2016 may sacred lessons

8182019 2016 May Sacred Lessons

httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 126B R I G H T M O N D A Y ndash F I R S T M O N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash S T A T H A N A S I O S O F A L E X A N D R I A ndash 2 M A Y 2 0 1 6 1

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria amp All AfricaArchdiocese of Good Hope

All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

now and forever and unto the Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most

Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Maria Theotokos yet Ever Virgin

together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our

whole Life to Christ our God Amen

2 May 2016St Athanasios of Egypt

amp St George the Great Holy Martyr amp Trophy Bearer( F E A S T T R A N S F E R R E D F R O M 23 A P R I L )

Also the Feast of St Jeremiah Holy Prophet of God ndash St Paphnutios the Abbot of Borov Monastery ndash St Euthymios St

Ignatios amp St Akakios of Mount Athos of Mount ndash St Makarios the Metropolitan amp Hieromartyr of Kiev ndash St Bata the

Persian ndash St Tamara Queen of Georgia ndash St Nicephoros of Chios ndash St Panaretos of Cyprus ndash St Gerasimos of Boldino ndashSt Isidora Holy Martyr ndash St Zosimas II of Kumurdo Georgia

P A S C H A L H Y M N ndash T O N E ( 5 ) P L A G A L 1

H ristos Anesti ek nekron Thanato Thanaton patisas

Ke tis en tis mnimasin Zoin harisamenos (3)

C hrist is Risen from the dead By Death trampling

upon Death and has bestowed Life to those in theTombs (3)

F I R S T P A S C H A L A N T I P H O N ndash P S A L M 6 5 6 6 - T O N E 2

S T I H O S 1 A lalazate to Kyrio pasa i Gi

T es Presvies tis Theotokou Soter Soson imas

S T I H O S 2 P salate di to Onomati Aftou - dote Doxan enenesi Aftou

S T I H O S 3 I pate to Theo Os fovera ta Erga Sou En to plithitis Dinameos Sou psefsonte Se i ehthri Sou

S T I H O S 3 P asa i Gi proskinisa tosan Si ke psalatosan Sipsalatosan di to Onomati Sou

D oxa Patri ke Io ke Agio Pnevmati ke nin ke ai ke istous Eonas ton eonon

A min

T es Presvies tis Theotokou Soter Soson imas

V E R S E 1 Shout to God all the Earth

T hrough the Intercessions of the Theotokos OSaviour Save us

V E R S E 2 Sing now to His Name ndash give Glory to His Praise

V E R S E 3 Say to God How fearful at Thy Works in themagnitude of Thy Power Thine enemies will lie toThee

V E R S E 4 Let all the Earth worship Thee and sing to Theelet them sing to Thy Name

G lory to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit now and forever and to the Ages of ages

A men

T hrough the Intercessions of the Theotokos OSaviour Save us

S E C O N D P A S C H A L A N T I P H O N ndash P S A L M 6 6 6 7 ndash T O N E 2

S T I H O S 1 O Theos ikterise imas ke Evlogise imas Epifaneto prosopon Aftou ef imas ke eleise imas

S oson imas Iie Theou O A N A S T A S E K N E K R O N psallontas Si Allilouia

S T I H O S 2 T ou gnosne en ti Gi tin Odon Sou - en pasinEthnesi to Sotirion Sou

S T I H O S 3 E xomologisasthosan Si Lai O Theos -exomologisasthosan Si Lai pantes

S T I H O S 4 E vlogise imas O Theos - ke fovithitosan Aftonpanta ta perata tis Gis

S oson imas Iie Theou O A N A S T A S E K N E K R O N psallontas Si Allilouia


A min

V E R S E 1 May God be Gracious to us and Bless us mayHe cause His Face to shine upon us

O Son of God W H O A R O S E F R O M T H E D E A D

Save uswho sing to Thee Alleluia

V E R S E 2 That we may know Thy Way on the Earth - YourSalvation among the Gentiles

V E R S E 3 Let the Peoples give Thanks to Thee O God ndash letall the Peoples praise Thee

V E R S E 4 May God Bless us ndash and let all the ends of theEarth fear Him

O Son of God W H O A R O S E F R O M T H E D E A D Save uswho sing to Thee Alleluia


A men

T H I R D P A S C H A L A N T I P H O N ndash P S A L M 6 7 8 8 ndash T O N E ( 5 ) P L A G A L 1

STIHOS Anastito O Theos ke diaskorpisthitoan i ehthriaftou ke figetosan apo prosopou aftou i misountesAfton

H ristos Anesti ek nekron Thanato Thanaton patisasKe tis en tis mnimasin Zoin harisamenos

VERSE Let God Arise and let His enemies be scattered andlet those who hate Him flee from before His Face

C hrist is Risen from the dead By Death tramplingupon Death And has bestowed Life to those in thetombs


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 2262 B R I G H T M O N D A Y ndash F I R S T M O N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash S T A T H A N A S I O S O F A L E X A N D R I A ndash 2 M A Y 2 0 1 6

STIHOS O s eklipi kapnos eklipetosan os tikete kiros apoprosopou piros

STIHOS O utos apolounte i amartoli apo prosopou tou TheouKei Dikei evfranthitosan

STIHOS A fti i imera in epiisen O Kyrios Agalliasometha keevfranthomen en afti

VERSE As smoke vanishes so let them vanish as wax melts before the fire

VERSE So shall the sinners perish from the Sight of GodAnd let the Righteous be glad

VERSE This is the day the Lord made ndash let us greatly rejoiceand be glad therein

I S O D I K O N ndash S M A L L E N T R A N C E H Y M N ndash T O N E 2

E n Ekklisies evlogite ton Theon Kyrion ek Pigon Israil

Soson imas Iie Theou O Anastas ek nekron

Bless God in the churches let the Lord from the Fountains

of Israel Save us O Son of God Who arose from thedead

A F T E R T H E S M A L L E N T R A N C E R E S U R R E C T I O N A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash T O N E 2

O te katilthes pros ton Thanaton i Zoi i Athanatos tote tonAdin enekrosas ti astrapi tis Theotitos Ote de ke toustethneotas ek ton katahthonion anestisas pase eDinamis ton Epouranion ekravgazon Zoodota Hriste OTheos imon Doxa Si

When Thou condescended to Death O Life ImmortalThou slayed Hades with the lightning flash of ThyDivinity When also Thou raised up the dead from thesubterranean abodes all the Powers of Heaven criedaloud O Life-giver Christ our God Glory to Thee

P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - T O N E 2

E sfragismenou tou Mnimiatos i Zoi ek Tafou anetilasHriste O Theos ke ton thiron keklismenon tis Mathitesepestis i panton Anastasis Pnevm evthes dirsquo aftonegkenizon imin kata to Mega Sou Eleos

O Life Thou rose from the Sepulchre even though theTomb was secured with a seal O Christ God Andalthough the doors had been bolted Thou went to ThyDisciples O Resurrection of all Through them ThouRenew a Right Spirit in us according

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2

T es Myroforis Ginexi Para To Mnima Epistas O Angelos

Evoa To Myra Tis Thanitis Iparhi Armodia Hristos DeDiafthoras Edihthi Allotrios Alla Kravgasate Anesti OKyrios Parehon To Kosmo To Mega Eleos

The Angel standing by the Tomb cried to the

Myrrhbearing Women Myrrh is fitting for the dead butChrist has been shown to be a Stranger to corruptionBut cry aloud The Lord has Risen granting theworld His Great Mercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T A T H A N A S I O S ndash T O N E 3

S tylos gegonas Orthodoxias thiis dogmasin ipostirizon tinekklisian Irarha Athanasie to gar Patri ton IonOmoousion anakirixas katishinas Arion Pater OsieHriston ton Theon iketeve dorisasthe imin to MegaEleos

Thou became a Pillar of Orthodoxy strengthening theChurch with Divine Dogmas O Hierarch AthanasiosFor by preaching that the Son is One in Essence withthe Father thou put Arius to shame O VenerableFather to Christ our God pray earnestly entreatingthat Great Mercy be on us bestowed

P A S C H A L K O N T A K I O N ndash H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2

T o Here tis Myroforis fthengxamenos ton thrinon tispromitoros Evas katepafsas ti Anastasi Sou Hriste OTheos Tis Apostolis de tis Sis kirittin epetaxas O SotirExanesti tou Mnimatos

In saying ldquoRejoicerdquo to the Myrrhbearers Thou allayed thelament of the First Mother Eve at Thy Resurrection OChrist our God And Thou ordered Thy Apostles toproclaim ldquothe Saviour has Risen from the Tombrdquo

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P R A Y E R O F A Z A R I A H ndash T O N E 4

B lessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers for Thou art Praiseworthy and Exalted beyond measure unto the Ages

F or Thou art Righteous in all Thou did for us all Thou brought upon us and on Jerusalem the Holy City of our Fathers

T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E H E B R E W S 1 3 7 - 1 6 Brethren remember those who rule over you - those who spoke to you the Word of God Consider the outcome of their

Lives and imitate their Faith

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings It is

Good that the heart be Strengthened by Grace ndash not by foods which have not benefitted their adherents

We have an Altar - from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat The bodies of those animals

whose blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the High Priest as a Sacrifice for sin are burnt outside the Camp

Jesus also suffered in order to Sanctify the People through His own Blood outside the gate Therefore let us go forth

to Him outside the Camp to bear the abuse He endured Here we have no Lasting City but we seek that which is to

come Through Him then let us continually offer up a Sacrifice of Praise to God ndash that is the Fruit of lips that

Confessed His Name

Share what you have - do not neglect to do Good Such Sacrifices are pleasing to God

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T M A T T H E W 5 1 4 ndash 1 9

At that time our Lord said to His Disciples ldquoYou are the Light of the world A city set on a hill cannot be hidden Nor

do men light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house Let you

Light so shine before mankind that they may see your Good Works and Glorify your Father Who is in Heaven

ldquoDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil

themldquoTruly I say to you until Heaven and Earth pass away not an iota nor a jot will pass from the Law until all is

accomplished Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these Commandments and teaches mankind likewise

shall be called lsquoleastrsquo in the Kingdom of Heaven Those who do them and teach them shall be called lsquogreatrsquo in

the Kingdom of Heavenrdquo

S T H E R M A N O F A L A S K A ndash O N S P I R I T U A L S T R U G G L E S

A True Christian is made by Faith and Love for Christ Our

sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity

according to the Word of our Saviour Himself Who

said ldquo not the Righteous have I come to Call but

sinners to Salvation There is more Joy in Heaven overone who Repents than over ninety Righteous

Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His

Feet He said to the Pharisee Simon ldquoto one who has

Love a Great Debt is forgiven but from one who has

no Love even a small debt will be demandedrdquo

From these Judgments we should Hope and Rejoice -

and not in the least accept an inflicted despair Here

one needs the Shield of Faith

Sin to one who Loves God is nothing other than an arrow

from the enemy in Battle The True Christian is a Warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the

unseen enemy to his Heavenly Homeland

According to St Paul our Homeland is in Heaven

andldquoour Warfare is not against flesh and blood

but against principalities and powers of

wickedness under Heavenrdquo (EPHESIANS 612 )


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 326B R I G H T T H U R S D A Y ndash F E A S T O F S T I R E N E T H E G R E A T H O L Y M A R T Y R O F T H E S S A L O N I K A ndash 5 M A Y 2 0 1 6 3


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto the Ages

of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Maria Theotokos yet

Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our

God Amen

5 May 2016St Irene the Great Holy Martyr of Thessalonika

Also the Feast of St Euthymios of Maditou - St James of Zhelezny Bor ndash St Ephraim the New

Holy Martyr





upon Death and has bestowed Life to those in the

Tombs (3)F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - S T I R E N E T H E G R E A T M A R T Y R - T O N E 4

I rinis ton arhonta ihnilatousa semni Irinis Eponimos di

epipnias Theou edihthis paneffime si gar toupolemiou tas enedras figousa ithlisas iper fisin osparthenos fronimi dio Megalomartis Irini irinin iminetise

The steps of the Prince of Peace following O Noble One

the namesake of Peace by the prompting of Godthou became O Most Blessed One for having escapedthe snares of the devil supremely thou contended asa most prudent virgin wherefore O Great MartyrIrene ask for Peace for all of us

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F A F E M A L E H O L Y M A R T Y R

I Amnas Sou Iisou krazi megali ti foni Se Nimfie moupotho ke Se zitousa athlo ke sistavroume kesinthaptome to Vaptismo Sou Ke Pasho dia Se osVasilefso Sin Si ke thnisko iper Sou ina ke ziso en SiAllrsquo os thisian amomon prosdehou tin meta pothou

tithisan Si Aftis presvies os eleimon Soson tas psihasimon

Thy Lamb O Jesus cries to Thee with a loud voice O myBridegroom Thee I Love and seeking Thee I now suffereverything in search of Thee and am crucified and

buried with Thee in Baptism and suffer for Thy sakeso that I may reign with Thee and give my life for

Thee that I may Live with Thee but accept as PureSacrifice the one who desired to give her life for youThrough her Intercessions O Most CompassionateSave our souls

P A S C H A L I P A K O I ndash T O N E 4

P rolavouse ton orthron e peri Mariaim ke evrouse tonithon apokilisthenta tou mnimatos ikouson ek tosouAngelou ldquoTon en Foti aidio iparhonta meta nekron tizitite os Anthropon Vlepete ta entafia sparganaDramete ke to kosmo kiriate os igerthi O Kyriosthanatosas ton Thanaton Oti iparhi Theou Iios touSozontos to genos ton anthropon

When the Women with Mary had gone before dawn andfound that the stone had been rolled away from thesepulchre they heard from the Angel ldquoWhy do Youseek among the dead as mortal man the One Whoexists in Everlasting Light See the grave wrappings inthe Tomb Run and proclaim to the world that our Lordhas Risen and put Death to death for He is the Son ofGod Who Saves mankind

P A S C H A L K O N T A K I O N ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

Ike en Tafo katilthes Athanate alla tou Adou kathiles tin

Dinamin Ke anestis os Nikitis Hriste O Theos ginexiMyroforis fthegxamenos Herete ke tis Sis Aposlis irinindoroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin

Although Thou went down into the Tomb O Immortal

One Thou brought down the dominion of Hades andThou rose as Victor O Christ our God and Thou calledout ldquoRejoicerdquo to the Myrrh-Bearing Women andgranted Peace to Thine Apostle O Lord Who to theFallen grant Resurrection

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N - S T I R E N E T H E G R E A T M A R T Y R ndash T O N E 3

P arthenias kallesi pepikilmeni Parthene ke Martion

stemmasi Stefanothisa Irini emati tou martiriouerrantismeni thavmasi katastrafthisa ton iamatonevsevos Martis edexo vraveion Nikis tis Sis Athliseos

Being fair adorned before with pure and virginal beauty

Thou became fairer still in Thy brave Contest OVirgin for when Thou in Thine own spilt blood wasstained and reddened O Irene Thou overthrewungodly error Hence Thou hast received the Prizes ofThy Good Victry from Thy Creators right Hand

I N S T E A D O F T H E T H R I C E H O L Y H Y M N

O si is Hriston Evaptisthite Hriston enedisasthe Allelouia

(3)

D oxa Patri ke Io ke Agio Pnevmati ke nin ke ai ke is

tous Eonas ton eonon

A min

H riston enedisasthe Allelouia

PRIEST As many of you as were Baptised into Christ have put

on Christ Alleluia

PEOPLE G lory to the Father and to the Son and to the

Holy Spirit now and forever and to the Ages of ages

A men

PEOPLE Have put on Christ Allilouia



D ynamis

K elefson Despota

E vlogimenos O erhomenos en Onomati Kyriou

E vlogison Despota tin Ano Kathedran)

E vlogimenos i O epi Thronou Doxis tis Vasilias Sou O

Kathimenos epi ton Heroubim pantote nin ke ai ke istous eonas ton eonon

Amin)

M e Dynamis


PRIEST Power

DEACON W ith thy Blessing Master

PRIEST B lessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord

DEACON M aster Bless the Throne on High

PRIEST B lessed art Thou on the Throne of Glory of Thy

Kingdom seated upon the Cherubim always now andforever and to the Ages of ages

DEACON Amen

CHOIR With Power

PEOPLE As many of you as were Baptised into Christ have

put on Christ Alleluia

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 4 6 4 7 ndash T O N E 3

Sing Praises to our God Sing sing Praises to our King Sing Praises

All you Nations clap your hands Shout to God with the voice of rejoicing

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 2 3 8 ndash 4 3

In those day Peter said to the people ldquoRepent and be Baptised every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for theForgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit For the Promise is to you and to your childrenand to all who are far off ndash everyone whom the Lord our God Calls to Himrdquo

With many other words he Testified and exhorted them saying ldquoSave yourselves from this crooked generationrdquoThose who received his word were Baptised and that day there were added about three thousand souls They devoted

themselves to the Apostlesrsquo Teaching and Fellowship to the Breaking of Bread and to the PrayersFear came upon every soul - many Wonders and Signs were done through the Apostles

T H E

H O L Y

G O S P E L

A C C O R D I N G T O

S T

J O H N

3

1

ndash

1 5At that time there was a man of the Pharisees named lsquoNikodemos rsquo a Ruler of the Judeans He went to Jesus by night and

said to Him ldquoRabbi we know that thou art a Teacher Who has come from God for no one can do these Signs that Thoudoes unless God is with Himrdquo Jesus answered him ldquoTruly truly I say to you unless one is Born from Above hecannot behold the Kingdom of Godrdquo

Nikodemos said to Him ldquoHow can a man be born when he is old Can he enter into his motherrsquos womb a second time andbe born rdquo Jesus replied ldquoTruly truly I say to you unless one is Born of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter theKingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is Born of the Spirit is spirit

ldquoDo not marvel that I said to you lsquoYou must be Born from Aboversquo The wind blows where it wills and you hear thesound of it but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes So it is with everyone who is Born of theSpiritrdquo

Nikodemos said to him ldquoHow can this berdquo Jesus answered him ldquoArt Thou a Teacher of Israel yet Thou doest notunderstand this Truly truly I say to Thee We speak of what We know and bear Witness to what we have seen yet you do not receive our Testimony If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe how - if I tell youHeavenly Things - can you believe No one has Ascended into Heaven but He Who Descended from Heaven ndash theSon of Man Who is in Heaven

ldquoAnd as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Himmay have Eternal Liferdquo

S T I R E N E T H E G R E A T H O L Y M A R T Y R O F T H E S S A L O N I K A

A Christian in fourth-century Persia had to endure variousfactions that shared a common hatred and persecutionof the followers of Jesus Christ

St Irene (whose name means ldquoPeacerdquo) was confronted bythe full wrath of our Lordrsquos enemies by choosing tofollow Christ our Saviour despite such an extremelyhostile environment of soothsayers and snakecharmers and she faithfully served God in a mannerthat brought her Sainthood

Born during the reign of St Constantine the Great in thePersian city of Magydos St Irene was the daughter ofLicinios the Governor - a cruel obsessive ruler whoreared his only child in an ornate palace At the age of

eight she began her education in the grand manner ofthe times and accordingly she studied for ten yearsunder the tutelage of Apellianos Tutor who wasrenowned for his Wisdom and intellect

An Angel of the Lord appeared to St Irene one day andtold her that she had been chosen to be the voice of ourSaviour among her own people and when she informedthe venerable Apellianos of this he was in awe but hewarned her that her Path ahead would be strewn withobstacles and that the Sacred Journey would beextremely arduous and perilous Nevertheless she wasconfident that her Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ wouldsustain her

At first Licinios had attributed St Irenersquos desire for a Life inChrist to be a mere whim of youth but he vehementlyurged her to give up such lsquomadnessrsquo and when herdeclarations of Love for Christ continued unabated hesternly warned her that he would no longer tolerate herrejection of paganism in favour of Christianity

When she failed to comply to his order he flew into aninsane rage threatening to have her trampled to deathin the arena by wild horses but while he was makingthe necessary arrangements for her arrest and death

sentence Licinius himself was accidently trampled bythe frenzied animals

St Irene hastened to her father and as he lay mortallywounded she besought our Lord to spare her wickedfather

By Divine Grace due to the Intercessory Prayers of St IreneLicinios recovered Repented and was Baptized into theChristian Faith for which he was promptly removedfrom office by Sedecian the Persian King

Turning his attention to St Irene whom he considered alsquosorceressrsquo Sedecian stated that he would restore herfather to his post and allow her to go free if sherenounced Christ She declined and was arrested and

imprisoned being subjected to inhuman torture untilSedecianrsquos death when she was released

