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But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (Mark 2:10-11). For the Lord does the same with our spiritual sicknesses. He not only delivers us from our sins, but also fills us with strength to do His commandments. Therefore I too who am a paralytic can be healed. For Christ at this very moment is in Capernaum, which, interpreted, is the house of comfort and consolation, which is the Church. For the house of the Comforter is the Church. I too am a paralytic, for the powers of my soul are inert and will not move to do good. But if I am carried by the four evangelists and brought to the Lord, then I will hear Him call me, “Child,” (for by doing His commandments I become a son of God) and my sins will be forgiven. But how can I be brought to Jesus? If they [the evangelists of the gospels] make an opening in the roof. And what is the roof? It is my mind, which over-arches all that is within me. And it is a roof made of many earthen and clay tiles, signifying earthly affairs. But if all these things are pulled away, and the strength of the mind within us is opened up and freed of the weight of earthly things, then I will be lowered, that is, I will be humbled. For I ought not to rise up in pride because my mind has been freed of its earthly covering; but, instead, after, I have been unburdened of earthly things, I ought to be lowered, that is, humbled. Then I will be healed and I will take up my bed, which is my body, and employ it to do the commandments. For I should not only be raised up from sin and understand that I sin, but I should also take up my bed, that is, get my body up and set it to do good. – Blessed Theophylact
Sermons:
Church Announcements
- Wednesday liturgies will be from 5-7am.
- GYP Meetings every Thursday from 7-9pm
- All-Saints Day!
- October 31st from 5pm to 9pm
- Trunk or Treat, Bounce House, Rock Climbing Wall, Zip Lining, Animal Kingdom Obstace Course, Face Painting, Carl’s Jr. Truck, and more.
- Lots of Candy and Chocolate donatations needed. See Suzan Armanious
- Sign ups for Trunk-or-Treat needed! Please see flyer and scan QR to sign up!
- TRUNK OR TREAT FLYER
Saints of the Week:
- St. Matra – Monday, Oct 18
- St. Eumenius – Tuesday, Oct 19
- St. Sergius– Wednesday, Oct. 20
- St. James (Patriarch of Antioch) & St. Pelagia – Thursday, Oct. 21
- St. Matthew the Evangelist, Archangel Michael, Abba Demetrius – Friday, Oct. 22
- St. Zacharias the Monk – Saturday, Oct. 23
Featured Saint of the Week: St. Pelegia the Penitent
One day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her way past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers turned their faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after her. Struck by the outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the spiritual greatness within her, the saint prayed in his cell for a long time to the Lord for the sinner. He told his fellow bishops that the prostitute put them all to shame. He explained that she took great care to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the eyes of men. “We… take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,” he said.
On the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came. The teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. With the fear of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. Seeing her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her. By night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former life. The saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and the devil vanished.
Three days after her baptism, St. Pelagia gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. The bishop ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” After this St. Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell.
This Week’s Schedule:
- Monday:
- Midnight Praises: 7:00-9:00pm
- Tuesday:
- Bible Pleasure at 7:00pm
- Wednesday:
- Liturgy: 5:00-7:00am
- Thursday:
- Liturgy: 7:30-10:00am
- Friday:
- Liturgy: 8:00-10:30am
- Saturday:
- Hymns Class: 5:00-6:00pm
- Sunday School: 6:00-7:00pm
- Vespers: 7:00-7:30pm.
- Midnight Praises: 7:30-9:30pm
- Sunday:
- Liturgy: 7:30-11:00am
- Liturgy: 7:30-11:00am