His Grace Bishop Thomas writes:

GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA 2015

Beloved brother Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, God-fearing Monastics, and all my Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ our True God:

Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!

There is nothing after Christ and nothing other than Christ. If you are not an extension of Him or an expression of Him, then you are nothing. At Pascha, I become Him or I am nothing. If I have loved Him, then I grow through Him and I grow in Him. I do not want anything in His place because He is everything. All the saints are in Him and unto Him, and if you look at their faces, do not look for them. Search for the face of Jesus traced upon them. How should I conduct myself at Pascha? My only affair with my soul is to bring it to the Lord. With Him it comes into existence. The Father is the beginning and the end and in Him the Christ of history pours forth. I am nothing if I do not become a person of Pascha, one who looks to the Father, the end point.
– Metropolitan Georges (Khodr) of Mount Lebanon, "Who Shall I Be at Pascha?"

As we celebrate Holy Pascha, we also each ask, "Who shall I be at Pascha?" This feast defines who we are, not just as a climax or triumph of the liturgical year, but as the very core of our life and, indeed, not just the core, but the whole of our life. Our task as Christians is to become an "extension" or "expression" of Christ, to become so like Him in communion with Him that the face of Jesus is also traced upon us.

We become ourselves at Pascha. We gain our true selves in the Resurrection of Jesus, that death-conquering act which shook the universe and spelled the end of the power of hell and the devil, freeing us from their domination which distorts us as persons. As the Holy Scripture tells us, "Since, therefore, the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage" (Heb. 2:14-15).

Yours in the Risen Christ,

Rt. Rev. Bishop Thomas (Joseph)
Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic

Pastoral Letter for Great and Holy Pascha
Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest

April 12, 2015

Dear Fathers, Deacons, and Faithful of Toledo and the Midwest Diocese,

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
!المسيح قام! حقا قام

When Adam fell, he could, from then on, only see ahead of him. Close to the ground and on his knees, his spiritual vision was narrowed to seeing only horizontally. He couldn't see above him. But from his knees he could pray.

The long Lent is over. As Holy Week begins, and as the fast returns, we begin to get up off the ground. We are ready for a standing posture not a prostration. Easter and Pascha show us we were meant to look above us in a heavenly direction.

"Christ is Risen, and there is no one left in the tombs." The humiliation of the Cross is changed into the glorification of His Resurrection. Everything has changed for me too. The Resurrection of Christ has opened the door to eternity. The limits of time that stop us from discovering the possibilities of who we are have been overcome. I see only opportunities forever in Christ. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the likeness from one degree of glory to another." (2 Corinthians 3:18).

May the never ending light of His Resurrection shine forever in your hearts.

Wishing you a blessed Pascha!

+Bishop ANTHONY
Bishop of Toledo
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Pascha 2015

"When Thou hadst fallen asleep in the flesh, as one mortal, O King and Lord, Thou didst rise again on the third day, raising up Adam from corruption, and abolishing death: O Pascha of incorruption! O Salvation of the world!" (The Exaposteilarion of Pascha)

To the Right Reverend, Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, the Christ-loving Monastics, and the Faithful Laity of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America:
I embrace and greet you with a holy kiss in the Name of our Risen Saviour. Christ is risen! Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Al-maseeh qaam! Христос Воскресе! Hristos a înviat! Cristo ha resucitado!

"Death was terrible to the human race before the death of Christ, but after Christ's Resurrection man became terrible to death, for One of us conquered death, did not remain in the grave, and did not see corruption. The former Pascha was the liberation of Israel from Egypt. Our Pascha is the liberation from the slavery of death and corruption. Christ is risen! I now know that my salvation has indeed been wrought. I know that God did indeed appear on earth. There have been great men, conquerors of the elements, conquerors of nature, but death equalized all and revealed our common nothingness. Who is this Who has passed through the gates of death? He can only be God. This means that God was indeed incarnate on earth, has indeed brought the healing medicine against that which consumes me and the corruption that tortures me. The Incarnation and the Resurrection are combined into one. The Incarnation gives the meaning of the Resurrection, and the Resurrection irrefutably confirms that the Incarnation is truth and reality, and not illusion or dream. Now death is not frightening to me, for I have seen the victory over corruption." (New Hieromartyr Hilarion Troitsky, 1886-1929)

Assuring you of my continued love, prayers and blessings, wishing you a joyous Paschal season, and looking forward to seeing you in Colorado this June for our "Diocesan Family Reunion"− the 2015 DOWAMA Parish Life Conference, I remain

Your Father in the Risen Christ,

+Bishop BASIL
Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America

On Great and Holy Friday, the Orthodox Church commemorates the sufferings of Christ: the mockery, the crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the thirst, the vinegar and gall, the cry of desolation, and all the Savior endured on the Cross. "Today He Who hung the earth on the waters is hung on the tree," sing the solemn worshippers. Beginning with the Orthros of Holy Friday on Thursday evening, and ending with Vespers on Friday afternoon, the day is one of solemn observation and strict fasting. The richness of the liturgical actions and hymnography on this day, are unsurpassed.

We worship Your passion and Your burial,
for by them, You have saved us from death!

For more reflections and resources, please visit our Holy Week section. And for more material dedicated to the pinnacle of the liturgical year, visit Antiochian.org/Pascha.

Read more about Great and Holy Friday
St. Theodore the Studite on Holy Friday
Great and Holy Friday page from the Greek Archdiocese
Fr. John Finley shares portions of St. Nicholai Velemirovic's homily on Great Friday

by St. Epiphanius of Cyprus

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began.

God has died in the flesh and Hell trembles with fear. He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, He who is both God and the Son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the Cross, the weapon that had won him the victory.

At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone, 'My Lord be with you all.' Christ answered him: 'And with your spirit.' He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying:

'Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.

'I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in Hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in Me and I in you; together we form one person and cannot be separated.

'For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, Whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

'See on My Face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On My back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See My hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

'I slept on the Cross and a sword pierced My side for you who slept in Paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in Hell. The sword that pierced Me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

'Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly Paradise. I will not restore you to that Paradise, but will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The Bridal Chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.'

+++

Bright Wednesday

On Tuesday, April 28, 2015, St. Raphael Orthodox Church (722 E. College St., Iowa City) will host the choral group Lyra, for a 7:30 p.m. concert. Lyra hails from St. Petersburg, Russia, and is composed of professional singers, most of whom have been trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. During their current North American tour, Lyra is performing the sublime and soaring melodies of Russian Orthodox sacred music along with some spirited Russian folk tunes, complete with traditional costumes. St. Raphael Church's beautiful acoustics will support and enhance what is sure to be an excellent performance. A free-will offering will be taken, with a suggested donation of $20-35 per adult and $10-15 per student. A reception with refreshments, will follow. All proceeds will benefit St. Raphael Orthodox Church.

From a Washington Post Review

"...Lyra produced a pure a cappella sound that could both fill the intimate space and drop to an edge-of-your-seat whisper, and the ensemble coordination remained impeccable through even the most complex polyphony.

The group's clear harmonies gave a sense of how the unique flavor of Orthodox music persists in both the clean, bright music of 17th-century Dmitri Bortniansky and the aching chromatics of turn-of-the-last-century Pavel Tchesnokov. Dobri Khristov's "Praise the name of the Lord" made the greatest impression of all, though, because it featured a solo by Vladimir Feliauer, one of those force-of-nature Russian basses, whose tone was rock-solid and velvet-smooth no matter how low he went.

After the sampling of intense, elevated Orthodox music, the singers' post-intermission entrance in traditional dress and singing a jaunty folk tune brought everything back to earth. The simpler music offered showcase solos for most of the singers, and lots of broad acting, like Ekaterina Isatchenko's charmingly coquettish posing in "Black-browed, black-eyed fellow", partially made up for the lack of texts and translations. Yet it was the Russian Orthodox music, especially in Lyra's fine performances, that left one wanting more."

–Andrew Lindemann Malone

The St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Sylvania, Ohio, was recently featured in a newspaper article in The Blade, a premier Toledo publication. Archpriest Ayman Kfouf spoke with Religion Editor TK Barger about the commemorations of Holy Week and Pascha, and queried him for his thoughts about the crisis in the Middle East.

St. Elias is not "an ethnic church that is closed upon itself and that tries to alienate itself from the world," Fr. Ayman said. "Rather, our mission is to unify ourselves with the world and serve the world, because that is the mission of the Orthodox church, and the community. That's what we're doing in Toledo."

Read the full interview.

Click here to view the complete gallery.

by Maria C. Khoury, Ed.D.

Although I am in Boston finishing a very blessed Lenten book tour with Christina books, my eyes are turned to Jerusalem and my heart is in my husband's Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh. However, this year I will see the greatest of all miracles, the Miracle of the Holy Fire, the same way the priest monk told me years ago when I was pushing and shoving my way to be at the very front entrance to the Holy-Life-Giving-Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I insisted to be front and center so I can finally see with my own eyes what I heard since my early childhood in Tripoli, Greece at Prophet Elias Church where my late father use to light my Pascha candle and say "Christos Anesti." I wanted to tell the whole world what Orthodox Christians experience on Holy Saturday for centuries since the Light first appeared following Christ's Holy Resurrection.

