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Ανελήφθης εν δόξη, Χριστέ ο Θεός ημών, χαροποιήσας τούς Μαθητάς, τή επαγγελία τού αγίου Πνεύματος, βεβαιωθέντων αυτών διά τής ευλογίας, ότι σύ ει ο Υιός τού Θεού, ο λυτρωτής τού κόσμου. - Απολυτίκιον της Αναλήψεως
You were taken up in glory, Christ our God, having made the Disciples joyful with the promise of the Holy Spirit; through the blessing they were assured that you are the Son of God, the redeemer of the world. - Apolytikion of the Ascension
A Journey through Lent...
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"Κλείνοντας το Πεντηκοστάριον": Από Πέμπτη της Αναλήψεως έως Κυριακή των Αγίων Πάντων "Closing the Penticostarion": From Ascension Thurday to All Saints Day
Ascension Thursday (Πέμπτη της Αναλήψεως) Goodbyes are always very emotional, especially to loved ones. Imagine for a moment now that you were there when Jesus said His final “goodbye” to His disciples before Pentecost. Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples 11 times after His Resurrection, showing them that He truly beat death and the devil. The last appearance to His disciples was 40 days after His Resurrection, the feastday we celebrate on this day. The Ascension of our Lord happened at the “Mount of Olives”. Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) They still had not fully understood the message of Jesus, but were going to soon…at Pentecost. All of a sudden, Jesus was seen ascending to Heaven! We see in the icon of the Ascension the Theotokos and the disciples looking upon Christ ascending. We also see two angels together with the disciples (left and right of the Theotokos). These angels told the disciples, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) This shows us that Jesus will come again to the earth. The first time, He came as its Savior; the second time, He will come as its Judge (“to judge the living and the dead”). OT Readings: Isaiah 2:2-3, Isaiah 62:10-63:3, 7-9, Zechariah 14:4, 8-11 Epistle: Acts 1:1-12 Gospel: Luke 24:36-53
From the first century, there have been people that try and distort the Truth of Jesus Christ. These people, called heretics, usually tried to make Jesus so divine that He was not a human, or that He was so human, He could never be divine. We know that Jesus is both God and Man. He was Perfect God, because only God could save us from our sins. No human could do that, because they are just as sinful as us. We know that He was also Perfect Man because God decided to have a personal relationship with humanity. He was hungry, He wept, He rejoiced. The only difference is that He didn’t sin. So, it’s important to remember that Jesus was just like you and I. We can be like Him, if we choose to follow His Commandments. Today, we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod, which took place in 325 A.D. in the ancient city of Nicaea. The Fathers were called by Emperor Constantine to discuss various things, among them being the date of Easter and the heresy of Arianism. Arius was a priest in Alexandria and said that Jesus (the “Son”) was lesser in divinity than the Father. This, we know, is false. This Synod made up the first part of the Creed that we have today (the beginning to “and I believe in the Holy Spirit.”) and condemned the teachings of Arius as heresy. We celebrate the victory of Orthodoxy today. Epistle: Acts 30:16-18, 28-36 Gospel: John 17:1-13
Pentecost / Trinity Sunday
(Κυριακή της Πεντηκοστής)
We celebrate Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit, the appointed time of the promise and the fulfilment of hope. How great is the Mystery? Great indeed and revered! And so we cry out to you: Creator of all, Lord, glory to you! (1st Hymn of Vespers) The feastday of Holy Pentecost is the high point of the Penticostarion period. This feastday is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and is called the “Birthday of the Church”, because of the events that took place. The hymnographer tells us very eloquently what happened that day: Marvellous things all the nations saw today in the city of David, when the Holy Spirit came down in tongues of fire, as Luke, God’s mouthpiece, declared. For he said: When Christ’s Disciples were assembled, there came a sound as of a mighty wind, and filled the whole house where they were sitting; and all began to speak with strange words, strange doctrines, strange teachings of the Holy Trinity. (1st Hymn of Lauds) The Apostles were blessed by the Holy Spirit that day and were able to speak different languages, even though some of them had never even been to school! St. Peter the Apostle preached that day in front of everyone, putting to rest the comments of some that day