| It resembles a rock, where the only thing accomplished by the breaking waves of political influence, the thoughtless use of technology, tourism, the inter-monastic quarrels, rivalries, even hatreds, or the localist perceptions and the various kinds of enemies is that these all temporarily wash over it, or simply glide over its exterior, leaving its interior literally intact. There is something there that does actually safeguard it. It could be its monastic multiformity; perhaps its perennial endurance; perhaps the natural feeling behind its monastic expression; perhaps it is the maternal shelter and protection of the Theotokos; perhaps its special charm. Despite its theocracy, the mighty “Byzantium” finally fell, after 11 centuries of glory. The Mountain is currently covering the 14th century of its life, yet it is still pacing along with the pace of the aeon to come, giving one the feeling that it is a place not of this world (Jn 18:36), whose association with Time is equivalent to the contact of its surface with the air, while its polity is found in Heaven (Phil 3:20). Majestic Mountain, Rugged Mountain (Pss 68) By retaining a loose association with secular and ephemeral things, and by perpetually looking towards the End of Time and upwards at the heights, it resembles an embrace that accommodates everyone, and a gaze that discerns the beyond, of both Time and Logic. The Mountain may have its geographical coordinates in Hellas, but it does not belong to her. It might just be the par excellence part of Orthodox life, which underlines the catholicity and the ecumenicity of the Church; among its monasteries, it has a Russian one, a Serbian one and a Bulgarian one. It has two Rumanian scetes and it offers hospitality to monks from such faraway civilizations as Peru and Colombia. Divine Worship is performed within its geographical terrain in a number of languages; a variety of cultures are expressed; numerous traditions are displayed; there exists a wonderful and balanced variety. None of these factors hinders the unity of faith, the catholicity of the Orthodox spirit, or the ecumenicity of ecclesiastic witness. |
| 1) Christian solidarity Worldwide, an international organization for protecting persecuted Christians ( http://www.csw.org.uk ). It gives statistics concerning the persecutions according to regions, analytical materials and numerous video clips. Based in Great Britain, this organization also provides legal support for Christians persecuted in countries in which the Christian confession is prohibited in this or that form. 2) International Christian Concern, a US human rights organization maintaining at http://www.persecution.org an internet resource called ‘Persecution’. It is an important resource which includes a detailed survey according to world regions and particular countries. 3) Barnabas Fund,an international organization ( http://www.barnabasaid.org ) which publishes the latest news about facts of the killing and persecution of Christians in the world. There is a solid bulk of related news concerning the latest events in Syria and Egypt. This organization is one of the few ones which organize continuous help to Christians in Syria whose situation is getting worse with every day because of the actions of militants. 4) Open Doors, an international organization ( http://www.opendoorsuk.org ) which places on its website detailed surveys according to countries and continents. Recently it has published an annual list of 50 countries in which Christians are subjected to the severe discrimination, the so-called ‘World Watch List’. Countries are divided into four groups according to the extent of pressure brought to bear on their Christian communities. The Christian Church began to be persecuted since the very first years of its existence. The Church is a divine-human organism; it belongs at the same time to the upper and lower worlds. The Archenemy cannot reconcile himself to its nature being not of this world. The Lord Jesus Christ said on several occasions that Christians would be persecuted in the world: ‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also (Jn. 15:20). |
| The disciples rejoiced, seeing the Lord (Jn. 20:20). The apostles found grace when they beheld the risen Messiah. They understood that it was He, risen from the dead, who stood now before their eyes, and they were beholding Him personally, face to face. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you (Jn. 16:22). And so the disciples “were amazed at the unexpectedness and improbability” of what they saw, radiant and shining. He said to them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. (Lk. 24:41-43). He eats in front of them… After His Resurrection, the Savior’s body was incorruptible, and therefore had no need of food. The Risen One took food not according to the nature of mortals, not by the process of digestion. The food was burned by divine energy, as the flame of a candle burns wax, and not processed in the natural human way. “He did this in order to prove His Resurrection to them …” Now the disciples see that Christ Himself is standing before them with a transfigured and spiritual body. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (Jn. 20:21-23). But during the apostle Thomas was not present this appearance in the upper room, and when the apostles told him, We have seen the Lord, he asks for proof. Why? The disciples having seen the Lord (Jn. 20:20) and receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit, said to Thomas that they had seen and recognized Him, and understood rightly that before them was the Risen One Himself. Thomas wanted the same thing. Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (Jn. 20:25). |
