FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTISTJUNE 20, 2021

Saints Cyril and MethodiusByzantine Catholic Church

2510 Piney Plains RoadCary, NC 27518-6870

919-239-4877Reverend Father Vasyl Sokolovych

Parochial Administrator908-404-0777

Sunday9:00 and 11:00 AM Divine Liturgy

(If unable to attend in person, our 9AM Divine Liturgy is streamed via our Facebook page.)

E-Mail: sscyrilmethodius@gmail.comWeb Site: sscyrilmethodius.org

SUNDAYJune 20Tone 3

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTFather's DayRom 6:18-23

Mt 8:5-13

8:30 AM Confession

9:00 AM Divine Liturgy

11:00 Divine Liturgy

Monday

June 21

Julian Martyr

Rom 12:4-5. 15-21Mt 12:9-13

Tuesday

June 22

Eusebius Bishop - Martyr

Rom 14:9-1Mt 12:14-16; 22-30

Wednesday

June 23

Agrippina - MartyrRom 15:7-16Mt 12:38-45

6:00 PM Vespers

Thursday

June 24BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Rom 13:11-14.4Lk 1:5-25.57-68 & 76-80

SOLEMN6:30 PM Divine Liturgy

Friday

June 25

Febronia Venerable Martyr

Rom 16:1-16Mt 13:4-9 6:00 PM Divine Liturgy

Saturday

June 26

David of Thessalonica - Venerable

Rom 8:14-21Mt 9:9-13

4:00 PM St. Nicholas Mission Divine Liturgy

SUNDAYJune 27Tone 4

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTRom 10:1-10Mt 8:28-9.1

8:30 AM Confession

9:00 AM Divine Liturgy

11:00 AM Divine Liturgy

Call the parish office (919-239-4877) to make an appointment or to speak with Fr. Vasyl (908-404-0777).

SSCM CHURCH/HALL SCHEDULEThe St. Nicholas Mission celebrate their Divine Liturgy in our church every Saturday at 4:00 PM.

The Eritrean Orthodox celebrate their Divine Liturgy in our church from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month.

The Coptic Orthodox celebrate their Divine Liturgy in our church from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCILOur Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) meets the second Tuesday of every month. If you have any questions or concerns you would like addressed at the next meeting, please contact one of the members: Mike Carpenter, Marie Taylor, Paul Tooley, Paul Cwik, Will Leatherwood, Lance Morgan, Dan Pope, and Mike Sapsara.

The Apostles Fast begins May 31 and lasts until June 28.  The Typikon prescribes strict abstinence on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, with mitigated abstinence (wine and oil) on Tuesdays and Thursday.  The Ruthenian Metropolia has identified this period as a penitential season.  This fast may be observed voluntarily.

SUMMER MARKET - SATURDAY, JUNE 26thPlease save some time during the week prior to the market to help with food preparation. The day of the market we also will need help cooking pierogis, grilling kielbasa, filling orders, parking assistance, etc. More details and job descriptions will be announced soon.

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTJune 20, 2021

If you are new to our area or just visiting, please stop and introduce yourself. We are happy you are joining us to share in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. If you do not have a church home, or your church is not a home for you, we warmly invite you to become part of our parish family.

If you wish to register with our parish, please email Michelle Rubush at sscyrilmethodius@gmail.com

GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!GLORY FOREVER!

SLAVONIC: SLAVA ISUSU CHRISTU! SLAVA NA VIKI!

Please remember in your prayers:Jerry and Holly Kingery; Lance Morgan; Sophia Rose; John Patrick Rose; Rachel Blair; David Hoover; Cameron Shuey; Dale Blair; Bernadette’s parents and aunts: Andrew, Etta, Martha and Yolanda; Father Mark and family; Father Vasyl and family.

Please pray for the repose + of the souls of our faithful departed:+Elizabeth Macario; +Luke Morgan, +Natalie and John Morgan, +Rev. Fr. Richard

Rohrer, +Gloria Shuey, +Victor Quintero, + Maria Victoria Quintero

In Blessed Repose, Grant O Lord, Eternal Rest to the Soul of YourDeparted Servants and May their Memory be Eternal.

