St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America
The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest 1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/
March 18, 2012 • Sunday of the Holy Cross
St. Cyril. archbishop of Jerusalem (386). St. Aninas. hieromonk, of the Euphrates. Manyrs Trophimus and Eucarpus of Nicomedia (300). St. Tetricus, bishop of Langres in Gaul (572). St. Daniel, monk of Egypt (6th c.). St. Edward, martyr and king of England (978). St. Cyril of Astrakhan (1576). St. Maria (Skobtsova), nun, who suffered at Ravensbruck (1945). Saint Nikolai Velimirovich of Ohrid and Žiča (1956).
Announcements
We welcome our Visitors and hope you can join us for coffee hour. We are overjoyed today to receive as a catechuman Rick Vaughn. Please note that for the remainder of Lent we will pray the Akathist to the Theotokos on Friday mornings instead of Presanctified Liturgy.. The icon on the front is of the Venerable and Life-giving Cross.
This Week’s Fasting, Service and Scripture Schedule Tues, 3/20 Wed, 3/21 Thurs, 3/22 Fri, 3/23 Sat, 3/24 Great Lent
Mon, 3/19
Sun, 3/25
Daily Matins 8 a.m.
Daily Matins 8 a.m.
Presanctified Liturgy 6 p.m.
No service
Akathist 8 a.m.
Great Vespers Divine Liturgy 4 p.m. 10 a.m.
Isaiah 14:24-32
Isaiah 25:1-9
Isaiah 26:21-27:9
Isaiah 28:14-22
Isaiah 29:13-23
Hebrews 6:9-12
Hebrews 6:13-20
Gen. 8:21-9:7
Gen. 9:8-17
Gen. 9:18-10:1
Gen. 10:32-11:9
Gen. 12:1-7
Mark 7:31-37
Mark 9:17-31
Proverbs 11:19-12:6
Proverbs 12:8-22
Proverbs 12:23-13:9
Proverbs 13:19-14:6
Proverbs 14:15-26 1 Cor. 15:47-57
Heb. 2:11-18
John 5:24-30
Luke 1:24-38
Forefeast of Annunciation
Annunciation of Theotokos
(Departed) (Departed)
St. Daria of Rome
St Photini, the Samaritan Woman
St. Seraphim of Virits
St. John Vladimir
St. Basil of Mangazeya
(Theotokos) (Theotokos)
Service times are subject to change. Please check with Fr. Basil if in any doubt.
“Lord, I Call”
Great Vespers
Sunday (Tone 7)
Veneration of the
Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, Who destroyed the dominion of death! Let us sing to Him with the bodiless hosts, for He enlightened the race of Man! O our Maker and Savior, glory to Thee! The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.
Thou didst endure the Cross and burial for our sake! By Thy death, Thou didst slay death as God! We fall down before Thy Resurrection on the third day, O Savior, glory to Thee! Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!
When the Apostles beheld the Resurrection of the Maker, they were amazed and sang the angelic praise! This is the glory of the Church! This is the richness of the Kingdom! O Lord, crucified for our sake, glory to Thee! Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!
Thou wast held by lawless men, O Christ. But to me, Thou art God, and I am not ashamed. Thou wast smitten on the cheek, but I do not deny Thee. Thou wast nailed to the Cross and I do not conceal it, for I glory in Thy Resurrection: Thy death is my life! O Almighty Lord and Lover of Man, glory to Thee! If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? For with Thee is propitiation.
Fulfilling the prophecy of David, Christ manifested His greatness in Zion to the disciples. He is praised and always glorified, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. At first as the Word, He was bodiless, but then He took flesh and was slain for our sake. He rose in power as the Lover of Man! For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
Thou didst descend into hell as Thou didst will, O Christ, overthrowing death as God, and rising on the third day as Master! With Thyself Thou didst raise Adam from the bonds of hell and from corruption! Glory to Thy Resurrection, O only Lover of Man!
Holy Cross (Tone 5)
From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in the Lord!
Shine, O Cross of the Lord! Illumine the hearts of those who honor you! With love inspired by God, we embrace you, for you are the only hope of the world. Through you our tears are wiped away, the snares of death are sprung, and we pass over into everlasting joy. Through the Cross reveal Your beauty to us, O Lord! Help Your servants who ask for mercy in faith! Bestow upon us the fruits of abstinence! For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross: bright paradise of the Church, the tree of incorruption! You have obtained for us the joy of everlasting glory. Through you, the hosts of demons are driven out; the choirs of Angels are amazed and rejoice; the company of the faithful gathers in celebration. O unconquerable weapon, unbroken stronghold, triumph of Orthodox Christians and pride of priests, by following you may we witness the Passion and Resurrection of Christ our God! O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!
Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross: the invincible weapon of godliness, the gate of Paradise, the protection of the faithful! The Cross is the might of the Church, through which corruption is abolished, through which the power of death is crushed. The Cross raises us up from earth to heaven. The Cross is the enemy of Satan. The Cross is the glory of martyrs. The Cross is the haven of salvation, and grants the world great mercy. For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of the Lord remaineth forever.
