“It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O ye peoples; Pascha the Pascha of the Lord; for Christ God hath brought us from death to life, and from earth to heaven, as we sing the triumphal hymn.”
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen! Христосъ воскресе! Hristos a înviat! Χριστός ἀνέστη!
Having celebrated the radiant night of Pascha, our labour is now to preserve the grace and joy of the feast, with the Resurrection as the centre of our lives, and our inheritance through Holy Baptism.
As Christians, we are children of the Light and of the Resurrection, no matter how dark and threatening the world is.
In fact, the darker the world and life, the brighter the Light of Christ may shine in the darkness of suffering, pain, confusion and every trial that humanity faces, but for that to happen, our focus must be on Christ, the Light of the World, not on the deepening darkness.
How perverse it is that we are often so focussed on the darkness that we turn our faces away from the Risen Lord, our Light and Life.
The Saviour was arrested in the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane and was brought to Pilate by night. The world was plunged into darkness in the moment of His death on Golgotha, and His body rested in darkness of the tomb… yet all of this was but a brief moment before the radiant glory of the Resurrection, and even as the world was in darkness the Saviour, “the Light that knows no evening”, descended into the realm of death and harrowed Hades, bringing light and life to the righteous of the Old Covenant, raising them in His own Rising.
We must not fear darkness: the darkness of illness, of death, of wars and revolutions, of insecurity, of anxiety, of the degenerate darkening “progress” of the world… for Christ has overcome darkness, even entered the depths of sheol, trampling down death by death, bringing light, life and hope, and above all the promise given to the repentant thief upon the cross, “Truly, I say to you. Today, you will be with me in paradise.”
The world is the world – fallen and still falling in its rebellion and lawlessness – yet, within it the faithful walk in the Light of Christ, sharing it with those in darkness and offering hope, but ultimately that hope is not in an earthly utopia, but in the fullness of the resurrectional life the Kingdom of God in the age to come.
This joyful celebration of the Lord’s Pascha is the sign and foretaste of this future life of the Eighth Day in the midst of our fragile and temporary earthly sojourn, whose meaning is to be found in the journey of St Dismas from the cross on the Saviour’s right hand to His right side in the Heavenly Kingdom.
This journey is one of repentance, (and enduring pain and darkness) and faith, with Christ as it’s meaning and His Resurrection as it’s calling and promise.
Let us now keep the feast with gladness, guarding its holiness and joy like a candle lit from the Holy Fire at the Lord’s Sepulchre, sharing the Eternal Joy and hope in the words of the angel at the sepulchre – “He is not here. He is risen!” – and no matter how frightening and dark the world and life becomes, remember the Saviour’s first words to the disciples, “Peace be with you all!”
This peace is not the world’s peace, but the peace from above, which may abide in our lives, no matter how troubled or painful they are, precisely because Christ has already gained the victory, despoiling hell and death and is truly risen!
“O great and most sacred Pascha, Christ! O Wisdom and Word of God and Power! Grant us more perfectly to partake of Thee, in the unwaning day of Thy kingdom.”
On the Holy and Great Saturday, the Canon, sung in place of the Compline, for the Divine Burial of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and for the Lamentation of our most holy Lady Theotokos.
Ode 1, plagal of the 2nd tone: He Who in ancient times hid the pursuing tyrant beneath the waves of the sea, is hidden beneath the earth by the children of those whom once He saved. But let us, like the maidens, sing unto the Lord, for gloriously is He glorified.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Willing to give Thy life for Thy creation, O my Saviour, Thou wast suspended on the Cross and wounded by the spear, but Thy spotless Mother, standing before Thee, was deeply troubled, O Master, beholding the wellsprings of Thy blood.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having inclined Thy divine neck, O my Saviour, Thou hast slept with a life-giving sleep upon the Tree, but all of creation is troubled and the heavenly ranks of Angels are shaken, seeing Thee suffering in the flesh.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Most swiftly and secretly did Thy Mother approach Joseph, Thy secret disciple, and lamenting mystically, she begged him to request Thy pure body from Pilate, the lawless judge.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
“Be gracious, O Joseph, to the Stranger who stands speechlessly before me and is pushed by the lawless ones, abandoned by friends and acquaintances, as I am lamenting together with only one disciple.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
“Come before Pilate – quickly, do not tarry! – and ask for the pure Body of Christ God and, taking it down from the Cross, hide it in thy tomb. The unmerciful ones shall no longer pierce His side!”
Ode 3: When the creation beheld Thee, Who hast hung the whole earth freely upon the waters, hanging on Golgotha, it was seized with horror and cried aloud: “There is none holy beside Thee, O Lord.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
No one dares to petition for the pure Body of the Teacher, dead and hung upon the Cross, naked, marked and covered with insults, unanointed, but rather deeply wounded in its side.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“First, Peter denied him, then all have abandoned the Teacher; feel sympathy, O noble man, and having petitioned, remove the Body of my Master and I alone will be weeping with longing as a Mother over her most beloved Child.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
O my Christ, as Joseph saw Thy Mother crying and heard her words, he felt the pain of sympathy and also raised the lament, and quickly rushed to ask for Thy pure Body.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
Giving assent to the pleading, Pilate grants Thy divine Body, and taking it from the Cross with Nicodemus, Joseph made it to recline in the grave, and the earth trembled and hastily gave back the dead out of the tombs.
Ode 4: Foreseeing Thy divine self-emptying upon the Cross, Habakkuk, amazed, cried out: “Thou hast cut asunder the strength of the mighty, O Good One, and preached to those in hades, as the Almighty One.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Embracing Thee, the blameless Mother kisses the wounds of Thy pure members, saying: “I will die with you, O Child, for I cannot bear the pouring of thine all-pure Blood!”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Embracing also Thy knees, the Birth-Giver placed her arms around them, lamenting – she kisses Thy hands and Thy side, which are still dripping with thy divine Blood, O Master.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
The Birth-Giver cried out, with her song of lamentation, “I embrace the voiceless mouth and the immovable lips of Him who by uttering a word placed a living man upon the earth.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
“The Persian kings, O Master, offered Thee gifts, venerating Thee as God, but now Nicodemus brings Thee burial unguents, O Child, as to a dead man. How shall I bury Thee, O God?”
Ode 5: Thy Theophany, O Christ, the Unwaning Light, that mercifully came to pass for us, Isaiah, keeping watch, beheld out of the night, and he cried aloud: “The dead shall arise, and those in the tombs shall be raised up, and all that are born of earth shall rejoice.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“I cannot bear to see Thee, deprived of breath, whom I suckled as a child when thou wast jumping in my arms. If Thou descendest into Hades to Adam, I shall descend as well, proclaiming Thy mystery to Eve!”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“Do not weep, O Mother,” Christ spoke in a divine manner to his Birth-Giver, “for thou shalt see me rising again, joyously uttering to thee ‘Rejoice!’, and raising Adam and Eve with Myself.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
“How do I endure, O Child, the pangs in my womb when I kiss Thine eyes, extinguished upon the Cross, which I saw before shining as fair in beauty, and giving sight to the blind with Thy divine assent.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
“I shall rather come with Thee, I shall see Thy glory in Hades, O my Son, and then I shall go up with Thee again, for I do not bear beholding Thy Body without breath or movement and kissing Thy wounded members.”
Ode 6: Caught but not held in the belly of the whale was Jonah; for, bearing the image of Thee, Who hast suffered and wast given to burial, he came forth from the monster as from a bridal chamber, and he called out to the watch: “O ye who keep guard falsely and in vain, ye have forsaken your own mercy.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“How didst thou, O Peter, deny the Saviour, whom thou didst confess to be Christ, the Son of the living God, and how didst thou abandon Him alone crucified on the Cross, having neither breath nor countenance, and didst not hasten swiftly to lower his Body into the tomb?” saith the Undefiled one in her motherly lamentation.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Word, the Pure and Undefiled [Lady] called together her friends, the myrrh-bearers, and stirred up the lament, crying: “Come, O friends, mourn the hard-toiling Body of the Teacher, come see the voiceless mouth, the lips that do not move, the eyes closed of Him in Whose hand is the breath of all the living beings.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
“Give me a word, do not remain silent, O Word,” cried the Pure and Undefiled One to Thee with weeping, “for I cannot endure to lay Thee breathless in the tomb, O my Son, who dost liberate the dead. O Master, behold Thy Mother who laments ceaselessly, for my heart was pierced with a flaming sword.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
“Come, all ye heavenly powers, see the Body of Christ abandoned by friends and acquaintances, even by the chosen disciples, and shudder in fear: alone I labour in lamenting my murdered Child with only one disciple, thy beloved Apostle.”
Ode 7: O ineffable wonder! He Who delivered the holy Children from the fiery furnace is laid a corpse without breath in the tomb, for the salvation of us who sing: “O God our Redeemer, blessed art Thou.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The hosts of angels, gazing from the heavens, were in fear seeing as dead in his Mother’s lap the One before Whom they stand trembling and Whom they behold as being in the bosom of the Father and raising the dead from Hades.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
All the ranks of angels above and below hurried, shaking in agitation, to behold the Body of Christ breathless, lying in His Mother’s lap, and seized with amazement and astounded they turned back in fear.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
O Christ, who shall lament Thy striking, scourging, mocking, and spitting, Thy crucifixion, the crown of thorns, gall and vinegar, and the piercing of the side? How shall I lament thee, O Son, Who art dead in the tomb?
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
To the mystical herald of thy Nativity, O Master, the Virgin spoke weeping: “Woe to me, O Gabriel, where are the good tidings, where is my ‘Rejoice’, where are (thy words) ‘Blessed (art thou among women)’? The Light which came out of my womb has been extinguished upon the Cross!”
Ode 8: Be ye astonished and afraid, O heaven, and let the foundations of the earth be shaken; for lo, He Who dwelleth on high is numbered with the dead and lodgeth as a stranger in a narrow tomb. Him do ye children bless, ye priests praise, and ye people supremely exalt unto all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“Seeing Thee naked, hanging on the Cross, O sweetest Child, how could the law-transgressing people have no compassion? But like savage beasts they pierced Thy divine side. How was the creation not destroyed in confusion? But it stood, being ever sustained by thy hand, O Word.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“Be astonished, O earth and heaven! O sun, extinguish the rays of your light! For behold, God the Word, Who established the light for thee and has shone out of my loins, has ascended upon the Cross, as He saw fit, willing to raise Adam. And holding Him breathless, I cannot bear the pains.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“O my Son and God, how shall I conceal in a dark grave Thine immaculate Body that emptied the tombs, and how shall I return empty-handed, not seeing thee, O Child? I cannot bear to depart from Thee, O my Son; I would rather die and descend into Hades!”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
“Hear, O earth and heaven, and incline your ear to my maternal laments! For behold, your Creator was buried by the lawless hands and is seen in the flesh without breath or countenance upon His Mother’s lap, the Fashioner slain for the sake of those who put him to death.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
The Pure One cried, “I wish I could still hear Thy sweetest voice, O Jesus, and that Thy comely lips might move, and thine eyes, fair in beauty, might shine with radiance. I wish I could see Thee rising again, O my Son, and be filled with joy instead of bitter tears!”
Ode 9: Weep not for Me, O Mother, beholding in the tomb the Son Whom thou hast conceived without seed in the womb; for I shall arise and shall be glorified, and as God I shall exalt with glory unceasing those that with faith and love magnify thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“Instead of swaddling bands, O my Son, I will wrap Thee in a burial shroud, instead of the manger, O my Light, I will lay Thee in a dark tomb; instead of milk, I will rain tears onto thine all-immaculate lips, and instead of hearing Thy living and beautiful words, I will converse with Thee as Thou layest dead.”
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
“Do not lament me as one dead in the tomb, O Mother, Whom thou didst behold reverently as God in swaddling bands, when the Persian magi worshipped Me and the angelic ranks hymned with fear. When I shall arise, thou wilt be the first to whom I shall appear.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
“Depart, O Child, into Hades, raising as God with Adam those who, being from Adam, fell into corruption! But I will shed for Thee maternal tears, sitting across the entrance to Thy tomb. I will lament until thou shalt rise again.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of age. Amen.
“O most blessed Mother, no longer weep and shed tears before the gates of the tomb: for I shall arise and be glorified, and, radiantly saying to thee, ‘Rejoice!’ I will send to thee ineffable joy when I shall ascend into the heavens.”
As the Lord went to His voluntary Passion, He said to His apostles on the way: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed, as it is written of Him.” Come, then, and let us also journey with Him, purified in mind; let us be crucified with Him and die for His sake to the pleasures of this life, that we may also live with Him and hear Him say: “No longer do I ascend to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God; and I shall raise you up to the Jerusalem on High in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Dear brothers and sisters, greetings as we begin Holy Week, after our Palm Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem, with many of the faithful confessing and communing.
Yesterday’s feast followed the joyful celebration of the Lazarus Saturday, celebrated in St Nicholas with the Liturgy and Ambrose’s baptism, with the Lazarus’s rising setting the scene for the Saviour’s entry into Jerusalem, to the acclaim of the crowds who had heard the wondrous news that he – already dead for four days – had been called forth from the tomb, and had risen from the dead, as we heard in the beautiful sequence “Rejoice, O Bethany”, chanted at the end of the Liturgy:
“Rejoice, rejoice, O Bethany! On this day God came to thee, God came to thee; and in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life!
When Martha went to receive Him, grieving loudly with bitter tears, bitter tears, she poured out the sorrow of her heart to Him, with great sadness, wailing her lament.
