ALL SAINTS: NOTICES — FIFTH SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT - SAINT MARIA (Mary) OF EGYPT, 2026
PRESANCTIFIED DIVINE LITURGY
This FRIDAY, 3rd March, at 5:30 pm.
If Partaking: you are instructed to refrain from food for at least six hours (or, preferably, all day).
Water is permitted, only if necessary.
[ * NO DIVINE LITURGY on Saturday, 4th April. * ]
THE FINAL SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT
In today’s Holy Gospel (Mark 10:32-45) Christ predicts what awaits Him in Jerusalem: His arrest, torture, humiliation, painful death, and His glorious Resurrection. The appropriate response of the disciples to the Lord's predictions should perhaps have been awe and terror - but instead, James and John start scrabbling around after rewards and honours for all their hard work!
Elsewhere Christ tells us that ‘what is esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God’ (Luke 16:15).
Who are we to be making demands of God...?
Who are we to expect to be something better than Christ God who was Himself a slave, persecuted and despised and killed?
WE ARE ALL SINNERS...
Do not think that you are better than others or morally superior simply because you claim to be Christian.
Even the holy Apostles, James and John, were caught in the snares of this life.
Selling ourselves is the tragedy of this world; seeking profit and a comfortable life before anything else is to sell our time, our life, for money and prestige.
Every time we take the easy path, every time we refuse to pray or attend the divine services, every time we take more than we need, every time we push ourselves to the front of the queue... we betray Christ, and we sell ourselves to the devil.
From today's SYNAXARION
Once, during the Honourable Fast, the priest-monk Zosimos withdrew into the wilderness. He caught sight of a withered woman named Maria; her hair was white as snow. Maria then told Zosimos that she was born in Egypt and at the age of 12 began to live an evil life in Alexandria for 17 years. One day, she went to Jerusalem to enter the church to venerate the Honorable Cross. However, some invisible force restrained her. In great fear, she gazed upon the holy eikon of the Theotokos in the narthex and prayed that she be allowed to enter the church, all the while confessing her sinfulness. She was then permitted to enter the church. Having venerated the Cross she again entered the narthex and, before the holy eikon, gave thanks to the Mother of God. At that very moment she heard a voice saying: 'If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest!' Maria left for the wilderness and remained there for 47 years in repentance. She bade Zosimos to come back in one year with Holy Communion, which he did. The following year, on Holy Thursday, 1st April 522, Zosimos discovered Maria's lifeless body, and buried her. Thus, the Lord glorifies penitent sinners. The Church exalts and exemplifies Maria to the faithful in Great Lent as an incentive for repentance that brings entry into the Heavenly Kingdom. Through her prayers, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amēn.
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ALL GLORY TO GOD!
Our those who help in our parish- who serve, sing, share food & drink, tithe, pray.
Simona T. - for furniture for the narthex.
Natasha - for wine, incense, rose water.
Savvas - for beers.
All those who attended on Saturday, arrived early, and cleaned & tidied the holy temple.
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YOUR HOLY PRAYERS
Christians suffering in Kosovo, throughout the middle-east, and in Ukraine.
Crina-Mihaila - memory eternal! (Thank you Delia, for kollyva.)
Monk Ioan - cancer.
Claudia-Domnica - internal bleeding, following cancer surgery. Her husband: Alexandru; son: Bryan.
Ted - minor injury.
Adam (katechumen) - car troubles.
Sharon - enrolled today as a katechumen.
Elizabeth (non-orthodox) - serious illness.
Florence (non orthodox, child) - unwell.
With love, in Christ,
Father Jakob
sinner and unworthy presbyter
Please post these notices online, and share them with your friends and family
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LOOKING AHEAD -- TWELVE GREAT FEASTS
To help you plan ahead, for those of you who are able to take time off work, etc., here are the dates of GREAT FEASTS for the year ahead.
These are dates upon which we should try to be in Church (sadly, many of us do not always have this choice).
These are days upon which the Divine Liturgy should be served at All Saints. Servers, singers, helpers- please do what you're able.
