Orienting the Liturgy-- Reflections on the Ladder of Divine Ascent

The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent—The Sunday of our Venerable Father John of the Ladder (Tone 8)

[The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent commemorates our holy father John of the Ladder.  St. John was the abbot of St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai during most of the eighth century.  He wrote a book of spiritual direction for his monks, which is called the Ladder of Divine Ascent.  The Ladder consists of thirty chapters called “steps.”  It has become the custom in the Byzantine Church to read the entire Ladder during the season of Great Lent.  From the Monday after the Sunday of Forgiveness to the Friday before Lazarus Saturday there are thirty weekdays.  One step is traditionally assigned to each of these weekdays. ]

Tropar, Tone 8

You came down from on high, O Merciful One, and accepted three days of burial to free us from our sufferings. O Lord, our life and our resurrection, glory to You.

Tropar of the Triodion, Tone 1

O John, our God-bearing Father, you were shown to be a citizen of the desert, and angel in bodily form, and a worker of miracles. Through fasting, prayers and vigils you received heavenly gifts to heal the sick and the souls of those who, with faith, run to you. Glory to Him who gives you strength, glory to Him who crowned you. Glory to Him who works healing for all through you.

[The healing that is available from St. John of the Ladder is, for the most part, that which comes from the book, which he wrote.  The Ladder teaches the science of virtue, ways to grow in relationship with the Lord, ways to resist temptation and methods to destroy vice.]

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 4

On the heights of true abstinence, the Lord established you as a reliable star, giving light for guidance to the ends of the earth, O father John, our teacher.

Prokimen, Tone 8

Pray and give praise to the Lord our God.

v. In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel.

Prokimen of the Triodion, Tone 8

The venerable ones will exult in glory and they shall be joyful in their beds.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL,
THE APOSTLE, TO HEBREWS:

Brethren, when God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, "he swore by himself," and said, "I will indeed bless you and multiply" you. And so, after patient waiting, he obtained the promise. Human beings swear by someone greater than themselves; for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all argument. So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (6:13-20)

[The epistle reading continues to meditate on the truths and mysteries that will be fully revealed to us at Pascha.  Already the Church is preparing us to enter into a profitable contemplation of the life-giving suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  These mysteries have made the Lord Jesus the one perfect mediator between us and God.  Although He is God Himself, He is also perfect man.  As such, He is able to exercise the ministry of the priesthood through a reconciliation that is achieved in His Person.]

Alleluia, Tone 8

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord; let us acclaim God our Saviour.

v. Let us come before His countenance with praise and acclaim Him with psalms.

Alleluia of the Triodion, Tone 8

They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO SAINT MARK:

At that time, a man came to Jesus, kneeling down and saying unto him, "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so." He said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me." They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He replied, "Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, " 'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith." Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!" Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!" But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer. "They left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise." (9:17-31)

[This Gospel reading occurs directly after the account of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.  The disciples Peter, James and John have come down from the mountain where they received the special revelation of the Lord Jesus glorified in the company of the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elijah.  They also received the stupefying warning that they were not reveal what had happened until “the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” As soon as they reach the plain below the mountain, they encounter the crowd spoken of in today’s gospel reading.  Immediately after the miraculous cure noted here, Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem for the Passover.]

Zadostoynyk of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before the ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider than all the heavens. In you, Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him in the highest.

The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance; of evil hearsay he shall have no fear. Alleluia (3)

4th Sunday of Great Lent-- The Astounding Miracles of the Christ

The purpose of the Lord’s miracles

Brothers and sisters in Christ—

Our Lord Jesus Christ, during His earthly life, worked many astounding miracles in order to prove His Divinity.  In order for human beings to be saved, it is necessary for them to believe in the Holy Trinity and in the Incarnation of the Son of God.  Therefore, Our Lord worked miracles, so that His disciples could be more assured of these truths. Further, because Our Lord knows well the great temptations to unbelief, the same astounding miracles never ceased in the life of the Church, among the saints.  Thus, we have all of the wondrous testimonies from every age concerning the works of God among us by the intercession of the saints.  All these miracles have one and the same purpose—to confirm and strengthen our faith. 

The story of the Mother of God of Akhtyr

For example, we see again and again in Christian history that the Most Holy Mother of God comes to the Christian people during periods of sorrow, distress and poverty, in order to strengthen them through her miraculous icons.  Near Kharkiv, in the village of Akhtyr, the Most Holy Mother of God appeared to Father Basil Danyliv through a miraculous icon, which he found among tall grass, shining with a tremendous light.  The Most Holy Mother of God told the priest to wash her icon, and to give the water to the people.  Drinking this water, many people were cured of the plague of malaria that had gripped the region, as well as of others diseases.

Imitating Jesus Christ—becoming “little saviours”

    The Most Holy Mother of God loves, just as we should as well, to imitate her Son.  As He descended from Heaven in order to be our Saviour, so she descends in order to save her children from specific troubles, and her efforts always bring strength, light and peace. This is a very important example for us, since we ought to rejoice, when we have the opportunity to strengthen the faith of our Christian brothers and sisters by good works.  In this way, we can become “little saviours” according to the model established by Christ.

What is a miracle?

   Nevertheless, we need to remember that we Christians are a miraculous people. Always, God’s marvels surround us. Truly, we are ourselves wondrous on account of the fact that we are strangers among the works and the cares of this world.  God’s marvels surround us, but often we do not notice them.  The marvelous works of God become commonplace and normal to us.  But, we should reflect, “What is a miracle?” Is not a miracle that which happens without natural explanation, against the laws of nature?  Now we know that virtue is the evidence of everlasting life already in this world, but, we should recognize that virtue is also a miracle.  Christian virtue, after all, has no natural explanation, and is against the laws of nature.

Examples: Virtue does not belong to this world

     For example, in the Holy Scriptures, we find the wondrous story of the seven Maccabean martyrs, along with their mother Solomia.  She watched her sons’ martyrdom, and encouraged them not to deny God.  Also, among the forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, one soldier was younger than the others.  His mother feared that his youth would make him weaker than the other martyrs, and that he would deny Christ.  Therefore, she remained near, when the holy martyrs stood through the night, naked on the frozen lake. She encouraged the martyrs, and especially her son.  In the morning, all the holy martyrs were gathered together, and their limbs were broken with clubs.  After that, when the bodies were gathered together, the executioners discovered that the woman’s son was still alive.  Thus, they did not gather his body with the others, but left him, since they thought that he would, perhaps, survive.  But his mother feared that he would become demoralized on account of his separation from the others, so she picked him up on her shoulders and carried him behind the wagon, which bore the bodies of the other martyrs, until she came to the place of their burial.  In this way, he died on the shoulders of his mother.  In all of these things, her motive was a true love for her son, since she desired that he suffer pain and death for the sake of the life to come.  Her deeds do not have a natural explanation, just like all the deeds of virtue, because they are contrary to the laws of nature.  In the life of virtue, the details of this life are not important, and concern about oneself is unworthy, for the life of virtue leads to the future Kingdom through service to others.

The greatest miracle

     Yes, indeed, virtue is the greatest miracle, and we all have the ability to work this miracle in the world around us.  In is only necessary that we decide to imitate the Most Holy Mother of God, just as she imitates her Son.  We are able to become “little saviours,” according to the model of Jesus Christ, Who created us after His own Image and Likeness.  We are able to bring others to Christ by our imitation of Him.

Orienting to the Liturgy-- The Holy Cross: Our Defense Against the Attacks of the Enemy

The Third Sunday of Great Lent—The Sunday of the Holy, Life-Giving Cross (Tone 7)

[We have reached the midpoint of the Fast.  We pause here, as at a wayside, in order to ponder where we are headed.  For this purpose, already many centuries ago, in the Church of Constantinople, on this third Sunday of the Fast, the major relic of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross was brought from its place in the treasury of the Vlachernae Palace to the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, where it was shown to the people during the entirety of the fourth week of the Fast.

     We too should take encouragement from the Holy Cross, because it teaches us that the suffering of this life and this world are only temporary, passing and illusory, while the joy of the Resurrection lasts eternally.]

Tropar, Tone 7

By our cross You destroyed death; You opened Paradise to the thief; You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy, and charged the apostles to proclaim that You are risen, O Christ our God, offering great mercy to the world.