She at once cried out unto Him, “My most compassionate Lord! My Lord! At the great loss of my brother Lazarus my heart is broken, help me!
Jesus said to her, “Cease thy weeping, cease thy grieving and sad lament, sad lament; for thy brother, My most beloved friend Lazarus, very soon will live again! He will live again!
Then He, the faithful Redeemer, made His way unto the tomb, unto the tomb, where He cried unto him who was buried four days, calling him forth, saying, “Lazarus, arise! Lazarus, arise!
Come with haste, ye two sisters, and behold a wondrous thing, wondrous thing, for thy brother from the tomb has returned to life. To the beloved Redeemer now give thanks! Now give thanks!
To Thee, O Lord of creation, we kneel down in reverence profound, reverence profound; for all we who are dead in sin; in Thee, O Jesus, are made alive!
Rejoice, rejoice, O Bethany! On this day God came to thee, God came to thee; and in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life! He is the Life!
Lazarus’s rising was, of course, a foretaste of the resurrection, as was the baptism, but the baptism was more than this, as the initiation into the Saviour’s death and resurrection, which – though only a few days on from the raising of Lazarus – was yet to be accomplished to seal the promise of the life of the age to come and the Paschal Mystery.
We now enter this week of solemn commemoration of the saving acts of the Saviour’s Passion, culminating in the Resurrection form the Life-Giving Tomb, through which we are called to follow the repentant thief into Paradise.
After our weekend in Cardiff, due to our ongoing lack of local worship space, the services of Great and Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Liturgy of Great and Holy Thursday are in Llanelli, where matins is celebrated at 19:00 each evening, and where the Holy Thursday Liturgy will be celebrated on Thursday morning at 10:00.
From Thursday evening the following services will be celebrated in Cardiff:
2nd May – Holy Thursday evening: Service of the Twelve Gospels, 19:00 in St Mary’s Butetown, NOT St John’s
3rd May – Holy Friday afternoon: Vespers and the bringing out of the winding-sheet, 16:00 in St John’s, Canton
3rd May – Holy Friday evening: Matins of Holy Saturday – Burial service of the Lord, 19:00 in St John’s, Canton
4th May – Holy Saturday: Midnight Office, 23:30, St John’s, Canton – immediately followed by…
5th May – Sunday of Pascha: midnight 00:00 Paschal matins and Divine Liturgy, followed by blessing of Paschal foods and Paschal Breakfast
5th May – Sunday of Pascha: Paschal Vespers, 12:30, St John’s, Canton
Food baskets will be blessed after the Paschal Liturgy and before/after the Paschal vespers, as required.
As we have some parishioners who are unable to travel to Cardiff during the night of Pascha, I will administer Holy Communion after the Paschal Hours in St John’s on Sunday morning, with the Hours at 11:00. This will allow a chance to sit and have a cup of tea before vespers.
As was blessed last year, those who confessed before last weekend’s services are blessed to receive Holy Communion at the Paschal Liturgy. I will hear confessions before Thursday evening’s services, between the Friday services and before the Paschal night services.
With regard to the service of Pascha night, even though we finish at a late hour, we still need to clear the church, even though we will return the next day, so may I please remind everyone able to help that your assistance is very much needed. We will all be tired, but we still have t pack away!
Those who are able to stay after the night Liturgy are invited to bring food to share as we break the fast and enjoy the Lord’s bounty, after more than forty days of abstinence. I know that this is not the norm in most places in Eastern or Balkan Europe, but it is most certainly is in parishes in western Europe, where parishioners often also share food after Paschal Vespers on Sunday afternoon – even if only kulich, paskha, eggs and cheese. Simplicity is good!
Kulichy, are still on sale before and after services, priced at £6, as a fund-raiser for our parish.
Lest us all remain steadfast in this week, and if we have been slack or negligent, use this week to prepare for the commemoration of the Lord’s Passion through fasting and prayer, immersing ourselves in the saving events of the last week of the Saviour’s pre-resurrectional earthly life.
Ode I, Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dry-shod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
With Thy mercy, O Christ, wash away the defilement of transgressions from my lowly soul, and by the supplications of Thy venerable one dispel the darkness and gloom of the passions.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Having polluted the nobility of thy soul with carnal passions, thou didst enlighten thy mind again by abstinence, making thy soul bright with the outpouring of thy tears.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst flee from the passions of Egypt as from a wellspring of sin; and having freed thyself of the defilement of the cruel Pharaoh, thou hast now inherited the land of dispassion and ever holdest chorus with the angels.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Gazing upon the icon of thee and the Word Who was born of thine all-pure womb, O pure Virgin Theotokos and Mistress, the all-glorious one fervently entreated thee to be surety for herself before Him.
Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
The sores of thy soul stank and festered; but by the fountain of thy tears thou didst fervently cleanse them.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Legions of demons were vanquished by thee, and thou didst rout the uprisings of the passions with thy tears.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou hast become like a cloud of the morning and like a trickling droplet providing the waters of saving repentance for all.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having thee as her intercessor, salvation and strength, O pure one, the honoured Mary bowed down in worship before the Tree of the holy Cross.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone VIII: ,Spec. Mel. “Of the wisdom…”: Restraining all the uprisings of the flesh with the pangs of fasting, thou didst show forth the manly wisdom of thy soul; for, desiring to behold the form of the Cross, O ever-memorable one, thou didst crucify thyself to the world, and hence didst fervently raise thyself up to zeal for a life undefiled, O most blessed and all-glorious Mary. Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who with love honour thy holy memory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion: All of us, the generations of men, bless thee as the Virgin who, alone among women, gave birth without seed unto God in the flesh; for the fire of the Godhead made its abode within thee, and thou hast given suck unto the Creator and Lord as a babe. Wherefore, we, the race of angels and men, glorify thine all-holy birth-giving as is meet, and cry out to thee together: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offences unto those who with faith worship thine all-holy Offspring.
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion of Wednesdays and Fridays): The ewe-lamb, beholding the Lamb, Shepherd and Deliverer upon the Cross, cried out, weeping and, bitterly lamenting, exclaimed: “The world rejoiceth, receiving deliverance through Thee; but my womb doth burn, beholding Thy crucifixion, which Thou dost endure in the loving-kindness of Thy mercy. O long-suffering Lord, Abyss of mercy, inexhaustible Wellspring: take pity and grant remission of offences unto those who with faith hymn Thy divine sufferings!”
Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Fleeing all the pleasurable things which are in the world, thou didst take thyself away, and, alone, through extreme abstinence and the endurance of those things which thou didst, thou didst cleave unto One in a pure manner.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
The movements and burnings of the body didst thou truly suppress through abstinence; hence thou didst adorn thy soul with divine visions and actions, O most glorious Mary.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Through the power of thy virtue, thy tears and extreme fasting, by prayer, heat, winter’s cold and nakedness, thou didst become a precious receptacle for the Holy Spirit.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having had recourse unto the icon of thee and Him Who was born of thee, O Virgin Mary, Mary of Egypt hath now found immortal life through thee, joining chorus in Paradise.
Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Rejoicing, thou didst follow after Christ, bearing thine own cross on thy shoulder, O Mary; and thou didst wound the demons.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Thou hast shown us the medicine of repentance, and hast indicated also unto us the path which leadeth again to life which perisheth not.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Be thou for me an invincible helper, O honoured one, and deliver me from the passions and from all pain by thine entreaties to the Lord.Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ever beseeching thee, the venerable one gazed upon thine icon, O pure Mistress, and put to shame the assaults of the passions.
Ode VI, Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
With sweat thou didst wash away the defilement of sin; and, directing thy gaze mentally towards that glory which corrupteth not, thou hast now found fruitfulness through thy pangs, O glorious one.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Thy life, O Mary, hath been shown to be a model for all sinners who have sinned beyond measure in life, that they, too, may arise and wash away their defilement with tears.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Take pity, O Thou Who lovest mankind, on my lowly soul, which I have polluted by giving rein to the impure desires of my flesh; and through the supplications of the venerable one have mercy on me.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
With all thy heart and soul thou didst love the living Word of God Who was born incarnate of the Virgin, and Who spake unto thee, O venerable one.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone IV, Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up…”: Having fled the gloom of sin and illumined thine heart with the light of repentance, O glorious one, thou didst go to Christ and didst bring His all-immaculate and holy Mother to Him as a merciful intercessor; hence, thou didst find remission of thy transgressions and dost now rejoice ever with the angels.
Ikos:The serpent who of old caused Eve to fall through the deception of the tree in Eden, thou didst cast down into the pit through the Tree of the Cross, O glorious Mary; and, fleeing from pleasure, thou didst desire purity. Hence, with the virgins thou hast been accounted worthy to enter the chamber of thy Master and to delight with them as is meet. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He grant us remission of many sins and account us worthy of His life, and to rejoice ever with the angels.
Ode VII, Irmos:The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Having manifestly traveled the narrow path of tribulation and made thy soul radiant with the beauty of the virtues, thou didst attain unto the endless life of heaven, where Christ is the never-ending Light.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Having trampled down all the transient things in the world, thou dost now join chorus with all the armies of the angels, chanting: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With thy fasting, prayer and tears, O venerable one, thou didst cause all of the wiles and devices of the enemy to fail; therefore, the uprisings of the passions are now driven away from thee, O honoured Mary.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most pure one, who without knowing wedlock truly gavest birth unto the incorporeal God yet remained truly Virgin, by thy power thou hast driven away the passions and legions of demons.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Having illumined thy whole mind with the radiance of the virtues, O glorious Mary, and conversed with God, and broken down thy flesh with great fasting and pious thought, rejoicing thou didst chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Protecting thyself with the sign of the Cross, with faith traversing the waters of Jordan with thy dry-shod feet, having received communion of the Body and Blood of the heavenly Christ, thou didst say: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The godly priest Zosimas, an initiate of the mysteries of grace, when he beheld thee crossing the Jordan’s stream with dry-shod feet, O glorious one, seized with fear and trembling chanted, rejoicing: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Through thee, O all-undefiled one, did the venerable one put off corruption and defilement; by thee, O Mistress, was she clothed in the garment of incorruption; and with thee did she cry out to thy Son: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Ode IX, Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Thou art now nurtured on truly incorruptible and divine food, delighting in the noetic and unwaning Light in the mansions of heaven, where the ranks of angels entreat God in our behalf.
Venerable mother, Mary, pray to God for us.
Disdaining transitory and corruptible glory, O Mary, thou didst inherit blessed life and glory. Entreat Christ in behalf of those who ever celebrate thy most holy memory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Behold my sorrow and the groaning of my heart, O venerable one! Behold the imprisonment of my life! Save me from my sin, and take pity on my soul by thy mediations before the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O pure Mistress Theotokos, salvation of sinners, accept this entreaty, and, by the supplications of thy venerable one, from my transgressions deliver me who flee to thy Son.
Troparion, Tone VIII: In thee, O mother, that which was created according to the image of God was manifestly saved; for, accepting thy cross, thou didst follow after Christ; and, praying, thou didst learn to disdain the flesh, for thou didst transcend it, and to take care of thine immortal soul. Wherefore, with the angels doth thy soul rejoice, O venerable Mary.
Here we are in the last week of the Great Fast, before the one-day ‘season’ of Lazarus Saturday leads us into Holy Week. Personally, and I think for most people, every year’s Great Fast passes at what seems an unbelievable pace, and this year is no different. The key question, is whether we have made any progress in the season of the fast, which we should appreciate as a great gift the Lord grants us through the Sacred Tradition of the Church, focussing heart and mind on the mystery of repentance, to prepare us to greet the celebration of His Resurrection with spiritual renewal.
Those for whom the Great Fast has been a period of spiritual labour, benefit and gain, must beware that they are not robbed at the eleventh hour, or squander all that has been gained and achieved through carelessness and pride.
Conversely, if Great Lent has not gone as we hoped, we need to remind ourselves of the words that we will hear in the Paschal Homily of St John Chrysostom, and be encouraged by them NOW whilst there is an ‘hour’ in which to act in this Lenten season, before the joy and triumph of the Paschal night…
”If anyone has laboured from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay. For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has laboured from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious. He both honours the work and praises the intention.”
We know that these words of the Golden-Mouthed Great-Hierarch are simply an echo of the Lord’s parable, in which the labourer in the vineyard, hired at the end of the day receives the same pay as the one who laboured from its beginning. May they encourage us to be positive and focused, even if we have been careless until now!
The weekend was marked by a great gathering of the faithful of the southern part of the British region of our diocese, assembled around our bishop and concelebrating clergy for the mystery of Holy Unction, in the sobornal/conciliar form (hence ‘soborovanie’) celebrated during the Great Fast.
It was wonderful that we had twenty-nine people travel from Cardiff and Wessex, and the number of the faithful of the diocese gathered in Chiswick was greater than ever, with probably over three hundred souls being anointed by our bishop and his six priestly concelebrants, taking the end of the anointing beyond the dismissal of vespers, which it was necessary to chant after the service of the oil whilst the anointing quietly continued.
Glory to God, for the wonderful gathering, after which Vladika formally blessed our Wessex mission, having spent time with me, Lazarus, Elizabeth and Piran. We greatly appreciate the brief time at the end of the day, in which we were able to sit quietly with our chief-shepherd, who gave us words of encouragement and advice. Eis pola eti despota!
The following morning, our Sunday congregation seemed a bit dented, though we know we have a number of core-parishioners who are away at the moment, unwell or with children who are unwell.
