Elevation of the Cross

 

Elevation of the Life-Giving Cross

Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross

 Troparian for the Elevation of the Cross

"Before thy Cross, we bow down in worship O Lord, and thy Holy Resurrection, we glorify."

 

 

    The feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross is celebrated to remember the discovery of the true Cross, upon which Christ was crucified. During the Divine Liturgy, the Cross is carried in a procession. It is held up high in a tray of flowers and/or the herb basil. At the end of the service, the blessed flowers and basil are distributed to the people. This is done because according to tradition, Saint Constantine and his mother Saint Helen, had their servants dig in the spot on Golgotha, where Jesus was put into the tomb. Saint Helen picked the spot because she smelled sweet basil which was growing there. She found the true cross between two other crosses, which belonged to the two thieves. She was able to identify the cross because it bore the inscription: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". Many miracles occurred through contact with the true Cross.

    The Cross is a very important Christian symbol, because it is symbolic of the crucifixion of Christ, and His suffering and death for the sins of the people of the world. Christ died on the Cross so all our sins could be forgiven.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

 

 

   

The Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple

 

The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple

November 21

 Troparion for the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple:

"Today is the prelude of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. The Virgin appears in the Temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: Rejoice, O fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation!"

 

    The Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple celebrates entry into the life of the Temple. Joachim and Anna were very old when Mary was born. As Anna had promised, she brought Mary to the Temple, as a young girl of three and dedicated her to God’s service. It was customary for many young Jewish virgins and widows to live at the temple where they studied the Word of God and performed temple service.

    When Mary was presented to the High Priest, he took her into the sanctuary, which was called the "Holy of Holies", where he was allowed once a year. Mary studied and served in the temple until the age of 14. At that time, she was betrothed, following a religious custom, to Joseph. Mary went to Nazareth with Joseph, where she continued her religious life of prayer and study. It was there in Nazareth that Mary was visited by the angel who told her she would be the mother of Jesus, God’s Son.

    The Virgin Mary is called the Theotokos, which in the Greek language means: "She who bears God."

The Nativity of Our Lord

 

The Nativity of Christ

December 25

 Troparion of the Nativity of Christ

"Your birth, O Christ our God has shed upon the world the light of knowledge; for through it, those who worshipped the stars have learned from a star to worship You, the sun of Justice, and to recognize You as the Orient from on high. Glory be to you, O Lord!"

 

    The Feast of the Nativity of Christ celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. We sing praises to God who sent His Son as "a little child." We remember the story of his birth in Bethlehem in a cave; the prophets who foretold His coming; the star which revealed His birth and led the shepherds and the wise men to him; His mother Mary; His earthly father, Joseph; and all the joy that came with Christ’s birth.

    Advent is the 40 days before Christmas in which the Church prepares for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. It is a period of prayer, fasting, and repentance before Christmas, which runs from November 15 through December 24. There are no special services or activities such as those that highlight Great Lent, so it is important that we observe this period of Advent before Christmas, so we can keep "Christ" in Christmas.

Read the story of Christ’s birth in Luke 2:1- 20.

Epiphany

 

Baptism of Christ

Epiphany

January 6

 Troparion for the Baptism of Christ

"At your Baptism in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was revealed; for the Father’s voice bore witness to You by calling you His ‘Beloved Son’, and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of these words, Christ God. You appeared and enlightened the world. Glory be to you."

    Today, we celebrate the Baptism of Christ, which is also called Epiphany or Theophany, on January 6. Originally, the Feast of Epiphany also included the celebration of Christ’s birth; the visit of the wise men, and Christ’s presentation to the temple. It was not until the 4^th century that the Church decided to separate these feast days. The baptism of Christ and the birth of Christ were celebrated together because they both shared the same meaning: God revealing Himself, once as a child, and once at His baptism.

    Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, in the River Jordan on January 6. The main feature of this feast is the Great Blessing of Water. Today the priest blesses the water in a special service at the end of Divine Liturgy. Special hymns are sung including hymns which are heard at Baptisms. After the service, the priest sprinkles all the people in the church with blessed water and offers water, the symbol of life, to the faithful in containers to take home to bless their homes or to save for times of trouble and illness.

   The Feast of the Baptism of Christ celebrates the first appearance of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Greek, Theophany means "the appearance of God" and Epiphany means "to show" or make happen. Since God appeared in the form of the Holy Trinity on Christ’s Baptism Day, we also call this feast Epiphany or Theophany.

Read the story of Christ’s Baptism in Mark 1: 1- 11.

    The celebration of the Feast of Epiphany or Theophany reminds us of our Baptism, or rebirth in Christ. Baptism was the first sacrament we received when we became a member of the Christian Church.

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

Meeting of Christ in the Temple

February 2

Troparion for the Feast of the Presentation of Christ to the Temple:

"Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace! From you shone the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlightening those who sat in darkness! Rejoice and be glad, O righteous elder; you accepted in your arms the Redeemer of our souls."

    The Feast of the Presentation of Christ to the Temple takes place forty days after His birth. According to Jewish law, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple forty days after his birth, just as your parents bring you to be "churched" forty days after your birth. At this time you are presented to God to serve Him and His Holy Church.

    Saint Simeon and Saint Anna were there at the time. Simeon was so happy when he held baby Jesus in his arms. He praised God saying, "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel." Simeon said he could now die in peace. He had seen the Saviour. Anna, a very old widow, was also very happy when she saw Jesus.

Read the story of the Presentation of Jesus to the Temple in Luke 2:25-38.

Annunciation

Annunciation

March 25

 Troparion for the Feast of the Annunciation

"Today is the beginning of our salvation, the revelation of the eternal mystery: The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin as Gabriel announces the coming of Grace. Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos, the Lord is with you!"

   

 

    The Annunciation is the time when Archangel Gabriel brought the "Good News", to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, Jesus. This happened immediately before Mary visited with her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. The Annunciation is the only feast celebrated within the period of Great Lent. Mary was surprised when Gabriel told her she was chosen to be the mother of God, but she did not argue with him. She would do whatever God wanted her to do. She said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

Read the story of the Annunciation in Luke 1:26-56

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

1 week before Easter

"By raising Lazarus from the dead before your passion you confirmed the universal resurrection, O Christ God! Like the children with the palms of victory, we cry out to you, O vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!"

 

 

 Palm Sunday, along with Lazarus Saturday, are the opening days of Holy Week. We celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Many people were there to greet Him, because they thought He would free them from the Roman Army. Instead He freed them – and us – from sin and death. They also wanted to see Lazarus, who Jesus had just risen from the dead. The people were so excited about the news of Jesus’ miracles. When they saw Him, they put down their coats to line his passage way; waved their palms; and called out to him saying "Hossanah! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (John 12:13)

    We also have to remember that this is Jesus’ last week on earth. There were people plotting and planning to kill Him. The Pharisees or priests were afraid everyone in Jerusalem would recognize Him as God’s promised Saviour. The priests were afraid that when the Romans heard about Jesus, their soldiers would wreck all the temples and the priests would lose all their power. They justified their plotting to kill Jesus by saying it was better for one man to die instead of an entire nation.

    Today we hold branches and palms as a sign of Christ’s victory over death. Palm Sunday is the beginning of our journey to Easter or Pascha.

Read the story of Palm Sunday in Matthew 11: 1-11

Easter

Easter

The "Feast of Feasts" Pascha

"Christ is risen from the dead; trampling down death by death; and to those in the tomb bestowing life."

 

 

 

 

 "Christ is risen!" is the Gospel proclamation and is the joyous greeting proclaimed by all Orthodox Christians on Easter. Easter is the greatest feast of our church. It celebrates the resurrection of Christ and is the hope for all mankind. The Paschal (Easter) Service is one of the most joyous and elaborate services of the Orthodox Church with its procession, candles, and joyful hymns. These hymns remind us that God has overcome evil which causes death. Through His Son’s crucifixion and resurrection, we have been saved from our sins. During the Easter service we are called to enter into the glorious Light of the Resurrection.

