My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

THE HOLY BIBLE IS PERSONAL

According to Saint Mark the Monk ("Mark the Ascetic", 5th/6th century), "HE WHO IS HUMBLE IN HIS THOUGHTS AND ENGAGED IN SPIRITUAL WORK, WHEN HE READS THE HOLY SCRIPTURE, WILL APPLY EVERYTHING TO HIMSELF AND NOT TO HIS NEIGHBOR." We are to look throughout Holy Scripture FOR A PERSONAL APPLICATION. Our question is not simply "What does it mean/" but "What does it mean FOR ME?" As Saint Tikhon insists, "Christ Himself IS SPEAKING TO YOU." Holy Scripture is a direct intimate dialogue between the Savior and MYSELF–Christ ADDRESSING ME AND MY HEART RESPONDING. That is the criterion in our Holy Bible reading.

I am to see ALL the narratives in Holy Scripture AS PART OF MY OWN PERSONAL STORY. The description of Adam’s fall is equally an account OF SOMETHING IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE. Who is Adam? His name means simply "man," "human": IT IS I WHO AM ADAM. IT IS TO ME THAT GOD SAYS, "WHERE ARE YOU?" (Genesis 3:9). We often ask, "Where is God?" But the real question is the one that God puts to the Adam IN EACH ONE OF US: "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Who is Cain, the murderer of his brother? It is I. God’s challenge, "Where is Abel your brother?" (Genesis 4:9), is addressed to the Cain in each of us. The way to God lies through agape for other people, and there is no other away. Disowning my sister or brother, I replace the image of God with the mark of Cain, and deny my essential humanity.

The same PERSONAL APPLICATION is evident in the Lenten services in the Orthodox Church, and above all in the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. "I AM THE MAN WHO FELL AMONG THIEVES," we say (Luke 10:30); "I was Your youngest son, and wasted the wealth that You gave me… and now I am starved and hungry" (Luke 15:11-14). "Who are the sheep, and who are the goats?" the Desert Fathers of Egypt used to ask (Matthew 25:31-46). "The seep are known to God," they replied. "As for the goats–that MEANS ME."

There are three steps to be taken when reading Holy Scripture. First, we reflect that what we have in Holy Scripture is SACRED HISTORY: the history of the world from the Creation, the history of God’s chosen people, the history of God Himself incarnate in Palestine, the history of the "wonderful works" (Acts 2:11) after Pentecost. We are never to forget that what we find in the Holy Bible is NOT AN IDEOLOGY, NOT A PHILOSOPHICAL THEORY, BUT A HISTORICAL FAITH.

Next, we observe the PARTICULARITY, THE SPECIFICITY, of this Sacred History. In the Holy Bible WE FIND GOD INTERVENING AT SPECIFIC TIMES AND IN PARTICULAR PLACES, ENTERING INTO DIALOGUE WITH INDIVIDUAL HUMANS. We see before us the DISTINCTIVE CALLS ISSUED BY GOD TO EACH DIFFERENT PERSON, to Abraham, Moses, and David, to Rebekah and Ruth, to Isaiah and the Holy Prophets. We see God becoming incarnate once only, in a particular corner of the earth, at a particular moment and from a particular Mother. This particularity we are to regard not as a scandal BUT A BLESSING. DIVINE AGAPE IS UNIVERSAL IN ITS SCOPE, BUT ALWAYS PERSONAL TO ITS EXPRESSION.

This sense of the specificity in the Holy Bible IS A VITAL ELEMENT IN THE ORTHODOX "SCRIPTURAL MIND." If we truly love the Holy Bible, we will love genealogies and details of dating and geography. One of the best ways to enliven the study of Sacred Scripture isn to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Walk where our Lord Christ walked. Go down near the Dead Sea, climb the mountain of the Temptation, scan the desolation, feel how Christ must have felt during His 40 days alone in the wilderness. Drink from the well where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman. Take a boat out on the Sea of Galilee, have the sailors stop the engine, and gaze in silence across the water. Go at night to the Garden of Gethsemane, sit in the dark under the ancient olive trees, and look across the valley of the lights of the city. Taste to the utmost the characteristic "isness" of the historical setting, and take that experience back to the daily Scripture reading.

When we are to take a third step. After RELIEVING BIBLE HISTORY in all its particularity, we are to apply it DIRECTLY TO OURSELVES. We are to say to ourselves, "These are NOT just distant places, events in the remote past. They belong TO MY OWN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD. THE STORIES INCLUDE ME."

Betrayal, for instance, is part of the personal story of everyone. Have we not all betrayed others at some time in our life, and have we not all known what it is to be betrayed? And does not the memory of these moments leave deep, continuing scars on our psyche? Reading, then, the account of Saint Peter’s betrayal of Jesus and of his restoration after the Resurrection, we can see ourselves as each an actor in the story. Imagining what both Saint Peter and Christ experienced at the moment immediately after the betrayal, we make their feelings our own.

