{"id":10179,"date":"2021-06-21T14:35:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/?p=10179"},"modified":"2021-06-21T14:35:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:35:09","slug":"st-peter-news-june-22-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/st-peter-news-june-22-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Peter News June 22, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Sunday after Pentecost<\/h2>\n

All Saints Sunday<\/h2>\n

Righteous Sampson the host of Strangers; Mary and Joanna the Myrrh-Bearers<\/h4>\n
\n\"The\n<\/div>\n

The first Sunday after the Feast of Holy Pentecost is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of All Saints. This day has been designated as a commemoration of all of the Saints, all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honoring the friends of God with much reverence, the Prophet-King David says, “But to me, exceedingly honorable are Thy friends, O Lord” (Ps. 138:16). And the Apostle Paul, recounting the achievements of the Saints, and setting forth their memorial as an example that we might turn away from earthly things and from sin, and emulate their patience and courage in the struggles for virtue, says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).<\/p>\n

This commemoration began as the Sunday (Synaxis) of All Martyrs; to them were added all the ranks of Saints who bore witness (the meaning of “Martyr” in Greek) to Christ in manifold ways, even if occasion did not require the shedding of their blood.<\/p>\n

Therefore, guided by the teaching of the Divine Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition, we honor all the Saints, the friends of God, for they are keepers of God’s commandments, shining examples of virtue, and benefactors of mankind. Of course, we honor the known Saints especially on their own day of the year, as is evident in the Menologion. But since many Saints are unknown, and their number has increased with time, and will continue to increase until the end of time, the Church has appointed that once a year a common commemoration be made of all the Saints. This is the feast that we celebrate today.<\/p>\n

Read more on the Orthodox Church in America website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Who Was the Righteous Sampson the Host of Strangers?<\/h2>\n

Today we commemorate Righteous Sampson, the Host of Stangers. Who was he? From the Pemptousia website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n\"Righteous\n<\/div>\n
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Our blessed father Sampson came from a family from the high society of Roman aristocracy, apparently linked to the kin of Constantine the Great. He studied all the important subjects of the time, particularly medicine, to which he felt drawn by his compassionate nature. He was unable to remain indifferent to the spectacle of pain and unhappiness and received the impecunious and the sick at his home, in order to provide them with all the attention that love could offer and, more particularly, the comfort of prayer and faith. <\/p>\n

When his parents died, he distributed his large fortune and, free of every earthly obligation and wishing to avoid being esteemed in the eyes of other people, he left for Constantinople. He settled in a humble house and devoted himself entirely to prayer, in silence, though continuing his good works. <\/p>\n

He gathered in as many sick people as he found and treated them without charge. He particularly took responsibility for those who were suffering from incurable diseases or those who had diseases that other doctors were reluctant to treat: lepers, the blind and the possessed and so his reputation spread throughout the whole city and his dwelling became a haven for those who had nothing to hope for.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read the Righteous Sampson’s complete story on the Pemptousia website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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Services This Week<\/h2>\n