    "Pascha" is the Greek and Christian word for "Passover". We "pass over" from sin and death to life with God, to life eternal. Pasha is "pesah" in Hebrew. On Easter we remember many "passovers": the passage through the Red Sea; the passage of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt to freedom; the passage from the Old to the New Covenants (promises from God); and the passage from death to life in the resurrection.

Read John 10:17-30 to learn about Christ’s crucifixion and all that He suffered for our sake.

Read Matthew 28:1-15 to learn about the women who discovered the first sign of Christ’s Resurrection.

Ascension

Ascension

40 days after Easter

"You have ascended in glory, O Christ our God, granting joy to your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the blessing they were assured that you are the Son, the Redeemer of the world."

 

 

 

    Forty days after Pascha, the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven. According to the Bible, Christ’s Ascension took place on the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. After appearing to the disciples for the last day, Christ was surrounded by a cloud. The disciples could no longer see Him. The cloud moved up into the sky and Jesus was no where to be seen. During His last weeks on earth, Jesus talked to his disciples about the Kingdom of God. He explained to them that He would be the King in Heaven, not here on earth. He also told them to stay here in Jerusalem until God’s Holy spirit came to speak to them and give them he power to teach his words. After witnessing Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven, the eleven disciples returned home. They decided to pick one more man to replace Judas. After praying to God for guidance, they picked Matthias. These men became known as the Twelve Apostles.

Read the story of the Ascension in Acts 1: 9 – 14

Pentecost

Pentecost

50 Days After Easter

"Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who has revealed the fishermen as most wise, having sent upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them thou has fished the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to thee."

 

 Pentecost occurred 50 days after Easter. The Apostles were gathered together to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit, which was promised to them ten days before by Jesus at His ascension into Heaven. When the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles, they were given the power to teach Christ’s lesson to all the people. The Apostles reported that they saw "tongues of flames which were flickering through the room, touching each person in turn" (Act 2:3). After the flickering tongues touched each person, the apostles began speaking in languages no one had ever heard. This gave the Apostles new courage to do God’s work. They were very excited and filled with joy. They knew that on this day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit or "comforter" had come to be with men here on earth.

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

August 6

The Transformation

"You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ God, revealing your glory to your disciples as far as they could bear it. Let your everlasting light shine upon us sinners! Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Giver of Life, glory to you!"

 

 

The Feasts of the Transfiguration or Transformation comes at the time of harvest in August when the grain and the fruit are ripened for harvest. The fruit has grown and shown it true nature and then in gathered. On the day of Christ’s transformation, His full nature, both human and divine, was shown. Now it was time for Christ to do most of His work. It was time for Him to gather together all the people and teach them how God wanted them to live.

About six days after John baptized Jesus, Jesus took three of His disciples with Him to a high mountain. At that moment Jesus showed His true being. He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun. His garments became white as light. The prophets, Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ and He was talking to them. A cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him". When the disciples saw and heard this they fell on their faces and were filled with awe. Jesus came to them and touched them. He said, "Rise and have not fear. "When they got up Moses and Elijah were gone, and they only saw Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-13)

Dormition of the Theotokos

Dormition of the Theotokos

August 15

Falling Asleep of the Mother of God

"In giving birth, you preserved your virginity! In falling asleep, you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos! You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, and by your prayers you deliver our souls from death!"

 

 Our Church reserves a very special place among the saints for Mary, since she was the Mother of Christ. The bible does not mention the time or place of Mary’s death, but according to tradition, she either died in Jerusalem or in Ephesus. Although there were no witnesses to Mary’s ascent into Heaven, the Church is certain that Mary was taken to Heaven by angels. There she awaits our prayers for her intercession on our behalf before God’s throne.