Take, as another example, the "woman who was a sinner," who emptied the flask of ointment over Christ’s feet (Luke 7:36-50), and whom some identify with Saint Mary Magdalene, although that is not the usual Orthodox interpretation. Can I see her mirrored in myself? Do I share in her generosity, in her for she loved much." Or am I calculating, mean, timid, holding myself back, never willing to commit myself fully to anything, either good or bad? As the Desert Fathers say, "BETTER SOMEONE WHO HAS SINNED, IF HE KNOWS HE HAS SINNED AND REPENTS, THAN A PERSON WHO HAS NOT SINNED AND THINKS OF HIMSELF AS RIGHTEOUS."

A personal approach of this kind means that in reading the Holy Bible we are not simply detached and objective observers, ABSORBING INFORMATION, TAKING NOTE OF FACTS. The Holy Bible IS NOT MERELY A WORK OF LITERATURE OR A COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, although certainly it can be approached on that level. It is much more fundamentally, A SACRED BOOK, ADDRESSED TO BELIEVERS, TO BE READ WITH FAITH AND AGAPE. We shall NOT profit from reading the Sacred Gospels unless WE ARE IN LOVE WITH CHRIST. "HEART SPEAKS TO HEART." I enter into the LIVING TRUTH OF SACRED SCRIPTURE ONLY WHEN MY HEART RESPONDS WITH LOVE TO THE HEART OF GOD. Reading Sacred Scripture in this way–IN OBEDIENCE, AS A MEMBER OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH, FINDING CHRIST EVERYWHERE, AND SEEING EVERYTHING AS PART OF MY OWN PERSONAL STORY–WE SHALL SENSE SOMETHING OF THE POWER AND HEALING TO BE FOUND IN THE HOLY BIBLE. Yet always in our biblical voyage of exploration we are only at the very beginning. We are like someone launching out in a tiny boat across a limitless ocean. But, however, great the journey, we can embark on it today, at this very hour, in this very ;moment.

At the highpoint of his spiritual crisis, wrestling with himself alone in the garden, the blessed Augustine heard a child’s voice crying out, "Take up and read, take up and read." He took up his Bible and read, and what he read altered his entire life. Let us do the same: "TAKE UP AND READ." "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 118 [119]:105]. (Resources: The Orthodox Study Bible)

______________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Glorious and Saving Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN

"And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient
for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness" [2 Corinthians 12:9]

With the help of God
By Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

Our every endeavor is powerless WITHOUT THE GRACE AND HELP OF GOD. A man (person) can easily become debauched and so destroy himself, but he cannot correct himself and be saved WITHOUT GOD. He can easily live according to the flesh as a boat floats down the river, but of himself he cannot stand against the flesh and live spiritually, as a vessel cannot of itself sail against the rush of the current. It must move either with rowers or with sails in the wind.

So a man (person) must be helped in the spiritual life and in the work of salvation by a supernatural and all-powerful force. He must be victorious over his own self; but how can this be without the power of God present, which is able to do all things? So great is the corruption of our nature.

Up to now, the devil incessantly fights against man ( a person), and endeavors to lead him into sin, and to trap him in his snares. The temptations of the world surround him and entice him, and evil custom or habit draws him likewise. Hence we see that many begin to repent and live well, but are drawn off the good path and corrupted again. And we cannot begin a good and Christian life, then, and live as Christians even to the end, without the Almighty help of God. Those who test themselves know this. For this reason the Lord says, "WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING" (John 15:5). At every hour and minute, then, WE NEED THE HELP OF GOD. For this reason, O Christian, when you wish to live piously and be a true Christian and so be saved PRAY TO GOD INCESSANTLY AND BEG HELP OF HIM WITH FERVOR. Just as according to His love for man God commanded us to pray and ask of Him every good thing. He also promised to give us what we ask for, and most of all, what is needful for our salvation.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8). Know beloved that a Christian WITHOUT PRAYER IS A BIRD WITHOUT WINGS AND AS A WARRIOR WITHOUT WEAPONS. Pray fervently, then, to Christ the Lord and give yourself to Him for direction, and He will correct and guide you to Eternal Life and blessedness according to His love for man. Only be careful and watch yourself, anad seeing your care He will help you in everything. Read the Beatitudes, and the rest, often and with fervor.

THE GRACE OF GOD IS NEEDFUL FOR LIFE

THE GRACE OF GOD IS THE LIFE OF OUR SOULS. Our SOUL CANNOT BE ALIVE WITHOUT THE GRACE OF GOD. For as our body lives by the soul, so our soul lives by the grace of God. Pray, then, always and sigh unto God that He give you His grace, and that He preserve you in it. WE NEED THE GRACE OF GOD EVERY MINUTE. For this reason, sigh often from the depths of your heart. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take NOT Thine Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me" [Psalm 50[51]:12-14).

