Saints Cyril & Methodius

Equals to the Apostles & Teachers of the Slavs,

Bulgarian Orthodox Mission

Orthodox Church in America

Archdiocese of Washington

St. Basil the Great

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Mission’s services have been hosted

through the gracious support of the parish of:

St. Luke Orthodox Church

6801 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101

His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH

The Very Reverend Archpriest Timothy Perry

The Reverend Deacon Chterion Zaprionov

Saints Commemorated Today

32^nd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 7. SUNDAY BEFORE THE THEOPHANY. St. Sylvester, Pope of Rome (335). Repose of Ven. Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov (1833). Ven. Sylvester of the Kiev Caves (near Caves – 12^th c). Righteous Juliana of Lazarevsk (Murom - 1604). Hieromartyr Theogenes, Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont (ca. 320).

† May Their Memory Be Eternal †

The Priests Peter, Ishmael, Michael, Leo, Homer, Thomas, Victor, and Milorad;

the Matushki Mary, Platonida, Sophronia, and Barbara;

the Readers Philemon, John, John, and Robert Michael; and

the Servants of God Joan, William, Ruby, Timothy, Maria, Megan, Bojanka, Magdalena, Alexander, Sophia, Shafik, Christo, Julia, Rada, Radka, Anna, Dale, Olivera, Marianthe & Panaigioti, and George.

Those Who Are In Need of Prayer

The Priests Photius, Anthony, Vadim, Thomas, Paul, and Joseph;

the Presbyteras Artemis, Marie, Miriam, Mica, Juliana, & Anne;

the servants of God, Marge, Karen, Stella, Marios & Sophia, Douglas, Alexandra, Victor, Erin, Catherine & Wayne, Kyriaki, Helen, John & Carmeta, Jane, Denny, Ivan, Daniel, Oliver, Marion, Ellen, Dimitrie & Rachael, Joshua & Katherine, William & Katherine, Charlie & Karen, Chariessa & Nicholas, David & Patricia; and,

Those who are traveling or are sick and suffering and those who have asked us to pray for them, unworthy though we may be.

Schedule of Services

January 2 – St. Basil the Great, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius

January 9 – Sunday after Theophany, @St. George, Potomac, MD: (Joint Celebration)

January 16 – Ven. Prochoros of Bulgaria, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius

January 23 – St. Timothy, @ St. George, Potomac, MD

January 30 – Three Hierarchs, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius (Annual Parish Meeting)

February 6 – Zacchaeus, @ St. George, Potomac, MD

February 13 – Publican & Pharisee, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius

February 20 – Prodigal Son, @ St. George, Potomac, MD

February 27 – Last Judgment, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius

March 6 – Forgiveness Sunday, @ St. George (Great Lent begins tomorrow)

March 13 – Sunday of Orthodoxy, @ Saints Cyril & Methodius

March 20 – St. Gregory Palamas, @ St. George

March 27 – Veneration of the Cross,@ Saints Cyril & Methodius

April 3 – St. John Climacus, @ St. George

April 10 – St. Mary of Egypt,@ Saints Cyril & Methodius

April 16 – Lazarus Saturday, @ St. Mark Church, Bethesda, MD

April 17 – PALM SUNDAY,@ Saints Cyril & Methodius

April 20 – Vespers and Anointing of Holy Wednesday, @ St. Mark Church

April 21 – Holy Thursday, 12 Passion Gospels, @ St. Mark Church

April 22 – Holy Friday, Vespers, @ St. Mark Church

April 23 – Holy Saturday, Divine Liturgy, @ St. Mark Church

April 23 – Holy Saturday, Nocturns, @ TBA

April 24 – VELIKDEN/ PASCHA / EASTER, @ TBA

April 31 – St. Thomas Sunday, @ TBA

Administration of the Sacraments

The preparation for receipt of any sacrament whether the receipt of the Eucharist at the Divine Liturgy, marriage, baptism, or any other is preceded by a period of preparation and sober contemplation. In the case of reception to adults into the Church, a period of study, careful thought, and instruction is involved.

Fr. Timothy is to be contacted well in advance of planning for any sacrament outside of the receipt of the Eucharist by Orthodox Christians.

Fr. Timothy’s email address: revtperry@hotmail.com

Circumcision of Our Lord

On the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. All male infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God's Covenant with the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:10-14, Lev. 12:3).

After this ritual the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, as the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos (Luke 1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers of the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of how faithfully the divine ordinances ought to be fulfilled. The Lord was circumcised so that later no one would doubt that He had truly assumed human flesh, and that His Incarnation was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics (Docetists) taught.

In the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured (Col. 2:11-12). Accounts of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord continue in the Eastern Church right up through the fourth century. The Canon of the Feast was written by St Stephen of the St Sava Monastery (October 28 and July 13).

In addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a sign of God's Covenant with mankind, He also received the Name Jesus (Savior) on the eighth day after His Nativity as an indication of His service, the work of the salvation of the world (Mt.1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Phil 2:9-10). These two events, the Lord's Circumcision and Naming, remind Christians that they have entered into a New Covenant with God and "are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11). The very name "Christian" is a sign of mankind's entrance into a New Covenant with God.

Theophany

Theophany is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by the St John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. From ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine "those who sat in darkness," and "in the region of the shadow of death" (Mt.4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace.

In the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind.

The origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times, and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13). From the second century we have the testimony of St Clement of Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and the night vigil before this Feast.

There is a third century dialogue about the services for Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and St Gregory the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany.

The monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at Orthodox services even today. St John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but "to bury human sin by water," to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify "the nature of water" and to offer us the form and example of Baptism.

On the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Indivisible. It exposes and overthrows the errors of ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms.

The Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean this priceless garb, for "As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27).

On the day of Theophany, all foods are permitted, even if the Feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday.