This Week’s FasTssunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday saturday

Christ is Risen!May 8th, 2011 • 3rd Sunday of Pascha • Sunday of the Myrrhbearers

Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the TheologianVen. Arsenius the Great (449-450). Ven. Arseny the Lover-of-Labor (14th c.) and Pimen the Ascetic, of the Kiev Caves (Far Caves—12th c.).

St. Emilia, mother of Sts. Basil the Great, Macrina, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste and Gregory of Nyssa.

Announcements May God grant Many Years to all the mothers of this parish, especially Linda who

celebrates her Namesday today. Remember the members of the Lynn and Beal family as they visit Greece this Summer. Fr. Basil will begin teaching a study of Corinthians this Wednesday after a brief ten

minute Compline service at 4 p.m.

St. Luke Orthodox Christian ChurchDiocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America

The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/

basilncana@yahoo.com • (256) 235-3893

Week ScheduleMon, 5/9 Tues, 5/10 Wed, 5/11 Thurs, 5/12 Fri, 5/13 saT, 5/14 sun, 5/15

No ServiceS

Matins 8 a.m.

compline 4 p.m.

Matins8 a.m.

Matins8 a.m.

vespers4 p.m.

Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m.

Acts 6:8-7:5,47-60

Acts 8:5-17 Acts 8:18-25 Acts 8:26-39 Acts 8:40-9:19 Acts 9:20-31 Acts 9:32-42

John 4:46-54 John 6:27-33 John 6:35-39 John 6:40-44 John 6:48-54 John 15:17-16:2 John 5:1-15

1 cor. 4:9-16 heb. 7:26-8:2

Matt 13:54-58 Matt 5:14-19

St. christopher/ Prophet Isaiah

Apostle Simon the Zealot

Sts. cyril & Methodius

St. ethelhard of canterbury

Martyr Glykeria

St Serapion the Ascetic

Sunday of the Paralytic

Service times are subject to change. Please check with Fr. Basil if in any doubt.

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Great Vespers“Lord, i Call”

sunday (Tone 2)Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!Come, let us worship the Word of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, and incarnate of the Virgin Mary! Having endured the Cross, He was buried as He Himself desired and having risen from the dead, He saved me, an erring man.

The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.Christ our Savior nailed to the Cross the bond against us, He voided it and destroyed the dominion of death. We fall down before His Resurrection on the third day.

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!

With the Archangels, let us praise the Resurrection of Christ! He is our Savior, our Redeemer! He is coming with awesome glory and mighty power to judge the world which He made.

sunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 2)Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!

Early in the morning, the Myrrhbearing Women brought spices to the tomb of the Lord. They found the stone unexpectedly rolled away, and they asked among themselves: “Where are the seals of the tomb? Where are Pilate’s guards?” The radiant Angel came to the wondering women and proclaimed to them: “Why do you seek, weeping, the Life Who gives life to the human race? Christ our God has risen from the dead as almighty, granting us incorruption, life, enlighten-ment and great mercy!”

If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? For with Thee is propitiation.

O women disciples, why do you mix myrrh with tears? The stone is gone; the tomb is empty; corruption is destroyed by life! The seals witness that the guards have watched in vain. Mortal nature has been saved by the flesh of God. Hell is wailing. Go with joy, and proclaim to the Apostles: “Christ has slain death as the first-born of the dead. He awaits you in Galilee!”

For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.

The Myrrhbearers came early to Your tomb, O Christ, seeking to anoint Your most pure Body. Enlightened by the Angel’s words, they proclaimed the joyous news to the Apostles: “The Leader of our salvation has been raised; He has captured death, giving the world eternal life and great mercy!”

sT. John the Theologian (Tone 1)From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in

the Lord!The beholder of ineffable revelations, the recounter of the highest mysteries of God, the son of Zebedee who set down in writing the Gospel of Christ, hath taught us to theologize concerning the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.The beholder of ineffable revelations…

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!The harp of heavenly songs played by God, the record-er of mysteries, the divinely eloquent mouth, doth beautifully chant the hymn of hymns; for moving his lips as though they were strings, and using his tongue as a plectrum, he prayeth that we be saved.For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of

the Lord remaineth forever.Proclaiming with thy thunderous tongue the hidden Word of Divine Wisdom, O beloved of God, thou ever criest out, continually moving thy lips: “In the begin-ning was the Word!” and thou instructest every man in the knowledge of God.

sunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 6)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

The Myrrhbearing Women reached Your tomb and saw the seals of the tomb broken. They wept as they did not find Your most pure body: “Who has stolen our hope? Who has taken the dead One, naked and anointed, the sole consolation of His Mother? How can the Life of the dead have died? How can the Capturer of hell have been buried? But arise in three days as You said, O Sav-ior, and save our souls!”