As I was abruptly asked to leave the special spot reserved for diplomats only, the skinny monk said in Greek: . (Pedimou then eneh mono me ta matia pou Vlepoumeh ) "My child, it is not only with the eyes that we see." Since that Holy Saturday (2004), I have been trying to see with my heart and soul that my final destination is God's Heavenly Kingdom. It was a great violent time between Israelis and Palestinians so tourists were too scared to come making way for me and a handful of faithful pilgrims to finally enter the Holy Sepulchre on such a glorious day.

It was not a good feeling not to be recognized as a "diplomat of God" and I did not like seeing more Israeli soldiers and police than faithful in the most sacred place to Christendom. However, all the previous years, I was completely locked outside the church waiting in the streets with thousands of people coming from all corners of the world to experience this magnificent miracle. By the way, everyone can freely enter Jerusalem, but Palestinians do not have free access to their places of worship and continue to need permits to enter the Holy City. Thus, each and every single day, I try to see Christ first in my life with the injustices, discrimination and oppression I experience daily living in one of the most ancient places in the Holy Land for over twenty years. Currently, people in the West Bank are living in a huge prison behind the "Separation Wall," and the whole region is in deep need of the True Light of Christ.

The Miracle of the Holy Fire is received by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch as it has been done every year, on the same day, in the same manner, at the same time, at the same holy place. This is the miracle that allows us to feel that Christ is truly among us. This miracle is another way that God is communicating to humanity that Christ is the Living God and our salvation is with Him. The Holy Fire is a miracle of the Holy Spirit that appears from the core of the stone that covers the Holy-Life-Giving-Tomb of Christ. It is the most ancient unbroken Christian ceremony that exists in the world today and we have been celebrating it in public the last one thousand years.

Once again, this Great and Holy Saturday the entire Christian community will gather in Jerusalem to receive the Miracle of the Holy Fire with hundreds of boy scouts and girl scouts and official representatives from each church to carry back in small lanterns the Light to be placed on the altar for the Midnight Resurrection service. The flame will be flown by private jet to many surrounding Orthodox countries and when I was five years old I did not know that is the way it got to Triopoli. "Come ye and receive light from the unwaning Light, and glorify Christ, Who a rose from the dead."

It is such an amazing legacy to receive the Miracle of the Holy Fire from the very spot of Christ's Holy Resurrection. The beauty of Christian witness in the Holy Land is that the local Palestinian Christians trace their roots to the time of the Holy Apostles. Parades and ecumenical processions will take place in every city and town and actually many people will come to see what the Christian community is doing, believers and non-believers, Christians, Muslims, Jews, secular people, international and local people. It is a magnificent cultural event in addition to a spiritual experience. However, this Holy Saturday 2015, it will also be a historic moment in the midst of terrible Christian persecution like the times of the first century to witness and confess Christ as Lord.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5)

For those who see the Light, may we rejoice in having a new life, a new hope, a new chance with Christ's Holy Resurrection! Wishing everyone a radiant and joyous Holy Pascha! Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Christ is Risen! 

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph presided over the services for Great and Holy Pascha at the St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY. Assisting in this high point of the liturgical year, were Archpriest Thomas Zain, Vicar General of the Archdiocese and Dean of the Cathedral, and Fr. Adrian Budica.

View the photo gallery by St. Vladimir's seminarian Rami Dahdal.

On April 25, 2015, on the National Mall in Washington D.C., people will be gathering from around the U.S. for the March for Marriage. This year's March will include an Orthodox Gathering, sponsored by the group Crown Them With Glory. His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph has released a letter encouraging the faithful of the Antiochian Archdiocese to participate. (Download the PDF of His Eminence's letter.)

March 26, 2015

To our Beloved Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy and all of the Faithful of this God- Protected Archdiocese:

Blessings to you during this Holy Season of the Great Fast! On January 16th of this year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear four new cases on same-sex "marriage," and "rule on the power of the states to ban same-sex "marriages" and to refuse to recognize such "marriages" performed in another state." More details on the announcement can be found at the Supreme Court's website.

We are writing to communicate the newly established date for the third annual March for Marriage in Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The march is a peaceful rally and quite comparable to the March for Life. We ask that you would make every effort to attend the rally, and encourage others to do likewise.

A strong, vibrant, and clear message is needed from our Church on the matter of the Mystery of Holy Matrimony, as well as an enumeration upon God blessed sexuality and gender roles, toward the strengthening of family life. This action is necessary in order to dispel confusion which has been stirred up by our secular culture. Such an effort would be blessed by God to the building up of our faith in the hearts of our Orthodox people. This is what our nation's people need to see.

