11th Sunday after Pentecost

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
11th Sunday after Pentecost
August 9, 2026
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic
105 Kohler Ave
Lyndora PA 16045
Phone724-287-5000
www.stiohnbyzlyn.com
athanasius@zoominternet.net

Sat   8/8/26  4:00pm     Divine Liturgy +Mitchell Habil (7th Anniv. Of Passing) by Anna and Greg Habil
Sun   8/9/26  9:30am     Divine Liturgy   +Francie Lipp by Nick Russin
Wed   8/12/26 7:00pm     Liturgy for Healing +Mary Beitch by Rick and lrena Reeder
Fri   8/14/26  7:00pm     Vigil DL of Dormition +Anna and +Luigi Pocchiari by Pocchiari Family
Sat   8/15/26  4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +Paul and +Helen Macko Michalco by Rebecca MichaIca
Sun   8/16/26  9:30am Divine Liturgy +Robert Hutnick by Paulette, Debbie and Dawn

Variable Parts: Tone 2 - Pgs 130 —131
Epistle: 1 Cor 9:2-12
Gospel: Mt 18:23-35

Memorial Candle Request: No Candle Request

Epistle Readers  8-Aug Mary Troyan   9-Aug Shari Allen 15-Aug John Baycura/Mary Motko   16-Aug Eva Babick

Please Pray for: Lou Pocchiari, Erik Bergh, Mike Oshlick, Kathy Moyta, Dorothy Moyta, Brian Buchkovich, Lejen Warner, Sharon King, Ole J. Bergh, Liz Moyta, Fr. Michael Huszti, Fr. Laska, Susie Curcio, Teresa Milkovich, Robert Saper, Anna Habil, Mike Dancisin, Diane Sotak, Anna Pocchiari, Larry Hamil, Beverly Jones, Maryann Russin Schyvers, Nick Russin and Ken Konchan

Attendance: 8/1 - 10; 8/2 - 82
Collection: 8/1 & 8/2 $1,949.00

Upcoming Event Dates: 
Ladies Guild Meeting — Today at 11:00am in the church.
Parish Council Meeting — August 10th at 6:30pm.
Church Polka — September 126 at Highfield Hall

Raffle Tickets: Please pickup your raffle tickets which are in a box in the vestibule. Envelopes are in alphabetical order. If you notice an envelope for someone who is deceased, please mark it as such. There are extra tickets in the back of the box if you would like some to give to your friends. The drawing will be held at the Polka Party.

We would like to thank to our wonderful men for cleaning the basement of the church; you did amazing work.

We ask you to bring the flowe;s to the tomb of Virgin Mary on her feast day of Assumption

Catholics of the Latin tradition often assume that Mary's final end has been sufficiently addressed by the dogma of the Assumption, that is, her translation, body and soul, into heaven as defined by Pius XII in 1950. But as glorious as the mystery of her Assumption is, it represents only one dimension of the mystery of the end of Mary's life. There is also her death and subsequent resurrection. On this subject, Pope Pius remained silent, choosing not to address the subject of Mary's mortality. The Byzantine tradition, however, as part of the universal and fully Catholic patrimony of the Church, is not silent on this topic. It guards a rich treasury of teaching, iconography, and liturgy concerning the end of Mary's life.

According to the tradition of the Byzantine East, the Assumption was the final stage of Mary's transition into the glory of heaven. This Analepsis or "translation" of Mary to eternal life was preceded by what was called the Koimesis or "sleep" or Mary in death. These three events—her death, her resurrection, and her assumption into heaven—complete the mosaic of the holy end of Mary's life. But what are the literary and historical bases for such a belief within the traditions of the Church?

The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary began with a historical event to which Scripture alludes and that been believed in the Church for 2,000 years. It was passed down in the oral tradition of the Church and developed over the centuries, but it was always believed by the Catholic faithful. Let us examine the facts:

1. Archaeology has revealed two tombs of Mary, one in Jerusalem and one in Ephesus. The fact that Mary lived in both places explains the two tombs. But what is inexplicable apart from the Assumption is the fact that there is no body in either tomb. And there are no relics. Anyone who peruses early Church history knows that Christian belief in the communion of saints and the sanctity of the body led early Christians to seek out with the greatest fervor relics from the bodies of great saints. Cities, and, later, religious orders, would fight over the bones of great saints. This is one reason why we have relics of the apostles and so many of the greatest saints and martyrs in history. Yet never was there a single relic of Mary's body? As revered as Mary was, this would be very strange, except for the fact of the assumption of her body.