Miraculously restored to health St Irene carried the DivineTruth of the Holy Gospel of our Lord God throughoutthe land converting thousands to Christianity Threeconsecutive successors to Sedecian Savor Numerianusand Savorian all failed to halt St Irenersquos advancement ofChristianity Further imprisonment torture and abuseof mind and body failed to make her renounce Christ soshe was condemned to beheading by sword

On 5 May 384 St Irene was Perfected and although shewas not a biblical scholar her very nature is anexpression of Holy Scripture as evident in every aspectof her Life in Christ she not only turned the othercheek but went to the aid of the parent who would havedestroyed her and except for her intervention wouldhave thereby destroyed himself She saved her fatherrsquoslife in order that he might save his own soul thereafterWhile preaching she faced many dire threats yet byDivine Grace she outlived three Emperors and she won

the Love and respect of men and women alikeldquo O R T H O D O X S A I N T S rdquo B Y G E O R G E P O U L O S


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 526B R I G H T F R I D A Y ndash F I R S T F R I D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash L I F E - G I V I N G S P R I N G ndash 6 M A Y 2 0 1 6 5


All Glo ry Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto the

Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Maria

Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole

Life to Christ our God Amen

6 May 2016The Life-giving Spring

Also the Feast of St Job the Long Suffering ndash St Micah of Radonezh ndash St Barbaros the

Soldier St Bacchos St Callimachos amp St Dionysios of Morea ndash St Barbaros of Thessaly ndash St Stava First Archbishop of

Serbia ndash St Seraphim of lebadeia ndash St Sophia of Klisoura Dramas


H ristos Anesti ek nekron Thanato Thanaton patisasKe tis en tis mnimasin Zoin harisamenos (3)

C hrist is Risen from the dead By Death tramplingupon Death and has bestowed Life to those in theTombs (3)






A F T E R T H E S M A L L E N T R A N C E I P A K O E ndash T O N E 4

P rolavouse ton orthron e peri Mariam ke evrouse ton

lithon apokilisthenta tou mnimatos ikouon ek touAngelou Ton en Foti edio iparhonta meta nekron tizitite os anthropon Velpete ta entafia sparganaDramete ke to kosmo kirixate os igerthi O Kyrios

Thanatosas ton Thanaton Oti iparhi Theou Iios touSozontos to genos ton anthropon

When the Women with Mary had gone before dawn and

they found that the ston had been rolled away from theSepulchre they heard from the Angel ldquoWhy do Youseek among the dead as a mortal Man the One Whoexits in Everlasting Light Behold the Grave Wrappings

in the Tomb Hasten and to the world proclaim theLord has Risen and put Death to death For He is theSon of God Who Saves mankind

T O O U R L A D Y T H E O T O K O S ndash T O N E 1

O Naos Sou Theotoke anedihthi Oaradsos os potamous

aizoous anavlizon iamata O proserhomeni Pistos oszoodohou ek Pigis risin antloumen ke zoin tin EonionPresvevis gar Si to ek Sou tehthenti Sotiri Hristosothine tas psihas imon

Thy Church O Theotokos is like Paradise since it pours

forth Healings and Cures like Ever-living Rivers Wecome to It with Faith and we draw Strenth and EternalLife from Its Water through Thou who art the Springthat received Life Himself For Thou Intercede withChrist our Saviour Who was Born of Thee and ThouEntreat Him to Save our soul

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

I ke en Tafo katilthes Athanate alla tou Adou kathiles tin

Dinamin Ke anestis os Nikitis Hriste O Theos GynexiMyrofori fthegxamenos ldquo Herete rdquo ke tis Sis ApostolisIrinin doroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin


One Thou brought down the dominion of Hades andThou Rose as Victor O Christ our God And Thoucalled out ldquoHail rdquo to the Myrrhbearers and grantedPeace to Thine Apostles O Lord Who to the fallengrants Resurrection

I N S T E A D O F T H E T H R I CE H O L Y H Y MN

O si is Hriston Evaptisthite Hriston enedisasthe Allelilouia

(3)


A min


D ynamis

D ynamis

O si is Hriston Evaptisthite Hriston enedisasthe Allilouia

As many of you as were Baptised into Christ have put on

Christ Alleluia (3)


A men

Have put on Christ Allilouia

With Power

With Power

As many of you as were Baptised into Christ have put onChrist Allilouia

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 0 3 1 0 4 ndash T O N E 4

O Lord Thy Works shall be greatly magnified Thou made all things in Wisdom

Bless the Lord O my soul O Lord my God Thou art Exceedingly Magnified


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 6266 B R I G H T F R I D A Y ndash F I R S T F R I D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash L I F E - G I V I N G S P R I N G ndash 6 M A Y 2 0 1 6

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 3 1 ndash 8S T P E T E R H E A L S A L A M E M A N I N TH E P O W E R F U L D I V I N E N A M E O F O U R S A V I O U R

In those days Peter and John were going up to the Temple at the Hour of prayer the Ninth Hour And a man ndash lame from birth ndash was being carried He was laid daily at the gate of the Temple which is called lsquoBeautiful rsquo to beg for Alms fromthose who entered the Temple

Seeing Peter and John about to enter the Temple he asked them for Alms Peter directed his gaze at him with John andsaid ldquoLook at us rdquo He fixed his attention upon them expecting to receive something from them

Peter said ldquoSilver and gold I do not have What I have I give to you In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up andwalkrdquo And he took him by the right hand and raised him up Immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened andleaping up he stood and walked

And he entered the Temple with them walking and leaping and praising God

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 2 1 2 ndash 2 2

O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M

At that time our Lord Jesus went to Capernaum with His Mother and His Brothers and His Disciples and they remainedthere for a few days

And the Passover of the Judeans was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem And in the Temple He found the sellers ofoxen and sheep and pigeons and the money-changers conducting their business And having made a whip of cordsHe drove them all out of the Temple ndash with the sheep and oxen And He poured out the coins of the money-changersand overthrew the tables And to those who sold doves He said ldquoTake these away from here Do not make MyFatherrsquos House a house of merchandiserdquo

His Disciples remembered that it was written ldquoThe Zeal for Thy House hath consumed Merdquo The Judeans responded and said to Him ldquoWhat Sign dost Thou show us seeing that Thou doest these thingsrdquo Answering

Jesus said to them ldquoDestroy this Temple and in Three Days I Will Raise It uprdquo The Judeans replied ldquoForty six yearsit took to build this Temple and Thou wilt raise it up in three daysrdquo

However He spoke of the Temple of His Body When therefore He was Risen from the dead His Disciples rememberedthat He had said this to them And they believed the Scriptures and the Word that Jesus had spoken

B R I G H T F R I D A Y - T H E F E A S T O F T H E L I F E - G I V I N G S P R I N G

The Feast of the Life-giving Spring which is kept on the

Friday of Bright Week has its origins in the 5th centuryIt is the Feast that commemorates the Consecration of the

Church of the Life-giving Spring outside ConstantinopleThe very large and beautiful church named in honour of

our Ever Blessed Lady the Theotokos of the Life-givingSpring was built about the middle of the fifth century

by the Emperor Leo the Great (457-474) outsideConstantinople

Emperor Leo was a pious man and before he becameEmperor he had encountered a blind man who beingtormented by extreme thirst had asked him to help himfind some water with which to refresh himself

St Leo felt compassion for him and went in search of asource of water but found none As he was about tocease his search he heard a soft female voice tellinghim there was water nearby

He looked again and found noneThen he heard the voice again - this time addressing him as

Emperor - which instructed him to a place that had asmall muddy pool in the midst of the densely woodedarea

The voice told St Leo to take some of that muddy water andanoint the blind mans eyes with it and when he haddone so the blind man received his sight

After St Leo became Emperor as the Most Holy Theotokoshad prophesied he had a Temple constructed over theMiraculous Spring whose waters continued to workmany Healings and even resurrections from the deadthrough the Intercessions of the Theotokos which ishow it came to be called the Life-giving Spring

Justinian the Great (527-565) was also cured by the watersof ldquoThe Life-giving Springrdquo and in gratitude built a newTemple even larger than the first which was destroyed

by earthquakes and rebuilt by other grateful EmperorsAfter the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 the

Temple was razed to the ground and the great stonesand various building materials were salvaged and usedto build the mosque of Sultan Beyazıt

Nothing remained of that ancient beauty except for a smallChapel almost completely buried in the ruins whichhad twenty-five descending steps and a transomwindow on the roof which allowed a little light to shineinside

Toward the western wall of the Chapel was the Holy Life-giving Spring surrounded by a railing

In 1821 even that small remnant was destroyedThe Sacred Spring was buried and had disappeared

altogetherHowever in the days of Sultan Mahmud when those whowere subject to him rejoiced in the freedom to practisetheir Faith permission was sought by the OrthodoxChristian Community to rebuild at least the Chapel

Permission was granted to rebuild the Temple and it was

Consecrated on Bright Friday in 1835Tragically on the night of 6-7 September 1955 along

with 73 other Orthodox Christian churches inIstanbul it was desecrated and burnt to the ground byrampaging Turks

Eventually the Temple has been restored yet once again but not like its former magnificence

O Most Holy Theotokos of the Life-giving Spring Save us

O N G U A R D I N G O U R H E A R T

S T N I C E P H O R O S T H E H E S Y C H A S T

We must look for a Master who is not himself in error hisLessons will show us when we go astray hellip

If you can find no one pray to God in contrition of heartand with tears appeal to Him in your nakedness and dowhat I shall tell you

You know that we breathe in and out only because of ourhearthellipSo as I have said sit down recollect your minddraw it-I am speaking of your mind-in your nostrilsthat is the path the breath takes to reach the heart

Drive it force it to go down to your heart with the air youare breathing in When it is there you will see the Joythat follows you will have nothing to regret As a manwho has been away from home for a long time cannotrestrain his joy at seeing his wife and children again sothe spirit overflows with Joy and unspeakable delightswhen it is United again to the soulhellip

Next you must know that as long as your spirit abidesthere you must not remain silent nor idle Have noother occupation or meditation than the cry of ldquoLord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on merdquo Underno circumstances give yourself any rest This practice

protects your spirit from wandering and makes itimpregnable and inaccessible to the suggestions of theenemy and lifts it up every day in Love and desire forGod

But if in spite of all your efforts Brethren you do notsucceed in entering your heart as I have directed dowhat I tell you and with Godrsquos Help you will achieveyour end

You know that manrsquos reason has its seat in the breastIn fact it is in our breast that although our lips are silent

we speak make decisions compose Prayers and Psalmsetchellip

After putting all thoughts away from this rational power (itcan be done you need only to will it) present to it thePrayer ldquoLord Jesus Christ have mercy on me rdquo andforce it to utter these words interiorly excluding all

other thoughtsWhen in time you will have mastered this practice it willundoubtedly open for you the entrance to the heart

(PG 147 961-966 CF WRITINGS FROM THE PHILOKALIA PP 32-34)


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 726 A N T I P A S C H A ndash 1 S T S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E B E L I E F O F S T T H O M A S ndash 8 M A Y 2 0 1 6 7


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spir it now and forever and unto

the Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Maria

Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our


Tone 1 8 May 2016First Antipaschal SundayThe Belief of St Thomas

Also the Feast of St John the Beloved Apostle Evangelist amp Theologian ndash St Arsenios the

Great of Rome ndash St Arsenios the Lover of Labour of Kiev Far Caves Monastery ndash St Pimen

the Ascetic of Kiev Far Caves Monastery ndash St Tamara Venerable Queen of Georgia




R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 1 ndash M A T T H E W 2 8 1 6 ndash 2 0T H E G R E A T D I V I N E C O M M I S S I O N O F O U R E T E R N A L LO R D J E S U S C H R I S T

I S O D I K O N ndash S M A L L E N T R A N C E - H Y M N S ndash T O N E 2





A F T E R T H E S M A L L E N T R A N C E P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - T O N E 2



F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T J O H N B E L O V E D A P O S T L E amp T H E O L O G I A N - T O N E 2

A postole Hristo to Theo igapimene epitahinon Rise laonanapologiton Dehete Se prospiptonta O epipesonta tostithi katadexamenos on iketeve Theloge ke epimononNefos ethnon diaskedase etoumenos imin Irinin ke toMega Eleos

O Apostle Beloved of Christ our God hasten to Deliverus who have no excuse He accepts Thy Supplicationsfor He condescended at the Supper to allow Thee tolean against Him Entreat Him O Theologian that Hescatter the persistent Cloud of hostile Nations andpray for us for Peace and Great Mercy


I ke en Tafo katilthes Athante alla tou Adou kathiles tin

dinamin Ke Anestis os Nikitis Hriste O Theos GynexiMyroforis fthegxamenos lsquo Herete rsquo Ke tis Sis ApostolisIrinini doroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin

Although Thou went into the Tomb O Immortal yet Thou

brought down the dominion of Hades and Thou Roseas Victor O Christ our God And Thou called outldquoHail rdquo to the Myrrhbearing Women and granted Peace

to Thine Apostles O Lord Who to the fallen grantsResurrection

P A S C H A L P R O K E I M E N O N - P S A L M 1 8 1 9 ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

T heir Proclamation went forth into all the Earth and their words to the ends of the world

T he Heavens declare the Glory of God the firmament shows the Creation of His Hands

T H E F I R S T U N I V E R S A L E P I S T L E O F S T J O H N 1 1 ndash 7

Brethren That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we

have looked upon and touched with our hands concerning the Word of Life -(and the Life was made manifest

and we saw It and Testify to It and proclaim to you the Eternal Life Who was with the Father and Who was made

manifest to us) - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that you may have Fellowship

with us And our Fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ

And we are writing this so that our Joy may be complete

And this is the Message that we have heard from Him and proclaim to you for God is Light and in Him is no Darkness

at all

If we say we have Fellowship with Him and we walk in Darkness we lie and do not Live according to the Truth If we

walk in the Light as He is in the Light we have Fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus His Son

Cleanses us from all sin


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 8268 A N T I P A S C H A ndash 1 S T S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E B E L I E F O F S T T H O M A S ndash 8 M A Y 2 0 1 6

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 2 0 1 9 ndash 3 1

On the evening of that day ndash the first day of the week ndash the doors being shut where the Disciples were for fear of the

Judeans Jesus came and stood among them and said to them ldquoPeace be with yourdquo And when He had said this

He showed them His Hands and His Side

The Disciples were glad when they beheld our Lord

Jesus said to them again ldquoPeace be with you As the Father has sent Me even so I send yourdquo And having said this He

breathed on them and said to them ldquoReceive the Holy Spirit If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven If you

retain the sins of any they are retainedrdquo

Thomas ndash one of the Twelve who was called ldquothe Twinrdquo ndash was not with them when Jesus came

The other Disciples told him ldquoWe have seen our Lordrdquo He said to them ldquoUnless I see in His Wrists the imprint of the nails

and place my finger in the marks of the nails and place my hand in His Side I will not believerdquo

And eight days later His Disciples were again in the house and Thomas was with them The doors were shut but Jesus

came and stood amidst them and said ldquoPeace be with yourdquoTo Thomas He said ldquoPut your finger here and see My Wrists and stretch forth your hand and place it in My Side and

do not be unbelieving but believerdquo And answering Thomas said to Him ldquoMy Lord and my Godrdquo

Jesus said to him ldquoHave you believed because you have seen Me Blessed are those who have not seen yet believerdquo

Many other Signs were done by Jesus in the presence of His Disciples which are not written in this book These are

written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ ndash the Son of God ndash and that believing you may have Life in

His Name

F I R S T A N T I P A S C H A S U N D A Y ndash T H E B E L I E F O F S T T H O M A S

Christ is Risen Truly He is Risen

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Throughout Bright

Week we lived in the Paschal Joy of our Resurrected

Saviour and our Joy - just like that of the Holy

Apostles - was mixed with confusion

Not long ago we had remembered the Death of Him Who

is the Source of Life but now we Rejoice having been

raised to Life by Him Who had been in the Tomb

Just like the Holy Disciples and Apostles during the first

days after the Resurrection we vividly remembered

the Passion of Christ during the Reading of the 12 Holy

Gospel accounts our Lordrsquos Death and the Taking

Down of His Body from the Cross which we symbolized

by the bringing out of His Shroud our Saviourrsquos Burial

when we carried His Shroud in a Procession around

the church and the long hours awaiting the Miracle

of Resurrection on Great and Holy Saturday of Great

Stillness

Although from very early in the morning on the Day of the

Resurrection the Good News of the Resurrection was

carried throughout Creation - by the Holy Angels of

God in Heaven and the Holy Myrrhbearers on Earth -

and even the hired guards of the Sanhedrin who had

reported the Divine Miracle - our Lordrsquos Apostles andDisciples being overwhelmed by fear and doubt hid

themselves behind locked doors ldquofor the fear of the

Jewsrdquo (MARK 166 - LUKE 249 - MATTHEW 2811 amp JOHN 2019)

Their fear and doubt was not altogether surprising for

they had personally witnessed the Greatest Event in

the history of mankind ordinary human beings had

killed the Lord our God Who had told them that He

would Rise from the dead on the Third Day

And Truly indeed He had Risen from the dead and has

Saved the dying human race from the grasping claws

of Hades

However after our Beloved Lord had been betrayed and

unjustly arrested almost all His Apostles and Disciples

forgot His prophesies concerning the things that were

about to take place

Consequently they would not believe the HolyMyrrhbearersrsquo glorious Proclamation of the

Resurrection (MARK 1611 amp LUKE 2411)

They even hesitated when confronted ndash behind locked

doors ndash by our Risen Lord Jesus Christ (LUKE 2425)

That unbelief is due to a condition of our human

weakness ndash for we are incapable of encompassing

the Magnitude of the Miracle that occurred on that

Holy Pascha morning which is clearly reflected in the

now familiar words of St Thomas the Apostle whom

Christ had nicknamed lsquothe Twinrsquo due to always being

lsquodouble-mindedrsquo ndash ie having a need to clarify and

ascertain everything he heard ldquoUnless I see the

nail marks in His Wrists and put my finger upon the

imprint of the nails and put my hand into His Side I

will not believerdquo (JOHN 2025) People often erroneously and unfairly refer to St Thomas

as ldquodoubting rdquo not really considering the depth and

the height of the so-called ldquodoubt rdquo of this Holy

Apostle

His lsquodoubtrsquo was certainly not the same as that of the

Judeans who yelled mockingly about our Saviour

Whom they had so unjustly crucified ldquoLet Him come

down now from the cross and we will believe in Himrdquo (MATTHEW 2742)

Neither was the incredulity of St Thomas similar to that

which we hear from our unbelieving contemporaries

who say ldquoIf there is a God let Him show Himself to all

and we will believe in Him and live happily ever

afterrdquo

The Scribes and Pharisees knew much about our Lord

Jesus Christrsquos Divine Miracles and Truth - and musthave suspected Who lsquoJesus of Galileersquo or lsquoJesus of

Nazarethrsquo really was

Yet whenever they were confronted by the Divine Truth

and the Very Presence of Christ our Lord and Saviour

they stubbornly became even more blasphemous

and sunk deeper into their arrogant egocentric

wickedness

When they heard that Christ had Healed a man born

blind ndash born without eyes ndash by creating healthy eyes

with His Saliva and clay - instead of lifting Praises of

Joy and Thanksgiving to God for His Great Mercy

they spewed out curses and blasphemy in their ever

increasing Spiritual Blindness ldquoThis Man is a sinnerrdquo (JOHN 924)

They dared to maliciously accuse our Almighty Creatorldquo Thou were steeped in sin at birthrdquo (JOHN 934)

When they heard that our Most Loving and

Compassionate Lord Jesus had resurrected a four-

day-dead decomposing man ndash St Lazaros of Bethany

- and thus unable to deny nor doubt Christrsquos True

Divinity the Judean Elders decided ldquoto kill Lazaros

as wellrdquo (JOHN 1210)

Finally after being faced with the undeniable Truth of

our Lord Jesus Christrsquos Miraculous Resurrection and

having heard the first-hand accounts of their paid

guards at the sealed Tomb who had fallen to the

ground trembling and terrified in the presence of a

shining Angel of God - and having seen the Empty

Tomb - the Elders bribed the soldiers to remain silent

or to lie about the True Resurrection of Christ ndash thereby

deceiving the people further ndash and deepening theirblasphemy (MATTHEW 284 amp11-14)