WHAT TO THINK ON AT THE BEGINNING OF WORK

Whatever task you may begn, consider whether IT IS IN AGREEMENT WITH CONSCIENCE AND WITH THE LAW OF GOD, and whether it is truly profitable to you. When itis in accordance with the Law of God, begin and labor. When it is opposed to it, TURN AWAY FROM IT LEST YOU FALL INTO THE SNARE OF THE ENEMY WHO ALWAYS SEEKS TO CATCH A MAN (PERSON) IN HIS SNARE. Not everything that seems useful to you is useful, but only that which is in agreement with healthy reason and the word of God.

FROM WHOM TO SEEK HELP AT WORK

At the beginning of every task CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND BEGIN IT WITH PRAYER, that the Lord may prosper you to begin it and complete it. And from this it is evident that a Christian ought not to begin anything that is contrary to the Law of God, but only that which is IN AGREEMENT WITH IT. [Resources: Journey to Heaven)

____________
"Glory Be ‘To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet believe" [John 20:29].

THE GOSPEL READING ON SUNDAY OF THOMAS

"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.’
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw
the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you,’ And when He
had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgiven the sin of any, they
are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came. 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.’ After eight days, His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas,
‘REACH YOUR FINGER HERE, AND LOOK AT MY HANDS; AND REACH YOUR HAND HERE, AND PUT IT INTO MY
SIDE. DO NOT BE UNBELIEVING, BUT BELIEVING.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘MY LORD AND MY
GOD!’ Jesus said to him, ‘THOMAS, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SEEN ME, YOU HAVE BELIEVED. BLESSED ARE THOSE
WHO HAVE NOT SEEN AND YET HAVE BELIEVED."

Our Risen Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ commissions the Disciples to continue His Divine Mission on earth, granting them "the Holy Spirit" and the power to "FORGIVE… SINS". These words of Our Savior are among the Scriptural foundations of the Mysteries (Sacraments) of Holy Orders (Ordination) and Repentance/Confession. Through the CONSECRATION and EMPOWERMENT of the Holy Apostles by the Lord, and through their ORDINATION of others to continue their Apostolic Mission, Christ’s own Priesthood is communicated to the bishops and Priests of the Church.

The Holy Apostle Thomas, upon our Lord’s invitation, does NOT actually touch Jesus for proof. His magnificent confession, "MY LORD AND MY GOD," testifies both to the Lordship and Deity of Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle Thomas required direct proof of the Lord’s Resurrection. However, a blessed and true faith is one which trusts in the Risen Christ WITHOUT PROOF. Saint John’s main purpose in writing his Gospel: to lead people to faith in Jesus AS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, that they may receive LIFE IN HIS NAME.

Saint John Chrysostomos understood Saint Thomas "unbelief" as ultimately beneficial to faith. He believed that Jesus, appearing to the Holy Apostle Thomas eight days after his initial doubts, did so to further confirm the faith of all believers and to demonstrate THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION. The Holy Father and Saint John Chrysostomos point out that the Holy Apostle Thomas’s experience, while in the beginning revealed doubt, ultimately strengthened faith by providing concrete proof and inspiring others to a more profound commitment and sincere belief. Saint John viewed Thomas’s unbelief as a fundamental step in the strengthening faith. By insisting physical proof, the Apostle Thomas gave the opportunity to Christ to provide a more tangible proof of His Resurrection. Appearing eight days later intensified his yearning for belief much greater and to strengthen the faith of all who heard about it and/or even future generations. The holy Chrysostomos emphasized the importance of Christ of revealing the marks of the crucifixion on His Divine body after His Resurrection. This was proof that Jesus was truly the Crucified Savior and that His body was the real one.

Basically, the Holy Father John stressed that doubt, when confronted and overcomed, can direct to a more profound unwavering faith. Thomas’ experience became a most powerful tool of the Resurrection and the necessity of everyone to first seek the truth and then to accept the reality of our Lord’s presence throughout His creation. Our Lord did not rebuke the Apostle who demanded proof but instead invited him to touch Him to see for himself. "Bring your finger here, and behold My hands; and bring thy hand, and put it into My side." It is a fact, however, that doubt proceeds from unbelief. "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" Jesus says. For this is faith to receive things NOT seen; since, "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

It is because of this account in the Holy Scripture that the Holy Apostle Thomas is called "DOUBTING THOMAS. He is a reminder of what not to do in matters of faith; a disciple of Christ or a follower of Christ should simply believe without demanding proof. For Orthodox Christian the holy icon venerated on the Sunday of Thomas is "The Touching of Thomas." Of course, if we are to be honest with ourselves, we must admit that Thomas the Apostle is not the only skeptic that he is made out to be. None of the Holy Apostles believed that Jesus had risen from the dead without seeing for themselves. As a matter of fact that the myrrhbearers discovered the empty tomb and encountered an Angel went to announce the Good Tidings to the Disciples, "And their words seemed to them like IDLE TALES, and they DID NOT BELIEVE THEM" [Luke 24:11]. To doubt is not unique to the Holy Apostle Thomas. It is something that all of our fellow Christians suffer from.