that the Apostles were merely “drunk.” He told them that Jesus was the One to come and save us all from our sins and that they should “repent and be baptized”. That day, about 3000 people became Christians. Ever since, the Gospel had been preached to billions of people, and the Eternal Truth of Jesus Christ lives in the Church. For the Church, this is the day she started Her ministry. It is our duty to also continue this ministry with everyone we know. People who were against the Church found themselves being Her greatest ambassadors (such as St. Paul the Apostle). We can show the Church’s love by a simple smile, a “hello” to someone we see that needs that ‘hello’, to sharing the Truth of Jesus Christ with those that might have not met Him yet. Let us continue the work of the Apostles and know that Jesus “will be with (us) always, even until the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20) OT Readings: Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29; Joel 2:23-32; Ezekiel 36:24-28. Epistle: Acts 2:1-11 Gospel: John 7:37-52, 8:12
The Vespers service of Pentecost (in some Churches, this service is done immediately after the Divine Liturgy) is called the “Vespers of the Kneeling” (Ο Εσπερινός της Γονυκλισίας). During this Vespers, the faithful kneel three times and pray for the Holy Spirit to illumine them and guide them as the period of the Penticostarion comes to a close. Both this Vespers and the next day is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit came as “tongues of fire” upon the heads of the Apostles on Pentecost and illumined them for their ministry. We know that the Holy Spirit is “the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets.” We know that the Holy Spirit is the “Comforter”, who guides us in our lives. We are also illumined and comforted by the Holy Spirit at our baptism and chrismation, and continue to accept this illumination throughout our lives if we choose to accept it. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may illumine our lives. Please note: This week is a fast-free week (no fasting on Wednesday or Friday, and we still receive Holy Communion on Sunday if we are prepared). Epistle: Acts 6:1-7 Gospel: Mark 15:43-16:8
All
Saints Day
With the feast of Pentecost and the Monday of the Holy Spirit, the Penticostarion Period is officially over. The first Sunday after the Penticostarion period is always dedicated to all the Saints, from the time of Adam and Eve until our present day. The Church has billions of Saints, most of which are unknown. Why? Well, one thing is that we just don’t know their names. Even in the books of the Church that detail the Saints lives (called Συναξάρια), their names are not mentioned because we do not know them. Therefore, the Church picked this day that every single Saint—known and unknown, famous or unknown—is celebrated. We should also remember that we are also called to be Saints! Whenever St. Paul used to write to Christians, he used to write to them as the “Saints of Ephesus” or the “Saints of Thessaloniki”. “Saints” are people that are walking step-by-step towards the Kingdom of Heaven. No Saint was ever perfect; however, they repented for their sins and are now with God in His Kingdom. We can do the same, by living a Christ-centred life and being with Him always. This feastday is also dedicated to people that have no specific nameday celebration during the year. We wish them Χρόνια Πολλά! OT Readings: Isaiah 43:9-14a, Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Wisdom of Solomon 5:16-6:3 Epistle: Hebrews 11:33-12:2 Gospel: Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30
What Happens Now? Well, first thing’s first: The Fast for the Holy Apostles begins the day after All Saints Day. This fast is up until June 29th, the feastday of Sts. Peter and Paul. It varies every year. Some years, there is no fast at all, while some years there is about 20 days.
The hymns of the Church usually have a theme each day of the week. Mondays are dedicated to the Archangels and Bodiless Powers; Tuesdays are dedicated to St. John the Baptist; Wednesdays are dedicated to the Theotokos; Thursdays are dedicated to the Holy Apostles and St. Nicholas; Fridays are dedicated to the Crucifixion; Saturdays are dedicated to the reposed souls; while Sundays are dedicated to the Resurrection of our Lord. We celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection each and every Sunday, and that’s why it’s important to attend our services not only at these very important times but every single Sunday. We pray you will live the Liturgical Calendar of our Church every day of the year. God bless! |
Sunday of the Holy Fathers 
Monday of the Holy Spirit (