In spite of the pandemic, the maintenance of our church continues and bills must be paid. Thanks to all who continue to serve our church with their time, talent, and treasure. Thank you to those working on the new office space for our church.

CHURCH CLEANING SCHEDULEMany thanks to our church cleaning volunteers which means no one is cleaning more than once every three months. Volunteers may do the cleaning anytime during the week when the church is not in use. Please contact Marie Taylor at marie@8taylors.com if you want to participate in this very important ministry for our church. Thank you to our current volunteers!

June 20-26 Mary Carpenter July 11-17 Will & Sam LeatherwoodJune 27-July 3 Nathan Tooley July 18-24 Marie TaylorJuly 4-10 Lance Morgan July 25-31 Travis Kingery

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for our spiritual fathers, fathers young and old, and all who are like fathers to us. We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; may they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrif ice. We pray for fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; may they know that the  God of compassion  walks with them in their sorrow. We pray for men who are not fathers but sti ll mentor and guide us with fatherly love

and advice. We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen

FATHER VASYL'S HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST June 20, 2021

"I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel…" (Matt 8:5-13)

Today, on the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Church gives us the story of the healing of the servant of the Roman centurion. Although this event is already known to us, we read this gospel every year to revive and strengthen our faith. Every Sunday after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the gospel stories give us concrete practical advice for our spiritual life, starting with faith, which is our spiritual foundation.

First, let us take a closer look at the life of the captain himself. He was a military man, the leader of a hundred, one of the divisions of the Roman army. There was a rule in the Roman army that when someone was elected commander of the hundred, the soldiers recognized him as an experienced soldier. The soldiers had full confidence in their leader, and knew he was responsible for their well-being and their lives.

We see the implementation of this military principle in the attitude of the centurion to his servant. The evangelist Matthew writes nothing about who the centurion was by origin. However, from the description of the event we see that he was a highly moral and deeply spiritual person. He was a man displeased with pagan idols and sought the truth about the true God. From the words of the Gospel we see that the centurion was very sympathetic to his subjects, which was very rare at that time. Caring for a sick servant shows that he is a God-fearing man. When Jesus came to his city, the centurion asked Him to heal the servant. He did not demand Him to enter his house, because he considered himself unworthy of such a great honor, having the presence of Jesus in his house. Such was the centurion's understanding of life and his belief in God's omnipotence. Love for the servant and faith in God's omnipotence performed this miracle. It was faith that gave the centurion hope that the servant would be healed, and then God's love was revealed.

Good deeds and forgiveness nurture faith, cultivate morality and strengthen love. Therefore, the centurion, with firm faith and great humility, asked Jesus to heal his servant. The strength of the centurion's faith also lay in his firm recognition of the omnipotence of God. His faith was also humble and full of trust in Christ, so he said to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; speak only a word, and my servant will be healed.” (Matt. 8:8). The centurion did not ask Jesus for miracles or signs of his divinity, because he firmly believed that an almighty God could heal the sick and listen to the needs of people even from a distance.

Looking at the example and faith of the Roman centurion, let us review the state of our faith and its fruits in daily life. When we talk about the Christian faith, it is not just a matter of reason or to acknowledge the existence of God, to say that God exists, and to follow certain precepts, traditions and customs. Faith, in the Christian sense, must move from acknowledging the existence of God to a concrete relationship with Him that follows from faith, hope, love, trust, and keeping all of God’s commandments. So faith is a mutual relationship: God to me, and my relationship to God. When someone says that he believes in God, he can test his faith by asking, "How do I feel about Him; that is, does my way of life really express a firm belief in His existence, in eternal life?"                                                   

Spirituality and faith are not just prayers at a certain time of day, but a lifestyle. The believing Christian compares every step of life with everything he does in accordance to God's commandments. He looks to see if this action brings good not only to the body but also to the soul as it affects his relationship with the Lord God. Faith must lead the Christian to a personal knowledge of Christ through knowing and understanding God's teaching, the Holy Scriptures, and living life according to God's commandments. Mutual knowledge is an important condition for trusting God. "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." (Jn 14:21). Knowing God, including his love and kindness, has an important impact on nurturing and affirming in us the hope and trust of God’s love and mercy. The more a person knows God through Scripture and prayer, the stronger the trust in God is born in his heart. Believing that God always treats us with love, and everything that happens in life, God eventually will transform to good.