However, it was an extremely beautiful, and peaceful Liturgy, that seemed a natural continuation of the Saturday Mystery of Holy Unction. We had more English chanting than usual, though Slavonic was in no way pushed out. Many thanks to the choir, and to Stefan who served as a solo oltarnik, showing how well he multitasks and juggles everything that needs doing… which is quite considerable.
It was lovely to sit down to soup, Serbian beans (Chilandar monastic recipe!) and other home-made food, as we do every week, but after the labours of Saturday, I think we all enjoyed hearty Slavic food even more before our afternoon journeys!
This week, Thursday will see confessions in Nazareth House, as usual, with 17:00 being the uaual starting time, though I will endeavour to cater for those needing an earlier slot after consultation with the Sisters. Emails by 18:00 on Wednesday, please, and asap for those unable to come after 17:00.
It is a of greenery for blessing at the beginning of Liturgy. It is our tradition to hold our ‘palms’ throughout the service, especially as we hear the Palm Sunday Gospel. Weather permitting, we will have a ‘krestny khod’ around St John’s at the end of Liturgy.
There is already a number of confession requests, so may I please stress how helpful it is to know who will be confessing.
Those who were at Sunday Liturgy will know that we have kulichy (Easter cakes) for sale, to raise funds for the parish, and they are £6. They will be available for sale at services from now until Pascha and will hopefully sell out!
Tonight will see our end of the month (though not quite the end, yet) in Warminster, so I am presently sitting typing looking our on a rather wet, cold and rainy Glastonbury, greatly looking forward to the wood-burner on Porphyrios’s narrow boat. Having celebrated the Sunday of St Mary of Egypt, yesterday, we will continue this celebration by venerating the memory of St Mary as the great ‘icon of repentance’ by chanting her canon as well as that to the Mother of God. I will endeavour to post her canon on our Facebook page, and encourage you all to turn to St Mary for inspiration, help and intercession.
We ask your prayers for the newly departed handmaiden of God, Nadezhda, and for her daughter Olga.
Also, we ask for prayers for our parishioner Marina, as she and her associates look to organise another Ukrainian Orthodox scouting gathering for the summer. Despite facing so many obstacles, last summer’s event went very well, and it is hoped that a similar gathering may bring hope and respite from the ongoing war and the misery people face. Please pray!
May God grant you a good struggle and strength in these last days of the fast and Holy Week.
Sitting looking out onto a sunny morning, with buds breaking into leaf on the trees, it is good to reflect upon the blessings of the last week, in which I was able to visit our chancellor and the Wallasey parish.
It is always a joy to visit Wallasey, with our parish of St Elizabeth worshipping in one of the cemetery chapels, and “Little St Elizabeth’s” in the cellar of Father Paul and matushka Elizabeth’s home.
Both sanctuaries are saturated with prayer, and house many spiritually precious treasures from the Russian Imperial Embassy, from our ‘old’ cathedrals in Buckingham Palace Road and Emperor’s Gate, as well as items from our former northern parishes and the former podvorie chapel in Baron’s Court.
In Wallasey, we venerate icons that were venerated by St John the Wonderworker, our former hierarchs, and the Tsar-Martyr, and place our votive tapers in the very stands that they used in the former temples of the Church in Exile. It is particularly wonderful that the icons from the iconostasis of the episcopal podvorie grace the screen in St Elizabeth’s. I very much hope that our Cardiff and Wessex parishioners will make a pilgrimage to the Wirral and become acquainted with this wonderful parish and church, which is so representative of the particular spirituality our Church Abroad and its traditions.
I was glad to able to discuss parish life with our chancellor and look at ways to try and ease the limitations and restrictions that we continue to face as a parish without its own temple. We had time to discuss pilgrimages, youth activities, clergy formation, and the challenges of parish life.
The highpoint of my visit was the celebration of the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts.
Sadly, the lack of a place to reserve the Holy Gifts in Cardiff and limited church availability makes the celebration of this ancient Liturgy impossible at present, which is a great loss, given the beauty and solemnity of the service, in which the silent Great Entrance is made as the choir sing the anti-cherubikon
“Now the Powers of heaven with us invisibly do minister. For, lo! the King of Glory entereth now. Behold, the mystical sacrifice, all accomplished, is ushered in.”
Let us with faith and love draw near, that we may become partakers of life eternal. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Some commentators have speculated that the Great Entrance, possibly encountered by Crusaders in the Holy Land and Levant, may have been the inspiration of the grail procession in medieval romances, and its especially sacred character and solemnity are because these are not simply offered gifts, but the consecrated Holy Gifts themselves, in which the Lord is present.
It was good that Father Alban, from Durham, was also able to be with us, serving after a long journey, and before the long journey home.
Having returned to Wales on Wednesday, confessions were heard – as usual – in Nazareth house on Thursday, as they will be this week. Sister Aquinas has informed me that the daily mass will now be at 16:00, rather than in the morning, so confessions will ordinarily begin at 17:00. However, I will ask to hear some earlier for those with child-care and other responsibilities… just let me know of time limitations and I will speak to the Sisters. Emails by Wednesday at 18:00, please.
Friday saw an easterly journey for the first of our twice-monthly services in Wiltshire, where our Saturday Liturgy was celebrated in the Chapel of St Lawrence, in Warminster. We were pleased to be joined by some of our Cardiff locals for our celebration, with a litia for the departed at the end of the service, and a Lenten bring-and-share lunch.
Again, we are extremely grateful to Ian, chair of the chapel feoffees, who has supplemented the kitchen, providing a microwave-oven for us to heat food for the faithful. Given journeys from Poole and Cardiff, as well as the west of England, this is greatly appreciated. We look forward to our next Liturgy on Bright Saturday, with Paschal Hymns resounding in the chapel!
Sunday Liturgy for St John Climacus, marked the end the fourth week of the fast, and coincided with the feast of St Mary of Egypt, who will be commemorated next Sunday, as well as in the matins of the Thursday this week, when her life, by St Sophronios of Jerusalem, is read.
After discussions about the children participating the most sacred moments of the Liturgy, it was lovely to see one of our sisters usher Yuriy and Kyrill to the front with candles at the reading of the Gospel, and for them to do the same at the Great Entrance, directed by our young oltarnik, Stefan.
It was lovely to see Hierodeacon Avraamy reunited with his kamilavka and double orary, sent from Ukraine, and we look forward to having him as first deacon when we celebrate the mystery of Holy Unction in the cathedral, next Saturday.
Next Saturday’s Soborovanie / Holy Unction will commence at 14:00, and there will be opportunities to confess in the cathedral before the Holy Mystery. Those travelling by bus will be informed of the arrangements, which are being finalised, and we are encouraging our faithful to bring food to share after the service. I am very happy that there will be three parish carloads, as well as those travelling by bus, and look forward to having a group of Cardiff and Wessex parishioners joining the assembled parishes of the diocese.
