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Aug 02, 2026
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
August 02, 2026, Tenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost
Scriptural Readings:
• OT: Exodus 15:23-27, Job 42:9-17, Psalms 112:1-10
• NT: Acts 28:23-30, Romans 10:5-21, Holy Gospel St Matthew 18:1-14
Holy Gospel: St Mathew 18:1-14
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin![b] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin,[c] cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin,[d] pluck it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell[e] of fire.
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.[f] 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my[g] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Reflections:
It is the lent time, preparations for the feast of Dormition. Mother Mary is revered as the second heaven. She is also called second Eve. Why is she the second heaven? Because she bore the Son of God. Where God is, there is heaven!
The question by the disciples about who the greatest in heaven caused Jesus to teach them about heaven. He had already taught them the prayer, ‘Our Father who is in heaven (Mt 6:9-13). In the prayer it pleads for the Kingdom to come and the will of the Father to be done on earth the same way it is done in heaven. Jesus told them the parables of leaven, mustard seed, fishing net, diamond merchant etc. (Mt 13). He was the Son from heaven. He was directly dealing with the earth by incarnation. In everything he reflected the Kingdom. Due to the political situation, people were eagerly looking for liberation from foreign rule. In their own land they were treated as outsiders. For them a messiah was to lead them to freedom. They could only think about a violent movement that would throw away the existing invaders to re-establish their kingdom. King David was their hero. On the way to the temple, they shouted at him, Hosannah, to the one coming in the name of David. They expected a warrior who carries arms and leads the people to riot to capture the throne. When Jesus called them to follow him, this thought must have been there in their minds. That they together make an army and equip the people to claim their land. Eventually this initial idea started fading by witnessing the way Jesus dealt with situations. He never expressed arrogance or violence. He never claimed any inheritance for himself. Then, what might have held them close to him? May be his miracles and his authority over the forces of nature. They all believed, one day he would use all his powers and make the impossible possible. On the triumphant entry to the temple, they might have felt it more convincingly. Literally he threw things, made everything upside down. Nobody had the courage to silence him.
There exists a thought -though not canonically approved- that after the Hosannah event, Judas went to the leaders to make way to pull him out for him to start the war. Though the leaders wanted him to be killed, Judas had the plan to expose him. He took bribes and took it as a chance to show his master to the soldiers. Maybe he was expecting Jesus to reveal his powers to fight back and to move against the throne. When he was caught and taken to trials, disciples and his followers lost all hope. Maybe that was the reason Peter had to deny him.
In all these we could see the misunderstood heaven. They all thought that the kingdom of heaven would be an earthly reality. Hence, they were more curious about the worldly implications of the kingdom. Zebedee’s wife approached Jesus to ask for prime positions for her two sons, James and John. People who were close associates even failed to understand the concept of the Kingdom Jesus was trying to teach them. When they asked who the greatest in heaven could be, Jesus brought children to show them what it meant. Kingdom was meant for the vulnerable, innocent, tender, helpless and weak. It was not a kingdom of physical power and violence. He said it clearly that many have tried to get there using violence, but to no avail (Mt 11:12). Religion is not for political gains. Unfortunately, in all religions, there were and still are violent approaches to capture power, to rule the world and to establish exclusive states. We witness the destructions religions bring. People feel like getting rid of religious faith and practice living peacefully. Jesus warned them those who use swords would be fallen by it. We need to observe children and learn what they are looking for. They need only safe environment to feel the joy. No power, no violence they can stand. They want only equals to play with, to run around, to interact. Nothing should politicize spiritual places and establishments. We have only one life. Within this life span, we need to experience the Kingdom of God within, around and everywhere. We are to preach the same and practice its virtues and values. We look forward hearing the sweet voice, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’” (Mt 25:34).