The centurion perfectly embodied the idea of cultivating faith, trust in God, and good deeds for one's neighbor. May today's holy gospel of the Capernaum centurion show us all the true way to Christ the Lord. When we follow the example of this centurion in life, God will always be our friend, will take care of us, and will meet our needs, big and small. But we cannot force Him to take certain actions, we need to ask Him, as the centurion asked - humbly, from the bottom of our hearts. Amen. 

GUIDELINES FOR OUR CHURCHES FOLLOWING THE PANDEMICIn keeping with advice from the CDC, and the local authorities, the following guidelines replace previous Covid rules.

1. A mask should be worn by anyone distributing communion or assisting to distribute communion.2. The celebrant should use precautions when handling the gifts or singing or speaking near the gifts. These

precautions may include wearing a mask, keeping the gifts covered, standing at a distance from the altar, and sterilizing the hands before touching the gifts.

3. The clergy should not drink out of the same chalice that is used for distribution before distribution. They may use a separate chalice, or receive by intinction.

4. Distribution of communion should continue using single-use spoons, either individual metal spoons that are sterilized, or spoons that can be burned.

5. Beginning Friday, May 28, people in the congregation are not required to wear a mask. People are free to wear a mask for personal protection or as a courtesy to the vulnerable.

6. People are still encouraged to practice safe distancing in the pews.7. No one should ask whether or not someone is vaccinated. 8. Your local laws may supersede these. Your pastor will inform you if that is the case.

DISPENSATION FROM THE OBLIGATION TO ATTEND DIVINE LITURGY ON SUNDAY OR SATURDAY EVENING

1. Keep in mind, the bishop cannot dispense from Divine Law. The Ten Commandments require us to keep the Lord’s Day holy. From the beginning, Christians have obeyed this commandment by attending the Eucharist on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection. We are also required by Divine Law to refrain from work if possible and to avoid commerce if possible.

2. Beginning on Sunday, June 6, the dispensation from attending the Divine Liturgy is revoked within the Eparchy of Passaic. Watching a livestream does not fulfill the obligation to attend the Eucharist.

3. Just as before the pandemic, anyone is relieved of the obligation for a serious reason such as sickness, immobility, fear, caring for someone else, to protect your own health or the health of others.

THE HALL REMAINS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Our Eparchy will be hosting monthly Byzanteen Gatherings.  Mark your calendars for each date. Gatherings will begin at 6:00 PM.  Email contact: FrDeaconTom@gmail.com

SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCHREQUESTS FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY - 2021

It is a beautiful part of our Byzantine Catholic tradition to have the Divine Liturgy celebrated for a special intention or for health and God's blessing's upon a LIVING person, or for the repose of the soul of a DECEASED person. Liturgy requests are now available for the remaining months of 2021. A donation or stipend is an offering made to the priest for the Divine Liturgy for such a request. The suggested donation or stipend for the Divine Liturgy or for a Panachida is $15 and is given to the priest. (Please know that if you are unable to pay the stipend, Father will honor your request.) If your donation or stipend is by check, do not make the check payable to the church, but rather to Father Vasyl Sokolovych. After the request is received, it will be recorded in the church liturgical calendar. Special dates may be requested, but they may not always be available. If this is the case, you will be notified of a rescheduled date and time. If you would like to request a specific date, please do so now. Please know that we will work to provide the dates requested, but we cannot guarantee it. The dates are assigned on a first come first served basis and are reserved upon receipt of the offering.To make your request, please fill out the form below, include your check and drop it in the collection basket.

DIVINE LITURGY TO BE OFFERED FOR

PANACHIDA TO BE OFFERED FOR

INTENTION(please indicate: Health and

God's Blessings; Illness; Special Intention; Deceased

DATEDonatio

n orStipend

Total Donation

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

$15.00

TOTAL ENCLOSED: $____________ (Please make checks payable to "Father Vasyl Sokolovych.")