Unfortunately, we are very short on time to get organized.

April 25th is an important date for the March for Marriage because it will fall within days of when the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on the cases before them that will decide the national legal status of civil same-sex "marriage." We are clearly on the cusp of a historic Supreme Court decision that could mark a powerful affirmation of marriage between one man and one woman, upon which all major civilizations have flourished – or, it can initiate a direction which the Holy Orthodox Church can never embrace.

Throughout the history of our faith our Holy Fathers have led the Orthodox laity to gather in unison to preserve the faith against heresy from within, and against major threats upon societies from without. We are in a unique position as Orthodox Christians in a nation governed as a democratic republic. We still benefit from religious freedoms that would allow us to voice with clarity the gospel message of Christ's love, and the path to salvation.

A growing group of Orthodox clergy and laity have begun to prepare for this event and to assemble resources, and they have established the website www.crownthem.org . We encourage you to visit this website for additional information.

If we have several thousand attendees from the ranks of clergy, monastics, and laity at this peaceful rally, it would immediately be clear that the Orthodox Church is a leading voice for marriage in this nation, sending a clear message to the Orthodox faithful, who being strengthened in the understanding of this mystery, can be prepared to more completely manifest the Gospel message to our nation.

We ask for your prayers and attentiveness to the progress of this effort. May we act now with great labor, asking that the Lord have mercy on us.

May the remainder of your Lenten journey be greatly blessed.

+Joseph
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

Background Information:

On January 16th, 2015 of this year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear four new cases on same-sex "marriage," and "rule on the power of the states to ban same-sex [so-called] marriages and to refuse to recognize such marriages performed in another state"(details here). 

The March for Marriage is supported by the National Organization for Marriage who is working diligently to communicate the necessity for the defense of marriage between one man and one woman. April 25 represents the third March for Marriage in Washington D.C., and is set to take place within days of when the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on the cases before them that will decide the national legal status of civil gay "marriage." It is projected that this ruling will seriously impact religious freedom in the USA.

The March is a peaceful rally, comparable to the March for Life. We invite you to make every effort to attend the rally, and encourage your priests, brothers and sisters in Christ, and leaders and members of religious communities in your area to do likewise. Come out in support of marriage between one man and one woman, modeled from our Lord's love for His Bride: the Church. With a blessing to pursue this work from a number of our bishops, many priests believe it is time we had a national pan-Orthodox Christian movement. A strong, vibrant, and clear message is needed from our Church on the matter of the Mystery of Holy Matrimony, as well as an enumeration upon God-blessed sexuality and gender roles, toward the strengthening of family life. This action is necessary in order to dispel confusion which has been stirred up by our secular culture, and most egregiously, even by some of our own clergymen.

Such an effort would be blessed by God to the building up of our faith in the hearts of our Orthodox people. This is what our nation's people need to see: that the Orthodox Church has preserved its timeless teachings on the sacrament of marriage, and, as a place of refuge, the Church offers healing through Christ for us all, boldly proclaiming a blessed path toward salvation.

On Friday, March 27, 2015, Ancient Faith Radio (AFR) released a special interview with His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, conducted by AFR President John Maddex. Recorded in His Eminence's office in Englewood, NJ, the interview included Metropolitan Joseph's assessment of his first several months as metropolitan. His Eminence also discussed with John his firm commitment to the Mother Church of Antioch, and his views on Orthodox unity.

Listen to the full interview.

Photos courtesy of Christopher Humphrey Photography.

Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring by Vasiliki Oldziey of St. Elias Church, Austin, TXThe Feast of the Life-giving Spring which is kept on the Friday of Bright Week has its origins in the 5th century.  It is the feast that commemorates the consecration of the Church of the Life-giving Spring outside of Constantinople.

The very large and beautiful church named in honor of the Theotokos of the Life-giving Spring was built about the middle of the fifth century by the Emperor Leo the Great (457-474 AD), outside of Constantinople.  Emperor Leo was a pious man (he is commemorated on January 20th) and before he became Emperor, he had encountered a blind man, who being tormented with thirst asked him to help him find water.  Leo felt compassion for him and went in search of a source of water, but found none.  As he was about to cease his search, he heard a voice telling him there was water nearby.  He looked again, and found none.  Then he heard the voice again, this time calling him "Emperor" and telling him that he would find muddy water in the densely wooded place nearby; he was to take some water and anoint the blind man's eyes with it.  When he had done this, the blind man received his sight.

After Leo became Emperor, as the Most Holy Theotokos had prophesied, he raised up a church temple over the spring, whose waters worked many healings, as well as resurrections from the dead, through the intercessions of the Theotokos. From this, it came to be called the "Life-giving Spring."

