“The crucified God resurrected and overcame death. Death is no more. Immortality has overtaken man and the whole of his world. By conquering the sin within him through Christ, a man also conquers death.”
+ St. Justin Popovich
Acts 1:12-17, 21-26 (Epistle)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
21 Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
John 20:19-25 (Vespers Gospel)
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Icon of the Mother of God of Mount Athos, “Sweet Kissing”
Like the Panagia Portaitissa, the Glykophilousa Icon is one of those which were saved during the iconoclastic period and brought miraculously to Mount Athos. It originally belonged to Victoria, the devout wife of the senator Symeon. Victoria was one who venerated the holy icons, especially that of the Most Holy Theotokos, before which she prayed each day. Her husband was an iconoclast who found her piety offensive, for he, like Emperor Theophilos (r. 829-842), found the veneration of icons distasteful. Symeon told his wife to give him her icon so that he could burn it. In order to save the icon from being destroyed, she threw it into the sea, and it floated away standing upright on the waves. After a few years, the icon appeared on the shores of Mount Athos near the Monastery of Philotheou, where it was received with great honor and rejoicing by the Abbot and Fathers of the Monastery, who had been informed of its impending arrival through a revelation of the Theotokos.
A spring of holy water sprouted forth on the very spot where they placed the icon on the shore. Every year on Monday of Bright Week there is a procession and blessing of water. Numerous miracles have occurred.
Although there are many miracles of the Glykophilousa Icon, we will mention only a few. In 1713, the Mother of God answered the prayers of the devout Ecclesiarch Ioannikios, who complained about the poverty of the monastery. She assured him that she would provide for the material needs of the monastery.
Another miracle took place in 1801. A pilgrim, after seeing the precious offerings having from the icon, planned to steal them. He stayed in the Temple after the Ecclesiarch closed it. Then he stole the offerings and left for the port of Ivḗron Monastery. There he found a boat that was leaving for Ierissos. After a while the ship sailed, but despite the excellent weather, it remained stationary in the sea. When the Ecclesiarch saw what had happened, the abbot sent monks out in various directions. Two went to the port of Ivḗron and when they saw the immobile ship, they realized what happened. The guilty man who committed this fearful sacrilege asked for forgiveness. The monks were magnanimous and did not want the thief to be punished.
A pilgrim from Adrianopolis visited Philotheou Monastery in 1830. He listened attentively to a monk tell the story of the holy Icon and the miracles associated with it, but he regarded the account as a fictitious tale which only a child might believe. The monk was grieved at the man’s unbelief, and tried to persuade him that everything he had said was absolutely true. The unfortunate pilgrim remained unconvinced.
That very day, as the pilgrim was walking on an upper balcony, he slipped and began to fall. He cried out, “Most Holy Theotokos, help me!” The Mother of God heard him and came to his assistance. The pilgrim landed on the ground completely unharmed.
The Glykophilousa Icon belongs to the Eleousa (the Virgin of Tenderness) category of icons, where the Mother accepts the affection shown by the Child Christ. The icon is commemorated by the Church on March 27 and also on Bright Monday. The icon depicts the Theotokos inclining toward Christ, Who embraces her. She seems to be embracing Him more tightly than in other icons, and her expression is more affectionate.
The Icon is located on a pillar on the left side of the katholikon (main church).
Christ is Risen!
By FR. THEODORE STYLIANOPOULOS
For Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:7-8)
Early in the morning on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, the women disciples went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. When they arrived, they found the tomb empty. To their amazement an angel of the Lord in brilliant white announced to them the good news: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here!” (Mark 16:6) The angel did not speak to them about an astonishing event that had occurred earlier, an event without content or purpose. He spoke to them of the person of Jesus himself, now risen and alive!
Mary Magdalene was the first witness to see the risen Christ (John 20:18). First she mistook Him to be a gardener and asked where the gardener might have removed the body. When Jesus said her name, “Mary,” she instantly recognized Him. She cried out, “Rabboni!” (“My dear Teacher!”). Later she announced the good news to the disciples who were hiding in fear. When she found them, she said: “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18)
When Jesus appeared to all the disciples a week later, including the doubting Thomas, among them, He challenged Thomas: “Put your finger here, and see my hands . . . do not be faithless, but believing!” (John 20:27) Thomas had previously refused to believe in the awesome event of the resurrection. Now, filled with wonder, he offered a ringing confession of faith that echoes in the hearts of Christians throughout the ages: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) Thomas encountered the personal presence of Christ and he acknowledged Him personally as Lord and God.
