SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELISTG R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H

a n t i pa s c h a - s t. t hom a s s u n da y The icon depicting this event is called in Greek, The Touching of Thomas. The Slavonic inscription is, The Belief of Thomas. When St Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. This day is also known as Antipascha. This does not mean opposed to Pascha, but in place of Pascha. Beginning with this first Sunday after Pascha, the Church dedicates every Sunday of the year to the Lords Resurrection. Sunday is called Resurrection in Russian, and the Lords Day in Greek. Saint John of the Ancient Caves is so called because he lived during the eighth century in the Lavra of St Chariton (September 28). This was called the Old, or ancient cave, since it was one the oldest of the Palestinian monasteries. The Lavra was situated not far from Bethlehem, near the Dead Sea. St John in his early years left the world, went to venerate the holy places of Jerusalem, and settled at the Lavra, where he labored in fasting, vigil, and prayer. He was ordained to the holy priesthood, and glorified by his ascetic life. The Holy Martyrs Christopher, Theonas, and Anthony were officers in the army of the emper-or Diocletian (284-305). They were present at the sufferings of the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23), they saw the miracles accomplished by the power of God, and they witnessed St Georges faith and unshakable courage. The soldiers came to believe in the Savior, threw down their golden military belts, and de-clared themselves Christians in front of the emperor. They were immediately thrown into pris-on. The next day the emperor urged the former soldiers to renounce Christ, but they firmly confessed their faith and glorified the Savior as the true God. The emperor ordered that the martyrs be beaten with iron rods, and their bodies to be raked with hooks. The holy martyrs endured all the torments and remained unyielding. Then Diocle-tian gave orders to burn them. The martyric death of Sts Christopher, Theonas, and Anthony occurred in the year 303.

1510 audubon drive columbia, missouri, 65201 tel. 573.817.0050 / fax 573.449.8452email: info@saintlukecolumbia.org web: www.saintlukecolumbia.org

a p r i l 19, 2 01 5

at the small entrance we sing

apolytikion of the feast. Mode 5.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death he has tram-pled down upon death, and on those in the tombs He is bestowing life.

apolytikion of the feast. Mode varys.

O Life, You rose from the sepulcher, even though the tomb was secured with a seal, O Christ God. And though the doors had been bolted, You came to Your disciples, O Resurrection of all. Through them You renew a right spirit in us, according to Your great mercy.

Kontakion. Mode 8.

Though You went down into the tomb O Immortal One yet You brought down the dominion of Ha-des and You rose as the victor O Christ our God and You called out Rejoice, to the Myrrh-bearing women and gave peace to Your Apostles O Lord who to the fallen grant resurrection.

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instead of

You, the brightly shining lantern and the Mother of our God,* the conspicuous glory,* you are superior to all creation.* We hymn you and magnify.

communion hymn. TONe 1.

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. Alleluia.

instead of: We have seen the true light, & Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Christ is risen from the dead, by death he has tram-pled down upon death, and on those in the tombs He is bestowing life.

St. Maximos said, He who loves God cannot but love all men as he would love himself, even if he does feel sorrow at the passions of those who are not yet pure. For this reason precisely, he feels boundless and inexpressible joy when he sees their repentance and cor-rection.

evergetinos, 4, 49

THE READINGS OF THE DAY

e p i s t l e r e a di ngActs of the Apostles 5:12-20

In those days, even more, many signs and won-ders were accomplished among the people by the hands of the apostles, and they were all [gath- ered] with one accord in Solomons porch. No one else dared to join them, even though they were honored by the people. More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. People even carried out the sick into the streets, placing them on cots and mattresses, so that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. Crowds also formed from the cities around Jerusalem; they brought sick people, as well as those tormented by unclean spirits, and all were healed. However, the high priest took action, along with all his associates (which is the sect of the Sad-ducees). Filled with jealousy, they laid their hands on the apostles and placed them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night and brought them out, saying, Go, stand in the temple, and speak to the people the whole message about this life.

g o s p e l r e a di ngJohn 20: 1931

In the evening on that [same] day (the first day of the week), and as the doors [of the place] where the disciples were assembled were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. At this, the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Then again, Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and told them, Re-ceive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyones sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyones sins, they are retained. However, Thomas, called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord! But Thomas replied, Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe! After eight days, his disciples were inside once again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them, and he said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and see my hands! Place your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing! And Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed. Now Jesus accomplished many other signs in the pres-ence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. However, these ones are written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his Name.