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dogMaTikon (Tone 2)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The shadow of the Law passed when Grace came. As the Bush burned, yet was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth, yet remained a Virgin. The Righteous Sun has risen instead of a pillar of flame! Instead of Moses, Christ, the Salvation of our souls.

old Testament readingssT. John the Theologian

The first Catholic Epistle of John (3:21-4:6)My beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that con-fesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Here-by know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The first Catholic Epistle of John (4:11-16)My beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testifY that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and

he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

The first Catholic Epistle of John (4:20-5:5)My beloved, if a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his command-ments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that over-cometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

apostichasunday (Tone 2)

Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior, has enlight-ened the whole universe, recalling Thy creation. Glory to Thee, O Almighty Lord!

PasChaLet God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate

Him flee from before His face!Today, a sacred Pascha is revealed to us: a new and holy Pascha, a mystical Pascha, a Pascha worthy of veneration, a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer, a blameless Pascha, a great Pascha, a Pascha of the faith-ful, a Pascha which has opened to us the gates of Para-dise, a Pascha which sanctifies all the faithful.As smoke vanishes so let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire!Come from that scene, O women bearers of glad tid-ings, and say to Zion: “Receive from us the glad tid-ings of joy, of Christ’s Resurrection! Exult and be glad, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, seeing Christ the King, Who comes forth from the tomb like a bridegroom in procession!”So the sinners will perish before the face of God. But let the

righteous be glad!

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The myrrh-bearing women, at the break of dawn, drew near to the tomb of the Life-giver. There they found an Angel sitting upon the stone. He greeted them with these words: “Why do you seek the Living among the dead? Why do you mourn the Incorrupt amid corrup-tion? Go, proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples!”

This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Pascha of beauty, the Pascha of the Lord, A Pascha worthy of honor has dawned for us. Pascha! Let us em-brace each other joyously! Pascha, ransom from afflic-tion! For today, as from a bridal chamber, Christ has shown forth from the tomb, and filled the women with joy saying: “Proclaim the glad tidings to the Apostles!”

sT. John the Theologian (Tone 6)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

O Apostle of Christ, Evangelist and divine Teacher, you were an initiate of ineffable things. You made teachings plain to the faithful, as you thundered forth to us: “In the beginning was the Word!” Casting aside the words of heretics who said: “He was not!” You were openly the bosom friend and beloved, like the prophet Isaiah, and Moses, who saw God. As you have boldness before Him, never cease to pray for our souls!

sunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 5)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Joseph, together with Nicodemus, took You down from the Tree, Who clothe Yourself with light as with a gar-ment. He gazed on Your body – dead, naked, and unbur-ied, and, in grief and tender compassion, he lamented:

“Woe is me, my sweetest Jesus! A short while ago, the sun beheld You hanging on the Cross, and it hid itself in

darkness. The earth quaked in fear at the sight. The veil of the Temple was torn in two. Now I see You willingly submit to death for our sake. How shall I bury You, O my God? How can I wrap You in a shroud? How can I touch Your most pure body with my hands? What songs can I sing for Your exodus, O compassionate One? I mag-nify Your Passion. I glorify Your burial, and Your holy Resurrection, crying, ‘O Lord, glory to You!’”

Tropariasunday (Tone 2)

When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the lightning flash of Thy divinity. And when from the nether regions Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: O Giver of Life, Christ our God, Glory to Thee.

sT. John the Theologian (Tone 2)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

Beloved Apostle of Christ our God, hasten to deliver a defenseless people! He who allowed you to recline on His breast, receives you as you bow before Him. Im-plore Him, John the Theologian, to dispense the per-sistent threat from the heathens, entreating for us peace and great mercy!

resurrectional dismissal Theotokion (Tone 2)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

For our sake Thou wast born of the Virgin and endured crucifixion, O Good One, destroying death by death and revealing the Resurrection as God. Do not despise the work of Thy hand! Reveal Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One! Accept the Theotokos who is praying for us, and save the despairing people, O our Savior!

