The Sunday of the Last Judgment
First we heard about Zaccheus and learned that sometimes we have to climb to tree to see Jesus.
Then we heard about the Publican and the Pharisee and learned that without humility all our efforts won't put us into the right relationship with Christ.
Next we heard about the Prodigal Son and learned three things 1) the Father's love towards us abounds, God does not limit Himself in His love and mercy towards us; and 2) to experience and appropriate God's love and mercy we must be moving towards Him (going back to our Father's house); and 3) repentance from sin is rediscovery, an awakening to the knowledge of who we are and wh0 we where created to be.
This Sunday we will hear about the Last Judgment, how God judges us on the final day and the criteria He uses.
Read the lessons for next Sunday below. Think about them for the next few days to prepare yourself for Sunday so that we can all grow deeper into the knowledge of Christ and the salvation He offers us.
If you missed any of these sermons, you can listen to them again on the St. Peter website.
Saturday of the Souls (on Sundays)
We will be holding memorials for the Saturday of the Souls on the next three Sundays following Divine Liturgy.
When we finally have a permanent location for the parish we will of course have Memorial Saturdays (the last three Saturdays during Lent) held on a Saturday. Until then we will hold the memorials on Sunday.
Please write the names of your loved ones that you would like to remember on a slip of paper and give it to Fr. Hans. We will read their names in the Proskomede (the preparation prayers before Divine Liturgy) and during the Memorial after the Liturgy.
If you would prefer, you can use the form on the website.
The Importance of Baptismal Names
Fr. John Tanveer, founder of the Orthodox Church in Pakistan,
chrismating a convert to Christ.
Each one of us were baptized or chrismated using a Christian name which is sometimes different than the name everyone knows us by. In fact, for most of us the names everyone knows us by are often derived from a longer Christian name. These names always a connection to a Saint.
When we are receiving communion or receiving any other sacrament, we should use our Christian name.
One very important reason for using our Christian name is that it connects us to our Patron Saint. We have advocates in heaven, Saints who pray for us and help us. Our name is an important connection to them.
Also, using our Christian name creates a sense of decorum and purpose that is necessary to lift us out of the ordinary and lift our eyes to heaven. It reminds us we are created for God.
Sometimes people were chrismated not using a Saint's name. If that is the case one can be chosen later. Often as a person deepens in their Orthodox faith they find themselves drawn to a particular Saint. That Saint's name can be adopted as your own. See Fr. Hans about this if you want more information.
Painting with a Russian Master Icon Workshop
The Lee County Alliance for the Arts is offering an iconography workshop for anyone interested in learning more about the craft from March 4 – April 1 on Tuesday evenings.
The workshop is offered by iconographer Vladimir Blagonadezhdin. In this course students will learn the ancient Christian art form of iconography. They will learn how to work with traditional materials, recipes and methods used by both ancient and modern artists in order to create masterpieces using the egg tempera technique.
Classes will be held at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
For more information please go to the Alliance for the Arts website.
Do Receive the WORD Magazine?
The WORD Magazine is the official publication of the Antiochian Archdiocese and is offered free to all parishioners.
We've sent in the names of the people who applied.
If you do not receive the magazine, please go to the website and fill in the form. We will pass you information along to the publishers so they can put you on the mailing list.
We Need a Secretary/Administrator!
St. Peter's needs your help!
There is some administrative/secretarial work to do to keep St. Peter's running smoothly. We need someone to help us for the next year.
Basically it involves such things as keeping track of who does the Sunday Fellowship hour, sending out thank you notes, notifying members of board meetings, keep track of necessary announcements, that sort of thing. (Think of what Mary Copeland has been doing.)
Most of this can be done at home through email.
If you can volunteer, please speak to either Jack Long, John Hansen, or Fr. Hans.
A special thank you to Mary Copeland who has handled so much of this over the past few years.
Sunday Scripture Readings
Epistle
(For Sunday of the Last Judgment)
The Lord is my strength and my praise.
The Lord chastising hath chastised me, but He hath not delivered me over to death.
The Reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (8:8-9:2)
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 become 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.
Gospel
(For Sunday of the Last Judgment)
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (25:31-46).
The Lord said, “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 the 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.”