| Holy and Great Tuesday. Parable of the ten virgins. Modern Greek fresco. Dear brothers and sisters, drawing near to the days of His passion, the Lord was especially close and candid with His disciples. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you (Jn. 15:15), said the Savior to the apostles. He no longer secretly, but now with special clarity, announced to them that He had to suffer, so as to prepare them for His suffering: Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified (Mt. 26:2). Seeing grief engulfing the apostles, He comforted His disciples with the promise that He would not leave them. And moreover, the Lord did not conceal that the same fate that their Divine Teacher suffered awaited them also, and all Christians in general: Remember the word that I said unto you… If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also… If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (Jn. 15:20, 18-19). And again, seeing them sorrowful, the Lord comforted them: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world… And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever… and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world… Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (Jn. 16:33; 14:16; Mt. 28:20; Jn. 14:27). The Lord asks His disciples to abide in Him and fulfill His commandments, for without Him they cannot do anything: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me… If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you… I go to prepare a place for you. And… I will come again (Jn. 15:4, 7; 14:2, 3). |
| Instead of chiding her, the Savior praised her with the art of a great Teacher and Doctor, saying, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. And then, understanding that her life was open before the Lord, she agreed with Him and said, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet (Jn. 4:15-19). There is no doubt: Her agreement with the Lord cleanses and changes her soul. The Samaritan Woman, pronouncing the words of agreement, becomes a new person, and is cleansed. Spiritual interest is awakened in her. In its appearance consists another crossing over from the worse to the better. As a result, the Samaritan Woman immediately asks the Lord an important religious question, which probably occupied not just her, but also her countrymen. Having said, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet , she continues, Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship (Jn. 4:19-20). Christ the Savior explains to the Samaritan Woman that God can be worshiped anywhere, and at the same time calls God “Father.” He says, But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24). We can see in these words of the Savior an oblique reference to the mystery of the All-Holy Trinity. Worship the Father, that is, the first Person of the Holy Trinity, in the Spirit, that is, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, and Truth, that is, in the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Recall that Christ said about Himself, I am the Truth (Jn. 14:6). Thus, to worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth means to enter into communion with the entire Holy Trinity. What a joy it is to worship God! Again, the Samaritan Woman experienced so many saving crossovers from worse to better: a pedestrian crossing when she walked from home to the well, a transition from reproach to request that Christ give her the living water, a shift from superstition—that God could only be worshiped on a specific mountain—to the true faith in the Heavenly Father, Who is to be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth, and a crossing over from an unenlightened condition to faith in Christ as Savior. |
| Fr. Seraphim Holland, rector of the St. Nicholas Church in McKinney, Texas, answers ten questions on the first Sunday after Pascha—Thomas Sunday, also known as “Antipascha.” Question When is the Sunday of St. Thomas? Why? On the Sunday of St. Thomas, two hymns normally sung in Sunday matins are not sung. What are these hymns? Why are they not sung? Answer St Thomas Sunday is the Second Sunday of Pascha, or, said another way, the first Sunday after the Sunday of Pascha. The Gospel text for the day gives a clue as to why the celebration is at this time: 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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you (Jn. 20:19). But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (Jn. 20:24-26). And 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... (Jn. 20:27). On the Sunday of St. Thomas, the Resurrectional Evlogitaria sung before the Hymns of ascent which precede the Gospel, and immediately after either the Polyeleos or 118th psalm in normal times) are not sung, and neither is the “Magnificat” (“My soul magnifies the Lord...,” which is usually sung between the eighth and ninth ode of the matins canon). These hymns are omitted because the feast of St. Thomas Sunday is a “Feast of the Lord,” and it supersedes EVERYTHING from the normal Resurrectional service, just as Nativity, or another feast of the Lord would. Question A Hymn normally sung once in Sunday matins is sung three times, in the matins for St. Thomas Sunday, and until when? What is the hymn? |