2. On.the historical front, Fr. Michael O'Carroll, in his book, Theotokos:, writes: We have known for some time that there were widespread "Transitus Stories" that date from the sixth century that teach Mary's glorious Assumption. It was the promulgation of the dogma of the Assumption by Pope Pius XII that rekindled interest in these stories of the end ofMarys life.

Because there were whole families of manuscripts from different areas of the world in the sixth century that told a similar story of Mary's Assumption, there had to be previous manuscripts from which everyone received their data. The archeologists discovered one of these earlier manuscripts. Much still remains to be explored. The discovery of the Syriac fragments has high importance because the fragments are from third century. This places the whole story of Assumption probably in the second century.

It must be remembered that when we are talking about these "Transitus stories," we are not only talking about ancient manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts, but we are talking also about different "families" of manuscripts written in nine languages. They all agree on Mary's Assumption and they presuppose that the story was already widely known.

3. Why Don't the Earliest Fathers Write About the Assumption? The most obvious reason would be that when Gnostics, who were some of the main enemies of the Faith in the early centuries of the Christian era, agreed with the Church on the matter, there would have been no need to defend the teaching. In other words, there is no record of anyone disagreeing on the matter. We don't find works from the earliest Fathers on Jesus' celibacy either, but that too was most likely due to the universal agreement on the topic. Much of early Christian literature was apologetic in nature. Like the New Testament, it mostly dealt with problem areas in the Church that needed to be addressed.

4. St. Epiphanius's work This great bishop writing in ca. A.D. 350. In his classic Refutation of All Heresies, he includes 88 sections dealing with scores of the most dangerous heresies of his day. In sections 78 and 79, he deals with one particular sect comprised mainly of women called the "Collyridians." Evidently, this sect was "ordaining" women as "priestesses". What is interesting here is that in the midst of condemning the Collyridians, St. Epiphanius gives us, a point-blank statement about Assumption of Virgin Mary:

Like the bodies of the saints, however, she has been held in honor for her character and understanding. And if I should say anything more in her praise, she is like Elijah, who was virgin from his mother's womb, always remained so, and was taken up, but has not seen death.

St. Epiphanius clearly indicates his personal agreement with the idea that Mary was assumed into heaven without ever having died. He will elsewhere clarify the fact that he is not certain about whether or not she died. But he never says the same about the Assumption itself. That did not seem to be in doubt. By comparing her to Elijah, he indicates that she was taken up bodily, just as the Church continues to teach 1,600 years later.

Apparition of Virgin Mary in Knock, Ireland

An apparition, especially regarding Mary, is a supernatural appearance to individuals or groups at a particular time and place in history. An apparition is considered private revelation. There have been countless alleged appearances of the Blessed Virgin throughout the centuries, but relatively few have been "approved" as authentic by the Church. These approved apparitions include Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, La Salette, the Miraculous Medal, and Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin.

In most apparitions, Mary speaks. Her message is consistent: to draw people closer to her Son and encourage them to prayer and holiness. In almost every case, she appears alone. St. Bernadette in France and Juan Diego in Mexico heard and saw only her. The same with Adele Brise in Wisconsin, and the young shepherds in La Salette.

In 1879, in the small Irish town of Knock in County Mayo, fifteen people witnessed something unique: an apparition with several "exceptions to the rule." The appearance of our Lady in Knock is exceptional in several ways. In this heavenly visit, Mary was not solo, but appeared with a heavenly entourage. And in this case, there was silence. No auditory message was given. However, though she spoke no words, it is apparent that Mary is pointing to Jesus again, especially our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist.

Let's set the stage. It was a rainy evening, not unusual for Ireland. Stepping out into the driving rain to lock up the parish church, twenty-one-year-old Margaret Byrne noticed a bright light on the south end. Others had also noticed the uncommon glow. Their heads were down as they pushed through the downpour, so they did not pay much attention. But later, Margaret's sister Mary was walking an elderly Mary McLoughlin home, and they took a detour to see the source of the light.

Mary became the principal witness of the apparition. The images were moving and not like statues. "Mary was so real," they exclaimed. One of the fifteen was the elderly Brigid Trench, who approached to kiss the feet of Mary. They prayed the rosary for two hours while the vision remained. During this time, the light was so bright and visible that it was seen by a farmer a half-mile away, who thought it was a fire.

