april 22, 2006 Χριστός Ανέστη the paschal period in our churches. this holy icon...

Χριστός Ανέστη

TheNational

HeraldApril 22, 2006

“Thanks be to God, Who givesus the victory through our LordJesus Christ (I Corinthians 15.57).”

Beloved Brothers and Sisters inChrist, on this great and gloriousday of the Resurrection of JesusChrist from the dead, the Feast ofFeasts of our Holy OrthodoxChurch, I greet you with our time-honored exclamation of truth andvictory: Christos Anesti! Christ isRisen! On this day of the Resur-rection, the words of Saint Paul tothe Corinthians resound withgreat clarity, for today the RisenChrist has triumphed over sin, eviland death.

Our expression of thanksgivingto God for His greatness is adefining hallmark of Pascha. Onesuch expression of our thanks forHis greatness is revealed in theservice of the Agape Vespers ofPascha, when we joyously sing thewords of the Psalmist, “Who is sogreat a God as our God? For Youare the God Who alone workswonders (Psalms 77.13-14).” Thewonder worked by God, which wecelebrate with joy and awe on thisday of Pascha, is one of ultimatevictory; namely, the total reversalof the devil's power upon the fateof human beings, which wassecured by the descent of Christinto Hades and His Resurrectionfrom the dead. Through His Owndeath and descent into Hades,Christ conquered death and gave

life to those in the tombs. Avibrant depiction of this victory isthe Holy Icon of the Anastasis(Resurrection) displayed through-out the Paschal period in ourchurches. This Holy Icon depictsthe Risen Christ raising Adam andEve from the grave, a symbolicimage of Christ's liberation of theentirety of humanity, who hadonce been held captive by thepower of death, but who are nowsaved by Christ and live eternallywith Him.

It should be emphasized thatthe victory which has been given tous by God through Jesus Christwas, in essence, in fulfillment ofOld Testament prophecies. Goddeclared through the ProphetHosea, “I will redeem them fromdeath. Where is your victory,death? Where is your sting, Hades(Hosea 13.14)?” The Prophet Isa-iah also speaks in the same way(Isaiah 25.8). Saint Paul clearlyalludes to these prophesies whenhe addresses the Corinthians:“When the perishable puts on theimperishable, and the mortal putson immortality, then shall come topass the saying that is written,'Death is swallowed up in victory.O death, where is thy victory? Odeath, where is thy sting' (ICorinthians 15.54-55).” St. JohnChrysostom, too, deliberately usesthese words in his celebratedPaschal homily, which is read intriumphant fashion on this day in

our churches. He does this toaffirm the continuity of this tri-umph and truth, and to categori-cally declare the determinativenature of Christ's victory overdeath.

The significance of the OldTestament prophecy in foretellingthe Resurrection of Jesus Christ isits affirmation to us that our mer-

ciful God has continually loved usfrom the dawn of our existence;that it had always been His will torestore humanity from its fallencondition to a condition of ever-lasting communion with Him; andthat the extraordinary means bywhich He chose to accomplish thiswas to condescend to enter ourworld as a human being, and to

suffer unto death, even unto deathon a Cross. As a result, our sinshave been remitted, and we havebeen granted eternal life with HimWho is risen from the dead.

My beloved Christians,Through Christ, the sting of deathhas been rendered venomless. Asthe prophets foretold, the devil'sclaim upon our fate has been ren-dered forever void. As thePsalmist declared, God Alone hasworked a great wonder which sur-passes the limits of our humancomprehension. On this gloriousday of the Resurrection of theLord Jesus Christ, let us be mind-ful of the greatness of God, and letus be attuned to the natural yearn-ing of our souls to offer Himunceasing praise for the victoryHe has given us through JesusChrist on this day. As we aremindful of this great victorythroughout this Paschal season,may we come closer to appreciat-ing and comprehending the fullimport of the triumphant words ofSaint Paul when he speaks to theCorinthians about the Resurrec-tion: “Thanks be to God, Whogives us the victory through ourLord Jesus Christ (15.57).”

Christos Anesti! Truly, theLord is Risen! With my warmestPaschal wishes and love in theRisen Christ…

+DEMETRIOSArchbishop of America

Dearly Beloved, Christ is Risen! Havingbeheld the Resurrection of Christ, let usworship the Holy Lord Jesus, Who Alone iswithout sin.

This glorious Feast of Feasts and Festivalof Festivals declares to the entire world thevictory and exaltation of the Lord and Kingof Glory, Who emerges from the depths ofHades, having destroyed death by death.His Passion and Passing Over from death tolife open the gates of Paradise for us all. Allof us sinners; all of us laden with heavy bur-dens from the cares of this life; all of us anx-ious about many things, today we are shownto be free. Today the Kingdom welcomes us

as citizens of Paradise. Today, the dividingwall has been removed, for we havereceived everlasting life through forgivenessof sins.

Let us forgive all things in the Resurrec-tion. What injury can not be forgiven, nowthat we have been given the antidote againstdeath? What enemy can threaten us? Whatfear remains legitimate? Christ Jesusdefeats all darkness, and He is with us. TheLord is with us, of whom shall we be afraid?As those who have beheld the Resurrectionof Christ, we can not submit to fears andanxieties. His love is everlasting, and Hismercy is without limit.

As of late, there is much talk in our ownnation regarding borders, about persons liv-ing in the shadows. Whatever the politicaldiscussions and decisions, we are first andforemost citizens of Paradise. We are oblig-ed to open our hearts to extend love andcare to all, even to the least of our brothersand sisters of the human race. For indeedwe, too, once lived in the shadow of death.We, too, lived beyond a border we could notcross. Through the Cross of Christ, the bor-der to Paradise has been opened. In theLight of the World, we rise with Him aboveall darkness and shadow. Whatever civil lawrequires, our Lord and Master requires us

to serve His commandment to love oneanother, to love all, to extend mercy andrighteousness. We have entered Paradise,and we must facilitate all who want to enterinto the mystical Supper of the Lamb.

