Christ is Risen!
The Third Sunday After Pascha
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women,Pious Joseph of Arimathaea, Righteous Nicodemus
The Myrhh Bearing Women
The third Sunday of Holy Pascha is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers. The day commemorates when the women disciples of our Lord came to the tomb to anoint his body with myrrh-oils but found the tomb empty. As the woman wondered what this meant, angels appeared proclaiming that Christ had risen from the dead.
Of those whose names are known are the following: first of all, the most holy Virgin Mary, who in Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 is called “the mother of James and Joses” (these are the sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, and she was therefore their step-mother); Mary Magdalene (celebrated July 22); Mary, the wife of Clopas; Joanna, wife of Chouza, a steward of Herod Antipas; Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus; and Susanna. As for the names of the rest of them, the evangelists have kept silence.
Together with them we celebrate also the secret disciples of the Savior, Joseph and Nicodemus. Of these, Nicodemus was probably a Jerusalemite, a prominent leader among the Jews and of the order of the Pharisees, learned in the Law and instructed in the Holy Scriptures. He had believed in Christ when, at the beginning of our Savior’s preaching of salvation, he came to Him by night. Furthermore, he brought some one hundred pounds of myrrh-oils and an aromatic mixture of aloes and spices out of reverence for the divine Teacher (John 19:39).
Joseph, who was from the city of Arimathea, was a wealthy and noble man, and one of the counselors who were in Jerusalem. He went bodly unto Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and together with Nicodemus he gave Him burial. Since time did not permit the preparation of another tomb, he placed the Lord’s body in his own tomb which was hewn out of rock, as the Evangelist says (Matthew 27:60).
Read the entire story on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.
Thank you to Everyone who Worked so Hard During Pascha!
Dozens of people helped, so much so that listing them all is impossible. Be assured of one thing (it’s from the Bible so take is seriously!):
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do (Hebrews 6:10).
This means that our Lord sees our work, and of special importance to Him is the work that we do for each other. Our work in the Church — cooking, chanting, taking care of the kids, vacuuming the floor, decorating the Kovouklion, fixing the air conditioning, organizing an easter egg hunt, wiping the tables, making visitors feel at home, cooking Lenten meals and a pancake breakfast, sponsoring Palm Sunday Brunch — everything the contributes to the life of St. Peter’s is a labor of love honored by God.
Think about that and then think how important the generous hearts and helping hands is for the welfare and life of our our parish. If we can grasp that it is important to our Lord, then we can be grateful for the opportunity to serve.
In return St. Paul teaches, you will be blessed for all you have done.
Metropolitan Joseph Paschal Message for 2018
Click image to read the Metropolitan’s message…
Calendar At A Glance
- Friday, April 20, 2018 — 2:30pm Parish Council Meeting
Wisdom From The Elders
The self-indulgent person loves wealth because it enables him to live comfortably; —the person full of self-esteem loves it because through it he can gain the esteem of others; —the person who lacks faith loves it because, fearful of starvation, old age, disease, or exile, he can save it and hoard it. He puts his trust in wealth, rather than in God, the Creator who provides for all creation, down to the least of living things.
St Maximos the Confessor
One mustn’t be fooled by the politeness he may encounter. Worldly politeness can be very harmful because it contains hypocrisy. St. Paisios of Mount Athos
To love Christ means not to be a hireling, not to look upon a noble life as an enterprise or trade, but to be a true benefactor and to do everything only for the sake of love for God.
St John Chrysostom
Why do you increase your bonds? Take hold of your life before your light grows dark and you seek help and do not find it. St. Isaac the Syrian
There is only one way to avoid problems with children: Holiness. Become saints and you won’t have any problems with your children. Elder Porphyrios
It is well known that obedience is the chief among the initiatory virtues, for first it displaces presumption and then it engenders humility within us. St. Diadochos of Photiki
Remember in Your Prayers
Carolyn L.
Jim R.
Vassiliki
Octavio
Tom
Carl
Rena
Nikolay (5 year old boy in Bulgaria whose parents asked us to pray)
Jerry
Peter
David
Eva K.
Rosie
Jill
Connie
Sean Helgeland (great nephew to Steve and Anne Brietenbach)
Kathryn
Jeremy
Robert
Jane
Theodora
Baby Brynn L.
Micheal
Haralambos
Lillian
Presbytera Rosy
Valentina
John
Eva W.
Barbara
Angela
Sonya
Kenneth
Carol Ann
Matthew
Chrysostom
Tim
Ron
Ivy-Jean
Pat
Christina
Maria Louise
Maximos
Marian
Photini
Nicholas
Sarah
Petronia (Wife of Phil Pappas)
Constantine Houpis
Anna Marie Smith Baker
Ron Chromulak
Beverly Chromulak
Katerina
Loucine Kassis
Mary Kassis
Baby Maximus
Christine
Maria
Annette Star
Claire Livaditis
Eva Chandilles
Baby Dani
Scott Nedoff
Anthony Mourgis
John Hansen
James Hord
Tom
How should we pray for the sick? Remember them daily. Say their names (first names are sufficient) and ask God to bestow mercy and grace on them.
Add or remove names and print this list for easy reference during your prayer time on the St. Peter website.
Sunday Readings
Epistle
The Lord is my strength and my song.
The Lord has chastened me severely.
The Reading from the Acts of the Saintly and Pure Apostles. (6:1-7)
In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the Twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Gospel
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (15:43-16:8)
At that time, Joseph of Arimathaea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether Jesus was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud, and laid Him in a tomb, which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where He was laid.
And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed.
And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here; see the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His Disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
