+
Sunday, April 8th 2007 +
Great & Holy Pascha
“Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of our
Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ”
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+ Christ is Risen! Indeed
He is Risen! +
“Christ is risen from the dead trampling down
death by death,
and to those in the tombs has He bestowed life.”
+ The
Epistle +
Verse: “This is the day which
the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,
Give thanks to the
Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever.”
The
Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.
(Chapter 1:1-8)
In the first book, O Theophilos, I have dealt
with all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was
taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the
apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His
suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled
together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait
for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for
John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked
Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father
has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
+ The
Holy Gospel +
The
Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. John
(Chapter 1:1-17)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. This man came
for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might
believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He
was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not
know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who
believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This
was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He
was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ.
Meditation:
The Meaning of the Resurrection
Christ’s
resurrection is the greatest of God’s saving acts. In the history of salvation
there is the Exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, the giving of the Law at Mt.
Sinai, the coming into the Promised Land, and the many miracles of Christ.
Soaring above all these, the Resurrection is the act of new creation, the power
of the new covenant, the beginning of the new age. With the Resurrection, sin
was reversed by grace, mortality by immortality, death by life, the reign of
Satan by the reign of Christ, darkness by light. The Resurrection is the new
Exodus, and it creates a new people, the Church, seeking to enter into a new
inheritance, the fullness of God’s kingdom. Through the event of the Resurrection,
God affirmed and vindicated the truth of Christ, Who He was, what He said, and
what He did during His ministry. Whereas many opposed Jesus, persecuted Him,
and finally humiliated Him through death by crucifixion, God honored Jesus,
glorified Him, and exalted Him to the highest place so that all beings in
heaven and on earth will fall on their knees and proclaim that Jesus Christ is
Lord. God’s victory over the powers of sin and death which disfigure and seek
to destroy human beings and creation. It is this victory that inspires St. Paul
to thunder: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete! Where, Death is your
victory? Where is your power to hurt?” (1 Cor. 15:54-55) The Resurrection is
the power of new life recreating and renewing all things in Christ. It is a
source of healing, wholeness, and renewal. “If any one is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
The Resurrection is thus the token of the future transfigured life in Christ. Christ’s
Resurrection is the fulfillment of our own deepest longings, because through it
God’s image in each of us is renewed. Do not we yearn most for a life of light,
joy, love, and newness? Just as a precious work of art, covered up by layers of
dark soot over many centuries, is restored by experts to its original
brilliance, so also through Christ’s Resurrection our old nature is renewed
according to the radiance of Christ’s image. St. Symeon the new Theologian
writes that if we are faithful and willing, Christ’s Resurrection becomes our
own personal Pascha. “Christ is buried in us as in a tomb, He unites Himself to
our souls and rises again, and raises us with Himself.” According to St.
Symeon, a true celebration of Pascha is the resurrection of the soul by the
power of the Holy Spirit. The mystery of Christ’s Resurrection thus takes place
mystically in us at all times. For those who are oppressed, the Resurrection of
Christ is liberation. For those who are deprived, it is plenitude. For those
who are persecuted, it is comfort. For the despairing, it is hope. For the
sorrowful, it is joy. For those who hate, it is love. For those who are
anxious, it is peace. For those who are bitter, it is sweetness. For those who
are angry, it is forgiveness. For the sinful, it is righteousness. For those
who are humiliated, it is exaltation. For those who live in darkness, it is
light. For those who are dead, it is life.
Meditation:
Bright Week
All
the days of the week after Pascha are a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection.
The entire week is known as “Bright Week” or “Renewal Week” because all things
are renewed by Christ. The first week of creation is now fulfilled by the first
week of the new creation. Christ’s Resurrection inaugurates a new heaven and a
new earth. The enthroned Lord declares to all: “I make all things new!” (Rev.
21:5) From Pascha until the Feast of the Ascension, Orthodox Christians greet
one another with “Christ is risen!” and “Indeed He is risen!” The royal doors
of the Altar are left open until Thomas Sunday (the following Sunday), a
symbolic act signifying that Christ, by His Resurrection, has opened the gates
of heaven and has granted to all direct access to God. There will be no fasting
at all until the Feast of the Ascention, and by tradition we don’t kneel during
that time either, whether in private prayer or corporate worship. Christ is
Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
+ + +
Christ is Risen !
Indeed He is Risen !
المسيح
قام ! حقاً قام !
+ + +
* Announcements
*
v Sunday, April 8th – 2:00
p.m. – Agape Vespers (The Gospel is read in different languages and a
Procession with Candles is led around
the Cathedral) Please Bring Your
Children!!!
v Every Saturday – Great Vespers at
6:00 p.m.
ü
Mother’s
Day Celebration
The
Antiochian Women of St. Elias Cathedral present the 12th Annual Mother’s Day
Celebration with the Dinner & Basket Auction on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at St. Elias Centre on 750 Ridgewood Avenue. Over 100 Prizes
waiting for you! A Donation will be given to the Canadian Cancer Society for
Breast Cancer Research & the Hearth and Stroke Foundation. Cocktails &
Sneak Preview at 6:30 p.m., Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Advance Ticket Sales only
$55.00. To purchase tickets, please contact the Cathedral Office (738-2222).