We pray that all of our clergy and faith-ful, who have received this Light, JesusChrist the Risen Lord, will share it with allpeoples the world over, to bring them theGood News of the Resurrection and the tri-umph of the Light over all darkness. WithPaternal Blessings this Pascha…

+IAKOVOSMetropolitan of Chicago

THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 22, 20062 Easter 2006

200103/665

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A Friend 17A.K.T. Development 20American Hellenic Institute 16Anton, Arthur Mr & Mrs 6Archangels Greek OrthodoxChurch of CT 9Aroma Coffee Co., Inc. 8Atlantic Bank of NY 3Ballas Florists, Inc. 10Behrakis, George Mr&Mrs12, 13Chryssis, George and Margo & Family 16Community Credit Union 8Condakes, George & Crystal 7Condakes, Leo & Evanthia 11Corcoran Group 18Doundoulakis, Dr. James H 4Gianakos, Nancy E., Esq. 10Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese of America 2H.A.N.A.C., Inc. 14Hellenic American Bankers Association 4Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center 8Katsos, Barbara H., Attorney At Law 5Kousoulas, D.G., Professor 10Krikos, Inc. 10Kulakis & Christoforatos, Esqs. 10Leadership 100 7Manolakis, Michael N, Esq 14Marathon Payroll Services 10Medical Center of Boston 15Metropolitan Methodios of Boston 6Moskos, Charles 4N.F. Walker, Inc. 10Orthodox Christian Laity 8Pancretan Assoc. of America 3Pan Rhodian Society of America “Apollon” 8Papadatos Associates 4Papamarkou Asset Management 18Poles,Tublin,Stratakis,Gonzalez & Weichert LLP 9Red Apple 19Seacoast Motors 6Senator & Mrs. Paul Sarbanes 11State Senator & Mrs LeonidasRaptakis 8The AHEPA Family 16The Cathedral School, N.Y.C. 6The Chicago Greek-AmericanRestaurant Association 8The Saint Louis Greek American Community 10World Council of HellenesAbroad (SAE) 8

Index of Advertisers

Easter Encyclical: Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago

Holy Pascha 2006: The Feast of Feasts

3Easter 2006THE NATIONAL HERALD, APRIL 22, 2006

By N.P. Vassiliadis

The joyous event of the glori-ous Resurrection is expressed inOrthodox Iconography with theIcon of the Lord's Descent toHades. Although there are variousversions of this Icon, in essence,they all depict the Lord's rescuingof the righteous souls from Hadesduring His entombment on theGreat and Holy Saturday.

In this Icon, the Lord is depict-ed with bright garments within atransparent and interrupted circu-lar glory which follows the contourof the cross-engravened crown oflight around His head. The glory isfaintly noticeable above His head.The Lord, having descended intoHades with Divine Authority, isseen with a firm footing and apowerful stance upon the gates ofHades, which have fallen in theshape of a cross beneath His feet.In His left hand, Christ is holdingthe Life-Giving Cross, the symbolof victory.

With Hisright hand(the mark ofthe nails isclearly visiblehere as well ason His feet)Christ is rais-ing Adam outof the depthsof Hades.Adam sym-bolizes thehuman race,with a vigor-ous and uni-l a t e r a lmotion. As aresult of thism o v e m e n t ,the garmentof the tri-u m p h a n tChrist isshown asbeing blownupwards bythe wind.Together withAdam, Evealso stretchesforth her

arms in a beseeching manner.Behind them, and a little high-

er, is St. John the Baptist, theForerunner, who is pointing toand indicating the Lord. BehindSt. John is the righteous Abel (theson of Adam, who was murderedby Cain, his brother). Abel isdepicted as a young, beardlessman with a long shepherd's staffand an ecstatic expression. In thedark cave of Hades can be seenthe “locks of death,” the age-oldbars and chains which held thedead captive, smashed by thepower of the Resurrection.

At the top of the Icon, twoangels are bending over the craggypeaks and are sharing in the tri-umph of the ultimate victory of theGod-Man (theanthropos), JesusChrist.

From “The Mystery of Death,”by the Orthodox Brotherhood ofTheologians (The Savior) inAthens, Greece.

PresidentEmmanuel E. Velivasakis, P.E.

220 Delhi RdScarsdale, NY 10583-1520

(914) 725-5033 Home(917) 661-7800 Office

(917) 661-7801 Fax(917) 213-9564 Cell

[email protected]

General Secretary

Erasmia Vlastos Novotny8530 Sharon DriveWhite Lake, MI 48386-3472(248) 698-8580 Home(248) 698-8573 Fax [email protected]

1st Vice PresidentJohn S. Sargetis

2nd Vice PresidentJohn Manos

3rd Vice PresidentKaterina Tsapakis

TreasurerTom Lantzourakis

Women’s Executive DirectorCarol Travayiakis

General SupervisorJames Saklas

Legal AdvisorJames A. Denney

Auditor GeneralAnthonios Dogiakis

Pancretan Youth Association PresidentEmmanuel Sifakis

Youth Supervisor –East CoastDimitris Hatzis

Youth Supervisor – West CoastGeorge Liodakis

DISTRICT GOVERNORS

District I Governor Kostas Pitaridis

District II Governor John Starakis

District III GovernorAris Varouh

District IV Governor Michael Beladakis

District V Governor Kostas Katsohirakis

District VI Governor Lefteri Dramitinos

District VII Governor Diane Datseris

Pancretan Endowment Fund ChairMary Vasilakis

Board of Investments And Fundraising Chair

Nicholas Verikakis

Century Club ChairTheodore Manousakis

Culture & Education ChairTakis Psarakis

Scholarship ChairKostas Tsiskakis

IT ChairManos Coutoulakis

Philanthropic Fund ChairRoxanne Koston

Task Force 2000 ChairKostas Travayiakis

Public Relations ChairKostandis Lambrakis

Convention CoordinatorJohn Bobolakis

PAA HEADQUARTERS32-33 31st Street

Astoria, NY 11106-2652www.pancretan.org

Best wishes to all members of the

PANCRETAN ASSOCIATIONOF AMERICA

as well asthe entire Omogeneia

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Happy Easter3637/424

By Irene Econimides

The Ceremony of the Holy Firein Jerusalem takes place in theOrthodox Church of the Resurrec-tion in Jerusalem in such a waywhich bewilders the souls of manyChristians.

