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1 Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church 5965 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, Florida Church Phone: (321) fax (321) Church hall: (321) website: FATHER DEMETRI TSIGAS cell phone: Orthros: 9:00 AM Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM Fellowship Hour: Noon Church office hours: Mon. through Fri. 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. / Saturday & Sunday closed ~ VISION & MISSION STATEMENT ~ Our Vision (dream) is to be a growing, loving, united Orthodox Christian family open to all. Our Mission (job) is to grow our faith in Christ through love and respect, with humility and forgiveness. Sunday, APRIL 5, 2015 Festal Morning Gospel PALM SUNDAY Monk-Martyrs Claudius, Diodoros, Victor, Victorinos, Pappias, Serapion & Nikephoros Venerable Theodora of Thessaloniki Martyrs Theodora &Didymos George the New Martyr FISH, WINE & OIL ALLOWED TODAY ~ Welcome to Our Guests ~ We are delighted that you are with us today. Please keep in mind that according to the Holy Canons and teachings of the Orthodox Church, you must be a baptized and chrismated member of the Orthodox faith in good standing in order to receive Holy Communion. You are welcome to receive a portion of the blessed bread (antidoron) distributed at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Please join us for fellowship hour following services.

2 Divine Liturgy of St. John the Chrysostom Ἀπολυτίκιον Ἀναστάσιμον - Ήχος Α - σ Τὴν κοινὴν Ἀνάστασιν, πρὸ τοῦ σού πάθους πιστούμενος έκ νεκρών ήγειρας τόν Λάζαρον, Χριστέ ό Θεός. Οθεν καί ήμείς ώς οί παίδες τά τής ωίκης σύνβολα φέροντες σοί τώ νικητή τού θανάτου βοῶμεν Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Resurrectional Apolytikion 1st Mode - p Before Your passion You confirmed the resurrection of all by raising Laz rus from the dead, O Christ our God. Therefore, like the children of old, we also carry symbols of victory, and to You, the Victor over death, do we cry out: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Ἀπολυτίκιον - Ήχος Δ - σ Συνταφέντες σοι διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, τῆς ἀθανάτου ζωῆς ἠξιώθημεν τῇ Ἀναστάσει σου, καὶ ἀνυμνοῦντες κράζομεν Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Plagal 4th Tone - p. 149 In our baptism we were buried with You, O Christ our God, and by Your resurrection you have granted us eternal life. Therefore, we sing Your praises, O Lord: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Κοντάκιον - Ήχος Πλ. Β - σ. 272 Τῷ θρόνῳ ἐν Οὐρανῷ, τῷ πώλῳ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐποχούμενος, Χριτὲ ὁ Θεοός τῶν Ἀγγέλων τὴν αἴνεσιν, καὶ τὴν παίδων ἀνύμνησιν προσεδέξω βοώντων σοι Εὐλογημένος εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀνακαλέσασθαι. Kontakion - Plagal 4th Mode - p. 273 In heaven upon Your throne, while on earth riding the colt of a donkey, O Christ our God, You accepted the angel s praise with the songs of the children who cried out to You: Blessed is He who comes for the restoration of Adam. 2

3 The Reading is from Philippians 4:4-9 BRETHREN, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. The Reading is from The Gospel of John 12:1-18 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 3

4 MEGALYNARION - pgs Please pray for our: Spiritual Leaders: Patriarch Bartholomew; Archbishop Demetrios; Metropolitan Alexios; & Fr. Demetri Civil Leaders: President Barack Obama, US Congress & Supreme Court; Governor Rick Scott; all our civil authorities and our armed forces. Parish Leadership: Parish Council & Philoptochos members, Chanters & Choir, Sunday & Greek School teachers and students, our Youth Group leaders and children. Those who are sick, awaiting surgery, recovering from surgery, in need of prayers and/or shut in: Pauline Porch, Sophia Tenreiro, Alexandra Diamond, Peter Katsoulas, Mae Charos, Joyce Ninos, Theresa Sempepos, Peter & Dorothy Pappademetriou, Nicholas, Gus Drivas, Bill & Ellen Werner, Olga, Despina Kalimnios, Ashley, Elias Corpas, Nazieh & Yvonne Yacoub, Savannah & Zander Kelly, Vada Ganakos, Mirsini Sirounis, Katherine, Don, Penny, Princeton, Suzanne Orosz, Faye Nicholas, Gerry & Chris, Veton, Patricia Kamenelis, Mark, Spiros Catechis, Ayad Saad & family, JoAnne Macheras, John Cominos, Van Katehakis, Lisa Waddell, Michael Donohue, Angela DeCosta, Marlaine Manus, Ann Prieston, Anna, Kris Stamatis, Anastasia, Kyriaki, Sam Tsirambidis, Renee, Olga Taran, George & Sue Kanazeh, John Paul Figari, Matina, Gabriel & Markos Pongpipat, George, Mirek, James Burkhardt, Maria, Mary Katsenes, Maria, Lisa, Sylvia Demopoulos, Alexandra, Merielle, Joyce Stavrakis, Taylor Pappas, Mike Niscia, Eileen & Nick Dimeris, Pam Hogan, Despina, Peggy & Rosemary George, George Demopoulos, Connie Ortolani, Maria Brewster. For those expecting: Spyros & Sarah Nomikos, Olga & Doug Weber For those with new babies: Dan & Brenda Roman (Isaac Anthony), Steve & Jamie Stengle (Lukas), Stephen & Sarah Roman (Ariana Olivia) Those serving in the Military: Joseph Abadiotakis, Jr., Elias Panayiotis Maldonado, Nicholas Tsamoutales, Yanni Tshontikidis, Harold David Ballard, Samuel Joseph III, Nicholas Cannaverde, Travis Hunter, Ethan Macheras, Matthew Ryan Stinnett, James Christian Figari. For peace in the Middle East and the protection of Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan & predominantly Muslim lands. For the protection and freedom of the kidnapped Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi and Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim, both of Aleppo, Syria. Those preparing for Marriage: Andrew Roman & Evangelia Fotopoulos, Sotiria Tutzarakis & Matthew Stinnett, Nicolas Melitas & Julie Noble. Those preparing for Ordination: Dan Kennedy College Students: Arianna Bendlin, Telly Galanopoulos, Tony Galanopoulos, Alyssa Giglio, Sade Jelani, Jamila Jelani, Alyssa Karas, Marianthi Karas, Peter Karas, Kimberley Koines, Dana Marie Koines, Jennifer Loso, Esther Muradov, Tommy Panouses, Ashley P. Buckles, James Petersen, Catherine Psarakis, Kathleen Rogers, George Saad, Noha Saliba, Catie Sergis,, Costas Stathis, Alex Stathis, Mary Jane Tutzarakis. (If you know of anyone that should be added to this list, please call the Church office.) 4