FEASTS AND REMEMBRANCES:
- July 27, Mar Simon DesthuneyoWEEKEND
- July 31, Mar Geevarghese Bar Hebraeus, 740th anniversary
- August 01, Marth Simoni, her 7 children, their guru Mar Eleazar
- August 01, HG Paulose Mar Pachomios Metropolitan, 14th anniversary, entombed at Bethany Asram, Perunad, Ranny
Upcoming Feasts & Events:
- August 01-15, Lent of Theotokos and Feast of Dormition
- August 06, Feast of Transfiguration, Holy Liturgy on Tuesday August 05, Evening Prayer at 06:30 pm followed by Holy Qurbana
- August 07, Dormition Fast, Spiritual Retreat organized by SDOF, “Journey with the Theotokos.”
- August 11, 12- Hour Zoom Prayer organized by MMVS (Diocese of Canada). Tuesday, August 11, from 6:00 PM – Wednesday, August 12, 6:00 AM
- August 14, Friday, 06:30 pm Evening Prayer, 07:30 pm Devotional Address, 07:45 Benediction & Nerchavilampu
- August 15, Saturday, 09:00 am Morning Prayer followed by Holy Qurbana, Intercessory Prayer, Holy Procession, Benediction and Nerchavilampu
- August 15, India Independence
- August 30, Sunday, Onam Celebrations, Onasadya
- September 13, Sunday, Parish Semi Annual GBM
- September 27, Sunday, Harvest Festival & Auction
- October 11, Sunday, Parish Night
- October 24, Saturday, OCYM Fest -Thaalam 2026
- November 07 Saturday & 08 Sunday, Feast of St Gregorios
Pray for Peace in the Middle East and Gulf
We are glad to hear about the peace agreement. We hope for peace and continue praying for peace and concord. Our prayers may work miracles through the Holy Spirit. May the governments and leaders join hands to reconcile and to bring an end to the war.
Attention Please:
Parking: Please be considerate while parking our vehicles, only park at designated space. Leave reserved lots for the intended and kindly park within lines and markings leaving enough space for others to open their doors without scratching or hitting nearby parked vehicles.
AREA PRAYER MEETINGS: Upcoming Prayer meeting schedules shall be updated soon.
FOR OUR ATTENTION & TO NOTE:
Children, please occupy front benches during our Liturgical Services.
Kindly avoid crowding at the back of the church.
A few concerns:
For assuring safety and undistracted worship space, we request all our members to proceed to the front rows except those that are reserved for children when we enter the temple. It could be uneasy for our volunteers to guide them to the front during the service as it might cause distraction and noise. We avoid crowding at the entrance and stair areas due to safety concerns.
Please be considerate of our senior members to help them find seats or while they try to access the washroom. A slip or a hit should be avoided in any circumstance.
Please be watchful at the shoe rack area, which is also the entrance to both washrooms.
We request our parents to attend to our children not to pull the alarm lever at the back wall.
Hand Waving Machine & Common Absolution Prayer for all communicants
A hand-waving machine has been installed at the church entrance to record the number of communicants. Those who wish to receive the Holy Communion are requested to wave their hand once at the machine upon entering the church.
Please note that the machine will be deactivated after the recitation of the Nicene Creed. Absolution will be administered during the morning prayer.
WEEKLY IN-PERSON MEETINGS:
August 02, Sunday – in-person meetings/Events
. Parish Choir Monthly Meeting after refreshments
. Parish Night Volunteers Meeting
LIVE streaming: All services are Live Streamed and are available.
Holy Liturgical Text for this Sunday
We will be using the Taksa of Mar Abraham this Sunday.
May the Gracious Lord keep us from all evil and heal the entire world.
Next Week
August 09, 11th Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost
Scriptural Readings:
• OT: Leviticus 19:13-18, Joshua 23:7-14, Malachi 4:1-6
• NT: St James 2:14-26, 1 Corinthians 14:34-40, Holy Gospel St Mark 6:7-13
Yours in Christ
Thomas John Achen
Email ID: fr.thomaspjohn@gmail.com
Mobile: (416) 570 5610
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