Justinian the Great (527-565 AD) was also cured by the waters of “The Life-giving Spring” and in gratitude built a new church temple, larger than the first. It was destroyed by earthquakes  and rebuilt by grateful emperors. 

The Life-giving Spring as it exists today in the crypt of the church in the Istanbul suburb of BalıklıAfter the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, this church temple was razed to the ground and the materials from it were used for building the mosque of Sultan Beyazıt.  Nothing remained of that church’s ancient beauty, except for a small chapel, almost completely buried in the ruins.  This chapel had twenty-five steps going down into it, and a transom window on the roof, from which it received a little light.  Toward the western side of the chapel was the holy Spring, fenced about with a railing. 

In 1821 even that little remnant was destroyed.  The sacred Spring was buried with it and disappeared altogether. But in the days of Sultan Mahmud, when those subject to him were rejoicing in their freedom to practice their religion, permission was sought by the Orthodox Christian community to rebuild at least the chapel.  Permission was granted to build a church temple and it was consecrated on Bright Friday in 1835. But on the night of September 6-7, 1955, it along with 73 other Orthodox churches in Istanbul, was desecrated and burned to the ground by the Turks.  The church has been restored yet once again, but not anywhere its former magnificence.  O Most Holy Theotokos of the Life-giving Spring, save us!

Apolytikion: Third Tone, Awed by the beauty

A life-giving fount, thou didst conceive the Dew * that is transcendent in essence, O Virgin Maid, * and thou hast welled for our sakes the nectar of joy eternal, * which doth pour forth from thy fount * with the water that springeth up * unto everlasting life * in unending and mighty streams; * wherein, taking delight, we all cry out: Rejoice, O thou Spring of life for all men.

Kontakion: Plagal of Fourth Tone, To thee, the Champion Leader

From thine unfailing fount, O Maid supremely graced of God, * thou dost reward me by the flow of the unending streams * of thy grace that doth surpass human understanding. * And since thou didst bear the Word incomprehensibly, * I entreat thee to refresh me with thy grace divine,* that I may cry to thee:* Rejoice, O Water of salvation.

Today the fragrance of spring is shed forth, and the new creation shall rejoice. Today the locks shall be lifted from the doors with the faithlessness of the beloved Thomas, as he shouteth out, Thou art my Lord and my God.

-Orthros of the Feast

On the second Sunday of Pascha, we inaugurate the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, and the occasion whereon the Holy Apostle Thomas touched the Savior’s side.

View our Paschal resources section

As the Disciples were gathered together on the Sunday following the Resurrection, Jesus entered and greeted them in His usual way, saying, “Peace be unto you.” Then He showed them His hands, feet and side. Jesus ate before His Disciples and reassured them of His Resurrection. However, Thomas was not with them at that time, and insisted upon seeing the Savior’s scars— the print of the nails in His hands and feet, and the spear in His side—before he would believe that Jesus was risen. The Master told Thomas to see and feel. Then Thomas immediately cried out, “My Lord and my God!” But Jesus tells His Disciples, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This also clearly illustrates the two Natures of Christ: the human and the divine.

By the intercessions of Thine Apostle Thomas, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

–Synaxarion of the Feast

Metropolitan Joseph and other bishops at Assembly V meeting in Dallas, TX, Sept. 2014 (Photo:April 16, 2015: From the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America

Can Orthodox weddings be celebrated on Saturdays? Are group confessions permissible? How are catechumens prepared for reception into the Church?

The answers to these questions and others depend on which Orthodox jurisdiction you call home. While there are vast areas of agreement in the Orthodox Church, there are variations in practice across jurisdictions in the United States as pertain to baptism, marriage, confession, and other sacraments of the Church.

As the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America strives to manifest the unity of Orthodoxy, it is necessary to develop a common understanding among its member bishops regarding pastoral practice.

Such is the goal of the Committee for Pastoral Practice (CPP), one of 14 Assembly committees. The CPP is responsible for identifying the differences and inconsistencies among the various jurisdictions in their exercise of sacramental and pastoral praxis and for proposing models for resolution consistent with canonical practice.

The Chairman of the committee is Metropolitan Joseph (AOCA). Its members are Bishop Sevastianos (GOA), Bishop Theodosy (ROCOR), and Bishop Mark (OCA). Seventeen consultants serve the committee as well as a facilitator and liaison.

"The work of this committee is very important," said Metropolitan Joseph, "since it helps us to fulfill the command of St. Paul to the elders of the Church: 'Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood' (Acts 20:28). This is the spirit with which we pursue this task, for the building up of the Holy Orthodox Church in this land."