When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always, that God the Trinity looks upon

you with eyes brighter than the sun; also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, and where God is, there are they also. Where the sun is, thither also are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means.”

St. John of Kronstadt (1829–1908)

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Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostombeatitude Verses

sundayBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of

Heaven.We offer Thee the voice of the thief and cry aloud to Thee; ‘Remember us, O Savior in Thy kingdom.’

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.We bring Thee the Cross for the forgiveness of offences. For us hast Thou accepted it, O Lover of mankind.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.We venerate, O Master, Thy tomb and Thy rising, through which Thou hast delivered the world from corruption, O lover of mankind.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

By Thy death, O Lord, death has been swallowed up, and by Thy resurrection, Savior, has the world been saved.

sunday of the MyrrhbearersBlessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

When you arose, O Christ, the bars and gates of Hell were smashed, and the bonds of death immediately untied, through fear of your might.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.When you arose, O Christ, the bars and gates of Hell were smashed, and the bonds of death immediately untied, through fear of your might.Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Joseph, who received God, come, stand with us and cry, ‘He has risen, Jesus the Redeemer, who raised Adam in his compassion!’

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let the twelve Disciples rejoice with us, with the Myr-rhbearing women, with Joseph and Christ’s other Dis-ciples, men and women.

sT. John the Theologian

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.Truly your theologian’s tongue was like the pen of a swift writer, writing well true knowledge and a brand new law, O Theologian, on the tables of our hearts.Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.As a skilled husbandman, wither up at their roots the plants of impiety, glorious Apostle, and plant in my soul the fear of God, which makes the fair fruit of vir-tues thrive.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…The One who came forth from a Virgin clearly named you her son. With her implore that all who do what is well-pleasing may be named sons of God by adoption.

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.From you, O all-blameless, God was made known to mortals in the likeness of flesh. Ever implore him, O All-holy, to slay the de structive thoughts of our flesh.

Tropariasunday (Tone 2)

When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the lightning flash of Thy di-vinity. And when from the nether regions Thou didst raise the dead, all the powers of heaven cried out: ‘O Giver of Life, Christ our God, Glory to Thee.’

sT. JosePh of arimathea (Tone 2)The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Your most pure Body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb. But You rose on the third day, O Lord, granting the world great mercy.

sunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 2)The angel came to the myrrhbearing women at the tomb and said: ‘Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger.’

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sT. John the evangelist (Tone 2)Beloved Apostle of Christ our God, hasten to deliver a defenseless people! He who allowed you to recline on His breast, receives you as you bow before Him. Im-plore Him, John the Theologian, to dispense the per-sistent threat from the heathens, entreating for us peace and great mercy!

kontakiasT. John the evangelist (Tone 2)

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…Who shall declare your greatness, O virgin disciple, for you pour forth wonders and are a source of healings, and pray for our souls as theologian and friend of Christ.

sunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 2)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

You commanded the Myrrhbearers to rejoice, O Christ God. By Your Resurrection, You stopped the lamentation of Eve, the first mother. You commanded them to preach to Your Apostles: The Savior is risen from the tomb.

Prokeimenonsunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 6)

O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance!

Vs: To Thee, O Lord, will I call; O my God, keep Thou not silent toward me!

sT. John the evangelist (Tone 8)Vs: Their sound is gone forth into all the earth, and their sayings to the ends of the universe.

epistle readingsunday of the MyrrhbearersThe Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-7)

In those days, when the number tof the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were ne-glected in the daily mlnlstratlon. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying

pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parme-nas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God in-creased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

sT. John the evangelist

The first Catholic Epistle of John (1:1-7)That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of1ifc; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eter-nal life, which was with the Father, and was manifest-ed unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

alleluia Versessunday of the Myrrhbearers (Tone 8)

O Lord, Thou hast been gracious to Thine land; Thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob.

Vs: Mercy and truth have met, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

sT. John the evangelist (Tone 1)Vs: The heavens will confess Thy wonders, O Lord; Thy truth in the church of the saints.