Our contemporary lsquoPharisees and Scribesrsquo also further

deepen their wicked blasphemy ndash even though

having encountered our Resurrected Lord but

stubbornly refusing to believe

St Thomas the double-minded but extremely faithful

Apostle of Christ is certainly not like any of these

unbelievers who have chosen to reject the Divine

Truth and Reality of our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ

His faithfulness and Sacrificial Love for our Lord Jesus is

clearly evident for having accompanied Him for

three years together with the other Holy Apostles and

close Disciples St Thomas understood very well the

dangerous threats of the arrogant Scribes and

Pharisees

When our Saviour decided to go to Jerusalem they tried

to persuade Him not to do so due to that impending

peril of arrest and execution (JOHN 118)

However St Thomas said to the others ldquoLet us also go

that we may die with Himrdquo (JOHN 1116)

Those are definitely not the words of a doubter



Furthermore after the Ascension of our Lord St Thomas

went to preach the Holy Gospel throughout the most

distant and most difficult places to reach ndash going as

far as India where he would eventually be Martyred

for his unwavering Christian Faith

A week after His Resurrection our Saviour appeared

again to His faithful Disciples ndash specifically when St

Thomas was with them

However His devoted Apostle only needed that

verification ndash the Presence of our Resurrected Lord ndash to

make his heartfelt Confession ldquoMy Lord and my Godrdquo

Only eight days earlier he had been incredulous of his

fellow Disciplesrsquo statements voicing his concern in atypical fashion

Upon seeing and hearing the words of our Resurrected

Lord St Thomas had no need to actually touch or

examine the Wounds of Christ In His desire to Save all mankind our Lord Jesus Christ

voluntarily suffered every type of public humiliation

and degradation - being mocked being spat upon

being slapped and beaten being unjustly and most

brutally scourged over the back and even the front of

His Body being stripped naked and being nailed to

the cross

He was even willing to allow others to poke at and to

examine His Wounds with their fingers after His

Glorious Resurrection ndash although none of them did so

If anyone awaits our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

nothing will prevent Him from coming to us ndash not even

locked and bolted doors and windows (JOHN 2026)

But what will He find when He enters our heart and soul

Will He hear our heartfelt most Joyous Confession of

Faith ldquoMy Lord and my God rdquo or will He find

mocking spitting slapping beating scourging

nakedness crucifixion and rejection from us

Will we crucify Him again and again by means of our

arrogant disobedience and total disregard of

Repentance-Confession ndash scourging Him brutally with

our stubborn wilful unrepented sins and rejection

Or will we Worship Him with all our Love Humility andObedience Embracing Him and Praising Him with all

our Joy and Thanksgiving like His faithful Apostle St

Thomas

O Lord through the Intercessory Prayers of Thy Holy

Apostle St Thomas grant us Humility Obedience and

unwavering Faith - and Strengthen and Confirm our

weak belief

Amen

R EVEREND F ATHE R S ERGEI S VESHNIKOV (A PRIL 2009)

HTTP WW W PRAVMIR CO M AR TICL E _593HTML

G LORY TO G OD FOR A LL T HINGS ndash T HE W ORK THAT S AV ES ndash F ATHE R S TEPHEN FREEMAN

Do we cooperate in our Salvation Do our efforts make a

difference

These questions lie at the heart of a centuries-old

religious debate in Christianity Classically the

Protestant reformers said ldquoNordquo to these questions

arguing that we are Saved solely and utterly by Godrsquos

Grace - His unmerited Favour

The Catholic Church replied that ldquoFaith without

Worksrdquo is dead and that Faith alone is insufficient

This debate with various twists and turns has continued

down through the centuries of Christian culture

At one point there were complaints of lsquocheap Gracersquo

where the exaltation of Pure Grace over Works led to a

very complacent and lazy Christianity

There were also periods of extreme reaction with guilt-

driven excesses of devotionEastern Orthodoxy is a late-comer to this debate but it is

not a stranger Contemporary Orthodox are quick to

latch on to the doctrine of ldquosynergy rdquo and take sides

against the cheap Grace of Protestant Evangelicalism

Classically Orthodox thought holds both that we are

Saved through the Action of God (Divine Grace) but

that we necessarily cooperate in that Work

(synergy=cooperation)

For many converts this balance has seemed attractive

and a needed corrective to the lsquofeel-good theologyrsquo of

contemporary Christian culture But it has a dark side

That dark side is found in the echoes of the guilt-ridden

spectres of works-righteousness

How much cooperation is enough For it is obvious that

we do not pray as we should nor do we give as we

should ndash or do anything as we shouldIf our cooperation is required are we failing For many

the answer is inevitably ldquoYesrdquo We never do enough ndash

anywhere at any time Our life is often haunted with

disapproval and shame - well-worn paths that rarely

let us venture into Joy

But it is a mistake to embrace synergy as part of the

classical ProtestantCatholic debate It was an answer

to a question asked in a very different context and in

centuries that long-pre-dated the modern

conversation

Synergy is not a talking-point within the Grace-versus-

Works debate

Synergy is certainly an affirmation of the human role in

Salvation

Its most famous example is found in the lsquoYesrsquo of theMother of God at the Incarnation of Christ Her

acceptance and embrace of the Heavenly

Announcement are seen as necessary components in

God-becoming-Man

God does not impose Himself upon human freedom Our

free response is required for the Life of True

Personhood that is the hallmark of Salvation

Synergy is properly seen as response rather than Work

The whole Life of Salvation is marked by Grace and is

gracious in all its aspects

Consider this statement of St Paul ldquo to him who works

the wages are not counted as Grace but as debt But

to him who does not work but believes on Him Who

Justifies the ungodly his Faith is accounted for

Righteousnesshelliprdquo (ROMANS 44-5)

There is a kind of Work that has no wages and does not

belong to the world of debt described by St Paul And

it is this sort of Work that is encompassed in the

term lsquosynergy rsquo That work can be described

as lsquogracious response rsquo

It is worth noting two instances in which the lsquoWorkrsquo of our

Spiritual Life is described ldquoThen they said to Him

lsquoWhat shall we do that we may work the Works ofGodrsquo Jesus answered and said to them lsquo This is the

Work of God that you believe in Him Whom He sentrdquo (JOHN 628-29)

And ldquoRejoice always pray without ceasing in

everything give thanks for this is the Will of God inChrist Jesus for yourdquo (1THESSALONIANS 516-18)

In the first case ldquoWork rdquo is equated with believing It

means that the Work we do is to Love Christ and to

keep His Commandments

In the second case the ldquoWill of God rdquo is fulfilled by giving

thanks for all things

The dynamic of Saving Grace in our Life is marked by

becoming like God God gives graciously and freely

We receive graciously and freely by giving thanks for

all things

In this manner our own lsquoWork rsquo is itself marked by a kindof Grace (We cannot hear the meaning of lsquoGracersquo in

English but in the Greek it also carries the meaning

of ldquoGiftrdquo (it is the same word)) (It also means lsquoJoyrsquo mp )

Gifts are never given with an expectation of return ndash they

are gracious and free But they are only rightly

received with Thanksgiving This is true of the Life of

Grace in the believer

There is a highly moralized version of synergy in which

God is seen to grant us Grace but we must do

something to make it effective

In this model we are always judging the lsquoresultsrsquo of our

lsquocooperationrsquo with Grace and assuming that the lousy

outcomes we see are simply our fault This

experience becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of

failure and remorse - a distortion of Grace-filledSynergy

I have written (and been criticized for it) about the

ldquounmoral Christianrdquo My intention has been to unmask

and disarm this false notion of synergy We indeed

are not saved through the lsquoworksrsquo that Protestants tend

to criticize



The lsquoWorkrsquo we do is largely a state of heart from which all

subsequent Grace-empowered Actions flow That state

of heart is best described as ldquograteful Thanksgiving rdquo

The Eucharistic Life is the True Existence of the Christian

Thanksgiving is the first of all Works and the sine qua

non (outcome) of our Spiritual Life Everything that

proceeds from our Thanksgiving works towards our

Salvation That which does not proceed from our

Thanksgiving tends to work towards our destruction

There has grown up a virtual lsquocottage industryrsquo of

Orthodox commentary (particularly on the internet

where all of us can self-publish)

This commentary (including that of some Priests) is oftenmarked by poor Theological training or

understanding by argument and debate and by an

extreme lack of Experience in the actual Guidance of

souls towards Healing and Salvation That is to say ndash

much of it is worthless and some of it is actually

damaging

This can especially be true in discussions of synergy The

wrong treatment of such Pastoral matters can

produce despair and distrust in naive readers whose

expectations have been raised through the reading of

the Lives of the Saints and yet whose experience is

marked by the same repeated moral failures that

they have always known

Well-intentioned but ignorant writers argue that what is

needed is yet more moral goading I have been

criticized for possibly lightening the moral load or

suggesting that all moral effort is of no use

One form of moral effort (the most common) is indeed of

no use It belongs to the same category as the works

criticized by Protestant theology

We pray with no understanding labouring to complete a

Prayer Rule that amounts to little more than lsquogoing

through the motionsrsquo

We Fast as though every slip were a matter of sin in need

of Confession Some go so far as to carefully search

through the labels on every grocery product seeking

for tale-tell signs of ldquomilk products rdquo having invented

for themselves a new Yoke of Bondage that turns

Orthodox Fasting into a new version of lsquoKosherrsquo

In short there is a form of Asceticism that is ill-taught and

ill-practiced which produces either despairingChristians or oppressive lsquoPhariseesrsquo (sometimes in one

and the same person)

The grounding of our Christian Life is Thanksgiving

If we cannot Fast with Thanksgiving our Fast will be of

little use

The same extends to all Christian practices and

Commandments

The essential Work of our Christian Life is grateful

Thanksgiving

It is for this reason that Father Alexander Schmemann

wrote ldquo Anyone capable of Thanksgiving is capable

of Salvationrdquo

There are very deep forms of Asceticism but even these

are rightly rooted in Thanksgiving

In the 20th century perhaps no Saint is better known for

his Ascetical Achievements than St Silouan of Mount

Athos who was known to have endured some 15

years of the experience of Hell in his Prayers

At its depth he heard Christ say ldquoKeep your mind in Hell

and despair notrdquo His interpreter and biographer Elder Sophrony of Essex

however is reported to have said ldquoIf you will give

God Thanks always and for all things you will fulfill

the saying lsquoKeep your mind in Hell and despair

notrsquordquo

The first Duty of a Spiritual Father is to lead a soul into the

practise of giving ThanksIn this manner we acquire the Spirit of Peace and are

able to sustain our Christian Life

But without Thanksgiving we will only fall into despair or

delusion

Thanksgiving is the Foundation of our Christian Life

When this is understood and in place other things

can be properly understood

For example it is common to read in the Spiritual Writings

of Orthodoxy (and to hear in the Services) terms such

as ldquoself-loathing rdquo

This is quite common for example in Elder Sophronyrsquos

work

It is very easily taken in the wrong way and those without

a proper Foundation will likely come away with a

terrible distortion

ldquoSelf-loathing rdquo in the sense that it is used is not broughtabout by the contemplation of our sins (a moral

condemnation and disgust with the self)

It is rather brought about by the contemplation of Godrsquos

Love and His Fullness of Being

It is only as we see ourselves in the Light of God Himself

that we can rsquoachieve self-loathingrsquo that Elder

Sophrony describes

But even this is Joyful because it takes place in the

Gracious Presence of the Grace-giving God

Thanksgiving as Gracious Gift draws us into the Very Life

of the Holy Trinity For it is that Life that is described by

St John Chrysostom in his Liturgy when the celebrant

Priest prays ldquobut account me Thy sinful and

unworthy servant worthy to offer gifts to Thee For

Thou art the Offerer and the Offered the Receiver andthe Received O Christ our God and to Thee we

ascribe Glory together with Your Father Who is

without beginning and Thine All Holy Good and

Life-creating Spirit now and ever and unto Ages of

agesrdquo

It is this Gifting Life of the Offerer and the Offered the

Receiver and the Received that we enter as we rightly

give Thanks always for all things

This is our Work - our True Synergy without which we

cannot be Saved

F A T H E R S T E P H E N F R E E M A N ndash A N C I E N T F A I TH B L O G ndash 22 04 2015

httpwwwpravoslavieruenglish78855htm

T H E W A Y O F L O V E D E M A N D S C O N S T A N T V I G I L A N C E ndash E L D E R P O R P H Y R I O S

Elder Porphyrios tells us that Vigilance is Passionate Love -

An intense yearning for Christ

When we are Spiritually Vigilant we are careful about

everything we do

We avoid laziness we make efficient use of our efforts

and seek to do all things in ways that lead to more

harmony

We pay attention to the details of things - even the way

we may open the latch on a gate (This is an example

the Elder uses)

This effort must be constant and careful

We need to pay attention to our soul

The more we seek God the more Vigilant we become

It is with constant Vigilance that we enter the Spiritual

World

ldquoWe acquire Remembrance of God though the JesusPrayer ldquoO Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy

on me a sinner rdquothrough the Prayers of the Church

through the Hymns by bringing to mind the Acts of

God and by recalling passages from Holy Scripture

and from other Spiritual Bookshellip

ldquoWe Experience Christ and we take off

ldquoWe feel great Joy and have Wondrous Spiritual

Experiences

ldquoThen we gradually become captives of Good - captives

of Christ And when we become captives of Good we

cannot speak evil we cannot hate and we cannot tell

lieshellip

ldquoThey (the demons) cannot enter when our room is full of

our ether-borne Spiritual FriendsndashndashI mean the Angels

the Saints the Martyrs and above all Christrdquo

( ldquoW O U N D E D B Y LO V E rdquo )

O N V I G I L A N C E amp H O N E S T Y - P R O T O P R E S B Y T E R S E R G E I C H E T V E R I K O V

If we are Vigilant and Honest with ourselves we would

see that our life is a web - a huge network of such

small but significant wicked moments which

comprise a significant part of our existence

If we ignore this thinking that this is all normal it means

that we have not yet begun to live the Christian Life


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 1126S E C O N D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash 1 5 M A Y 2 0 1 6 11


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto

the Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady

Maria Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another

and our whole Life to Christ our God Amen

Tone 2 15 May 20162 nd Sunday After Holy Pascha

The 8 Holy Myrrhbearers St Nikodemos amp St Joseph ofArimathea

Also the Feast of St Pachomios the Great Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism - St

Achilios of Larisis - St Isaiah the Bishop amp Wonderworker of Rostov - St Demetrios the

Crown Prince of Uglich amp Moscow ndash St Isaiah the Wonderworker of Kiev Near Caves

Monastery ndash St Pachomios the Abbot amp St Silvanos the Venerable of Nerekhta ndash St Euphrosynos the Abbot and

Wonderworker amp St Serapion of Pskov ndash St Achilles Bishop of Larissa Thessaly






R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 4 ndash L U K E 2 4 1 - 1 2T H E H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S W I T N E S S T H E E M P T Y T O M B O F O U R R E S U R R E C T E D L O R D






D I V I N E L I T U R G Y H Y M N S amp R E A D I N G S A F T E R T H E S M A L L E N T R A N CE

R E S UR R E CT I O N A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash T O N E 2

O te katilthes pros ton Thanaton i Zoi i Athanatos tote ton

Edin enekrosas ti astrapi tis Theotitos ote de ke toustethneotas ek ton katahthonion anestisas pase eDinamis ton epouranion ekravgazon Zoodota Hrist OTheos imon Doxa Si

When Thou descended unto Death O Lord Who Thyself

art Immortal Life then Thou mortified Hades by theLightning Flash of Thy Divinity Also when Thouraised the dead from the netherworld all the Powers ofHeaven were crying out O Giver of Life ndash Christ ourGod - Glory to Thee

P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F S T J O S E P H O F A R I M A T H E A amp T H E H O L Y M Y R R H - B E A R E R S

O evshimon Iosif apo tou xilou kathelon to ahranton Sou

Soma sindoni kathara ilisas ke aromasin en mnimatikeno kidevsas apetheto alla trimeros anestis Kyrieparehon to kosmo to Mega Eleos

T es Myroforis Ginexi para to Mnima epistas O Angelosevoa To Myra tis thnitis iparhi armodia Hristos dediafthoras edihthi allotrios alla kravgasate Anesti OKyrios parehon to kosmo to Mega Eleos

The noble Joseph taking down Thy spotless Body from

the Tree wrapped it in a clean shroud with sweetspices and laid it for burial in a new tomb but on thethird day Thou arose O Lord granting the world ThyGreat Mercy

The Angel standing by the Tomb cried to the Myrrh- bearing Women Myrrh is fitting for the dead butChrist has been shown to be a stranger to corruptionBut cry aloud The Lord has Risen granting the worldHis Great Mercy

P A S C H A L K O N T A K I O N ndash U N T I L A S C E N S I O N D A Y

I ke en Tafo katilthes athanate alla tou Adou kathiles tin

dinamin ke Anestis os nikitis Hriste O Theos GinexiMiroforis fthengxamenos Herete Ke tis sis ApostolisIrinin doroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin

Although Thou descended in the grave O Immortal One

yet Thou destroyed the power of Hades and Thouarose as Victor O Christ our God To the Myrrh-

bearing Women Thou said Rejoice And to ThineApostles Thou granted Thy Peace the One Who grantsResurrection to the fallen ones


T he Lord is my Strength and my Song and He became my Salvation

T he Lord Chastened and corrected me but He did not give me up to Death


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 122612 S E C O N D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash 1 5 M A Y 2 0 1 6

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 6 1 ndash 7D E A C O N S A R E O R D A I N E D

In those days when the number of Disciples was multiplying there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the

Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution

The Twelve summoned the multitude of Disciples and said ldquoIt is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God

and serve tables Therefore Brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation full of the Holy Spirit

and Wisdom whom we may appoint over this business We will give ourselves continually to Prayer and the

Ministry of the Wordrdquo And their words pleased the whole multitude

And they chose Stephen a man full of Faith and the Holy Spirit and Philip Prochoros Nicanor Timon Parmenas and

Nicholas a proselyte from Antioch whom they set before the Apostles and when they had prayed they laid hands

on them

And the Word of God spread and the number of Disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the

Priests were Obedient to the Faith

ldquoThe Hebrews rdquo referred to the local Jewish Christians in

Jerusalem who spoke Aramaic while ldquothe Hellenistsrdquo

were Greek-speaking Jewish Christians from other

parts of the Hellenised world who had settled in

Jerusalem

St John Chrysostom noted that this particular complaint

showed a lack of order among the quickly growing

multitude of Faithful Christians even though the

neglect of the Hellenistic widows and orphans was

certainly not malicious or intentional

So it is evident that various problems that faced the early

Church arose not only from outsiders but also due to

dissension or misunderstanding from within

However these various initial difficulties were quickly

resolved due to the mutual respect and Love of one

another within the Holy Church of Christ

PROBLEMS HAVE ALWAYS ARISEN DUE TO THE ldquoHUMAN FACTORrdquo ndash

WHEN OUR EGOS AND SELFISHNESS DOMINATE AND RULE OUR

EMOTIONS AND ACTIONS

However these MUST always be very quickly Repented

resolved and forgiven so that we may CONTINUE TO

FOCUS ON OUR FAITHFUL AND TRUE WORSHIP OF A LMIGHTY

GOD WHILE CONSTANTLY CORRECTING AND REPENTING OUR

OWN PERSONAL FLAWS which is the entire Purpose of this

earthly life before Eternity

The term ldquoDisciplesrdquo generally refers to all Faithful

Believers and Followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ and not only to His Twelve Apostles or those

who were close to Him and who accompanied Himduring His Public Ministry

To be A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST means that we are really

trying to LEARN ALL THE S ACRED TEACHINGS AND

COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST OUR S AVIOUR SO THAT WE CAN

APPLY THEM TO OUR EVERY WORD THOUGHT AND DEED

THIS IS LIFE IN CHRIST WHICH TAKES MUCH EFFORT AND A

F AITHFUL WILLINGNESS TO OBEY GOD AT ALL TIMES

While THE MINISTRIES OF THE W ORD AND OF SERVING widows

(and orphans) are important Sacred Tasks they

CANNOT BE PERFORMED BY THE SAME PEOPLE AND STILL RECEIVE

PROPER ATTENTION

Therefore the Holy Church developed diversified

Ministries

In the Orthodox Church to this very day our Bishops and

Presbyters (Priests) are Called to focus on ldquoPrayer and

the Ministry of the Word rdquo of God while the other

essential ministries of Christrsquos Holy Church are

accomplished by Deacons and the laity (the people

or congregation) of each Parish

DEACONS WHO ARE CALLED TO SERVE ARE REQUIRED TO BE NOT

ONLY SPIRITUAL BUT ALSO ldquoF ULL OF W ISDOM rdquo WHICH IS

ESSENTIAL FOR MANAGING THEIR S ACRED T ASKS

While ldquothe multitude rdquo submitted the names of the first

Seven Deacons THE HOLY A POSTLES OF CHRIST ORDAINED

THEM

Thus the synergy between Laity and Clergy was

demonstrated in the selection of these Church

Servants and leaders

Whether these first chosen Deacons held the Liturgical

Office of Deacon or whether their Diaconate was

more Service-oriented THEY RECEIVED THEIR S ACRED

OFFICE BY MEANS OF HOLY ORDINATION BY THE DIVINELY

A UTHORISED A POSTLES OF CHRIST

THE INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF F AITHFUL DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

