February 7, 2010 Church Bulletin

Sunday, February 7, 2010

SUNDAY OF MEAT FARE

VARIATION IN TODAY’S DIVINE LITURGY

At the entrance (Service Book page 97):

TROPARION OF THE RESURRECTION  - Tone 2: When Thou didst submit Thyself unto death, O Thou deathless and immortal One, then Thou didst destroy Hell, with Your Godly power.  And when Thou didst raise the dead from beneath the earth, all the powers of Heaven did cry aloud unto Thee, O Christ Thou giver of life, Glory to Thee, O our God.

THE ENTRANCE HYMN:  O Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.  O son of God, who art risen from the dead save us who sing unto thee:  Alleluia.

Repeat #1 above.

TROPARION OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD – Tone 1:  Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace; for from thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God, lighting those who are in darkness.  Rejoice and be glad, O righteous old man, carrying in thine arms the Deliverer of our souls, who granteth us resurrection.

TROPARION OF ST. GEORGE – Tone 4:  As deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm, champion of kings, victorious, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ our God for our soul’s salvation.

KONTAKION OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD– Tone 1:  Thou, O Christ God, who by thy Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us; preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them who thou didst love, for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
 

Prokeimenon:  The Lord is my strength and my song.

                            The Lord has chastened me sorely.

EPISTLE:  First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

(Chapters 8:8-13; 9:1-2.)

BRETHREN, food will not commend us to God, we are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.  Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow becomes a stumbling block to the weak.  For if any one sees you a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?  And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.  Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.

Am I not free?  Am I not an apostle?  Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?  Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?  If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW

(Chapter 25:31-46.)

When the son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at his left.  Then the King, will say to those at his right hand, "Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."  Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?  And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?"  And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."  Then he will say to those at his left hand, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then they also will answer, "Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?"  Then he will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these you did it not to me."  And they will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life."

Special note:  Except for those who are elderly and/or disabled, please remain standing during Holy Communion.

NEXT WEEK’S HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Romans 13:11-14; 14:1-4; Matthew 6:14-21.