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gospel readingsunday of the Myrrhbearers

The Gospel according to St. Mark (15:43-16:8)At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself look-ing for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were say-ing to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them,

“Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and

astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

sT. John the evangelist

The Gospel according to St. John (19:25-27; 21:24-25)At that time, standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag’dalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

TheotokionPasCha

The Angel cried to the Lady, full of grace: “Rejoice, O pure Virgin! Again, I say: ‘Rejoice, thy Son is ris-en from His three days in the tomb! With Himself He has raised all the dead.’” Rejoice, O ye people!

Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem! The glory of the Lord has shone on thee! Exult now, and be glad, O Zion! Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resur-rection of thy Son!

However hard I try, I find it impossible to construct anything greater than these three words, ‘Love one another’ —only to the end,

and without exceptions: then all is justified and life is illumined, whereas otherwise it is an abomination and a burden.”

Mother Maria of Paris (1891–1945)

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Tsunday of the Myrrhbearers

The Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women falls on the second Sunday following Pascha. The Myrrh-bearers had brought funeral spices and ointments to finish commiting Christ’s body to the grave. They were the first to see the empty tomb and were in-structed by the risen Lord to bring the joyful news to the apostles. Sts. Joseph of Ari-mathea and Nicodemus are also commemorated on this day.There are eight women who are generally identified as the myrrh-bearers. Each of the four Gospels gives a dif-ferent aspect of the roles of these eight women at the cross and at the tomb on Easter morning, perhaps since the eight women arrived in different groups and at dif-ferent times. The eight are:

• Mary Magdalene

• Mary, the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary)

• Joanna

• Salome

• Mary the wife of Cleopas (or Alphaeus)

• Susanna

• Mary of Bethany

• Martha of Bethany

Of the eight, the first five are the more prominent and outspoken. The last three are included according to tra-dition. Five of these women were also very wealthy; the women of means were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Su-sanna, and Mary and Martha of Bethany.

A confusing aspect in Gospel references to these women is that two of the Marys had a son named James. Mary, the wife of Alphaeus, was the mother of James, one of the Twelve Apostles; the Virgin Mary was the step-mother of James, the Lord’s brother (Matthew 13:55, Galatians 1:19).

In Western tradition, James, the son of Alphaeus, and James, the Lord’s brother, have sometimes been identi-fied as the same person. In Eastern tradition, James, the Lord’s brother was Bishop of Jerusalem from 30-62 AD and never left the vicinity of Jerusalem. He is the James who rendered the decision of the council of Jeru-salem in 48 AD (Acts 15:13-19). Eastern Tradition links James, the son of Alphaeus, with evangelism abroad, especially in Egypt where he was martyred.

One helpful tip that can clear up the confusion between these two Marys is the passage that refers to the Virgin Mary as the mother of James and Joseph (Matthew 13:55). This Joseph is also called Barsabas, Justus, and Judas (Acts 1:23 and 15:22). Therefore, in Matthew 27:56, the women looking on from afar at the cross were Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary (that is, Mary the mother of James and Joseph), and Salome (the wife of Zebedee and the Virgin Mary’s step-daughter).

Matthew refers to Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary,” who is probably the Virgin Mary also from the context (Matthew 27:61 and 28:1). Such Church Fathers as St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Gregory Palamas support this interpretation. Similarly, St. Gregory of Nyssa identifies “Mary, the mother of James” (Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10) as the Virgin Mary also.

These eight women had been together a lot during Jesus’ three-year public ministry. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others (Luke 8:3) are described as providing for Jesus out of their possessions (that is, acting as deaconesses). These same women had faithfully followed him from Galilee and had come up with him to Jerusalem (Matthew 27:55, Mark 15:40-41, and Luke 23:55).

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T

B

The holy apostle and evangelist John the TheologianThe Church commemorates St John on this day because of the an-nual pilgrimage to his grave. When St John was more than one hun-dred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disci-ples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. Each year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. St John’s main Feast is on September 26.

sts. Cyril and Methodios Born in Thessalonica, Saint Methodios was a military man before becoming a monk on Mount Olympus. His brother Constantine, known as the Philosopher because of his erudition, was Librarian at the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople; he later became a monk with the name of Cyril. The Emperor Michael sent him with his brother Methodios to the Khazars in response to their petition for teachers to ex-pound to them the Christian Faith. On their way, they stayed in Cherson, where they re-covered from the Black Sea the relics of Saint Clement of Rome. Later, they were called by Prince Rostislav of Moravia to instruct his people in the Orthodox Faith (Saint Rostislav died a martyr’s death and is celebrated Oct. 15). The Saints devised an alphabet for the Slavs, and used it to translate the Greek books into the lan-guage of the people.