Buy a lottery ticket and win the car!!!
ü
Registration
for the 48th Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese Convention
This year,
the 48th Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Convention will be hosted
by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Montreal on July 23rd – 29th.
Registration forms are available in the Cathedral Office for anybody who is
interested in attending this year’s Convention and anyone interested in
sponsoring a message for the Ad Journal. There are also copies of an
information flyer available at the Candle Stand in the Vestibule.
ü Church Beautification
“Blessed are
those who love the beauty of Thy House, O Lord”
Our Iconographer may unfortunately be retiring in the near future
and we are looking to finish (while we still can) the empty areas over the
Altar and over the Choir Loft with a beautiful new set of icons. Some icons left
for selection are:
If you are interested in donating any icons, please contact Fr.
Ghattas in the office or speak to him after the Divine Liturgy.
ü New Epitaphios (Bier)
Over the years many donations have been collected by parishioners
to purchase a new Epitaphios (Bier) for the Church. We are very thankful for
their donations and we would like to let everyone know that our Beautification
fund is still in need of more donations so we can finally order the Epitaphios
(Bier), which will be made from the same wood with the same design as the
Iconostasis. If you would like to help donate for this project, please speak
with Fr. Ghattas.
ü
Are You Registered?
Many
people are attending Church every Sunday and are not yet registered into the
Church Directory. If you are not registered, the Office does not have your
phone number and address and therefore you do not receive any mail from us nor
are we able to contact you to annually bless your home, nor do you have your
own set of registered Church donation envelopes for any offerings given to the
Church in order to receive your annual tax receipt. Therefore, please register
at the Cathedral Office, and allow us to get to know you better.
ü
Agia Sophia – Online
Petition to restore it as an Orthodox Church
The European Union Parliament is pressuring the Turkish Government
to restore ‘Agia Sophia’ Cathedral in Constantinople (Istanbul) from a museum
back into an Orthodox Church, which it originally was, before it was seized and
converted into a mosque, and later left as a museum. However, the Parliament
has set a requirement of one million signatures on a petition before it makes
this conversation a prerequisite for Turkey’s admission into the European
Union. We implore you to cast your vote by logging onto: www.hagiasophiablog.com and urge your family and
friends to also log on, to sign the petition and help make history. This is our
opportunity to restore Agia Sophia to its proper religious role as a Church,
for which it was built in the first place.
ü National March for Life 2007 –
Justice for the Unborn!
On
Wednesday, May 9th at 8:45 p.m. at the Canadian Tribute to Human
Rights Monument (corner of Elgin & Lisgar Sts, Ottawa) the 10th
Annual National March for Life 2007 will again take place with the annual
Candlelight Vigil in defense of the innocent victims of Abortion. Next Sunday,
after the Divine Liturgy, downstairs in the Cathedral Hall, the Pledge Form
will be available for you to fill out and purchase your Vigil Candles. On
Thursday, May 10th at 12:00 p.m. Pro-Life Supporters will begin to gather
on Parliament Hill to hear speeches about Abortion by prominent pro-life
leaders and politicians, and at 1:30 p.m. there will be a march through
downtown Ottawa with many signs and banners in support for Life. For more
information or visit the following website: (www.lifesite.net)
ü
Thank You!
We would
like to thank our parishioners for their generous donations:
Roses for Great & Holy
Friday:
The Roses for Great & Holy Friday were donated
by: Zahia Nesrallah in loving memory of her parents Abraham & Nakhle
Nesrallah and her brother Antony.
The
Epitaphios (Bier) was decorated by the Teen
SOYO
Kaak:
Flowers:
Incense, Oil, Wine &
Holy Bread:
The Incense, Oil & Wine were donated
by: Carolyn Monsour, Jean Nassar, Walid & Rula Skaff, Miss
Saddika Alawabdeh, Sami & Jeanette Khouri, Jason Naufal, Gaby
Nassrallah, Majid Ibrahim, Elias Al-Tawil, Theo & Saloma
Tannis, Marina Shawah, Anis & Nawal Ayoub for their good health and that of their families. Also by Abraham
Saikaley & Julie Viner, in loving memory of their father Nassib
Saikaley.
Eggs:
The
Eggs were donated by: Salim & Samia
Hage, Assad &Victoria Abdou, Joseph
& Georgette Zakaib, Elias & Ginette Monsour, for their good
health and that of their families.
The Eggs were
decorated by the Teen SOYO
Your generosity is
always appreciated and may our Resurrected Lord bless you
and grant you and your
families many years of good health.
+ St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral +
(2975 Riverside Drive – Ottawa)
Cathedral Office: 700 Ridgewood Ave
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1V 6N1
Telephone: (613) 738-2222, Fax: (613) 737-4392
Email: info@steliascathedral.com, Website:
www.steliascathedral.com
The Rt. Rev. Bishop ALEXANDER
Bishop of Ottawa, Eastern
Canada and Upstate New York
The Very Rev. Father Ghattas Hajal – Dean
Rev. Father Mark Arsenios Wyatt – Assistant Priest
The Very
Rev. Father Daniel Matheson – Emeritus