o glory to jesus christ! glory forever!stabcc.org/files/bulletins/7-26_8-2_bulletin_final.pdfnikki...

St. thomAS the APoStLe byzANtiNe CAthoLiC ChuRCh19 W. bruce Ave. Gilbert, Az 85233

Mailing Address: P.O.�Box�667�•�Gilbert,�AZ�85299-0667office hours 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM • Monday, Wednesday & Thursday

Please�give�a�courtesy�call�or�send�an�email�before�coming�to�the�parish�office�to�make�sure�someone�is�in�the�office.Office: (480) 497-6726 • Fax: (480) 907-7819 • Pastor’s Email: [email protected]

NeW PARiSh WebSite: www.stabcc.orgServed by:

Reverend Diodoro Mendoza, Pastor • Deacon Michael Sullivan

Parish Advisory board:Vince Antonios • Ted Bronson • Cal Karnya • Jeremy Lucovich • Cathy McCormick • Patrick Ryan • Liz Zackowski

Finance Advisory Council:Cal Karnya •Jeremy Lucovich • Patrick Ryan

Sunday divine Liturgy:Vigil Vesper Liturgy (Saturday) at 5:00 PM

Sunday Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AMDivine Praises at 9:45 AMholy mystery of Penance:

Saturday: 4:00 PM–4:30 PM Sunday: 9:00 AM–9:30 AM or by appointmentChaldean Catholic holy Liturgy: Sunday at 6:00 Pm

July 26 & August 2, 2015

WeLCome to St. thomAS the APoStLe!

Our parish community welcomes all those visiting with us today. We thank you for joining ourcommunity in praising the Lord as we remember His great love and mercy for us. We hope thatyou will join us again soon and bring a friend. If, per chance, you are looking for a spiritual homebased on the Sacred Scriptures, the teaching of the Apostles, the ancient Church Traditions in thecontext of a liturgical life and fellowship, please consider our parish! Speak with Father Diodoro orDeacon Michael if you would like more information.

GLoRy FoREvER!GLoRy To jESUS ChRIST!

RemembeR thoSe Who RequeSt

ouR PRAyeRS

O�Divine�Physician�of�Souls�and�Body,�rest�your�healing�and�protecting�hand�upon�your�servants:

Rosemary Ziarkowski, Helen Fellin, Lou Fellin,Wilma Ihnat, James Devlin, =Pete Nelson,Terence J. Faust, Clementina Mendoza, JamesYoung, Cathy Simpson, Marge Bobick,William Glenn, Dorothy Imlej, =CathyZiarkowski, Paul Kilroy, =Henrietta Gazzano,=Patty Prestash, =Rev. Michael T. Bell, MarkStefanski, Clair and Kofi, =Shirley Bates, HelenDinegar, Paul John Hetherington, Hannah Joes, Fr.Fausto, Eric Shark, Metrick Families, Kay William,Mary Ada, OFM, B.K. Burnette, Bob Sherman,Mary Kowalczyk, Kevin McBride, Lisa KirilaMendez, =Patty Coy, Jonathan Coonrod, SylviaGutierrez, Elaine Brown, Linskey Family, Ilija Seat,Viviana Rodarte, Renata Paloian, OSBM, MonicaHarris, Mike Little, Valerie Provenzano, OlgaChapkevich, Jerrine Sauntry, Alwyne Holder,Patty Prestash, Fr. Phil Acquaro, Fr. Chris Zugger,Alexandra, John Bacovcin, Anita Batean, BarbaraBronson, Bonnie Bennett, =Prima Bullock, GabrielCastellanos, Mark D. Chapa, Michael Chapa, EdCorwin, Gerald & Helen Dunn, Elizabeth Glenn,Nikki Heminway, Virginia Hill, Sonny Hopkins,Jaclyn Lentz, Anne-Marie Krytiuk, Erica Lupe,Richard Marchant (Al & Helen Ferencz’son-inlaw), Kathy Matott, Alice Posivy (Bullock),John Shelton, Larry Shelton, Lara Sparling-Ott,Carley Spears, Lorraine Teeling, Henry Zugger,Yoshiko, and all in the service of our country,especially from our parish family: Scott Karnya,Sam Karnya, Adam Young, Brandon Eyres(Michael & Anne Bacovcin’s grandson), JackShields, Patrick Whalen (Doreene Stacy’sgrandson), and the Mother of Reg Parker.