The first part of the committee's task—identifying the practices currently in use and establishing comparative lists—has been completed. The committee began its work in 2011 by identifying 11 fields of pastoral practice to be surveyed. The committee requested, from each jurisdiction, the official written procedures for each of these fields. Analysis of the documents revealed that many jurisdictions have no centrally articulated, official, written policy for certain fields of pastoral practice.

With that information, the committee decided to focus on six areas where adequate documentary data could be gathered: baptism, chrismation and conversion; marriage; confession/communion; holy unction/anointing; funerals and memorials. A matrix of topics for each area of practice was developed and then a questionnaire sent to the chanceries of each member jurisdiction of the Assembly.

The questionnaire had two purposes: to give all jurisdictions the opportunity to verify the Committee's findings, and to give each jurisdiction the opportunity to provide information that the Committee was not able to discover from the documents it had collected.

The committee now faces the final part of its assignment: where differences in practice do exist, to propose models for resolution that are consistent with canonical practice.

To prepare for this formidable task the committee held a meeting at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA, November 3-5, 2014. One of the outcomes was the formation of six subcommittees that correspond with the six areas of practice. The subcommittees—led by a hierarch and comprised of consultants—are now revisiting areas of consensus and divergence and developing recommendations. The subcommittees will share their recommendations at a meeting scheduled for May 2015, with the goal of producing a final report with recommendations.

The committee recognizes and desires that each subcommittee should be as broadly representative as possible – a microcosm of American Orthodoxy. With that in mind, the subcommittees will consult with others to ensure that all opinions are represented.

One other outcome of the November meeting was the decision to simultaneously address the issue of infant loss (miscarriages) and infant ​death before baptism. In some churches, responses to these situations have been well developed, but universally accepted practices do not exist. A subcommittee on Pregnancy and Infant Loss met at Antiochian Village March 12-14, 2015 and is preparing a guide for clergy, addressing basic medical information, pastoral care, advocacy, and suggested prayers and services. The committee hopes to present the clergy guide to the full Assembly for review at its annual meeting in September 2015.

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Why do you seek the living One among the dead? (St. Luke 24:5)

The angel of God asks the Myrrh-bearing women as though in astonishment: "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?" As though the perceiver of the mystery of God and God's power wanted to say: "How could you have thought for a moment that He is the hostage of death? Do you not know that He is the principal source of life? Do you not know that all life is through Him and that not one living thing can borrow not even a drop of life from any other source? Did He not fully reveal to you His authority over life and death on earth? Who gave life to the lifeless Lazarus? Who took away the life of the barren fig tree?

O my brethren, let us also cease to look for the living among the dead. If there are some of us who are still seeking Christ among the dead, let them desist from this soul-destroying effort. This is the vain effort of the Jews, pagans and non-Christians. We know that the Lord and Giver of life is not in the tomb but on the Throne of Glory in the heavens. The spirit, not darkened by sin, looks up into heaven and does not see the tomb; and the spirit, darkened by sin, looks into the tomb and does not see heaven. Sin and virtue govern the spiritual vision of man and reveals to each man its own world at cross-purposes with one another. Sin overthrows the vision of the spirit to the earth and reveals to it the corruption of the world. Virtue uplifts the spirit to heaven and reveals to it the eternal world and the resurrected Christ as the King in that world.

O my brethren, let us not seek life among creation, but from the Creator. Let us not commit an even graver sin i.e., let us not seek the Creator in the tomb of creation nor the Illuminating, Immortal One in the darkness of death.

O Lord Jesus, Victor over death, we cry out to You: resurrect us also into life eternal from the corruption and darkness of death.

To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.

The Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints by St. Nikolai Velimirovič for April 7

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St. Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis

Troparion, Tone 2

You were known to be sanctified from your earliest infancy. You were revealed to be filled with grace. You enlightened the world with miracles and drove away a multitude of demons, holy hierarch Theodore. Therefore, pray to the Lord for us.

Kontakion, Tone 3

Mounting upon the virtues as upon a fiery chariot, you ascended to the heavenly mansions, God-bearing Theodore. You lived with men like an angel, and as a man you joined the angelic choir. Therefore, Venerable Father, you have been shown to be a divine vessel of miracles.

Father Sergius Halvorsen is Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at Saint Vladimir's Seminary where he also teaches a course in Christian Education and serves as Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. He received his M.Div. from St. Vladimir's Seminary in 1996, and completed his doctoral dissertation at Drew University in 2002. From 2000 to 2011 he taught at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut, where he also served as Director of Distance Learning. Fr. Sergius is an accomplished liturgical musician, he was director of the 1995 SVS Octet, and over the last ten years has contributed to a number of "Archangel Voices" recordings. He currently lives in New Haven CT with his wife and three children. He loves gardening, hiking, biking, and reading biographies and historical fiction.

