FIFTH WEEK AFTER PENTECOST   

SUN., June 28, 2009, 4TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; 

                                      translation of the relics of the Wonderworkers and Unmercinaries Cyrus and John

Romans 6:18-23     Matthew 8:5-13

“But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

( Rom. 6:21)

St. Paul is echoing what Jesus told His disciples when He said, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26) The word profit comes from the Latin proficio which means “to make on behalf of”. In other words, we do something in our favor which gives us some sort of an advantage, something good that benefits us in some way, something that we gain by instead of suffering a loss. When we sin, we lose. When we do what is right by living virtuously, we win. Profits are especially important in the business world. Businesses survive through the profit margins they manage to grow with every year. Now how might we apply it to our spiritual life? When Jesus was found in the temple by Mary and Joseph, He answered their question of “why” with, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) In the corporate world, a house is the establishment in which one organizes the particular business in which one is concerned, the venture in which one is undertaking for a specific course of action. Jesus is in His Father’s house, the world His Father created for the specific purpose in which His children could live and grow into His likeness and return to Him to live eternally in heaven. Jesus came to help us do just that. For us as individuals, a business is an occupation in which we are concerned or interested. It serves as our source of regular livelihood, our calling or vocation. And what is our spiritual calling? What do we need to do to promote our spiritual livelihood? The thing for us to remember is that, whatever our earthly careers are, they are to reflect our spiritual calling. Our true vocation in life is to save our life by becoming more like our Father through His Son, with Whom we were clothed at our Baptism, and get back home to our Heavenly Father. And anything we do that will not keep us going in the right direction will not profit us. Let’s be reasonable, does sin really serve as a benefit for us in anyway? In thinking back on what we have done in the past to hurt our Father’s trust, hope and love in us, are we really pleased with what we have done, or even neglected to do? Our Father even sent us the Light so that we can see our WAY out of the dark hole we’ve dug ourselves into through our sins. So are we, or are we not, living as children of Light? Trying to live as true Christians in the midst of a “culture of death”, do we sincerely try to bring glory to our name rather than shame? Since we are made in the image of our God, do we realize that when we sin we also bring shame to Him? How many times have we overheard someone saying, “And he/she calls himself/herself a Christian?” Would we want to be the person they are possibly referring to? As our Big Brother Jesus, are we following His WAY of tending to our Father’s business, living in this house He especially made for us called earth? After all, we are members of His “royal household”. (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

“In You, O Lord, I have hoped. Let me never be put to shame. Be the God of my protection, and a house of refuge to save me.” – Alleluia Verses for  the Third Resuurectional Tone

Mon., June 29, 2009 SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, PRIME APOSTLES

2 Cor. 11:21-12:9     Matthew 16:13-19

“And apart from all these things, there is the daily anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?”

(1 Cor. 11:28-29)

When we break a foot, we need added upper body strength to be able to walk with crutches in the proper way. When we have a cold, our whole body can ache. When we can’t hear too well, we learn to read lips. When we can’t see too well, we learn to walk more with the sense of touch. Get the picture? Our body works as a unit, and all parts are dependent on each other and compensate for one another in order to keep the body functioning to the best of its ability at any given moment. St. Paul ’s idea of the Church as the Body of Christ is based on this complete union of interdependence and intimacy between individual Christians and Christ. We are incorporated into the Body of Christ through our faith and Baptism. We are inserted into his death and resurrection and have thus risen with Him into a new life enlivened within us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, being joined to the Lord, we become one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). However, St. Paul doesn’t stop here. He also points out that in partaking of the Holy Eucharist, we Christians are more intimately united in this Body of Christ in a mutual union with each other: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:16-17). There is only one Christ, and we are all members of His only Body. Thus, we do not form just a body for Christ, but we are all parts of His Body, united through the ingestion of his Body and Blood and through His Spirit within us. And St. Paul wants us to be very clear on what this really means to us as individuals in union with Christ and with each other. Although he explains it on the basis of comparing society to an organic body (1 Cor. 12:12-27; Rom. 12:4-5), it is not a mere amazing social event. This union is built on the fundamental fact, a really radical fact, that we individual Christians are together united and incorporated into forming this Mystical Body of Christ. And St. Paul simply states, “Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). No ifs, ands, or buts, this Mystical Body of Christ exists as a purely spiritual Body, having organic bodily parts made up of us individual human beings living in the world, and whatever happens to one part of this Body affects the rest of it. Therefore, if one of us sins, we all feel the affect of it spiritually. Why do we think we pray for each other for our spiritual as well as physical and temporal needs? Why do we offer our brokenness as members of the Body of Christ at the time of Consecration for penance for our own sins as well as atonement for the sins of the world? We live in a “culture of death” which promotes secularism, individualism and relativism. Are we going to let this type of social society break apart the Body of Christ? If we do not realize it, we have work to do on this earth as members of the Body of Christ. Are we going to present a united presence of Christ on earth, or are we not? Let’s close reflecting on a popular Communion Hymn based on John 12:9-11, 21-23:

“At that first Eucharist before You died,

O Lord, You prayed that all be one in You;

At this our Eucharist again preside,

And in our hearts Your law of love renew.