St. thomAS NeedS LiSt

Share your TIME, TALENT & TREASURE!

Volunteer needed to work in parish office6-12 hours a week.

Time and day flexible. Have office and computer skills.

Volunteers are needed for Ushers,Sacristan, and property supervisor.

Please see Fr. Diodoro for days and times,and description of duties and

responsibilities.

Volunteer is needed to assist in running the parish website.

Webmaster experience is preferred.

Please help build your parish community!

See Fr.Diodoro and thank you.

Alive in ChristRetreat Camp for Boys and their Fathers

What could be better than a long weekend ofprayer, sports, spiritual talks, games and skitsin the beautiful Palomar Mountain Range. The“Alive in Christ” ascetical boot camp forByzantine Catholic boys and their fathers willbe held this year July 30 - August 2nd, at“Palomar Christian Conference Center”Northeast of San Diego, CA. Boys and youngmen 7-17 will join Bishop Gerald in this decadelong tradition, and return enlivened andenlightened. (Boys 7-10 are required to have a male guardian with them.)

7-26_8-2_Bulletin_Layout_Layout 1 7/23/15 7:22 PM

PARiSh CALeNdAR & uPComiNG eveNtS

August 6 - thursdayTransfiguration of Our LordDivine Liturgy 7:00 p.m.Blessing of Fruit

August 9 - SundayMonthly Parish Potluck (Italian theme)Anniversaries & Birthdays!!!

August 15 - SaturdayDormition of the TheotokosHoly Day of Obligation - ObservedAugust 14 - FridayVigil Vesper Divine Liturgy 7:00 p.m.Procession and Blessing of Flowers

9th�Sunday�after�Pentecost

Sunday July 26 tone 8 (159-163)

Sacrament of Penance 9:00 a.m.

Third Hour 9:45 a.m.

Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.

1 Cor 3:9-17 & Mt 14:22-34

Hermolaus & Companions-Martyrs

Intention-Parishioners of St. Thomas

10th�Week�after�Pentecost

Wednesday July 29

1 Cor 16:4-12 & Mt 21:28-32

Sacrament of Penance 6:00 p.m.

Divine Liturgy 7:00 p.m.

Callinicus-Martyr

Intention- Ramona R. Vasquez

Dormition Fast begins August 1-14

Saturday August 1

Procession & Veneration of the Cross

Small Blessing of Water

1 Cor 1:18-24 & Jn 19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30-35


Vigil Divine Liturgy 5:00 p.m.

Intention-Michael Vasquez

10th Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday August 2 tone 1 (123-127)




1 Cor 4:9-16 & Mt 17:14-23

Archdeacon Stephen -

Translation�of�the�Relics�of�Proto-Martyr


10th Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday August 2 tone 1 (123-127)




1 Cor 4:9-16 & Mt 17:14-23

Archdeacon Stephen -

Translation�of�the�Relics�of�Proto-Martyr


11th�Week�after�Pentecost

Thursday August 6 Solemn holy Day

Transfiguration of our Lord


Divine Liturgy 7:00 p.m.

2 Peter 1:10-19 & Mt 17:1-9

Blessing of Fruit

Intention-Parishioners & Benefactors of St. Thomas

Saturday August 8

Post-festive Day of the Transfiguration

Emilian-Bishop-Confessor

1 Cor 1:3-9 & Mt 19:3-12


Vigil Divine Liturgy 5:00 p.m.