St. Diadochos said, One cannot love God and his heart be warmed by the sensation of His love, if he does not first feel within his heart the fear of God. For the power of fear of God soothes and softens the soul, so that it can attain to a state of forceful and vibrant love of Him.

evergetinos, 4, 39

announcementsSaturday, January 25, Great Vespers, 5pm

pascha flowers

We are still accepting donations for Pascha flowers. Please place your donation in the designated box in the Narthex. To those who have already given, please accept our sincere thanks for your generos-ity!

give a month towards our future

As we did in 2014, we would again like to offer fam-ilies and individuals the opportunity to help offset our additional mortgage payment with a donation of $640. If you would like to sponsor one month for 2015, please contact Fr. Michael. Thus far 3 commitments have been made for 2014.

holy land presentation

OCF Students, Matthew Monos and John Tsika-las will be giving a presentation after the pot luck next Sunday, April 26 about their recent OCF Real Break trip to Jerusalem. Please join us for what promises to be an informative presentation.

philoptochos gift cards

The next deadline for gift card orders will be May 12. Please see Ronni Harwood or Karen Sade to place an order. This will be the last time to order

until the Fall, so plan to stock up now for your sum-mer needs!

purple barrel

Dont forget the purple barrel for the Food Bank. We are always collecting non-perishable food items for the Food bank. We are also always collecting butter and margarine for St Francis House. Thank you for your generosity!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! ! !

u p c o m i ng c h u r c h s e r v ic e s: Thursday, April 23, St. George the Trophy-bearer, Orthros / Divine Liturgy, 8:30am

Saturday, April 25, Great Vespers, 5pm

Abba Isaiah said, At the appoint-ed time of the Divine Mystagogy, compel your thoughts and feelings to be fixed on the fear of God in His presence in order to be wor-thy of the Divine Mysteries and so that the Lord might thereby heal you. If, however, you cannot con-trol your thoughts, then do not ap-proach Divine Communion, so as not to be condemned by God; for Holy Communion signifies union with God.

evergetinos, 4, 375

Brethren and Fathers, Pascha is now here, the festive day that brings us joy and gladness, the day of Christs Resurrection, which comes round once a year, or, to put it better, occurs daily and perpetually in those who know its mystery, filling our hearts with joy and inex-pressible elation. At the same time, it marks the end of the efforts of the holy fast, or, better, has perfected our souls and has, at the same time, comforted them. So, as you see, it has sum-moned all the faithful to rest and thanksgiving. Let us therefore give thanks to the Lord, Who has helped us chart the sea of the fast and has brought us, full of joy, to the haven of His Resurrection. All of us who kept to the road of the fast will-ingly and strictly, full of fervor, and striving for the acquisition of the virtues, let us give thanks to Him, and let us do so even if we were less zealous than we should have been, through ne-glect and spiritual lassitude. Because He it is Who grants, crowns to the zealous and rewards them commensurately to their efforts and, to those who are spiritu-ally weaker, still awards forgiveness, given that Hes merciful and loves us. He gauges more the dispositions and intentions of our souls rather than the bodily labours with which we exer-cise ourselves in virtue, whether we engage in greater asceticism, with unstinting enthusiasm, or do less than the great strivers, because of the weakness of our bodies. According to our in-tentions, He shares the prizes and the gifts of the Spirit with each one of us, granting fame

and glory to the most zealous, or leaving them on a lower level so that they have need of more diligent purification. But, if you agree, let us examine carefully what the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ our God is, which, in us who so desire, is al-ways celebrated mystically; and how Christ is buried within us, as in a tomb; and how, having become united with our souls, rises and raises us with Him. What I have in mind to say is this: Christ our God was crucified and nailed to the Cross the sin of the world; he tasted death and descended into the lowest depths of hell. When He rose from Hell, He re-entered His spotless body (from which He had not been separated in His descent) and immediately arose from the dead and was later taken up into the heavens with great glory and power. In the same way as we have left the world of sin and, in imitation of the sufferings of the Lord, have entered the tomb of humility and repentance, so He, descending from the heavens, entered as it were into a tomb, our body and, having become united with our souls, resurrects them, though they were clearly dead. And then Christ permits those who have been raised with Him in this way to see His mystical resurrection. Christs resurrection, then, is also the resur-rection of us who live here below. It has been written that He never fell into sin, nor was the least part of His glory altered in any way, so how will He ever rise and be glorified, since He is forever glorified more than all else and is above all authority and power, remaining

How does Christs Resurrection take place within us?

