ORTHROS: 9:00
LITURGY: 10:00
HOW TO PARK ON SANFORD STREET DURING THE WINTER We have even/odd day parking on Sanford Street. On odd dates, parking is restricted to the side of the street across from the church. On even dates, parking is restricted to the church side of the street. This is to help facilitate plowing on Sanford Street as needed. If you park on the wrong side of the street during winter, your car could be ticketed.
WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS Whether you are new to Bangor or if you're just passing through - welcome! Please don't hesitate to introduce yourself to someone you've never met and consider staying for some refreshments and fellowship after the morning service. If you would like to receive mailings or otherwise stay in touch, please leave your contact information (name, address, phone, email) with the person in the church office.
TODAY IS THE SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND PHARISEE It is the first week of the Triodion period which leads us to the start of Great and Holy Lent. IT IS ALSO A FAST FREE WEEK. To get better prepared for Great Lent (what to cook) see "Planning Ahead for Great Lent," below.
A MESSAGE FROM LEE, Parish Council President It's time for stewardship pledges to be made for 2023. A stewardship pledge helps Parish Council reasonably plan for this new year 2023. We pray you can, and will, be generous when remembering your Church and our Holy Patron, Saint George. Pledge forms are available on the candle stand. Please turn in your planned pledge to the church office by Sunday, February 12. Thank you - we are a family in Christ and God is with us. We can never outgive God Almighty and we are greatly blessed!
YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED Bert & Patty's daughter, Aimee, is under hospice care now. Of course, this is a difficult period for the family. Please continue to uphold Aimee, her family and especially her parents, Bert and Patty, long-time members here at St. George. God grant them all the peace that passes all understanding. May our Panagia keep them all in her embrace and in her intercessions before God's throne.
ANN MARIE THANKS YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR HER MOM Please continue to remember the servant of God, Anna, Ann Marie's mother, in your prayers. She is in long-term care in NJ and supportive prayers will be helpful in the days and weeks ahead. Ann Marie reports that she is generally in good spirits and able to participate in physical therapy which is a plus. Please keep praying for Anna because prayer support makes a difference--thank you!
PLANNING AHEAD FOR GREAT LENT The Triodion period (the three weeks preceding Great Lent) begins today and Great Lent itself will get underway on Clean Monday, February 27. One of the things that many people stumble over is what to eat / what to cook for the Season of Repentance (or any fasting season, really). The diet the Church guides us to follow is, largely, plant based augmented with some seafood, if desired, along with wine and olive oil, if desired, on the weekends. Nevertheless, there still seems to be the struggle of what to eat / what to prepare? May we suggest a very useful site to help answer these questions? Jill Dalton of the Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show is a plant based cook with a family and she has created some truly delicious dishes that fit right in with the dietary guidelines of Great Lent. Visit her site: https://plantbasedcookingshow.com/ and learn how to follow and cook for a whole food, plant based, diet. Not only are Jill's recipes tasty, but they are gluten free, dairy free, oil free and sugar free. Does that sound too good to be true? It's not. You might be surprised by how easy this is to do. Anyway, before Great Lent arrives, consider visiting her site & channel and get some neat pointers and recipes to get your family through the season. This will also aid in keeping the Wednesday / Friday fasting days each week. Jill demonstrates how to cook all her recipes on YouTube, too, so it's a great learning experience. Highly recommended.
FOODS REQUESTED BY MANNA MINISTRIES FOOD PANTRY: They are currently in need of canned soups, pasta sauce and tuna fish. Other foods are also welcome, but those listed as especially sought now. And, they sent a hearty thank you to our St. George community for all we've been sending over in recent weeks! Again, thanks to Demetri for being our liaison with Manna.
A MINISTRY TO OUR CHURCH'S NEIGHBORS Our church sits in a neighborhood where there are some obvious on-going needs. A number of lower income people living nearby rely on Manna Ministries' food pantry and soup kitchen (located in the Old Brick Church) somewhat regularly. In an effort to help the pantry help our neighbors, let us make the effort to bring some staple foods to church every Sunday and leave them in the office. We will take the donated foods down to Manna Ministries so we can be part of the effort to feed those who are hungry in our area. This is not meant to be a one-time thing, rather something we do routinely as a ministry to our neighbors. A verse from the Old Testament speaks to the needs for on-going charity, Deuteronomy 15:11, For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land. And the Lord Jesus speaks about the effects of our charitable giving in Matthew 25:40, And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ So, let us fulfill that which pleases God and He will reward the love and obedience of the giver.
IS THIS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO ST. GEORGE? If you are visiting our parish this morning, welcome! Orthodox Church tradition encourages Orthodox Christians in good standing with the Church to approach the Holy Chalice for Communion... however, if you are not Orthodox, we ask that you please refrain. All worshipers are welcome to receive antidoron (a piece of blessed bread) immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Please stay for fellowship hour that we might get to know you.
WORSHIPING THE TRUE & LIVING GOD Worshiping the Living God, the All-Holy Trinity, is a witness of our faith in and love for Him. The Divine Liturgy is the service of thanksgiving to God. The Divine Liturgy is also the service of particular nurture for the Orthodox Christian--Christ is Present in the elements of Holy Communion. He nurtures those who approach with fear (reverence), faith and love. Those who partake of Communion receive God within. This is a great Mystery, not to be taken lightly, but one that the Orthodox Christian is bid to COME. Please avail yourself of the opportunities to worship the Lord and to receive Him in faith.