Intention-Esequiel Chapa

11th�Sunday�after�Pentecost

Post-festive Day of the Transfiguration

Sunday August 9 tone 2

(350-351, 346-350, 130-132)




1 Cor 9:2-12 & Mt 18:23-35

Matthias-Apostle


tW o-We e k Li t u R G i C A L SC h e d u L e ANNouNCemeNtS

CoLoR RibboNS

• Please mindful to put back the color ribbons in

your Divine Liturgy books. Do not leave them on

the floor and stack them away neatly.

doRmitioN FASt

•Dormition Fast begins August 1 to 14. It is a

simple fast and we are to abstain from meat and

meat products on Fridays, and Wednesdays are

highly encouraged. It’s also an opportunity for

extra prayer time as well as giving of alms to

those in need.

SiLeNt AuCtioN - oktobeRFeSt

•Silent Auction/Oktoberfest - October 24 -

Letters are now available to solicit donations.

Please help to make this a successful fundraiser

for our parish. Please see Martha Coonrod or Liz

Zackowski for letters.

ouR GiFtS to the LoRd...

July 12

Sat---18 Sun---90Tithes $1176.00 Candles $24.50Donations $120.35 Gift Shop $20.00Social $5.00 Remodeling $345.00Peter’s Pence $100.00Total Collected $1,790.85

July 19

Sat---32 Sun---69Tithes $1326.00 Candles $35.00Donations $174.00 Gift Shop $22.00Social $8.00 Remodeling Fund $225.00Total Collected $1,790.00

“In�all�things�I�have�shown�you�that�by�working�hard

in�this�way�we�must�help�the�weak�and�remember�the

words�of�the�Lord�Jesus,�how�He�himself�said,�‘It�is

more�blessed�to�give�than�to�receive.”�Acts�20:35

biRthdAyS & ANNiveRSARieSHappy Anniversary

JULYDiane Parker July 26Maren Forbes July 27Cash Lucovich July 27Theresa Little July 29

AUGUSTMichael and Barb Little Anniversary Aug 3Joseph Barnes Aug 5Patrick Ryan Aug 6Jeff Sims Aug 10Cathy McCormick Aug 11Jeff and Yellow Schneider Anniversary Aug 15Christy Bronson Aug 21Valerie Provenzano Aug 21Al and Helen Ferancz Anniversary Aug 23 Jason Kowalczyk Aug 31

GOD GRANT THEM MANY HAPPY & BLESSED YEARS!


PARt 1 of 2

Discourse on the holy Transfiguration of ourLord God and Savior jesus Christ of�Saint�Gregory�Palamas,�Archbishop�of�Thessalonica

For an explanation of the present Feast andunderstanding of its truth, it is necessary for usto turn to the very start of today’s reading fromthe Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter,James and John his brother, and led them up ontoa high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1).

First of all we must ask, from whence does theEvangelist Matthew begin to reckon with sixdays? From what sort of day is it? What does thepreceding turn of speech indicate, where theSavior, in teaching His disciples, said to them:“For the Son of Man shall come with his angelsin the glory of His Father,” and further: “Amen Isay to you, there are some standing here whoshall not taste death, until they have seen the Sonof Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)?That is to say, it is the Light of His ownforthcoming Transfiguration which He terms theGlory of His Father and of His Kingdom.

The Evangelist Luke points this out and revealsthis more clearly saying: “Now it came to passabout eight days after these words, that He tookPeter and John and James, and went up themountain to pray. And as He prayed, Hiscountenance was altered, and His raimentbecame a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). But howcan the two be reconciled, when one of themspeaks definitively about the interval of time asbeing eight days between the sayings and themanifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?”

There were eight on the mountain, but only sixwere visible. Three, Peter, James and John, hadcome up with Jesus, and they saw Moses andElias standing there and conversing with Him, soaltogether there were six of them. However, theFather and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with theLord: the Father, with His Voice testifying thatthis was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spiritshining forth with Him in the radiant cloud.Thus, the six are actually eight, and there is nocontradiction regarding the eight. Similarly, thereis no contradiction with the Evangelists when onesays “after six days,” and the other says “eightdays after these words.”