5 ~ TODAY ~ 2ND TRAY TODAY IS FOR FLOWERS FOR HOLY WEEK PALM SUNDAY FISH LUNCHEON ADULTS $12 CHILDREN 12 & UNDER $6 Salad, Mahi Mahi, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans & Dessert SEE LIST OF HOLY WEEK SERVICES ON P. 8 ~ Upcoming Liturgies & Events ~ THURS., APR. 23rd - St. George Orthros 9 am Divine Liturgy 10 am SUN., APR. 26th - Spring General Assembly 12 noon SUN., MAY 10th - AHEPA Breakfast following Divine Liturgy SUN., MAY 17th - End of Year Sunday School Awards & Graduation. THURS., MAY 21st - HOLY ASCENSION & Ss Constantine & Helen - Orthros 9 am Divine Liturgy 10 am MON., MAY 25th - Memorial Day - Office Closed SUN., MAY 31st - Holy Pentecost AHEPA & Philoptochos scholarships are being offered. Call or the church office for a form. Deadline to return COMPLETE applications is May 1, No application will be considered if all information is not included. IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT GRADUATING, PLEASE THE CHURCH OFFICE THEIR GRADUATION INFORMATION, PICTURE AND WHERE THEY WILL BE ATTENDING COLLEGE. 5

6 SUNDAY SCHOOL - MARCH 29 ~ Vision Statement ~ To be a community of engaged and educated young Orthodox Christians. ~ Mission Statement ~ To encourage and foster spiritual growth of young people in our Orthodox Faith. K - 1st Grades : Brenda Roman & Ionna Myatt Last Sunday we talked about Palm Sunday and the Last Supper. The kids colored in pictures of both, and we talked about what we saw in the pictures. To finish up class, the students drew crosses on paper eggs with white crayons. They all told me they couldn't see them, so we got out the watercolors and painted our eggs to reveal the crosses! The kids all had fun painting. A couple of the students were wearing their cross necklaces we made a few weeks ago out of nails, beads and string. The nails make the cross to remind us of how Jesus died on the cross for us. Attendance: 6 2nd & 3rd Grades: Donna Thomson Sunday school was fun this week. I think the children know that school & Sunday school Are slowly winding down so, they are slowly winding up! Everyone is really getting interested in Pascha at this point also. They are talking about the different things they have given up for lent and soon will be able to do again; like watch tv again, play on their computers again - and yes, even tease their siblings again ( these are just some things the children gave up for lent). We've read books about how Jesus sacrificed for our sins. We've watched a movie showing us the suffering he did. One day we just sat and did a craft for Pascha and talked and listened about our different thoughts on what this means to us - this miraculous thing that our Jesus did for us... Attendance: 7 4th & 5th Grades: Presvytera Eleni & Daphney Courey Our lesson today is about the last days of Jesus, Holy Week and Pascha, the feast so glorious we don't ever want to leave it. We pounded a nail into a board to see what it might have been like to witness the crucifixion of Jesus. We tied our arms to the board with rope and tried to hold it up to see what it must have felt like for Jesus as he walked to Golgotha. We talked through some of the activities of Holy Week and how we can participate (e.g., folding palm cross on Saturday of Lazarus). 6

7 The children were sent home with a quiz to review with their family and the prayer of St. Ephraim to recite and do prostrations with during the next two weeks. Attendance: 9 6th - 8th Grades: Trish Loso We used the "Journey through Holy Week" book to talk about the meaning of the services during Holy Week. We began with the Saturday of Lazarus and concluded with Pascha. It was an overview of all of the services and events in Jesus life. Each student should find and get out their "Journey through Holy Week" book and read about every day of Holy Week. These books were given as end of the year Sunday School gifts in a previous grade. Attendance: 10 Orthodox Life/High School - Costa Triantafyllidis In preparation of Holy Week we covered the events of Jesus arrest and deliverance before Pontius Pilate with a charge of treason, that Jesus called himself the King of the Jews. After questioning, the governor found no charge against Jesus Christ. Since it was the feast of the Passover, Pilate offered to release one prisoner selected by the crowd. Pilate gives the crowd the choice between Jesus or Barabbas, who was a notorious prisoner. People chose Barabbas to be freed and Jesus is led to be scourged and crucified. Attendance: 5 MYRRH BEARERS All girls grades PreK-8th are welcome! Please wear a white dress with white tights and white shoes. Arrive at Church by 6:45 for the Holy Friday service at 7:00 pm 7

8 ~ SCHEDULE OF HOLY WEEK SERVICES ~ Sat., April 4th Sun., April 5th Sun., April 5th Mon., April 6th Tues., April 7th Wed., April 8th Thurs., April 9th Fri., April 10th Sat., April 11th Sun., April 12th Saturday of Lazarus Orthros 9 am Divine Liturgy 10 am - followed by Folding Palm Crosses Palm Sunday Orthros 9 am Divine Liturgy 10 am Followed by Fish Luncheon sponsored by the Youth Bridegroom Service - 6 PM Holy Monday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 10 AM Bridegroom Service - 6 PM Holy Tuesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 10 AM Bridegroom Service - 6 PM Holy Wednesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 10 AM Holy Unction Service - 6 PM Holy Thursday Vesperal Divine Liturgy 10 am (Communion Reading of the 12 Gospels - 6 PM Holy Friday Royal Hours 10 AM (No Communion on Holy Friday) Decorating of the Kouvouklion 12 PM (please come dressed appropriately) Apokathelosis - 3 PM Lamentations - 7 PM Holy Saturday Liturgy of St. Basil 10 am (Communion) Resurrection Service 11 PM PASCHA SUNDAY - Agape Services 12 noon 8

9 D ECORATING ICONS SCHEDULE & CHURCH CLEAN UP Anyone interested in helping decorate the Icons during our Lenten season and Holy week, please contact Despina in the Church office by phone or . Sun., April 5th - Flowers for Nymphios Icon - following Palm Sunday Luncheon Tues., April 7th - following PreSanctified Liturgy we will Be cleaning the Church and polishing the silver. Wed., April 8th - 2 pm - 2 icons Thurs., April 9th - Dye Pascha Eggs following Vesperal Divine Liturgy - If anyone would like to donate the eggs, please call the Church office. Fri., April 10th - Kouvouklion decorating 12 pm Strip bay leaves Apokathelosis icon Sat., April 11th - 10 am - Anastasi Icons 9