Some of our parishioners have asked me to explain the offering of prosphora as Liturgy.
This practice originates in the early Church, and the expected offering of bread and wine by the faithful for the accomplishment of the Liturgy. Even though this fell out of use, the East Slavic Churches retained the tradition of the faithful presenting small loves with their commemorations for the Orthodox living and departed, with a loaf being presented with a commemorative list for the living, and one of the departed.
During proskomedia, the names of those commemorated are read out in the prayers for the living and the dead, and commemorative particles are taken in their memory and placed before the “Lamb” – which is consecrated during the Liturgy.
During the proskomedia, the arrangement on the diskos, forms a symbolic representation of the Church, in which Christ the Lamb of God is flanked by the Mother of God (represented by a triangle of beard) and the ranks of different types of saints, represented by the nine triangles in a three by three square. Before this representation of the deesis, the particles from the loaves presented by the faithful represent all commemorated on their lists – those for the faithful immediately before the Lamb, and those for the departed nearest the edge of the diskos.
After the communion of the faithful, the commemorative particles are placed in the chalice, as the deacon prayers, “Wash away, by Thy precious Blood, O Lord, the sins of those here commemorated, through the prayers of all Thy saints.”
So… when you order prosphora, you are doing so in the name and as a prayerful offering for those commemorated – which implies a list of others, though you are obviously commemorated.
Some people say, “But I’m the only Orthodox person in my family?”
There are very obvious responses.
Do you not pray for your brothers and sisters within the community; for those who have helped you in Orthodoxy through their lives, labours, teaching/preaching; for our hierarchs and clergy – whether living or departed?
We should ALL – without exception – be presenting commemorative lists, or commemoration books for Liturgy. This is our Christian duty, at Liturgy, and a basic part of Orthodox living. We list people according to their full BAPTISMAL name – no Ivans, Pashas, Mishas or Sashas, but Ioanns, Darias, Pavels, Mikhails and Alexanders. We have no vladikas, fathers or mothers, but rather list clergy and monastics as Bishop, Priest, Archpriest, Hieromonk, Monk or Nun.
If we have a commemorative book, we need to keep it up-to-date, as also our lists, if we leave them in church between Liturgies.
I shall post one of Fr John Whiteford’s article on our Facebook and WhatsApp pages.
Looking forward to Wednesday evening, or during the day on Thursday, we should endeavour to prayer the Great Canon. The Wednesday evening service will be in Llanelli at 19:00.
This Saturday is that of the Akathist Hymn of the Most Holy Mother of God, when we should all equally to pray the Akathist Hymn. Again, there will be a service in Llanelli at 19:00.
The feast of the Visitstion of the Most Holy Theotokos to St. Elizabeth, which falls today for Orthodox Christians, is a wonderful celebration of both spiritual and familial kinship and of the reality of unborn life and personhood.
The little icon, missed by many people, at the back of the Anglican shrine-church in Walsingham, captures the joy of the encounter, which we know to also have been the meeting of the Saviour and the Forerunner within their mothers’ wombs, with the Forerunner leaping in recognition of his Saviour and Creator’s Presence.
Life-unborn lept for joy at the Presence of the Life of the God-Man, not yet born or incarnate in the world.
This great meeting of the Only-Begotten Son of God and the unborn Forerunner is one which we boldly need to thrust before those who insistently claim to be ‘Christians’, yet refuse to take a Christian stance on the sanctity or even the reality of life, personhood and individuality from conception.
The centre of the wondrous meeting in this feast of the Visitation is one hidden from our eyes in traditional icons: the unseen encounter of creation and creature with the Creator, within the new Holy of Holies: the sanctuary of the womb of the Mother of God.
On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, in our preparatory Sundays before the the Great Fast, my homily touched upon the patristic interpretation of the killing of the calf for the celebratory meal for the return of the dissolute son, and some of you were interested in the symbolism of the calf, representing Christ, in both salvific and eucharistic terms.
As I said on that day, the generosity shown by the father was not without cost, as represented by the father’s gifts and the celebratory meal, which – for the Church Fathers – was rich in sacramental imagery, showing the Holy Mysteries of the Church to be central to the restoration of the fallen, and the reconciliation of prodigal humanity with God, through the Church, represented by the household of the merciful father, who saw his returning son from far off… which means that he was constantly looking and anticipating that longed-for return.
In the robe brought to clothe his dirty and shabby son, who had fallen to looking after swine and eating pigs’ swill, we see the symbol of baptismal cleansing and the baptismal robe, explored by St Romanos the Melodist in his kontakion sequence “On the Prodigal Son”, originally intended for the second Sunday in Lent, explores this with rich allegorical imagery.
“Quickly, give my child the first robe, / which the baptismal font weaves for all… For I judge it improper to see unprovided or unadorned, the one who has run to me in repentance and has been found worthy of forgiveness, / Clothe him with the robe of grace, as I have commanded, I the Master and Lord of all the ages.”
In the placing of the ring upon his finger (a signet ring with its seal), we see the symbol of anointing with oil of the catechumens in the name of the Trinity, and chrismation – the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
St Romanos alludes to the seal/sealing, symbolised by the ring, saying that
“It is a pledge of the undivided Trinity, / To guard him since he has recourse to it, so that when he displays his seal it may appear that he is my son, the son of the ruler of all.”
In the killing of the calf, we see the image of sacrifice, centred upon Christ, having given Himself for us on the Cross, continues to give Himself to us in the great banquet of the Divine Liturgy.
In the icon of the Hospitality of Abraham, we also see the calf as a sacrificial and eucharistic image, with its head in the dish at the centre of the altar-like table around which the three angelic visitors sit. The central angel, recognised in Church Tradition as the Angel of Great Counsel – the Pre-Incarnate Saviour, Himself – stretches out to bless the dish: an image of Christ as both the Offering and the One Who offers, as both High Priest and the sacrifice, and in this, St Andrei (Rublev) of Makovetz and other iconographers were drawing upon patristic tradition, in alluding to Christ as the Eucharistic offering.
With allegorical reference to Holy Baptism, in St Romanos’s hymn, the father commands the servants,
“Let us behold a supper marvellously spread / for the former prodigal now becomes temperate. / For his father, or rather the Father of all humankind, / receives him repentant, in His love for humankind, rejoicing at his repentance says to His servants, “Hurry, make ready for us the all-holy supper. / Hurry, above all sacrifice the calf to which a virgin heifer gave birth, because my son was lost before / and has now been found. But let us celebrate; / he was dead and has returned to life, he whom I have taken in my heart, the Master and Lord of all the ages.