ONLY OCCURS WHEN THREE GREAT PILLARS OF CHURCH

LIFE ARE FULLY IN PLACE

W ORSHIP

E VANGELISM CHARITY LOVE

Furthermore this wonderful Growth occurs WHEN EXTERNAL

AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES OR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN

ADDRESSED RESOLVED AND REPENTED

THE FIRST PRESBYTERS (PRIESTS) WERE CHRISTIAN CONVERTS WHO

HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN HEBREW PRIESTS but they had not

necessarily been Ordained into the Priestly Ministry

within the Christian Church after their Conversion to

the New Covenant of God

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T M A R K 1 5 4 3 ndash 1 6 8T H E U N N A I L I N G amp B U R I A L O F O U R C R U C I F I E D L O R D amp S A V I O U R J E S U S C H R I S T

At that time Joseph of Arimathea a respected member of the Council who was also himself looking for the Kingdom ofGod took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus

Pilate wondered if He were already dead ndash and summoning the Centurion he asked him whether He was already deadAnd when he learnt 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 that had been hewn out of 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 had past Mary Magdaleneand Mary the Mother of James and Salome bought spices so that they might go to 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 saying one toanother ldquoWho will roll away the stone for us from the door of the Tombrdquo And looking up they saw that the stone hadrolled back ndash for it was very large And entering the Tomb they saw a young Man sitting on the right side ndash dressed in awhite robe And they were amazed

He said to them ldquoDo not be amazed You seek Jesus of Nazareth Who was crucified He has Risen ndash He is not here Beholdthe place where they laid Him But go ndash tell His Disciples and Peter - that He is going before you to Galilee There youwill see Him as He told yourdquo

And they went out and fled from the Tomb for trembling and astonishment had come upon them And they said nothingto anyone - for they were afraid

ldquoThe mother of Josesrdquo - Joses was one of St Joseph theBetrothedrsquos sons from his late wife Salome sister of

St Anna In other words this is an oblique reference

to our Lady Theotokos who always maintained a

humble and low-key role in the background of Her

Beloved Son and Godrsquos Mission on Earth Joses was

Her cousin and by Mosaic Law according to Her

Betrothal also one of Her stepsons Likewise ldquoMarythe mother of Jamesrdquo also refers to our Lady

Theotokos while ldquoSalome rdquo was a sister of Joses and

thus a cousin and stepdaughter of our Lady

Theotokos

ldquoThe first day of the week rdquo is Sunday ndash now known as

ldquothe Lordrsquos Dayrdquo



If His Faithful Apostles had buried Christ doubters and

enemies of Divine Truth could claim that His Most

Precious Body had simply been hidden away by

them and that there was no Resurrection

ST JOSEPH OF A RIMATHEA BEING BOTH A COUNCIL MEMBER

(OF THE S ANHEDRIN) AND AN ACKNOWLEDGED ldquoG OOD

AND J UST MAN rdquo TOGETHER WITH ST NIKODEMOS ndash ALSO

OF GOOD REPUTATION AND SOCIAL STATUS - REFUTES

ANY POSSIBILITY THAT OUR LORDrsquoS BODY WAS MERELY

REMOVED AND HIDDEN BY HIS F AITHFUL A POSTLES AND

DISCIPLES

As a wealthy and highly prominent respected memberof Hebrew society St Joseph of Arimathea was able

to personally approach the Roman Governor

Pontius Pilate to request the Body of Christ Whom

Pontius Pilate had already acknowledged as having

been unjustly tried punished and condemned to

death by crucifixion

The fact that Pontius Pilate ldquomarvelled that He was

already deadrdquo confirms the Divine Truth that

CHRIST P ANTOKRATOR CHOSE THE EXACT HOUR OF HIS

DEATH HAVING S ACRIFICED HIMSELF FREELY AND

WILLINGLY FOR THE SAKE OF ALL HUMANITY

Usually crucifixion victims suffered for a very long time

sometimes for days before dying but when the

Sabbath Day was approaching Hebrew criminalsrsquo

legs were shattered so that they quickly died fromthe most painful green fracture injuries YET AS

PROPHESIED NOT A BONE OF OUR LORD WAS BROKEN

The Spiritual Significance of a New Tomb that ldquohad

been hewn out of rock rdquo and ldquowhere no one had

ever lain before rdquo is that CHRIST SUFFERED A DEATH

UNLIKE ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING ndash DEATH WITHOUT

SPIRITUAL OR PHYSICAL CORRUPTION ndash A DEATH LEADING

TO ETERNAL V ICTORY OVER THE TOMB ITSELF

Furthermore the description of the New Tomb

according to several sources clearly shows that IT

WAS A VERY SPECIAL TOMB FIT FOR A MOST IMPORTANT

PERSON ndash AND W HO IS MORE IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL

THAN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ndash OUR ONE AND ONLY

ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST AND KING ndash OUR ONLY ETERNAL GOD

INCARNATE

Another fact to be considered is that NOT ONLY WAS A

HUGE HEAVY ROCK PLACED - WITH MUCH EFFORT - AT THE

ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB AND THEN SEALED BUT TWO

ROMAN GUARDS STOOD WATCH AS WELL because the

devious Hebrew leaders had alleged that

Christrsquos Body would be removed by His Disciples

so that they could then proclaim His Resurrection

from the dead as He had truthfully and precisely

foretold

A FTER CHRIST HAD RESURRECTED A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE

announced the Glorious Event by BREAKING THE

SEALS ROLLING AWAY THE ROCK blocking the

entrance and REVEALING TO ALL MANKIND THE EMPTY

TOMB containing only the discarded Shroud

(Soudarion) and carefully folded Facecloth

(Mandylion) THE ROCK DID NOT ROLL AWAY SO THAT CHRIST COULD EXIT

THE TOMB BUT ONLY TO REVEAL TO MANKIND THAT HE

HAD TRULY RISEN

The terrified guards ndash who also witnessed the Empty

Tomb - ran away in fear of the punishment they

faced from the Roman authorities but were later

paid by the Hebrew authorities to blatantly lie to

everyone that the Disciples had removed the Body

of Christ after knocking them unconscious

Habitual liars thieves and deceivers always accuse others of their

own sins ndash and they REJECT Divine Truth ndash the Absolute Truth

ndash because it is something that is totally alien to them

CHRIST DIED JUST BEFORE THE S ABBATH SO THE USUAL BURIAL

CUSTOMS OF THE HEBREWS COULD NOT BE COMPLETED by

His Mother and Disciples and they had to return onthe first day of the week ndash Sunday ndash to do so

ST JOSEPH OF A RIMATHEA AND ST NIKODEMOS HAD UNNAILED

OUR LORD FROM HIS CROSS AND WRAPPED HIS NAKED BODY

IN A FOURTEEN FOOT LONG ldquo FINE LINEN rdquo CLOTH that

became the Burial Shroud also gathering up any

bloody soil that surrounded the Cross to be buried

with Him

THEY HAD CARRIED HIM TO THE TOMB AND WRAPPED HIM WITH

OTHER LINEN STRIPS SOAKED WITH THE 100 POUNDS OF BITTER ALOES THAT ST NIKODEMOS SUPPLIED

THE M ANDYLION OR F ACE CLOTH WAS GENTLY AND

RESPECTFULLY PLACED OVER HIS F ACE AS SOON AS THEY TOOK

HIM DOWN FROM THE CROSS WHICH REMAINED UNDER THE

OUTER BURIAL CLOTHS which were soaked with bitter

aloes and dried as hard as concrete

Therefore when St Peter and St John saw the folded

Mandylion they were amazed ndash (and even more so

when they noticed the Image of Christ upon it ndash

which became known as the Holy Icon ldquoNot-Made-

By-Handsrdquo ndash the first Holy Icon of our Lord JesusChrist which was copied many times by others over

the years mp)

St Joseph of Arimathea and St Nikodemos showed their absolute

faith honour and worship of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour

by all their actions going directly to Pontious Pilate for

permission to Unnail our Lord from the Cross purchasing the

best quality of fine linen available in which to wrap His

Precious Body donating a newly hewn Tomb carved from solid

stone and in a beautiful garden ndash again nothing but the best

resting place for Christ our Saviour ndash and their own personal

attention to all the necessary Burial Rites including the supply

of 100 pounds of Bitter Aloes

St John the Divine Apostle our Ever Blessed Lady Theotokos and

Her close companion St Mary Of Magdala watched and

witnessed our Lordrsquos Burial

A CCORDING TO OLD COVENANT L AW THE BODIES OF THE

DECEASED WERE NOT WASHED BUT A NOINTED WITH AROMATIC

OILS ndash and in the cases of violent death all blood

and body parts were carefully gathered wrapped

and buried together with the rest of the body

Although the Apostles and Disciples had gone into

hiding for fear of the Roman and Hebrew

authorities the eight devoted Holy Myrrh-bearing

Women led by our Most Blessed Lady Theotokos

bravely went to fulfil their Sacred Duty out of their

profound Love and Respect for Christ our Lord and

Saviour

Our Lady Theotokos was the legal ldquoMotherrdquo of St Joseph the

Betrothedrsquos seven children - St James St Joses St Jude St

Simon St Salome (mother of St John and St James) St Ester

and another daughter who were actually Her cousins and

probably much older than Her

Since She preferred and insisted on remaining humbly in the

background of Her Beloved Son and Lord the Apostles

Disciples and Evangelists respectfully referred to Her in obscure

ways such as ldquothe Mother of Josesrdquo or ldquothe Mother of

James and Salomerdquo etc

The Angel of God ndash possibly Archangel Gabriel who is

the Angelic Messenger and Bearer of Good Tidings

from God to us human beings ndash specifically

mentioned St Peter which revealed our Lordrsquos

special Care and Love even for one of His Apostles

who had denied Him at a crucial time

According to St Theophylact the deeply repentant and

sorrowful St Peter would have said of himself lsquoI

denied the Lord and therefore I am no longer His

Apostlersquo Yet the Angelrsquos words showed that our LordGod had already forgiven St Peter and still Loved

him as before

This is another Divine Teaching that clearly shows us

that WHENEVER AND WHATEVER WE TRULY REPENT WITH ALL

SORROW AND HUMILITY WE ARE FORGIVEN BY GOD W HO

LOVES US - EVEN THE WORST OF SINNERS - FOR HE DOES NOT

REQUIRE OR DESIRE ANYONE TO SUFFER ETERNAL

CONDEMNATION AND PERPETUAL SPIRITUAL DEATH

For this reason WE MUST NEVER DARE TO JUDGE ONE ANOTHER

AND NOT EVEN OURSELVES FOR GODrsquoS DIVINE LOVE AND

GRACE IS FAR BEYOND ANYTHING WE CAN BEGIN TO

UNDERSTAND OR APPRECIATE

Our Blessed Lady Theotokos and Mary Magdalene ldquo

said nothing to anyone for they were afraid rdquo does

not mean that they never told the others what they

had experienced so early on that first ResurrectionDay

OUR L ADY THEOTOKOS ldquoKEPT MANY THINGS TO H ERSELF rdquo

THROUGHOUT HER LIFE ONLY SPEAKING OF THEM WHEN

IT BECAME NECESSARY TO DO SO and in order to

confirm the Absolute Truth of Christrsquos Holy Gospel

and His sinless Life on earth as God Incarnate



and Perfect Man ndash AND THEN ONLY TO THOSE WHO

WOULD FULLY APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND THEM

Only after our Risen Lord Jesus Christ had appeared to

the other Holy Apostles and faithful Disciples did

they speak of their experiences of that very early

Sunday morning ndash Holy Pascha

THE STATEMENT THAT ldquoTHEY WERE AFRAID rdquo MIGHT HAVE

REFERRED TO THE ENORMOUS SHOCK OF NOT ONLY

WITNESSING THE OPENED TOMB WITH THE ABANDONED

BURIAL CLOTHS AND THE PRESENCE OF THE A NGEL OF

GOD BUT ALSO A RELUCTANCE TO TELL THE OTHERS WHO

MIGHT NOT HAVE BELIEVED THEM and ndash being men ndash

the Apostles would have thought the Myrrh-bearing Women were merely ldquohysterical rdquo or

ldquodelusional rdquo due to their intense grief

A S THE A DORING MOTHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR

L ADY THEOTOKOS WOULD HAVE BEEN INDESCRIBABLY

TRAUMATISED BY HAVING WITNESSED CHRISTrsquoS TERRIBLE

SUFFERING

HOWEVER SHE WAS ALSO DEEPLY F AITHFUL AND FILLED WITH

DIVINE GRACE THAT ENABLED HER - MORE THAN ANYONE

ELSE - TO APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND ALL THINGS

PERTAINING TO A LMIGHTY GOD AND HIS DIVINE W ILL FOR

ALL HUMANITY

IN HER PROFOUND W ISDOM AND LOVE FOR GOD AND HER FELLOW

MANKIND SHE WOULD KEEP MANY THINGS ndash ESPECIALLY THE

DIVINELY MYSTERIOUS THINGS ndash TO HERSELF knowing that

others would either not understand or wouldmisinterpret or blaspheme them

S E C O N D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S

Christ is Risen Truly He is RisenToday the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates that

remarkable group of people called ldquothe Holy Myrrh

Bearersrdquo who - because of their Love of our Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ were not afraid - were not

terrorized by the fear that hung over Jerusalem after

the Crucifixion of our Saviour

Their Love overcame that fear Their Love overcame

their worries Their Love overcame the natural horror

of having personally witnessed Him Who was the

centre of their Life crucified in such a brutal and

humiliating wayTheir Love of God did not allow fear to overcome their

soul

Their Love of God overcame any concern for their own

circumstances - even though both St Joseph of

Arimathea and St Nikodemos were prominent

members of their Judean society - and it certainly did

not do their reputations any good at all to be

associated with a condemned and crucified

lsquoCriminal rsquo

All of these worldly concerns - all of these natural normal

social fears ndash became totally insignificant and

unimportant to them because they Loved our Lord

Jesus Christ with all their heart and soul

Todayrsquos Holy Gospel Lesson and the Holy Icon depicting

these faithful Holy Myrrhbearers as well as St

Nikodemos and St Joseph of Arimathea should beenough for us to understand the meaning and

significance of this special Lords Day ndash this

commemoration of these Faithful and devoted Holy

Disciples of our Lord and Saviour

The Holy Orthodox Church has dedicated this Sunday to

these Holy Myrrhbearers and Faithful Disciples of

Christ who are our good role models - whom we not

only Commemorate today with Hymns and Praises

but even more essentially ndash whom we must strive to

imitate

Every one of us who regard ourselves as being lsquoOrthodox

Christiansrsquo should strive to become as dedicated to

our Lord God as they were

We should all want to be His Holy Myrrhbearers by means

of our absolute devotion to His Most Holy Body ndash His

Holy Church ndash ie devoted to our Life in Christ

First of all we need to prepare a worthy Sacred Place to

accommodate His Divine Body within our own body ndash

within our own heart and soul - by preparing

ourselves correctly and properly to receive His Holy

Communion ndash thereby offering our Saviour a worthy

place of rest for His Sanctifying Body and Blood

Furthermore we have another way of serving our Lord

God - by supporting by assisting wherever necessary

and by ministering to the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ

- that is His Holy Church and all Her members ndash by

means of our Love towards each other which is

expressed not only financially but according to

various other essential requirementsEvery one of us ndash as Orthodox Christians who are in

reality Faithful Disciples of Christ must always be

ready to help and to fulfil the Works of our Lord Jesus

Christ in His Holy Church for the Salvation of all

mankind

By faithfully serving the Holy Church of Christ our Lord

and Saviour we serve the Eternal Salvation not only

of our own soul but also of the souls of our Brethren in

Christ - of our children of our grandchildren and of

the world at large that still needs to hear our Lordrsquos

Divine Truth Teachings and Commandments so that

they too may apply it to their daily existence and

make this temporary life an Eternally Blessed and

Holy Life in Christ

Therefore on this Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers let us

all dedicate ourselves whole-heartedly to Service ofChrist and His Holy Church in whatever way that is

possible for us

Let us eagerly and without fail support the Sacred

Labours of our Holy Church ndash by first of all preparing

ourselves properly and correctly to receive the Holy

Mysteries and then by each one of us using our own

God-given Talents strengths and abundant Blessing

that God has granted us - dedicating them as a

priority to the Service of the Church

In this way we become by Grace Myrrhbearers for Christ

ndash Faithfully serving the Body of Christ and sharing in

the Blessings of others who do the same


Archpriest Anthony Gavalas

httpgnisiosnarodruabg030428html

T R U E C H R I S T I A N - F A T H E R D A M A S C E N E C H R I S T E N S E N

True Christian Love is not just a feeling or a pleasantdisposition of the soul

It is a self-sacrificing ceaseless life-long act of heroismunto death

It is fiery yet dispassionate not dependent on anything noton being loved in return or having a kinship of blood

One no longer thinks of receiving something for oneselfOne can be spat upon and reviled and yet in this suffering

there is such a deep profound Peace that one finds it

impossible to return to the lifeless state one was in before the suffering

One Blesses Life and all that is around one and thisBlessing becomes universal

Such Love can only come from GodThis is the only Love that Christ is truly interested in - the

Love He came to Earth to show and teach humanityWith this Love He gave up His Spirit on the Cross

983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124

Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is in every Christian

When our neighbour comes to us we must always havegreat respect for him because our Lord is in him andoften expresses His Will through him ldquoIt is God Whoworks in you both to will and to do of His GoodPleasure rdquo (PHILIPPIANS 213)

Therefore we must not begrudge anything to ourBrethren but do unto them as though unto our Lord -

especially as we do not know in whom our Lord will

come and visit usWe must be impartial to all be kind to all sincere and

hospitable remembering that sometimes God speakseven through unbelievers or disposes their heart

towards us as it happened in Egypt when the Lordgave Joseph favour in the sight of the keeper of theprison (GENESIS 3921)


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 1526S T C O N S T A N T I N E amp S T H E L E N A ndash E Q U A L S T O T H E A P O S T L E S ndash 2 1 M A Y 2 0 1 6 15


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto the

Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Maria Theotokos

yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ

our God Amen

21 May 2016St Constantine amp St Helena Equal to the Apostles

Also the Feast of St Constantine amp his sons St Michael amp St Theodore Wonderworkers of

Murom - St Cassian the Greek of Uglich


H ristos Anesti ek nekron Thanato Thanaton patisasKe tis en tis mnimasin Zoin harisamenos (3) C hrist is Risen from the dead By Death trampling










P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F S T J O S E P H O F A R I M A T H E A

amp T H E H O L Y M Y R R H - B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2



T es Myroforis Ginexi para to Mnima epistas O Angelos

evoa To Myra tis thnitis iparhi armodia Hristos dediafthoras edihthi allotrios alla kravgasate Anesti OKyrios parehon to kosmo to Mega Eleos



The Angel standing by the Tomb cried to the Myrrh-

bearing Women Myrrh is fitting for the dead butChrist has been shown to be a stranger to corruptionBut cry aloud The Lord has Risen granting the worldHis Great Mercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T C O N S T A N T I N E amp S T H E L E N A

T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

T ou Stavrou Sou ton tipon en Ourano theasamenos ke os

O Pavlos tin klisin ouk ex anthropon dexamenos O enVasilefsin Apostolos Sou Kyrie Vasilevousan polin ti hirisou paretheto in perisoze dia pantos en Irini Presvies tisTheotokou Mone Filanthrope

Thine Apostle among the Rulers who once beheld in the

sky the Image of Thy Cross and who like Paul receivedhis Calling not from man once entrusted the Rulingcity into Thy Hands We Entreat Thee to Restore it inPeace forever at the Intercessions of the Theotokos OLord Who Loves mankind

