23rd Sunday After Pentecost Matthew the Apostle

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! 23rd
Sunday after Pentecost
November 16, 2025

Sat   11/15/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +Fr. Sylvan Capatini by Marian Luther
Sun   11/16/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Karen Bohin by Andy Bohin and Family
Wed   11/19/25 7:00pm Liturgy for Healing +Souls in Purgatory by Marian Luther
Fri   11/21/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy Entrance of the Theotokos +John Prokopchak by Wife Jane
Fri   11/21/25 7:00pm Divine Liturgy Entrance of the Theotokos +Martha Sapar by the Pocchiari Family
Sat   11/22/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +John and +Doris Antoszyk by Mark Antoszyk
Sun   11/23/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Peter Baycura by Drew Moniot

Variable Parts   Tone 6 - Pages 152 - 153
Epistle    Ephesians 2:4-10; Gospel- Luke 10:25-37
Memorial Candle Request: No Candle Request

Epistle Readers 15-Nov Mary Troyan   16-Nov Eva Babick 22-Nov John Baycura/Mary Motko 23-Nov Liz/John Pocchiari

Please Pray for: 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: 11/8 — 14  11/9 — 82  Collection: 11/8 & 11/9 - $1,929.00

Student Food Pantry: For the month of November, we will be collecting peanut butter, jellies and macaroni/cheese. Any questions, please contact Pam Gagen. Thank you for the October food donations. There were over 21 boxes donated, which equaled over 146 individual items. The school was very appreciative of our donations.

Diaconal Ordination Celebration: If you will be attending the November 30th, 3:00pm parish celebration of diaconal ordination, please signup downstairs by November le as we will need a headcount for the catered dinner. Donations of deserts will be needed for this dinner and a signup sheet for this may also be found on the bulletin board. Thank you!

November 30th Coffee Social Cancelled: due to the diaconal ordination

Window Decoration Assistance Needed: It's time to take down the Fall and put up the Christmas decorations. I will need assistance this year since I will have lifting and bending restrictions for several weeks. Work dates are Monday, Dec 1 and Tuesday, Dec 2 (if needed) at 5:30 pm. If you can lend any assistance, it would be greatly appreciated. - Kathy Moyta. I may be contacted at 412-629-0673. Thank you. The main Christmas decorating for the church will occur in mid-December and date(s) for this will be announced separately.

Pierogi Help Needed: We will be making pierogis on Tuesday November 18th beginning at 9:00 am. All are welcome to help. There are sit-down jobs available, and lunch will be provided.

St. Nicholas Celebration: Our annual celebration of St. Nicholas will take place on December 5th after a 6:00pm Divine Liturgy. Pizza and a dessert will be served. The ECF students will have a presentation during the Liturgy. The GCU will provide the desserts. No signup is necessary.

Nut Roll Help Needed: We will be baking nut rolls on December 4th and December 12th. Please help if you are available.

Nut Rolls: Nut roll orders will be taken through November 16th. You may order nut rolls by calling 412-837-9446 or by filling out an order form located on the bulletin board. Poppy seed and apricot are available.

Pickup dates for nut roll orders will be on December 5th and December 13th.

Various psychological tests claim to promote self-understanding. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for example, helps us identify our personality types. Years ago—perhaps less so today—the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to screen out potential psychopaths from sensitive professions.

However, there are no tests to reveal our heretical tendencies. Why not start a Heresy Type Indicator today? Our spiritual and religious errors can be far more destructive than our psychological and emotional ones. After all, heresies corrupt the central metaphysical operating system of the soul, to borrow a computer metaphor. Here's a first question: Who is the opposite of the Devil? If your instinctive answer is "God" or "Jesus," you're leaning toward the ancient Gnostic heresy of Manichaeism. It's a trick question, but revealing. God has no opposite. God has absolute dominion. He reigns over heaven and earth, matter and spirit, light and darkness alike. In a limited sense, the Devil's opposite would be another angel: St. Michael the Archangel. Yet even Michael is but an archangel—far below the once glorious Lucifer, now eternally degraded by pride.

The Manicheans believed in two coequal gods: one good and one evil, representing a god of light and a god of darkness, as well as spirit and matter. This dualism has a certain intellectual allure—it seems to explain the world's conflicts and our inner struggles. Lucifer himself, "the god of darkness," sees himself as God's equal. Even St. Augustine, before his conversion, was drawn to this error. When grace enlightened him, he rejected dualism and embraced the embodied reality of the faith, becoming one of our greatest Catholic theologians.

Some may dismiss such theological discussions as pious armchair academic piffle. Evil, as Augustine and Aquinas teach, is the absence of good. But every heresy has grave, lasting, and practical consequences. Many of us, as our earlier "test" suggests, instinctively think of God as the Devil's opposite. That very impulse shows how deeply the Manichean mindset persists.

The 20th century, and our own, have witnessed a resurgence of Manichean thinking on a global scale. Entire nations have demonized their enemies as embodiments of absolute evil. In the Middle Ages, foes were to be defeated; in the modern era, they must be annihilated. The logic of Manichaeism leaves no room for compromise: a "good" Manichean cannot negotiate with a "bad" one.

Jesus teaches us a different way, the arduous way of the Cross: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Mt. 5:43-48)

We, too, have often become practical Manicheans—within our nation, our communities, even our families. We are quick to demonize opponents and slow to see their humanity. Justice sometimes requires opposing or even defeating our enemies—but never at the cost of denying their dignity as creatures of God. They, too, are His handiwork. When we deny the humanity of our enemies, we degrade our own humanity and reveal our capacity for hate and murder. As we strive to understand our enemies in our households and in the world, we may pray with the words of St. Augustine: "There, but for the grace of God, goes I." We all have our Manichaean hatred triggers. But the Incarnation provides a safety switch. The same God who unites heaven and earth teaches us to see His image in those we are tempted to despise.

Text is modifiedfrom Fr. Jerry Pokorsky article

THE GOOD SAMARITAN