06/06/2021 Saint George The Great Martyr Eastern, Orthodox Church Hesperia CA.92345 TEL:760-244-9223 Dn.George: 760-792-8604 Website:WWW.STgeorgeoca.org 6th Sunday after Pascha Blind Man CHRIST IS RISEN, INDEED HE IS RISEN! Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen! Today my brothers and sisters in Christ, we commemorate Saint Celidonius who was blind from birth. He was born without eye sockets and eyes; undoubtedly, the LORD could have healed the blind man by just commanding the healing with His Word. Instead, the LORD made mud from the ground with His saliva and placed it on the eyes of Saint Celidonius. By this, the Evangelist showed the Jews and shows us that the Word of God, without Whom “nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3), “the LORD God who formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen 2:7), was dwelling (tabernacling; Jn 1:14) among His people, restoring His creation made ill by sin to the image of God. He commanded the man to wash in the pool of Siloam for the healing to be accomplished, and the blind man obeyed. By this prophetic action, the Evangelist brings to our attention the baptismal waters by which the LORD illumines us and begins the process of restoring in us the image of God: the Church calls this Theosis. Saint Celidonius received healing because he obeyed the LORD, and his cooperation with the LORD is what the Church calls synergy. Brothers and sisters let us cooperate with the LORD through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and participation in the life of the Church as He works daily to restore the image of God in us! 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. Troparion ST. George:You were…….Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit Tone 4 Kontakion (Pentecostarion) 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 didst Thou arise, O Christ God, proclaiming, “Rejoice!” to the Myrrhbearing Women,// granting peace to Thine Apostles, and bestowing Resurrection on the fallen. Kontakion St.George……Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Steadfast protectress of Christian Tone 8 Prokeimenon (Pentecostarion) Pray and make your vows / before the Lord, our God! (Ps. 75:10a) V. In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Ps. 75:1) 06/06/2021 Epistle (38) Acts 16:16-34 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! V. Look upon me and have mercy on me! (Ps.118:132a) V. Guide my steps according to Thy word! (Ps. 118:133a) Gospel (34) John 9:1-38 (Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing:) The Angel cried to the Lady, full of grace: “Rejoice, Rejoice,O pure Virgin! Again, I say: Rejoice, Your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb! With Himself He has raised all the dead. ”Rejoice Rejoice, O ye people! Shine, shine, Shine,O new Jerusalem! The glory of the Lord has shone on you. Exult now, Exult,and be glad, O Zion! Be radiant, O pure Theotokos,in the Resurrection the Resurrection of your Son! Communion HymnPraise 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! Orthodox Saints Quotes *** In order that you may move your will more easily to this one desire, in everything—to please (God) and to work for His glory alone—remind yourself often, that He has granted you many favors in the past and has shown you His love. He has created you out of nothing in His own likeness and image, and has made all other creatures your servants; He has delivered you from your slavery to the devil, sending down not one of the angels but His Only-begotten Son to redeem you, not at the price of corruptible gold and silver, but by His priceless blood and His most painful and degrading death. Having done all this He protects you, every hour and every moment, from your enemies; He fights your battles by His divine grace; in His immaculate Mysteries He prepares the Body and Blood of His beloved Son for your food and protection. All this is a sign of God’s great favor and love for you; a favor so great that it is inconceivable how the great Lord of hosts could grant such favours to our nothingness and worthlessness. + St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain *** Truth.Christ was mocked, persecuted and ultimately crucified because He spoke truth - truth which was inconvenient to the religious leadership’s purposes. The idea of an objective truth is in question today. Many deny there is such a thing as objective truth or fact- using statements saying‘you have your truth, I’ll have mine-‘ In this case- Truth is an objective reality, encompassed in the man of Jesus Christ. Christ is ‘the way, the truth, and the life.’ “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ”†prayers for the livings: Archbishop Benjamin, Luca Nicholas, Grace and her parents, Daniel, Abbot Tryphon, the child of God Monika, Nick, Sam, Marleen and thier Family,Ruth, Debrutu, Alex Janice and their family Janice, Elizabeth, Daniel and their children, Vaso, Angela,Sonya and Dragosh, Timothy, Eric & Betsy and their Children,Michael, Eva, Sharalyn, Salwa& Steven, Adrian and his family, Mihali and Sophia, Marin, Thomas and his family. Prayers for the Departed: all the orthodox that lies here and there sleep in the Lord. REMINDER *** Fr.Dionisie will be serving the Divine Liturgy this Sunday the 06 th *** Christ is Risen! Indeed he is risen. In CHRIST, always! *** Holy Ascension is June 10th. Divine Liturgy @ 9:30AM Glory to him, who showed us the light! .