JUDGMENT SUNDAY (MEATFARE SUNDAY)
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LITURGY: 9:30 a.m.
PROSFORA: Artemis Papouras
PANGARI: Team B: Marguerite Stephanopoulos, Jason Berry, Costa Sarris
EPISTLE READING: I Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2
GOSPEL: Matthew 25:31-46 (GREEK TEXT p. 178, black books)
Sixth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:36-53
At that time, Jesus, having risen from the dead, stood in the midst of his disciples and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.
Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. Psalm 146.5;134.3.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2.
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.
Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday)
The Reading is from Matthew 25:31-46
The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy 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 you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 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 you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 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."
Mon, Mar 8th - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Tues, Mar 9th - 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy (40 Martyrs of Sevasteia)
Fri, Mar 12th - 7:30 p.m. - Gamblers Anonymous
Sat, Mar 6th - 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy (Sat of Souls)
- 5:00 p.m. - Vespers (& Confessions)
Sun, Mar 14th - 8:15 a.m. - Matins
- 9:30 a.m. - Liturgy
- 10:45 a.m. - Memorial: Nik Fotinos (1 year)
Those wishing to follow the livestreamed services with a written text may do so using the links below.
Electronic Version of Orthros (Matins) on Mar. 07:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/03/07/ma/gr-en/se.m03.d07.ma.pdf
Electronic Version of Divine Liturgy on Mar. 07:
www.agesinitiatives.com/dcs/public/dcs/p/s/2021/03/07/li/gr-en/se.m03.d07.li.pdf
Bible Study
Zoom Evening Prayers: Zoom in and participate in Evening Prayers with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 8:50 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, & Sunday. It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
Zoom Bible Study: Zoom in and participate in Bible Study with other parishioners held from 8:30 to 9 p.m. once every few weeks (usually on Thursdays). It is a great way to have fellowship during these challenging times. For a zoom invite, please email peter.poulos@case.edu.
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Prayer Team
If you are interested in joining the prayer team to keep others in your daily prayers, either email pmp17@case.edu or text (216) 288-1972 ahead of time to receive the link. You will need to provide your name and email address to receive the Zoom invite. If you have any requests for our prayer team, or if you have questions about other activities, please send them to peter.poulos@case.edu
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St. Herman's Dinner Bag Assembly
We are going to assemble 90 dinner bags for St. Herman's at the Church on Saturday March 13 from 3 to 4 p.m. We follow strict masking and social distancing and will limit the group to a total of 8 to 10 individuals. Below are the items we need in sufficient quantity to make 90 bags:
If you are interested in donating food and/or helping with the assembly, please let us know.
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Thank you and keep the faith!
“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
We have closed our livestreaming service on Facebook in favor of using YouTube for all future livestreaming of services. To continue participating with our livestream services, please visit, subscribe, & bookmark our channel at YouTube.com/stsconstantine.
Everyone is welcome in the Orthodox Church & may receive the blessed bread (antidoron) at the end of the service, but only practicing Orthodox Christians may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
March 6th, 13th & 20th are designated as Saturdays of the Souls, in which prayers are offered for our departed loved ones. Lists with their names (baptismal names) should be brought to church by 9:30 am on those days. Trays of kolyva are welcome - those wishing to distribute their kollyva to others should bring it already in bags.
Kolyva symbolizes the resurrection. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24, OSB)
The Orthodox Christian tradition presents many opportunities for worship outside of Sunday morning services, especially Liturgies on the feast days of beloved saints. In light of the current crisis, the number will increase to at least one Liturgy per week in addition to the Sunday service. As the restrictions on Sunday attendance are loosening up, those with special concerns may consider attending a weekday service, where the typical attendance is in the range of 10-20.
His Eminence Metropolitan Savas and the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Religious Education Commission are excited to share a new lecture series called "Cultivating the Fundamentals of the Christian Life" with you.
We are blessed to kick off our series with Fr. Stephen Freeman - an outstanding Orthodox priest, writer, blogger, speaker, and educator - who will present "The Mystery of the Sabbath - Keeping it Holy" on Tuesday March 23rd from 7-8:30PM, via Zoom. Advanced registration can be found here: tinyurl.com/KeepingItHoly
Many thanks to those of you who have been lifelong members of Philoptochos, and a warm welcome to all the new parishioners who have just joined us! If you have not already done so, please join Philoptochos as we start our 2021 year. Forms are now available in the church office or online at http://stsconstantine.com/outreach/philoptochos/ For more updates on the work of Philoptochos, you can visit the Philoptochos, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Community, Cleveland Ohio Facebook page.
Now in its 37th year, the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is a speaking program for Junior High and High School Students in our parishes. Each year, approximately 800 young people from grades 7-9, and 10-12, research from one of the approved topics, develop a short speech, and then deliver it at a parish Oratorical Festival. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros approved the topics for 2021, which were released in September. Our 4th-12th graders will be speaking on March 14th; contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions.
1) Hellenic College/Holy Cross Ambassadors are offering a virtual Lenten retreat for all GOYAns and youth ages 14 - 18 on Saturday, March 13th from 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. The theme is "Sanitize Your Life," and the event will feature talks, small group discussions, and meeting new people from all over the country. Contact Ted with any questions or to get signed up.
2) Orthodoxy on Tap will have its next young adult event (ages 21 - 35ish) on Thursday, March 11th @ 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The guest speaker will be all of us. Led by a moderator, this will be a social call where we'll all have a chance to talk, listen, and connect as Orthodox young adults. RSVP by Wednesday, March 10th to gorealcleveland@gmail.com.
3) OCF (college student ministry) will offer a new program called "Spiritual Wake-Up" beginning Tuesday, March 16th. This virtual ministry via Zoom & text message will facilitate prayer, fellowship, and service for college students between the ages of 18 - 25. Registration is required to participate. Sign up at ocf.net, and contact Ted with any questions.
4) Camp Nazareth will host its next young adult retreat the weekend of March 26th - 28th via Zoom. The theme will be: "Adam, where are you?" Questions may be directed either to Ted or to youngadultretreats@gmail.com.
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Orthodox Education will again begin in-person classes starting this Sunday, March 7th. The same safety protocols that have been in place this school year, will be in effect now.
Upcoming Class Events:
Sun, March 7th - PreK-12 - in person classes
Sun, March 14th - Oratorical Festival (4th-12th graders)
Sun, March 21st - Speaker Anthony Ruggerio, Youth Director in Oklahoma City - 8:00 p.m.
Parents are encouraged to check their email for up to the minute announcements of classes. Contact Maria at orthodox_education@stsconstantine.com with any questions or comments.
Several people have reported receiving outdated end-of-year statements. These can safely be ignored. Accurate statements have been mailed out and will arrive in Sts. Constantine envelopes with your name printed on the front (not window envelopes), unless you have email selected as your preferred delivery method.
If you have any questions, or need a current statement emailed to you, please contact Sade in the Church Office by phone at (216) 932-3300 or email to office@stsconstantine.com.
With recent increases in attendance at the church, we have once again begun collecting forgotten possessions. Hats, umbrellas, masks, toys, and more are filling our unclaimed basket. Please, contact the office if you think we might have something of yours!
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Holy Cross Press
Your Apostle among the Rulers, St. Constantine, who once beheld in the sky the image of Your Cross, and who like Paul received his calling not from man, once entrusted the Ruling City into Your hand. We entreat You to restore it in peace forever, at the intercession of the Theotokos, O Lord who loves humanity. (Copyright Fr. Seraphim Dedes, used by permission. All rights reserved)
Reading is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved by: Narthex Press