Source: http://antiochpatriarchate.orgA Joint Statement was issued by the two Patriarchates of Antioch and of All the East, The Greek (Roum) Orthodox Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the kidnapping of the two Metropolitans of Aleppo: His Eminence Paul (Yazigi) and His Eminence John (Abraham), on April 22, 2013.  (Read the Statement in Arabic and view the video.)

Damascus
April 22, 2015

"It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial." (Acts 23:6)

Our bishops, Paul and John, are on trial; what once characterized the beginning of the Christian Evangelization, now returns to the same geographical location, though with different personalities. It is a rare trial, not only in the East, but in the contemporary world. The convoluted nature of their kidnapping did not strike the terrestrials only, but the celestials also. In this struggle, the Great Judge will prevail, for He has the final ruling in this case; the case of True Man, and of True God.

This trial could be unfair as proposed by their captors. Most probably, the detainees are not able to plead their case. But their articulate statement was written by their own spirits, and their lives. The testimony they present remains incessant, as it rebounds in the wilderness of this world.

O brethren of the Word, our children of Aleppo, in you and among you we have planted the seeds of the word of truth, of testimony, and of ministry. Behold, the plant is growing! Seeing this growth in you, we are honored by its fruits. We are astounded by your perseverance, which strengthens our perseverance. We exalt in your steadfastness, which sustains our steadfastness. We esteem your patience, which recompenses our patience. Why not? You are our "glory" and "pride" (1 Tess. 2.19; 20) in this trial of preaching.

O brethren of Faith, our children of Aleppo, our faith, preaching, and ministry by hand, heart and conscience are on trial; we live today on fallen earth, so that we may live thenceforth in the Heavenly Kingdom. Man has the right to believe in the True God, and to faithfully minister to "his neighbor as to himself." Our belief in the True Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, leads us to minister wherever we are settled, but we will continue to be citizens where we are today. We will not deviate one iota from this determination. It deserves from us every sacrifice in defense of human dignity, when man is oppressed and dehumanized by the contemporary human market, and is offered as a commodity in a wicked commerce. The sting of dehumanization shall be broken in this trial of dignity.

O brethren of hope, our children of Aleppo, be not oblivious to the fact that we are on trial "for our hope in the resurrection of the dead" (Acts 23: 6). St. Paul attested once, and we declare it aloud: they want to eradicate the future at the expense of the present! However, they do not know that the Lord of heaven and earth, Who created them both, also provided that we may traverse the distance separating the two in spirit through Faith, and may attain the future with God-given hope toward achieving His promise to us. The present life is transient, but the future one is permanent. We all look forward in great expectation, remaining steadfast with this hope in the face of death, crouching close to destroy your bodies and souls. However, our hope in the resurrection of Christ has broken the sting of death in this trial of endurance.

O brethren of faith, our children of Aleppo, it is undeniable that, facing such a trial, it will only be proper if man confronts it with his true identity and faith. You have been tempted to betray the love of Christ towards us, and to let hearts and consciences grow dim to the degree of conceding to the pursuit of the path of the passions and all the odious forms of selfishness. When we see you strong and consistent, brethren, our hearts rejoice with the sight of your love among the wreckage of fallen humanity, whose self-centeredness has truly reached the gates of Hades. By your love we conquer everything, and by it you overcome all forms of death, so that you may enter into the Kingdom of the God of Love. Amongst devastation, death and fatality, the edifice of your love will be built as a final judgment in the trial of conscience.

O brethren of blood, our children of Aleppo, you have been judged, and you will be judged. Some of you have received the favorable judgment of God to be martyrs and confessors, and some of you live the testimony of unsurpassed hope, in silence or under threat, in weakness or in agony. However, by your perseverance you muzzled those who lay a wager for your betrayal, apostasy, and feebleness in the face of weakness, enticement, or threat. Your blood, whether still pulsating or shed, is a balm to your families and to your brethren, and a seal of victory in the trial of immortality.

O brethren of truth, our children of Aleppo, be assured that he who has declared victory over obvious truth and hidden falsehood is silenced. We see them through the eyes of the heart, and fathom what is noticeable in them, in their words (media) and actions, as well as in their secret intentions, and consciences. No truth will supersede the truth of God and man, regardless of their proliferated sins. This is the cry of John in all of us: "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." (1 Jn 3:14 to 15). We will not plea-bargain when falsely accused, and we will not yield to anyone except to the Truth. We proclaim it with you, at the heart of your suffering, struggle, steadfastness, and courage. By this, you have disclosed their evident error in the trial of the truth.

