3rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST — Tone 2. The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul (1st c.).
Tone 2 Troparion (Resurrection)
When You descended to death, O Life Immortal, You slew hell with the splendor of Your Godhead. And when from the depths You raised the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out:// “O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You!”
Tone 4 Troparion (Apostles)
O first-enthroned of the Apostles, and teachers of the universe: entreat the Master of all to grant peace to the world,// and to our souls great mercy!
Tone 2 Kontakion (Resurrection)
Hell became afraid, O almighty Savior, seeing the miracle of Your Resurrection from the tomb! The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with You,// and the world, my Savior, praises You forever.
Tone 2 Kontakion (Apostles)
O Lord, You have taken up to eternal rest and to the enjoyment of Your blessings the two divinely inspired preachers, the leaders of the Apostles, for You have accepted their labors and deaths as a sweet-smelling sacrifice,// for You alone know what lies in the hearts of men.
Tone 6 Kontakion (Steadfast Protectress)
Steadfast Protectress of Christians, Constant Advocate before the Creator; despise not the cry of us sinners, but in your goodness come speedily to help us who call on you in faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for you always protect those who honor you!
Tone 2 Prokeimenon (Resurrection)
The Lord is my strength and my song; / He has become my salvation. (Ps. 117:14)
V. The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death. (Ps. 117:18)
Tone 8 Prokeimenon (Apostles)
Their proclamation has gone out into all the earth, / and their words to the ends of the universe. (Ps. 18:4)
Romans 5:1-10 (Epistle)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
2 Corinthians 11:21-12:9 (Epistle, Apostles)
To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold – I speak foolishly – I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? – I speak as a fool – I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Tone 2
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
V. May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! (Ps. 19:1)
V. Save the King, O Lord, and hear us on the day we call! (Ps. 19:9)
Tone 1
V. The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; and Your truth in the congregation of the saints. (Ps. 88:5)
Matthew 6:22-33 (Gospel)
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 16:13-19 (Gospel, Apostles)
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
On the power and the efficacy of good works
For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. (I Peter 2:15).
Brethren, it is difficult to argue with an atheist; it is difficult to talk with a madman; it is difficult to persuade an embittered man. It is difficult to convince an atheist, a madman or an embittered man with words. You will convince them more easily by deeds. They may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation (I Peter 2:12).
Do good to those who wish to argue with you, and you will win the argument. One deed of compassion will bring the madman to his senses and will pacify the embittered man more quickly than many hours of conversation. If atheism, madness and bitterness stem from ignorance, that ignorance is like a rage which can quickly be restrained by good works.
If you argue with an atheist in his own rabid manner, you strengthen the rage of atheism. If you converse with a madman by derision, the darkness of his madness is increased. If you think you will overcome an embittered man with anger, you will stir up a greater fire of bitterness.
A meek and good deed is like water on a fire. Always remember the holy apostles and their successful methods of behavior toward men. If an atheist provokes you, it is not the man that provokes you but the devil; for man is by nature religious. If a madman swears at you, it is not the man that swears at you but the devil; for man is by nature reasonable. If an embittered man persecutes you, it is not the man that persecutes you but the devil; for man is by nature good.
The devil provokes you to lengthy arguments and unfruitful conversations, but he flees from good deeds.
Do good in the name of Christ, and the devil will flee. Only then will you have dealings with men, with true men: pious, reasonable and good. Therefore, whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord.
O All-good Lord, help us to do good and by good to conquer in Thy name. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
— St. Nikolaii Velimirovic. The Prologue of Ohrid
The Feasts
Our Orthodox phronema is also strongly shaped by observing the feasts and fasts of the Church. By orienting ourselves to the liturgical cycle, we acquire the mind of the Church. We look forward to certain feast days. The hymns of the Church announce that a feast is coming, and sometimes we prepare with a fast prior to its arrival. After the feast has passed, the hymns remind us of what took place. On the day of the feast and during a festal period, the hymns explain the theological and spiritual meaning of the event.
This is why attendance at church for the feast days is so important: participation in feast days forms us by continually teaching and shaping us.
The life of the Church is not a dead remembrance of past events. Again and again in our prayers and hymns we use the word “today.” “Today the Virgin goes to the cave to give birth . . . ,” “Today the Jordan is turned back . . . ,” “Today is hung upon the Cross . . . ,” and so forth. We never say “Christ has risen” or “Christ was born,” but “Christ is risen!” “Christ is born!” These are never past events; they happen today for each of us because we experience them in the present as a living reality, and through them we participate in eternity… Through the festal cycle of the church year, we both participate in and anticipate the life to come. The more frequently we do this, the more we shape our phronema. [The Orthodox phronema (“mentality,” “stance,” or “approach”) is the foundation of Orthodox Christianity.]
— Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou. Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind.
Recent words of wisdom from a Romanian Bishop
Bishop Sofronie urges more face-to-face communion: We don’t partake of Christ on Facebook or Instagram
Aurelian Iftimiu
His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea has urged families and community members to interact in real life and rely less on social media.
In his sermon delivered on the Sunday of Romanian Saints at the Hidișelu de Sus II Parish, Bishop Sofronie explained that human relationships suffer if they are limited to interactions in the virtual space.
Thus, people need to cultivate real, living relationships with those around them. Otherwise, the spiritual ties among community members will not endure.
Love Cannot Endure Through Phones and the Virtual World Alone
“The communion we speak of is not merely something declarative. You are not truly in communion with your own community, just as you cannot be in communion with your own family if you spend all your time on social media, in the virtual world!”
“Relationships between people are face-to-face. The love between husband and wife, between parents and children, or between brothers and sisters cannot endure if they only communicate through phones or in the virtual world, at a distance. Time must be spent together!” the Bishop of Oradea urged.
Furthermore, the hierarch emphasised that just as our relationship with Christ is founded solely on real communion, so must our relationships within the family and community be.
Life in Christ Must Be Lived in Reality
“In prayer, at the table of communion, in the same household, in love, understanding, mutual knowledge, and in spending free time together. The unity in the family, of course, extends to the entire community. Not through social media, not in the virtual world, but face to face.”
“For we do not commune with Christ on Facebook or Instagram, but we truly partake of Christ in the Holy Church. We are not baptized virtually, nor do we confess our sins by phone or messaging apps—we come and lay our burdens before the priest, who is a witness of God, thus receiving absolution and forgiveness from God,” concluded Bishop Sofronie.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Sofronie ordained theologian Raul-George Gordan as deacon for the Diocesan Cathedral “Resurrection of the Lord” and “Saint Andrew, Metropolitan of Transylvania” in Oradea.
Bishop Ignatie of Huși also addressed the topic of technology in the life of human beings.
Sunday Bulletin June 22, 2025