On Easter Saturday, at noon,the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, orany other Greek Orthodox Arch-bishop, enters the Holy Sepulcher,recites special prayers andremains waiting. Sometimes thewaiting is long, sometimes short.In the darkened Church, thecrowd continually repeats withone voice and one heart: “KyrieEleison (Lord Have Mercy).” At acertain moment the Holy Light, ina supernatural way, flashes mirac-ulously from the depth of the HolySepulcher and lights up the littlelamp of olive oil put on the edge ofit. The Patriarch (or the Archbish-op), after having read someprayers, lights up the two clustersof 33 candles he is holding, andbegins to distribute the Holy Lightto the multitude of pilgrims, whoreceive it with great emotion,accompanied with the pealing ofbells, acclamations and unbridledenthusiasm.

The Holy Fire is not only dis-tributed by the Greek OrthodoxPatriarch, but also operates byitself. It is emitted from the HolySepulcher, having a gleam or huecompletely different from that ofnatural light. It sparkles and flash-es like lightning; it flies like a dovearound the tabernacle of the HolySepulcher, and lights up the unlitlamps of olive oil hanging in frontof it. It whirls from one side of theChurch to the other. It enters intosome of the chapels inside theChurch (e.g., the chapel of theCalvary, which is at a higher levelthan the Holy Sepulcher itself)and lights up the little lamps.

It also lights up the candles ofcertain pilgrims. In fact there aresome very pious pilgrims who,every time they attended this cere-mony, noticed that their candles litup on their own, without any effort

on their part to light them.This divine light also presents

some peculiarities: As soon as itappears, it has a bluish hue anddoes not burn. At the firstmoments of its appearance, if ittouches the face, mouth or hands,it does not burn. This is proof ofits divine and supernatural origin.We must also take into considera-tion that the Holy Fire appearsonly by the invocation of anOrthodox Archbishop. Each timethe Heterodox Bishops try toobtain it, they fail.

Once the Armenians paid theTurks, who then occupied the HolyLand, in order to obtain permissionfor their Patriarch to enter the

Holy Sepulcher, The Greek Ortho-dox Patriarch was standing sorrow-fully with his flock at the exit of theChurch, near the left column, whenthe Holy Light appeared and splitthe column vertically and flashednear the Orthodox Patriarch.

A Moslem Muezin, calledTounom, who saw the miraculousevent from an adjacent mosque,immediately abandoned theMoslem religion and became anOrthodox Christian. This eventtook place in 1549 under SultanMourad IV, when the Patriarch ofJerusalem then was Sophronios II(the aforementioned split columnstill exists, and Orthodox pilgrimsembrace it at the “place of the

split” as they enter the Church).The appearance of the Holy

Fire is an event which occurs everyyear in front of thousands of visu-al witnesses. Nobody can deny it.On the contrary, this miracle canreinforce those who need helpwith their unbelief.

There have recently been somevery touching cases of Jews, whobelieved in Christ after havingseen the Holy Fire, and who saidto their compatriots: “Why areyou still waiting for the Messiah?The Messiah has come indeed.”

From “Differences betweenOrthodoxy and Roman Catholi-cism.

The Holy Fire: Great Miracle Given by GodOnly to the Orthodox Church

Christian Orthodox worshippers pass candles to fellow worshippers in the Church of the Holy Sepulcherin Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried, during the Holy Fire ceremony, in thisApril 30, 2005 file photo. The "holy fire" of Orthodox Easter often illuminates something that no one ven-erates: the messy overlap of religion, rivalries and politics in the Holy Land.

The Lord's Descentto Hades

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Best wishes for a blessed and joyful Easter

to His Eminence Archbishop

DEMETRIOS

respected members of the Holy Synodreverent clergy, Leadership 100

and to the entire Greek-American Community

ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ

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Arthur AntonArthur Anton200091/643

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∂∂˘̆ÊÊÚÚfifiÛÛ˘̆ÓÓÔÔ ¶¶¿¿ÛÛ¯̄··

METROPOLITAN METHODIOS’PASCHAL GREETING

When the Church summons us to receive the Light from the Tomb of our Savior, it is inviting us to a renewed life….

The Life in Christ---A Life throbbing with immortality and timelessness.

The Church is challenging us to experience the dawn of a new day. St. Paul, writing to the Christians living in Rome exhorts,

"The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of Light." (Rom. 113:12)

My brothers and sisters,

The words of invitation "Come Receive the Light" are a battle command addressed to those of us soldiers in the army of Christ

who struggle against all those forces described by St. James that "The earthy, unspiritual devilish wisdom of our world can muster."

It is time that we men and women of faith advance fearlessly into the world, armed with the blazing light of our Lord’s Resurrection, thrusting aside whatever obstacles which doubt or rationalism, or apathy, or faithlessness may interpose.

Armed with the Light of Christ, let us join the Prophet Isaiah and boldly proclaim, O, death where is your victory?

O, death where is your sting? (1Cor. 15:55)

Come by brothers and sisters and Receive the Light from the Unwaning Light and let us glorify Christ Who rose from the dead!