10 FROM THE CHANCELLOR S DESK EXAMINING OUR HEARTS BEFORE HOLY WEEK AND GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA If we as Christians have an all-powerful Savior Whom we proclaim as our Risen Lord, what response are we offering to Him as our Savior and as our God? We now approach the final trail of our Lenten journey leading to Holy Week, a period when we will remember in great detail and with deliberate care the Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of our Lord. Before I commit my presence and participation, I find myself asking what difference, if any, it will make. Perhaps the problem is me. Do I lack the vision to see God's presence and influence over us? Can I grasp His broken body and the blood flowing from His side that was shed for our forgiveness and the restoration of humanity to His Kingdom? Are the readings and reenactments cause to bring us into closer union with Him and His Body the Church, which includes all of you y brothers and sisters in Christ? Or maybe we consider the Lenten and Holy Week services are simply the means for us to feel comfortable and self-satisfied that we elected to come when it was convenient for us to sample these familiar rituals, and this in itself is what is good and pleasing to our Lord and to our co-workers in Christ. When if ever, during my life's journey leading up to His Glorious Kingdom beyond this life will I understand that I do not deserve any of God's divine grace? Will I recognize that in participating in the services "remembering" our Risen Lord's Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, I discern the very real yet invisible heavenly things that are unfolding right now and right here, for me, for you, for everyone... amidst my many busy and competing earthly pursuits and demands? Do I ever call myself Christ's Disciple, His servant, and witness? If so, if challenged to prove I am indeed "guilty" of living a Christian life (here, guilty would be a good thing), could my actual deeds, thoughts, and words convince a jury to convict me? Or would I be judged "innocent" and thus be set free from a life burdened by the obligations of living a Christian life and willing obedience to follow and live a life with our Risen Lord Jesus Christ? Recall how God commanded Moses to lead His people from the bondage of Pharaoh and the Egyptians to freedom and "the Promised Land"? But do we remember how some of Moses' people doubted and even resisted the pathway to freedom? What about us? Will our response this Holy Week and in the weeks, months, and years ahead be like them? Simply put, as we move into the "ages to come", will we be like Moses' people who doubt, fear, and even resist God' s call 10

11 for us to let go of the chains and bondage of a life separated from Him, from those He created, and from those He enables us to meet and share with in our parish communities? Will we believe, accept, and live in His "promised land" that we call His Body, His Church, His Kingdom here on earth and to be completed at His Second and Glorious Coming? As I examine my heart as to what response I choose to offer to our Risen Lord today and in the "ages to come", I realize how hungry I am, in spirit and body, for the day when all of us can let go of whatever seeks to separate us from God, from one another, and from those who deem us to have failed to meet their personal standards of redemption that replace or surpass those of our Risen Lord. Indeed, there is only one God, revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that can lead us and live in us and thereby offer authentic life as God intended for His creation. In responding to His blessings to each of u s, I pray we always seek His will and see His image in the lives of all of those around us, for everyone is created in His image and likeness. Why does our world appear so parched and starved spiritually of God's presence? Why are so many living their lives with disbelief and feel out of touch and devoid of intimate sharing with Him and His Body? Indeed, how many among us feel lost, forgotten, and neglected n need of His grace, salvation and love? Perhaps the answers to these questions become visible in transforming my initial question into a declarative statement of shared priority that each of us accepts and seeks to make happen: We as Christians have an all-powerful Savior Whom we proclaim as our Risen Lord. In His Behalf, as our Lord, God, and Savior, we seek in all things to embrace everyone we encounter with His love, mercy, and forgiveness to the best of our ability and always for His Glory! Then, and only then, can w e truly proclaim that the Glory of God prevails and the message of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection is both proclaimed and lived, today, through us, and in the "ages to come" through the saints that come after us. Amen! Faithfully yours, +Fr. George Tsahakis Chancellor 11

12 We have completed the forty days that profit our souls. Now let us beg the Lover of Man: enable us to see the Holy Week of Your passion, that we may glorify Your mighty work, Your wonderful plan for our salvation, as we sing with one heart and voice: O Lord, glory t o You! (from the Lenten Triodion) Beloved in the Lord, Now, after all our preparation during Great Lent, after our fasting and prayer, worship and charity, we are invited to enter the sanctuary of Holy Week. In the Orthodox Church, Holy Week is not simply a commemoration of historical events; it is journey from death to life that will transform our lives. We will put aside our worldly cares to walk with our Lord, experiencing His Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection. On the Saturday of Lazarus, we witness the return to life of Jesus friend after four days in the tomb. On Palm Sunday, we stand with the crowds in Jerusalem, hailing Jesus with palm branches as He triumphantly comes as King and Messiah, riding on a donkey. On Palm Sunday evening, and the following two nights, Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday, we prepare our souls for Holy Week at the beautiful Bridegroom Services. On Holy Wednesday, we receive spiritual and bodily healing in the Sacrament of Holy Unction. On Holy Thursday, w e share in the Mystical Last Supper and in our Lord s Crucifixion. On Holy Thursday, we suffer with Him, as we listen to the Gospel accounts of His Crucifixion. On Holy Friday, we sing the Lamentations as we mourn, accompany His funeral procession, and see His sacred body placed in the tomb. On Holy Saturday, we anticipate His coming Resurrection, and at night we gather to prayerfully await the Resurrection. My beloved ones, I encourage you to go out of your way and make a special effort to participate in the services offered during Holy Week, for your own edification and to uplift your spirit. Do not absent yourself or try to avoid the services, but rather understand them as precious opportunities to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your local parish community can 12

