Holy Ascension Parish,

Transcription

1 Holy Ascension Parish, Newsletter for January Nativity of Our Lord THE HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH is the Washington, DC, parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), under the omophor (the conciliar leadership) of Metropolitan Agafangel (Pashkovsky), Bishop of Odessa & Taurida. The Holy Ascension Parish was organized on Ascension Day, 17 May BISHOPS & LOCAL CLERGY Metropolitan Agafangel, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, and Bishop of Odessa & Taurida Vicar Bishop Joseph (Hrebinka) of Washington Father Andrew Frick, priest Father John Hinton, priest Seraphim Englehardt, subdeacon John Herbst, subdeacon ADDRESS 3921 University Drive, Fairfax VA

2 Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Fairfax, VA Part 1. Our Parish. The Holy Ascension parish welcomes all Orthodox people to its sacraments and welcomes all people with an interest in Christianity and the abiding Tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church. The immediate Holy Ascension parish member background is Russian émigré and American, with many other English-speaking members. Members, visitors, and people in touch online come from all ethnicities. The Church is One Part 2. Holy Days of January. Monday, January 7, Nativity Of Our Lord. Gospel Sources. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus is a feast day based on events in the two complementary Gospels of St. Luke and of St. Matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts. The two canonical Gospels describe Our Lord Jesus being born in Bethlehem, in Judaea, to a Virgin Mother. St. Luke features the endearing family details of the Christmas story, in which St. Joseph and St. Mary, as part of a census, travel to Bethlehem, where the Lord Jesus is born and laid in a manger. Angels proclaim Him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him. St. Matthew more directly addresses a Jewish audience and stresses the relationship of the families of St Joseph and St Mary to the lineage of King David. He shows wise men following a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Lord Jesus, born the King of the Jews. King Herod is said to massacre all the small boys in Bethlehem in order to kill the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Family flees to Egypt and much later settles into a home in Nazareth. These two Gospels were written primarily as theological documents rather than time lines. Traditional Christian scholars maintain that the two accounts do not contradict each other. 2

3 Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, January 2013 Preparation. The 40 days leading up to Christmas make the period of Orthodox Nativity Fast whereas many non-orthodox Christians observe the liturgical season called Advent during the four Sundays before Christmas. Both seasons emphasize spiritual cleansing and renewal. Nativity Icon Dating. During the 1 st and 2 d centuries, the Lord s Day (Sunday) was the earliest Christian celebration. It included a number of theological themes. In the 2 d century, the Resurrection of Jesus became a separate Easter feast, and in the same century Theophany began to be celebrated in the Churches of the East on January 6. The festival of the Nativity that later turned into Christmas started as a 4 th -century feast in the Western Church, notably in Rome and North Africa. The earliest source to specify December 25 as the date was written by Hippolytus of Rome ( ) very early in the 3 d century, as based on the Conception of the Lord Jesus at the Spring equinox that he placed on March 25, plus nine months. By the middle of the 4 th century, the Christian churches of the East celebrated the birth and baptism of Jesus on the same day, on January 6, while those in the West celebrated a Nativity feast on December 25 (influenced perhaps by the winter solstice). By the last quarter of the 4 th century, the calendars of both areas included both feasts. 3

4 Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Fairfax, VA The earliest suggestions of a Feast of Baptism of Jesus on January 6 during the 2 d century comes from St. Clement of Alexandria, but it enjoys no further mention until 361. In a sermon then delivered in Antioch on December 25, c. 386, St. John Chrysostom adds provides some specific information about the feast there, stating that it had existed for about 10 years. Pope Leo I of Rome established a Feast of the Mystery of Incarnation in the 5 th century, in effect as the first formal Feast for the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus. The December 25, 451, sermon demonstrates his concern to promote observance of the Nativity feast. In the 6 th century, Emperor Justinian finally declared the Nativity to be a legal holiday. Significance. Christian theology sees the Nativity of the Lord Jesus as the His Incarnation as the second Adam, in fulfillment of the divine will of God, undoing the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. The Orthodox interpretation of the incarnation is that God became Man so that Mankind could become more Godlike. The chief non-orthodox interpretation of the Incarnation and Nativity is that God Became Man so that a Social Equal of God could pay the legal price for forgiveness of man s sins. This western and judicial, interpretation took its Scholastic expression within the framework of European feudalism. The interpretation persists in contemporary Protestant as well as Catholic discussion. Early Christians also viewed Jesus the Christ as Kyrios the Lord, rather than the Christchild, and the word Kyrios appears over 700 times in the New Testament, assuming the Old Testament attributes of an omnipotent God. The use of the term Kyrios, and hence the Lordship of Jesus, predated the Pauline epistles that expanded and elaborated on that topic. Among early Christians, the Kyrios role meant not only to his eschatological victory, but also the divine image in whose face shines the Glory of God. This image persisted among Christians as the predominant perception of the Lord Jesus for centuries. More than any other title, Kyrios defined the relationship between Jesus and those who believed in him as Christ: Jesus was their Lord and Master who was to be served with all their hearts and who would one day judge their actions throughout their lives. The lordship attributes associated with the Kyrios image of Jesus also implied his power over all creation. St. Paul then looked back and reasoned that the final Lordship of Jesus was prepared from 4