     Thus may we all one Bread, one Body be;

     Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

For all Your Church, O Lord, we intercede;

O make our lack of charity to cease;

Draw us the nearer each to each we plead,

By drawing all to You, O Prince of peace.

     Thus may we all one Bread, one Body be,

     Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

We pray for those who wander from the fold;

O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep,

Back to the faith which saints believed of old,

Back to the Church which still that faith does keep.

     Thus may we all one Bread, one Body be,

     Through this blest sacrament of Unity.

“Holy gifts for the holy people of God….One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. Alleluia….The Lamb of God is broken and distributed – broken but not divided, ever eaten yet never consumed, but sanctifying those who partake.” -  Prayer before Receiving the Holy Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy

Tue., June 30, 2009 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles

1 Cor. 4:9-16     Mark 3:13-19

“We are fools on Christ’s account. . . .When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment.”

( Rom. 4:10, 12-13)

Who is considered to be a fool in the eyes of the world? It is a person who lacks commonsense and understanding and thus is unable to wisely make proper judgments according to worldly ways. So, what kind of fool does that make each one of us who follow Christ? Because we Christians are to base our decisions on what we have learned by following the teachings and life of Jesus Christ, our bank account, our savings account for eternal life, is not considered solvent in earthly eyes. In fact, it is capable of dissolving many earthly investments that are detrimental to our spiritual health. And this is thought to be very stupid according to the money gurus of this present day. Their favorite anthem is the “Money Song” from the popular musical Cabaret. To them, “Money makes the world go round.” The WAY we follow and upon which we base our savings in, with and through Jesus Christ is counter-cultural to the “culture of death” so prevalent in the world today, and what makes our world go round is LOVE. If we do not realize it, we Christians are the original “peace-niks” and “flower children” from the time of the early Church. Didn’t Christ come to bring peace to the world as the angels sang at His birth and as He later told the apostles after He resurrected from the dead? Also, before He ascended into heaven, He endowed us with His nourishing Body and Blood so that we might become His witnesses to this. He continually provides us with this personal incoming of His love in the Holy Eucharist so that we might more readily put out a bit of peace and love to those around us in our own daily lives. Furthermore, are we not the “flower children” God originally planted in the Garden of Eden and has now replanted to blossom in the wilderness of the world? Our ancestors advocated peace and love as they joyfully and peacefully went to their deaths in the early days of persecution under Roman rule, as well as more recently under the reign of communism, and even today in some of the hot spots of religious intolerance in the world. As Jesus told His disciples while explaining the parables of the weeds and of the sower, “He Who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.” (Matthew 13:37-39). And to explain further, “[T]he seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:23). As God’s flower children planted in this world, we do not live in communes but are members of the Mystical Body of Christ. We do not carry or wear flowers to symbolize our Christian stand on the issues of the day but wear our crosses with deep faith. We do not embrace soft drugs but are continually nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ. We do not favor acid rock or progressive rock music but sing as the children did on our Savior’s entrance into Jerusalem along with the angels in heaven, “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). Do we realize how much we are at odds with worldly interests? Are we banking our lives on fleeting worldly praise or everlasting glory? Are we blooming as the sunflowers in God’s garden should by following His Light from east to west all day long? Let’s just spend a few moments thinking about what Jesus tells us as to why He spoke in parables and we are the seeds of His word planted on this earth:

“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’” (Matthew 13:11-13).

So, it is up to us. Do we want to be rich in the Kingdom of God or under the reign of the Prince of Darkness? Do we want to blossom forth eternally in the Light of the Kingdom of God’s love or wither away due to lack of it in the eternal darkness of Satan’s folly? Are we, or are we not living as God’s children of Light? So, let’s be serious. Would we rather be fools for Christ now or be found living foolishly in worldly ways at the end of time?

