Today, brothers and sisters, we continue on the Paschal theme, which is the enlightenment of the Resurrection and how it occurs in real life, not in our fantasy, but how it really occurs. In this story there are basically three things that the Lord is teaching to be made whole. It all depends how we answer the question "Wilt thou be made whole?". We must learn to hear this question reverberating in us ALL THE TIME, and answer it in three ways EVERY TIME.
Month: May 2011
Electronic Newsletter May 1 / May 15 Sunday of the Paralytic
Announcements
Prayer Requests
Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week
Fasting in the Coming week
Links related to the coming week
# Thoughts on the Sunday of the Paralytic
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“I have no man”
# Thoughts on the Sunday of the Paralytic
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“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk!”
# Questions and answers for The Sunday of the Paralytic
# Icon of the healing of the paralytic by the sheep’s pool
The Myrrhbearing Women. Joseph became bold and who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
The most important parts of the reading for the Holy Myrhhbearers are the actions of Joseph and the myrhhbearers. We are told that “Joseph became bold” – the same man who had been a secret follower of Christ because of fear. Why did he become bold? This is very important. Three of the myrhhbearers observed the burial of Jesus. Why is this important? Life is full of ordinary things,. but sometimes when we do them, they are extraordinary,. We must do ordinary things in an extraordinary way, as did Joseph and Nicodemus and the Holy Myrhhbearers. In doing these things, we will encounter obstacles, and ask like the myrhhbearers “who shall roll away the stone”, and if have fidelity to Christ as they had, the stone will always be rolled away.
Sunday of the Holy Myrhbearers. Homilies in Text, audio, and questions and answers
Today is the third Sunday after Pascha, and it is the Sunday of the myrrh-bearing women. And it is quite an interesting reading which we have because these women and these men, Joseph of Arimathaea, who is mentioned today, and also Nicodemus, who acted with great love, but also in great ignorance. They were trying to do something that they were not going to be able to accomplish. These women wanted to anoint the Lord with myrrh, and Joseph and Nicodemus had prepared the Lord’s body so carefully, wrapping it in clean, fine linen. Myrrh and aloes had been applied, according to the custom of the Jews. All this they did in ignorance. They acted without full knowledge, but with great desire and with great love.
There is a lesson for us. Pascha is God making man able to know God. This is really what Pascha is. It is not an event only; it is a fundamental change in human nature. The God-man becoming incarnate made us able to live. He accomplished our salvation by His death and His resurrection, and basically all of the period from Pascha to Pentecost we think about how He enlightens us and the practical ramifications of what Pascha means for the soul. In essence, it means enlightenment. It means to know God. But to know God you have to be able to live like God, and you must live in virtue before you have full enlightenment. ? (text homily)
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The story of the myrhhbearers is like ours, in microcosm. Life is full of moments when we must “become bold” as Joseph (and the myrhhbearers) did, and do what is right, even if we do not how we can accomplish the task (roll away the stone and deal with the armed guards) or what will come of it. Even when we have accomplished something, or grace visits us, we may not recognize it or understand it, just like the myrrhbearers, who were afraid after hearing the announcement of the resurrection from the angel. The myrhhbearers who us the way – do what is right, or even what we think is right, no matter ho “possible” it seems or how likely that the outcome will be pleasing, and in time, all will be revealed to us. This Gospel continues the theme of how the enlightenment of the resurrection is actualized in us (audio homily)
Plus more homilies and questions & answers about the myrhhbearers
a few examples:
* Where was Jesus buried? Is there any significant meaning to this place?
* The Gospel reading for the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing women includes the name of one man. There was another man also involved who was mentioned in another place. Describe who they were and what they did. Don’t just describe cold historical facts – what do their actions mean?
* A great stone was rolled across the entrance to the sepulchre, sealing it. Can we understand anything from this?
Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers Announcements Prayer Requests Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week Fasting in the Coming week Links related to the coming week "The myrhh-bearing maidens in the deep dawn came to the tomb of the Giver of Life.… Continue reading Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers
Tons of Pascha music from our choir.
Several videos of our choir singing Paschal hymns , plus an opportunity to listen and watch 55 choir and other vidoes from our church.
Meditations of the Paschal Canon, Ode 3
Continuation of Series on the Paschal Canon, focusing on Ode 3.
Radonitsa (day of rejoicing) explained.
On this day, the Tuesday of St. Thomas week, according to the order instituted by our Holy Fathers, we call to remembrance, in Paschal joy, all those who have died from the beginning of the ages in faith and in the hope of resurrection and life eternal….
Lots more about Radonitsa, with links to other articles.
The new law of the land regarding Smart Phones.
Cell phone notice – a “sign of the times”, and comments about “smart” phones.
Thomas Sunday – “Believing disbelief” is the most important part of the story. and Why are the altar doors open on pascha? When are they closed and what does it mean? – 2 homilies
There are several important parts to the story of the encounter of the Apostle Thomas with the risen Lord, such as why the first words Jesus spoke to the assembled apostles were “Peace be unto you”, the promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit and the power that Jesus gave to His Apostles to remit sins. The most important gleaning from the reading is none of these, but is understood in the blunder of St Thomas, and his subsequent behavior, which led to his full enlightenment, and gave him the privilege to be the first to proclaim in the scripture that Jesus is fully God and man. We are all much like Thomas in his mistakes; let us also investigate his great virtue, which the church calls “believing disbelief”, without which, scarcely one would be saved.
also:
Five minutes in between Vespers and Matins at the Vigil for Thomas Sunday about the closing of the altar doors, which have been open all of Bright week. There is profound and sobering symbolism concering the closing of the doors which we should understand.