5 Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, January 2013 the very beginning, starting with pre-existence and the Nativity, based on his obedience as the image of God. Very slowly the Kyrios image of Jesus became supplemented with the more tender image of Jesus implicit in the Gospel of St. Luke. Saturday, January 19, Theophany. Orthodox Christians celebrate the Theophany of Jesus Christ as one of the Great Feasts. Theophany means the showing forth of God, as in the Old Testament Theophanies of the Burning Bush and on Mount Sinai. The specific January 6 feast, however, commemorates the Baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist, another theophany. In some Orthodox service books, Theophany is also called Epiphany and the Feast of Lights. The term as used in the West emphasizes the Visit of the Biblical Wise Men to the Christchild, the Lord Jesus, and thus Jesus physical manifestation to the Gentiles, rather than His Baptism in the Jordan and his revelation as Kyrios, the Son of God. Russian Theophany Icon, Baptism in the Jordan River, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, The Eve of the Theophany Feast is called Paramony in Greek, and Navechérie in Slavonic ). Paramony is a strict fast day, on which those faithful who are physically able, refrain from food until the first star is observed in the evening, when a meal with wine and oil may be taken. On this day the Royal Hours are celebrated, thus tying together the Feasts of Nativity and Good Friday. The Royal Hours are followed by the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, which combines Vespers with the Divine Liturgy. During the Vespers, 15 Old Testament lections are read that foreshadow the Baptism of Christ, 5

6 Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Fairfax, VA chanted with special antiphons. The Baptism of Christ is celebrated in Kalofer, Bulgaria (about 150 kilometers east of Sofia) in the icy waters of the Tundzha River, with dancing, singing, and music. The Orthodox Churches perform the Great Blessing of Waters on Theophany. The blessing is normally done twice: once on the Eve of the Feast, usually at a baptismal font inside the church, and then again on the day of the feast, outdoors at a body of water. Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and people go in a Crucession (procession with the cross) to the nearest body of moving water. At the end of the ceremony the priest will bless the waters and volunteer swimmers may try to recover the cross. In Russia, where the winters are severe, a hole will be cut into the ice so that the waters may be blessed. The cross is not cast into the water, but is held securely by the priest and dipped three times into the water. Theophany Water is taken home by the faithful, and used with prayer as a blessing. People will bless themselves and their homes by sprinkling Theophany Water, and also drink some of it. Theophany is a traditional day for Baptisms. House Blessings. On Theophany the priest will begin making the round of the parishioner s homes to bless them. He will perform a short prayer service in each home, and then go through the entire house, gardens and outside-buildings, blessing them with the newly blessed Theophany Water, while all sing the Troparion and Kontakion of the feast. This is normally done on Theophany, or at least during the Afterfeast, but if the parishioners are numerous, and especially 6

7 Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, January 2013 if many live far away from the church, it may take some time to bless each house. Traditionally, these blessings should all be finished before the beginning of Great Lent). Afterfeast. The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day Afterfeast on which the normal fasting laws are suspended. The Saturday and Sunday after Theophany have special readings assigned to them, which relate to the Temptation of Christ and to penance and perseverance in the Christian struggle. There is thus a liturgical continuum between the Feast of Theophany and the beginning of Great Lent. Part 3. Liturgies During the Civil Month of January All Sunday liturgies begin at 10:00 am. A luncheon buffet follows all Sunday liturgies. Volunteers may offer help with cooking at home and any final preparation at the church. Currently a regular schedule also designates a family that is responsible for cleaning the church after the services. The duty is for one month at a time. If you wish to volunteer, please speak to the warden/starosta, Mr. Gontscharov. Friday, January 4, Royal Hours at 9 am. Friday, January 4, Vespers & Matins at 6:30 pm. Saturday, January 5, Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 8:40 am. Fast Day: Fish, wine, & oil allowable. Saturday, January 5, Vigil at 5 pm. Fast Day: Fish, wine, & oil allowable. Sunday, January 6, Eve of the Nativity of Christ, Hours & Divine Liturgy Followed by Great Vespers at 9:40 am. Strict Fast. 7

8 Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Fairfax, VA Monday, January 7, Nativity of Christ, Hours & Divine Liturgy of St Basil at 9:40 am. Saturday, January 12, Vigil at 5 pm. Sunday, January 13, Thirty-second Sunday After Pentecost, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 9:40 am. Afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ, Righteous David the King, St. Joseph the Betrothed, and St. James the Brother of the Lord. Sunday, January 13, Vigil at 5 pm. Monday, January 14, Circumcision of Christ, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 8:40 am. Friday, January 18, Eve of Theophany, Royal Hours & Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at 8 am. Friday, January 18, Great Compline & Matins at 6:30 pm. Saturday, January 19, Theophany, Hours, Divine Liturgy, & Great Blessing of Water, at 8:40 am. Saturday, January 19, Vigil at 6:30 pm. Sunday, January 20, Thirty-third Sunday After Pentecost, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 9:40 am. Synaxis of St. John the Baptist Wednesday, January 23, Vespers & Akathist at 6 pm. Saturday, January 26, Vigil at 5 pm. Sunday, January 27, Thirty-fourth Sunday After Pentecost, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 9:40 am. St. Nina. St. Savvas of Serbia. Wednesday, January 30, Vespers & Akathist at 6 pm. Saturday, February 2, Vigil at 5 pm. Sunday, February 3, Thirty-fifth Sunday After Pentecost, Hours & Divine Liturgy at 9:40 am. St, Maximus, Martyr Neophytus. Please send questions and corrections to the newsletter preparer-- Patrick Brown hpcjfbrown@cox.net. 8