MAR 5: DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASAL: 9:00 AM (OUTDOORS WEATHER PERMITTING), PANACHIDA FOR 2ND ALL SOULS SATURDAY – 10:20 AM; PARISH MEETING “BUILDING OUR FUTURE” – 10:45 AM. Plan to attend this very important meeting which will begin immediately after Divine Liturgy. This is your opportunity to ask questions, learn more about the building projects, parish updates, and a budget review.
PROPERS: 03-05-23_GF2_Sunday_DL OR 03-05-23_GF2_Sunday_Palamas_DL
PANACHIDA: https://mci.archpitt.org/books/DL/page.html?432
Streaming via Facebook Live. https://www.facebook.com/saintscyrilandmethodius/
Parishes live-streaming in the Diocese can be found here: https://www.eparchyofpassaic.com/livestream
GOD WITH US ONLINE – THE SUNDAY OF ST. GREGORY PALAMAS & THE HOLY RELICS: https://godwithusonline.org/reflections/the-sunday-of-st-gregory-palamas-ruthenian/
The Gospel Reading for this Sunday is Mark 2: 1-12, Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man. The man on the mat was not able to walk. He had come to Jesus to be healed because he was certain that Jesus could heal him. But Jesus saw a need much greater than his paralyzed legs. He saw the man’s sinful heart. Because the men fully trusted Jesus, Jesus gave this man the greatest gift; it was the forgiveness of his sins. And when Jesus forgave the man’s sins, he became a part of God’s kingdom. It’s important to note that Jesus did not forgive the man because he and his friends had worked so hard to enter the home. No, this was just proof of the faith they had in Jesus. This crippled man knew that he was helpless to help himself. He put his trust in the only One who could heal him. Note the teachers did not understand what Jesus was saying because it was different than what they were used to and, therefore, accused him of blasphemy. The main point: Only Jesus can forgive our sins.
On the second Sunday of the Great Fast the memory of St. Gregory Palamas, a bishop of Thessalonica who lived in the fourteenth century, is celebrated. He battled against the distortions of the Christian faith by teaching the importance the power of the Grace of God. He also taught the importance of fasting and prayer, particularly the practice of reciting the Jesus Prayer according to the teachings of the hesychastic Fathers. Doing so prepares one to receive the grace-filled light of the Lord so that one can, therefore, partake of divine blessedness while still on this sinful earth.
“The Panachida: The Panachida is a memorial service for the dead, which is celebrated fairly frequently in the Byzantine Catholic Church. Like all our services for the departed, it provides an opportunity to pray for the soul of the one who has died, asking God to grant them rest and forgiveness of all their sins, and also serves to comfort and console those left behind. The name comes from the Greek pannychis, meaning an all-night vigil.
The Panachida is ordinarily celebrated:
- Immediately after the death of a Christian, if a priest is present (the prayers for the dying, together with the panachida, make up the “Office at the Passing of the Soul”)
- Before the body of the departed Christian is taken to the church for burial
- After the burial, as a graveside service
- On the 3rd, 9th, or 40th day after death, and each year thereafter. In these cases, it may immediately follow a Divine Liturgy celebrated for the departed.
The Panachida also forms the concluding part of a longer memorial service for the dead, the Parastas.
The structure of the Panachida is very simple. It consists of:
An opening blessing: “Blessed is our God….”
The usual “beginning prayers”, from “Holy God” through the Lord’s Prayer
Troparia for the dead (“With the souls of the just brought to perfection…”)
Litany for the Deceased, concluding with the prayer, “O God of spirits and of all flesh”
Dismissal
“Eternal memory”
The complete text of the Panachida can be found in our Divine Liturgies book on pages 432-440, where it immediately follows the hymns of the Divine Liturgy “for the faithful departed.”
For guidelines on leading the singing of this service, see Singing the Panachida. “(This information is from THE METROPOLITAN CANTOR INSTITUTE).
