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• Myrrh-Bearing Women 2020•


Christ is Risen!
Dear Parishioners and Friends of our Parish,


If I were to choose a motto for this Sunday, it would be: "The one who does not expect anything and has no demands is the one who truly loves." So without further ado, let us dive into the topic of the Myrrh-Bearers and what this Sunday really teaches us (and why this Sunday should be one of your favorites).


Women and the Priesthood. One parishioner not that long ago (as I have not been among you for very long as well😀) expressed his personal conviction that he thinks in two decades women priests will be very common in the Catholic Church. My response was rather automatic: "Oh, that's impossible as Pope John Paul II during his life, released an ex-cathedra statement that women were among Jesus' companions and there is no evidence from Scripture that he would intend to have them for priests." After that, I tried to explain myself even though he wasn't really listening. There is no better occasion to explain this topic as it is on this Sunday.
What Happened in Scripture? First, let us remind ourselves of the story. The appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the women as the first ones is present in all the Gospels. There are some differences in the accounts of the women and their names. The Apostle Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and another Mary (Mt 28:1), the Apostle Mark adds Salome (Mk 16:1), the Apostle Luke mentions a woman named Joanna (Lk 24:10), and the Apostle John is the only one who mentions just Mary Magdalene. This seems to be of rather small importance as it may happen that they were many but only a few names made it into the account of the evangelists (most likely based upon the memoirs of their witnesses recovered in the memory of those evangelists in the time of the writing of the Gospels). The indication of that fact is in Mark when he recounts the women who were under the cross: "There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome. These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him. There were also many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem." (Mk 15:40-41) So the first conclusion that we can make is that these myrrh-bearing women were most likely the same women who were standing under the cross.
Apostles to the Apostles. Another interesting fact that we can read from the Scripture is the moment when they proclaim the joy of the Resurrection to the apostles. The Apostle Luke is very clear what happened: "their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them". (Lk 24:11) And in the account of the Emmaus disciples, we read: "Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body." (Lk 24:22) Long story short, the apostles gave these women very cold treatment because the word of women in those times was not worthy of credibility from the perspective of men.
Just for clarification - not only were those apostles far, far away from the cross, but they also disapproved of the message of joy and made these women look foolish. Imagine how the Apostle Peter, the very first Pope of the Catholic Church, felt when he was proclaiming these truths about himself for the rest of his life. Personally, I feel that he felt convicted. Yes, these women are the heroes of our story, not the apostles/priests.
Priesthood as a Gratuitous and Undeserved Gift. The priesthood is an undeserved gift of God and every single priest (after the example of the apostles, as we pointed out above) is daily aware of this fact and that grace. You wake up and you go to bed with this understanding that there isn't really any rational answer to the question of why you have become a priest. There were many better boys and there are far better Christians in this world than I am. The priesthood is about the call, and the only answer that feels right in the light of the faith is that this is the way God wants to save me. If I may, I would call it existential rupture - a rupture that daily gives you the dynamic of the real relation between the Master and disciple. After the example of the apostles, obviously.
True Message of This Sunday. The one who does not expect anything and has no demands is the one who truly loves. The Myrrh-Bearing Women proved this under the cross, walking to the tomb, not having any good strategy (wondering about who will roll back the stone from the entrance to the tomb🤔), being underestimated by the apostles after their proclamation. True heroes of the story.
Women as Priests. There are essentially 2 basic arguments why some think that priesthood should be open to women. First is the argument of the historic social undermining of women, and the second is that they are far better/suitable than men. As the second argument might be true and some women are really better and more pious, it is obvious that this isn't a qualification for the priesthood. The true requirements are rather hidden in the mystery of God's goodness and providence for a particular individual as he is the Author of vocation. The argument of the social undermining of the women can be disproved as well because Jesus acted in an opposite manner. Women disciples were His companions during His earthly ministry, and if they were undermined by the apostles I think the apostles were taught their lesson after the Resurrection.
Therefore, John Paul II dared to ask the question about the possibility, looked into the Scripture, and after a thorough examination declared: “The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and... this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.” (John Paul II: Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 1994)
The church can do only what it recognizes as the true intention of Jesus Christ; it cannot be proved that the priesthood for women was in Jesus' intentions. But it does not mean that we're undermining them, rather the opposite. This Sunday is proof.


