5th Sunday of the Resurrection

An Icon of Jesus holding the world.

Be at peace among yourselves... See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

This weekend we are working together and serving together at World Affair. What a beautiful opportunity to share with Dayton our faith, our love of culture and all that is good in the world, and our love. Jesus tells his disciples, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)  At the World Affair and in all of our service and labors we have the opportunity to declare to the whole world and all of Dayton that "we are disciples of Jesus." The theme for World Affair this year is "best kept secrets." Our love, our discipleship, God's love for us should never be a secret. Let us proclaim God's love always and everywhere from the mountains of Lebanon to the valleys of Dayton. World Affair is in many ways an image of the Church- people of all nations together in peace and fellowship. We declare that the Church is "one" and that the Church is "catholic" meaning universal. It is our hope and prayer that all come to know Christ Jesus as Lord and God. It is our mission to welcome people from every country, every social status, every walk of life, into the love of God in His Church and to proclaim to them that God has a plan for their life.  We have the privilege of representing the Lebanon booth although we are from many different countries including parishioners from five continents (I do not believe we have parishioners from Australia or Antarctica). Lebanon is often used in the Bible as an image of abundance and beauty. Yet, Isaiah proclaims,"Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel nor its animals sufficient for burnt offerings. All the nations are as nothing before Him." (Isaiah 40:16-17) God's beauty and abundance and the beauty and abundance of love in the Church far surpass that of any country. The country that we should always represent primarily is heaven- our true home, because God is our Father and we are all His children. Thank you to all who volunteer. Thank you to all who serve with love. Thank you to all who share both their spiritual and cultural goods with the world. God bless you. Let us come together to give what we can so that we can purchase and renovate Our New Home on 50 Nutt Rd. We hope to close on May 31st. We plan to have our first liturgy on Sunday, June 16th. The goal is to raise $150,000 in additional donations and pledges with $60,000 to go towards the purchase and $90,000 to go towards renovations including renovations and hall and addition of commercial kitchen so that we can make a smooth transition while keeping a safety net in our savings and waiting for the sale of our current property. We have raised the last $60,000 to close on Our New Home. Please help us raise $90,000 to renovate Our New Home over the next few months. We hope to have the money raised by January.

-Please sign up May 17, 18, 19 for World Affair. Call Fr. Alex to get involved. -First Communion will be on May 26th at the 11 am liturgy. -Come serve dinner at St. Vincent de Paul mens shelter Saturday, June 2nd at 6:30 pm. 41 Prison Rd. 45417 near 1921 S. Gettysburg.  -Closing on Our New Home May 31st. -Yellow Springs Festival June 8th. -Our New Home Prep Week Monday, June 10th -June 14th -Our New Home Moving Day Saturday, June 15th from 5915 N. Springboro Pike to 50 Nutt Rd. -First Liturgies at Our New Home, Sunday, June 16th. 50 Nutt Rd. - Annual Lebanese Festival August 23rd, 24th, and 25th. - Annual St. Ignatius of Antioch Banquet Saturday, December 14th. -Our religious education policies are changing. Please see Fr. Alex for more information

- Initiatives- To what is God calling you? What are your hopes, dreams, and ideas for our parish? What do you want to do? Mission, charity, prayers, work, fundraisers, or maintenance? How can we support you? -We need volunteers to read during the liturgy and to bring the gifts. If you would like to do so, please see George Najem for 11 am liturgy or Jim Zaidan for the 9 am Liturgy. -Marriage announcements

Please pray for John Dohar and Jessy Eid as they prepare for marriage. Please pray for Jordan Gunter and Krystal Daoud as they prepare for marriage. Please pray for Tarek Shteiwi and Micheline Eid as they prepare for marriage.

Please pray for two parishioners in treatment for cancer.  Please pray for one parishioner who is sick. Please pray for the school of one parishioner which has had two gun scares.

- Bible Study every Sunday at 10 am.

- Sunday liturgies 9 am and 11 am

- Confessions immediately before and after liturgies or by appointment.

St. Ignatius of Antioch 5th Sunday of Resurrection May 19, 2019

Letter to the Ephesians 2,1-10.

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 21,15-19.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’