∂˘ÊÚfiÛ˘ÓÔ ¶¿Û¯·∫·Ï‹ ∞Ó¿ÛÙ·ÛË

Metropolitan METHODIOS

of Boston 3785/630

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™ÙÔ Û¯ÔÏÂ›o Ì·˜ ÏÂÈÙÔ˘ÚÁÔ‡Ó ÙÌ‹Ì·Ù··fi ·È‰ÈÎfi ÛÙ·ıÌfi, ÚÔÓËÈ·ÁˆÁÂ›Ô Î·È ÓËÈ·ÁˆÁÂ›Ô Ì¤¯ÚÈ Î·È fiÁ‰ÔË Ù¿ÍË (Î·È regents).

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¶ÚÔÛÊ¤ÚÔ˘ÌÂ, ¤Ú· ·fi ÙËv ¿ÚÈÛÙË ‚·ÛÈÎ‹ ÂÎ·›‰Â˘ÛË ÛÙËÓ ∞ÁÁÏÈÎ‹ °ÏÒÛÛ· (ª·ı‹Ì·Ù·ª·ıËÌ·ÙÈÎÒÓ, πÛÙÔÚ›·˜, £ÚËÛÎÂ˘ÙÈÎÒÓ πÛÙÔÚ›· ∆¤¯ÓË˜, ªÔ˘ÛÈÎ‹˜ Î·È £Â¿ÙÚÔ˘)ÂÊ¿ÌÈÏÏ· ÚÔÁÚ¿ÌÌ·Ù· ∂ÏÏËÓÈÎÒÓ, ∂ÏÏËÓÈÎ‹˜ πÛÙÔÚ›·˜Î·È ¶ÔÏÈÙÈÛÌÔ‡, Î·ıÒ˜ Î·È ª˘ıÔÏÔÁ›·˜.

EÌÏÔ˘ÙÈÛÌ¤Ó· ÌÂ ¤Ó· Ó¤Ô ·ÍÈfiÏÔÁÔ ‰È‰·ÎÙÈÎfi ÚÔÛˆÈÎfiÎ·È Û‡Á¯ÚÔÓÔ ÂÎ·È‰Â˘ÙÈÎfi ̆ ÏÈÎfi, ÌÂ Ì·ı‹Ì·Ù··ÔÁÂ˘Ì·ÙÈÓ‹˜ ··Û¯fiÏËÛË˜, (‰È‰·ÛÎ·Ï›· ÙË˜ °·ÏÏÈÎ‹˜ °ÏÒÛÛ·˜, ÌÔ˘ÛÈÎ‹˜ıÂ¿ÙÚÔ˘ Î·È ·ıÏËÙÈÎ¤˜ ‰Ú·ÛÙËÚÈfiÙËÙÂ˜)

¢Â¯fiÌ·ÛÙÂ ÙÒÚ· ÂÁÁÚ·Ê¤˜ ÁÈ·ÙÔ Û¯ÔÏÈÎfi ¤ÙÔ˜ 2006/7

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™ ˘ Á ¯ · Ú Ë Ù ‹ Ú È ·ÛÙÔ˘˜ Ì·ıËÙ¤˜ ÙË˜ fiÁ‰ÔË˜ Ù¿ÍË˜ Ô˘ ¤ÁÈÓ·Ó ‰ÂÎÙÔ›ÛÙ· °˘ÌÓ¿ÛÈ· ÙË˜ ¡¤·˜ ÀfiÚÎË˜

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I t is the day of Resurrection; let us then make ourselves resplendent for the festival and embrace one another. Let us say,brethren, even to those who do not love us: "Let all be forgiven inthe Resurrection, and so exclaim: Christ is risen from the dead,trampling death by death, and bestowing life on those in the graves."

(Resurrection Laud)

Christos Anesti!

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THE CHICAGO GREEK - AMERICANRESTAURANT ASSOCIATION8501 W. Higgins Rd., Suite #715, Chicago, IL 60631Tel.: (773) 399-0850 ñ Fax: (773) 399-0857

We wish to all our members and suppliersto all our colleaguesas well as all Greek - Americans

Happy EasterHappy EasterHappy Easter

200511/317

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Happy Easterin Good Health and Happiness

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State Senatorand Mrs. Leonidas Raptakis

Alexandra and Nicholas

COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARYCOMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT

Room 318A, StatehouseDistrict #33

2080 Nooseneck Hill Road, Coventry, RI 02816Res. (401) 397-2720, Bus.: (401) 397-3344

Fax: (401) 397-6302Statehouse: (401) 222-4200

∂-ªail: [email protected]

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wish everyone

HappyEaster

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801 WEST ADAMS STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60607Tel.: (312) 655-1234 ñ www.hellenicmuseum.org

Extend GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES

FOR A BLESSED PASCHA FOR ALL!a b

PANRHODIANSOCIETYOF AMERICA«APOLLON»wishes all Rhodiansand all Hellenes of the Diaspora

A Blessed PaschaPhilip G. Yamalis

President

Alexander SoulakisVice President

Christina KapolisSecretary

William AngelisTreasurer

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COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

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One Andrew Street, Lynn, MA 01901Tel.: 781-598-0820, Fax: 781-593-3190 www.myccu.org

wishesHappy Easter

TO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

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Christ is Risen!And through His grace

we pray for the Unityof all Orthodox Churches

in America so that we maytruly exult “How good it

is for brethren to dwelltogether in unity (Psalms: 133,1)

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY

200107/616

PO Box 6954, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405-6954Tel.: (877) 585-0245 ñ Fax: (561) 547-9362ñ E-Mail: [email protected] ñ Visit us at: www.ocl.org ñ www.orthodoxnews.com

MEMBERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF OCL

Serving the Greek-American community for over 82 years!