Myrrh-Bearers. I would like once again to express my deepest gratitude to the ministry of women in our parish - myrrh-bearers - praying for us priests. On behalf of all the priests, and myself especially, I am thankful for this ministry. God bless you!


BISHOP'S MESSAGE - Sunday of the Myrrh Bearers. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ reminds us that the Myrrh Bearing Women were the first to receive and proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. We have seen a lot of news from the media of late that fills us with fear, but we and all people are called to be filled with the good news of the Myrrh Bearers and to proclaim it to the world. WATCH HERE.

 

ECF ONLINE - Iconography 4 Kids. In this new series from the Office of Religious Education, Father Marek Visnovsky will be talking about how icons are made and the symbolism behind each stage of the process - for kids! In Episode 1, you will learn about the materials that go into preparing a board on which an icon will be written, as well as, the significance and connection each icon has with Christ's burial and resurrection. WATCH HERE.

 

ECF Schedule for Sunday 04/26. For more information about ECF Zoom Sessions contact Lisa Stanich (l.stanich@yahoo.com)
  • 11:00 - 11:25 - Grade 1 - Teacher: Lisa Stanich
    Henry, Noah, James, Jack, Scarlett, Alyce and Cecilia
  • 11:30 - 11:55 - Grades 7-8 - Teacher: Kathy Kozenko
    Cecilia, Lily and Tyler

ECF Cards for Elderly Parishioners. During these times of pandemic, many of our elderly parishioners have been stuck at home. Seven families decided to participate in sending cards and pictures to those parishioners at home. These colored postcards were sent to 35 households. God bless all those who participated as well to protect and give consolation to those who are alone right now.

Dear Parishioners! The whole explanation for this Sunday is longer than I really expected. But there are plenty of things to think about and to be grateful for. The question of woman ordination isn't bad, even though the answer may be displeasing to many. Yet it helps us understand the true value of vocations. 


Christ is Risen!
Fr. Lukas Mitro          
Parochial Vicar          

• SPIRITUAL WORD •


SUNDAY OF THE MYRRH-BEARERS

The Best Role of All

The church school was getting ready for the annual Easter pageant and all the children were asked to choose which part they wanted to play. One child chose to play Mary Magdalene, other children chose to play Saint Peter, or Joseph of Arimathea, and so forth. But, when it came time for Johnny's tum to choose, he happily wanted to be the angel who rolls away the stone that sealed the tomb of Our Lord.
After the pageant was over and Johnny was going home with his parents, his mother expressed how disappointed they were that he didn't choose a larger, more prominent role in the play Johnny, however, was bouncing excitedly all over the back seat, obviously thrilled with his performance in the pageant. Finally, his mother turned to him and asked, "Tell me, Johnny, why are you so happy about just being the angel who rolls away the stone from the tomb? Wouldn't you have liked to have had a bigger part to play?" Johnny replied quite innocently, "Oh, no, mom, just think! I'm the one who gets to let Jesus out! What role could be better than that?"
"The myrrh-bearing women arrived just before the dawn at the tomb of the Giver of Life and found an angel seated on the stone who spoke these word to them: 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why do you mourn the Incorruptible among those subject to decay? Go announce the good news to His disciples!"' (From Resurrection Matins) Let us continue to announce the good news and joyfully sing out : "Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!"

• LITURGICAL SCHEDULE •

Sunday, April 26, 2020
Myrrh-Bearring
Women Sunday

 
   09:30 AM     Divine Liturgy
                        * Myrrh-Bearers
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Sunday of
Paralytic

 
   09:30 AM     Divine Liturgy
                        * Pro Populo
DOUBT FOR ONE LITTLE MOMENT

And they never let you forget it.
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Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Parish, Euclid, OH · 532 Lloyd Rd · Euclid, OH 44132-1721 · USA

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