14th SEPTEMBER -- EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
21st NOVEMBER -- ENTRY OF THE THEOTOKOS INTO THE TEMPLE
25th DECEMBER -- NATIVITY OF CHRIST
6th JANUARY -- HOLY THEOPHANY
2nd FEBRUARY -- PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE
25th MARCH -- HOLY ANNUNCIATION
5th APRIL -- ENTRY OF OUR LORD INTO IERUSALEM*
12th APRIL -- HOLY PASCHA*
21st MAY -- HOLY ASCENSION*
31st MAY -- HOLY PENTEKOST*
6th AUGUST -- HOLY TRANSFIGURATION
15th AUGUST -- FALLING-ASLEEP OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
[ * The dates of these feasts vary from year to year. ]
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ORTHODOXY 101 : ATTENDING THE DIVINE LITURGY
Christianity is experiential; it is not just 'read about', it must be lived. The Holy Eucharist is at the centre of our worship, at the centre of our Life in Christ.
We come to the Church, we remain in the Church in order that our souls be saved. That is all. It is our soul's salvation - there is nothing else.
The Holy Services are a store-house of spiritual treasures. To be saved, we need to gain knowledge of ourselves. We do this by discovering our sins and weaknesses, and by fighting against their pull. Our faith is war on personal pride. When our pride is wounded in the course of Church life, we should thank God!
We fight best when we are supported. For support we have the Holy Gospels; the Holy Fathers, their Lives and Teachings; we have God and we have each other.
The Church Community (both living and departed) is our Family in Christ. Our God is LOVE. And we are giving of our best, when we give love to God and to each other.
The Holy Eucharist is the body and Blood of Christ. It is life itself, it is Salvation. It is our treasure: "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also"(Matthew 6:21). We spend time with - we are attentive to - the people, the things we love the most.
Canon LXXX (Sixth Oecumenical Council) reads, "A cleric or layman shall not go three consecutive Sundays without attending church, unless some necessary business requires him to leave his town. The usual penalties apply: deposition for a cleric; excommunication for a layman".
It is not always possible to come to every holy service, but our good practice, and simple good manners, is to notify the priest of our absence, or if we have moved away. Notification demonstrates love and humility, and allows the priest and community to pray for us, for example - when we are sick.
We pray for those who are absent from the divine services for legitimate reasons. The others, who come infrequently or have not attended for long periods, have become prodigal sons, wanderers. They have distanced themselves from Christ and from their Christian family. Their love has become luke-warm. A full and proper return to Church requires a full and proper repentance, taking responsibility for our failings.
Church life is about responsibility. It is about stepping up and being adult. This is done by singing, standing throughout the holy services, fasting, making regular confession, reading in Church, serving, cleaning and tidying, cooking, reading the morning and evening prayers every day, preparing properly for confession and communion. Above all it is about praying.
To be blunt, Church (parish) life is about giving time and money to the glory of God. Church life is about commitment. Without commitment, we will never become deeply Orthodox or even remain Orthodox.
Love of God and love of neighbour are entwined. We cannot love God if we do not love our neighbours, especially our fellow Christians; and we cannot love our neighbours if we do not love God (1 John 4:20).
We spend time with God, we spend time with each other. We do so not because we feel 'obliged' or even because we 'want to' but simply because our heart draws us, and we follow Christ's new commandment (Luke 10:27): "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself".
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AΓAΠH = CARITAS = CHARITY = LOVE
John 4:16: Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη (koine Greek) = Deus caritas est (Latin) = God is Love (English)
GIVING TO OTHERS
All glory to God! Our small parish has been able in little ways to help the poor, offer love to the stranger, to help heal the wounded.
GIFTAID
This past year we received more than £4,000 from the UK government. Our parish trustees have authorised this, and future monies, raised through giftaid to be passed on to our poorer neighbours. If more of us donated by giftaid we could do even more to help the poor, the wounded, and the marginalised who are our neighbours.
'HOW CAN I HELP?'
Every penny helps! Donate to our parish via giftaid. If you pay tax in the UK you can use giftaid. It's free, it's easy, and as you can see above, it helps us to help others. The UK government pays us back for what you give to us via gftaid. This is the only official help that UK charities receive.
Our hope and ambition is that every penny given to us by you comes through giftaid.
LAZAROS, OUR NEIGHBOUR
The dying Lazaros is lying outside our door (Luke 16:20). We Christians have a duty of care (John 21:17), this is a constant in our life (Matthew 26:11), we must not ignore him (1 John 3:17). Let us do all that we are able to help to help our neighbour (John 15:12). May I ask you - please make a start, and donate to the parish by giftaid.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
In the Risen Lord,
Father Jakob
Presbyter, All Saints North Benfleet
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