13 provide you with a schedule of these services. May God bless us all as we begin this wonderful and sacred journey through Holy Week together! +ALEXIOS Metropolitan of Atlanta THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY UNCTION: THE HEALING OF BODY AND SOUL As we are soon to enter into Holy Week, one of the services that we celebrate together is the Sacrament of Holy Unction which takes place on Holy Wednesday. The Orthodox Church is a spiritual hospital and God has given us divine services which are served in the Church. In these Services and prayers, we communicate with God and turn our hearts to Him. When our hearts are turned toward Him, God communicates with us by giving us the gifts of His Grace, to assist us in strengthening our faith. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is an anointing for bodily and spiritual health. Christ performed many miracles in His earthly ministry and the purpose was to recognize the presence of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus commissioned His disciples to heal and preach about the Kingdom of Heaven. It says in St. Mark s Gospel that they went out and preached and that all should repent of their sins an d they anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. St. John Chrysostom presented us with the idea that the entire Church of Christ is a hospital. So we have the Holy Unction, the oil, that has been set apart by God as a portion of the therapy of this spiritual hospital, the Church. The Sacrament of Unction of the Sick, with all its beautiful associated prayers, provides for the healing of the soul, which in turn provides cure for bodily ailments. And a question that comes up frequently is why does God allow suffering to happen in the first place? All human suffering is directly related to the Adam and Eve s sin, however, we may not know the exact reason for a person s illness. It is important to note that God does not like when suffering occurs but He is always there to comfort us during these times and we can turn to Him for strength. We are to remember to trust God and remember that this life is temporary 13

14 when compared to eternal life. We live in a physical world with limitations. The suffering of this world can assist us in yearning for dwelling with God in heaven. Some people undergoing distress may try to handle suffering alone. That is where we can allow others to reach out to those in need of comfort and strength. We are to have faith and trust in God. Faith is not an escape but a gift that allows us to trust that He is a good and loving God. We can remember the traditional understanding of the Church as a spiritual hospital where we can receive divine help in the struggle to purify our hearts and to be healed in soul and body. May the healing that is given to us through Holy Unction may be a source of healing for all that are in contact with us and the Church. Fr. Robert O Loughlin, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, Tallahassee, FL Hosting Fellowship Hour This is a wonderful opportunity to extend our Christian hospitality with one another and any guests or visitors who attend our services. Duties: Set up the two coffee pots in hall Provide a simple snack, Clean up If any parishioners, families, group of families, koumbari or friends would like to host a fellowship hour following Sunday Liturgy please contact : Church office Or - admin@saint-katherine.org During fasting periods, store bought cookies w/o egg or Available dates: dairy products are: Nabisco Classics (oatmeal raisin, May 3, 17, 24 & 31 cinnamon swirls) Nabisco Social Tea Biscuits, Oreos. 14

15 Love INC in association with the South Brevard Ministerial Association and the Christian Churches of our community are hosting the National Day of Prayer Celebration at two locations, Palm Bay City Hall and Melbourne City Hall at Noon on Thursday, May 7, Anyone can join! Take this opportunity to pray for and with our local leaders for our nation. P HILOPTOCHOS STEWARDSHIP M EMBERSHIP DUES If you have not paid your dues yet, please see either Betty Kitsopoulos, Tresa Roman or Despina Echevarria to pay your dues. They are $30. per person. $15 goes to National & $7 goes to Metropolis. Men can be Associate members. Join Fr. Demetri & Representative Bill Posey at this year s prayer breakfast. Thurs., May 7th 7:30 am - 9:30 am Prayer Breakfast Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place 200 RIALTO PLACE, MELBOURNE COST: $

16 Saturday of the Holy and Righteous Friend of Christ, Lazarus On the Saturday before Holy Week, the Orthodox Church commemorates a major feast of the year, the miracle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when he raised Lazarus from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days. Here, at the end of Great Lent and the forty days of fasting and penitence, the Church combines this celebration with that of Palm Sunday. In triumph and joy the Church bears witness to the power of Christ over death and exalts Him as King before entering the most solemn week of the year, one that leads the faithful in remembrance of His suffering and death and concludes with the great and glorious Feast of Pascha. Biblical Story The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead by Jesus Christ is found in the Gospel of John 11:1-45. Lazarus becomes ill, and his sisters, Mary and Martha send a message to Jesus stating, Lord, he whom you love is ill. In response to the message, Jesus says, This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it (vv. 1-4). Jesus did not immediately go to Bethany, the town where Lazarus lived with his sisters. Instead He remained in the place where He was staying for two more days. After this time, He told his disciples that they were returning to Judea. The disciples immediately expressed their concern, stating that the Jews there had recently tried to stone Him (John 10:31). Jesus replied to His disciples, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them (vv. 5-10). After He said this, Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep and that He was going there to wake him. The disciples wondered why He would go to wake Lazarus, since it was good for him to sleep if he was ill. Jesus, however, was referring to the death of Lazarus, and thus told the disciples directly that Lazarus was dead (vv ). When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Since Bethany was near Jerusalem, many of the Jews had come to console Mary and Martha. When Martha heard that Jesus was approaching she went to meet Him and said to Him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of Him. Jesus told her that her brother will rise again. Martha said that she knew he would rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus replied, I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they 16

17 die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Jesus asked Martha if she believed this. She said to Him, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world (vv ). Martha returned to tell Mary that Jesus had come and was asking for her. Mary went to meet Him, and she was followed by those who were consoling her. The mourners followed her thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When she came to Jesus, she fell at His feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus saw her weeping and those who were with her, and He was deeply moved. He asked to be taken to the tomb of Lazarus. As Jesus wept for Lazarus the Jews said, See how He loved him. Others wondered that if Jesus could open the eyes of the blind, He certainly could have kept Lazarus from dying (vv ). Jesus came to the tomb and asked that the stone that covered the door be taken away. Martha remarked that Lazarus had now been in the tomb for four days and that there would be a stench. Jesus replied, Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? The stone was taken away, and Jesus looked toward heaven and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me. When He had said this, He called out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! Lazarus walked out of the tomb, bound with the strips of burial cloth, and Jesus said, Unbind him, and let him go (vv ). As a result of this miracle, many of the Jews that were present believed in Jesus. Others went and told the Pharisees what Jesus had done. In response the Pharisees and chief priests met and considered how they might arrest Him and put Him to death (v. 45ff). This miracle is performed by Christ as a reassurance to His disciples before the coming Passion: they are to understand that, though He suffers and dies, yet He is Lord and Victor over death. The resurrection of Lazarus is a prophecy in the form of an action. It foreshadows Christ s own Resurrection eight days later, and at the same time it anticipates the resurrection of all the righteous on the Last Day: Lazarus is the saving first-fruits of the regeneration of the world. As the liturgical texts emphasize, the miracle at Bethany reveals the two natures of Christ the God-man. Christ asks where Lazarus is laid and weeps for him, and so He shows the fullness of His manhood, involving as it does human ignorance and genuine grief for a beloved friend. Then, disclosing the fullness of His divine power, Christ raises Lazarus from the dead, even though his corpse has already begun to decompose and stink. This double fullness of the Lord s divinity and His humanity is to be kept in view throughout Holy 17