“Lord, You bless those who bless You; and sanctify those who trust in You. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect the full membership of Your Church. Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them in return by Your divine power. Do not forsake us who hope in You. Grant peace to Your world, to Your churches, to the clergy, to our nation under God, to our government, to the military and to all Your laity. For every worthwhile gift, every generous benefit comes from You, the Father of Lights. And to You we give glory, thanks and worship, to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.” – Prayer of Dismissal for the Divine Liturgy

Wed., July 1, 2009 SS. Cosmas and Damian (Unmercinaries)

Romans 15:7-16     Matthew 12:38-45

“Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

( Rom. 15:7)

Abraham sat at the door to his tent in the heat of the day when he noticed three men standing at the Terebinth of Mamre. He ran over to them and bowing to the ground asked them to allow him to give them some hospitality (Gen. 1:1-18). This was a common practice to greet guests and strangers in the desert and offer them food and drink and other comforts if need be. No one could live alone in the desert. The guest was received with honor, wined and dined and made immune from any attack on his person. The guest was treated with dignity and respect that is due to a human being. To the host the guest seemed to have a special sense of a sacredness of being surrounding him. This ancient practice came back with a new twist when Jesus Christ appeared on the scene. Recall His appearance after His resurrection to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They asked Him to join them for dinner and to stay until daybreak before continuing on His way, for nobody traveled at night unless they really had to because it was too dangerous (Luke 24:13-35). However, with Jesus it is the host who is honored and not so much the guest as it was in the past. As Jesus told His apostles, “Anyone who loves Me will be true to My word, and My father will love him, We will come to him and make our dwelling place with him” (John 14:23). So, if we love God and live according to His will in our life, He will come and dwell within us. How awesome and mind boggling is this thought. Our God loves us so much that He wants to honor us with His living presence within us. To go a step further, do we realize what a marvelous privilege we grant our God by presenting Him with a pure heart into which He can come each time we partake of the Holy Eucharist? Our God makes Himself small enough in the consecrated morsel of bread and wine, His Body and Blood, so that we can welcome Him into our life because He wants to be a part of it and have us join Him in His life. Note what St. John later tells us about what was revealed to him, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with Me. I will give the victor the right to sit with Me on My throne, as I Myself first won the victory and sit with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 4:20-21). We are the privileged hosts for our God as we live on this earth. And, if we do our hosting as well as we should, He will be our heavenly Host for all eternity where He will give us the honor of sitting on His throne since we are His children and heirs to His Kingdom. Thus, living as His true children, God welcomes us joyfully and without hesitation into His life. This is the way we are to welcome others into our life. After all, we must “let mutual love continue” and “not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Heb. 13:1). So, if God can come to us and honor us with His presence, can we do less for others? Lest we forget, every one of us human beings is made in the image of our God. We Christians, however, have the special privilege of trying to grow into His likeness, for we are clothed with Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells within us to show us how to do so. How hospitable are we in welcoming new neighbors? How hospitable are we in welcoming strangers present at our parish services and other functions? Do we welcome them as Christ would if He were here in His Body? And of not, why not? Remember, everybody is equal in the eyes of God. Christ ate with sinners, publicans, adulterers, the least desirable of the people at that time. Can we put our prejudices and unwarranted judgments aside and do the same? Are we not to be His “little christs” on earth trying to build up the Kingdom of God ’s Love among us? We know how Christ welcomes us while we are still sinners. Do we show the same hospitality to others?

“Before You, O kind and loving Master, we place our whole life and hope, and we pray, beg and beseech You: make us worthy to partake of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries at this sacred and spiritual table with a clean conscience, for forgiveness of sins, pardon of offenses, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, inheritance of the heavenly kingdom, confidence before You not for judgment or condemnation.” – Prayer by the Priest before the Recitation of the Our Father during the Divine Liturgy

THU., July 2, 2009, Deposition of the Robe of the Theotokos

Heb. 9:1-7     Luke 10:38-42 & 11:27-28

“Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, in which were the gold altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant entirely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant.”

