St. Mary e-Newsletter for Thursday, May 14, 2020
For the foreseeable future, activities in the church will continue to include no more than 5 people. But we are all encouraged to join the services live streamed at: https://bit.ly/stmarylive or at http://facebook.com/stmarycambridge, or by clicking the live broadcasts button on the church website: http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org. If you LIKE St. Mary on Facebook you’ll get advanced notice of live-streamed services.
PRAYER AND WORSHIP
Every Sunday Orthros is at 8:45am, followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:00am. Both services are live-streamed - please join us by clicking the live broadcasts button on the church website: http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org. They can also be seen at facebook.com/stmarycambridge and youtube.com/stmarycambridge and https://bit.ly/stmarylive
After Divine Liturgy every Sunday the Young Adult Ministry invites you to a virtual coffee hour. On Wednesday, May 27 there will be a Vesperal Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Ascension, at 6:30pm.
Virtual Community Prayer Groups - In this very anxiety provoking and isolating time, some in St Mary’s community have found imaginative ways to use social media to support a prayer-life. These opportunities for communal prayer are open to anyone who wants to take part:
There is Morning Prayer with James Wilcox who writes: I simply read the Trisagion Prayers, two Psalms, a prayer "waking from sleep," I say a prayer for the sick (with names given from other Orthodox parishioners and friends) and we close with the Prayer of St. Ephraim.
If anyone would like to join, we start at 8:45 each morning, Monday – Saturday, and go for about 10-12 minutes.
This Tuesday, May 19, at 7:30pm, and every other Tuesday evening thereafter, the would like to invite everyone in our church community to a virtual Paraklesis to the Theotokos over Zoom. The Paraklesis is a service traditionally sung during times of great distress.
We will be using the text linked below, and we hope to see you all there! You don’t have to be a great singer to participate.
http://ww1.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/paraklesis_little-with_music.pdf
After we offer our prayers we will continue the Zoom call to check in with one another and see what other virtual events/support we can offer one another during this time.
There is an Adult Education program with Subdeacon James, which meets on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm.
On Saturday, June 6 at 5:00pm there will be a live streamed Vespers service, followed by Young Adults fellowship.
You can pray the liturgical services at home - The Archdiocese has published online instructions for reader services (services without a priest present). You can find them at the Online Liturgical Guide. Look at the list of services on the right side of the page and click on the ones marked ‘Reader Service’.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Take Our Live Broadcasting Survey
We are asking that every parishioner take the following survey about our Live Broadcasting ministry. Your feedback is essential to help us improve what we are offering, both those who are tuning in and those who are not! It should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. To get started, please go to: https://forms.gle/RxYxq76znb1a3Usz5
Scholarships available
The Francis Maria Scholarship is available through the Archdiocese Scholarship page, www.antiochian.org/scholarships. Several $2500 scholarships will be awarded to students attending an accredited 4-year college. Applications must be postmarked by tomorrow, May 15, 2020.
Antiochian Women’s Scholarships: Each year, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America awards grants of $500.00. The grant is to help women with the cost of education or training, undertaken to improve their circumstances or that of their families. Grants are awarded to women over 26 years old, who are active members of an Antiochian parish and who are perusing higher education or training. Applications are due June 1, 2020. For more information click here: https://www.antiochian.org/dashboard?name=Antiochian%20Orthodox%20Christian%20Women%20of%20North%20America
Nicholas G. Beram Scholastic Achievement Awards are available for high school seniors of our Arab American Community planning to attend a 4 year college full time. Applications are available from the Church office or on-line at www.stjohn.org/ngberam. Application deadline is June 1, 2020.
REFLECTION
The Well-spring of the principle of life, Jesus, our Savior, came to the well of the Patriarch Jacob, and sought water from a Samaritan woman that He might drink. And when she addressed Him and said that the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, the wise Creator diverted her by the sweetness of His words rather to seek of Him the everlasting water, the Knower of things hidden, God Who is come in the flesh to save man.
- Doxasticon (Glory of the Stichera) of Vespers of Friday of the Samaritan Woman
What, then, does the Bible teach? Christ, it says, the source of the breath of life for all men, when He was weary from a journey, sat down near a spring of Samaria. And it was the season of burning heat. It was the sixth hour, as the Scripture says, it was the middle of the day when the Messiah came to illumine those in darkness. The Spring came upon the spring, not to drink but to cleanse. The fountain of immortality was near the stream of the wretched woman as though it were in need. He is tired from walking, He Who tirelessly walked on the sea, He Who furnishes exceeding great joy and redemption.
- St Romanos the Melodist, On The Woman of Samaria
In heaven and on earth, there is one supreme good for the soul of an awakened man. That good is God. There is countless good in heaven, but the King of heaven is the greatest good. There is countless good on earth, but the Creator of all of this good is incomparable. That is why the soul of the awakened man asks: "What could I have or what could I desire, either in heaven or on earth, beside Thee?" Is the river necessary to the one who is brought to drink at its source? Does one who sits at the king's table desire the shepherd's dinner? God alone is sufficient in Himself to satisfy all of men's hunger and thirst. The heavens are God's, the earth is God's. The Lord of all good is the greatest good; the Creator of all sweetness is the greatest sweetness; the Bearer of all wisdom is the greatest wisdom; the Source of all power and mercy is the greatest power and mercy; the Creator of every kind of beauty in heaven and on earth is the greatest beauty. No kind of good can enter the heart of man - whether openly or in a dream - that is not already in God to the highest degree. Therefore, my brethren, let us ask God that we may receive all; let us seek God that we may find all; let us become rich in God that we may be rich in all.
- Prolog of Ochrid