Sun 8 Apr 2007
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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Holy Pascha Week
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Sat 7 Apr 2007
Bright Saturday
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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We spent the entire night yesterday in the church praising our Lord Jesus Christ, ending with the Divine Liturgy at dawn. Throughout the week, the church was teaching us through the prophecies, gospels and sermons but last night that all changed. All the readings, hymns and prayers were focused on praising our Lord Jesus Christ as we “pass over” from death to life. We also read the Book of Revelation in its entirety. Truly it is a glorious day.
By reading the Book of Revelation, we are reminded of the Lord’s coming. We remember His amazing resurrection from the dead and His second coming. This mysterious book also encapsulates the entire Bible into one. As the entire week of Pascha was full of prophecies from the Old Testament, this last day is full of prophecies from the New Testament.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful books in the Holy Bible, for it was given from God the Father, to Christ, to an angel, to John. It is a book of symbols and mystery, a book in which the past, present and future unite. There is victory, death and pain.
Taken from page 495 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.†- Revelation 3:21-22 NKJV
Fri 6 Apr 2007
Pascha Thursday and Great Friday
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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We spend almost the entire day in the church on Thursday and Friday, so I can’t write much. Below are two great links with excerpts from the church fathers. If you want a peak at what our service is like, we will be streaming live video and audio from 8am to 6pm EST today.
Treasures of the Fathers: Pascha Thursday by Saint Augustine
Treasures of the Fathers: Great Friday by Saint Athanasius
Wed 4 Apr 2007
Cursing, Teaching, Betrayal and Perfume
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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Monday - Jesus cleanses the temple and curses the fig tree; God prepares those who will accept His sacrifice.
Let us not dry up a fig tree which may yet bear fruit, nor condemn it as useless and cumbering the ground, when possibly the care and diligence of a skillful gardener may yet heal it. And do not let us so quickly destroy so great a work through what is perhaps the spite and malice of the devil. But let us choose to be merciful rather than severe, and lovers of the poor rather than of abstract justice. Let us not make more account of those who would enkindle us to this than of those who would restrain us, considering, if nothing else, the disgrace of appearing to contend against mendicants who have this great advantage that even if they are in the wrong they are pitied for their misfortune.
St. Gregory Nazianzen, Letter to Theodore, Bishop of Tyana, NPNF, s. 2, v. 7, pp. 911-912.
Taken from page 110 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Every one should think of as concerning his own last day; lest haply when you judge or think the last day of the world to be far distant, you slumber with respect to your own last day…Let no one then search out for the last Day, when it is to be; but let us watch all by our own good lives, lest the last day of any one of us find us unprepared, and such as any one shall depart hence on his last day, such he be found in the last day of the world.
St. Augustine, Sermon 47, NPNF, s. 1, v. 6, p. 877.
Taken from page 148 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Tuesday - Jesus teaches in the temple for the last time; God sends the invitation to come enjoy His sacrifice.
Prayer
Which path, O Lord, am I traveling on? The path that leads to life, or destruction? Am I walking on a dark path, rejecting Your commandments, denying your grace? Help me find my Way in this world.
Do we fear God and have a soft heart that yields to Your love and that accepts Your teachings?
Oh, how can I have a heart to accept the Holy One! Enlarge my heart, O Lord, so that I may be able to taste more of Your love, so that I may taste the riches of the sweetness of Your mercy.
Taken from page 158 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Spiritual Symbol of Marriage
The New Testament describes the Church as the Bride of Christ, preparing herself for life in the eternal kingdom (Eph 5:23). This image underlines the truth that marriage should be an exclusive and permanent union of love and fidelity. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loves His ransomed bride; wives should submit to their husbands, as they submit to Christ.
The longer people are married, they tend to reflect each other’s movements, habits, perceptions, thoughts and even mathematical skills. Those who live together invariably reflect each other, with the stronger personality generally impacting the weaker. We, too, as united to the Lord and living with Him in this world and eternally, find ourselves loosing out own traits and acquiring His - until one day we can say as St. Paul “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20).
Taken from page 194 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Wednesday - Judas betrays, Mary perfumes; God waits for the response to the invitation.
He who is not rich within himself, can never be rich, just as he would never be poor, if he is not poor in his mind. If the soul is more sublime then the body, the members lesser sublimity have no authority over with which to act even on itself. But what is of more sublimity will have authority over it and change it. Money is of no use if the soul is in poverty, and there is no harm in poverty if the soul is rich.
St. John Chrysostom, Homily 65 on John, NPNF, s. 1, v. 14.
Taken from page 243 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Just as the grain of wheat, unless it falls into the ground and dies, does not bring forth any fruit [Jn 12:24] so, also unless the alabaster jar be broken, we cannot spread its fragrance [Mk 14: 3]…To him [Judas], it seemed to be wasting the ointment because the jar is broken, but, for us, it was a great good because the perfume spread throughout the world. Why are you indignant, Judas, because the alabaster jar is broken? God, who made you and all the nations, is blessing us with that precious perfume. You wanted to keep the perfume all sealed up so that it would not reach others.
St. Jerome, Homily 84, FC, v. 57, pp. 188-190.
