Byzantine Catholic Mission
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Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission |
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O ye incorporeal angels who stand before the throne of God, luminous with the brilliance thereof and everlastingly shining with radiance. As secondary luminaries, entreat Christ, that He grant unto our souls peace and great mercy. O immortal messengers of the truly incorruptible Life, ye most blessed ones who received life from the first Life, ye have become holy beholders of the eternal Wisdom, full of light, and reflecting lamps shown forth as is meet. O ye archangels and angels, principalities, thrones, dominions, six-winged seraphim, and divine, many-eyed cherubim, instruments of wisdom, virtues and powers most divine. Pray ye to Christ, that He grant our souls peace and great mercy. Archives:
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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
Feast of Feasts — The Glorious Resurrection
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
Christian Greetings
In our tradition, we use different Christian greetings throughout the year. From Pascha to Ascension Thursday, we say
“Christ is risen!” The response is “Indeed, He is risen!”
Divine Liturgy Intentions
No Kneeling during the Paschal Season
This is an old tradition, mentioned as early as 325 at the Council of Nicaea, which set the date for Pascha. St. Basil
the Great explained that the rule symbolizes our personal resurrection as well as our calling to higher, more heavenly things.
In the icon of the Resurrection, Christ raises Adam and Eve to their feet. Humanity now stands in the glory of its resurrected
Savior.
Kneeling is a sign of penance; during the Paschal season, we remove all signs of penance from the liturgy. Thus, we should
refrain from kneeling.
Of course, we may sit during the epistle, the homily, and all the other customary times for sitting. But we should stand
whenever singing the Paschal hymn “Christ Is Risen.”
Christ is Risen!
The Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom
“Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let him enjoy this beautiful, bright festival! Is there anyone who is a
grateful servant? Let her rejoice and enter into the joy of her Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive
their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward; if any have come after the third hour,
let them, with gratitude, join the feast. And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt, for he too shall
sustain no loss. And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let them not hesitate. Let them come too. And he who arrived only at
the 11th hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
“For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows. He
accepts the works as He greets the endeavor. The deed he honors and the intention He commends.
“Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord! First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
“You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the table is richly laden! Feast royally on it,
the calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
“Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn that he has fallen
again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
“He destroyed Hades when He descended into it. He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh. Isaiah foretold
this when he said, “You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below.”
“Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with. It was in an uproar because it is mocked. It was in an uproar, for
it is destroyed. It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated. It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive. Hell took a body
and discovered God. It took earth and encountered heaven. It took what it saw and was overcome by what it did not see. O
Death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?
“Christ is risen, and you, O Death, are annihilated! Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is risen,
and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life is liberated! Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for
Christ having risen from the dead is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
“To Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen!”
— St. John Chrysostom
Indeed, He is Risen!
Pastoral Ponderings: The Joy of Swapping Stories
What’s new? That’s what we ask when we want to hear a story. Stories celebrate the great moments of life. When you
hear one, it fills you with delight. When you tell one, you fulfill an inner desire to share what has shaped your life in a
different fashion.
After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples did not wait for people to ask, “What’s new?” They proudly
proclaimed it: “God raised Jesus on the third day and granted that He be visible to us witnesses.” Now,
that’s new!
If you have kept a good Lent, you know very well what is new with you. You are new! You have faced your sin, admitted your
fault, and accepted your dependence on God’s help. You have prayed and fasted with the community. You have loved your
neighbor. Because you have emptied a place inside yourself, you created a space for God’s Spirit to enter. Christ is
risen indeed, and he has appeared to you! You are now a witness of all that God can do.
This Pascha, tell your story. Tell your faith. Let joy radiate from your face and loosen your tongue! Jesus lives!
May the joy of Christ’s Resurrection be with all of you today!
—Father O’Connell
Last updated: 25-Apr-2004 |