But these twofold sayings as it were present us acertain format set in mystery, and together withit that of those actually present upon the Mount.It stands to reason, and everyone rationallystudying in accordance with Scripture knows thatthe Evangelists are in agreement one withanother. Luke spoke of eight days withoutcontradicting Matthew, who declared “after sixdays.” There is not another day added on torepresent the day on which these sayings wereuttered, nor is the day on which the Lord wastransfigured added on (which a rational personmight reasonably imagine to be added to the daysof Matthew).

The Evangelist Luke does not say “after eightdays” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after sixdays”), but rather “it came to pass eight days afterthese words.” But where the Evangelists seem tocontradict one another, they actually point out tous something great and mysterious. In actual fact,why did the one say “after six days,” but theother, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mindthe eighth day? It is because the great vision of

the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is themystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age,coming to be revealed after the passing away ofthe world created in six days.

About the power of the Divine Spirit, throughWhom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, theLord predicted: “There are some standing herewho shall not taste death, until they have seen theSon of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28).Everywhere and in every way the King will bepresent, and everywhere will be His Kingdom,since the advent of His Kingdom does not signifythe passing over from one place to another, butrather the revelation of its power of the DivineSpirit. That is why it is said: “come in power.”And this power is not manifest to simplyordinary people, but to those standing with theLord, that is to say, those who have affirmed theirfaith in Him like Peter, James and John, andespecially those who are free of our naturalabasement. Therefore, and precisely because ofthis, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, onthe one hand coming down from His heights, andon the other, raising us up from the depths ofabasement, since the Transcendent One takes onmortal nature. Certainly, such a manifestappearance by far transcends the utmost limits ofthe mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the powerof the Divine Spirit.

Thus, the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lordis not something that comes to be and thenvanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties,although it was contemplated by corporeal eyesfor a short while upon an inconsequentialmountaintop. But the initiates of the Mystery, (thedisciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyondmere flesh into spirit through a transformation oftheir senses, effectualized within them by theSpirit, and in such a way that they beheld what,and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wroughtblessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light.

Those not grasping this point have conjecturedthat the chosen from among the Apostles beheldthe Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by asensual and creaturely faculty, and through thisthey attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e.,as something “created”) not only this Light, theKingdom and the Glory of God, but also thePower of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is

meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. In alllikelihood, such persons have not heeded thewords of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, norear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man,what things God has prepared for those who loveHim. But to us God has revealed them throughHis Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, eventhe deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10).

So, with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord,taking Peter, James and John, went up on theMount to pray. He always prayed alone,withdrawing from everyone, even from theApostles themselves, as for example when withfive loaves and two fish He fed the five thousandmen, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23).Or, taking with Him those who excelled others,as at the approach of His Saving Passion, whenHe said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I goover there and pray” (Mt.26:36). Then He tookwith Him Peter, James and John. But in ourinstance right here and now, having taken onlythese same three, the Lord led them up onto ahigh mountain by themselves and wastransfigured before them, that is to say, beforetheir very eyes.

“What does it mean to say: He wastransfigured?” asks the Golden-MouthedTheologian (Chrysostom). He answers this bysaying: “It revealed something of His Divinity tothem, as much and insofar as they were able toapprehend it, and it showed the indwelling ofGod within Him.” The Evangelist Luke says:“And as He prayed, His countenance wasaltered” (Luke 9:29); and from the EvangelistMatthew we read: “And His face shone as thesun” (Mt.17:2). But the Evangelist said this, not inthe context that this Light be thought of assubsistent for the senses (let us put aside theblindness of mind of those who can conceive ofnothing higher than what is known through thesenses). Rather, it is to show that Christ God, forthose living and contemplating by the Spirit, isthe same as the sun is for those living in the fleshand contemplating by the senses. Therefore, someother Light for knowing the Divinity is not necessaryfor those who are enriched by Divine gifts.


o glory to jesus christ! glory forever!stabcc.org/files/bulletins/7-26_8-2_bulletin_final.pdfnikki...

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