O priests, my faithful servants, sacrifice this calf and, to all who are worthy of my supper, give to eat the spotless calf, pure in every way, / fattened from the unsown earth that he fashioned.* / Give them to drink a precious drink, / blood and water that springs from his side for those who believe. / Eat this then, all of you always, / For though it is not divided, not separated, not consumed, but satisfies all unto the ages, / for he offers himself as all-holy food, the Lover of mankind, the Master and Lord of all the ages.”
*(i.e. the Theotokos)
Through the many layers of rich imagery, St Romanos reminds us that our return and reconciliation with the Father is not in abstraction, but within the physical-spiritual household of the Church, which the Saviour has established unto the ages, as His theandric Body in the world.
It is not simply through repentance, but through the Holy Mysteries that the Lord calls us back to His household, to be reclothed in the garment of light with which Adam and Eve were invested, to be sealed in the Name of the Holy Trinity as the heirs of the Kingdom, to receive the Gift of Divine Grace, and to be nourished in the banquet in which the Saviour offers Himself for us, having made clear that like the Old Passover, in the New Passover anticipated and perpetuated in His Mystical Supper, we must be partakers: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”
As prodigal children, the Heavenly Father looks for our return, not simply waiting, but looking for us and seeking us out. Let us hasten, through repentance within the community and household of Faith, knowing that He awaits us, ready with the new robe, the seal that claims us as His, giving us a place at the table of His Divine and Mystic Banquet.
In repentance we cry with St Romanos,
“O Son and Logos of God, Creator of all things, we your unworthy servants ask and implore you, have mercy on all, who call upon you. / As you did the prodigal son who had sinned. / Accept and save through compassion those who in repentance run to you, O King, crying, “We have sinned… Make us partakers of your supper, as you did the prodigal son, you he Master and Lord of all the ages.”
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I very much recommend buying and reading:
Hymns of Repentance: St Romanos the Melodist – SVS Popular Patristics Series
Today we celebrate the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, following yesterday’s double celebration of the feast of the Annunciation and the Sunday of the Cross, with a joyful, well-attended, festive Liturgy with parishioners from Llanelli, Swansea and the West of England joining the Cardiff locals.
Thanks to singers, flower-arrangers and cooks, who most certainly rose to the occasion, and thank you to the children who contributed to our homily, and who will hopefully remember the key words of the day, central to the meaning of both the Life-Giving Cross and the Annunciation: obedience, humility and submission.
Unfortunately, Deacon Mark, Alla and Yuriy were unable to be with us, as Yuriy developed a dental abscess and – as most of you know – required surgery under general-anaesthetic yesterday afternoon. He is pretty much back to his normal self, today.
As those at Liturgy realised, without Deacon Mark leading the church set-up, confessions were unavoidably delayed, which was unfortunate on a festive day with many to confess and commune, but it was, after all, the Sunday of the Cross, and if we could not endure such a minor cross on such a blessed day, then there was little point in us coming to church. We should also rejoice that so many people honoured the double-feast by confessing and communing of the Most Pure Mysteries. Congratulations to all who partook of the Holy Mysteries! Let us struggle to preserve their Grace.
Many thanks to Masha, for bringing Holy Water from the well of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the place where the Mother of God received the tidings of the Archangel. The faithful were happy to be able to partake of this after the kissing of the Cross.
It was an added blessing to have Oswald visiting us from Norwich, and his labours, together with those of oltarnik Alexander were greatly appreciated. I hope that Oswald’s presence will become frequent.
Your prayers are asked for the newly departed handmaiden of God, Nina, for whom a litia was chanted after our Liturgy.
I am presently journeying north, looking forward to enjoying a few days with our diocesan chancellor and visiting our Wallasey parish, and will return on Thursday, heading straight to Nazareth House for confessions and the akathist to the Saviour’s Passion, to be chanted at 18:00. Please submit requests by 18:00 on Wednesday. Please let me know if you will be in the confession queue on Sunday before the day itself. Without a second priest, Sundays in Cardiff will require confessions not heard by 10:50 to continue after the Divine Liturgy.
This Saturday – 13th April – sees our second Wessex Liturgy, and I am very pleased to hear that some of our Cardiff locals will be joining us in the Chapel of St Laurence, in the centre of Warminster, to support our Wessex brothers and sisters in these early days of our local mission. We look forward to formally receiving Vladika Irenei’s blessing when we attend Holy Unction on Saturday 20th April. The Hours and Liturgy are at 10:30, and there will be a bring-and-share lunch after the service.
Any remaining parishioners who wish to avail themselves of the mini-bus travelling from Cardiff to the cathedral for this for the mystery of Holy Unction (Soborovanie), at 14:00 on the afternoon of the 20th, should let me know asap, as we wish to confirm numbers and transport arrangements.
As you will have already seen from your email inbox, the services for Holy Week remain rather less than we would ideally like due to the use of St John’s during the week, with various clubs and societies hiring the meeting space next to the kitchen on a long term basis.
The earlier part of the week will see services celebrated in Llanelli before they commence in Cardiff on Holy Thursday.
I repeat the schedule here:
27th April – Lazarus Saturday: TBC
28th April – Palm Sunday morning: Divine Liturgy, 11:00, St John’s, in St John’s, Canton
28th April – Palm Sunday evening: Bridegroom Matins, 19:00 in Llanelli
29th April – Holy Monday: Bridegroom Matins, 19:00 in Llanelli
30th April – Holy Tuesday: Bridegroom Matins, 19:00 in Llanelli
1st May – Holy Wednesday: Small Compline, 19:00 in Llanelli
2nd May – Holy Thursday morning: Divine Liturgy, 10:00 in Llanelli
2nd May – Holy Thursday evening: Service of the Twelve Gospels, 19:00 in St Mary’s Butetown
3rd May – Holy Friday afternoon: Vespers and the bringing out of the winding-sheet, 16:00 in St John’s, Canton
3rd May – Holy Friday evening: Matins of Holy Saturday – Burial service of the Lord, 19:00 in St John’s, Canton
4th May – Holy Saturday: Midnight Office, 23:30, St John’s, Canton –immediately followed by…
5th May – Sunday of Pascha: midnight 00:00 Paschal matins and Divine Liturgy, followed by blessing of Paschal foods and Paschal Breakfast
5th May – Sunday of Pascha: Paschal Vespers, 12:30, St John’s, Canton
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As we enter the second half of the Great Fast, may I remind you of the importance of alms giving and highlight that the foodbank in St John’s is an ideal way for us to support those is need.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Dear brothers and sisters, today sees the coinciding of the feast of the Annunciation with the Sunday of the Cross at this point of mid-Lent, and in that coincidence we see a great spiritual complement, as the Mystery of the Cross illuminates and explains the significance of the Annunciation and the Virgin’s obedience and agreement to become the Mother of God, and Mother of our Salvation.
In the troparion for the feast, we hear, “Today is the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery which was from eternity.” But what is this mystery from all eternity?