by St. Symeon the New Theologian

the same. As has been said, Christs resurrec-tion and glory are ours, too, which, through His resurrection in us have occurred and are manifested in us and are seen by us. Having once and for all appropriated what is ours, He attributes to Himself the things He works in us. The resurrection of the soul is union with life. Unless the dead body receives the living soul in itself and is joined to it (though not mingled with it), it cant live or be called alive. In the same way, the soul cant live unless its ineffably and without confusion united to God, Who is truly eternal life. Before this union in knowledge, vision and perception, its dead, albeit with an intellectual existence and an im-mortal nature. Theres no knowledge without vision and no vision without perception. What I mean is that there is vision, and, in the vision, knowledge and perception. Im talking about spiritual matters here, since in the corporeal realm there is perception without vision. What do I mean? A blind person who stubs their toe on a stone feels it, but a dead person wouldnt. In spiritual matters, unless the intellect at-tains to the vision of things beyond thought, it doesnt perceive mystical activity. Those who, before achieving contempla-tion in the spiritual realm, claim to perceive the things that are above intellect, word and mean-ing, are like someone whos blind, who has a feeling for whats good or bad, but isnt aware that whats in his hands or at his feet might be a matter of life or death for him. Since hes de-prived of the faculty of sight and perception, he has no way of knowing whether whats coming to him is bad or good. So hell often raise his stick to defend himself against an enemy, yet,

quite probably, strike a friend instead, while his enemy stands before him and laughs at him. Most people believe in the Resurrection of Christ, but very few of them actually see it clearly. But if you havent seen it, you cant wor-ship Jesus Christ as the Holy One and the Lord. Its said that: No-one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit, and elsewhere God is Spirit and those who worship Him should do so in spirit and in truth. That most holy for-mulation which is on our lips every day doesnt say: In that weve believed in the Resurrection of Christ but rather In that weve beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Lord Jesus, the only sinless One. How is it that the Holy Spirit encourages us to say in that weve beheld the Resurrec-tion of Christ, as though wed seen it, when, in fact, we havent? After all, Christ rose a thou-sand years ago and no-one saw it at the time. Surely the divine Scriptures dont expect us to lie? Far from it. Rather they order us to tell the truth, which is that it, that is Christs resurrec-tion, occurs in each and every one of us believ-ers, not once and for all but every hour of the day, in a manner of speaking, when Christ the Lord has risen in us, effulgent and radiating the lightning shafts of incorruption and the Deity. The light-bearing presence of the Spirit shows us, like the dawn, or rather allows us to see the Resurrection of the Lord. This is why we say God is the Lord and has appeared to us [The Greek could also mean and has shone upon us]. And we refer to His Second Coming in these terms: Blessed is He Who is coming in the name of the Lord. To those to whom

the Risen Christ has appeared, entirely in the Sprit, He has shown Himself to their spiritual eyes. When this happens to us in the Spirit, He raises us and quickens us, and allows us to see Him all alive in us, immortal and indestruc-tible as He is. Moreover, he clearly permits us to know Him Who raises us up with Him and with Whom we are glorified, as all the Holy Scriptures testify. These, then are the divine mysteries of the Christians, the hidden power of our faith, which the unbelievers, the sceptics and the partial believers neither see nor are able to see. The unbelievers, sceptics and partial believers are those who dont demonstrate their faith through works. Because even the demons be-lieve and confess that Christ is God and the Lord, though they have no works. We know you, they say, the Son of God, and elsewhere These people are servants of God the Most High. But this faith is of no benefit to them, be-cause, according to the divine Apostle [ James 2, 26], Faith without works is dead, just as deeds are without faith. How is it dead? Because, within it, it doesnt have the life-giving God, it hasnt laid hold on Him Who said: He who loves me will keep my com-mandments and the Father and I will come and dwell in him. So that He may, by His presence, raise from the dead those who have acquired faith and quicken them, and allow them to see Him Who has risen in them and has raised them up. This is why such faith is dead, are rather theyre dead who have it but have noth-ing to show for it. Faith in God is always alive and, living as it does, gives life to those who approach it with pure intentions and receive

it. It brought many people from death to life and showed them Christ and God, even before they started performing His commandments. Had they but persevered in the observation of His commandments and kept them till they died, they too, would have been preserved by them, that is, in the condition into which faith alone had brought them. But since they turned aside like a crooked bow and pierced them-selves upon their earlier actions, they obvious-ly wrecked the ship of their faith and, unfortu-nately, deprived themselves of the true riches, Christ our God. Therefore I would urge you, let us keep Gods commandments with all our strength, so that we dont share their fate but enjoy both the present and future blessings, that is, the actual vision of Christ. May we all attain to this, through the grace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory unto the ages. Amen.

TO Him be Glory and Dominion, to the ages

of ages.