On the Road to Emmaus Christ appears to two perplexed followers: (1) Cleopas whom the tradition identifies as the brother of Joseph the Betrothed to Mary (Theotokos), and thus Jesus’ uncle; and (2) the unnamed follower who according to tradition is the Evangelist Luke himself. The Risen Christ appears to them in a veiled way. He shows tender concern for the feelings of the two men. These disciples are incredulous that anyone could have been in Jerusalem for the Passover and not be aware of the tragic events of the Passion. The Risen Lord censures them for their weak faith, explaining the prophecies of the Old Testament which were fulfilled through His Passion and Resurrection. Christ broke bread with them in the same manner as during the Mystical Supper. Christ’s actions and the experience of the meal by the two men image the Divine Eucharist. At each Divine Eucharist, as we continue to share the Lord’s Mystical Supper, the Risen Christ comes to open our eyes to His MYSTICAL PRESENCE AND TO LEAVE OUR HEARTS BURNING WITH HIS AGAPE.

The Holy Apostle Thomas founded Churches in Meliapur, India, and he converted the wife of the local ruler, for which he was thrown in prison, tortured, and finally pierced with spears. Thus entering the Heavenly Kingdom of his Lord and God.

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

_______________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in Our Lord’s Mystical and Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God and Savior JESUS CHRIST,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

On the 23rd of April, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the holy Feast-Day of the Holy and Great Martyr GEORGE the
Trophy-bearer.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Fourth Tone

LIBERATOR of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick,
and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer Great Martyr George,
intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone

HAVING been cultivated well by the Lord God, as the most honored
cultivator of piety thou hast now gathered sheaves of
virtues for thyself; for, as thou didst sow with tears, thou dost reap
with rejoicing; with thy blood didst thou contest and thou now hast
received Christ. And by thine intercessions, O Saint George, thou
grantest all the forgiveness of trespasses.

This renowned and Glorious Holy and Great Martyr was born in Cappadocia, the son of rich and God-fearing parents. His father suffered for Christ, after which his mother moved to Palestine. When George grew up, he went into the army, in which he rose, by the age of twenty, to the rank of Tribune, and as such was in service under the pagan Roman Emperor Diocletian. When this Emperor began a terrible persecution of Christians, George came before him and boldly confessed that he was a Christian. The Emperor threw him into prison, and commanded that his feet be put in the stocks and a heavy weight placed on his chest. After that, he commanded that he be bound on a wheel, under which was a board with great nails protruding, and thus be turned. He then had him buried in a pit with only his head above ground, and left there for three days and nights. Then, through some magician, he gave him deadly poison, but in the fact of all these tortures, George prayed unceasingly to God, and God healed him instantly and saved him from death, to the great amazement of the people. When he also raised a dead man to life by his prayers, many embraced the Christian faith. Among these was the Emperor’s wife, Alexandra, and the chief pagan priest, Athanasius, the Governor Glycerius and Valerius, Donatus and Therinus. Finally, the Emperor commanded that George and the Empress Alexandra be beheaded. Blessed Alexandra died on the scaffold before being killed, and Saint George was beheaded. This happened in Nicomedia, the year 303 A.D. The miracles that have been performed at his grave are without number. Also are his appearances in dreams to those who, thinking on him have sought his help, from that time up to the present day. Consumed by love for Christ, it was not difficult for Holy and Saint George to leave all for this love — his status, wealth and imperial favor, his friends and the whole world. For this love, the Lord rewarded him with a wreath of unfading glory in heaven and on earth, and with Eternal Life in His Kingdom. The Lord further endowed him with the power to help in need and distress all who honor him and call on his name.

His holy relics were taken by his servants from Nicomedia to Palestine, to a town called Ludda, the homeland of his mother, and then were finally transferred to the church which was raised in his name. (The TRANSLATION of the Saint’s holy relics to the church in Lydda is commemorated on November 3rd. Saint Alexandra the Queen, on April 21st.

Though the centuries Saint George has shown himself to be a swift and present helper to all who call on him WITH FAITH, whether on land or sea, to the uttermost ends of the earth; yet so many miracles have been worked at his tomb in Lydda (the present-day Lod), that when Palestine was in the hands of the Muslims, they took half of his church and turned it into a mosque, which may still be seen to this day, dedicated in his honor and testifying to the abundant power of his intercession. (Resources: The Prologue from Ochrid)

_____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in Christ’s All-Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

JESUS CHRIST’S RESURRECTION IS THE RENEWAL
OF HUMAN NATURE.
By Saint Gregory Palamas

THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD IS THE RENEWAL OF HUMAN NATURE, and THE RENEWAL, RECREATION AND RETURN TO IMMORTALITY OF THE FIRST ADAM who was swallowed up by death because of sin, and through death went back to the earth from which he was formed. In the beginning nobody saw Adam being made and brought to life, for no one existed yet at that time. However, once he had received THE BREATH OF LIFE BREATHED INTO HIM BY GOD (Genesis 2:7), a woman was the first to see him, for Eve was the first human being after him. In the same way,no one saw the SECOND ADAM, that is THE LORD, rising from the dead, since none of His Disciples were present and the soldiers keeping the tomb had been shaken with fear and became like dead men. But after the resurrection it was a woman who saw Him first of all, as we hear in Saint Mark’s Holy Gospel, "Now when Jesus," it says, "was risen early THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene" [Mark 16:9].

