FIFTH SUNDAY OF PASCHA — Tone 4. Samaritan Woman. Ven. Isaac, Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (383).
Tone 4 Troparion (Resurrection)
When the women disciples of the Lord
learned from the angel the joyous message of Your Resurrection,
they cast away the ancestral curse
and elatedly told the apostles:
“Death is overthrown!
Christ God is risen,//
granting the world great mercy!”
Tone 8 Troparion (Midfeast)
In the middle of the feast, O Savior,
fill my thirsting soul with the waters of piety, as You cried to all:
“If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink!”//
O Christ God, Fountain of our life, glory to You!
Tone 8 Kontakion (Pentecostarion)
The Samaritan Woman came to the well in faith;
she saw You, the Water of wisdom and drank abundantly.//
She inherited the Kingdom on high, and is ever glorified!
Tone 4 Kontakion (Midfeast)
Christ God, the Creator and Master of all,
cried to all in the midst of the feast of the Law:
“Come and draw the water of immortality!”
We fall before You and faithfully cry://
“Grant us Your mercies, for You are the Fountain of our life!”
Tone 3 Prokeimenon (Pentecostarion)
Sing praises to our God, sing praises! / Sing praises to our King, sing praises! (Ps. 46:6)
V. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! (Ps. 46:1)
Acts 11:19-26, 29-30 (Epistle)
Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Tone 4
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
V. Go forth, prosper and reign, for the sake of meekness, righteousness and truth! (Ps. 44:3b)
V. For You love righteousness, and hate iniquity. (Ps. 44:6)
Prayer Before the Gospel
Illumine our hearts, O Master and Lover of mankind, with the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Your Gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of Your blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing to You. For You are the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto You do we send up glory, together with Your Father, Who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
John 4:5-42 (Gospel)
So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Our Schedule this Month (Other than Saturdays and Sundays)
- Wednesday, June 2 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Friday, June 4 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Monday, June 7 — Parish Council meeting 6:30 p.m.; youth Zoom meeting 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, June — Vigil 6 p.m.
- Thursday, June 10 — Feast of Ascension hours and Liturgy 9:10 a.m.
- Friday, June 11 — Akathist to St. Nicholas 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 16 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Friday, June 18 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Sunday, June 20 — Pentecost Matins, Liturgy, and Vespers with Kneeling Prayers, 9:10 a.m.
- Monday, June 21 — Youth Zoom meeting 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 23 — Akathist to the Mother of God 6 p.m.
- Friday, June 25 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Monday, June 28 — Sts. Peter and Paul Fast (one day), Vigil for Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 29 — Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul Hours and Liturgy 9:10 a.m.
- Wednesday, June 30 — Vespers 6 p.m.
- Thursday, July 1 — Great Vespers for St. John Maximovitch
- Friday, July 2 — Feast of St. John Maximovitch Hours and Liturgy 9:10 a.m.; Vespers 6 p.m.
See the calendar for more detailed info.
Confessions
Social-distanced with masks. After Great Vespers, Saturday evenings, or during the week by appointment. Please email or call Fr. John to make arrangements for this.
Parish Ministries
“Works of the People”: Prosphora baking team, door greeters, church cleaning, and more. Contact Jennifer McDonald.
Church School: This is offered to children from 3 years old up through high school. At this time, however, due to COVID, church school has been temporarily halted. Contact Barbara Eng.
Charitable Outreach: From time to time throughout the year, we will have special collections. For example, during the Nativity fast, we took a collection for Portland Rescue Mission, and during Great Lent we took a collection for the Gobezie Goshu Home in Ethiopia and the Portland Rescue Mission. Thanks to your generosity, we raised more $10,000 for the Gobezie Goshu Home, and almost $3,000 for the Portland Rescue Mission. These donations were matched (up to $5,000 each) by the St. Martin’s Fund.
St. Martin’s Good Works Fund, a fund started by a large bequest to offer financial help for targeted needs internationally, nationally, and locally. It is overseen by the clergy, and parish council members, and a small number of the laity of the parish. Contact Fr. John or Jan Bear.
St. Elizabeth Pastoral Care Team: Helps with arrangements for meals, rides to church, a monthly prayer list, an intercessory prayer group, provides hand knitted prayer shawls, sends greeting and condolence cards, and provides periodic “bulletin board” tips, thoughts, and general health related advice and news. Contact Mat. Karen Hadley.
Love Transforms
Abbot Tryphon
Prayer is Born of Love
If we desire to please God, we only need to live our lives in imitation of Christ, Who both taught, and lived, humility. In our steadfastness in faith, modesty of attire, and simplicity in words and conversation, we imitate Christ. In our works of mercy, and in showing forth justice in our deeds, we imitate Christ.
If we live such a life, the Lord will dwell in our hearts, and we will be well pleasing to Him. His love will so fill us, that everyone around us will see His love. Even those who do not know God, will experience Him through us, and will be saved. As Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, “Save yourself, and a thousand around you will be saved.”
If we find fault in others, our judgmental attitude prevents us from having a successful communion with God. Prayer is born of love, while fault-finding, idle talk, and self-indulgence are the death of prayer. Love and prayer are interconnected because both involve God, and if we love God we are given the power to keep our mind on Him both day and night.
Nothing keeps us from Him, and nothing hinders our communion with him. Even the distractions and temptations of the world fade away as nothing, for as God’s love grows in us, so does love of our neighbor grow. And from this, true prayer is born.
Everything Is Prayer: Living on the Holy Mountain and in the World
The Shared Christian Life of Monks and Laymen
In speaking about the meaning of our life [on the Holy Mountain of Athos], we share the basic experience inherited by all of us. The things we share are simple advice. Christ is known in the Orthodox Church as the sanctification of our souls and our bodies. Externally, the one who is in Christ does not look any different from a criminal; it is internally that he is in Christ. I like the story in the Gerontikon when St. Anthony asks God where he should go [to see someone who had attained the grace of the desert ascetics], and God sent him to a cobbler. This cobbler is now in the position of St. Anthony. St. Anthony is not as great as a cobbler: one who is unknown, unrecognized by the world, and yet living in the same holiness of life. That is the greatest thing. You might say, “You are on the Holy Mountain, a place holy and sacred, but we are in the world. So, you are in a coveted position.” But it is not so. The great fact is that God is love and that we are Orthodox Christians. Whether we find ourselves on the Holy Mountain or in the world, it is the same thing. Because God is love, one realizes that the greatest blessings are the trials, not the easy things. Within Orthodoxy we are helped in order to love life, and we are given a grace that conquers death. The Lord Himself said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Consequently, this is what is offered in the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy differs from heterodoxy (the non-Orthodox) in a small way, but this small matter is the greatest thing. Orthodoxy gives you rest. A heresy is an easy answer, but it is one that actually tortures you because it ignores man. The way of Orthodoxy is filled with difficulties and crosses, but it leads you to the path wherein you glorify God for all things and are thankful for all things—the Resurrection.
Vasileios of Iveron, Archimandrite. The Thunderbolt of Ever-Living Fire: “American” Conversation with an Athonite Elder (Contemporary Christian Thought Series, No. 24, Book 1). Sebastian Press Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara Commemorated on May 29
Pascha Vigil