Best Wishes for a

∏appy Easterto our customers, friends and the Greek Community

GUST and TOM PAPANICHOLAS

Aroma Coffee Co., Inc.7650 Industrial Drive, Forest Park, IL 60130

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To Hellenes Everywhere,

our Warmest Wishes for a Happy Easter 2006as we re-dedicate ourselves to continue our struggle for

ñ Free, United Cyprusñ Macedonia and its Historyñ Human and religious rights

for the Ecumenical Patriarchateñ Relief to suffering Hellenes in the Black Sea areañ International recognition of the Pontian Genocideñ Strong, united global Hellenism

980 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1210, Chicago, IL 60611

THE POWER OF UNITED GLOBAL HELLENISM

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PresidentAndrew A. Athens

3917/635

President National ChairmanWorld Council United Hellenicof Hellenes Abroad (SAE) American Congress (UHAC)Tel.: (312) 337-7243 ñ Fax (312) 337-7245 Tel.: (312) 640-1055 ñ Fax (312) 640-1051E-mail: hellenes @saeworld.org E-mail: [email protected]


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www.polestublin.comreception @polestublin.com

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fora Happy

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ARCHANGELS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH1527 Bedford Str., Stamford, CT 06905

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V. Rev. George Poulos,Parish Council, Youth,Philoptochos, Greek School,Sunday School

May the love and grace of our risen Lord be with our Holy Church in Americaand our Parish of the Archangels in Stanford Connecticut

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Behold, My Servant shall pros-per. He shall be exalted and liftedup, and shall be very high. As manywere astonished at Him - Hisappearance was so marred, beyondhuman semblance, and His formbeyond that of the sons of men - soshall He startle many nations; kingsshall shut their mouths because ofHim; for that which has not beentold them they shall see, and thatwhich they have not heard they shallunderstand.

Who has believed what we haveheard? And to whom has the arm ofthe Lord been revealed? For Hegrew up before Him like a youngplant, and like a root out of dryground; He had no form or comeli-ness that we should look at Him,and no beauty that we should desireHim. He was despised and rejectedby men; a man of sorrows, andacquainted with grief; and as onefrom Whom men hide their faces,He was despised, and we esteemedHim not.

Surely He has born our grief andcarried our sorrows, yet we esteemedHim stricken, smitten by God, andafflicted. But He was wounded forour transgressions; He was bruisedfor our iniquities; upon Him was thechastisement that made us whole;and with His stripes, we are healed.Like sheep, we have all have goneastray; we have turned, every one tohis own way; and the Lord has laid

on Him the iniquity of us all.He was oppressed, and He was

afflicted, yet He opened not hismouth; like a lamb that is led to theslaughter, and like a sheep is dumbbefore its shearers, so He opened notHis mouth. By oppression and judg-ment, He was taken away; and asfar His generation, who consideredthat He was cut off out of the landof the living, stricken for the trans-gression of My people? And theymade His grave with the wicked,and with the rich man in His death,although He had done no violence,and there was no deceit in Hismouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord tobruise Him; He has put Him togrief; when He makes Himself anoffering for sin, He shall see His off-spring; He shall prolong His days;the will of the Lord shall prosper inHis hand; He shall see the fruit ofthe travail of His soul and be satis-fied; by His knowledge shall theRighteous One, My Servant, makemany to be accounted righteous;and He shall bear their iniquities.Therefore, I will divide Him a por-tion with the great, and He shalldivide the spoil with the strong,because He poured out his soul todeath and was numbered with thetransgressors, yet He bore the sin ofmany, and made intercession for thetransgressors.

- Isaiah 52.13 - 53.12

By the late ArhimandriteNicon D. Patrinacos

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

You ascended in glory, O Christour God, and delighted the Disci-ples with the promise of the HolySpirit. Through this blessing theywere assured that You are the Son ofGod, the Redeemer of the world -Ascension Troparion.

The Acts of the Apostlesrecords the Ascension of Christ ashaving taken place 40 days afterthe Resurrection in a very simplenarrative: “He was lifted up beforetheir eyes in a cloud which tookHim from their sight (Acts 1.9).”

The Greek Orthodox Churchcelebrates this event of Christ'sglorification. It celebrates all thatChrist has done and accomplishedfor us. The Kontakion of the Feastsummarizes all of Christ's work:“When You fulfilled the plan ofsalvation for us and united allthings on Earth with those inHeaven, O Christ our God, Youascended in glory, never leavingus, but remaining ever-present.For You proclaimed to those wholove You, 'I am with you and noone else has power over you.' ”

ICON OF JOYThe icon of the Ascension is an

icon of joy. It celebrates the mean-ing of this event for the Churchand the world. The Ascensiontook place on the Mount of Olives.Thus, the mountainous back-ground of the panel, dotted withimages of scattered olive tress.The figure of Christ ascending inglory is surrounded by a circularnimbus composed of variousbands of color, symbolic of theheavens. This nimbus itself is sup-ported by angels whose presence is

yet another indication of the gloryand divinity of Christ. It recalls theOld Testament image of Godenthroned upon the Cherubim.

In the foreground of the icon,the image of the Theotokos(Mother of God; the God-Bearer)is seen surrounded by two groupsof Apostles. Her position directlybelow Christ is of primary impor-tance. This entire grouping, theTheotokos and the Apostles,stands as an expression of theestablishment and role of theChurch. The icon includes notonly those who actually witnessedthe Ascension. It also includes theApostle Paul (who historicallycould not have been there) at thehead of the group, or to the right.The icon intends that the Churchwitnesses to this event.

The Theotokos, she who car-ried Christ within her and wastherefore the temple of the Incar-nate Son of God, stands here as apersonification of the Church, theBody of Christ, whose head is theAscending Savior. The gesture ofher hands, uplifted in faith andprayer, expresses the role of theChurch, ceaselessly intercedingfor the salvation of the world.

The movement of this group;their gestures; the focus of theireye; and their posture, everything,is directed upwards, towards theSource of Life of the Church, itsHead Who abides in Heaven, for“He led them our near Bethany,and with hands upraised blessedthem. As He blessed, He leftthem, and was taken up to Heav-en. They fell down to do Him rev-erence, then returned toJerusalem filled with joy. There,they were to be found in the tem-ple constantly, speaking the prais-es of God (Luke 24.50-53).”

