Monday, August 4—6pm Paraklesis to the Theotokos

Tuesday, August 5—5:00pm VIGIL FOR TRANSFIGURATION

Wednesday, August 6—9:00am LITURGY FOR TRANSFIGURATION

Thursday, August 7—no service

Friday, August 8—6pm Paraklesis to the Theotokos

Saturday, August 9—8am Breakfast with Father; 6pm Great Vespers

Sunday, August 10—9:40am 3rd and 6th Hours; 10am Divine Liturgy; Catechumen class

For an appointment to meet with Fr. Matthew, call or email him to schedule one. Confessions may be heard after any scheduled service, or any other time by appointment. Orthodox Christians who are regular communicants of the Holy Mysteries should prepare themselves by prayer, fasting and regular Confession (averaging once a month).

7th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST—Tone 6. Ven. Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus, Ascetics of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (4th-5th c.). Ven. Anthony the Roman, Abbot, of Novgorod (1147). Martyr Razhden of Persia (Georgian—457). Ven. Cosmas, Eunuch and Hermit, of Palestine (6th c.). Righteous Salomé‚ Myrrhbearer, mother of Apostles James and John (1st c.).

Today’s readings— Romans 15:1-7; Matthew 9:27-35

Today’s prosphora baker—Varnado.
Next week’s baker—Sonya.

Our patronal feast of the TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, is this Wednesday. We will serve the Vigil for the Feast on Tuesday night, and Liturgy for the Feast, followed by a festive meal (fasting, however) on Wednesday morning. Not only is this a major feast of the Church, but since it is our parish feast day, we should all make it a point to be at the services for the feast!

TRANSFIGURATION FEAST—the Church is going to order catfish for the feast, please bring a side dish if you are able to be here. Also, please let Fr. Matthew know today if you will be coming, so we can have enough food.

PARISH COUNCIL will meet today at coffee hour.

BREAKFAST WITH FATHER will be this coming Saturday at 8am in St. Innocent Hall.

THE DORMITION FAST continues this week. As always, during this fasting period we are to abstain from all animal products, alcohol, and oil. As we fast from food, we are also to fast from all sin and the passions as well! All Orthodox Christians should make a confession during the fasting period as well. If you have any questions, please ask Fr. Matthew

WORK IN ST. INNOCENT HALL will continue this week. Please be careful if you are around the Church property this week, the crew will be removing the wall in the Hall between Monday and Friday.

THE NEW OFFICE IS FINISHED! Take a peak in; Fr. Matthew will move his stuff in later today.

DEACON DOORS UPDATE—our deacon doors are now being worked on by Fr. Andrew Tregubov and his woodworker. The total cost for the doors (including the icons) will be $3,500. If you would like to make a donation toward the doors, please mark it “Icon Fund.”

AUGUST NAMEDAYS
15-Dormition (Abigail Mary Jackson)
28-Beheading of St. John the Baptist (John McDaniel)

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS—Metropolitan Theodosius, Patriarch Pavel, Priest George, Shelly and infant Nathan, Joanna with her child to be born, Wanda, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Royce, Edith, child Christopher, child Aidan, Donna, Leta, Bertie, Nathan, Bonnie, Roger, Leonard, Carrigian, Andrew, catechumen George, our catechumens Lisa, Jack, Brendon, Aime, Seamus; Reposed—

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS the missionary efforts in McComb, Baton Rouge (LA), St. Francisville (LA), and Hattiesburg (MS).

LOOKING AHEAD
August 1-14 Dormition Fast
August 6 Feast of the Transfiguration
August 15 Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
November 10-13 All-American Council (Pittsburg, PA)

***
Do Not Resent, Do Not React, Keep Inner Stillness
By Archimandrite Jonah (Paffhausen)—Abbot of the Monastery of St. John of San Francisco, Manton, CA
…continued from last week’s bulletin…

Repentance and Confession
Awareness of our sins and hypocrisy, our short comings and falls, leads us to repentance and the transformation of our life. Repentance, conversion, the transformation of our mind and our life, is the core of the Christian life. Repentance does not mean to beat ourselves up for our sins, or to dwell in a state of guilt and morose self- condemnation. Rather, it means to confront our sins, and reject and renounce them, and confess them, trying not to do them again.
What this does is, that to the extent we renounce and confess our sins, they no longer generate thoughts, which accuse us or spur passionate reactions. Sometimes we have to confess things several times, because we only repent of, or are even conscious of, aspects of the sin. Things that make us feel guilty, provoke our conscience, or that we know are acts of disobedience all should be confessed. We have to train our conscience, not by memorizing lists of sins, but by becoming aware of what breaks our relationship with God and other people. We need to be conscious of God’s presence, and realize what distracts us from it. These things are sins. Of course, we are experts at deluding ourselves, when we really want to do something, and we know that it is not bless-able.
Confession is not only Christ’s first gift to the Church, the authority to forgive sins in His Name; but is one of the most important means of healing our souls. Sins are not sins because they are listed in a book somewhere. They are sins because they break our relationship with God, other people, and distort our true self. Sins are sins because they hurt us and other people. We need to heal that hurt, and revealing the act or thought or attitude takes away the shame that keeps it concealed, and prevents healing. We need to confess the things that we are the most ashamed of, the secret sins which we know are betrayals of our true self. If we don’t confess them, they fester and generate all sorts of despondency, depression and guilt, shame and despair. The result of that is that we identify ourselves with our sins. For example, same-sex attraction becomes gay identity. Failure in some area becomes a general self-identification with being a failure.
What is critically important is that we are not our sins, thoughts or actions. These things happen, we sin, have bad thoughts and do wicked and evil things. But we are not our thoughts or actions. Repentance means to stop and renounce not only the actions, but to renounce the identity that goes with it. Thoughts are going to come. But we can learn, through practicing inner stillness, to let our thoughts go. They will still be there, but we can learn to not react to them, and eventually, simply to ignore them.
The process of purifying our self is hard and painful, at first; but becomes the source of great joy. The more we confess, honestly and nakedly, the more we open ourselves to God’s grace, and the lighter we feel. Truly the angels in heaven (and the priest standing before you bearing witness to the confession) rejoice immensely when a person truly repents and confesses their sins, no matter how dark and heinous. There is no sin so grievous that it cannot be forgiven. NOTHING! The only sin not forgiven is thinking that God cannot forgive our sin. He forgives. We have to forgive our self, and accept His forgiveness.
Preparing for confession is an important process. It means to take stock of our life, and to recognize where we have fallen, and that we need to repent.

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