Taken from page 256 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
Tue 3 Apr 2007
Reliving with Jesus
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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I’ve always taken the Holy Pascha week as a time to commemorate the events Christ went through before His Crucifixion, but this year it has really taken on a new meaning for me. Starting off with the retreat, and throughout all the readings this week, Christ has reinforced the concept that we must relive the week with Him, not just sit there and observe. Here is an excerpt from our book club that drives it home.
“He made that twelve should be with Him and that He might send them to preach.” (Mk. 3:14). The first mark of the apostle is to have been with Jesus. The consignment into the mission field is subordinate to this first condition. But it is not enough for the apostles to be close to Jesus. He wants to “have” them with Him. One this is the fact of His simple presence, another thing the fact of being in the hands of Jesus as His possession, as matter, into which He breathes life and shapes it.The servant of the High Priest asks Peter: “Did I not see thee in the garden with Him?” (Jn. 18:26). Was I with Jesus (am I still with Him) in the garden, or on the Mount of Olives?”I will that, where I am, they also whom thou hast given Me may be with Me.” (Jn 17:24). Jesus is speaking of Heaven where His disciples will see His glory. The words, however, are subject to a more general sense. The disciple must be everywhere where the Master is. Am I with Jesus - by reliving these episodes in my soul - there where He was present during His earthly life? Am I with Him in the places and moments where He is present today?
Taken from page 46 (Chapter XII) in Jesus: A Dialogue with the Saviour.
Mon 2 Apr 2007
Palm Sunday
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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What an amazing day in the church! We start off celebrating Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem with song, praise and procession and we conclude with a funeral. Whose funeral you may ask? Our own funeral - more on this in a bit.
Christ, riding in on a donkey and a colt was greeted as a King, an earthly King who would save the Israelites from the Roman oppression. Little did they understand that Christ’s deliverance was from the bondage of sin, not the Romans. Just as the people’s praise was not deep rooted, how often are we caught up in our own emotions? Ironically, Palm Sunday fell on April Fool’s day this year - do we pretend to praise God on Palm Sunday, only to yell “Crucify Him” a few days later?
By default we say to ourselves that the Jews were a fickle people, but are we really that different? Every time I sin, every time I choose the “world” before “God” I place myself in the same category as the Jews that day. Does Christ want us to praise Him? Yes, but He wants us to praise Him not just with our mouths, but with all our mind, soul and body.
St. Andrew, bishop of Crete said. “Let us run to accompany Him as He hastens toward His passion, and imitate those who met Him then, not by covering His path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before Him by being humble and trying to live as He would wish.“
Taken from page 46 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
At the end of the Palm Sunday service, instead of leaving we stay for the General Funeral service, where we celebrate our own death, as Christ spoke, “Do not weep for Me, weep for yourselves.” (Lk. 23:28). From here on our goal for the Pascha week is to partake in the fellowship of His sufferings. During the Holy Pascha week we don’t just commemorate the events that Christ went through, we live them again with Him.
After the funeral we begin the Pascha service, for the rest of week, the church goes hour by hour, step by step with Christ. In the early church, Christians would take of the entire week to “relive” it with Christ. Now we pack the services into the early morning and evening (at our church we do 6-9AM and 6-9PM).
Mon 2 Apr 2007
Lazarus Saturday
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, the church commemorates the raising of Lazarus.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a prophesy not only the resurrection of the Lord, eight days later, but also the resurrection of all the righteous on the last day, which begins the “eighth day” of eternity.The resurrection of Lazarus is the last and greatest miracle our Lord performed before His Crucifixion. Through this miracle, the Lord declares His complete humanity and perfect divinity when He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (Jn. 11:25). As man, Christ asked where Lazarus was, wept for him, and asked for the people to roll the stone away for Him. Yet as God, He raised Lazarus from the grave even though his body was probably decayed.
Taken from page 28 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
The church starts us off with a preview of the Holy Pascha Week, a journey, if we choose to take it, where we die and resurrect with Christ.
Sun 1 Apr 2007
St. Augustine on Pascha
Posted by Andrew Mitry under Holy Pascha Week
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This Holy Pascha Week, I will be sharing tidbits garnished from reliving the week with Christ through the service readings, Treasures of the Fathers and Jesus: A Dialogue with the Saviour, this year’s choice for the book club.
St. Augustine explains why the Orthodox church uses the term Pascha:
Pascha (Passover) is not, as some think, a Greek noun, but a Hebrew: and yet there occurs in this noun a very suitable kind of accordance in the two languages. For inasmuch as the Greek word paschein means to suffer, therefore pascha has been supposed to mean suffering, as if the the noun derived its name from His passion. But in its own language - that is, in Hebrew - pascha means Passover; because the Pascha was then celebrated for the first time by God’s people, when, in their flight from Egypt, they passed over the Red Sea. And now that prophetic emblem is fulfilled in truth, when Christ is led as a sheep to the slaughter, that by His blood sprinkled on our doorposts, that is, by the sign of His cross marked on our foreheads, we may be delivered from the perdition awaiting this world, as Israel from the bondage and destruction of the Egyptians; and a most useful journey we make when we pass over from the devil to Christ, and from this unstable world to His well-established Kingdom. And therefore surely do we pass over to the ever-abiding God, that we may not pass away with this passing world.
St. Augustine, The Gospel of John, Tractate 55, Ch. 13, NPNF, s.1, p. 600.
Taken from page 15 in the Treasures of the Fathers.