Description: Mary Byrne gave a vivid description of what she saw, which can still be read today. Three figures, appearing at first to be statues, stood near the gable wall of the church. (Part of the old wall has been preserved and can be seen today.) She moved closer and recognized them as Mary, Joseph, and John the Evangelist. Then she noticed an altar upon which stood a lamb and a cress. The lamb was surrounded by animated angels, hovering in worship. The three figures were to the left, and their eyes were drawn to the altar, which seemed to be center stage. The image of the lamb on the altar instantly drew mind to the Book of Revelation. It dawned on us that the curtains of heaven had been pulled back, providing a glimpse into the heavenly reality. It was all based on the last book of the Bible.

Yes, it is a Marian apparition, but with an intensely eucharistic motif. Like in Cana, Mary draws attention to her Son: "Do whatever he tells you!" While visiting Knock, Pope John Paul II made clear that Mary's direction is ordered toward "Christ in the Eucharist and in the Church." In a document on the Eucharist, the Vatican wrote, "In more recent Irish history, the image associated with the apparition of our Lady at Knock includes a Eucharistic motif"

We will look at each image individually, but first it's good to see the overall scene. On the left are three heavenly visitors: first and nearest to the viewer is Joseph; Mary is in the center of the three; and to the right, nearest the altar, is St. John. The central image abounds with meaning. A small lamb is standing on the altar. Immediately behind and looming over the lamb is a cross. Swirling around the eucharistic scene are a host of angels in flight.

Starting on the left, we see St. Joseph. He is wearing a white robe, which in Revelation represents heavenly glory, victory, joy, and purity. He is bowing with respect toward Mary and the Lamb, with hands folded in prayer. Jesus is called not only the Lamb, mentioned in Revelation thirty-three times, but also "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). Jesus is that lion whose lineage comes from his adoptive father, Joseph. Here we see the Holy Family together with Joseph and Mary honoring their divine Son Jesus.

Fittingly, next to Joseph is the Blessed Virgin. She is the only one not standing with her feet on the ground, but hovering above, as though floating between heaven and earth. Mary is seen in a posture of prayer, with her hands and eyes directed your head, and you shall bruise his heel." She is the woman and now also poses as a mother—queen mother interceding for us, the Church, in the presence of her Son and the eucharistic sacrifice.

To the right of Mary is St. John near the altar. He is dressed as a bishop in a white robe of heavenly glory. He is wearing a bishop's miter. Polycrates, a second-century bishop, wrote, "There is also John, who reclined at the bosom of the Lord, and who became a priest wearing the high priest's miter, and a witness and a teacher." John holds the word of God in his left hand, while raising his right hand as though preaching.

It is appropriate on many levels that John is in the apparition. He took Mary into his house; he wrote the Gospel of John and Revelation. When you zoom into the words on the pages of the book in John's hand, we read two texts from Revelation: "The Lamb will conquer (17:14) and "The woman clothed with the sun" (12:1). Powerful words, and certain confirmation that this is an apparition based on John's Apocalypse.

But how could we miss another rich biblical correlation recalled only in the Gospel of John? He specifically mentions two people who stood at the foot of the cross. "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son! " Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (19:26-27).

In Knock, Mary and John are seen together again at the foot of the cross. All of the images, motifs, and symbols revealed on that stormy night reverberate with the words of Scripture, especially Revelation.

And lastly, the Lamb, the altar and cross, and the angels adoring. The altar and the cross are together in this vision. The altar is a place of sacrifice and cannot be separated from the cross. In the eucharistic sacrifice, the altar and the cross are one and the same. And why the Lamb, and why is he standing? "The Lamb" is the primary title of Jesus in the book of Revelation, used thirty-three times. Here is the key passage as it relates to Knock:

And between the throne [of God] and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. . . . Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" (Rev. 5:6, 11-12).

The Passover lamb had its throat cut, and the blood was drained. Yet this Passover Lamb, though dead, now stands victorious an alive on the altar. This is what God sees from his throne, and this is what we see in our churches—the crucifix above and the altar below. We are not surprised that it is John who wrote of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (1:29).

In this magnificent apparition and heavenly vision, we see the Passover Lamb fulfilled on the cross, perpetuated in the Eucharist, and an eternal reality ever before the eyes of God the Father. At Knock, we join Mary, Joseph, and John in gratefulness for our salvation and Our Lord's continual presence with us through all of time.

As you stand in the Church of our Lady of Knock and observe the Lamb, it appears young, vulnerable, and innocent on the altar. It is looking affectionately at Mary and Joseph, as though to say, "I love you, Mom and Dad! Thanks for your love and for your obedience to the gospel."

The angels understand all of this as they adore the Lamb. In Revelation we find that angels, cherubim, and spiritual beings are mentioned over a hundred times. So it is no surprise that we end in Knock with the fluttering of wings for two hours in the rain over this revelation of heaven, the Holy Family, and the Divine Liturgy.