| The events to which Antipascha is dedicated took place on the eighth day after the Resurrection. The Apostle Thomas was not present at the Savior’s first appearance to the disciples. Apparently, he was not in town. The Apostles whom Thomas then met joyfully announced their Teacher’s Resurrection to him. It can be supposed that they also related to him how Jesus had allowed them to touch His feet, hands, and side. Thus, his own desire for this is understandable: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (Jn. 20:25). The Apostle Thomas’s unbelief has nothing to do with the hardened unreceptiveness that we see in the Jewish leaders toward the miracle of the Resurrection. This was a perfectly natural wish to confirm his faith through a manifest and obvious testimony. The Resurrected Jesus renewed His appearance to the Apostles on the eighth day, standing before them in the chamber where the doors where closed. He answered the Apostle Thomas’ doubt with the same words that Thomas had used to express it. This could not but have amazed the doubting disciple: Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing (Jn. 20:27). This is probably the reason why Thomas did not make use of his Teacher’s invitation to touch His hands, feet, and side, but rather believed immediately and confessed Jesus Christ as God: My LORD and my God (Jn. 20:28)! People who stubbornly reject the divinity of the Savior of the world, pass over this passage in the Gospels. The first week after Pascha is called Renewal week, or the week of Antipascha (the Greek prefix, anti, means “in place of”)—that is, the renewal of Pascha. On this Sunday, the Lord repeated and renewed for all eleven of the Apostles His appearance on the first day after the Resurrection. But because the renewal of the Savior’s appearance was especially for the sake of the Apostle Thomas, the eighth day after Pascha is called Thomas Sunday. Following directly after the Paschal week, it completes the most solemn part of the great feast. Therefore, Thomas Sunday is sometimes called the eighth day after Pascha. St. Gregory the Theologian writes, “The law of honoring the day of renewal is ancient and of good intent; or it would be better to say, to honor with the day of renewal a new act of goodness. But was not the first day of Resurrection, the Sunday which followed the holy and light-bearing night, the day of renewal? Why is that name given to the present day? That day was the day of salvation, and this day is the day of remembrance of salvation” (Homily 44, on the Sunday of Renewal). |
| En el profeta Daniel, leemos la revelación dada por el arcángel Gabriel sobre las setenta semanas (490 años), como plazo definido antes de la venida de Cristo para la restauración de Jerusalén, antes de su muerte y cese del Antiguo Testamento, es decir suspensión de los sacrificios en el Templo de Jerusalén (Dn. 9:2–27.) Las promesas y predicciones, en primer lugar, mantenían en alto el espíritu del pueblo elegido, en especial en los períodos difíciles de su vida; en segundo lugar, preparaban al pueblo para que pueda reconocer – gracias a estas predicciones – la cercanía del tiempo prometido, y sobre todo, reconocer al Mismo Salvador en la imagen dada por los profetas. Gracias a estas predicciones cercanas al tiempo de Su advenimiento, hubo una espera tensa y animosa entre judíos piadosos. Esto lo vemos en el Evangelio. Así fue la espera del anciano Simeón, al cual le fue anunciado que no vería la muerte hasta no ver a Cristo, el Señor (Luc. 11:26.) Tal fue la respuesta de la samaritana al Salvador: «sé, que ha de venir el Mesías, llamado el Cristo, cuando Él venga nos declarará todas las cosas» ( Jn. 4:20–25 .) Los judíos que se le acercaban a San Juan Bautista le hacían preguntas como: «¿eres tú, el Cristo?» ( Jn. 1:20–25 .) Las palabras de Andrés, el primer llamado, a su hermano Simón después de su primer encuentro con Cristo fueron: «hemos hallado al Mesías» ( Jn. 1:41 .) De la misma forma, las palabras de Felipe a Nathaniel, en el relato evangelista sobre su convocatoria al Apostolado (ver 44–45.) Sobre lo mismo testimonia el ánimo del pueblo al momento de la entrada del Señor a Jerusalén. 3. – Es necesario añadir a lo relatado, que el recibimiento del Salvador fue preparado no solamente para el pueblo judío, sino que participó todo el mundo, aunque en menor escala. En el mundo pagano se conservan, claro que en modo alterado, tradiciones sobre el origen y el feliz estado original del hombre (la edad de oro), sobre la caída de los primeros padres en el paraíso, sobre el diluvio, como consecuencia de la corrupción en la humanidad, y, lo que es más importante de todo – la tradición sobre la venida del Redentor de todo el género humano y la espera de Su redención, según lo vemos en obras de Platón, Plutarco, Virgilio, Ovidio, y otros, en conjunto con la historia religiosa del antiguo mundo (predicciones de la Sibila, según la leemos en Cicerón y Virgilio.) |