18 Week, and above all on Good Friday. On the Cross we see a genuine human agony, both physical and mental, but we see more than this: we see not only suffering man but suffering God. Palm Sunday: The Feast of the Entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem Introduction On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people when out to meet the Lord and welcomed Him with displays of honor and shouts of praise. On this day, we receive and worship Christ in this same manner, acknowledging Him as our King and Lord. The biblical story of Palm Sunday is recorded in all four of the Gospels (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; and John 12:12-18). Five days before the Passover, Jesus came from Bethany to Jerusalem. Having sent two of His disciples to bring Him a colt of a donkey, Jesus sat upon it and entered the city. People had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover and were looking for Jesus, both because of His great works and teaching and because they had heard of the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. When they heard that Christ was entering the city, they went out to meet Him with palm branches, laying their garments on the ground before Him, and shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel! At the outset of His public ministry Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God and announced that the powers of the age to come were already active in the present age (Luke 7:18-22). His words and mighty works were performed "to produce repentance as the response to His call, a call to an inward change of mind and heart which would result in concrete changes in one's life, a call to follow Him and accept His messianic destiny. The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is a messianic event, through which His divine authority was declared. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king: the Word of God made flesh. We are called to behold Him not simply as the One who came to us once riding on a colt, but as the One who is always present in His Church, coming 18

19 ceaselessly to us in power and glory at every Eucharist, in every prayer and sacrament, and in every act of love, kindness and mercy. He comes to free us from all our fears and insecurities, "to take solemn possession of our soul, and to be enthroned in our heart," as someone has said. He comes not only to deliver us from our deaths by His death and Resurrection, but also to make us capable of attaining the most perfect fellowship or union with Him. He is the King, who liberates us from the darkness of sin and the bondage of death. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our King: the vanquisher of death and the giver of life. Palm Sunday summons us to accept both the rule and the kingdom of God as the goal and content of our Christian life. We draw our identity from Christ and His kingdom. The kingdom is Christ - His indescribable power, boundless mercy and incomprehensible abundance given freely to man. The kingdom does not lie at some point or place in the distant future. In the words of the Scripture, the kingdom of God is not only at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), it is within us (Luke 17:21). The kingdom is a present reality as well as a future realization (Matthew 6:10). Theophan the Recluse wrote the following words about the inward rule of Christ the King: The Kingdom of God is within us when God reigns in us, when the soul in its depths confesses God as its Master, and is obedient to Him in all its powers. Then God acts within it as master both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). This reign begins as soon as we resolve to serve God in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then the Christian hands over to God his consciousness and freedom, which comprises the essential substance of our human life, and God accepts the sacrifice; and in this way the alliance of man with God and God with man is achieved, and the covenant with God, which was severed by the Fall and continues to be severed by our willful sins, is re-established. The kingdom of God is the life of the Holy Trinity in the world. It is the kingdom of holiness, goodness, truth, beauty, love, peace and joy. These qualities are not works of the human spirit. They proceed from the life of God and reveal God. Christ Himself is the kingdom. He is the God-Man, Who brought God down to earth (John 1:1,14). He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not. He came to His own home, and His own people received Him not (John 1:10-11). He was reviled and hated. Palm Sunday summons us to behold our king - the Suffering Servant. We cannot understand Jesus' kingship apart from the Passion. Filled with infinite love for the Father and the Holy Spirit, and for creation, in His inexpressible humility Jesus accepted the infinite abasement of the Cross. He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions and 19

20 made Himself an offering for sin (Isaiah 53). His glorification, which was accomplished by the resurrection and the ascension, was achieved through the Cross. In the fleeting moments of exuberance that marked Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the world received its King, the king who was on His way to death. His Passion, however, was no morbid desire for martyrdom. Jesus' purpose was to accomplish the mission for which the Father sent Him. The Son and Word of the Father, like Him without beginning and eternal, has come today to the city of Jerusalem, seated on a dumb beast, on a foal. From fear the cherubim dare not gaze upon Him; yet the children honor Him with palms and branches, and mystically they sing a hymn of praise: Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna to the Son of David, who has come to save from error all mankind. (A hymn of the Light.) With our souls cleansed and in spirit carrying branches, with faith let us sing Christ's praises like the children, crying with a loud voice to the Master: Blessed art Thou, O Savior, who hast come into the world to save Adam from the ancient curse; and in Thy love for mankind Thou hast been pleased to become spiritually the new Adam. O Word, who hast ordered all things for our good, glory to Thee. (A Sessional hymn of the Orthros) The Services of the Bridegroom Sunday Evening through Tuesday Evening Introduction Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridgegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the Bridegroom in the parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. Background The first part of Holy Week presents us with an array of themes based chiefly on the last days of Jesus' earthly life. The story of the Passion, as told and recorded by the Evangelists, is preceded by a series of incidents located in Jerusalem and a collection of parables, sayings and discourses centered on Jesus' divine sonship, the kingdom of God, the Parousia, and Jesus' castigation of the hypocrisy and dark motives of the religious leaders. The observances of the 20

21 first three days of Great Week are rooted in these incidents and sayings. The three days constitute a single liturgical unit. They have the same cycle and system of daily prayer. The Scripture lessons, hymns, commemorations, and ceremonials that make up the festal elements in the respective services of the cycle highlight significant aspects of salvation history, by calling to mind the events that anticipated the Passion and by proclaiming the inevitability and significance of the Parousia. The Orthros of each of these days is called the Service of the Bridegroom (Akolouthia tou Nimfiou). The name comes from the central figure in the well-known parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The title Bridegroom suggests the intimacy of love. It is not without significance that the kingdom of God is compared to a bridal feast and a bridal chamber. The Christ of the Passion is the divine Bridegroom of the Church. The imagery connotes the final union of the Lover and the beloved. The title Bridegroom also suggests the Parousia. In the patristic tradition, the aforementioned parable is related to the Second Coming; and is associated with the need for spiritual vigilance and preparedness, by which we are enabled to keep the divine commandments and receive the blessings of the age to come. The troparion "Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night ", which is sung at the beginning of the Orthros of Great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, relates the worshiping community to that essential expectation: watching and waiting for the Lord, who will come again to judge the living and the dead. Holy Monday On Holy Monday we commemorate Joseph the Patriarch, the beloved son of Jacob. A major figure of the Old Testament, Joseph's story is told in the final section of the Book of Genesis (chs ). Because of his exceptional qualities and remarkable life, our patristic and liturgical tradition portrays Joseph as tipos Christou, i.e., as a prototype, prefigurement or image of Christ. The story of Joseph illustrates the mystery of God's providence, promise and redemption. Innocent, chaste and righteous, his life bears witness to the power of God's love and promise. The lesson to be learned from Joseph's life, as it bears upon the ultimate redemption wrought by the death and resurrection of Christ, is summed up in the words he addressed to his brothers who had previously betrayed him, Fear not... As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he reassured them and comforted them (Genesis 50:19-21). The commemoration of the noble, blessed and saintly Joseph reminds us that in the great events of the Old Testament, the Church recognizes the 21

22 realities of the New Testament. Also, on Great and Holy Monday the Church commemorates the event of the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20). In the Gospel narrative this event is said to have occurred on the morrow of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18 and Mark 11:12). For this reason it found its way into the liturgy of Great Monday. The episode is also quite relevant to Great Week. Together with the event of the cleansing of the Temple this episode is another manifestation of Jesus' divine power and authority and a revelation as well of God's judgment upon the faithlessness of the Jewish religious classes. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel become barren by her failure to recognize and receive Christ and His teachings. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, a symbolic gesture. Its meaning should not be lost on any one in any generation. Christ's judgment on the faithless, unbelieving, unrepentant and unloving will be certain and decisive on the Last Day. This episode makes it clear that nominal Christianity is not only inadequate, it is also despicable and unworthy of God's kingdom. Genuine Christian faith is dynamic and fruitful. It permeates one's whole being and causes a change. Living, true and unadulterated faith makes the Christian conscious of the fact that he is already a citizen of heaven. Therefore, his way of thinking, feeling, acting and being must reflect this reality. Those who belong to Christ ought to live and walk in the Spirit; and the Spirit will bear fruit in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-25). Holy Tuesday On Holy Tuesday the Church calls to remembrance two parables, which are related to the Second Coming. The one is the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-3); the other the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). These parables point to the inevitability of the Parousia and deal with such subjects as spiritual vigilance, stewardship, accountability and judgment. From these parables we learn at least two basic things. First, Judgment Day will be like the situation in which the bridesmaids (or virgins) of the parable found themselves: some ready for it, some not ready. The time one decides for God is now and not at some undefined point in the future. If "time and tide waits for no man," certainly the Parousia is no exception. The tragedy of the closed door is that individuals close it, not God. The exclusion from the marriage feast, the kingdom, is of our own making. Second, we are reminded that watchfulness and readiness do not mean a wearisome, spiritless performance of formal and empty obligations. Most certainly it does not mean inactivity and slothfulness. Watchfulness signifies inner stability, soberness, tranquility and joy. It means spiritual alertness, attentiveness and vigilance. 22

23 Watchfulness is the deep personal resolve to find and do the will of God, embrace every commandment and every virtue, and guard the intellect and heart from evil thoughts and actions. Watchfulness is the intense love of God.. Holy Wednesday On Holy Wednesday the Church invites the faithful to focus their attention on two figures: the sinful woman who anointed the head of Jesus shortly before the passion (Matthew 26:6-13), and Judas, the disciple who betrayed the Lord. The former acknowledged Jesus as Lord, while the latter severed himself from the Master. The one was set free, while the other became a slave. The one inherited the kingdom, while the other fell into perdition. These two people bring before us concerns and issues related to freedom, sin, hell and repentance. The repentance of the sinful harlot is contrasted with the tragic fall of the chosen disciple. The Triodion make is clear that Judas perished, not simply because he betrayed his Master, but because, having fallen into the sin of betrayal, he then refused to believe in the possibility of forgiveness. If we deplore the actions of Judas, we do so not with vindictive self-righteousness but conscious always of our own guilt. In general, all the passages in the Triodion that seem to be directed against the Jews should be understood in this same way. When the Triodion denounces those who rejected Christ and delivered Him to death, we recognize that these words apply not only to others, but to ourselves: for have we not betrayed the Savior many times in our hearts and crucified Him anew? I have transgressed more than the harlot, O loving Lord, yet never have I offered You my flowing tears. But in silence I fall down before You and with love I kiss Your most pure feet, beseeching You as Master to grant me remission of sins; and I cry to You, O Savior: Deliver me from the filth of my works. While the sinful woman brought oil of myrrh, the disciple came to an agreement with the transgressors. She rejoiced to pour out what was very precious, he made haste to sell the One who is above all price. She acknowledged Christ as Lord, he severed himself from the Master. She was set free, but Judas became the slave of the enemy. Grievous was his lack of love. Great was her repentance. Grant such repentance also unto me, O Savior who has suffered for our sake, and save us. 23

24 Great and Holy Thursday Introduction On Thursday of Holy Week four events are commemorated: the washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas. The Institution of the Eucharist At the Mystical Supper in the Upper Room Jesus gave a radically new meaning to the food and drink of the sacred meal. He identified Himself with the bread and wine: "Take, eat; this is my Body. Drink of it all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant" (Matthew 26:26-28). We have learned to equate food with life because it sustains our earthly existence. In the Eucharist the distinctively unique human food - bread and wine - becomes our gift of life. Consecrated and sanctified, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. This change is not physical but mystical and sacramental. While the qualities of the bread and wine remain, we partake of the true Body and Blood of Christ. In the eucharistic meal God enters into such a communion of life that He feeds humanity with His own being, while still remaining distinct. In the words of St. Maximos the Confessor, Christ, "transmits to us divine life, making Himself eatable." The Author of life shatters the limitations of our createdness. Christ acts so that "we might become sharers of divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). The Eucharist is at the center of the Church's life. It is her most profound prayer and principal activity. It is at one and the same time both the source and the summit of her life. In the Eucharist the Church manifests her true nature and is continuously changed from a human community into the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and the People of God. The Eucharist is the pre-eminent sacrament. It completes all the others and recapitulates the entire economy of salvation. Our new life in Christ is constantly renewed and increased by the Eucharist. The Eucharist imparts life and the life it gives is the life of God. In the Eucharist the Church remembers and enacts sacramentally the redemptive event of the Cross and participates in its saving grace. This does not suggest that the Eucharist attempts to reclaim a past event. The Eucharist does not repeat what cannot be repeated. Christ is not slain anew and repeatedly. Rather the eucharistic food is changed concretely and really into the Body and Blood of the Lamb of God, "Who gave Himself up for the life of the world." Christ, the Theanthropos, continually offers Himself to the faithful through the consecrated Gifts, i.e., His very own risen and deified Body, 24

