Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission

Icon of the Archangel Gabriel

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.

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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
FATHER THOMAS O’CONNELL, PASTOR
FATHER MICHAEL MAPLES, ASSISTANT PASTOR
FATHER DEACON RON VOLEK, PASTORAL ASSISTANT
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH
307 BLACK OAK RIDGE ROAD PO BOX 817
SEYMOUR, TN 37865
PHONE: 865-609-1081
www.hrbcc.org

Slava Isusu Christu! Slava Na Niky!
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Divine Liturgy begins at 4 p.m. Every Sunday
Ninth Hour Prayer precedes Liturgy at 3:30 p.m.

Potluck supper follows Liturgy on the third Sunday of the month
Also at this time non-perishable foods and items for those in need

MARCH 23, 2008
PASCHA: THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST
“FEAST OF FEASTS”

Our Offerings
Mar. 16: $586 — Candles: $21

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!”

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.

SOLEMN HOLY DAY: MARCH 25, BRIGHT TUESDAY
ANNUNCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS
DIVINE LITURGY @ 7:30 pm

Pascha

Since the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ took place during the celebration of the Jewish Passover, which foreshadowed our redemption, it was only natural that some Jewish paschal themes and customs have been introduced into the Christian liturgical services. Even the ancient name, “Pascha,” was accepted from the Hebrew word “pesach” meaning “to pass over”; hence, the English name for the holy day is the Pasch or Passover.

Our traditional term, “Pascha,” in its liturgical application, has three various meanings:

Firstly, it means the historical Passover, the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery and their crossing over the Red Sea into the Promised Land. In the New Testament, the term is applied in a typical sense to our liberation from the slavery of sin and our mystical passing “from death to life,” and “from earth to heaven.” (Comp. John 5:24; 13:1) Thus, at the Resurrection Matins we sing: “The Passover is the Lord’s Passover, since Christ our God has brought us from death to life and from earth to heaven.” (Irmos of the First Ode)
Secondly, the term is applied to the yearly commemoration of this event, the Feast of Passover. For us Christians, it is a yearly commemoration of Christ’s glorious resurrection, which has been celebrated since Apostolic times according to the testimony of St. Paul: “Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed, let us celebrate the feast.” (1 Cor. 5:7) In our Divine Liturgy, the Pasch is described as the “feasts of feasts and solemnity of solemnities.” (Irmos of the Eighth Ode)
Thirdly, the Pasch is applied to the paschal meal at which the Jews feasted on the sacrificial lamb, which prefigured the “Lamb of God,” Jesus Christ. (John 1:29) Jesus, Himself, referred this term to the paschal banquet, telling His disciples: “Go and make preparation for us to eat the Pasch.” (Luke 22:8)

St. Gregory explains: “This great and venerable Feast of Pasch in Hebrew is called “Pesach,” which means passing over. Historically, it recalls the passing over (of the Israelites) from Egypt into the Promised Land; but for Christians, it has a spiritual meaning of the passing over of things down below from the earth to things above into heaven.” Easter is a name believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “eastre” meaning Spring. —taken from the Byzantine Leaflet Series 2 and 33 by the Byzantine Seminary Press, Pittsburgh, PA

PASTORAL PONDERINGS

So why do we celebrate Easter? We celebrate it for three reasons:

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IS THE BASIS OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection. This was the central theme of the preaching of the Apostles. There is a story of two women who stood before Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. One asked, “Why can't we build structures like this anymore?” Her friend answered, “The people who built this had faith. Today we have only opinions. And you can’t build a cathedral with opinions.”

EASTER IS THE GUARANTEE OF OUR OWN RESURRECTION. Christ will raise us up ont he last day, but it is also true that we have already risen with Christ. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already a participation in the death and Resurrection of Christ.

EASTER IS A FEAST WHICH GIVE US HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT. It reminds us that life is worth living. It is our belief in the real presence of the risen Jesus that gives meaning to our personal as well as to our common prayers.

—Father Thomas O’Connell

Last updated: 13-Apr-2008