In their apostolic labours throughout the Balkans, the holy brothers were slandered by certain Germanic bish-ops who opposed the use of the vernacular in the church services. Summoned to court at Rome in 867, they presented their Slavonic translations to Pope Adri-an II, who received them with love and full approval.

Two years later, Saint Cyril reposed in Rome on Febru-ary 14 and was buried in the Church of Saint Clement. Saint Methodios was made Bishop of Moravia, but at the intrigues of certain Latin clergy, was cast into prison by the “Holy Roman Emperor” (the Germanic Emperor of the West), where he was cruelly tormented for some three years. In 874, through the defence of Pope John

VIII, he was freed and made Archbishop of Moravia.

Because he reproved the lax morals of the German priests in Moravia, he was soon accused of heresy by them, and was forbidden to celebrate the Liturgy in Slavonic. Sum-moned to Rome again in 879, he was completely exoner-ated and allowed once again to use the Slavonic tongue for the divine services. He reposed on April 6, 885.

Troparia in the Fourth ToneSince ye were equal in character to the Apostles, and teach-ers of the Slavic lands, O divinely-wise Cyril and Metho-dios, pray to the Lord of all to strengthen all nations in Orthodoxy and unity of thought, to convert and reconcile the world to God, and to save our souls.

kontakion in the Third ToneLet us honour our sacred pair of enlighteners, who, by translating the divine writings, have poured forth for us a well-spring of divine knowledge from which we draw abundantly even unto this day: We call you blessed, O Cyril and Methodios, ye that stand before the throne of the Most High and intercede fervently for our souls.

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The Orthodox Faith > Doctrine > The Symbol of Faith

Jesus ChristThe fundamental confession of Christians about their Master is this: Jesus Christ is Lord. It begins in the gospel when Jesus himself asks his disciples who they think that He is:

But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt 16:16).

Jesus is the Christ. This is the first act of faith which men must make about Him. At His birth, the child of Mary is given the name Jesus, which means liter-ally Saviour (in Hebrew Joshua, the name also of Mo-ses’ successor who crossed the Jordan River and led the chosen people into the promised land). “You will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31). It is this Jesus who is the Christ, which means the Anointed, the Messiah of Israel. Jesus is the Messiah, the one promised to the world through Abraham and his children.

But who is the Messiah? This is the second question, one also asked by Christ in the gospels-this time not to his disciples, but to those who were taunting him and trying to catch him in his words. “Who is the Messiah?” he asked them, not because they could answer or really wished to know, but in order to silence them and to begin the inauguration of “the hour” for which he had come: the hour of the world’s salvation.

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question saying, “What do you think of the Christ (i.e., the Messiah)? Whose Son is he?

They said to him, “The Son of Da-vid.”

He said to them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, say-ing The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I put thy enemies under thy feet”

(Ps 110). If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more ques-tions (Matt 22:41-46).

After Jesus’ resurrection, inspired by the same Holy Spirit who inspired David, the apostles and all mem-bers of the Church understood the meaning of his words. Jesus is the Christ. And the Christ is the Lord. This is the mystery of Jesus Christ the Messiah, namely that He is the One and Only Lord, identified with the God Yahweh of the Old Testament.

We saw already how Yahweh was always called Adonai, the Lord, by the people of Israel. In the Greek Bible the very word Yahweh was not even written. Instead, where the word Yahweh was written in Hebrew, and where the Jews said Adonai, the Lord, the Greek Bible simply wrote Kyrios—the Lord. Thus, the Son of David, which was an-other way of saying the Messiah, is called Kyrios, the Lord.

For the Jews, and indeed for the first Christians, the term Lord was proper to God alone: “God is the Lord

and has revealed Himself unto us” (Ps 11:8). This Lord and God is Yahweh; and

it is Jesus the Messiah as well. For although Jesus claims that

“the Father is greater than I” ( Jn 14:28), he claims as well: “I and the Father are one” ( Jn 10:30).

Believing in “One Lord Jesus Christ” is the prime confession of faith for which the first Christians

were willing to die. For it is the confession which claims the

identity of Jesus with the Most High God.

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A Romanian monk feeding the pigeons.