25 which for our sake died once and now lives (Hebrews 10:2; Revelation 1:18). Hence, the faithful come to Church week by week not only to worship God and to hear His word. They come, first of all, to experience over and over the mystery of salvation and to be united intimately to the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Eucharist we receive and partake of the resurrected Christ. We share in His sacrificed, risen and deified Body, "for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal" (Divine Liturgy). In the Eucharist Christ pours into us - as a permanent and constant gift - the Holy Spirit, "Who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God - and if children - then heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). The Washing of the Feet The events initiated by Jesus at the Mystical Supper were profoundly significant. By teaching and giving the disciples His final instructions and praying for them as well, He revealed again His divine Sonship and authority. By establishing the Eucharist, He enshrines to perfection God's most intimate purposes for our salvation, offering Himself as Communion and life. By washing the feet of His disciples, He summarized the meaning of His ministry, manifested His perfect love and revealed His profound humility. The act of the washing of the feet (John 13:2-17) is closely related to the sacrifice of the Cross. Both reveal aspects of Christ's kenosis. While the Cross constitues the ultimate manifestation of Christ's perfect obedience to His Father (Philippians 2:5-8), the washing of the feet signifies His intense love and the giving of Himself to each person according to that person's ability to receive Him (John 13:6-9). Prayer in the Garden The Synoptic Gospels have preserved for us another significant episode in the series of events leading to the Passion, namely, the agony and prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). Although Jesus was Son of God, He was destined as man to accept fully the human condition, to experience suffering and to learn obedience. Divesting Himself of divine prerogatives, the Son of God assumed the role of a servant. He lived a truly human existence. Though He was Himself sinless, He allied Himself with the whole human race, identified with the human predicament, and experienced the same tests (Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 2:9-18). The moving events in the Garden of Gethsemane dramatically and poignantly disclosed the human nature of Christ. The sacrifice He was to endure for 25

26 the salvation of the world was imminent. Death, with all its brutal force and fury, stared directly at Him. Its terrible burden and fear - the calamitous results of the ancestral sin - caused Him intense sorrow and pain (Hebrews 5:7). Instinctively, as man He sought to escape it. He found Himself in a moment of decision. In His agony He prayed to His Father, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). His prayer revealed the depths of His agony and sorrow. It revealed as well His "incomparable spiritual strength (and) immovable desire and decision... to bring about the will of the Father." Jesus offered His unconditional love and trust to the Father. He reached the extreme limits of self-denial "not what I will" - in order to accomplish His Father's will. His acceptance of death was not some kind of stoic passivity and resignation but an act of absolute love and obedience. In that moment of decision, when He declared His acceptance of death to be in agreement with the Father's will, He broke the power of the fear of death with all its attending uncertainties, anxieties and limitations. He learned obedience and fulfilled the divine plan (Hebrews 5:8-9). The Betrayal Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss, the sign of friendship and love. The betrayal and crucifixion of Christ carried the ancestral sin to its extreme limits. In these two acts the rebellion against God reached its maximum capacity. The seduction of man in paradise culminated in the death of God in the flesh. To be victorious evil must quench the light and discredit the good. In the end, however, it shows itself to be a lie, an absurdity and sheer madness. The death and resurrection of Christ rendered evil powerless. On Great Thursday light and darkness, joy and sorrow are so strangely mixed. At the Upper Room and in Gethsemane the light of the kingdom and the darkness of hell come through simultaneously. The way of life and the way of death converge. We meet them both in our journey through life. In the midst of the snares and temptations that abound in the world around and in us we must be eager to live in communion with everything that is good, noble, natural, and sinless, forming ourselves by God's grace in the likeness of Christ. Orthodox Celebration of Holy Thursday Several unique services mark the Orthodox celebration of Holy Thursday. The main service of the day is the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil that is conducted on Holy Thursday morning. This Liturgy commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. 26

27 Holy Chrism In Christian antiquity it was customary to baptize the catechumens on the feast of Pascha. The oils of Chrism, used for the anointing of the neophytes or newly-baptized persons, were consecrated in advance, on Great Thursday. This practice continued through the late middle ages. The service of consecration was conducted annually. In time, however, it began to be celebrated occasionally, as the need to replace the Chrism arose. Holy Chrism is also called Holy Myron. It is a mixture of olive oil, balsam, wine and some forty aromatic substances symbolizing the fullness of sacramental grace, the sweetness of the Christian life, and the manifold and diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit. At the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, and at the centers of other Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches, the Holy Chrism is blessed during the Liturgy on this day. The rite does not take place every year. The Reserved Sacrament By custom two Lambs are consecrated at the Divine Liturgy on Great Thursday. The second Lamb is used as the Reserved Sacrament. The Reserved Sacrament is used especially to give communion to the sick. The Reserved Sacrament from the previous year is consumed by the priest after the Liturgy on either Great Thursday or Great Saturday in the usual manner. In the event the Reserved Sacrament has been exhausted, or for any reason altered, lost or destroyed, or does not exist, as in the case of the founding of a new church, the priest may consecrate a second Lamb at any Divine Liturgy, and prepare it in the manner described above, and place it in the Artophorion. The Service of the Nipter (Washing of the Feet) It appears that the Church had a ceremony of the Washing of the Feet annually on Great Thursday in imitation of the event at the Last Supper. For the most part, it was limited to Cathedral Churches and certain monasteries. In time, the service fell into disuse except in certain areas. It is now being recovered by many dioceses throughout the Orthodox world. The service is elaborate, dramatic and moving. It is conducted with special solemnity at the Pa- 27

28 triarchate of Jerusalem and at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian on the island of Patmos. The service is contained in a separate liturgical book. Introduction Great and Holy Friday On Great and Holy Friday the Orthodox Church commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross. This is the culmination of the observance of His Passion by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins. This commemoration begins on Thursday evening with the Matins of Holy Friday and concludes with a Vespers on Friday afternoon that observes the unnailing of Christ from the Cross and the placement of His body in the tomb. Commemoration of Great and Holy Friday On this day we commemorate the sufferings of Christ: the mockery, the crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the thirst, the vinegar and gall, the cry of desolation, and all the Savior endured on the Cross. The day of Christ's death is the day of sin. The sin which polluted God's creation from the breaking dawn of time reached its frightful climax on the hill of Golgotha. There, sin and evil, destruction and death came into their own. Ungodly men had Him nailed to the Cross, in order to destroy Him. However, His death condemned irrevocably the fallen world by revealing its true and abnormal nature. In Christ, who is the New Adam, there is no sin. And, therefore, there is no death. He accepted death because He assumed the whole tragedy of our life. He chose to pour His life into death, in order to destroy it; and in order to break the hold of evil. His death is the final and ultimate revelation of His perfect obedience and love. He suffered for us the excruciating pain of absolute solitude and alienation - "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" (Mark 15:34). Then, He accepted the ultimate horror of death with the agonizing cry, "It is finished" (John 19:30). His cry was at one and the same time an indication that He was in control of His death and that His work of redemption was accomplished, finished, fulfilled. How strange! While our death is radical unfulfillment, His is total fulfillment. The day of Christ's death has become our true birthday. "Within the mystery of Christ dead and resurrected, death acquires positive value. Even if physical, biological death still appears to reign, it is no longer the final stage in a long 28