"…There is something which the Evangelists tell us in a veiled way, but which I shall reveal to your charity. As was right and just, the Mother of God WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO RECEIVE FROM THE LORD THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION, AND SHE SAW HIM RISEN AND HAD THE JOY OF HIS DIVINE WORDS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE. SHE NOT ONLY BEHELD HIM WITH HER EYES AND HEART HIM WITH HER EARS, BUT WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY PERSON TO TOUCH WITH HER HANDS HIS MOST PURE FEET. If the Evangelists do not say all this openly, it is because they do not want to put forward his Mother as a witness, lest they give unbelievers grounds for suspicion. As we are now, however, by the grace of the Resurrection, addressing believers, and the subject of today’s Feast obliges us to clarify everything that concerns the myrrhbearers, this too shall be revealed, with leave from Him Who said, "Nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest" (Luke 8:17).

The Myrrhbearers are those women who followed the Lord in company with His Holy Mother, who stayed with her at the time of the Saving Passion, and were intent upon anointing the Lord’s body with myrrh. When Joseph and Nicodemus sought and obtained the Master’s body from Pilate, they took it down from the Cross, wrapped it in linen cloths with glue-like spices, put it in a sepulchre hewn out of a rock and put a large stone in the doorway (John 19:38-42). Meanwhile, according to the Evangelist Mark, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there watching (Mark 15:47), sitting opposite the tomb. When he refers to the other Mary HE CLEARLY MEANS THE Mother of God, for she was also called the mother of Joses and James, the sons of Joseph the Betrothed. But they were not the only ones there watching when the Lord was being laid in the tomb. There were other women as well, as Saint Luke tells us when he writes, "And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid" (Luke 23:55). It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the Mother of James and other women that were with them" (Luke 24:0).

He says that they returned and bought spices and ointments (cf. Luke 23:56). As yet they did not fully understand that He Himself is truly the fragrance of life for those who come to Him in faith, though the smell of death to those who are disobedient to the end. The scent of His garments, that i sof His body, is above all spices, and His "name is like ointment poured forth", filling the whole world with Divine fragrance. They prepared myrrh and spices, intending on the one hand, to honor the dead, and, on the other to assuage by their anointing the stench of the body as it decomposed, for the sake of those who wanted to stay beside it.

When they had prepared the ointments and spices, they rested on the sabbath according to the Commandment (Luke 23:56), for they had not yet understood the true sabbaths, nor had they had discovered that exceedingly blessed sabbath which brought human nature up from the nethermost regions of Hades to Divine, Heavenly heights full of Light. "Now upon the first day of the week, at early dawn," as Saint Luke tells us, "they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared" (cf. Luke 24:1). However, Saint Matthew says that it was "in the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week" (Matthew 28:1), and refers to two women coming. According to Saint John, "it was yet dark" (John 20:1), and only Mary Magdalene approached, whereas Saint Mark tells us it was, "very early in the morning the first day of the week" (Mark 16:2), and there were three women who came (Mark 16:1). The Evangelists all call Sunday THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, and by the expressions, "the end of the sabbath," "at early dawn," "very early in the morning," and "early, when it was yet dark", they mean the time around dawn when light and darkness mingle. This is when the eastern horizon begins to grow light, heralding the day. If you were to observe the horizon from afar, you might see it beginning to be tinged with light at about the Ninth Hour of the night, with three hours still to go before full daylight.

"…Each Evangelist refers to one of the occasions when the Myrrhbearers approached, and passes over the others. However, I conclude and infer from all the Evangeliststhat the Theotokos was the first to come to the tomb of her Son and God, bringing Mary Magdalene with her. I gather this above all from the Evangelist Matthew who says, "There came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary," who was obviously the Mother of God," "to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men" (Matthew 28:1-4).

All the other women came after the earthquake when the keepers had fled, and found the sepulchre open and the stone rolled away. The Virgin Mother, however, was there when the earthquake took place, the stone was rolled away, the tomb opened and the keepers were still present, though shaken with fear. When they got to their feet after the earthquake they immediately took to flight, whereas the Mother of God delighted herself in teh sight without fear. It seems to me that the Life-bearing tomb opened first for her sake (because everything in heaven above and on earth below was opened first for her, and through her for us) and that the Angel shone like lightning on her account, so that een though it was still dark, by the Angel’s abundant light she could see not only the empty tomb, but also the graveclothes lying in order and bearing witness in many ways to the fact that He Who had been buried there had risen.

