PASKHA
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith;
receive ye all the riches of
loving-kindness.
(Sermon of St John Chrysostom,
read at Paschal
Matins)
The
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the center of the
Christian faith. St Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the
dead, then our preaching and faith are in vain (I Cor. 15:14). Indeed,
without the resurrection there would be no Christian preaching or
faith.
The resurrection reveals Jesus of Nazareth as not
only the expected
Messiah of Israel, but as the King and Lord of a new Jerusalem: a new
heaven and a new earth.
Read
more...
|
 |
Holy Pentecost
In
the
Church's annual liturgical cycle, Pentecost is "the
last and great day." It is the celebration by the Church of the coming
of the Holy Spirit as the end - the achievement and fulfillment - of
the entire history of salvation. For the same reason, however, it is
also the celebration of the beginning: it is the "birthday" of the
Church as the presence among us of the Holy Spirit, of the new life in
Christ, of grace, knowledge, adoption to God and holiness.
Reed
More ...
|
|
Nativity (St. Philip's)
Fast Nov. 15 - Dec. 24
The
Nativity Fast (or Advent; also called St. Philip's Fast, coming
immediately after his feast on November 14), is the period
from
November 15 to December 24 (forty days) in anticipation of
Christmas,
the Festival of the Nativity of the Savior.
The
Sunday
that falls between December 11-17 is known as the Sunday of the Holy
Forefathers. These are the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh,
who lived before the Law and under the Law, especially the
Patriarch
Abraham, to whom God said, "In thy seed shall all of the
nations of the
earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3, 22:18).
Read
More...
|
 |
|
We fast before the Great Feast of the
Nativity in order to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Our
Lord's birth. As in the case of Great Lent, the Nativity Fast is one of
preparation, during which we focus on the coming of the Savior by
fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.
As is true of all four of the Orthodox fasts, a Great Feast falls
during the course of the fast; in this case, the Entry of the Theotokos
(November 21). After the apodosis (leave-taking) of that feast, hymns
of the Nativity are chanted on Sundays and higher-ranking feast days.
The liturgical Forefeast of the Nativity begins on
December 20, and concludes with the Paramony on December 24. During
this time hymns of the Nativity are chanted every day. In the Russian
usage, the hangings in the church are changed to the festive color
(usually white) at the beginning of the Forefeast.
Read more...
|

|
 |
"Forgiveness Sunday"In
the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Great Lent - the day on
which, at Vespers, Lent is liturgically announced and inaugurated - is
called Forgiveness Sunday. On the morning of that Sunday, at the Divine
Liturgy, we hear the words of Christ:
"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses…" (Mark 6:14-15).
Then after Vespers - after hearing the
announcement of Lent in the Great Prokeimenon": Turn not away Thy face
from Thy child, for I am afflicted Hear me speedily Draw near unto my
soul and deliver it ", after making our entrance into Lenten worship,
with its special melodies, with the prayer of St Ephraim the Syrian,
with its prostrations - we ask forgiveness from each other, we perform
the rite of forgiveness and reconciliation. And as we approach each
other with words of reconciliation, the choir intones the Paschal
hymns, filling the church with the anticipation of Paschal
joy.
What is the meaning of this rite? Why is it that the Church wants us to
begin the Lenten season with forgiveness and reconciliation?
Read
more...
|
The Great Lent
The
season of Great Lent is the time of preparation for the feast of
the Resurrection of Christ, It is the living symbol of man's entire
life which is to be fulfilled in his own resurrection from the dead
with Christ. It is a time of renewed devotion: of prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving. It is a time of repentance, a real renewal of our minds,
hearts and deeds in conformity with Christ and his teachings. It is the
time, most of all, of our return to the great commandments of loving
God and our neighbors.
In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent is not a season
of morbidity and
gloominess. On the contrary, it is a time of joyfulness and
purification. We are called to "anoint our faces" and to "cleanse our
bodies as we cleanse our souls." The very first hymns of the very first
service of Great Lent set the proper tone of the season:
Let us begin the lenten time with delight … let us
fast from passions
as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit,
that we may be granted to see the holy passion of Christ our God and
his holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.
Read
more...
|
 |
Passion Week
In
the Orthodox Church the last week of Christ's life is
officially called Passion Week. In popular terminology it is called
Holy Week. Each day is designated in the service books as
"great
and holy." There are special services every day of the week which are
fulfilled in all churches. Earthly life ceases for the faithful as they
"go up with the Lord to Jerusalem" (Matins of Great and
Holy Monday).
Each day of Holy Week has its own particular
theme.
The theme of Monday is that of the sterile fig
tree which yields no fruit and is condemned.
Tuesday the accent is on the vigilance of the wise
virgins
who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to
them.
Wednesday the focus is on the fallen woman who
repents. Great
emphasis is made in the liturgical services to compare the woman, a
sinful harlot who is saved, to Judas, a chosen apostle who is lost. The
one gives her wealth to Christ and kisses his feet; the other betrays
Christ for money with a kiss.
Holy Thursday is dedicated to the Passover Supper
which Christ celebrated with his twelve apostles.
Holy Friday is focused on Christ's
passion.
The first service belonging to Holy Saturday
- is the
Vespers of Good Friday. It is usually celebrated in the mid-afternoon
to commemorate the burial of Jesus.
Read
more...
|
|
The Annuciation of the Most Holy
Theotokos (March 25)
The
Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to
Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was
betrothed to St Joseph: "Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord
is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end."
Read
more...
|
 |
|
Apostles Peter and Paul (29 JUNE)The Holy Church celebrates the memory of the Apostles Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29. They
were contemporaries, were well acquainted with one another, and both
ended their respective lives on earth with martyrdom in Rome, the
capital city of the Empire, approximately 60 years after the Nativity
of Christ.
Troparion
O foremost in the ranks of apostles, and teachers of the world, intercede
with the Master of All to grant safety to the world and to our souls
the great mercy.
Kontakion
O Lord, You have taken up to
their eternal rest, and to the enjoyment of Your good things the two
infallible preachers of divine truths and leaders of the apostles, for
You have accepted their struggles and their death as being better than
any holocaust, O You who alone know the secrets of hearts.
Read more ...
|
 |
Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (6 AUGUST)
Discourse
on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of
Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica.
For an
explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is
necessary for us to turn to the very start of today's reading from the
Gospel: "Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his
brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves" (Mt.17:1). First
of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to
reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the
preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His
disciples, said to them: "For the Son of Man shall come with his angels
in the glory of His Father," and further: "Amen I say to you, there are
some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the
Son of Man coming in His Kingdom" (Mt.16:27-28)? That is to say, it is
the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the
Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Read more... |
|