Weekly Bulletin

Sunday, May 24, 2026
Seventh Sunday after Pascha
Afterfeast of the Ascension
The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council
St. Cyril and Methodius

Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council – the Commemoration and eulogy of the holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, which was held in Nicaea in 325 in the reign of Constantine the Great—held during the week before Pentecost, or the seventh week after Easter. It was summoned to remove the confusion which Arius, an Alexandrian priest, had created by his false teaching. He had been spreading the teaching that Christ was created from God in time, and that He is not the pre-eternal Son of God, equal in being with God the Father. Three hundred and eighteen holy fathers took part in this Council. It condemned the Arian teaching, and anathematised Arius when he would not repent. This Council also definitively confirmed the Symbol of Faith (the Creed) which was later amplified at the Second Ecumenical Council. Many bishops were present at the First Ecumenical Council, among whom the following stood out: St Nicolas of Myra in Lycia, St Spiridon, St Athanasius, St Acillius, St Paphnutius, St James of Nisibis, Macarius of Jerusalem, Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antioch, Eusebius of Caesarea, Mitrophanes of Constantinople, John of Persia, Aristarchus of Armenia and many others from the East. And from the West: Hosius of Cordova, Theophilus the Goth, Cecilianus of Carthage, and others. The most important work of this Council was the confirmation of the Symbol of Faith. The Council also confirmed the time of the celebration of Easter, and prescribed twenty Canons. St. Nicolas in his zeal, struck Arius with his hand. For this act, he was removed from the Council and from his episcopal duties. That very night, several of the fathers had the selfsame vision: how the Lord stood on one side of Nicolas with the Gospels and the Mother of God on the other with a pallium, offering to the saint those marks of rank that had been stripped from him. Seeing this, the fathers were amazed, and quickly returned to Nicolas that which they had taken from him. They began from that time to respect him as a great man, and to interpret his action against Arius not as some senseless rage but as the expression of great zeal for God‟s truth.

THE PROKIMENON IN THE 4TH TONE:

Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our Fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name forever!

THE READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE SAINTLY APOSTLES (20: 16-18; 28-36)

In those days, it happened that Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you; therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

THE ALLELUIA VERSE

The Lord, the God of gods, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting! Gather to me my venerable ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

THE GOSPEL READING FROM SAINT JOHN (17: 1-13)

At that time, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”

Читање из Дела апостолских (20: 16-18; 28-36)

У дане оне Павле намисли да прођемо мимо Ефес да се не би задржао у Азији; јер хићаше, ако буде могуће, да буде о Тројичину дне у Јерусалиму. Али из Милита посла у Ефес и дозва старешине црквене. И кад дођоше к њему, рече им: Ви знате од првог дана кад дођох у Азију како с вама једнако бих, Пазите дакле на себе и на све стадо у коме вас Дух Свети постави владикама да пасете цркву Господа и Бога коју стече крвљу својом; Јер ја ово знам да ће по одласку мом ући међу вас тешки вуци који неће штедети стада; И између вас самих постаће људи који ће говорити изврнуту науку да одвраћају ученике за собом. Зато гледајте и опомињите се да три године дан и ноћ не престајах учећи са сузама сваког од вас. И сад вас, браћо, предајем Богу и речи благодати Његове, који може назидати и дати вам наследство међу свима освећенима. Сребра, или злата, или руха ни у једног не заисках. Сами знате да потреби мојој и оних који су са мном били послужише ове руке моје. Све вам показах да се тако ваља трудити и помагати немоћнима, и опомињати се речи Господа Исуса коју Он рече: Много је блаженије давати неголи узимати. И ово рекавши клече на колена своја са свима њима и помоли се Богу.

Читање Светог Јеванђеља по Јовану (17: 1-13)

Ово говори Исус, па подиже очи своје на небо и рече: Оче! Дође час, прослави Сина свог, да и Син Твој прослави Тебе; Као што си Му дао власт над сваким телом да свему што си Му дао да живот вечни. А ово је живот вечни да познају Тебе јединог истинитог Бога, и кога си послао Исуса Христа. Ја Тебе прославих на земљи; посао сврших који си ми дао да радим. И сад прослави Ти мене, Оче, у Тебе самог славом коју имадох у Тебе пре него свет постаде. Ја јавих име Твоје људима које си ми дао од света; Твоји беху па си их мени дао, и Твоју реч одржаше. Сад разумеше да је све што си ми дао од Тебе. Јер речи које си дао мени дадох им; и они примише, и познадоше истинито да од Тебе изиђох, и вероваше да си ме Ти послао. Ја се за њих молим: не молим се за (сав) свет, него за оне које си ми дао, јер су Твоји. И моје све је Твоје, и Твоје моје; и ја се прославих у њима. И више нисам на свету, а они су на свету, а ја идем к Теби. Оче Свети! Сачувај их у име своје, оне које си ми дао, да буду једно као и ми. Док бејах с њима на свету, ја их чувах у име Твоје; оне које си ми дао сачувах, и нико од њих не погибе осим Сина погибли, да се збуде писмо. А сад к Теби идем, и ово говорим на свету, да имају радост моју испуњену у себи.

CYRIL AND SAINT METHODIUS EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Thessalonica of distinguished and wealthy parents, Leo and Maria. The older brother Methodius spent ten years as an officer among the Macedonian Slavs and thus learned the Slavic language. After that Methodius withdrew to Mount Olympus and dedicated himself to the monastic life of asceticism. It was here that Cyril (Constantine) later joined him. When the Khazarite king, Kagan, requested preachers of the Faith of Christ from Emperor Michael III then, by command of the emperor, these two brothers were found and sent among the Khazars. Convincing King Kagan of the Faith of Christ, they baptized him along with a great number of his chief assistants and even a greater number of the people. After a period of time, they returned to Constantinople where they compiled the Slavonic alphabet consisting of thirty-eight letters and proceeded to translate ecclesiastical books from Greek into Slavonic. At the request of Prince Rastislav, they traveled to Moravia where they spread and established the devout Faith and multiplied books and distributed them to the priests to teach the youth. At the request of the pope, Cyril traveled to Rome where he became ill and died on February 14, 867 A.D. Then Methodius returned to Moravia and labored to strengthen the Faith of Christ among the Slavs until his death. Following his death – he died in the Lord on April 6, 885 A.D. – his disciples, THE FIVE FOLLOWERS, with St. Clement, the bishop at the head, crossed the Danube River and descended to the south into Macedonia, where from Ohrid they continued their labor among the Slavs begun by Cyril and Methodius in the north.