(Heb. 9:3-4)

As the Jews wandered about in the desert, they had a sanctuary, a consecrated place in which they could consult with God through Moses (Ex. 33:7-11). God had given them specific instructions as to how it was to be built (Ex. 25-31), and then how it was to be faithful used by them (Ex. 35-39). When it was completed the glory if God descended upon it in the form of a splendid cloud which filled it to show them that God was taking possession of it as His dwelling place. God’s divine presence was visibly evident to them through a cloud that blocked the door of the tent (Num. 12:4-10). Within the tent was the Ark of the Covenant which contained, among other things, the tablets of the covenant of God’s written Word, the Ten Commandments, which they were to follow. God was present to them in His Word, and the ark was believed to be His footstool on earth because God was seated on His throne between the two cherubim placed on top of the ark (1 Chron. 28:2; Num. 10:33-35; Ps. 99:5). Thus, to the Jews, their portable sanctuary, or tabernacle, was the “Tent of Meeting” in which God dwelt among them. Now, let’s bring us up to date. We likewise meet God in a portable meeting place, the personal tabernacle we have within us, the place in which He resides called our heart, that is if we love Him and, like the Israelites, keep His commandments (John 14:23). Through our Baptism, we have become the consecrated sanctuaries of God. And it is within this tabernacle of ours that we carry the Ark of The Covenant of God with us today. For the Israelites, the ark just carried the presence of God among them in the form of His written word on some tables. The “Tent of Meeting” for them was out there away from them and placed in the desert. Our “Tent of Meeting” is within our very being and the ark within us contains the sacrifice of the New Covenant, the Blood shed for us and the body broken for us of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. Do we realize that we have within ourselves the much greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by human hands which is the very dwelling of God in the heavens (Heb. 9:11)? What did Jesus tell us about the Kingdom of God ? It is among us and within us (Luke 17:21). The Tabernacles on our Altars of Sacrifice are receptacles containing the most pure Body and precious Blood of Christ our Savior. When we partake of His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, Christ becomes one with us and resides within the tabernacle of our own body. Lest we forget, we are not made by human hands but by the love of God, Who also nourishes us and sustains us by His living presence within us in that bit of heaven within our very souls. Thus, God is present in our own personal “Tent of Meeting”, the place where we can freely consult Him and meet with Him under any circumstances. There is no cloud blocking our way, nor do we need a mediator like Moses to talk for us. Our Mediator is Christ Himself who is one with us, for we are members of His Mystical Body. So, how do we avail ourselves of the portable “Tent of Meeting” to meet with our God? Do we have any problems in conversing with Him in a private heart-to-heart way? How can we even think of ignoring our constant traveling companion through life? Of course, we must remember that we do separate ourselves from Him along the way when we sin. But then, we must also remember that He came to earth to save us sinners and, when we avail ourselves of the Sacrament of Confession and sincerely atone for our sins, we are again reconciled with Him and continue on the way together. Let’s be honest with ourselves, can we truly ignore the fact that we have a bit of heaven within us in which our God is actually living?

“You have not come to call the righteous, but rather, to call sinners to repentance. Cleanse me from every stain of flesh and spirit. Teach me how to fulfill Your will in fear and holiness so that, having the witness of a clear conscience and the communion of Your holy Mysteries, I may be united to Your Body and Blood and have You, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, dwell and abide in me. Amen.” – From the Prayer of St. Basil the Great before Communion

FRI., July 3, 2009, St. Hyacinth (Martyr)

Romans 16:1-16     Matthew 13:4-9

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”

( Rom. 16:16)

Louie Armstrong, the great jazz trumpet player and scat singer, is known for the song he made popular which went like this: “A kiss is just a kiss…as time goes by.” Is it? Is a kiss just a mere gesture of putting our lips to the object of our affection or to the one whom we are greeting? St. Paul exhorts us to greet each other as Christians with a “holy kiss”. And let’s emphasize the fact that he signifies it to be a “holy kiss”. A kiss runs the gamut of showing love, to the extent by even arousing passions, to becoming the so-called kiss of death. The latter is what Judas gave Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to identify Him for the soldiers (Luke 22:47-48). It also means a gentle touch. In other words, we can kiss each other with just a gentle touch of the lips or with some act of kindness or sincere concern. It is in this sense that we can consider the kiss to be holy. And we can then value a holy kiss as Kindness Is Something Sacred. Something is regarded as being sacred when it is associated with the divine or consecrated. At our Baptism, we Christians were consecrated into the life of God. We became God’s anointed “little christs” living in this world as the dwelling places of His Holy Spirit. All human beings are created in the image of our God. When we acknowledge each other, no matter who we are, whether we are Christian or non-Christian, we recognize the presence of God among us and within us. Thus, we show the respect we should toward the inherent dignity of each human being we encounter. The hallmark of a true Christian is to show kindness to others as we gently touch their lives in some way. We should keep this in mind when we recall what Jesus tells us what we should do in following Him, for He is “meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus was gentle with all those He encountered on His journey through Galilee , and He especially showed kindness to the sinners He cured. And let’s not forget what He told us to do in emulating our Heavenly Father, “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Just as our Father is merciful to us, we likewise are to be kind, gentle and merciful to others. And when we do this, we give them a “holy kiss”, a kiss of God’s love through us to them. How many holy kisses did we happen to give today? Did we gently touch anybody with God’s love? Is it hard for us to be kind to others when we get down and are a little moody? It is wise for us to remember that touch is not just in physical contact, but it is also the way we affect the senses of others whom we encounter by what we say and do. Relationships are made and broken by how we happen to reach out and touch some one’s heart, mind, or soul. Communication companies all speak about networking and connecting people. We should look at ourselves as being enmeshed in the network of love God is establishing on this earth. It is through us doing our part by making our connections of holy kisses with each other that we help strengthen the presence of the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. How solid do we find our union with others in the love of God? Does the thought of giving a “holy kiss” perhaps give a little bit more meaning to our greetings of, “Glory be to Jesus Christ”, or, “Christ is in our midst?”