The Angel who announced the Good News was surely Gabriel himself. For when he who had originally said to her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God" (Luke 1:30), saw her hastening to the tomb, he made speed now to come down and greet the Ever-Virgin once more with the same words, to announce the Good News that He Who had been born of her without seed had risen from the dead, to take aay the stone, and to show the empty tomb and the graveclothes as confirmation to her of his tidings. "And the Angel", it says, "answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: do ye seek Jesus, which was crucified? He IS RISEN. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:5-6). Not only can He not be held by the locks, bars and seals of Hades, death and the tomb, but He is also Lord of us, the immortal, heavenly Angels, and He alone is Lord of all." Come, see," "the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead" (Matthew 28:6-7).

"…The Mother of God was possessed with great joy because she understood what the Angel said and was completely filled with Light, being utterly purified and full of Divine Grace. Therefore, she knew the truth for sure and believed the Archangel, since his trustworthiness had long since been demonstrated to her through works. As the divinely wise Virgin was present when these things happened, how could she fail to understand what had been accomplished? She saw an earthquake, and a great one at that, an Angel descending from heaven, flashing forth as lightning, she saw the keepers being struck down as dead, and the stone being moved, and the tomb empty…

"…The Virgin Mother of God, returned in the company of other women to the place whence she had come. And behold, as Saint Matthew says, "Jesus met them, saying, All hail". Notice that the Mother of God saw Him Who for our salvation suffered in the flesh, was buried and rose again, even before Mary Magdalene. "And they came", it says, "and held him by the feet and worshipped Him" (Matthew 28:9). When the Theotokos, together with Mary Magdalene, heard the Good News of the resurrection from the Angel, only she understood the meaning of the words. In the same way now when, in the company of the other women, she met her Son and God, she was the first of them all to see and recognize the risen Lord, and falling down before Him she grasped His feet and became His Apostle to the apostles. It is from Saint John that we learn that Mary Magdalene was NOT with the Mother of God at the time when the Lord met her as she was returning from the tomb, appeared to her and addressed her. For Saint John says, that Mary Magdalene "runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciples, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, Thy have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him" (John 20:2). If He had met her and she had seen HIm, touched Him with her hands and heard Him speak, how could she have said, as she did, that they had taken Him away and laid Him in an unknown place? But Saint Peter and Saint John had run to the tomb and seen the linen cloths, and gone away, "Mary", it says, "stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (John 20:11).

Observe that not only had she yet to hear Him, but she also had yet to hear the news. When the Angels appeared and asked her, "Woman, why weepest thou", again, she replied as if speaking about a corpse (John 20:13). Even when she turned round and saw the Lord, she still did not understand, but when He too asked why she was weeping she gave the same reply, until He called her by name and proved it was He. Then she too fell down before Him and tried to embrace his feet in greeting, but heard Him says, "Touch me not" (John 20:1517). From this we learn that when the Lord appeared earlier to His Mother and the women with her, it was ONLY His Mother whom He allowed to touch His feet, een though Saint Matthew attributes this action the other women too, being unwilling to put forward the Lord’s Mother as a witness to such events for the reason we stated in the beginning. The Ever Virgin was the first to come to the tomb and receive the good tidings of the Resurrection. {Homilies)

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine, Glorious and Triumphant Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

"Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling
upon Death, and to those in the tombs has
bestowed Life."

"Though Thou, O deathless One, didst descend into
the grave, Thou didst destroy the power of Hades and
as Victor, Thou didst rise again, O Christ Our God.
Thou didst greet the Myrrh-bearing women, saying:
Rejoice! Thou didst bestow peace upon Thy Disciples,
and resurrection upon those that are fallen."

RESURRECTION ODE

‘Let us who have beheld the Resurrection of Christ,
worship our Holy Lord Jesus, Who is alone without sin.
We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and praise and glorify
Thy Holy Resurrection. For Thou art our God, and we
know none other beside Thee, and we call upon Thy
Name. Come, all ye faithful, let us worship Christ’s
Holy Resurrection, for behold, though the Cross joy has
come to the whole world. We praise His Resurrection,
and forever glorify the Lord. He endured the Cross for
us, and by death destroyed Death.

Jesus, having risen from the grave, as He foretold,
has given to us Eternal Life and the Great Mercy.

SERMON OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOMOS, ARCHBISHOP
OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Whosoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him rejoice and enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now receive his penny. If any have toiled from the first hour, let him receive his due reward. If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast. And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. And if any have delayed to the ninth hour, let him not hesitate, but let him come too. And he that hath arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay; for the Lord is gracious and receiveth the last even as the first. He giveth rest to him that cometh at the eleventh hour as well as to him that hath toiled from the first. Yea, to this one, he giveth and upon that one, he bestoweth. He accepteth works, as he greeteth the endeavour. The deed he honoureth and the intention he commendeth.

