Christ is Risen! Truly He has Risen!
Christ is Risen!
The Fourth Sunday After Pascha
The Sunday of the Paralytic
Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross in the heavens above Jerusalem (351 A.D.); Martyr Akakios the centurion at Byzantium

Jesus Heals the Paralytic
Introduction
The fourth Sunday of Holy Pascha is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of the Paralytic. The day commemorates the miracle of Christ healing a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. The biblical story of the event is found in the Gospel of John 5:1-15.
Background
Close to the Sheep’s Gate in Jerusalem, there was a pool, which was called the Sheep’s Pool. It had five porches, that is, five sets of pillars supporting a domed roof. Under this roof there lay very many sick people with various maladies awaiting the moving of the water. The first person to step in after the troubling of the water was healed immediately of whatever malady he had.
It was there that the paralytic of today’s Gospel was lying, tormented by his infirmity of thirty-eight years. When Christ beheld him, He asked him, “Will you be made whole?” And he answered with a quiet and meek voice, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool.” The Lord said unto him, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” And straightaway the man was made whole and took up his bed. Walking in the presence of all, he departed rejoicing to his own house. According to the expounders of the Gospels, the Lord Jesus healed this paralytic during the days of the Passover, when He had gone to Jerusalem for the Feast, and dwelt there teaching and working miracles. According to Saint John the Evangelist, this miracle took place on the Sabbath.
Read the entire story on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website.
Services and Events This Week
- Sun Apr 30 — SUNDAY OF THE MYRRH BEARING WOMEN Orthros 8:30am Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue May 02 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu May 04 — St. Nicholas School Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu May 04 — Active Shooter Training 1:00pm
- Fri May 05 — Men of St. Paisios 7:00pm Social Hall
Lee County Sheriff Active Shooter Training, Thursday, May 4, from 1:00pm – 3:00pm
A reminder that the Lee County Sheriff Active Shooter Training team will conduct a review of actions that Saint Peter’s congregation deploy should an Active Shooter attempt to disrupt services or gatherings. This includes medical, communication, and use of restraint/force.
Training will be conducted on Thursday, May 4, from 1 PM to 3PM. The training is open to all but we encourage that members of the Security Advisory Team and the Church Board attend. Refreshments will be supplied by Joe and Deb Repya.
Need Your Windows Cleaned?

Timothy Peterson, a catechumen at St. Peter’s, owns and operates “Transparent Window Cleaning” in Fort Myers, Florida.
Timothy has been at this for several years and is looking to expand his business. If you or any of your friends are looking for professional grade, high quality window cleaning give Timothy a call at 239-565-5256.
Let’s Pray the Paraklesis to the Theotokos Daily
Our goal at St. Peter’s is to have one person or family pray the Parakelsis to the Theotokos for at least one day of every month. For each day of the month, individuals or even an entire family can sign up to pray the Paraklesis in their homes on the day/s which they select.
Get more information on how to participate from the St. Peter’s website.