GOSPEL READING

John 9:1-38

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 "Go,” he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means "Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, "I am the man.” 10 "How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.11 He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”12 "Where is this man?” they asked him."I don’t know,” he said. 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, "How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, "He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 "Is this your son?” they asked. "Is this the one you 

say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 "We know he is our son,” the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. "We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 "Who is he, sir?” the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
A WORD OF WISDOM

Saint Panteleimon Monastery in Mount Athos, the monastery where Saint Silouan spent his life

Saint Silouan - words of love

"Our brother is our life," taught the Elder. Through Christ’s love all people are accepted as an indivisible part of our own personal eternal being. The commandment to love your neighbor as you would yourself, he begins to understand as something other than a mere ethical norm; in the word "as" he sees not an indication of the level, or measure, of love, but a sign of the ontological commonality of being.

"The Father does not judge, but has given judgment to the Son... because He is the Son of man" (John 5:22-27). This Son of man, the Great Judge of the world, on Judgement Day will proclaim that "the one among the smallest of these" is Himself; in other words that the being of each individual is held in common with Him, and is included in His own personal being. All of humanity, "all of Adam," he has taken into himself and has suffered for all of Adam.


Archimandrite Sophrony, Saint Silouan, the Athonite
Saint John the Baptist, Essex
DOCUMENTARY

Find your model: Lord Jesus Christ

This movie is a part of a documentary series called 'Find your model' by which we are trying to bring awareness that models exist and that we have only to access them.

Emotion Philms Production
RO EN
Community life
Church leaflet in a new version

NEWS OF THE WEEK

Church leaflet in a new version More

Holy Week More

Meeting with Bishop Macarie of North Europe More

Reading the Psalter during the Great Lent More

Come, let us sing a Christmas carol! More

Commemorating Saint Nicholas - the patron saint of the church More

A.S.C.O.R. conferences in commemoration of Fr. Dumitru Staniloae More

Christmas carols More

Commemorating Fr. Dumitru Staniloae - A.S.C.O.R. Conferences More

All events
programul slujbelor

The First Week of Great Lent


Monday
18:00 – Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Tuesday
18:00 – Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Wednesday
15:30 – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
18:00 – Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Thursday
14:00 – Holy Mystery of Confession
18:00 – Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete

Friday
15:30 – Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
18:00 – Holy Mystery of Confession

Saturday
08:00 – Matins
09:00 – Holy and Divine Liturgy
17:00 – Vespers with Litia

Sunday
08:00 – Matins
09:30 – Holy and Divine Liturgy


Parish Priest,
Vasile Gavrilă