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2

T o Here tes Myroforis fthegxamenos ton thrinon tis

promitoros Evas katepafsas ti Anastasi Sou Hriste OTheos tis Apostolis de tis Sis kirittin epetaxas rdquoO SotirExanesti tou Mnimatosrdquo

In saying ldquoHailrdquo to the Myrrhbeares Thou allayed the

lament of the first Mother Eve at Thy Resurrection OChrist our God And Thou ordered Thine Apostles toproclaim ldquoThe Saviour has Risen from the Sepulchrerdquo

T H E M A T I N S H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 1 0 9 ndash 1 6O U R LO R D J E S U S C H R I S T I S T H E O N L Y W A Y

At that time our Lord Jesus Christ said ldquoI Am the Door by Me if anyone enters in he shall be Saved and shall go inand out and find pasture The thief comes to steal and to kill and to destroy I Am come so that they might haveLife and so that they might have it more abundantly I Am the Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd gives His Life

for the SheepldquoBut he that is a hireling and not the Shepherd whose own the sheep are not sees the wolf coming and leaves the

Sheep and flees And the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep For the hireling flees because he is a hirelingand does not care for the Sheep

ldquoI Am the Good Shepherd and know My Sheep and Am known by My own As the Father knows Me even so know I theFather and I lay down My Life for the Sheep And other Sheep I have that are not of this Fold them also I mustbring and they will hear My Voice and there will be one Flock and one Shepherdrdquo


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 162616 S T C O N S T A N T I N E amp S T H E L E N A ndash E Q U A L S T O T H E A P O S T L E S ndash 2 1 M A Y 2 0 1 6

M A T I N S P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 8 9 ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

Their proclamation went forth into all the Earth and their words to the ends of the worldThe Heavens declare the Glory of God the firmament shows the Creation of His Hands

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 2 6 1 amp 1 2 ndash 2 0S T P A U L D E F E N D S H I MS E L F

In those days Agrippa the King said to Paul ldquoYou are permitted to speak for yourself rdquoSo Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself ldquo while thus occupied as I journeyed to Damascus with

authority and commission from the Chief Priests at midday along the road I beheld O King a Light from Heaven thatwas brighter than the sun shining around me and those who journeyed with me We had all fallen to the ground when Iheard a Voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language lsquo Saul Saul Why are you persecuting Me It isdifficult for you to kick against the goadsrsquo I said lsquoWho art Thou Lordrsquo He said lsquoI Am Jesus Whom you arepersecuting But Rise and stand on your feet I have Appeared to you for this Purpose ndash to make you a Minister anda Witness both of the Things that you have seen and of the Things that I will yet reveal to you

lsquoI will Deliver you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you to open their eyes - in order to turnthem from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive Forgiveness of sins andan Inheritance among those who are Sanctified by Faith in Mersquo

ldquoTherefore King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalemand throughout all the region in Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should Repent and turn to God doing Workbefitting Repentancerdquo

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 1 0 1 ndash 9T H E D O O R amp T H E G O O D S H E P H E R D

At that time our Lord Jesus said to the Judeans ldquoTruly truly I say you he who does not enter the Sheepfold by theDoor but climbs up some other way the same is a thief and a robber He Who enters by the Door is the Shepherdof the Sheep To Him the Doorkeeper opens and the Sheep hear His Voice And He Calls His own Sheep by nameand leads them out And when He brings out His own Sheep He goes before them And the Sheep follow Him forthey know His Voice Yet they will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him for they do not know thevoice of strangers rdquo

This illustration was used by Jesus but they did not understand the things which He spoke to themJesus said to them again ldquoTruly truly I say to you I Am the Door of the Sheep All who ever came before Me arethieves and robbers but the Sheep did not heed them I Am the Door If anyone enters by Me he will be Saved andwill go in and out and find Pasturerdquo

S T C O N S T A N T I N E amp S T H E L E N A ndash E Q U A L T O T H E A P O S T L E S St Constantine the Great was born in Naissos (Nis Serbia)

circa 274

After he defeated Emperors Maxentios and Licinius he

became the sole Ruler of the entire Roman Empire

According to the historians Eusebios and Lactantios on

the eve of the battle against Maxentios Emperor

Constantine beheld in the daylight sky ndash a bright

shining Cross with the inscription in Greek letters ldquoBy

this sign you will conquerrdquo

The following night during his sleep St Constantine had

a Vision of Christ telling him to put the Sign of the

Cross on all the banners and flags that would be

carried onto the battlefield

Emperor Constantine obeyed our Lordrsquos Commandment

and beyond all expectation his army defeated the

opposing forces

The Triumphal Arch of Constantine now preserved in

Rome carries the inscription ldquoInstinctual di vinitatisrdquo

which is translated ldquoBy Divine Inspirationrdquo which is

how Victory over the powerful but ungodly Emperor

Maxentiosrsquo was won

The most important achievement of Emperor Constantine

was the Edict of Milan (313) whereby Christianity was

recognized as one of the religions of the Roman

Empire

Before this many Christians were persecuted and were

martyred for their FaithChristianity eventually became the lsquostate religionrsquo (of the

Roman Empire) during the reign of Theodosios the

Great (379-395)

After the Edict of Milan in 313 St Constantine exempted

Christian churches from taxes granted them the right

to receive donations and gave Bishops the right to

judge those who did not want to be judged by the

statecivil law

St Constantine also removed from Roman Law the

criminal penalties that were contrary to the spirit of

Christianity such as crucifixion the crushing of feet

and stigmatization (being branded with red hot iron

brands and many other cruel punishments that had

been practised under the pagan Roman Law

Emperor Constantine convened the First Ecumenical

Council of Nicaea (325) where after long discussions

the heretical teachings of Arius were condemned by

all the Holy Fathers who attended the Council

St Constantine the Great was Baptized on his deathbed

by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea and Reposed in

Christ shortly afterwards in 337 in Nicomedia

His mortal relics were buried in the Church of the Holy

Apostles in Constantinople a church that had been

constructed under his authority and sponsorship

H I S M O T H E R S T H E LE N A TH E R I GH TE OU S E MP R E S S

Flavia Julia Helena was born in the Province of Bithynia

In 293 the Roman General Constantios Chloros

encouraged by Emperor Diocletian divorced his

legal wife the Righteous Empress Helena who

refused to re-marry and withdrew from public life

while remaining close to her son Constantine

After her son had become the sole Emperor of the Roman

Empire she was responsible for the finding of the True

and Life-giving Holy Cross of our Lord and Saviour

Jesus Christ

After the site had been excavated at Golgotha a cave

containing three cross bars was exposed as well as a

sign board identifying the ldquoKing of the Jewsrdquo

To discover which one of the three crosses belonged to

Christ they touched each one to the body of a dead

man

When the True Cross of Christ touched the corpse the

man was instantly restored to life rose up andGlorified God

On 14 September 326 St Makarios the Bishop of

Jerusalem elevated the Holy Life-giving Cross in front

of the enormous crowd of faithful Christians which

ever since then is Commemorated as ldquothe Feast of the

Exaltation of the Holy Crossrdquo

St Constantine and his Faithful mother St Helena

authorised and sponsored the structure of many

Temples and Monasteries throughout the Holy Land

and elsewhere - the most important of which are the

ldquoChurch of the Holy Sepulchre or ldquo the

Resurrectionrdquo in Jerusalem and ldquothe Church of the

Nativityrdquo in Bethlehem

HTTPSORTHODOXWORDWORDPRESSCOM20100521SAINTS-

CONSTANTINE-AND-HIS-MOTHER-HELEN-EQUALS-TO-THE-APOSTLES

S T S I L V A N O S T H E A T H O N I T E

Our Lord greatly Loves the Repenting sinner and mercifullypresses him to His Bosom ldquoWhere were you My childI was waiting a long time for yourdquo

Our Lord Calls all to Himself with the Voice of theGospel and His Voice is heard in all the world

ldquoCome to Me My Sheep I created you and I Love youMy Love for you brought Me to Earth and I sufferedall things for the sake of your Salvation and I want you all to know My Love and to say like the Apostleson Tabor Lord it is good for us to be with Theerdquo


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 17263 R D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A S U N D A Y ndash T H E P A R A L Y T I C O F S H E E P P O O L B E T H E S D A ndash 2 2 M A Y 2 0 1 6 17


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and

unto the Ages of ages Amen Remembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady



Tone 3 22 May 2016Third Sunday After Holy Pascha

The Paralytic at Sheeprsquos Pool Bethesda

Also the Feast of St Vasiliskos Bishop of Comana - St Dimitrios amp St Paul New Martyrs ndash

Holy Fathers of the 2nd Ecumenical Council - St John Vladimir Great Holy Martyr amp Miracle Worker of Serbia - - St Paul

of Lavra Mount Athos - St Melchizedek King of Salem ndash St James Wonderworker of Novgorod












E ufrenestho ta Ourania agaliastho ta epigia oti epiise

Kratos en vrahioni Aftou O Kyrios epatise to Thanatoton Thanaton prototokos ton nektron egeneto ek ilias

Adou errisato imas ke parshe to kosmo to Mega Eleos

Let the Heaven sing for Joy and let everything on Earth e

Glad For with His Arm the Lord has worked PowerHe trampled Death underfoot by means of Death and

He became the Firstborn of the dead From the maw ofHades He Delivered us and He granted the world HisGreat Mercy

R E S U R R E C T I O N K O N T A K I O N ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4


dinamin Ke anestis os Nikitis Hriste O Theos GynexiMyroforis fthegxamenos Herete Ke tis Sis ApostolisIrinin doroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin

Although Thou went down into the Sepulchre O Immortal

One Thou brought down the dominion of Hades andThou Rose as Victor O Christ our God and ThouCalled out ldquoHailrdquo to the Myrrhbearing Women andgranted Peace to Thine Apostles O Lord Who to thefallen grant Resurrection

R E S U R R E C T I O N P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 4 6 4 7 ndash T O N E 3

S ing Praises to our God Sing Praises Sing Praises to our King Sing Praises

O Clap your hands all you Nations Shout to God with the voice of Rejoicing

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 9 3 2 ndash 4 2In those days it came to pass as Peter passed throughout the quarters he went down also to the Saints who dwelt at

Lydda There he found a certain man named lsquo Aeneas rsquo who had been bed-ridden for eight years suffering from

palsy And Peter said to him ldquoAeneas Jesus Christ makes Thee whole Arise and make Thy bedrdquo

And he immediately arose And behold all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord

And at Joppa there was a certain Disciple named lsquoTabitha rsquo which is translated as lsquoDorcas rsquo She was full of Good Works

and Almsgiving which she had done

And it came to pass in those days that she became ill and died When they had washed her they laid her in an upper

chamber And due to the fact that Lydda was close to Joppa and the Disciples had heard that Peter was there

they sent two men to him requesting him to hasten to them Peter arose and went with them

When he arrived they took him into the upper chamber And all the widows stood around him weeping and showing

him the cloaks and garments that Dorcas had made while she was with them

After putting them all outside Peter knelt down and prayed And turning to the body he said ldquoTabitha Arise rdquo She

opened her eyes and when she beheld Peter she sat up He gave her his hand and helped her up and when he

had called the Saints and widows he presented her to them alive

And it became known throughout all Joppa and many believed in our Lord

Lydda is approximately 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem

and Sharon was a region north of Lydda along the

Mediterranean coastline

THE TERM ldquoS AINTSrdquo REFERRED TO ALL CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS for all

who believe in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with

their whole heart AND WHO ARE S ANCTIFIED BY THE HOLY

SPIRIT ARE BY DEFINITION ldquoS AINTSrdquo

The later use of the term referring to Holy People who

lived particularly exemplary lives and who have been

Canonised (Glorified) by the Holy Church of Christ

does not negate this primary meaning

St Peter was able to completely heal the paralysed

Aeneas BY INVOKING THE A MAZING DIVINE HEALING POWER


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 182618 3 R D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A S U N D A Y ndash T H E P A R A L Y T I C O F S H E E P P O O L B E T H E S D A ndash 2 2 M A Y 2 0 1 6

OF OUR LORD THROUGH HIS HOLY N AME WHICH CONTINUES IN

CHRISTrsquoS HOLY CHURCH TO THIS VERY DAY

The Divine Signs or Miracles of the Holy Apostles of Christ

convinced many witnesses and others who then

turned to the Lord

THESE DIVINE SIGNS OR MIRACLES PROVE THE GREAT MERCY AND

POWER OF A LMIGHTY GOD ndash THUS CONFIRMING CHRISTrsquoS HOLY

GOSPEL AND LEADING MANY SOULS TO SINCERE REPENTANCE

AND ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST

St Peterrsquos raising St Tabitha from the dead parallels

Christrsquos raising the daughter of the Synagogue Ruler

Jairus from death

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 5 1 ndash 1 5T H E P A R A L Y T I C A T T H E S H E E P rsquo S P O O L I S H E A L E D A F T E R 38 Y E A R S B Y O U R L O R D J E S U S C H R I S T

At that time our Lord Jesus went up to Jerusalem There is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool which is called in

Hebrew lsquoBethesda rsquo having five porches

In these lay a great multitude of sick people blind lame and paralysed ndash waiting for the moving of the water An Angel

went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had

A certain man was there who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he

already had been in that condition for a long time He said to him ldquoDo you want to be made wellrdquo The sick man

answered Him ldquoSir I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up and while I am going another

steps down before merdquo Jesus said to him ldquoRise Take up your bed and walkrdquo And immediately the man was made

well took up his bed and walked

That day was the Sabbath The Hebrews therefore said to him who was cured ldquoIt is the Sabbath It is not lawful for you to

carry your bedrdquo He answered them ldquoHe Who made me well said to me lsquo Take up your bed and walk rsquordquo They asked

him ldquoWho is the Man Who said to you lsquo Take up your bed and walk rsquordquo But the one who was healed did not know Who it

was Jesus had withdrawn ndash a multitude being in that place

Afterwards Jesus found him in the Temple and said to him ldquoBehold You have been made well Sin no more lest a

worse thing come upon yourdquo The man departed and told the Judeans that it was Jesus Who had made him well

This Divine Healing was the Third Sign or Miracle that St

John the Divine Apostle recorded in his Holy Gospel

IT EXEMPLIFIES THE DIVINE POWER OF CHRIST OUR LORD TO

RESTORE A PERSON TO WHOLENESS ndash TO FULL HEALTH

DESPITE THE DEGREE OF AFFLICTION

The Feast which is referred to was the Old Covenant

Pentecost ndash also known as ldquothe Feast of Weeks rdquo which

celebrates the granting of the Divine Law ndash the Ten

Commandments of God ndash to St Moses on Mount Sinai(THE REFERENCES TO THE LAW OF MOSES LATER IN THIS CHAPTER

CONFIRM THIS INTERPRETATION OF OUR HOLY CHURCH FATHERS)

The double-basin Pool of Bethesda which was believed to

have had miraculous curative powers has been re-

discovered about 100 yards North of the Temple area

near to the Sheep Gate

The water for this high-ground pool came from

underground springs and was used to wash the

S ACRIFICIAL L AMBS before they WERE SLAUGHTERED AS

BLOOD

OFFERINGS FOR THE ATONEMENT AND FORGIVENESS OF

SINS ACCORDING TO THE OLD COVENANT L AW

THE POOL OF BETHESDA FUNCTIONED AS A TYPE OF HOLY

B APTISM

UNDER THE OLD COVENANT ALTHOUGH A GREAT MULTITUDE

WAITED to enter the water for physical healing after

an Angel of God had touched it and stirred it up

ONLY ONE PERSON WAS HEALED AT A TIME

The water was special because IN AN INDIRECT MANNER IT

WAS PART OF THE BLOOD S ACRIFICES of the Holy Temple of

Jerusalem since the sacrificial animals were

cleansed in the water

However DIVINE GRACE WAS LIMITED TO THE FIRST PERSON

WHO ENTERED THE WATER ndash BUT NOT TO THE REST

GODrsquoS NEW COVENANT B APTISM IS GRANTED TO ALL N ATIONS

AS A DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN CHRISTrsquoS OWN S ACRIFICIAL

DEATH ndash WITHOUT THE MEDIATION OF HIS A NGELS

Holy Baptism of the New (Bloodless) Covenant GRANTS

US ALL HEALING OF THE BODY AND OF THE IMMORTAL SOUL

AS WELL AS THE DIVINE PROMISE OF ETERNAL RESURRECTION

OF THE BODY

Furthermore DIVINE GRACE OF THE NEW COVENANT IS

INEXHAUSTIBLE AND IS OFFERED TO ALL WHO SEEK IT

According to St John Chrysostom OUR LORD JESUS

CHRIST SINGLED OUT THE MAN WHO HAD SUFFERED FOR

THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS ndash PATIENTLY WAITING TO BE HEALED ndash

IN ORDER TO TEACH US TO PERSEVERE AND TO HAVE

P ATIENCE WHILE BEING A JUDGEMENT OR CONDEMNATION

AGAINST THOSE WHO LOSE HOPE OR P ATIENCE ALTOGETHER

ndash THOSE WHO DESPAIR ndash WHO LOSE ALL HOPE AND F AITH IN

GODrsquoS DIVINE PROVIDENCE because their

circumstances are not according to their own willand desires ndash and especially when we have only

minor problems that can be easily resolved if we

make an effort to do so

GOD DOES EVERYTHING IN HIS OWN TIME AND ACCORDING TO

HIS OWN DIVINE W ILL BECAUSE ONLY HE KNOWS WHAT IS

BEST FOR US AND HOW TO HELP US

WE USUALLY HAVE TO CORRECT SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUR OWN

PERSONAL SPIRITUAL CONDITION BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE

OR EXPERIENCE GODrsquoS DIVINE GRACE AND MERCY

WE NEED TO REPENT OUR SINS TO HUMBLE OURSELVES TO LEARNOBEDIENCE TO GOD TO FORGIVE OTHERS TO DO UNSELFISH AND

LOVING (CHARITABLE) ACTS OF MERCY WITHOUT EXCEPTION

LEARN TO BE PATIENT KIND GENTLE GENEROUS DEVELOP A

POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND TO FULFIL ALL OUR SACRED DUTIES AND

COMMITMENTS WITH WILLING AND EAGER HEARTS

A LTHOUGH IT MAY SEEM STRANGE THAT OUR LORD ASKED THE

P ARALYSED M AN IF HE WANTED TO BE HEALED IT WAS A

MOST RELEVANT QUESTION FOR SEVERAL REASONS

It made public the fact that THE SICK MAN KEPT HIS F AITH

EVEN IN A SITUATION THAT WAS SEEMINGLY HOPELESS for

how could a paralytic ever be the first into the

water

Our Lord drew attention away from the water and

towards THE NEED WE ALL HAVE FOR THE HELP AND

ENCOURAGEMENT OF OTHERS WHICH IS FULFILLED IN

CHRIST HIMSELF Who became Man in order to healall ailing and fallen mankind

NOT EVERYONE WHO IS ILL ACTUALLY DESIRES HEALING for

sadly some prefer to remain infirm in order to

have an excuse or licence to complain to avoid

any responsibility for their lives or to continue

drawing the pity of others

Although Mosaic Law did not specifically forbid the

carrying of burdens on the Sabbath it was prohibited

and explicitly forbidden in Rabbinical Teachings

JEREMIAH 17 23 The Lord said ldquo if you will not

hear Me so as to Sanctify the Sabbath Days and

bear no burdens nor enter the gates of

Jerusalem on the Sabbath Days then I will

kindle a fire in her gates It will consume the

streets of Jerusalem and will not be quenchedrdquo

St Jeremiah the Holy Prophet of God delivered the Word of

the Lord which commanded that Israel stop violating

the Sabbath Day The Reward for Obedience to God is

a gathering of the nations into Jerusalem to offer

sacrifice and although this was done after the Exile it

was not completely fulfilled until the Gentiles joined

the procession on the Day of Pentecost

The Truth that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made

clear by His Command to the Paralytic and by the

manrsquos unhesitating Obedience to Him

As is often the case in the Holy Gospel according to St

John ldquoH EBREWS rdquo REFERS TO THE LEADERS - and not to the

people in general ndash WHOSE MALICE IS QUITE EVIDENT

BECAUSE THEY FOCUSED SOLELY ON THE ldquo VIOLATIONrdquo OF THE

S ABBATH RATHER THAN ON THE GREAT MIRACLE OF THE LONG-

SUFFERING P ARALYTIC

THE GENUINE AND PROFOUND F AITH OF THE MAN IS

DEMONSTRATED BY HIS IMMEDIATELY GOING TO THE TEMPLE

TO OFFER HIS HEARTFELT THANKSGIVING AND W ORSHIP

instead of going home or anywhere else to show

off his healed body



Furthermore ALL MIRACULOUS HEALINGS HAD TO BE CONFIRMED

BY THE TEMPLE PRIESTS FOLLOWED BY VARIOUS CLEANSING

AND S ACRIFICIAL RITES ACCORDING TO MOSAIC L AW

While there is a general connection between sin and

suffering this connection is not always one to one for

the innocent often suffer while the guilty seem to be

spared earthly consequences

Nevertheless OUR SINS USUALLY LEAD DIRECTLY TO MOST OF THE

SUFFERING OF THIS WORLD ndash OUR OWN SUFFERING AND ndash EVEN

WORSE - THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS DUE TO OUR SELFISH OR

THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS

Christrsquos dire warning ldquoSin no morerdquo was NOT ONLY

ADDRESSED TO THE HEALED MAN BUT TO EACH AND EVERY ONEOF US

SIN CAUSES SPIRITUAL DEATH WHICH ONLY REPENTANCE CAN

RESOLVE BY RETURNING US TO SPIRITUAL LIFE IN CHRIST

However IF WE STUBBORNLY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE

CONFESS AND REPENT OUR SINS THEY WILL DESTROY OUR

SOUL ndash leading to a far worse consequence than

any terrible painful or disabling affliction of the

body

Our only hope is to RESIST ALL TEMPTATION AND SIN BY

BESEECHING THE LORD OUR GOD FOR HIS DIVINE STRENGTH

AND A SSISTANCE

THE HEALED P ARALYTIC DID NOT REPORT OUR LORD JESUS TO

THE HEBREW LEADERS IN A MALICIOUS MANNER BUT AS A

WITNESS OF CHRISTrsquoS A BSOLUTE GOODNESS for even

though those misguided leaders were only

interested in the violation of the Sabbath therestored man emphasised that it was our Lord

Jesus Who had healed him without saying

anything about carrying his bed ndash ie WITHOUT

BLAMING CHRIST FOR CAUSING HIM TO BREAK THE S ABBATH

T H I R D S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E L O N E L Y P A R A L Y T I C O F S H E E P P O O L B E T H E S D A

In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen


Today is ldquoSunday of the Paralytic rdquo according to the

Orthodox Liturgical Calendar for the Holy Gospel

Lesson appointed for today recounts the Healing by

our Lord Jesus Christ of a lonely Paralytic at the Sheep

Pool lsquoBethesda rsquo

The ruins of the Pool of Bethesda are located in the

Muslim quarter of old Jerusalem just behind the

beautiful Church of St Anna which stands next to the

site of the house in which the Righteous parents of our

Lady Theotokos ndash St Joachim and St Anna - had lived

and where She had been born

In the first century the Romans had totally destroyed

Jerusalem and so until the 19th century there was

no visible above-ground evidence of Bethesda

As a result sceptical biblical scholars decided that both

the place and the account in the Holy Gospel were

fiction

They erroneously believed that the Holy Gospel

according to St John was actually written long after

the death of St John the Beloved Apostle of Christ by

someone who was unfamiliar with the layout and

geography of Jerusalem at the time of Christ

However archaeologists eventually discovered the ruinsunder much rubble of a holding tank that exactly

corresponds to the Pool of Bethesda in St Johnrsquos

account

Further digging confirmed this

Of course this did not stop the sceptics who have

continued to maintain their impious and even

unscientific views of Holy Scripture in general

Nevertheless the ruins of the Bethesda Pool are there

and have been verified by erudite

ScientistsArchaeologists to be the original Five Porch

Pool of Bethesda as mentioned by St John the Beloved

Apostle and Theologian of Christ

It was also referred to as lsquothe Sheep Poolrsquo because was

where the sacrificial sheep were washed and

inspected for any blemishes or disfigurements before

being offered to God at the Temple

There were five marble porches or porticos surrounding

the pool where great numbers of sick and diseased

people gathered waiting for the miraculous ldquo

troubling of the waters rdquo

According to Judaic belief every so often an Angel of

God would descend and stir up the waters and the

first person to enter the water would be healed

There was more to this story for when Adam was

expelled from Eden he took with him two seeds from

the Tree of Life one of which he planted in what

centuries later became a suburb of Jerusalem That

seed grew into the Tree that became the Wood of the

Cross and on that site stands an Orthodox Monastery

dedicated to the Holy Cross

Others believe that the Three Holy Angels (the Holy Trinity) stuck

Their staffs of pine cedar and cypress into the ground outside

Abrahamrsquos tent at the ancient Oaks of Mamre when he hosted

Them These were left behind and grew into one Tree from

which the Cross-bar of our Saviourrsquos Cross was cut When

Solomon built his Great Temple it was cut down but rejected by

the builders many generations later was used to to Crucify our

Lord Jesus Christ on Golgotha mp]

The other seed however was accidentally dropped by

Adam and the waters of a spring immediately rose to

the surface and covered it eventually becoming the

Pool of Bethesda or the Sheep Pool

And thus each year on the anniversary of Adamrsquos

having dropped this Seed there an Angel from

Heaven descended and stirred the water into a

whirlpool seeking the Seed

Because the Holy Angels of God are filled with Grace that

is so powerful they are able to perform Miracles -

even Healing dire or terminal illnesses

Nevertheless our Lord by His own Divine and Creative

Power Heals us - and His Healing of the lonely

Paralytic reminds us most forcefully that all of us - to

one degree or another and in one way or another -

also suffer various types of Spiritual Paralysis

Many people suffer from an intellectual or mental

lsquoparalysisrsquo for they stubbornly reject significant

Spiritual Knowledge education or any Holy

Teachings that might change their Spiritual Life for

the better and thereby become more fulfilled ndash and

closer to the Lord our God with all His Divine Blessings

Sadly this describes the majority of people in our modernsociety - including many of those who attend our very

left-leaning and agnostic colleges and universities -

who are considered as being ldquowell educatedrdquo

They have rejected our Lord Jesus Christ and His Absolute

Divine Truth ndash His Teachings and Commandments

They have rejected our Eternal Saviour Who alone is

ldquothe Way the Truth and the Life rdquo and they have

tightly shut their heart and their mind to anything that

is Divinely Miraculous and to the Holy Church of

Christ which is Eternally founded upon the rock-solid

Faith of our Lordrsquos original Holy Apostles and

Disciples

And finally there are those of us who make little or no

effort to appeal to our Lord for the Spiritual Healing of

all our ailments

We make little or no attempt to cooperate with thePowerful Grace and Energy that our Triune God

grants us every moment of the day

We arrogantly think that we are in control of this

temporary life

We might confess our sins but we do not truly Repent for

we continually repeat our wicked words thoughts

and deeds which in the Light of Divine Truth exposes

our complete lack of True Repentance as well as our

lack of Love for God and His Divine Commandments

We wilfully choose to ignore our critical need to strive

ceaselessly to avoid temptations and to change our

bad habits and sinful lifestyle

We choose to ignore the Truth that the Lord our God is

Sovereign over all Creation on Earth and in Heaven

Christ our Lord revealed the Truth of the lonely Paralyticrsquossad circumstances which had been the consequence

of his guilt Thus He severely cautioned against

further wickedness - the consequences of which

would be far worse

Although not all physical illness is due to our sins - or

those of others - Christ our Saviour clearly tells us that

some serious ailments ndash and even death - certainly



are due to human wickedness carelessness and

selfishness

Beloved Brethren we all know ndash without any doubt nor

debate ndash that all Spiritual Illness is the consequence

of our wicked words thoughts and deeds

Sins that we repeatedly commit sins against which we

constantly struggle sins that we try to overcome

without seeking our Lordrsquos Strength and Great Mercy

sins that we justify to ourselves and others ndash all of

these plant a lethal seed of Spiritual Disease deep

within us that increases throughout our short life-span

- becoming stronger and more noxious hellipunless we

realise our powerlessness and that only the Lord ourGod can help us to overcome these sins Heal our

broken spirits and Restore us to our former created

state thereby enabling us to continue our Journey

towards Eternity in a proper peaceful and joyful

manner

We receive Divine Healing and Grace and Strength

through the Holy Mysteries of the Orthodox Church ndash

in particular worthily-received Holy Communion and

sincere and frequent Confession

However we must never overlook the fact that our Lord

Jesus Christ acts directly on our soul

This direct contact between our Saviour and our troubled

soul is often overlooked underestimated or ignored

This Divine Healing comes specifically through an active

and mature Prayer Life ndash as well as through a

broken contrite heart that fully realises that none of

us can achieve anything worthwhile and necessary to

our Eternal Life ndash and this temporary existence -

without Christ for ldquoa broken and a contrite heart

God will not despiserdquo In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen

Christ is risen Truly He is Risen

H T T P W W W P R A V M I R C O M

W A T C H F U L N E S S

ldquoWatchfulness rdquo is an essential action to guard us from

our automatic reactions to thoughts stimulated by

our senses

The Greek word that is translated as ldquoWatchfulnessrdquo is

ldquoNepsis rdquo ndash derived from ldquoNepho rdquo which means ldquoto

guard inspect examine watch over and keep

under surveillancerdquo

Watchfulness has been described by Elder Ephraim of

Philotheou as ldquothe axe that shatters the large

trees by hitting their roots When the root is struck

it cannot spring up (revive) againrdquo St Hesychios commented ldquoWatchfulness is a continual

fixing and halting of thought at the entrance to the

heartldquoIf we are conscientious in this we can gain much

Experience and Knowledge of Spiritual Warfarerdquo

This involves an effort to intercede on our thoughts

forcing them to be examined - to shine the

Commandments of our Lord on them

He sees this as Spiritual Warfare which emphasizes the

nature of this effort

We all know that warfare requires having effective

weapons that are stronger and more powerful thanthose of the enemy

St Paisios the Elder of Mount Athos cautioned us about

some of the consequences of not being Watchful

ldquoWhen our soul lives carelessly without Watching

over its thoughts it will consequently fill up with

dirty and sly thoughts

ldquoAs a result people start developing psychological

problems which gradually pile up

ldquoSome people while they are found in this situation and

come face to face with the problem itself do not

realize it and thus are unable to humbly Confess to

their fall to their Spiritual Father

ldquoInstead they look for a lsquosecularrsquo solution and consult a

Psychiatrist who will inevitably prescribe

medication

ldquoThe only solution is to become aware of the problemand Confess it to a Spiritual Father and then humbly

and Obediently follow his advice

ldquoThese days people have lost control over their life and

they do not know what they are doing

ldquoThe reason being that they do not wish to be Guided

They want to be undisturbed ndash they want to follow

their own free will which will eventually bring their

total destruction

ldquoWhen we use our freedom and independence without

taking into consideration our human weakness we

becomes deceived

ldquoWe experience and interpret everything by using our

own logic

ldquoInstead of Godrsquos Grace human logic rules our life and

consequently our mind becomes confused

ldquo This is terriblerdquo

It is essential to build and strengthen our self-control ndash

self-discipline

Most importantly we have to learn to harness the

actions of our mind which tends to run wild and

unchecked

This condition forces us to rely on mental programming

that needs to be severely changed in order to live

the Christian Life ndash to LIVE IN CHRIST

This is what being Watchful is about

Being Watchful means that we have the necessary self-

discipline where we are able to guard our InnerSanctuary from being invaded by thoughts

stimulated by our senses that lead us to sinful

actions

Spiritual Watchfulness is an ability to intervene in the

process of choosing how to act - based on any kind

of stimulus that leads to a thought

Spiritual Watchfulness is essential to our Spiritual Welfare and

Development because thereby we are able to correct ourselves

and each other so that we stay on the Straight and Narrow Path

of Christ which leads towards Eternal Life and the Kingdom of

Love

But it requires Spiritual Guidance from our Spiritual Fathers and

Teachers who are experienced in such matters

However we must be willing to do our part with Humility and

Obedience to all our Lordrsquos Teachings and CommandmentsLife in Christ is not a solo endeavour but a Communal Journey

HTTPORTHODOXWAYOFLIFEBLOGSPOTCOZA200906

G O I N G B E Y O N D W O R D S I N P R A Y E R ndash S T T H E O P H A N T H E R E C L U S E

ldquoWhen you begin to establish a routine Prayer Life the

words are important

ldquoTo start we recite Prayers from a Prayer Book and say

them verbally But this is only the beginning of

Prayer

ldquoIt is like learning a language - we first learn the words

and forms of the language from books but we do not

stop at this point We move on to converse freely in

the language

ldquoThe same is true with PrayerldquoWe become accustomed to reading our Prayers from

books - using the Prayer passed down to us by Our

Lord and those composed by our Holy Fathers who

had achieved the art of Prayer Yet we must not stop

at this for it is necessary to extend ourselves further

ldquoOnce we have become accustomed to turn our ears and

hearts to God using these guidelines and aids given to

us by others we should then also attempt to bring

something of our own to God

We should try to pass on into our own Prayerful

Conversation with God - to raise ourselves towards

Him to open ourselves to Him to Confess to Him the

contents and needs of our soul

ldquoPrayer should be an unceasing offering of oneself to our

Lord

ldquoIn order to achieve this it is necessary to begin - as often

as possible during the day - by calling out to Godfrom our heart with few words - according to our

personal needs and in ways appropriate to the events

surrounding usrdquo

ldquo T H E P A T H O F P R A Y E R F O UR S E R M O N S O N P R A Y E R rdquo B Y S T T H E O P H A N T H E R E C L U S E


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 2126M I D ndash P E N T E C O S T W E D N E S D A Y ndash M I D W A Y B E T W E E N H O L Y P A S C H A amp P E N T E C O S T ndash 2 5 M A Y 2 0 1 6 21


All G lory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto the




25 May 2016Mid Pentecost

Third Finding of the Venerable Head of St John the Baptist Also the Feast of St Therapon of Cyprus amp St Urbanos of Rome


H ristos Anesti ek nekron Thanato Thanaton patisasKe tis en tis mnimasin Zoin harisamenos (3) C hrist is Risen from the dead By Death tramplingupon Death and has bestowed Life to those in theTombs (3)

P A S C H A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 3 1 1 3 2

T here I shall cause to spring up a horn for David there I prepared a Lamp for My Anointed

R emember David O Lord and all his Meekness

P A S C H A L M A T I N S G O S P E L - L U K E 7 1 7 ndash 3 0

At that time a report concerning Jesus spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country And theDisciples of John told him of all these things And John calling to him two of his Disciples sent them to the Lordsaying ldquoArt Thou He Who is to come or shall we look for Anotherrdquo

When the men had gone to Him they said ldquo John the Baptist has sent us to Thee saying lsquoArt Thou He Who is to come orshall we look for Anotherrsquordquo In that hour He cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and on many whowere blind He bestowed sight And He answered them ldquoGo and tell John what you have seen and heard the blindreceive sight the lame walk lepers are Cleansed and the deaf hear the dead are raised up the poor have GoodNews preached to them And Blessed is he who takes no offence at Merdquo

When the Disciples of John had departed He began to speak to the crowds concerning John ldquoWhat did you go out intothe wilderness to behold A reed shaken by the wind What then did you go out to see A man vested in softclothing Behold Those who are gorgeously apparelled and live in luxury are in Kingrsquos courts ldquoBut what did yougo out to see A Prophet Yes I tell you and more than a Prophet This is he of whom it is written lsquoBehold I sendMy Messenger before Thy Face who shall prepare Thy Way before Theersquo I tell you among those born of womennone is greater than John Yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than himrdquo

When they heard this all the people and the Tax Collectors Justified God having been Baptised with the Baptism of JohnThe Pharisees and the Lawyers rejected the Purpose of God for themselves not having been Baptised by him


E n Ekklisies evlogite ton Theon Kyrion ek Pigon IsrailSoson imas Iie Theou O Anastas ek nekron

Bless God in the churches let the Lord from the Fountainsof Israel Save us O Son of God Who arose from thedead

A F T E R T H E S M A L L E N T R A N C E P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash M I D - P E N T E C O S T - T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

M esousis tis eortis dipsosan mou tin psihin evseviaspotison namata oti pasi Sotir evoisas O dipsonerhestho pros me ke pineto I Pigi tis Zois Hriste OTheos Doxa Si

Midway through the Feast grant drink to my thirsty soulfrom the Waters of True Faith For to all Thou ourSaviour cried aloud Let whosoever is Thirsty come toMe and drinkrdquo As the Fountain of Life O Chist ourGod Glory to Thee

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T J O H N T H E B A P T I S T ndash T O N E 4

O s Thion thisavrisma egkekrimmenon ti Gi Hristos

apekalipse tin kephalin sou imin Profita ke ProdromePantes oun sinelthontes en ti taftis evresi asmasitheigoris ton Sotira imnoumen ton Sozonta imas ekfthoras tes ikesies Sou

Christ has revealed to us Thy Sacred Head once again ndash a

Most Holy Treasure hidden underground for so long OProphet and Forerunner Wherefore we have assembledfor the Feast of its Finding singing our God-InspiredHymns in Praise of our Saviour Who Saves us fromdestruction

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash M I D P E N T E C O S T ndash T O N E 4

T is Eortis tis nomikis mesazousis O ton apanton Piitis ke

Despotis pros tous parontas eleges Hriste O TheosDefte ke arisasthe idor athanasias Othen Siprospiptomen ke Pistos ekvoomen Tous iktirmous Soudorise imin Si gar iparhis pigi tis Zois imon

The Feast according to the Law at its Midpoint O Christ

our God as the Creator and Master of everything Thousaid to all those who were present ldquoCome so that youmight draw from Me the Waters of ImmortalityrdquoHence with Faith we cry to Thee as we prostrateourselves before Thee Thy tender Mercies grant to uswe pray Thou art the Fountain and Source of Life OLord


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 222622 M I D ndash P E N T E C O S T W E D N E S D A Y ndash M I D W A Y B E T W E E N H O L Y P A S C H A amp P E N T E C O S T ndash 2 5 M A Y 2 0 1 6

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 6 3 6 4 ndash T O N E ( 7 ) V A R Y S G R A V E

T he Righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall Hope in Him

H ear my voice O God in my Supplication

T H E S E C O N D E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E C O R I N T H I A N S 4 6 ndash 1 5T H E P O W E R O F T H E H O L Y A P O S T L E S

Brethren It is the God Who Commanded light to shine out of darkness Who has shone in our hearts to grant the Light ofthe Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Sight of Jesus Christ We have this Treasure in earthen vessels so that theexcellence of the Power may be of God and not of us We are hard-pressed on every side yet not crushed we areperplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed ndash always carrying about inthe body the dying of our Lord Jesus so that the Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body For we who Live arealways Delivered to Death for Jesusrsquo sake so that the Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh

So then Death is working in us but Life in youWe have the same Spirit of Faith according to what is written ldquoI believed and therefore I spokerdquo and we also believeTherefore speak - knowing that He Who raised up our Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with

you All things are for your sakes that Grace having spread through the many may cause Thanksgiving to abound tothe Glory of God

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 7 1 4 - 3 0

At that time about the middle of the Feast Jesus went up into the Temple and taught And the Judeans marvelled sayingldquoHow does this Man know letters having never studied rdquo Jesus answered them and said ldquoMy Doctrine is not Mine butHis Who sent Me If anyone wills to do His Will he shall know concerning the Doctrine - whether it is from God orwhether I speak on My own Authority He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory but He Who seeks theGlory of the One Who sent Him is True and no unrighteousness is in Him Did Moses not give you the Law Andnone of you keeps the Law Why do you seek to kill Merdquo

The people answered and said ldquoThou hast a demon Who is seeking to kill Theerdquo Jesus answered and said ldquoI did oneWork and you all marvel Moses gave you Circumcision (not that it is from Moses but from the Fathers) and onthe Sabbath you Circumcise a man If a man receives Circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses

should not be broken why are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath Do not judge according to appearance but judge with Righteous JudgementrdquoSome of them who were from Jerusalem said ldquoIs this not He Whom they seek to kill And behold He speaks boldly and

they say nothing to Him Do the Rulers know indeed that this is Truly the Christ Yet we know where this Man is fromWhen the Christ comes no one will know where He is fromrdquo

Jesus cried out as He taught in the Temple and said ldquoYou both know Me and you know where I Am from And I havenot come of Myself but He Who sent Me is True Whom you do not know I know Him for I Am from Him and Hesent Merdquo

They sought to take Him and no one laid a hand on Him for His Hour had not yet come