| Once, as the rector of the church in the name of the Apostle Thomas , I happened to hear such a conversation: “This church is abnormal—only unbelievers come here. That’s why it’s named in honor of Thomas the unbeliever!” It’s just a little anecdote, but it causes many to wonder, who is this “unbelieving” apostle? The Lord Jesus Christ chose for Himself twelve men to be His closest disciples. By His commission the apostles founded the first Christian communities and led the Church. One of these twelve was Thomas. The touch of Divine might does not break the human personality. After turning to Christ the same character and temperament which were given to him at birth remain with a man, but in the meantime all his personal qualities simply blossom by contact with the Lord’s life. Thomas, apparently, was by nature skeptical and stubborn, and these qualities especially manifested themselves in his ministry. For example, during the earthly life of the Savior, when all the apostles feared to go to Jerusalem , where Christ was threatened with punishment, Thomas simply said: Let us also go, that we may die with Him (Jn. 11:16). And now the obstinacy of a Christian often turns into steadfastness and is connected with a peculiar bravery. When the Lord appeared to His disciples for the first time after His Resurrection, for some reason Thomas was not with them. When the other apostles told him of the Resurrection of Christ, the “unbelieving” apostle said: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (Jn. 20:25). It turned out to be quite difficult to accept the news about the victory over death even for those who saw Christ face to face and learned from Him. But Thomas was honest in his doubts and didn’t feign to believe. Surely his brethren tried to convince him, but he remained firm—he needed to personally make sure that Christ was risen. Fr. Daniel Sisoyev A week later all the apostles gathered together, and Christ again appeared to them. Seeing the risen Teacher, Thomas “the unbeliever” froze on spot in amazement, but the Lord said to him: Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God (Jn. 20:27-28)—thus he is the first of all the disciples of Christ to call Him God. |
| En efecto, esto era lo que el Señor no quería, enseñando que Él no había venido a gobernar en apariencia, no para ser servido como un gobernante terrenal ( Mt. 20:28 ), y que Su Reino no es de este mundo (Ju. 18:36), Su Reino es puramente espiritual . Por ello el Señor rechaza al demonio: «¡Apártate Satanás!» ( Mt. 4:10 ), citando las palabras del Deuteronomio (6:13): «Adoraras al Señor tu Dios, y a Él solo rendirás culto.» Con esto Jesús muestra que Él no acepta la autoridad del demonio sobre el mundo, pues el universo pertenece al Señor Dios, y Él es el Único que será adorado. Según el Evangelio de Lucas el demonio se alejo de Jesucristo «hasta el momento oportuno» ( Lk. 4:13 ), porque pronto comenzará a tentar al Señor a través de la gente, creando todo tipo de intrigas. El Evangelista Marcos hace una importante referencia al hecho de que, en el desierto, Jesús «vivía entre las fieras» ( Mk. 1:13 ). Como el Nuevo Adán, las bestias salvajes no se atrevían a atacarlo reconociendo en Él a su Soberano. Los primeros discípulos de Cristo. ( Jn. 1:35–51 ). Luego de las tentaciones del demonio Nuestro Señor Jesucristo se dirigió una vez mas hacia el Jordán al encuentro de Juan. Entretanto, en la víspera de su retorno, el Bautista dio un nuevo y triunfal testimonio de Cristo ante los fariseos – pero esta vez no de la venida del Mesías como promesa, sino como una realidad. Sólo el Evangelio de Juan narra este suceso ( Jn. 1:19–34 ). Sacerdotes y levitas fueron enviados por los judíos desde Jerusalén para interrogar a Juan. Ellos querían saber si acaso él no era el Cristo, pues según sus creencias era sólo el Mesías-Cristo quien podía bautizar. «Él [el Bautista] confesó y no lo ocultó, sino que dijo claramente: Yo no soy el Cristo» (Ju. 1:20). Luego le preguntaron si acaso no era un profeta, a lo que Juan contestó: «Yo soy la voz que grita en el desierto» ( Jn. 1:23 ), enfatizando que su bautismo con agua tal como su ministerio todo es solo preparatorio , y para evitar otras preguntas, concluye su respuesta con una declaración triunfante: «Entre ustedes hay Uno a quien ustedes no conocen; es Él Quien, viniendo después de mí, me precede» (Ju. 1:26–27). Él comienza su ministerio después de mí pero tiene existencia eterna y dignidad Divina, «y yo no soy digno de desatar la correa de Su sandalia» (Ju. 1:27). Este testimonio fue dado en Betabara donde las multitudes acostumbraban a acudir a Juan. Al día siguiente, Juan vio acercarse a Jesús y dijo: «Este es el Cordero de Dios, que quita el pecado del mundo»; confirmando que Aquel que bautiza con el Espíritu Santo, es el Hijo de Dios , pues: " yo vi al Espíritu descender del cielo en forma de paloma y posarse sobre Él» (Ju. 1:29–34). |
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