The Passion of Christ,According to the Prophet Isaiah

The Ascension: UnitingEarth with Heaven

Icon of the Ascension


200717/28

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By Steven ErlangerThe New York Times

JERUSALEM - Jerusalem is acity built on struggle and rivalry -among gods and tribes and thosewho misuse them.

Peace is much spoken of here.But at times, as I race along thenarrow moral precipice, runningbetween a military checkpoint anda suicide bombing, I think of theold Russian proverb: ''We shallstruggle for peace so hard that nota tree will be left standing.''

There's enough to see in theHoly City to confirm any preju-dice. But when I explore the citywhere I have lived for nearly twoyears now, I try to see Jerusalemas a place where both armies andsouls contend, as they contendedeven before monotheism came,dusty and sunburned, out of thedesert to vanquish first theJebusites, and then the Romans.

And I try to see it through vari-ous lenses, to be moved both bythe Western Wall, with its weightof tragedy and redemption, and bythe modern cement one, part ofIsrael's separation barrier, with itsdual messages of protection andoccupation.

Even in the most visited places,like the Temple Mount, the holysite known to Muslims as Haramal-Sharif, and the Church of theHoly Sepulcher, there is an abid-ing sense of struggle, as tribes andreligions fight over the narrative ofJerusalem and the custody of itsmilky tea-colored stones, touchedwith fire at dawn and sunset.

I first came to Jerusalem in1983, when Israeli troops wereoutside Beirut, and I visited fre-quently with variously optimisticAmerican officials during theClinton era. Then I spent a monthhere during the last real warbetween the Israelis and Palestini-ans in the Spring of 2002, whensuicide bombings were at theirpeak and Israeli troops reinvadedthe West Bank, where theyremain. As I rushed from the siegeof Bethlehem to a suicide bomb-ing near Tel Aviv, I thought,''these people are nuts,'' and Iwondered if I would ever return.

But in 2004, Yasir Arafat wason his last legs, and Ariel Sharon

intended a unilateral pullout fromGaza, and I returned as bureauchief for this newspaper.

Today, after a long truce withmost Palestinian militants,Jerusalem is calmer. Events thisyear have been dramatic: e.g.,Ariel Sharon's stroke, the forma-tion of a Palestinian governmentby Hamas, the election of anIsraeli government committed to anew West Bank pullout.

But the level of violence isdown: Tourists are returning;restaurants are opening; and taxidrivers and tour guides are happi-er in both sides of the city - themostly Jewish West and the most-ly Arab East.

Jerusalem is at peace, but notwith itself. There is anxiety on thestreets. Every ring on the cellphone thrums with alarm. When Itravel between West and East,especially on a Saturday, the city

feels fragile, its anxieties clois-tered by the wall which surroundsmost of the city and cuts throughpart of it.

For many travelers, that fragili-ty is a compelling reason to visitJerusalem now to experience anextraordinary city at an extraordi-nary time, and to see it as a mod-ern city of contention, not just as aBiblical Disneyland.

AN OVERVIEWWith its dry climate and high

hills, Jerusalem offers somesweeping vistas that reveal millen-niums of change.

One of my favorites is theGoldman Promenade in the city'ssouth. Open for 18 months, it runsclose to the Hill of Evil Counsel,once the seat of British governors,now of the United Nations.

The view on a recent morningwas revelatory. To the left was theKidron Valley, where the Jebusite

city King David seized for his cap-ital perches on a small hill. Aboveit rises the Temple Mount/Haramal-Sharif, with its golden Dome ofthe Rock, perfectly aligned withthe domes of Al Aksa mosque.

To the west is the Old City in itsquadrants, constructed by theRomans after they razed theJewish one, the extended citywalls, and the reach of modernJerusalem, Israel's largest city andone of its poorest. In the center isthe sprawl of East Jerusalem andthe Palestinian town of Abu Dis,where some once thought a Pales-tinian state might have its capital,and where I once visited the eerieshell of an unfinished parliamentbuilding, full of spiders.

Off to the right, toward Jordan,there is a stark view of Israel's sep-aration barrier, with sections ofroad, electronic fencing and con-crete wall, nine yards high, hug-

ging the hills as it dividesJerusalem from the Palestiniancities of Bethlehem and Beit Jala.You can follow its route quite along way - not perhaps what thesponsors of the promenade had inmind. But it's a good metaphor forwhere we are: Good walls maymake good neighbors, but not ifthey take too much of the neigh-bor's land.

In the Jewish neighborhood ofGilo, which lies to the southwestwithin an expanded, annexed,post-1967 Jerusalem, there is aconcrete wall on Ahlama Street,painted by Russian immigrants toshow the landscape now hidden.The wall was erected to protect akindergarten from gunfire fromBeit Jala, which rises above Giloon the other side of the valley.

Avi Ben Hur, the American-turned-Israeli guide who accom-panied me here, pointed out

another panorama, from nearbyHaanafa Street. On a hill above ascraggly olive grove, belonging toPalestinians but cut off from BeitJala by the barrier, is the Israelineighborhood of Har Homa,resembling a gigantic stonefortress. Built by Israel after the1993 Oslo accords on land partlyexpropriated from Palestinians,this neighborhood once promptedriots and international protests.

Har Homa, too, was outsideJerusalem before 1967. Now, withits winding streets and shops, itlooks like a suburb. It's whatIsraelis like to call one of the''facts on the ground.''

CITY OF DAVIDI come to the City of David not

only to feel the beginnings of thisplace, but also to remind myselfabout how even archaeology isused as a weapon in the struggleover the land.

This is ur-Jerusalem, the tiny,Jebusite city where David decidedto place his new capital in about1000 BC to unite the 12 tribes ofIsrael. It's completely outside thecurrent walls of the so-called OldCity. The stepped stone structureof the original walls protected thecity above the Kidron Valley(much deeper then) and guardedthe Gihon Spring, the watersource which made a city possible.

