” The prototype honored is, in the last analysis, God, as God created man in His own image.

~ THOUGHTS FOR EVERY DAY ~

2 Scripture and liturgical readings to enrich your prayer life every day of the week

~ MONDAY~ ~ TUESDAY~ (3/22) (3/23) Holy Scripture: Holy Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-10 40 Martyrs Isaiah 5:7-16 (6th Hour) Matthew 20:1-16 40 Martyrs Genesis 4:8-15 (Vespers, 1st Reading) Excerpt from the : Proverbs 5:1-15 (Vespers, 2nd Reading) The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, Troparion, Excerpt from the Menaion: Tone I — Troparion — Tone 1 By the pangs of Thy saints/ wherewith Let the godly-minded Quadratus, they sufered for Thee,/ be entreated, O Anectus, Paul, Dionysius, Cyprian, and Lord, and heal all our pains// O Thou Who Crescens / be praised with melodious hymns, lovest mankind. / for as the six-fold choir of Christ’s Commemoration of the Day: prize-winners, / they ceaselessly pray for us The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste before the Trinity! Commemoration of the Day: Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and those with him at Corinth ~ WEDNESDAY~ ~ THURSDAY~ (3/24) (3/25) Holy Scripture: Holy Scripture: Isaiah 5:16-25 (6th Hour) Isaiah 6:1-12 (6th Hour) Genesis 4:16-26 (Vespers, 1st Reading) Genesis 5:1-24 (Vespers, 1st Reading) Proverbs 5:15-6:4 (Vespers, 2nd) Proverbs 6:3-20 (Vespers, 2nd Reading) Excerpt from the Menaion: Excerpt from the Menaion: Troparion — Tone 4 Troparion — Tone 8 O hierarch Euthymius, you were chosen By a food of tears you made the desert by God from your youth / and honored with fertile / and by your longing for God you the rank of bishop. / You faithfully cared for brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the your fock / and even after your repose / you radiance of miracles you illuminated the received the gift of wonderworking, to heal whole universe. / O our holy Father infrmities. / Now pray for us who celebrate Theophanes, pray to Christ our God to save your memory / that we might praise Christ our souls. ceaselessly! Commemoration of the Day: Commemoration of the Day: Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of St. Euthymius, Bishop of Novgorod, Sigriane (818) wonderwoker (1458)

~ FRIDAY~ ~ SATURDAY ~ (3/26) (3/27) Holy Scripture: Holy Scripture:

3 Isaiah 7:1-15 (6th Hour) Hebrews 3:12-16 Genesis 5:32-6:8 (Vespers, 1st Reading) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (Departed) Proverbs 6:20-7:1 (Vespers, 2nd) Mark 1:35-44 Excerpt from the Menaion: John 5:24-30 (Departed) Troparion — Tone 3 Excerpt from the Menaion: Your fragrant have been revealed Troparion — Tone 8 as godly treasure / flled with life for the Only Creator, with wisdom profound, Church. / On their august translation / we You mercifully order all things, / and give receive the gifts of the Spirit. / Righteous that which is needed to all men: / Give rest, O Father Nicephorus, entreat Christ our God to Lord, to the souls of Your servants who have grant us His great mercy. fallen asleep, / for they have placed their Commemoration of the Day: trust in You, our Maker and Fashioner, and Translation of the relics (846) of St. our God. Nicephorus the Confessor, patriarch of Commemoration of the Day: (829) Parents’ Saturday. Remembrance of the dead. ~ SUNDAY ~ (3/28) Holy Scripture: Hebrews 1:10-2:3 “Their sound hath gone forth into all the Hebrews 7:26-8:2 (Saint) earth, their words unto the ends of the Mark 2:1-12 world.” John 10:9-16 (Saint) Excerpt from the Menaion : The Second Sunday of Great Lent. St. [Prokeimenon of Pentecost, Tone 8, Gregory Palamas, Troparion, Tone VIII— Liturgy] Light of Orthodoxy, pillar and doctor of To read more: the Church, adornment of monks, invincible https://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/ champion of theologians, O Gregory the wonderworker, praise of Thessalonica, preacher of grace, ever pray that our souls may be saved. Commemoration of the Day: St. Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica

4 ~ PONDER THIS ~ A few thoughts to ponder in light of this week’s lessons and sermons. A Refection on Great Lent by Alexander Schmemann https://www.pravmir.com/a-refection-on-great-lent-by-alexander-schmemann/

When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus, with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is , “the Feast of Feasts.” It is the preparation for the “fulfllment of Pascha, the true Revelation.” We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Easter, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and life.

Is it necessary to explain that Easter is much more than one of the feasts, more than a yearly commemoration of a past event? Anyone who has, be it only once, taken part in that night which is “brighter than the day,” who has tasted of that unique joy, knows it. On Easter we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection as something that happened and still happens to us. For each one of us received the gift of that new life and the power to accept it and live by it. It is a gift which radically alters our attitude toward everything in this world, including death. It makes it possible for us to joyfully afrm: “Death is no more!” Oh, death is still there, to be sure, and we still face it and someday it will come and take us. But it is our whole faith that by His own death Christ changed the very nature of death, made it a passage — a “passover,” a “Pascha” — into the Kingdom of God, transforming the tragedy of tragedies into the ultimate victory.

~LOOK IT UP ~

5 Did you know: Saint John Chrysostom, writes that, during the period of great Lent, we trade our spiritual merchandise and acquire a wealth of virtues. He stresses that it’s no great achievement simply to get through the days of the fast, but that what’s important is to correct some of our faws and to be cleansed of our sins. Read more: https://www.pravmir.com/thoughts-on-great-lent/

~ PRAYER CORNER ~ ● Father John and Matushka ● Anna and her family Deborah. ● Healthcare workers and anyone at risk of contracting the COVID virus

To submit commemorations for the next Divine Liturgy, to make an appointment with Fr. John to give confession by telephone, to alert us to any pastoral needs, to submit an item for the Prayer Corner, or just to chat, please contact Fr. John or Mat. Deborah using the following contact information: Archpriest John Tomasi * (310) 749-0524 * [email protected] Matushka Deborah Tomasi * (310) 849-9451 * [email protected] Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

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