Let all then enter into the joy of our Lord. Ye first and last receiving alike your reward; ye rich and poor, rejoice together. Ye sober and ye slothful, celebrate the day. Ye that have kept the fast, and ye that have not, rejoice today; for the Table is richly laden. Fare ye royally on it. The calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake ye all of the cup of faith. Enjoy ye all the riches of His goodness. Let no one grieve at his poverty; for the Universal Kingdom hath been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he hath fallen again and again; for forgiveness hath risen from the grave. Let no one fear death; for the Death of our Savior hath set us free. He hath destroyed it by enduring it. He spoiled Hades when he descended thereto. He vexed it even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he cried, Thou, O Hades, hast been vexed by encountering Him below. It is vexed; for it is even done away with. It is vexed; for it made a mockery. It is vexed; for it is destroyed. It vexed; for it is annihilated. It is vexed; for it is now made captive. It took a body, and, lo! it discovered God. It took earth, and, behold! it 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 thou art 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 the dead; for Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the firstfruits of those that have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection of all humanity. It is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, "according to the Holy Scripture" where is is written, "For Thou doest not give me up unto Sheol [that is, the realm of death], or let Thy Godly one see corruption" [Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:25-36].

Saint Gregory the Theologian writes on the Death and Resurrection of Christ

Yesterday I was crucified with Him;

today I am glorified with Him.

Yesterday I died with Him; today I am

made alive with Him.

Yesterday I was crucified with Him;

today I am glorified with Him.

Yesterday I died with Him; today I am

made alive with Him.

Yesterday I was buried with Him; today

I am raised up with Him.

Let us offer to Him Who suffered and

rose again for us…ourselves the

possession most precious to God and

most proper.

Let us become like Christ, since Christ

became like us.

Let us become Divine for His sake,

since for us He became Man.

He assumed the worse that He might

give us the better.

He became poor that by His poverty we

might become rich.

He accepted the form of a servant that

we might win back our freedom.

He came down that we might be lifted

up.

He was tempted that through Him we

might conquer.

He was dishonored that He might

glorify us.

He died so that He might save us.

He ascended that He might draw to

Himself us, who were thrown down

through the fall of sin..

Let us give all, offer all, to Him Who

gave Himself a Ransom and

Reconciliation for us.

We needed an incarnate God, a God put
to death, that we might live.

We were put to death together with
Him that we might be cleansed.

We rose again with Him because we
were put to death with Him.

We were glorified with Him because
we rose again with Him.

A few drops of Blood recreate the
whole of creation.

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

_____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in the Glorious and Triumphant Resurrection

of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

EXPLAINING THE MYSTERY OF THE SABBATH AND OF
THE LORD’S DAY
AND REFERRING TO THE GOSPEL OF NEW SUNDAY
By Saint Gregory Palamas

TODAY WE KEEP THE FEAST OF NEW SUNDAY, or rather we celebrate the INAUGURATION OF THE New Lord’s Day. So our word today is intended to reveal a little of the mystery of Sunday to your charity, as far as time allows. If this is a great and exalted mystery, and not even its more accessible aspects are easy for everyone to understand, we must give thanks to the Lord of All Who gave His name to this day, and Who, through His coming in the flesh, bestowed on those who draw near to Him through faith things which are perhaps a little difficult for our mind and reason to grasp…

"…In six days God not only made and adorned the whole visible world, He also created and brought to life the only creature with senses and a mind: man (Genesis 1:1-27; 2:7). To him He granted dominion over all the animals and plants throughout the world (Genesis 1:28). Then on the Seventh Day God rested from all His works, as we are taught by Moses (Genesis 2:2), who was born later, but beheld the foundation of the world long before his time, or rather as the Holy Spirit in His love for mankind sound in our ears and souls through Moses’ words. "And God." it says, "BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT" (Genesis 2:3). Why did He bless and hallow that day on which He did nothing? For He did not bless and hallow the first day as the most exalted, which is why it was referred to by Moses as "one" and not as "first" (Genesis 1:5), that day on which God brought forth everything out of nothing all at once, and illuminated it with NEW LIGHT, although He had not yet put it in due order, assigning everything to its place and kind…

"…Another reason why that day was blessed is that He Who formed this world in six days foresaw that man would turn towards evil and would, as a result, go back to the ground, descend to Hades and be imprisoned there, and this whole world would grow old and useless because of man, but would be renewed by God becoming man. This renewal was effected when God incarnate descended into Hades through death and declared there on the sabbath the recall of souls. It was because He foresaw that this would happen on the sabbath that He rightly deemed it the only day worthy to be blessed. However, although this work was secretly made ready on the seventh day, the sabbath, everything was clearly brought to light and accomplished when the body too had been summoned to immortality through the Lord’s RESURRECTION ON THE EIGHT DAY. THIS IS WHY WE ALL IT THE LORD’S DAY. As Friday, the day of preparation, stands in relation to the sabbath, so is the sabbath in comparison with Sunday, which is obviously superior to it. As perfection and reality surpass beginning, pattern and shadow, so is Sunday more excellent and honorable, because on it the exceedingly blessed work was finished, and on it we await the General Resurrection OF ALL, the perfect entry of the Saints into the divine rest and dissolution of the world into its elements.

