Thomas Sunday

 

General Announcements

Save the Date! Parish Assembly Meeting Sunday, April 30th. Please ensure your stewardship is current by Friday, April 28th to participate as a voting steward at the assembly.

Please kindly make sure you have fulfilled your 2022 stewardship pledge and please complete the stewardship form for 2023. Forms are located in the Chopman center on the tables and online at https://www.stgeorgehollywood.org/ways-to-give/become-a-steward
https://www.stgeorgehollywood.org/ways-to-give/stewardship
Completed forms can be returned to the office or to the candle stand in the Narthex. Thank you!

THANK YOU!
Thank you to all that helped with preparations for Holy Week and Pascha. From decorating the Kouvouklion and icons, to cleaning and cooking. It is appreciated! Special thank you to Mrs. Anna Karan and the Palanis family with the meals and for your help this week at church!

Thank you to all who are attending service today! May our Patron Saint, Great-Martyr George, bless each and every one of you and your families!

HOLY WEEK & EPITAPHIOS FLOWERS
We would like to thank all who donated the funds to buy the flowers during Great Lent, Holy Week and for the Epitaphion flowers.

Thanks to the Parish Council Members who helped with assisting everyone during the Holy Week Services and to all the children and youth who participated in the many services, from making the Palm Crosses for Palm Sunday to reading the Great Hours on Holy Friday morning and Holy Saturday morning. Thank you to all who donated during Palm Sunday collection for Hellenic College-Holy Cross and for all you that participated in the Philoptochos Palm Sunday Luncheon.

 

The Miracles of Saint George
the Trophy-bearer the Great Martyr and Wonderworker.

Commemorated on April 23

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

 

Among the countless miracles of St. George, this one is recorded:

On the island of Mytilene there was a church dedicated to St. George the Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer. All the inhabitants of the island would come to this church on the annual feast of their patron saint. Knowing of this, the Saracens of Crete once attacked this island on its feast day, pillaged the island, and enslaved its inhabitants, taking many of them back to Crete. Among the enslaved was a handsome young man, whom the pirates gave to their prince. The prince made him his servant. The young man’s parents were overwhelmed with great sorrow for their son.
After a year had passed and St. George’s day came again, the grieving parents, following the ancient custom, prepared a table and entertained many guests. Remembering her son, the poor mother went to the icon of the saint, fell to the ground and began to pray that he somehow deliver her son from slavery. The mother then returned to her guests at the table. The host raised a glass and drank a toast to the honor of St. George. Just then their son appeared among them, holding a decanter of wine in his hand. In amazement and fear, they asked him how he had managed to come to them. He replied that as he was about to serve his master wine in Crete, a knight on horseback appeared before him, pulled him up onto the horse and carried him instantly to his parents’ home. All were amazed, and glorified God and His wonderful saint, George the Commander and Victory-bearer.

 

CHRIST IS RISEN

Makarios the Egyptian

 

“When you hear that, at that time, [Christ] redeemed souls from hades and performed a glorious task, do not think that all of that is far from your soul… He descends into two places: into the depth of hades and into the depth of the heart where the soul is dominated by death and overtaken by many thoughts. It is there that He brings out the dead Adam from the darkest depths [of the tomb].
So it is that the Lord comes into the depth of the heart of hades to the souls that seek Him, and there He commands death by saying: Set free the imprisoned souls that seek me; those that you hold by force. He then shatters the heavy rocks that cover and weigh down the soul; He opens the tombs, resurrects the one that truly is dead and brings the imprisoned soul out of its dark jail.
Just as the body is close to the soul, thus is the Lord very close to us; he comes and opens the closed doors of our heart and grants us the richness of heaven. For He is good and loves man-kind and His promises are real, providing that we remain endlessly steadfast in seeking Him.”

 

“Blessed are those that do not see and yet believe”

(Jn. 20:28)

 

Being that we live with many doubts concerning our relationship with God and our relationships with our fellowmen, we believe that in order to enter a living relationship with the other, it necessary to first touch the other’s “print of the nails”. In other words, we feel that we must touch the marks of the other’s misfortunes, the place where the other hurts. We feel that only in this way can we acquire trust and that the other will also be able to understand our wounds. The question is, can we in turn allow the other to see and touch our wounds? Can we reveal our sins and weaknesses to the other? Could it be that we desire to have a relationship of trust without taking this risk? Could it be that our relationships fail because we do not take this risk? At the end, could it be that we fear to touch the other so that the other does not touch us?
Christ, as the knower of our heart, recognizes our apprehension and our faithlessness and He allows us to touch “the print of the nails” and to put our hand into His side so as to come to know the immense and endless love He has for us. But in doing so, He also shows us that we must look at the marks of our own misfortunes and sins and allow Him not only to touch us, but to heal us through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
“Blessed are those that do not see and yet believe” (Jn.20:28). Blessed are those that can cultivate a living relationship of trust with the other and one’s self without the need to “test” the relationship out of fear and doubt. Blessed are those that can live and love freely within the grace of God.