O brethren and compatriots, our children of Aleppo, your wound is our wound, and your pain is our pain, and your tears are our tears, and your life is our life. Our hands are extended to you, and our hearts have room for all of you. Let us shake hands, talk to each other, have peace, reconciliation, mutual understanding, cooperation, and integration. The solution is not achieved by violence, but by multiple forms of dialogue. The fear comes when human civilization perishes and disappears, and when this trial takes a prolonged time. With you we raise the flag of the brotherhood in the trial of unity.

O brethren of same destiny, our children of Aleppo, our East is made up of deserts, rocks, mountains, rivers, water, and trees. If they vanish, life will no longer exist, and it will have no meaning. Our East has become an open arena for all evils. The bargain of this trial is to demolish life in its cradle, shatter civilizations, remove the rudiments of its landmarks, conceal its characteristics, displace man, destroy history, and disfigure the identity of God. Our victory of truth on earth is derived from heaven, but not by calling upon God to be exploited, as impulses of passions, of which heaven is completely acquitted! We are aware that we are devoted to stay in the East, to which we belong, of which we are, in which we bear witness to our faith, from which our witness starts out, and on which we build our humanity. The one God was not for us a subject of dispute, and reason for fighting, or cause of division. We learned to address Him as "Our Father" (Matthew 6.9), so we are all, "Brethren." We can speak to everyone in truth and love, and "to lay down our lives for them" (1 Jn 3:16); and so we are able to ask them to confess that we share a common destiny. Either we all hold tight to it together, or we all lose! No believer or nonbeliever, whoever he is, may become, whether from the East or outside it, and bear a false witness, blinded to what is going on here. With you we raise the banner of brotherhood, confounding the false witnesses to this human and religious trial.

O brethren in humanity, our children of Aleppo, our cause is beyond one group or nation, and wider than one region or land. Our ordeal is a test for all humanity in modern world, which is distorted by its enslavement various distractions rather than God. We are thankful for all those who are aware of these perils, and for those are striving to contain them, treat them, and prevent them. We will not turn to be a title of an issue to be resolved and decrypted. We are not like this, for you are our issue! We are vigilant, from our dwelling place, over the consciences of those who willingly continue to eradicate our cause: the human right and the true God. Is it not unreasonable for roles to be exchanged, so that the sentenced might become a judge, even if he was in a cell, and the judge might become sentenced, even though he is sitting on the judgment seat?

O brethren in completeness, our children of Aleppo, He Who was incarnate for us, carried our nature, endured unjust sentence, ascended on the Cross, went to Hades and then arose to heaven, has taught us that we are your "brethren", unworthy though we be, and that "Thine Father is our Father and Thine God is our God" (Jn 20:17). Our peace and joy in you have reached to a level whose height and depth is unattainable in our spiritual life, and whose length and width is immeasurable in our material life! It is a joy, and peace, according to measure of the giver: "My Peace I leave with you, My joy I give unto you... no man taketh from you." (Jn 14:27; 16:22). You have determined to give us your joy and your peace! How great is our victory, and how benevolent is God's judgment!

These are the ten categories of the brethren, and the "book" of our complete defense, which we "took out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." (Rev 5:7). This is our good news to you; "Listen to them" (Acts 2:14), so great is our consolation in you. We are all aware that the trial is not over yet, as we have yet many rounds, according to the will of the Holy One. "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid... What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory... "(Romans 9:14; 22-23).

This is a victory of the right hand of the Most High, accomplished through you and through us! As our unceasing encounter is sustained in prayer for all, we lift it up to Thee, O Lord, for unto Thee belongs, glory, power, worship, and dominion forever! Amen.

(Translated by The V. Rev. Michel Najim, Dean & Great Economos of the St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA)
Source: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East 

St. Michael Orthodox Church, Louisville, KYChrist is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! ~Paschal Troparion

As the Antiochian Archdiocese's first Great Lent under the leadership of Metropolitan Joseph concluded, parishes around the United States and Canada commenced the services for Holy Week and Pascha. Throughout the solemn week, the faithful gathered frequently in worship and prayer, finishing the week with the joyous celebration of Pascha on April 12, 2015. Our photo gallery presents a colorful summary of this apex of the Church year.

If your parish isn't represented yet, it's not too late! Send your photos to editor@antiochian.org, and we'll include your community in the gallery.

View the photo gallery of images from parishes across the Archdiocese
See the photo gallery of Metropolitan Joseph's first Pascha at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY