SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST
GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
a pr i l 19, 2 01 5
a n t i pa sc h a - st. t hom a s s u n day
The icon depicting this event is called in Greek, The Touching of Thomas. The Slavonic inscription is,
The Belief of Thomas. When St Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any
doubts.
This day is also known as Antipascha. This does not mean opposed to Pascha, but in place of Pascha.
Beginning with this first Sunday after Pascha, the Church dedicates every Sunday of the year to the Lords
Resurrection. Sunday is called Resurrection in Russian, and the Lords Day in Greek.
Saint John of the Ancient Caves is so called because he lived during the eighth century in the
Lavra of St Chariton (September 28). This was called the Old, or ancient cave, since it was one
the oldest of the Palestinian monasteries. The Lavra was situated not far from Bethlehem, near
the Dead Sea.
St John in his early years left the world, went to venerate the holy places of Jerusalem, and
settled at the Lavra, where he labored in fasting, vigil, and prayer. He was ordained to the holy
priesthood, and glorified by his ascetic life.
The Holy Martyrs Christopher, Theonas, and Anthony were officers in the army of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). They were present at the sufferings of the Holy Great Martyr George
(April 23), they saw the miracles accomplished by the power of God, and they witnessed St
Georges faith and unshakable courage.
The soldiers came to believe in the Savior, threw down their golden military belts, and declared themselves Christians in front of the emperor. They were immediately thrown into prison. The next day the emperor urged the former soldiers to renounce Christ, but they firmly
confessed their faith and glorified the Savior as the true God.
The emperor ordered that the martyrs be beaten with iron rods, and their bodies to be raked
with hooks. The holy martyrs endured all the torments and remained unyielding. Then Diocletian gave orders to burn them. The martyric death of Sts Christopher, Theonas, and Anthony
occurred in the year 303.
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at the small entrance we sing
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apolytikion of the feast. Mode 5.
hrist is risen from the dead, by death he has trampled down upon death, and on those in the tombs
He is bestowing life.
apolytikion of the feast. Mode varys.
Life, You rose from the sepulcher, even though
the tomb was secured with a seal, O Christ God.
And though the doors had been bolted, You came to
Your disciples, O Resurrection of all. Through them
You renew a right spirit in us, according to Your great
mercy.
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,
, ,
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,
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instead of
ou, the brightly shining lantern and the
Mother of our God,* the conspicuous glory,*
you are superior to all creation.* We hymn you
and magnify.
communion hymn. TONe 1.
Kontakion. Mode 8.
hough You went down into the tomb O Immortal
One yet You brought down the dominion of Hades and You rose as the victor O Christ our God and
You called out Rejoice, to the Myrrh-bearing women
and gave peace to Your Apostles O Lord who to the
fallen grant resurrection.
instead of: We have seen the true light, &
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
hrist is risen from the dead, by death he has trampled down upon death, and on those in the tombs
He is bestowing life.
raise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God,
O Zion. Alleluia.
St. Maximos said, He who loves God cannot but love all men as he would love himself,
even if he does feel sorrow at the passions of those who are not yet pure. For this reason
precisely, he feels boundless and inexpressible joy when he sees their repentance and correction.
evergetinos, 4, 49
THE READINGS OF THE DAY
e p i s t l e r e a di ng
g o s p e l r e a di ng
Acts of the Apostles 5:12-20
John 20: 1931
n those days, even more, many signs and wonders were accomplished among the people
by the hands of the apostles, and they were all
[gath- ered] with one accord in Solomons porch.
No one else dared to join them, even though they
were honored by the people. More believers were
added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and
women. People even carried out the sick into the
streets, placing them on cots and mattresses, so that
as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on
some of them. Crowds also formed from the cities
around Jerusalem; they brought sick people, as well
as those tormented by unclean spirits, and all were
healed. However, the high priest took action, along
with all his associates (which is the sect of the Sadducees). Filled with jealousy, they laid their hands
on the apostles and placed them in the public jail.
But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors
by night and brought them out, saying, Go, stand
in the temple, and speak to the people the whole
message about this life.
St. Diadochos said, One cannot love
God and his heart be warmed by the
sensation of His love, if he does not
first feel within his heart the fear of
God. For the power of fear of God
soothes and softens the soul, so that
it can attain to a state of forceful and
vibrant love of Him.
evergetinos, 4, 39
n the evening on that [same] day (the first day
of the week), and as the doors [of the place]
where the disciples were assembled were locked
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, Peace be with you. When he had
said this, he showed them his hands and his side. At
this, the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Then again, Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the
Father has sent me, I also send you. When he had
said this, he breathed on them and told them, Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyones sins,
they are forgiven; if you retain anyones sins, they
are retained. However, Thomas, called the Twin,
one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus
came. So the other disciples told him, We have
seen the Lord! But Thomas replied, Unless I see
in his hands the print of the nails and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe! After eight days, his
disciples were inside once again, and Thomas was
with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus
came and stood among them, and he said, Peace
be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your
finger here, and see my hands! Place your hand
here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving,
but believing! And Thomas answered him, My
Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Because
you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are
those who have not seen, and have believed. Now
Jesus accomplished many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this
book. However, these ones are written, so that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing, you may have life in his Name.
announcements
Saturday, January 25, Great Vespers, 5pm
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
! !
u p c om i ng c h u rc h s e r v ic e s:
Thursday, April 23, St. George the Trophy-bearer, Orthros / Divine Liturgy, 8:30am
Saturday, April 25, Great Vespers, 5pm
pascha flowers
We are still accepting donations for Pascha flowers.
Please place your donation in the designated box
in the Narthex. To those who have already given,
please accept our sincere thanks for your generosity!
give a month towards our future
As we did in 2014, we would again like to offer families and individuals the opportunity to help offset
our additional mortgage payment with a donation
of $640. If you would like to sponsor one month
for 2015, please contact Fr. Michael. Thus far 3
commitments have been made for 2014.
holy land presentation
OCF Students, Matthew Monos and John Tsikalas will be giving a presentation after the pot luck
next Sunday, April 26 about their recent OCF Real
Break trip to Jerusalem. Please join us for what
promises to be an informative presentation.
philoptochos gift cards
The next deadline for gift card orders will be May
12. Please see Ronni Harwood or Karen Sade to
place an order. This will be the last time to order
until the Fall, so plan to stock up now for your summer needs!
purple barrel
Dont forget the purple barrel for the Food Bank.
We are always collecting non-perishable food items
for the Food bank. We are also always collecting
butter and margarine for St Francis House. Thank
you for your generosity!
Abba Isaiah said, At the appointed time of the Divine Mystagogy,
compel your thoughts and feelings
to be fixed on the fear of God in
His presence in order to be worthy of the Divine Mysteries and so
that the Lord might thereby heal
you. If, however, you cannot control your thoughts, then do not approach Divine Communion, so as
not to be condemned by God; for
Holy Communion signifies union
with God.
evergetinos, 4, 375
How does Christs Resurrection
take place within us?
by St. Symeon the New Theologian
rethren and Fathers, Pascha is now here, the
festive day that brings us joy and gladness,
the day of Christs Resurrection, which comes
round once a year, or, to put it better, occurs
daily and perpetually in those who know its
mystery, filling our hearts with joy and inexpressible elation. At the same time, it marks the
end of the efforts of the holy fast, or, better, has
perfected our souls and has, at the same time,
comforted them. So, as you see, it has summoned all the faithful to rest and thanksgiving.
Let us therefore give thanks to the Lord,
Who has helped us chart the sea of the fast and
has brought us, full of joy, to the haven of His
Resurrection.
All of us who kept to the road of the fast willingly and strictly, full of fervor, and striving for
the acquisition of the virtues, let us give thanks
to Him, and let us do so even if we were less
zealous than we should have been, through neglect and spiritual lassitude.
Because He it is Who grants, crowns to the
zealous and rewards them commensurately
to their efforts and, to those who are spiritually weaker, still awards forgiveness, given that
Hes merciful and loves us. He gauges more the
dispositions and intentions of our souls rather
than the bodily labours with which we exercise ourselves in virtue, whether we engage in
greater asceticism, with unstinting enthusiasm,
or do less than the great strivers, because of the
weakness of our bodies. According to our intentions, He shares the prizes and the gifts of
the Spirit with each one of us, granting fame
and glory to the most zealous, or leaving them
on a lower level so that they have need of more
diligent purification.
But, if you agree, let us examine carefully
what the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ
our God is, which, in us who so desire, is always celebrated mystically; and how Christ is
buried within us, as in a tomb; and how, having
become united with our souls, rises and raises
us with Him. What I have in mind to say is this:
Christ our God was crucified and nailed to
the Cross the sin of the world; he tasted death
and descended into the lowest depths of hell.
When He rose from Hell, He re-entered His
spotless body (from which He had not been
separated in His descent) and immediately
arose from the dead and was later taken up into
the heavens with great glory and power. In the
same way as we have left the world of sin and,
in imitation of the sufferings of the Lord, have
entered the tomb of humility and repentance,
so He, descending from the heavens, entered
as it were into a tomb, our body and, having
become united with our souls, resurrects them,
though they were clearly dead. And then Christ
permits those who have been raised with Him
in this way to see His mystical resurrection.
Christs resurrection, then, is also the resurrection of us who live here below. It has been
written that He never fell into sin, nor was the
least part of His glory altered in any way, so
how will He ever rise and be glorified, since
He is forever glorified more than all else and
is above all authority and power, remaining
the same. As has been said, Christs resurrection and glory are ours, too, which, through
His resurrection in us have occurred and are
manifested in us and are seen by us. Having
once and for all appropriated what is ours, He
attributes to Himself the things He works in us.
The resurrection of the soul is union with life.
Unless the dead body receives the living soul
in itself and is joined to it (though not mingled
with it), it cant live or be called alive.
In the same way, the soul cant live unless its
ineffably and without confusion united to God,
Who is truly eternal life. Before this union in
knowledge, vision and perception, its dead,
albeit with an intellectual existence and an immortal nature. Theres no knowledge without
vision and no vision without perception. What
I mean is that there is vision, and, in the vision,
knowledge and perception. Im talking about
spiritual matters here, since in the corporeal
realm there is perception without vision. What
do I mean? A blind person who stubs their toe
on a stone feels it, but a dead person wouldnt.
In spiritual matters, unless the intellect attains to the vision of things beyond thought, it
doesnt perceive mystical activity.
Those who, before achieving contemplation in the spiritual realm, claim to perceive the
things that are above intellect, word and meaning, are like someone whos blind, who has a
feeling for whats good or bad, but isnt aware
that whats in his hands or at his feet might be
a matter of life or death for him. Since hes deprived of the faculty of sight and perception, he
has no way of knowing whether whats coming
to him is bad or good. So hell often raise his
stick to defend himself against an enemy, yet,
quite probably, strike a friend instead, while his
enemy stands before him and laughs at him.
Most people believe in the Resurrection
of Christ, but very few of them actually see it
clearly. But if you havent seen it, you cant worship Jesus Christ as the Holy One and the Lord.
Its said that: No-one can say Jesus is Lord
except in the Holy Spirit, and elsewhere God
is Spirit and those who worship Him should
do so in spirit and in truth. That most holy formulation which is on our lips every day doesnt
say: In that weve believed in the Resurrection
of Christ but rather In that weve beheld the
Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Lord
Jesus, the only sinless One.
How is it that the Holy Spirit encourages
us to say in that weve beheld the Resurrection of Christ, as though wed seen it, when, in
fact, we havent? After all, Christ rose a thousand years ago and no-one saw it at the time.
Surely the divine Scriptures dont expect us to
lie? Far from it. Rather they order us to tell the
truth, which is that it, that is Christs resurrection, occurs in each and every one of us believers, not once and for all but every hour of the
day, in a manner of speaking, when Christ the
Lord has risen in us, effulgent and radiating the
lightning shafts of incorruption and the Deity.
The light-bearing presence of the Spirit shows
us, like the dawn, or rather allows us to see the
Resurrection of the Lord. This is why we say
God is the Lord and has appeared to us [The
Greek could also mean and has shone upon
us].
And we refer to His Second Coming in
these terms: Blessed is He Who is coming
in the name of the Lord. To those to whom
the Risen Christ has appeared, entirely in the
Sprit, He has shown Himself to their spiritual
eyes. When this happens to us in the Spirit, He
raises us and quickens us, and allows us to see
Him all alive in us, immortal and indestructible as He is. Moreover, he clearly permits us
to know Him Who raises us up with Him and
with Whom we are glorified, as all the Holy
Scriptures testify.
These, then are the divine mysteries of the
Christians, the hidden power of our faith,
which the unbelievers, the sceptics and the
partial believers neither see nor are able to see.
The unbelievers, sceptics and partial believers
are those who dont demonstrate their faith
through works. Because even the demons believe and confess that Christ is God and the
Lord, though they have no works. We know
you, they say, the Son of God, and elsewhere
These people are servants of God the Most
High. But this faith is of no benefit to them, because, according to the divine Apostle [ James
2, 26], Faith without works is dead, just as
deeds are without faith. How is it dead?
Because, within it, it doesnt have the lifegiving God, it hasnt laid hold on Him Who
said: He who loves me will keep my commandments and the Father and I will come and
dwell in him. So that He may, by His presence,
raise from the dead those who have acquired
faith and quicken them, and allow them to see
Him Who has risen in them and has raised
them up. This is why such faith is dead, are
rather theyre dead who have it but have nothing to show for it. Faith in God is always alive
and, living as it does, gives life to those who
approach it with pure intentions and receive
it. It brought many people from death to life
and showed them Christ and God, even before
they started performing His commandments.
Had they but persevered in the observation
of His commandments and kept them till they
died, they too, would have been preserved by
them, that is, in the condition into which faith
alone had brought them. But since they turned
aside like a crooked bow and pierced themselves upon their earlier actions, they obviously wrecked the ship of their faith and, unfortunately, deprived themselves of the true riches,
Christ our God. Therefore I would urge you,
let us keep Gods commandments with all our
strength, so that we dont share their fate but
enjoy both the present and future blessings,
that is, the actual vision of Christ. May we all
attain to this, through the grace of Our Lord,
Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory unto the ages.
Amen.
TO Him be Glory and
Dominion, to the ages
of ages.