Here, where the Israelites con-quered the Jebusites in annexedEast Jerusalem, there is a battlegoing on over history. The Jewishfoundation which runs this sitesupports Jews moving into EastJerusalem, which enrages thePalestinians who live here. It alsohelps sponsor a compelling,archaeological dig, for more thana year now, which may show thatKing David wasn't just anothertribal chieftain on a dusty hilltop.

The dig is part of the broaderpolitical battle over Jerusalem, aneffort to make more explicit theroots of Judaism here and buttressthe justice of creating a Jewishstate here after World War II. It'salso part of an archeological fight- whether the Bible is any accurateguide to history, or a tale embroi-dered for political ends. EilatMazar, an archaeologist, believes

Jerusalem Now: A Glimpse at the Tensions Governing the Holy Land

Continued on Page 16

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah leads the Roman Catholic Easter Sunday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem'sOld City last Sunday, April 16. The fact that the Eastern and Western Easters did not coincide this year actually somewhat reduced Christianconflicts at the Holy Sepulcher.

AP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON


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she may have found King David'spalace, and explained to me why.''When the Philistines came tofight, the Bible said David wentdown from his house to thefortress,'' she said. ''Maybe itmeant something, maybe not. ButI wondered, down from where?Presumably from where he lived,his palace. So I said, maybe there'ssomething here.''

Other archaeologists believeshe may have found the Fortressof Zion which David conquered,or something else. But all agreeshe made a major find: a largepublic building dating fromaround the 10th Century BC, thetime of David and Solomon.

I watch Ms. Mazar and herteam work at real archaeology as Iwalk over a metal-grid platform

and stare down at the wide walls,over seven feet thick, whichthey've uncovered.

Farther down the hill, you canalso see evidence of the extensivedam and tunnel system, dug byKing Hezekiah in 700 BC toensure that water from the GihonSpring could be brought inside thewalls of the city when the Assyri-ans besieged it, and to hide thespring itself from enemy eyes. Thehuge cistern appears to beCaananite, and it is oddly movingto hear the water rushing as it didtwo millenniums ago. I note theirony of the Palestinian workers,who see themselves as descen-dants of the Caananites, laboringfor the Israeli Antiquities Author-ity in a tourist area controlled by afoundation which wants to implantmore Jews in their neighborhood,Silwan.

Silwan is a corruption of the

name of the original Siloam pool,where the 580-yard tunnel leads.Built by Herod and only recentlyrediscovered, the pool is where theblind man was told to come byJesus Christ to wash his eyes andsee (John 9). Looking at thesestones, which for 2,000 years hadnever seen sunlight, and at a deli-cate three-leaf drain cover forrainwater, I imagine the beauty ofthe city before the Romans razedit after the great revolt in AD 70.

I left the site near the Siloampool, and walked onto the dustyPalestinian street, with kids play-ing soccer in the hot March sun.As I walked toward a kiosk forsome water, I spotted a roughlybuilt cage of metal fencing, chest-high, which looked like the exit ofa garbage-strewn sewer. In fact,it's an outlet from the GihonSpring, originally built to bringwater to the fields of the Kidron

Valley.BATTLE FOR THEHOLY SEPULCHER

The Church of the Holy Sepul-cher is both a holy and a crazyplace, with its mishmash of archi-tectural styles and furious intra-Christian battles over turf, proces-sion times and even maintenance.To alter the position of the rattywooden ladder under the windowabove the entrance would cause afuror because it would change the1852 ''status quo'' agreement,made by the churches at a timewhen the area was under Ottomanrule. Every Orthodox Easter, theArmenians and the Greeks battleover the Holy Fire ceremony onthe spot where Christ's tomb isbelieved to have been, and Israelipolice sometimes intervene to sep-arate the tussling clerics.

Victoria Clark's book about theChurch, ''Holy Fire: The Battlefor Christ's Tomb (Macmillan2005),'' details the spats - the warof the doormat, the battling overchairs. If an Egyptian Copt canplace a chair in the Ethiopiancourtyard, all could be lost in thestruggle for the rooftop.

But this is also the place wherethe pagan Romans tried and failedto wipe out the rebel Jews and thenew Christian sect. The Romans,like the Americans, says AvnerGoren, an archeologist and guide,had their vision of how best toorganize human communities - incities of a certain design, with san-itation and walls and straightstreets.

''They brought their one truthto this place of many truths andfaiths,'' he says, pointing to the siteof the new Roman city they built,now the ''Old City.'' The Romaneffort to eradicate the early Chris-tians lasted about 250 years. Even-tually, Constantine the Greatdecided to take the religion ofwhat had become the majority ofhis subjects, and that of his moth-er Helen, and he built a newchurch where Christ had been cru-cified, where Hadrian had put atemple to Aphrodite.

''All that's left of the Romanshere,'' says Mr. Goren, ''is the pat-tern of the roads.''

THE TEMPLE MOUNTThe struggles over the Temple

Mount/Haram al-Sharif - whereAbraham nearly sacrificed Isaac,where the Jewish temples stood,and where Muhammad is sad tohave ascended to Heaven - arefundamental, with fanatics of bothfaiths wanting to expunge theother.

Yet this is one of my favoriteplaces in Jerusalem - grassy, shad-ed by trees and deceptively calm.

While I sit on a stone wall andlook at the intricate tiles of theDome of the Rock, some Jews areplotting to destroy both it and theAl Aksa mosque and build a third

temple. Some evangelical Chris-tians hope they'll do it, thinkingthat only then will Christ return.Some Muslims are convinced thatthe Jews are burrowing under-ground to create a new synagogue.Jews are upset that the Muslimsdug into the hill at the site ofSolomon's Stables in 1996 to cre-ate a new underground mosque,the Marwani. It's here, on theground revered by both Judaismand Islam, where Jerusalem ismost divided - and most volatile.

And it's here that Mr. Sharonmade a controversial visit inSeptember 2000, which manyMuslims say set off the second (AlAksa) intifada. Since then, non-Muslims may not enter themosques on the Haram al-Sharifwithout permission.