Whatever is said in praise of the seventh day applies even more to the eighth, for the latter fulfills the former. It was Moses who unwittingly first ascribed honor to the eighth day, the Lord’s Day… Moses esteemed the seventh day because it led into the truly honorable eighth day. Just as the law given through him is honorable is so far as it leads to Christ (cf. Galatians 3:24), so the seventh day is honorable because it leads into the eighth day on which the Lord’s RESURRECTION TOOK PLACE. The eighth day comes next after the seventh, and if you look carefully you will find that after the seventh day, when we are told that all the dead from past ages were resurrected, on the eighth day Christ arose. Not only was Christ’s Resurrection accomplished on the eight day, but it was both the eighth day in relation to the day before, and also the first day in relation to the hoped-for resurrection, the rising again, of all men in Christ. That is why Christ hymned as "the first fruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20) and "the first begotten of the dead" (Revelation 1:5). In the same way, Sunday is not just the day eighth in order after the preceding days, but THE FIRST OF THE DAYS THAT COME AFTER. So it becomes in its turn the New Day, THE FIRST OF ALL DAYS, WHICH WE CALL THE LORD’S DAY, AND WHICH MOSES REFERRED TO NOT AS THE FIRST DAY BUT AS "ONE DAY" (Genesis 1:5), being exalted above all other and the prelude of the one day without evening of the age to come.

You will understand how much better Sunday is than other feast days from what follows. Every other festival comes round once a year, but the Lord’s Day comes round four times every month, and this frequent recurrence makes the whole year a year of TRUE REMISSION FOR US, A YEAR ACCEPTABLE TO THE LORD (cf. Isaiah 61:2). It was in order to teach us to celebrate it in practice at the end of each week that the Lord first appeared to the Holy Disciples inside the house while Thomas was absent (John 20:19-24). He PROVED THAT HE WAS ALIVE AND GAVE THEM PEACE. By His breathing upon them He RENEWED THE DIVINE BREATH GIVEN IN THE BEGINNING (Genesis 2:7), and endowed them with the grace of the Holy Spirit, imbuing them WITH DIVINE POWER TO BIND AND LOOSE SINS. HE MADE THEM SHARERS IN THE EXERCISE OF HIS HEAVENLY LORDSHIP, saying to them, "RECEIVE YE THE HOLY SPIRIT: WHOSE SOEVER SINS YE REMIT, THEY REMITTED UNTO THEM; AND WHOSE SOEVER SINS YE RETAIN, THEY ARE RETAINED" (John 20:22-23).

The Lord granted them this power and grace when He appeared to them ON THE VERY DAY OF HIS RESURRECTION, OBVIOUSLY A SUNDAY. Then, letting the intervening days of the week elapse, He appeared in the same manner and in the same house, ON THE EIGHTH DAY, THE SUNDAY WE CELEBRATE TODAY, TO INAUGURATE HIS FESTIVAL AND TO BRING THE HESITANT THOMAS TO FAITH. According to the Savior’s beloved evangelist and disciple, "After EIGHT DAYS again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you" (John 20:26).

You will see that it was Sunday when the Disciples assembled and the Lord came to them. On Sunday He approached them for the first time as they were gathered, and EIGHT DAYS LATER, when Sunday came round again, He appeared to their assembly. Christ’s Church CONTINUALLY REFLECTS THESE GATHERINGS BY HOLDING ITS MEETING S MOSTLY ON SUNDAYS, AND WE COME AMONG YOU AND PREACH WHAT PERTAINS TO SALVATION AND LEAD YOU TOWARDS PIETY AND A GODLY WAY OF LIFE.

Let no one out of laziness or continuous worldly occupations miss these Holy Sunday gatherings, which God Himself handed down to us, lest he be justly abandoned by God and suffer like Thomas, who did not come at the right time. If you are detained and do not attend on one occasion, make up for it the next time, bringing yourself to Christ’s Church. Otherwise you may remain uncured, suffering from unbelief in your soul because of deeds or words, and failing to approach Christ’s surgery to receive, like the divine Thomas, holy healing. There exist not only thoughts and words of faith BUT ALSO DEEDS AND ACTS OF FAITH — "SHEW ME," IT SAYS, "THY FAITH BY THY WORKS" (James 2:18) — and if someone abandons these and is completely distanced from the Church of Christ and given over wholly to worthless pursuits, HIS FAITH IS DEAD, OR NON-EXISTENT, AND HE HIMSELF HAS BECOME DEAD THROUGH SIN…

"… So let us, brethren, meet together and often come to God’s Church, where all who are truly godly are present and never stay away. When each of you enters the church, look for the more godly of those within, whom you can recognize just by seeing how they stand in attentive silence. Watch for those who are more pious and God-fearing than the rest, and go and attach yourself to them, and attend upon God with them… If you do this, I know for sure that Christ will invisibly come to you, give peace within the thinking part of your soul, increase your faith, strengthen your steadfastness, and in due time set you among His chosen in the heavenly Kingdom.

May we all attain to this in Him Who has now died and risen for us and afterwards will come in glory, Christ the King of the ages, to Whom belongs glory unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Homilies)

___________
"Glory Be To GOD

For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George