Worship with Us this Weekend!
Lazarus Saturday Divine Liturgy Sat Apr 20 at 9:00 a.m. Great Vespers for Palm Sunday Sat Apr 20 at 5:00 p.m.
Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy Sun Apr 21 at 10:00 a.m Festal Fish Luncheon follows Liturgy
Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday Visible triumphs are few in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ. He preached a kingdom “not of this world.” At His nativity in the flesh there was “no room at the inn.” For nearly thirty years, while He grew “in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52), He lived in obscurity as “the son of Mary.” When He appeared from Nazareth to begin His public ministry, one of the first to hear of Him asked: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John I :46). In the end He was crucified between two thieves and laid to rest in the tomb of another man.
Two brief days stand out as sharp exceptions to the above—days of clearly observable triumph. These days are known in the Church today as Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. Together they form a unified liturgical cycle which serves as the passage from the forty days of Great Lent to Holy Week. They are the unique and paradoxical days before the Lord’s Passion. They are days of visible, earthly triumph, of resurrectional and messianic joy in which Christ Himself is a deliberate and active participant. At the same time they are days which point beyond themselves to an ultimate victory and final kingship which Christ will attain not by raising one dead man or entering a particular city, but by His own imminent suffering, death and resurrection.
Troparion of the Feast, sung on both Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday By raising Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion,
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Check out this Lenten Calendar! "Journey to Pascha 2019" created by
Great Lent March 11th through April 27
WHY do we fast?Always do the things you CAN do!The Holy Fathers on Fasting.
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Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Dont' Miss this Wonderful Lenten Service Wednesday March 20th @ 6pm Potluck meal follows service
Learn about the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts HERE
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An Introduction to theOrthodox Christian ChurchAdapted from: John Meyendorff. The Orthodox Church
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Orthodox Christianity on the Web by a member of our church
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About Us
We are a family church of many cultures with intergenerational worship; we have a full liturgical life throughout the Church year, with many opportunities for joyful fellowship and enduring growth. Our vision is to “manifest the Kingdom of God by proclaiming and living the Orthodox Christian Faith.” Orthodox Christianity is for everyone — come and see!
Located at the north end of California's San Joaquin Valley, St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church is dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to His promise of salvation to all mankind. The services of our mission-parish are located in the heart of Merced.
Committed to serving Christ and His Holy Church, the people of St. Mary Magdalene welcome and encourage all visitors to be our guests, especially those who are truly seeking the path of salvation. |
Sermons Fr. Lawrence Gaudreau Audio files
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