And to Paul, the fanatical persecutor of the early Christians, as he was nearing Damascus, Christ appeared in a blinding light which cast him to the ground. Paul heard a voice speaking to him and saying: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And Paul replied: “Who are you, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus!” (Acts 9:3-5)
The resurrection is a glorious past event of cosmic significance, a pivot in history wrought by God Himself, and which has changed the world. Yet the texts of the New Testaments direct us to the person of Christ, the risen Lord, as the essential mystery of the resurrection. The significance of the resurrection lies not only in its unprecedented and astonishing nature, but also, and above all, in that its content and purpose is the risen Christ in His gracious and glorious personal presence. He who had suffered and was dead, He is now arisen and alive! The Lord and Messiah had been killed, and slain as a Paschal Lamb for the salvation of the world, but He is now risen from the dead, a victor, alive, and active!
Many Paschal hymns invite us to celebrate the mystery of the risen Christ as a personal encounter with Him in prayer and worship:
Christ is the new Pascha, a living sacrifice,
the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world.
O Great and Holiest Pascha, Christ!
O Wisdom, Word, and Power of God!
Grant to us a most clear sign that we shall share with You
in the unwaning day of Your Kingdom!
Another hymn is equally stirring. The introductory verse is cast as a dialogue of the believer within his own soul, calling the soul to glorify the risen Christ: “Magnify, O my soul, Christ, the Life-Giver, who arose from the grave on the third day.” Then the hymn becomes a personal address to Christ:
O divine and beloved and most sweet voice!
You, O Christ, have truly promised that You would be
with us to the end of the ages.
Wherefore, we, the faithful, rejoice,
holding these Your words as an anchor of hope!
What difference does it make to think of the resurrection not only as an astonishing, event of the past, but also, and above all, as the risen Christ Himself, the Lord of glory, who is alive, present, and leading the Church and each one of us in the present? The difference is qualitatively immense because it is personal.
The glorious good news “Christ is risen!” challenges us to a personal encounter and personal communion with the risen Lord in order to shape our whole life around Christ’s presence and power, here and now. Christ said “Abide in me, and I in you.” (John 15:4) In the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
It is one thing to think about an awesome miracle in the history of the Church, and quite another to contemplate the mystery of the risen and living Christ, here and now, working in our own lives. It is one think to speak of the correct understanding of the doctrine regarding the truth of Christ and quite another to come to meet the risen and living Lord in heartfelt prayer and worship. It is one think to talk about the beauty of the Orthodox traditions and customs, and quite another to be personally receptive and transformed by the supreme content of those traditions: the presence of the risen and living Christ.
The Lord said “those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) When we commit a sin, we ought to feel that we commit it before the presence of Christ, just as in the case of Peter when he denied Christ “and the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Peter then came to his senses, repented and wept bitterly (Luke 22:56-62).
As we celebrate Pascha, let us celebrate the presence of the living Christ by “singing and making melody to the Lord with all our heart, always and for everything giving thanks to God the Father.” (Ephesians 5:19-20) As striving Christians, we stand or fall as true followers of Christ to the degree that, in faith and repentance, obedience and prayer, we allow Him to live in us, shine through us, and act through us by our words and deeds.
The best definition of a follower of Christ is: “A Christian is a person in whom Christ lives.” Christ does not replace our own self but rather He cleanses, sanctifies and transforms that self to full personal integrity and distinctiveness. Here is our true freedom, our experience of love and beauty, our life in sanctity and truth, our life becoming a sacrament of the presence of the living God. Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 4/21: Divine Liturgy w/procession 9:15 a.m.
Tuesday 4/22: no services or events
Wednesday 4/23: no services or events
Thursday 4/24: no services or events
Friday 4/25: no services or events
Saturday 4/26: Great Vespers 6 p.m.
Sunday 4/27: Thomas Sunday, Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m.
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Christ the Savior Orthodox Church is located in Southbury, Connecticut, and is part of the New England Diocese of the Orthodox Church of America.
Mailing address: Christ the Savior Church, 1070 Roxbury Road, Southbury, CT 06488
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Fr. Moses Locke can be reached at frmoseslocke@gmail.com