Tropar of the Cross, Tone 1

Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies, and protect Your community by Your Cross.

                                  

[This hymn was originally written to be the official supplication of the people during a time of national crisis.  In the original version, the text read “grant victory to your faithful, beloved sovereigns.” It is used often throughout the year: 14 (27) September- the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Third Sunday of Lent, 1 (14) August- the Procession of the Holy Cross, as well as all Wednesdays and Fridays. The feast of 1 August was instituted at Constantinople to supplicate the mercy of God to spare the city from the plagues that often afflicted it during the hot summers. 

     Since we hear this tropar so frequently, it is a good reminder to us to call upon God in our trials, and to trust that He will give us what is best.]

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 7

No longer does the flaming sword guard the gate of Eden; the tree of the Cross has quenched its flames gloriously. The sting of death and victory of Hades are banished, and You O my Saviour, came and called to those in Hades; “Return again to Paradise.”

Instead of the Trisagion

To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection.

Prokimen of the Triodion, Tone 6

Save Your people, O Lord* and bless Your inheritance.

v. Unto You I will cry, O Lord my God, lest You turn from me in silence.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL,
THE APOSTLE, TO HEBREWS:

Brethren, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: "You are my son; this day I have begotten you"; just as he says in another place: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (4:14-5:6)

[The epistle reading encourages us to approach “the throne of grace”—which is the Holy Cross, since on it Christ has made satisfaction for all of the sins of mankind and has opened to us again the life of grace.  We now have access to limitless forgiveness.  We need only ask.]

Alleluia, Tone 8

Remember Your congregation, which You acquired from the beginning.

v. But God is our king before the ages; He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO SAINT MARK:

The Lord said, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." He also said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power." (8:34-9:1)

[To „bear one’s cross” means to willingly embrace the sufferings and adversities of one’s life for love of God and neighbour.  The way of salvation is to be content with what God gives us moment by moment.  To reject His Will for us, because we do not understand it, or because it pains us, is to reject Him. This is the reason why previous generations of pious people put such great emphasis on the Morning Offering, which offers everything in the coming day to God.  The first known Morning Offering was written by St. Gregory the Theologian (+389): I rise and pledge myself, Lord, that this day I shall do no evil deed, but offer еvery moment as a sacrifice to You. I blush when I remember my sinfulness; I shudder when I recall how I have betrayed You.  Yet You know that now I want only to serve You. Make me this day Your devoted servant.]

Zadostoynyk of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before the ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider than all the heavens. In you, Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.

Communion verse

Let the light of our countenance, O Lord,* shine upon us. Alleluia (3)

The Sunday of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross

By the sign of the Cross, we confess the truth about God

Today is the Sunday of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross.  In the very center of the Great Fast, we meditate on the sign of the Holy Cross, which conquers Hell and this world.  By this sign, we always protect ourselves, and we teach our children to hope in this sign as well. 

     By the sign of the Cross, if we truly live according to the Mystery of the Cross, we fulfill the commandments of Christ.  For example, how can we fulfill the first commandment? First and foremost, we pray.  And how do we pray? How do we begin? By the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.  In this way, we express our trust in God.  We trust that His Revelation is true. Truly, He is One God, Who is a unity of Three Divine Persons.

We recommend our works to God by the use of His Name

     Not only does the sign of the cross express the truth, but, by it, we also pray in the Name of God.  When, in the course of life, we have to accomplish important matters, it is often useful to recommend our task to some authority by mentioning the name of some important person.  In this context, how helpful it is to be able to say: So and so sent me, or such and such a person recommended me to you.  We know that no one is greater than God; thus, when we go before God in prayer, we use His Name, since there is no greater Name.  This is what the Holy Apostle Paul tells us, when he proclaims that there is no greater Name in Heaven or on earth than the Name of the Lord Jesus.  In fact, the saints used this Name to work the most astounding miracles.  For example, Saint Christina used the Name of Jesus to flatten an enormous, evil army, and St. Benedict of Nursia, when his monks desired to kill him by poison, he discovered their plot by the sign of the Cross and the Name of the Holy Trinity, since, when he blessed the cup, it exploded and the drink, which contained the poison spilled out onto the floor.  Therefore, when we pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we confess the truth about God, and we recommend ourselves to God by the use of His Name.

By the sign of the Cross, we fulfill the commandments of Christ

     But, in order to fulfill the first commandment, we need to do more, since the Holy Apostle Paul tells us: “Whatever you do—do it in the Name of the Lord Jesus, praising God the Father through Him.” We should form the habit of doing everything with the sign of the Cross, for, in this way, the sign of God’s love for us will also become the sign of our love for God.  All the details of our life become simple and yet profound, when we consecrate them in this way.

Our goal—the love of God

     We always understand the obligations of the first commandment in light of the Great Commandment, which orders us to: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” We poor, poor human beings! Since the time that we were tiny children, we heard about our obligations to God and the Church—you have to go to church on Sunday; you have to pray morning and evening; you have to be obedient to the commandments.  But no one ever told us we have to love God.  Love for God is the meaning and reason for all the rest.  If there is no love of God in us, then there is no good that can come from our presence in church, or from our prayers.

     God made us to have every reason to love Him, just as we say in the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great: “Grant us Your love, Lord, our God, for You have given us everything.” He has given us everything, especially the most precious gift of the Incarnation of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, His Crucifixion, His Suffering, His death, and His Resurrection on the third day, together with His abiding presence in the Most Holy Eucharist.

     He has given us everything, but we are able to give one thing to Him: Our very being.  This is our offering, which He will accept as long as it is offered with love.  Only one thing is able to prevent our offering—selfishness. 

Selfishness—the only obstacle

     We really ought to think of this world as having only two energies and forces: the love of God and selfishness—worship of the true and only God and idolatry.  It is clear that all idolatry is actually selfishness, because we never worship material things for their own sake, but always for the sake of the ways in which they can profit us.  In this world there are a lot of idols, which are able to give us temporary profit, and to which we constantly cling as a result of our selfishness.  But, the worship of the true God always involves suffering and mortification, because our God will not satisfy our temporal, material and carnal desires. Instead, He seeks to raise our minds above this world.

     When we begin all our actions with the sign of the Cross, we lift our minds above this world to the contemplation of the truth of the Heavenly Kingdom.  How wonderful it is to live in the constant memory of Jesus Christ together with the blessed destiny, which He promises us. 

Orienting to the Liturgy-- The Second Sunday of Great Lent

The Second Sunday of Great Lent (Tone 6)

Tropar, Tone 6

Angelic powers were upon Your tomb and the guards became like dead men; Mary stood before Your tomb seeking Your most pure body. You captured Hades without being overcome by it. You met the Virgin and granted life. O Lord, risen from the dead, glory be to You!

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 4

Today the time of earthly deeds is revealed, for judgment is at hand. Let us be found fasting, and let us bring tears of supplication, begging mercy and crying out: I have sinned more times than there are sands of the sea; but forgive me, O Creator of all, that I may receive the crown that does not perish.

[The kondak uses the same language as the Holy Apostle Paul when he exhorts the faithful: “the time is far spent. The day draws near. It is time to throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.” Fasting is not an end in itself, but when, as the the kondak suggests, it is connected with prayer and penance, then it becomes a powerful weapon against our passions.]           

Prokimen, Tone 5

You, O Lord, will guard us and will keep us from this generation, and forever.

v. Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL,
THE APOSTLE, TO HEBREWS:

 "At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end." But to which of the angels has he ever said: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool"? Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore, we must attend all the more to what we have heard, so that we may not be carried away. For if the word announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Announced originally through the Lord, it was confirmed for us by those who had heard. (1:10-2:3)

[The epistle reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, reflects the Jewish belief that the Law of Moses (Torah) was revealed by God only through the ministry of intermediary angels.  Because of this ministry exercised by the angels, the Hebrews at the time of the Exodus, never at any time had an unmediated experience or interaction with God.  The New Covenant, by contrast, was revealed by Jesus, Who is Himself the God of Israel.  The author argues, therefore, that if the ancient Israelites were so concerned to fulfill all the minute instructions of the Law, then we should be all the more concerned to fulfill our obligations under the New Covenant, since there is no question that God is greater than His angels.

     Our obligation during the Great Fast is primarily to fulfill the major commandments of the New Law, namely, to love the Lord with all our heart and all our soul and all mind, and we must love our neighbour as ourselves.  What sacrifices can we make during this holy time for love of God and neighbour?]

Alleluia, Tone 6

Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing for ever; from generation to generation I will announce Your truth with my mouth.

v. For You have said: mercy shall be built up for ever; in the heavens Your truth shall be prepared.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL

ACCORDING TO SAINT MARK:

At that time, when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, "Why does this man speak that way? ⁵ He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"-- he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home." He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." (2:1-12)

[Christ demonstrates in the gospel reading that He has the authority (since He is God) to forgive sins.  He gives this authority to His Church as well, and she exercises it in the Mystery of Penance. Christ is able to raise us up from sin, and from all of our misery and misfortune.  All of us who are in Christ share this ministry to lift up others from misery and misfortune through a helping a reassuring hand.]

Zadostoynyk of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before the ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider than all the heavens. In you, Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you

The Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas-- Sharing the Same Life with God

Brothers and sisters in Christ—

The Second Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, since we remember this great Church Father in a special way, because he reminds us concerning our goal: to take part in the same life with God.

    We human beings desire to share the same life with God.  Although our modern culture tries to convince us that death is natural, death still brings to us deep anxiety and sorrow, and only with great patience we achieve peace after the death of our loved ones.  We rarely suffer anxiety and sorrow over something that is purely natural.  But death is not natural.  We learn about this truth from the pages of Holy Scripture.  In the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, that great king of Israel tells us: “God did not make death, neither does He rejoice in the destruction of the living.  For He made all things that they might have being, and the generations of the world so that they might be preserved; For there was no poison of death in them. Nor was the reign of Hades on the earth. For justice is undying. But the ungodly summoned death by their words and works; Although they thought death would be a friend, they were dissolved. For they make a covenant with death, since they were deserving to share it in common.”  In this passage, we hear that our forefathers, Adam and Eve, are called “godless,” since by deed and word they departed from the presence of God.  But in the same book of the Wisdom of Solomon, the sacred author describes the whole plan of God, by which God Himself desires to save the human race and to renew His life in us.  It is no mystery to us just who these words describe: “Let us lie in ambush for the righteous man, because he is useless to us and opposes our deeds; he denounces us for our sins against the law and accuses us of sins against our upbringing.  He claims to have knowledge of God, and he calls himself a child of the Lord. He has become for us as a refutation of our purposes; Even seeing him is a burden to us, because his life is unlike that of others; for his paths go in a different direction.  We are considered by him as a hybrid, and he avoids our ways as something immoral. He considers the last things of the righteous as blessed and pretends that God is his Father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us put these things to the test at the end of his life. For if the righteous man is a son of God, He will help him, and deliver him from the hand of those who oppose him.  Let us test him with insult and torture that we may know his gentleness and test his patient endurance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for there shall be a visitation because of his words.  So they reasoned these things and were led astray, for their malice blinded them.  They did not know the mysteries of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor judge the reward of the blameless souls.  For God created man for immortality, and made him an image of His own eternity.  But death entered the world by the envy of the devil, and those of his portion tempt it.”  It ought to be a source of wonder to us that the sacred author wrote these things so many centuries before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     We have always wanted to share the life of God, and God always wanted us to have a share in it, but we received death because of our sins.  Now we are able again to inherit that share in the same life with God through the Mysteries of Christ.  Things which share the same life we call by the same name.  In other words, we human beings become God by grace, according to the aphorism of St. Athanasius the Great: God became man, so that man might become God.  We do not become God by nature, but we become God by grace.  We begin to receive this share of the life of God in this life.  We take part in God through His energy, and we see and know God by His energy.  Saint Gregory Palamas suffered greatly for this principle, but, in the end, he attained the victory through his heroic deeds.

     This is the faith of the Catholic Church—that we are able to see, to know God, and to take part in His life, if we live a life of penance and sincere prayer.  This principle of St. Gregory Palamas is the goal of Great Lent.

Orienting to the Liturgy: Some Notes on the Propers of the First Sunday of Great Lent

First Sunday of Great Lent (The Sunday of Orthodoxy)(Tone 5)

[The Sunday of Orthodoxy commemorates the final resolution of the iconoclastic controversy (the period in which the veneration of the holy icons was outlawed and many of the icons were destroyed).  Finally, in 787, the Second Council of Nicaea restored the holy icons to the churches.]

Tropar, Tone 5

Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, and born of the Virgin for our salvation. For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in flesh, to suffer death and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.

Tropar of the Triodion, Tone 2

We bow before your Most pure image, O kind Lord, and beg pardon for our sins, O Christ our God. Of Your own will You consented to ascend the Cross in the flesh to free Your handiwork from enslavement to the enemy. In thanksgiving we cry aloud to You: By coming to save the world, our Saviour, You filled all things with joy.

[the tropar of the Sunday of Orthodoxy reminds us that the source of life and joy for the entire universe is the Cross of Christ (the Mystery of the Lord Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection).  Traditionally, we view this mystery as an exchange; the Lord takes on Himself what is not His own, but He gives to us what properly belongs to Him.  In the Mystery of the Cross and Resurrection, the Lord takes upon Himself all the consequences of the sins and evils of this world.  Having absorbed all this evil, He gives to us in exchange the fullness of Divine Life.]

                                                                                                                          

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 8

The uncircumscribed Word of the Father became circumscribed when He took flesh of you, O Mother of God; and when He restored the divine image to its ancient glory, He suffused it with the beauty of God. Therefore, confessing our salvation in deed and word, we portray it in images.

   

[the entire Mystery of the Incarnation has the same purpose: to restore in us the Divine Image and to infuse it with the beautiful Life of God. First, He heals division by taking sin and evil upon Himself, then, He engenders unity in His Creation by filling it with Divine Life.]

Prokimen, Tone 4

Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your Name forever.

v. For you are righteous in everything You have done to us.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL,
THE APOSTLE, TO HEBREWS:

Brethren, after Moses grew up, his faith made him refuse to be called the king's grandson. He chose to be mistreated with God's people instead of having the good time that sin could bring for a lit­tle while. Moses knew that the trea­sures of Egypt were not as wonderful as what he would receive from suffer­ing for the Messiah, and he looked for­ward to his reward.

What else can I say? There isn't enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Sam­uel, and the prophets. Their faith helped them conquer kingdoms, and because they did right, God made promises to them. They closed the jaws of lions and put out raging fires and escaped from the swords of their ene­mies. Although they were weak, they were given the strength and power to chase foreign armies away.

Some women received their loved ones back from death. Many of these people were tortured, but they refused to be released. They were sure that they would get a better reward when the dead are raised to life. Others were made fun of and beaten with whips, and some were chained in jail. Still others were stoned to death or sawed in two or killed with swords. Some had nothing but sheep skins or goat skins to wear. They were poor, mis­treated, and tortured. The world did not deserve these good people, who had to wander in deserts and on mountains and had to live in caves and holes in the ground.

All of them pleased God because of their faith! But still they died without being given what had been promised. This was because God had something better in store for us. And he did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without us.

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! (11:24-26, 32-40, 12:1-2)

[We please God through faith, when we prefer the things of the next world, the Kingdom of God, to the things of this world.  When we sacrifice communion in the things of this world for communion in the things of the Kingdom of God, we increase our standing in that Kingdom.  We purchase for ourselves a better resurrection.]

Alleluia, Tone 4

Moses and Aaron are among His priests and Samuel among those who call upon His name.

v. They called on the Lord, and He heard them.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN:

At that time Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, "Come with me." Philip then found Nathanael and said,  "We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael asked,  "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip answered, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, "Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful."? "How do you know me?" Nathan­ael asked. Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael said, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see some­thing even greater .I tell you for cer­tain that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man." (1:43-51)

[The reference to the fig tree in the gospel reading is extremely interesting and thought-provoking.  We feel a strong temptation to speculate concerning the event that must have happened beneath the fig tree.  The truth is, however, we have no idea of the circumstances, which surround this reference.  The only thing certain thing is that the event under the fig tree is the most personal event of Nathanael’s life.  It is something that could only be known by him and God. We know that the event (whatever it was) must have proved Nathaniel’s honesty.  Perhaps too, that event was something that could only be healed by God, since the final reference of the reading is to the Cross of the Lord, “the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.]

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; praise befits the righteous

Alleluia (3)

The Importance of Mortification during the days of the Great Fast

Three important aspects of the Christian life: penance, mortification and reception of the Holy Sacraments

Brothers and sisters in Christ—

Normally, when the Lord Jesus is conveying the message of the Gospel to the people, He uses very simple terms that are readily understood by all.  The parables, for example, teach the very straightforward lessons regarding the Kingdom of God and life of the human soul.  By means of these parables the Lord conveys to us the entirety of the plan of salvation that He has come to accomplish.  Herein is the fullness of the Christian life in all three of its most important aspects: repentance, rooted in love of God, mortification and the reception of the sacraments.

The Lord’s cryptic expression

     But today, in the Gospel reading, the Lord Jesus says something particularly cryptic concerning St. Nathaniel’s destiny to “see greater things.” The Lord says to him: “You will see the heavens open, and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This passage is very cryptic indeed, especially since the account of such a subsequent vision is not related in the Gospel According to St. John. 

Roots in the Old Testament

     Truly, in order to understand this passage, we need to hearken back two thousand years before the coming of Our Lord to the period of the Patriarchs.  At that time, the Patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, the father of the twelve sons, whose descendants became the twelve tribes of God’s People, received a special revelation from God.  The Book of Genesis tells us that Jacob went to sleep at Bethel. In a dream, he saw a ladder that extended from Heaven to earth, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  When Jacob woke from the dream, he named the place Beth-El (the House of God) and declared that it was the gate of Heaven. 

Christ is the Ladder: The union of Heaven and Earth, God and Human Beings

     This story from two thousand years before the time of Christ is fulfilled in Christ.  Christ Himself is the ladder joining Heaven and earth, on which the angels descend to bring the blessings of God, and on which they ascend in order to carry petitions of human beings.  In Christ, in other words, there is a perfect communion between Heaven and earth, between God and human beings.  This communion is realized in the life of the Church, for the Church is the Body of Christ. Nathaniel beholds the angels descending and ascending on the Body of Christ, the Church, through its threefold operation: the gospel of repentance, the life of mortification and the reception of the Sacraments.

Union through the Gospel of Repentance

     The gospel of repentance creates a new communion between Heaven and earth, as human beings are reconciled with the Father through turning to Christ in humility and love.  The word of God is so powerful in this operation that, whenever it is proclaimed it saves human beings from sin and death, and when it is proclaimed completely, it saves them completely.  All that a human being has to do in order to experience the saving work of Christ in His soul is to remember Christ, while if a human being wants to experience the salvation of Christ in its fullness, he must remember Christ, embrace the life of mortification to which the love of Christ calls him, and receive the sacraments. 

Union through a life of mortification

     The life of mortification continues the work of salvation that is begun in us by the message of the gospel. Mortification continues to bring together Heaven and earth in our regard. Once we have accepted the teaching of the gospel and repented of our sins, then we must mortify ourselves by prayer, fasting and almsgiving, as well as other good works.  We ought to bear in mind that performing works of mercy, both spiritual and corporal, for people we like (for our friends and relatives, for example) is not profitable for our salvation, or especially pleasing to God, since they merely fulfill natural impulses.  The more perfect works are those that are done for strangers, enemies and disagreeable people.  Mortification brings us closer to God by building virtue in us and destroying passions.  A good example is provided by a well-known story about St. Athanasius the Great.  A particular lady came to St. Athanasius and asked for his assistance in finding a widow in the community, whom she could live with and serve, and thus learn charity.  St. Athanasius found her an eligible widow, and the lady entered upon her service.  Not long after, the same lady returned to St. Athanasius, and said, “Why did you send me to such a gracious, kind and noble woman? She never complains or finds fault with anything. She is always patient and docile. How am I to learn virtue and save my soul without trial? How am I to learn charity when everything is so agreeable?” Then, the saint found a very cantankerous widow for the lady to serve, and she went to live in the widow’s house.  She served the widow for the rest of her life, learned great virtue, and became a saint.

Union through the reception of the Holy Sacraments

     The third aspect of the life of the Church is the reception of the sacraments.  It is through the sacraments that we acquire the identity of Christ.  It is through the communion of the sacraments that our repentance and mortification become valuable and acceptable to God, because they become united to the sufferings of the Son of God.  Reception of the sacraments completes the union of Heaven and earth in us, because, particularly in the Holy Eucharist, Christ Himself comes to dwell in our very souls.  It should surely make us shudder with horror when we consider the number of times that the Lord is received in Holy Communion without love and devotion. 

Great Lent—a time for a special effort in these three areas

     Heaven and earth are reconciled and joined in the Church, through repentance, mortification and the reception of the sacraments.  In this Lenten season, we should make a special effort in all these areas. 

Orienting to the Liturgy: Some notes on the Propers of Cheesefare Sunday

The Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday) (Tone 4)

Tropar, Tone 4

When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,* granting to the world great mercy.”

[Cheesefare Sunday is also called “Forgiveness Sunday” (on account of the Gospel reading), and also “The Sunday of the Expulsion from Paradise.”  The Vespers service of this day is entirely concerned with the expulsion of our ancestors from Paradise.  The expulsion from Paradise is the “ancestral condemnation” of which the tropar speaks. 

    The hymns at Vespers are very expressive of the mournful ambience of the beginning of the Fast. 

“Indeed, Adam sat before the gates of Eden, bewailing his nakedness and crying out: “Woe is me, the loser, who have listened to the wicked deceit and have been driven away from glory! Woe is me, who through simplicity of heart have become naked and am now perplexed.  Wherefore, I shall no longer enjoy your bliss, O Paradise, nor shall I ever see my Lord, my God, and my Creator, for I shall return to the earth from which I had been taken.  And yet, O Lord my God, I shall cry out to You and say: “O compassionate One, have mercy on me who have fallen!”

     The intersection of the themes of the expulsion from Paradise and forgiveness is to be found in the teaching of the Lord: “If you forgive others their trespasses, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.” In the Lord’s Prayer we make a covenant with Christ our God, as we say: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”]

                                                                                                              

Glory…Now…

Kondak of the Triodion, Tone 6

O Master, Guide of Wisdom,* Bestower of prudent counsel,* Instructor of the foolish and Defender of the poor ones;* make firm my heart and give it understanding.* Give me a word, O Word of the Father:* Behold, I shall not stop my lips from crying out to You:* In Your mercy, have mercy on me who am fallen.

   

[These are fallen Adam’s words.  It is often said that the Fast is like our life in this world. Both the Fast and life itself are enterprises.  In order to succeed in these enterprises, we need prudence, counsel and understanding.  Prudence is the virtue that determines what is appropriate in particular circumstances, while counsel gives us the supernatural ability to discern what will be most profitable for our salvation and the glory of God.  Lastly, we need understanding, which helps us grasp the truths of our faith as far as is necessary.  Above all, we need to hold fast to the Wisdom of God, which detaches us from the things of this world and teaches us to love the spiritual treasures of the world that is to come.]

Prokimen, Tone 8

Pray and give praise to the Lord our God.

v. In Judea God is known; His Name is great in Israel.

A READING FROM THE 1^st LETTER OF SAINT PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO ROMANS:

Brethren, now our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness (and) put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions. One person believes that one may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. The one who eats must not despise the one who abstains, and the one who abstains must not pass judgment on the one who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on someone else's servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Rom. 13,11-14,4)

[The central “rule” of the Fast is “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” What this means is “imitate the Lord Jesus Christ.” In our conduct during the Fast, we have to conform ourselves to the Lord Jesus.  Whatever fasting, almsgiving and mortification we choose to do, our motive remains the same.  Because of our great love for Christ, we desire to do these things in order to grow in His likeness.]

Alleluia, Tone 6

It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to sing to Your name, O Most High.

v. To announce Your mercy in the morning and Your truth every night.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW:

The Lord said, If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

 (Mt. 6,14-21)

Communion verse

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.

Alleluia (3)