Only an eighth of the WesternWall is visible on the plaza where

worshippers gather. To see more,and in a more private way, I like togo through the Wall Tunnel, againby appointment, which cuts under-ground along a 2,000-year-oldstreet alongside the wall, and exitson the Via Dolorosa.

When Israel opened the tunnelin 1996, without informing theIslamic authorities, there wereriots and nearly 100 deaths. As thetunnel comes closest to the site ofthe Holy of Holies, many peoplepray at the massive Herodianstones in the near dark.

But I like to go to another spotto see the wall, less well-knownand less crowded, near the IronGate. It's known as the HakotelHakatan, with a sign only inHebrew. Here, men and womenare not segregated, and manyultra-Orthodox come to pray. Iwatch them, as the wall rises highabove me, and Arab homes sur-round us on three sides.

SEPARATION BARRIERJerusalem's other wall, which

Israelis call the security fence andthe Palestinians the apartheidwall, should also be seen at closehand. In fact, of the 450 miles ofthe unfinished barrier, only 5 per-cent is concrete wall, but much ofthat is in and around Jerusalem.

I try to see the barrier fromboth the Palestinian and theIsraeli points of view. But whatev-er its utility, it's an ugly scar on themental and physical landscape ofthe city, and beyond. Israel insistsone minute that it's temporary,and the next that it's a prospectiveborder. Palestinians excoriate itfor annexing land they considertheirs, but many Jerusalemites,Palestinians who have lived herefor generations, hate it for cuttingsome of their neighborhoods fromthe central city, forcing them touse checkpoints.

I often take visitors north,

along the road built on top of thepre-1967 border between IsraeliWest Jerusalem and JordanianEast Jerusalem, past the old Man-delbaum Gate and the AmericanColony Hotel, toward Ramallah.Soon, the wall divides the street,and the shops get ramshackle, andthen there's the massive check-point of Qalandiya. Sometimes Idon't even go through the check-point. I just get out and look at thepeople trudging through the dustor the mud, putting up with thequestions and the searches which,however humiliating, sometimesprevent a terrorist from attaininghis aim.

It's the most telling glimpse Ican offer of this modern city ofstruggle. Travel, after all, is aboutencounter.

The New York Times pub-lished the above on April 16 (theWestern Good Friday). The origi-nal headline is, “Jerusalem,Now.”


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Jerusalem Now: A Glimpse at the Tensions Governing the Holy Land


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By the late ArchimandriteNicon D. Patrinacos

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Easter is the celebration of theday of the Resurrection. It is thegreatest and oldest feast in theChristian calendar. Especially forthe Orthodox, there is no greaterfeast than Easter, to include thefeast of the Nativity (Christmas),which in the Western Churchappears to be the chief feast oftheir ecclesiastical calendar.

The reasons for the preemi-nence of Easter among the Ortho-dox are many, all based on a par-ticular passage of Saint Paul'sFirst Epistle to the Corinthians:“If Christ has not been raised,then our preaching is in vain, andyour faith is in vain (I Corinthians15.14).”

Characteristic of the impor-tance of the Resurrection for theOrthodox is the fact that Easter isalso called, in Greek, “Lampri,”the brightest day of all. The Res-urrection light, which is brought tothe Orthodox home from the mid-night service of the Resurrection,is taken to be the visible symbol ofa new life in the resurrectedChrist, a life of joy after the sor-row of the Cross. And though thePassion is observed with the depthand significance as befits theLord's supreme sacrifice, it is HisResurrection which seals theredemption issuing from theCross. Without that, the Orthodoxfeel, the divide drama would haveremained unfulfilled in terms ofthe experience of human life, bywhich a triumphant katharsis mustfollow all sacrifices, including thaton Golgotha.

Every Sunday Liturgy of theyear is devoted to the Resurrec-tion, rather than to the suffering ofChrist; hence, the joyful tone ofthe Orthodox Eucharist and theunderlying victory against theforces of evil implied in the Com-munion of the Body and Blood ofChrist. In this respect, the etymol-ogy of Pascha (claimed by some asderiving from the Greek verb,paschein, to suffer) is erroneous.The name Pascha is merely theapproximate rendering by sound

of the Hebrew name for Passover.A long period of fasting prepa-

ration precedes the week of Pas-sion: Great Lent and Holy Weeklead to Good Friday. Together, alllead to the joy of the Resurrec-tion, which lasts liturgically forforty whole days after it to the dayof the Ascension of the Resurrect-ed Christ.

In the ancient Church, thosewho were preparing to be accept-ed in the life of Christ by Baptismwere allowed to attend the serviceof Holy Saturday night, and werebaptized early on Easter Day andreceived Holy Communion.Homes and entire towns were illu-minated with the light of Resur-rection taken from the celebrantafter he proclaimed Christ resur-rected at the Saturday midnightservice before the Paschal Liturgywould begin.

The famous Orthodoxproclamatory hymn (“Christ isrisen from the dead by death tram-pling on death…”) remains for theOrthodox not only the crown jewelof the entire Orthodox hymnolo-gy, but also the symbol of nationalliberation of Orthodox Christiancountries.

The Saturday night vigil of theearly Church has been retained bythe Orthodox Church, while in theWest, it was moved back first tothe afternoon and later to themorning of Holy Saturday, so thatthe first Easter Mass came to becelebrated on Saturday. But since1950, the Orthodox and ancientcustom of holding the first Liturgyof Easter at midnight on Saturday(i.e., Sunday morning) is graduallybeing restored in the RomanCatholic Church.

The above is published in TheOrthodox Messenger (vol. VII,nos. 3-4), published bi-monthlyby the SA Central Youth in Aus-tralia.

What is the Meaningof Easter?

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Best Wishesto All Greek-Americans

for a Joyous andBlessed Easter

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april 22, 2006 Χριστός Ανέστη the paschal period in our churches. this holy icon...

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