“Having asked for unity of faith and for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, let us commit ourselves and one another, and our whole life, to Christ our God”…”To You, O Lord.” – Said before Praying the Our Father during the Divine Liturgy

SAT., July 4, 2009, St. Andrew of Jerusalem (Archbishop)

Romans 8:14-21    Matthew 9:9-13

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, ‘Father!’”

( Rom. 8:15)

Many, many, many moons ago a young couple lived in their father’s house. However, they became irresponsible and went against a certain rule he had set for living in his house. As a result, he used some tough love and threw them out to fend on their own in the world. As time went by, he could see that they were trying to do better and were beginning to turn to him for help. So, he, because he still loved them and was filled with compassion for their plight in having a not so rosy future to look forward too, decided to show them the ropes of how to get back into his good will and thus give themselves the chance to prove themselves worthy enough to live in his house again. Does this story sound familiar? It should because it is our story, the story of our human race. Because of our sinful human nature, we were evicted from our Father’s house in Paradise , the one with the beautiful garden. Living in the wilderness of this world, our ancestors tried to get back into our Father’s good graces through animal and food sacrifices. With fear and trembling they faced Who they thought was a hell-fire-brimstone God, a God Who they thought had to be pacified, for He would speak to them through the natural elements, such as fire, lightening, wind, and so forth. However, as time went on and they wandered less in the desert and became more civilized, settling down in cities, God knew that the time was ripe for them to hit the final stretch of the way home to Him. So He sent His Son to release them from the death-hold their sinful nature had on them and to show them the way back to their true home with Him in heaven. The redemptive act of His Son opened the way for God to welcome us back into His Family. Through His suffering, death and resurrection in our flesh, Jesus again glorified our human nature. Through the Sacraments of initiation, we are again admitted back into the Family of God, the Family from Whom we had initially originated. Just think of this awesome act of God’s love for us! While we are still sinning, He takes us back into His Holy Family and wants to really raise us as His own children again. He wants to be our Father, and, as His adopted children, He wants us to call Him Abba, “Father”. This is important for us to realize. Jesus wanted the apostles and us to lose the more formal and reserved relationship the Jews had with God and to open ourselves up to a more direct, urgent, trusting and intimate relationship with God, the kind of relationship He showed us that He had with His Father and ours. While living among us, Jesus manifested a number of times the deep intimate relationship He had with His Father. How often is it noted that He spent time in prayer conversing with His Father? And how can we forget how He followed His Father’s will even to the end through suffering and death? Jesus, as our big Brother, shows us how to abandon ourselves completely into the trusting relationship of true love that exists between a child and its father. By using the Aramaic word, Abba, St. Paul stresses the depth of this new personal relationship we are to have with our Heavenly Father, the Father of ours Who is no longer out there somewhere, but is dwelling within us. Our Big Brother Jesus got us back together again with our Father through His saving mission as the Son of God Who became Son of Man so that He could make this reunion complete. And lest we forget, it is through His Holy Spirit within us that we can call God our Father, Abba. Our Father loves us unconditionally. Since we are one with our Father again, can we really be afraid of Him? Do we think that we have learned our lesson so that we will not get permanently thrown out of His house? Thanks to our Big Brother we are no longer slaves to sin. And, thanks also to Him, we can learn to be better children of God our Father. How are we doing in this regard so far? Are we freely turning to His Spirit for the help we need in doing so? Truly now, would we rather be slaves to sin and be condemned to death, or be servants of our Heavenly Father and live in eternal bliss with Him?

“Our Father, Who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…..For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.”

SUN., July 5, 2009, 5TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST;

                                     St. Athanasius of Mount Athos (Venerable)

Romans 10:1-10     Matthew 8:28-9:1