JOIN US FOR FELLOWSHIP HOUR DOWNSTAIRS Everyone is encouraged to come downstairs after service for refreshments. If you’re visiting, please let us treat you. We’re a family here and we all contribute toward the table weekly. So, thank you to all who have made fellowship time possible again today!
ROUTINE SERVICE TIMES AT ST. GEORGE Orthros/Matins (morning prayers) 9AM; Divine Liturgy 10AM.
SPECIAL PRAYER SUPPORT WHEN NEEDED Fr. will offer particular prayers for you if you are going to be traveling or are preparing to have medical procedures done (hospitalization, etc.). Please arrange with him according to need. Thank you.
OCN Get to know the Orthodox Christian Network
http://myocn.net/
FR. LEO'S CONTACT INFORMATION
cell: (207) 385-3000, call or text
Mail: 17 Brunswick, Ft. Fairfield, ME 04742
email: 57frleo@gmail.com
Personal website:glt.goarch.org
Church website & Newsletter: http://www.stgeorge.me.goarch.org/
Weekly Bulletin: http://www.bulletinbuilder.org/stgeorgebangor/current
I am available to parishioners whenever needed; please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you. +Fr. Leo
The Pharisees were an ancient and outstanding sect among the Jews known for their diligent observance of the outward matters of the Law. Although, according to the word of our Lord, they "did all their works to be seen of men" (Matt. 23:5), and were hypocrites (ibid. 23: 13, 14, 15, etc.), because of the apparent holiness of their lives they were thought by all to be righteous, and separate from others, which is what the name Pharisee means. On the other hand, Publicans, collectors of the royal taxes, committed many injustices and extortions for filthy lucre's sake, and all held them to be sinners and unjust. It was therefore according to common opinion that the Lord Jesus in His parable signified a virtuous person by a Pharisee, and a sinner by a Publican, to teach His disciples the harm of pride and the profit of humble-mindedness.
Since the chief weapon for virtue is humility, and the greatest hindrance to it is pride, the divine Fathers have set these three weeks before the Forty-day Fast as a preparation for the spiritual struggles of virtue. This present week they have called Harbinger, since it declares that the Fast is approaching; and they set humility as the foundation for all our spiritual labors by appointing that the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee be read today, even before the Fast begins, to teach, through the vaunting of the Pharisee, that the foul smoke of self-esteem and the stench of boasting drives away the grace of the Spirit, strips man of all his virtue, and casts him into the pits of Hades; and, through the repentance and contrite prayer of the Publican, that humility confers upon the sinner forgiveness of all his wicked deeds and raises him up to the greatest heights.
All foods are allowed the week that follows this Sunday.
This Martyr, who was from Panormus (that is, Palermo) or perhaps Catania of Sicily, was a most comely and chaste virgin. After many exceedingly harsh torments, she gave up her spirit in prison at Catania in 251, because she did not consent to the seductions of Quintian, the Governor of Sicily. At her burial, an Angel placed a stone tablet on her grave inscribed with the words, "A righteous mind, self-determining, honor from God, the deliverance of her father-land." The following year this was fulfilled when Mount Etna erupted, spewing forth violent fire from which Catania was manifestly saved by Saint Agatha's prayers. The holy Martyr Agatha, the protectress and chief patroness of Sicily, is, with perhaps the exception of Saint Agnes of Rome, the most highly venerated Virgin Martyr of the West. Saint Damasus, Pope of Rome, and Saint Ambrose of Milan both wrote in praise of her.
Icons of St. George
Pledge Form
Statement on the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination
Προκείμενον. First Tone. ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 32.22,1.
Γένοιτο, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς.
Στίχ. Ἀγαλλιᾶσθε δίκαιοι ἐν Κυρίῳ
τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα Πρὸς Τιμόθεον β' 3:10-15.
Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, παρηκολούθηκάς μου τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, τῇ ἀγωγῇ, τῇ προθέσει, τῇ πίστει, τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ, τοῖς διωγμοῖς, τοῖς παθήμασιν, οἷά μοι ἐγένετο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἐν Ἰκονίῳ, ἐν Λύστροις, οἵους διωγμοὺς ὑπήνεγκα· καὶ ἐκ πάντων με ἐρρύσατο ὁ κύριος. Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ θέλοντες εὐσεβῶς ζῇν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διωχθήσονται. Πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι. Σὺ δὲ μένε ἐν οἷς ἔμαθες καὶ ἐπιστώθης, εἰδὼς παρὰ τίνος ἔμαθες, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ βρέφους τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα οἶδας, τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
Prokeimenon. First Tone. Psalm 32.22,1.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.
The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 3:10-15.
TIMOTHY, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at lconion, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee: Triodion Begins Today
Κατὰ Λουκᾶν 18:10-14
Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τήν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἄνθρωποι δύο ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν προσεύξασθαι, ὁ εἷς Φαρισαῖος καὶ ὁ ἕτερος τελώνης. ὁ Φαρισαῖος σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο· ὁ Θεός, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὥσπερ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἅρπαγες, ἄδικοι, μοιχοί, ἢ καὶ ὡς οὗτος ὁ τελώνης· νηστεύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ἀποδεκατῶ πάντα ὅσα κτῶμαι. καὶ ὁ τελώνης μακρόθεν ἑστὼς οὐκ ἤθελεν οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐπᾶραι, ἀλλ᾿ ἔτυπτεν εἰς τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ λέγων· ὁ Θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ. λέγω ὑμῖν, κατέβη οὗτος δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἢ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος· ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται.
Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee: Triodion Begins Today
The Reading is from Luke 18:10-14
The Lord said this parable, "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."