29 destructive process. It has become the indispensable doorway, as well as the sure sign of our ultimate Pascha, our passage from death to life, rather than from life to death. From the beginning the Church observed an annual commemoration of the decisive and crucial three days of sacred history, i.e., Great Friday, Great Saturday and Pascha. Great Friday and Saturday have been observed as days of deep sorrow and strict fast from Christian antiquity. Great Friday and Saturday direct our attention to the trial, crucifixion, death and burial of Christ. We are placed within the awesome mystery of the extreme humility of our suffering God. Therefore, these days are at once days of deep gloom as well as watchful expectation. The Author of life is at work transforming death into life: "Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb, that he may give life to those that in their tombs lie dead" (Sticheron of Great Saturday Orthros). Liturgically, the profound and awesome event of the death and burial of God in the flesh is marked by a particular kind of silence, i.e. by the absence of a eucharistic celebration. Great Friday and Great Saturday are the only two days of the year when no eucharistic assembly is held. However, before the twelfth century it was the custom to celebrate the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts on Great Friday. The divine services of Great Friday with the richness of their ample Scripture lessons, superb hymnography and vivid liturgical actions bring the passion of Christ and its cosmic significance into sharp focus. The hymns of the services on this day help us to see how the Church understands and celebrates the awesome mystery of Christ's passion and death. Holy Saturday Introduction On Great and Holy Saturday the Orthodox Church commemorates the burial of Christ and His descent into Hades. It is the day between the Crucifixion of our Lord and His glorious Resurrection. The Matins of Holy Saturday is conducted on Friday evening, and while many elements of the service represent mourning at the death and burial of Christ, the service itself is one of watchful expectation. Commemoration of Holy Saturday On Great and Holy Saturday the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord's descent into Hades, the place of the dead. Death, our ultimate enemy, is defeated from within. "He (Christ) gave Himself as a ransom to death in which we were held captive, sold under sin. Descending into Hades through the Cross... He loosed the bonds of death" (Liturgy of St. Basil). 29

30 On Great Saturday our focus is on the Tomb of Christ. This is no ordinary grave. It is not a place of corruption, decay and defeat. It is life-giving, a source of power, victory and liberation. Great Saturday is the day between Jesus' death and His resurrection. It is the day of watchful expectation, in which mourning is being transformed into joy. The day embodies in the fullest possible sense the meaning of xarmolipi - joyful-sadness, which has dominated the celebrations of Great Week. The hymnographer of the Church has penetrated the profound mystery, and helps us to understand it through the following poetic dialogue that he has devised between Jesus and His Mother: "Weep not for me, O Mother, beholding in the sepulcher the Son whom thou hast conceived without seed in thy womb. For I shall rise and shall be glorified, and as God I shall exalt in everlasting glory those who magnify thee with faith and love." "O Son without beginning, in ways surpassing nature was I blessed at Thy strange birth, for I was spared all travail. But now beholding Thee, my God, a lifeless corpse, I am pierced by the sword of bitter sorrow. But arise, that I may be magnified." "By mine own will the earth covers me, O Mother, but the gatekeepers of hell tremble as they see me, clothed in the bloodstained garment of vengeance: for on the Cross as God have I struck down mine enemies, and I shall rise again and magnify thee." "Let the creation rejoice exceedingly, let all those born on earth be glad: for hell, the enemy, has been despoiled. Ye women, come to meet me with sweet spices: for I am delivering Adam and Eve with all their offspring, and on the third day I shall rise again." (9th Ode of the Canon) Great Saturday is the day of the pre-eminent rest. Christ observes a Sabbath rest in the tomb. His rest, however, is not inactivity but the fulfillment of the divine will and plan for the salvation of humankind and the cosmos. He who brought all things into being, makes all things new. The re-creation of the world has been accomplished once and for all. Through His incarnation, life and death Christ has filled all things with Himself He has opened a path for all flesh to the resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible that the author of life would be dominated by corruption. Saint Paul tells us that: "God was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Hence, eternal life - real and self-generating - penetrated the depths of Hades. Christ who is the life of all destroyed death by His death. That is why the Church sings joyously "Things now are filled with light, the heaven and the earth and all that is beneath the earth" (Canon of Pascha). The Church knows herself to be "the place, the eternal reality, where the presence of Christ vanquishes Satan, hell and death itself. The solemn observance of Great Saturday help us to recall and celebrate the great truth that "despite 30

31 the daily vicissitudes and contradictions of history and the abiding presence of hell within the human heart and human society," life has been liberated! Christ has broken the power of death. It is not without significance that the icon of the Resurrection in our Church is the Descent of Christ into Hades, the place of the dead. This icon depicts a victorious Christ, reigned in glory, trampling upon death, and seizing Adam and Eve in His hands, plucking them from the abyss of hell. This icon expresses vividly the truths resulting from Christ's defeat of death by His death and Resurrection. 31

32 STEWARDSHIP PRAYER In the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen. Lord Jesus Christ our God, accept our offerings as You have accepted the gifts of Your people throughout the ages. We offer these gifts to Your glory, for the support of the ministries of Your Holy Church, for the alleviation of suffering and hunger, and for the proclamation of Your Gospel to the whole world. Grant us Your blessing, Lord our Savior, that we may always be faithful stewards, continuing to share the gifts you have given us, by the power of Your grace, mercy and love. May Your name be glorified forever. Amen STEWARDSHIP 94 Stewards Pledging $87,410. Paid to date $36, Friends of St. Katherine have paid $9,698. [For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34 THE JESUS PRAYER Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱέ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν. (τὴν ἁμαρτωλόν if prayed by a female) Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.