T H E F E A S T O F M I D - P E N T E C O S T A N D T H E P E N T E C O S T A R I O N

The fifty days following Pascha until the Feast of Pentecostare known as the period of the Pentecostarion in theOrthodox Church

At the mid-point between these Great Feasts of Pascha andPentecost on the twenty-fifth day which is always aWednesday is one of the most Beloved Feasts for

devout Orthodox Christians - Mid-PentecostMid-Pentecost is to the Pentecostarion what the Third

Sunday of Great Lent - Sunday of the Holy Life-givingCross - is to the period of Great Lent

These Feasts help us to focus on the central theme of theentire period for the mid-point of Great Lent remindsus to bear the Cross of Christ bravely so that we maydaily die with Christ in order to experience HisVictorious Resurrection while the mid-point of thePentecostarion Enlightens us regarding the theme of theFifty Days after Holy Pascha which is the Acquisitionof the Holy Spirit which is poured out as a Divine Giftupon all Faithful Disciples of Christ who partake of theLiving Waters of our Saviour Himself

The central theme woven throughout the period of thePentecostarion therefore is water which becomes thecentral theme according to the Holy Gospel of St Johnthat is read in its entirety - naturally following the Actsof the Apostles that are also read entirely during thisperiod

Living Water is mentioned on Pascha itself in the joyousCanon of the Feast of Feasts written by St John theDamascene when he invites us to drink a NewDrink not brought forth from a barren rock rdquo asmentioned in the Old Testament but which springsforth from the grave of Christ

During the Paschal Divine Liturgy the Priest processes withthe Gospel chanting loudly In the CongregationsBless God the Lord from the Well-springs of Israel(PSALM 6727)

After Renewal or Bright Week there are two Sundays thatabolish all doubts concerning the Resurrection of Christ- Sunday of St Thomas and Sunday of the HolyMyrrhbearers ndash that encourage us to partake of theLiving Water that only our Resurrected Lord JesusChrist can give us

As we approach Pentecost the theme of water is oftenmentioned in the Hymns and Sacred Lessons theSheeprsquos Pool of Bethesda and the lonely Paralytic

Jacobrsquos Well and St Photini the Samaritan Woman andthe Pool of Siloam and the man born without eyes

During this festive period we learn a lot concerning LivingWater ndash which if partaken of we will never thirst againfor It is our Saviour Himself - the Baptismal Watersand the Cup of Life (Holy Eucharist) which is for the

remission of sins and Life EverlastingOn Pentecost Sunday Divine Grace is rained upon our

parched soul and body so that we may be SpirituallyFruitful If any man thirst let him come unto Me anddrinkrdquo

Finally the Pentecostarion concludes with the Feast of AllSaints Commemorating those who partook of theWaters of Piety - Spiritual Harvest of the Outpouringof God the Holy Spirit

Mid-Pentecost stands in the middle of the fifty-day periodfrom Pascha to Pentecost as a Mighty Flowing River ofDivine Grace with these two Great Feasts as Its Source

Pascha and Pentecost are united in Mid-Pentecost ndash forwithout Pascha there is no Pentecost and withoutPentecost there is no Purpose to Pascha

The Feast of Mid-Pentecost is celebrated for an entire weekuntil the following Wednesday making it an Eight DayFeast during which the Hymns of Mid-Pentecost are

joined with those of Pascha and the Lesser Blessing ofthe Waters is performed on Mid-Pentecost Wednesdayand wherever possible with a Procession with the HolyCross to a natural water spring

The Living Water theme not only invokes water but evenmore central to the Gospel chronology it honours Christas our Teacher and Divine Wisdom as He revealedHimself between the accounts of the lonely Paralytic ofBethesda and the Blind Man born without eyesaboutthe middle of the Feast Jesus went up into the Templeand taught lsquoMy Doctrine is not Mine but His Whosent Me If anyone wills to do His Will he shall knowconcerning the Doctrine - whether it is from God or

whether I speak on My own Authorityrsquordquo (JOHN 714-30) The Festal Icon portrays the young Lord Jesus Christteaching Temple Elders when He first revealed Himselfas an Extraordinary Teacher or Rabbi TraditionalOrthodox Icons always depict our Lord larger than theElders thereby honouring His Superior Spiritual Status

HTTPWWWPRAVOSLAVIERUENGLISH46565HTM


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 23264 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E S A M A R I T A N W O M A N ( S T P H O T I N I ) ndash 2 9 M A Y 2 0 1 6 23


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Ho ly Spirit now and forever and unto the




Tone 4 29 May 20164 th Sunday After Holy Pascha

The Samaritan Woman (St Photini) at Jacobrsquos Well Also the Feast of St Theodosia Virgin Martyr of Tyre - St Alexandra of Alexandria - St John

Fool-For-Christ amp Wonderworker of Ustiug - Holy Fathers amp Mothers of Atchara Georgia ndash St Theodosia the Nun amp Virgin

Martyr of Constantinople

R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 7 - J O H N 2 0 1 - 1 0












T o fedron tis Anastaseos kirigma ek tou Angelou

Mathouse e tou Kyriou Mathitrie ke tin progonikinapofasin aporripsase tis Apostolis kavhomene elegon

Eskilefte O Thanatos igerthi Hristos O Theosdoroumenos to kosmo to Mega Eleos

When the Women Disciples of our Lord had learnt from

the Angel the Joyful Message of the Resurrection andhad rejected the Ancestral Decision they cried aloud

to the Apostles triumphantly Death has beendespoiled Christ our God has Risen Granting to theworld His Great Mercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash M I D P E N T E C O S T ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4

M esousis tis Eortis dipsosan Mou tin psihin efseviaspotison namata oti pasi Sotir evoisas O dipsonerhestho pros me ke pineto I pigi tis Zois Hriste OTheos Doxa Si

Midway through the Feast grant drink to my thirsty soulfrom the Waters of True Faith For to all Thou ourSaviour cried aloud Let whoever is Thirsty to come toMe and drink As the Fountain of Life O Christ ourGod Glory to Thee


I ke en Tafo katilthes Athanate alla tou Adou kathiles tindinamin Ke anestis os nikitis Hriste O Theos GynexiMyroforis fthegxamenos ldquoHereterdquo ke tis Sis ApostolisIrini doroumenos O tis pesousi parehon Anastasin

Although Thou went down into the Sepulchre OImmortal Thou brought down the dominion of Hadesand Thou rose as Victor O Christ our God and Thoucalled out ldquoHailrdquo to the Myrrhbearing Women andgrant Peace to Thine Apostles O Lord Who to thefallen grant Resurrection


O Lord Thy Works shall be Magnified greatly Thou made all things in Wisdom

Bless the Lord O my soul O Lord my God Thou art exceedingly Magnified

T H E A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 1 1 1 9 ndash 3 0T H O U S A N D S O F S O U L S C O N V E R T T O C H R I S T I A N I T Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T

Those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia Cyprus and

Antioch preaching the Word to no one but the Judeans Some of them were from Cyprus and Cyrene who when

they went to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists preaching the Lord Jesus And the Hand of the Lord was with them

and a great number believed and turned to the Lord

News of these things was heard by the Church in Jerusalem and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch When

he went and saw the Grace of God he was glad And he encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they

should continue with the Lord for he was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and Faith And a great many people

were added to the Lord

Barnabas departed for Tarsos to seek Saul And when he had found him he took him to AntiochSo it was that for a whole year they assembled with the Church and taught a great many people The Disciples were

first called lsquoChristiansrsquo in Antioch

In those days Prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch One of them named Agabos stood up and showed by the

Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout the world - which also had happened in the days of

Claudius Caesar The Disciples - each according to his ability - determined to send relief to the Brethren dwelling in

Judea This they did and sent it to the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 242624 4 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E S A M A R I T A N W O M A N ( S T P H O T I N I ) ndash 2 9 M A Y 2 0 1 6

The Evangelisation of the Gentiles caused a significantamount of conflict in the early Church

Even though Christ had Commanded His Holy Apostles topreach His Holy Gospel universally ndash to all Nations ndash ittook a while for this to be put properly into practice

Much debate arose over what requirements from the OldCovenant Law ndash if any ndash the Gentile Christians wouldhave to follow

The ldquoHellenists rdquo referred to actual Greeks not toHellenistic Hebrews ndash (IE GREEK SPEAKING HEBREWS)

The Holy Church of Christ in Antioch was instrumentalin bringing untold numbers of Gentiles to our Lord

Jesus ChristTwo key Truths are revealed in the fact that St Barnabaswas ldquosent out to Antiochrdquo

1 HOLY APOSTLES OF CHRIST were sent forth to preach theHoly Gospel of Christ but they NEVER WORKED

INDEPENDENTLY OR IN ISOLATION FROM THE BODY OF THE

HOLY CHURCH2 THE HOLY CHURCH OF ANTIOCH NEEDED THE SEAL OF HOLY

APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY IN ORDER TO BECOME INTEGRATED

INTO THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF CHRISTST BARNABAS REVEALED HIS GENUINE HUMILITY BY SEEKING THE

HELP OF ST PAUL (Saul) ndash a humble recognition of hisown personal limitations and his TRUE COMMUNION

WITH AND DEPENDENCE ON THE OTHER HOLY APOSTLES OF

CHRIST TWO KEY ELEMENTS OF LITURGICAL WORSHIP INCLUDED THE

EUCHARISTIC (THANKSGIVING) ASSEMBLY ndash COMMUNALWORSHIP ndash AND THE CORRECT TEACHING OF THE HOLY

GOSPEL OF CHRIST The fact that the Disciples of Christ were first called

lsquoChristiansrsquo in Antioch is more than just historicalTruth It demonstrates that CHRISTrsquoSCOMMANDMENT TO PREACH HIS HOLY GOSPEL AMONG

THE GENTILES AS WELL WAS FIRST FULLY REALISED IN

ANTIOCHSt John Chrysostom commented ldquoIT WAS (IN ANTIOCH) FOR

THE FIRST TIME THAT PEOPLE WERE ACCOUNTED WORTHY OF

THAT NAMErdquo The ldquoProphets rdquo were Christian Believers within the Holy

Church who had the Divine Gift of Prophecy 1 C ORINTHIANS 1229 ldquoA RE ALL A POSTLES A RE ALL

P ROPHETS A RE ALL T EACHERS A RE ALL W ORKERS OF

M IRACLES rdquo There has always been a wonderful Hierarchy of Honour in

the Holy Church of the New Covenant which continuesto this very day ndash and will continue unabated untilEternity

The Apostolic Work of the Bishops sets the pace for all therest of Christrsquos Holy Flock and WHEN THE OVERSIGHT IS

IN CORRECT WORKING ORDER THE REST OF CHURCH IS FREE

TO FUNCTION AT OPTIMAL LEVEL FOR THE GLORY HONOUR

AND WORSHIP OF GODYet even with all the Divine Gifts in place and operative

there is something far more excellent ndash THE LOVE OF GOD which IS THE TRUE SIGN OF THE PRESENCE OF THE

HOLY SPIRIT 1 C ORINTHIANS 143 ldquoH E WHO PROPHESIES SPEAKS

EDIFICATION AND EXHORTATION AND COMFORT TO

MANKIND rdquo

1 C ORINTHIANS 14 29 ldquo L ET TWO OR THREE P ROPHETS SPEAK AND LET THE OTHERS JUDGE rdquo

God is not the Author of confusion - and the TrulySpiritual can control themselves since GENUINE

SPIRITUALITY IS MANIFESTED IN PREPAREDNESS PROPRIETY

AND ORDER COURTESY AND SELF-CONTROLDISCIPLINE

WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PRESENT THERE IS DIVINE

PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING E PHESIANS 4 11 ldquo(CHRIST) HIMSELF GRANTED some to be

Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and somePastors and Teachers for THE EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS FOR

THE WORK OF MINISTRY FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF

CHRIST UNTIL WE ALL COME TO THE UNITY OF THE FAITH AND

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRISTrdquo THE HOLY SPIRIT BESTOWS HIS DIVINE GIFTS IN ORDER TO FORM

ONE COHESIVE HARMONIOUS GROUP WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR

EQUIPPING ndash TEACHING GUIDING AND PREPARING OTHERS - FOR

THE SACRED TASK OF CHRISTrsquoS HOLY MINISTRYEVERY FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN HAS THE SACRED TASK OF GUIDING

HELPING AND ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER as we all journeythrough this preparatory period of earthly life towardsEternity because - whether we are believers or not ndash ALL

HUMANITY WILL ENTER ETERNITY The great famine that was predicted did indeed happen

throughout the known world in 44 ndash 51 ndash having begun in Judea and spreading as far as Greece andItaly

The principle of giving ldquoeach according to his abilityrdquo is onethat continues to this day in our Holy Church

The Elders (ldquothe bearded ones rdquo) were the Presbyters(Priests) who were Ordained by the Holy Apostles andput in charge of the local Parish churches which hadinitially been founded by the Holy Apostles

Since those days the Orders of the Holy Ministry or HolyPriesthood of Christ consist of the Bishops (the Apostlesand their direct successors) the Presbyters or Priests andthe Deacons

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 4 5 ndash 4 2T H E S A M A R I T A N W O M A N A T J A C O B rsquo S W E L L

At that time our Lord Jesus went to a city of Samaria called lsquoSychar rsquo near the field that Jacob gave to his son JosephJacobrsquos Well was there Wearied as He was with His journey Jesus sat down beside the well It was about the SixthHour There came a woman of Samaria to draw water Jesus said to her ldquoGive Me a drink rdquo For His Disciples hadgone into the city to buy food The Samaritan Woman said to Him ldquoHow is it that Thou ndash a Judean ndash ask a drink ofme ndash a woman of Samariardquo For Judeans had no dealings with Samaritans

Jesus answered her ldquoIf Thou knew the Gift of God and Who it is Who is saying to Thee lsquoGive Me a drinkrsquo Thouwould have asked Him and He would have given Thee Living Waterrdquo The Woman said to Him ldquoSir Thou hastnothing with which to draw water and the well is deep Where dost Thou get that Living Water Art Thou greaterthan our Father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself ndash and his sons and his livestockrdquo

Jesus said to her ldquoEveryone who drinks of this water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the Water that I shallgive will become a Spring of Water welling up to Eternal Liferdquo The Woman said to Him ldquoSir give me this Waterthat I may not thirst nor come here to drawrdquo

Jesus said to her ldquoGo fetch Thy husband and come hererdquo The Woman answered him ldquoI have no husbandrdquo Jesussaid to her ldquoWell said lsquoI have no husbandrsquo Thou hast had five husbands and now he whom Thou hast is notThy husband This Thou said trulyrdquo

The Woman said to Him ldquoSir I perceive that Thou art a Prophet Our Fathers worshipped on this mountain And yousay that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worshiprdquo

Jesus said to her ldquoWoman believe Me for the Hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem wiltyou worship the Father You worship what you do not know - we worship what we know for Salvation is from theJudeans But the Hour is coming ndash and now is ndash when the True Worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit andTruth and thus for such the Father seeks to worship Him God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worshipin Spirit and Truthrdquo

The Woman said to Him ldquoI know that the Messiah is coming ndash He Who is called lsquoChristrsquo When He comes He will show usall thingsrdquo Jesus said to her ldquoI Who speak to Thee Am Herdquo

And when His Disciples returned they marvelled for He was speaking to a woman Yet none said ldquoWhat seekest

Thourdquo or ldquoWhy art Thou talking to herrdquoThe Woman left her water jar and departed to the city and said to the people ldquoCome see a Man Who told me all that Iever did Can this be the Christrdquo They went out of the city and went to Him

Meanwhile the Disciples besought Him saying ldquoRabbi eatrdquo He said to them ldquoI have Food to eat of which you do notknowrdquo The Disciples said to one another ldquoHas anyone brought Him foodrdquo

Jesus said to them ldquoMy Food is to do the Will of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish His Work Do you not saylsquoThere are yet four months then comes the harvestrsquo Behold I tell you lift up your eyes and see how the fieldsare already white for Harvest lsquoHe Who Reaps receives Wages and gathers Fruit for Eternal Life so that the



Sower and the Reaper may Rejoice togetherrsquo For here the saying holds True for One Sows Another Reaps Isent you to Reap that for which you did not Labour ndash others Laboured ndash and you have entered into their Labourrdquo

Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the Womanrsquos Testimony ldquoHe told me all that I ever didrdquo When the Samaritans went to Him they asked Him to stay with them ndash and He stayed there two days And many more

believed because of His Word They said to the Woman ldquoIt is no longer because of your words that we believe forwe have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed Christ the Saviour of the worldrdquo

The Old Testament does not mention ldquo Jacobrsquos Well rdquo althoughSt Jacob did dwell in the area (G ENESIS 3319)

Wells had great significance because of their rarity and theirpriceless value in desert life Therefore wells came tosymbolise life itself (PSALM 359ndash10 PSALM 454 ISAIAH 551)

Jacobrsquos Well has been maintained as a Holy Shrine by the

Greek Orthodox Christian Church to this very day andpilgrims still drink from it (ST PHILOMENOS THE NEW MARTYR

OF JACOBrsquoS WELL GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ITS PROTECTION AND

PRESERVATION IN 1979 mp )

Our Lord Jesus was ldquowearied from His journey rdquo - meaningthat IN HIS HUMAN NATURE HE TOO SUFFERED hungerthirst tiredness - THE SAME WEAKNESSES OF OUR OWN HUMAN

CONDITIONThe ldquoSixth Hour rdquo is midday ndash 1200 ndash the hottest part of the

day when most inhabitants of hot areas rest from theheat

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN WAS THE EARLIEST EVANGELIST (BESIDES

THE APOSTLES) WHO TESTIFIED TO THE ADVENT OF CHRIST

TOGETHER WITH HER TWO SONS AND FIVE DAUGHTERS (SOME SAY

lsquoSISTERS rsquo) SHE BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF SOULS TO CHRIST

AFTER THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST SHE WAS BAPTISED WITH THE NAME

OF ldquoP HOTINI rdquo (ldquoTHE E NLIGHTENED O NE rdquo) AND WENT TO CARTHAGETO SPREAD THE HOLY GOSPEL SHE WAS EVENTUALLY MARTYRED

WITH HER ENTIRE FAMILY BY ORDER OF EMPEROR NERO BY BEING

THROWN INTO A VERY DEEP WELL WE COMMEMORATE HER MEMORY

ON 20 MARCH AND ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF HOLY PASCHA mp

The Samaritans were a mixed breed of Judeans and pagansand thus were traditional enemies of Israel

Although they also worshipped the God of Israel and awaitedthe Advent or Coming of the Messiah ndash the Christ ndash theyaccepted only the first five Books of the Old TestamentScriptures ndash the Pentateuch

They had built their own temple on Mount Gerizim which theIsraelites had destroyed in 128 BC

In the ordinary sense lsquoliving waterrsquo means fresh flowingwater from a stream or spring rather than from astagnant pond or cistern

Christrsquos use of the term ldquoL IVING W ATER rdquo MEANT THE DIVINE

GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT LEADS US TO ETERNAL LIFE WHICH NOT ONLY REMAINS IN A FAITHFUL PERSON BUT IS SO

ABUNDANT THAT IT OVERFLOWS AND AFFECTS OTHERS IN THE

BEST POSSIBLE MANNERHowever St Photini misunderstood our Lord Jesus and thus

enquired whether He was greater that St Jacob theancient Patriarch who was a type of Christ because he hadreceived the Vision of the Divine Ladder which our LordJesus Christ fulfilled (GENESIS 2812)

Furthermore just as St Jacob gave this Well for earthly lifeCHRIST GRANTS US THE WELL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR

ETERNAL LIFESince our Lord Jesus knew that St Photini was living in sin

and as He was aware of her five previous lsquohusbandsrsquo she

assumed Him to be a Holy Prophet but since theSamaritans did not accept or recognise any Prophets afterSt Moses THE ONLY PROPHET THEY EXPECTED WAS THE

MESSIAH Whom St Moses had foretold (DEUTERONOMY 1815-18)

CHRISTrsquoS INSIGHT INTO EVERY HUMAN BEINGrsquoS HEART which isrepeatedly mentioned throughout the Holy GospelsEMPHASISES HIS DIVINE NATURE

Our Lord Jesus was indeed the expected lsquoHoly Prophetrsquo so Hecould settle the historical argument about where TrueWorship was to be offered

However OUR LORD JESUS REFUSED TO ANSWER SUCH AN EARTHLY

QUESTION AND ELEVATED THE DISCUSSION TO THE ONE WHOM

WE WORSHIP ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF

According to our Lord Jesus Christ ndash the Eternal OnlyBegotten Word and Son of God - GOD IS SPIRIT AND