The answer is simple… it is the mystery of God’s redemptive love, and the response of that Divine Love to the rebellion and fall of Adam and Eve.
a redemptive-love that seeks out out the lost and actively looks for those who have gone astray, descending to earth so that by the Cross, it can raise up humanity to heaven: a love in which God descends so that His earthly children may not only be raised from the dead, but ascend to heaven itself.
a healing-love that restores humanity and all creation: sick, fallen, broken, dysfunctional and exiled.
a sacrificial-love in which Christ-God hides His Divine glory and exhausts Himself for the sake of His fallen children, taking on human nature at the very moment of the Annunciation, so that human nature could be restored and transformed – to be as God originally intended.
a self-denying love in which Christ – Love-Incarnate – was beaten, tortured, mocked and killed, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy in which the Christ of Holy Friday is seen in the Man of Sorrows: oppressed, despised, rejected, wounded, bruised and beaten, and brought in silence like a lamb to the slaughter… in endurance and suffering that was the fruit of this selfless, perfect, unlimited love.
This Divine Love, finds its ultimate realisation in the Cross and the Saviour’s Passion, but the incarnate journey of the Only-Begotten Son to the Cross began when the Archangel appeared to the Mother of God, who accepted her necessary part and obedience in the economy of salvation as she submitted to God’s will, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word…” In plain-speech, I am God’s slave, let what you say come to pass in me. I surrender myself to God. I submit.
In his epistle to the Philippians, St Paul counselled the Christians in Caesarea Philippi, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
In other words… have the mind of Christ through your obedience, humility and submission to God’s Will, with the Cross as the ultimate sign and realisation of this, and do not stop to think of yourself or worry about yourself, but rather give yourself over to the will of the Father.
Though the Cross was decades away from the day on which the youthful Mother of God received the good-news from the Archangel, and even further in time from when St Paul would write those words to the Philippians, her obedience and humble submission to God were already the foundation for the Cruciform redemptive plan of God’s love, as she took on not simply the role of a servant, but of the very Mother of the Saviour: lauded in the akathist-hymn as the “Ladder by which God came down”, and “the Bridge leading from earth to heaven”.
Just as the Only-Begotten Son’s obedience, surrender and submission to His Father’s will is at the very core of the meaning of the Mystery of the Cross, it was already reflected in the Mother of God’s selfless acceptance of the divine plan revealed by the Archangel Gabriel.
This Mystery became an abiding reality in her life at the side of her Son, as was prophetically recognised by St Symeon in the temple, “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also.”
St Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” and in his first letter to the Corinthians (15:21-2), the Apostle states that “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
The first Adam brought about the fall by rebellion and disobedience, but conversely, as the Second-Adam, the Saviour brings about reconciliation and salvation through obedience and submission to the Divine Counsel. As the pinnacle of the saving love of God, the Cross is the sacrificial-means of this redemptive act.
Similarly, we an opposite contrast between the first-mother, Eve, and the Mother of God as the “Second-Eve”.
Before the Fall, Eve, like the Mother of God, Eve was a sinless virgin, but in as much they not only listened to such different messengers, through their contrasting disobedience and obedience towards God, the stark contrast of both action and consequence emerges.
Tertullian (160-240) wrote, “As Eve had believed the serpent, so Mary believed the angel. The delinquency which the one occasioned by believing, the other, by believing, effaced.”
Mary’s obedience annuls the rebellion of Eve and its fateful consequences, as expressed by St (c. 120/140 – c. 200/203) in his “Against Heresies”:
“Mary, the Virgin, is found obedient, saying, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to your word.’ But Eve was disobedient for she did not obey when as yet she was a virgin.”
“Thus Mary’s obedience undid the knot of Eve’s disobedience; for what the virgin Eve had bound up by her unbelief, the Virgin Mary set free by her faith…”
At the root of this emancipation and freedom is the conforming of human free-will to the will of God as the very foundation of obedience, and by this alignment of the human and Divine Will, the Annunciation becomes the moment of the Incarnation and “the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery which was from eternity”.
Despite all of those childhood years within the precincts of the Temple, despite the unknown experiences of the infant-Theotokos in the Holy of Holies, Mary’s ‘fiat’, her ‘yes’ to the Archangel, was not a foregone conclusion. She still possessed freedom and free-will, but her selfless-love for God and obedience to Him, led to her acceptance of God’s plan, and led her through the trials and sorrows of her life as Mother of the Saviour, epitomised by seeing her Son bloodied and disfigured upon the Cross.
From the encounter between the Mother of God and the Archangel at the Annunciation to the Crucifixion of her Son, as she stood at the foot of the Cross, her life was one of continuous agreement and alignment with the Divine Will, negating the disobedience of Eve whose rebellion saw her driven away from the Garden of Eden and barred from the Tree of Life.
Like the moon reflecting the rays and light of the sun, so the Mother of God reflects her own Son in her own life, and by emulating her humility, selflessness and obedience, she will truly be our Hodegetria and show us the way.
That way will lead us to the foot of the Cross, which – as the supreme sign of the Saviour’s sacrificial love and obedience to the Father – is our Tree of Life, which in the poetry of the services of the Church we hymn, saying, “…we embrace thee, O desire of all the world. Through thee our tears of sorrow have been wiped away; we have been delivered from the snares of death and have passed over to unending joy.”
As the new Eve, the journey of the Mother of God took her from the Annunciation to to stand at the foot of the Cross, as the new Tree of Life, but beyond that, to hear the good tidings of another angel, who would greet the Myrrh-bearing woman on that first Pascha, with the wondrous words,
“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:5-6)
Today, speaking of the Annunciation, we chant those words of the troparion, “Today is the fountainhead of our salvation” but on Pascha, with our hearts and minds at the empty Tomb, reflecting upon the precious Cross, we can then joyfully proclaim the words of St Ephrem: “through faith it is no longer a tree, but the fountain of life eternal; that the Cross is a fountain of Life even as Jesus said: I am the life and the resurrection (Jn 11:25).”
And as we venerate the Cross at this mid-point to Pascha, hearing the Saviour say, “Whosoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24), we must be joyful in the knowledge that the meaning of this Cross – the submission, humility and obedience, seen in the life of the Saviour, also reflected in the life of His Mother will lead us to the joy of the empty Life-Giving Tomb and the angelic words, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen…”
May the mystery of the Cross in our lives, through selfless love, obedience, submission and humility lead us to the fountain of life and the joy of the resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen! Христосъ воскресе! Hristos a înviat! Χριστός ἀνέστη!
The little icon, missed by many people, at the back of the Anglican shrine-church in Walsingham, captures the joy of the encounter, which we know to also have been the meeting of the Saviour and the Forerunner within their mothers’ wombs, with the Forerunner leaping in recognition of his Saviour and Creator’s Presence.