CANNOT BE CONFINED TO ANY PARTICULAR LOCATION GOD IS OMNIPRESENT ndash HE IS EVERYWHERE

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BELIEVE IN JESUS

CHRIST ndash THE SON AND WORD OF GOD THE FATHER ndash

WORSHIP GOD WITH PURITY OF HEARTOur Lord Jesus Christ affirmed that TRUE REVELATION COMES

FROM JUDAISM ldquoSalvation is of the Hebrewsrdquo

St Athanasios the Great taught us ldquoThe commonwealth ofIsrael was the School of the Knowledge of God for allnationsrdquo

More importantly our Lord Jesus Christ testified that THE

MESSIAH WHO WAS PROPHESIED AMONG THE HEBREWS HAS

RISEN FROM THE HEBREWS

WHILE THE GIFT OF THE SALVATION IN CHRIST IS TO ALL NATIONS IT HAS COME FROM WITHIN JUDAISM

ldquoThe Hour rdquo refers to THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

AND TO THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT HOLY

PENTECOST which inaugurated the Worship of our NewCovenant with Almighty God

ldquoI Who speak to you Am Herdquo is literally translated ldquoI AM(EGO EIMI) Who speaks to yourdquo ldquoI Amrdquo is the Divine Nameof God and its use indicates A THEOPHANY OR DIVINE

REVELATION OF GOD HIMSELFThe use of this Most Holy Name by a mere man would have

been considered as the worst blasphemy ever ndashpunishable by stoning to death (JOHN 858 MARK 1462)

However as our Lord Jesus Christ is Truly Divine ndash the Son ofGod and thus one of the three Persons of the AlmightyGodhead ndash the Holy Trinity ndash HIS OWN USE OF THIS DIVINE

NAME REVEALS HIS TRUE UNITY WITH GOD THE FATHER ANDGOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

He most certainly reveals that HE IS INDEED GOD

INCARNATEHis Apostles ldquomarvelled rdquo not only because our Lord Jesus

spoke with a Samaritan but that HE SPOKE WITH AN

UNACCOMPANIED WOMAN WHICH WAS POTENTIALLY

SCANDALOUS FOR THEM BOTH

CHRIST IS ABOVE ALL SOCIAL NORMS AND CUSTOMS SO HE

TREATED ALL WOMEN WITH THE HIGHEST OF RESPECT THEREBY SHOWING THEIR VALUE AND IMPORTANCE IN

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY LIFE (JOHN amp53-811 LL20-30 2011-18 amp LUKE 81 ndash 3)

On many occasions CHRIST IS MISUNDERSTOOD BY PEOPLE DUE TO

OUR LIMITED HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE Nevertheless THROUGH THESE MISUNDERSTANDINGS OUR LORD

FULFILS HIS DIVINE ROLE AS MESSIAH BY DOING THE WILL OF

HIS HEAVENLY FATHER ndash AND THIS IS HIS SPIRITUAL FOOD Our Lord Jesus by His own Perfect Example has taught us to

PERFORMOBEY THE DIVINE WILL OF GOD THROUGHOUT OUR

LIFE WITHOUT BEING DISTRACTED BY EARTHLY CARES such ashunger shelter and comfort (JOHN 627 MATTHEW 44 625-33)

According to St John Chrysostom when Christ commandedHis Apostles to ldquoBehold rdquo He wanted them to witness theapproaching multitude of white clad Samaritans whowere ready and eager to believe in Christ Jesus

Our Lord compared these Samaritans (RELATIVE TO THE HEBREWS)

to fields of crops that were ready to harvestIn addition our Lordrsquos command to ldquoBehold rdquo is also

addressed to all Faithful Christians ndash to all FaithfulDisciples of Christ ndash to LOOK AT THOSE AROUND US AND TO

SHARE HIS HOLY GOSPEL WITH ANYONE WANTING TO RECEIVE ITndash REGARDLESS OF ETHNICITY OR SOCIAL STATUSSt John Chrysostom believed that THOSE WHO SOWED AND

THOSE WHO REAPED WERE THE HOLY PROPHETS OF THE OLD

COVENANT AND THE HOLY APOSTLES OF THE NEW COVENANT

RESPECTIVELYThe Holy Prophets sowed the Seeds of Faith in preparation

for the Advent of the Messiah yet they did neitherwitnessed it nor reap the Spiritual Fruit of their HolyLabours

The Apostles who did witness and experience the Presence ofGod Incarnate did not prepare either the Hebrews nor theGentiles yet after the Resurrection and especially afterPentecost they drew millions of souls to Faith in Christour Lord and Saviour in their own lifetime

The fact that these Samaritans were amongst the first to

recognise and to acknowledge our Lord Jesus as theSaviour of the world shows us exactly how HIS HOLY

GOSPEL IS FOR ALL PEOPLE OF EVERY NATION THROUGHOUT THE

ENTIRE WORLD


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 2626

4 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash T H E S A M A R I T A N W O M A N A T J A C O B rsquo S W E L L

Christ is Risen Truly He is RisenBrethren the Great Feast of Holy Pascha has already

reached midway and is now approaching its Leave-taking (Apodosis)

The Church of Christ - our Guide to Salvation -condescending to the infirmity of our weakened soulsonce again Calls us to the Source of Living Waters tothe Word of God which alone can quicken our soulspirit and body

Every Sunday we all look into the ImmeasurableFathomless Depths of this Well so that everyone candraw the Water of Life from it according to his

strength and abilityContemplating the depths of what happened at Jacobrsquos

Well we see with awe that this Source of Life hascontinued to function up to this very day

How many travellers passed through the desert and withparched lips arrived at Jacobrsquos Well and quenchedtheir thirst How many times a day did the Samaritans

and others draw life-sustaining water from that wellfrom which the ancient Forefather Jacob and all hisdependants ndash and his innumerable descendants -had drunk

However our Saviour pointed out a profound TruthldquoWhosoever drinketh of this water shall thirstagainrdquo (JOHN 413)

That single meeting at Jacobrsquos Well between Christ andthe Samaritan Woman was the most significant

Encounter with our Living God - for at that well oftemporal water the hitherto unknown Source ofEternal Life was first revealed and secured for allmankind forever

For the first time Christ revealed Himself to be the EternalInexhaustible Well of Living Water flowing into LifeEternal ndash an Eternal Source that can never run dry forIt is independent of human effort and nothing cancloud Its crystal clarity nor poison Its Life-givingProperties

This Source is Godrsquos Holy Church and Its Living Water isthe infinite Power of Godrsquos Grace that ForgivesEnlightens and Sanctifies every person who comes toIt

Indeed it was at this Encounter that for the first time atthe beginning of His Public Ministry our Lord openlyidentified Himself as the long-awaited Divine Messiah-the Saviour of the worldmdashour God ldquoI Amrdquo

Jesus Christ - both God and Manmdashcame to seek and Savethose who are perishing by planting the first Seeds ofthe Evangelic Word among people who belonged inits Faith - not to the Jewsmdashalthough they also awaitedthe Coming of the Messiahmdashnor to the pagans for Hedid not identify Himself as the Christ of God to the

spiteful Jews but to a (despised) Samaritan Woman Although she did not know the Truth she was humble

honest eager and willing to accept and embrace HisTeachings and Commandments wholeheartedlyleading others to Him as well

Despite not knowing the True God the Samaritans lived their beliefs even though they were clumsy andunconscious which was evident from the question of where and how to worship God properly as voiced by

the humble Samaritan WomanThe Jews shunned and avoided the Samaritans whom

they despised for their corrupted religious practises yet for our Saviour there was none other more worthyto received His Divine Truth ndash His Teachings andCommandments - for the Samaritans not onlyaccepted them by lived by them

His Love for the Samaritans was so obvious that the age-old tribal hatred was conquered by it

From that time onwards - neither in Jerusalem where theJews worshipped nor on Mount Gerizim where theSamaritans gathered nor in Athens where an Altar tolsquothe Unknown Godrsquo stood but everywhere - whereverthere is a human heart tormented by Spiritual Thirst -thirsting for Absolute Divine Perfect Truth - thirstingfor Almighty God ndash we will indeed meet and worshipHim in Spirit and Truth

No created source can ever satisfy this Spiritual Thirst ofour spirit - only the Living Water of Jesus ChristrsquosDivine Truth ndash His Teaching and our unwavering Faithin Him as the Redeemer of the world

The Samaritan Woman believed Him and through herEncounter He immediately became the Source ofLiving Water for innumerable other souls

Leaving behind all her earthly cares - forgetting herindispensable water pot and her need for water shecarried the Life-giving Truth of Christ to her fellowcitizens who hastened out to Jacobrsquos Well to welcomethe Source of Living Water- and have Encountered ourTrue Living God they believed and they lived fromthat moment on IN CHRIST ldquoNow we believe - notbecause of thy saying - for we have heard Himourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ the

Saviour of the world rdquo (JOHN 442)

The Samaritan Womanrsquos Testimony to our One True andLiving God grew in her to Sanctity and she and herentire family lived in Christ and led others to TrueBelief St Photini eventually accepted a Martyrrsquos endfor her preaching of Christ being thrown into a verydeep well

The Saviour of the world our Lord Jesus Christ is thesame yesterday today and forever Yet this DivineSource of Life is forgotten rejected or ignored by somany

His Divine Truth remains unheard unappreciated andunaccepted ldquo I Am the Way the Truth and the Liferdquo

Our Lord had taught this Divine Truth to His ChosenPeople which has stood the test of all the centuriesbut they refused to believe and their Spiritual

Blindness made His Divine Truth irreconcilable andimpossible for them

Denial and rejection of Divine Truth is a terrible diseasethat has brought us to the brink of catastrophe Itbreeds so many sects heresies and divisions aroundthe Well of Life the Church of God It kills the Spirit ofLife in us

The worst affliction of mankind is caused by all the liesthe blasphemies and deceptions of the evil one thatmankind has embraced - rather than living by GodrsquosDivine Truth ndash His Divine Teachings andCommandments

True worshippers worship in Truth We can be bad wecan be much more sinful than the Samaritan Womanbut we cannot be liars we should not be liars

God can and does Save everyone who seeks HisSalvation but He is powerless when we becomeenmeshed in lies

Christ can save the Repentant sinner but He cannot helpus when we lie and refuse to Repent

When we are exhausted by our Spiritual Thirst - sick andpoisoned by toxic atheistic ideas and opinions wemust seek the Living Waters of Christ to revive our weakening spirit and strengthen our tired flesh for we

all need to see ourselves clearly - without selfishnessfalse pride and lies For only then can our Lord Whois Truth Righteousness and Life teach us to worshipHim in Spirit and Truth

The Thirst for Truth is the primary vital requirement forEncountering our Living God

The Truth of the incomprehensibility of the Holiness ofGod and of His Great Mercy will smite (strike) ourheart and in the Light of His Truth will we see the

actual depth of our sinfulnessHeart wrenching grief will draw us to the Source of Living

Water - and Godrsquos Grace with its Life-giving Strength will restore us - granting Spiritual Freedom to our soulas we are freed from the shackles of sin

In these accelerated times how many of us are like lsquotheliving deadrsquo due to a desperate Thirst for DivineTruth

The Knowledge of Truth begins quickly for those who trulyThirst and seek and desire to live in Divine Truth forour Lord will reveal Himself to them

The Power and Majesty of God is clearly evident in ourLife in Christ - in the Churchrsquos seven Holy Mysteries ndash which are the Source of Living Water flowing into LifeEternal

Divine Truth is the Word of God which is alive andalways active - leading the Thirsting Traveller alongthe Path of Life

Christ is Risen Truly Christ is Risen Amen

ARCHIMANDRITE JOHN (KRESTIANKIN) - 01 06 2013


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2016-may-sacred-lessons 2262 B R I G H T M O N D A Y ndash F I R S T M O N D A Y A F T E R H O L Y P A S C H A ndash S T A T H A N A S I O S O F A L E X A N D R I A ndash 2 M A Y 2 0 1 6

STIHOS O s eklipi kapnos eklipetosan os tikete kiros apoprosopou piros

STIHOS O utos apolounte i amartoli apo prosopou tou TheouKei Dikei evfranthitosan

STIHOS A fti i imera in epiisen O Kyrios Agalliasometha keevfranthomen en afti

VERSE As smoke vanishes so let them vanish as wax melts before the fire

VERSE So shall the sinners perish from the Sight of GodAnd let the Righteous be glad

VERSE This is the day the Lord made ndash let us greatly rejoiceand be glad therein









P A S C H A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - T O N E 2



F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2

T es Myroforis Ginexi Para To Mnima Epistas O Angelos

Evoa To Myra Tis Thanitis Iparhi Armodia Hristos DeDiafthoras Edihthi Allotrios Alla Kravgasate Anesti OKyrios Parehon To Kosmo To Mega Eleos

The Angel standing by the Tomb cried to the

Myrrhbearing Women Myrrh is fitting for the dead butChrist has been shown to be a Stranger to corruptionBut cry aloud The Lord has Risen granting theworld His Great Mercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T A T H A N A S I O S ndash T O N E 3

S tylos gegonas Orthodoxias thiis dogmasin ipostirizon tinekklisian Irarha Athanasie to gar Patri ton IonOmoousion anakirixas katishinas Arion Pater OsieHriston ton Theon iketeve dorisasthe imin to MegaEleos

Thou became a Pillar of Orthodoxy strengthening theChurch with Divine Dogmas O Hierarch AthanasiosFor by preaching that the Son is One in Essence withthe Father thou put Arius to shame O VenerableFather to Christ our God pray earnestly entreatingthat Great Mercy be on us bestowed

P A S C H A L K O N T A K I O N ndash H O L Y M Y R R H B E A R E R S ndash T O N E 2

T o Here tis Myroforis fthengxamenos ton thrinon tispromitoros Evas katepafsas ti Anastasi Sou Hriste OTheos Tis Apostolis de tis Sis kirittin epetaxas O SotirExanesti tou Mnimatos

In saying ldquoRejoicerdquo to the Myrrhbearers Thou allayed thelament of the First Mother Eve at Thy Resurrection OChrist our God And Thou ordered Thy Apostles toproclaim ldquothe Saviour has Risen from the Tombrdquo

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P R A Y E R O F A Z A R I A H ndash T O N E 4

B lessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers for Thou art Praiseworthy and Exalted beyond measure unto the Ages

F or Thou art Righteous in all Thou did for us all Thou brought upon us and on Jerusalem the Holy City of our Fathers

T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E H E B R E W S 1 3 7 - 1 6 Brethren remember those who rule over you - those who spoke to you the Word of God Consider the outcome of their

Lives and imitate their Faith

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings It is

Good that the heart be Strengthened by Grace ndash not by foods which have not benefitted their adherents

We have an Altar - from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat The bodies of those animals

whose blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the High Priest as a Sacrifice for sin are burnt outside the Camp

Jesus also suffered in order to Sanctify the People through His own Blood outside the gate Therefore let us go forth

to Him outside the Camp to bear the abuse He endured Here we have no Lasting City but we seek that which is to

come Through Him then let us continually offer up a Sacrifice of Praise to God ndash that is the Fruit of lips that

Confessed His Name

Share what you have - do not neglect to do Good Such Sacrifices are pleasing to God

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T M A T T H E W 5 1 4 ndash 1 9

At that time our Lord said to His Disciples ldquoYou are the Light of the world A city set on a hill cannot be hidden Nor

do men light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house Let you

Light so shine before mankind that they may see your Good Works and Glorify your Father Who is in Heaven

ldquoDo not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil

themldquoTruly I say to you until Heaven and Earth pass away not an iota nor a jot will pass from the Law until all is

accomplished Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these Commandments and teaches mankind likewise

shall be called lsquoleastrsquo in the Kingdom of Heaven Those who do them and teach them shall be called lsquogreatrsquo in

the Kingdom of Heavenrdquo

S T H E R M A N O F A L A S K A ndash O N S P I R I T U A L S T R U G G L E S

A True Christian is made by Faith and Love for Christ Our

sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity

according to the Word of our Saviour Himself Who

said ldquo not the Righteous have I come to Call but

sinners to Salvation There is more Joy in Heaven overone who Repents than over ninety Righteous

Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His

Feet He said to the Pharisee Simon ldquoto one who has

Love a Great Debt is forgiven but from one who has

no Love even a small debt will be demandedrdquo

From these Judgments we should Hope and Rejoice -

and not in the least accept an inflicted despair Here

one needs the Shield of Faith

Sin to one who Loves God is nothing other than an arrow

from the enemy in Battle The True Christian is a Warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the

unseen enemy to his Heavenly Homeland

According to St Paul our Homeland is in Heaven

andldquoour Warfare is not against flesh and blood

but against principalities and powers of

wickedness under Heavenrdquo (EPHESIANS 612 )







God Amen



Holy Martyr
































(3)



A min



on Christ Alleluia



A men




D ynamis

K elefson Despota





Amin)

M e Dynamis


PRIEST Power






DEACON Amen

CHOIR With Power










T H E

H O L Y

G O S P E L


S T

J O H N

3

1

ndash





























































(3)


A min


D ynamis

D ynamis



Christ Alleluia (3)


A men


With Power

With Power













O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M























































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD


























































God Amen



Holy Martyr
































(3)



A min



on Christ Alleluia



A men




D ynamis

K elefson Despota





Amin)

M e Dynamis


PRIEST Power






DEACON Amen

CHOIR With Power










T H E

H O L Y

G O S P E L


S T

J O H N

3

1

ndash





























































(3)


A min


D ynamis

D ynamis



Christ Alleluia (3)


A men


With Power

With Power













O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M























































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD






















































D ynamis

K elefson Despota





Amin)

M e Dynamis


PRIEST Power






DEACON Amen

CHOIR With Power










T H E

H O L Y

G O S P E L


S T

J O H N

3

1

ndash





























































(3)


A min


D ynamis

D ynamis



Christ Alleluia (3)


A men


With Power

With Power













O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M























































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD


























































































(3)


A min


D ynamis

D ynamis



Christ Alleluia (3)


A men


With Power

With Power













O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M























































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD




























































O U R

LO R D

J E S U S

C H R I S T

C L E A N S E S

H I S

F A T H E R

rsquo S

T E M P L E I N

J E R U S A L E M























































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD































































































at all























His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD







































































His Name



















Stillness
















of Hades




about to take place


















Apostle









afterrdquo








wickedness































Christ






Pharisees






























the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD











































































the cross


















Thomas




weak belief

Amen





difference






































conversation


Works debate


Salvation




God-becoming-Man































all things




















to criticize




















damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD







































































damaging





























little use


Commandments


Thanksgiving



of Salvationrdquo












notrsquordquo





delusion








work



terrible distortion







Sophrony describes












agesrdquo





cannot be Saved







everything we do



harmony



the Elder uses)





World








Experiences




lieshellip






































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD














































































































on them







Jerusalem


































PROPER ATTENTION


Ministries












THEM












W ORSHIP



























Theotokos















DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD
































































DISCIPLES





























INCARNATE









foretold









HAD TRULY RISEN


















with Him













the years mp)

























Saviour





















him as before







































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD







































































SUFFERING





ALL HUMANITY

















soul







lsquoCriminal rsquo
















imitate























mankind









Holy Life in Christ



possible for us
























983119 983125 983122 983116 983119 983122 983108 983113 983123 983113 983118 983109 983126 983109 983122 983129 983107 983112 983122 983113 983123 983124 983113 983105 983118 991251 983123 983124 983114 983119 983112 983118 983119 983110 983115 983122 983119 983118 983123 983124 983105 983108 983124














our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD


























































our God Amen


























T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4




























circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD

































































circa 274














opposing forces









Empire




Great (379-395)





statecivil law



























Jesus Christ






man




























































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD



























































































































turned to the Lord







Jairus from death


































BLOOD




B APTISM

















OF THE BODY































water







































off his healed body













THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD
































































THOUGHTLESS ACTIONS









body



AND A SSISTANCE











Amen


















fiction








account





































































Disciples



all our ailments




temporary life














would be far worse







selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD























































selfishness















manner
















Amen






our senses
































medication








total destruction



becomes deceived


own logic





self-discipline



unchecked








actions








Love








words are important



Prayer




the language















Lord




surrounding usrdquo



































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD





















































































































































































































MANKIND rdquo
























































































































ENTIRE WORLD












































































































































ENTIRE WORLD




















































2016 may sacred lessons

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