Come, O Adam and Eve, our first father and mother, you fell from divine glory through the envy of the murderer of man! Bitter was the pleasure of the Tree of old; but see, the honored Tree of the Cross draws near! Run with haste and embrace it in joy, crying out with faith: “You are our help, O most-precious Cross! We eat of your fruit and gain incorruption! We are restored again to Eden, having received great mercy!”
~3~
Veneration of the
Holy Cross (Tone 3)
Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days!
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…
Wishing to restore all men to life, You accepted crucifixion, O Christ our God. Burning with boundless love for man, You took the quill of the Cross in Your hand; dipping it in ink of royal crimson, You signed our release with blood-stained fingers. Though temptations assault us, may we never forsake You again! Have mercy on Your despairing people, O long-suffering Master! Arise and fight Your enemies in Your almighty power!
Dogmatikon (Tone 7)
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
No tongue can speak of thy wonderful childbearing, for the order of nature was overruled by God. Thou wast revealed to be a Mother above nature, for thou didst remain a Virgin beyond reason and understanding. Thy conception was most glorious, O Theotokos! The manner of thy giving birth was ineffable, O Virgin! Knowing thee to be the Mother of God, devoutly we pray to thee: “Beseech Him to save our souls!”
Aposticha
When Thou wast placed in the tomb as one asleep, the sight was great and awesome. But when Thou didst rise on the third day as almighty God, Thou didst resurrect Adam with Thyself. Glory to Thy Resurrection, O only Lover of Man! Veneration of the
The humble David defeated his enemies by Your help, O Lord. Now come to the aid of Your Orthodox people; show us Your power as You did of old, and our adversaries will know that You are God! And we will be victorious, for we hope in You. Through the constant intercessions of Your all-pure Mother, grant us Your great mercy!
Troparia
Sunday (Tone 7)
By Thy Cross, Thou didst destroy death! To the thief, Thou didst open Paradise! For the Myrrhbearers, Thou didst change weeping into joy! And Thou didst command Thy disciples, O Christ God, to proclaim that Thou art risen, granting the world great mercy! Veneration of the
Sunday (Tone 7)
Holy Cross (Tone 4)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Cross (Tone 1)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…
As the Savior of the world Thou didst arise from the tomb. As God, Thou didst resurrect the race of men with Thy flesh. O Lord, glory to Thee!
O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance! Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation!
The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath He clothed Himself.
Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion (Tone 1)
Come, let us worship the One Who rose from the dead, and enlightened all creation! By His death, He has saved us from the torments of hell. By His Resurrection He has granted us eternal life and great mercy.
When Gabriel announced to thee, O Virgin, “Rejoice,” with that word the Master of all was incarnate in thee, O holy Ark. As the righteous David said, thy womb became more spacious than the heavens, bearing thy Creator. Glory to Him Who took abode in thee! Glory to Him Who came from thee! Glory to Him Who freed us by being born of thee!
For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved.
Into hell didst Thou descend, capturing death, O Christ. In three days, didst Thou arise again, resurrecting us who glorify Thy Resurrection, O Lord and Lover of Man!
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. The soul that has learned of God’s grace to pray, feels love and compassion for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us!
”
St. Silouan of Mt. Athos (1866-1938) ~4~
Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great Beatitude Verses
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Sunday
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
Fair to look upon and good for food was the fruit that killed me; while Christ is the tree of life. Eating thereof, I die not but cry aloud with the thief: ‘Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom.’ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Lifted upon the cross, Thou Who art compassionate, hast blotted out the handwriting of Adam’s sin in days of old, and Thou hast saved from error all the whole line of mortal men. Therefore we sing Thy praises, O benefactor and Lord.
The greatest of all wonders was revealed in you, ewe without blemish, for you bore the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world! Entreat Him fervently for those who sing your praises!
Troparia
Veneration of the
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Thou hast nailed our sins upon the cross, O Christ Who art compassionate, and by Thy death hast Thou put death to death, raising the dead from the dead. Therefore we venerate Thy holy Resurrection. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Holy Cross
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
We venerate Thy Cross, merciful Lord: the Tree which the Prophet of lamentation saw with its fruit. and we sing in praise of Your bonds and tomb, of the spears and the nails. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
We kiss the holy Cross, O Christ, which Thou wast pleased to bear on Thy shoulders, on which Thou didst accept to be lifted up and crucified in the flesh! We receive from it strength against our invisible enemies. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…
I praise the Unity in three Persons and the Trinity worshipped in one Nature; the Triune God, the threefold Light: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Holy Cross (Tone 1)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…
O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance! Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation!
Kontakia Veneration of the
The serpent once emptied his poison into the ears of Eve; while Christ on the wood of the cross poured the sweetness of life into the world. Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom. Veneration of the
Sunday (Tone 7)
By Thy Cross, Thou didst destroy death! To the thief, Thou didst open Paradise! For the Myrrhbearers, Thou didst change weeping into joy! And Thou didst command Thy disciples, O Christ God, to proclaim that Thou art risen, granting the world great mercy!
Holy Cross (Tone 7)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Now the flaming sword no longer guards the gates of Eden; it has been mysteriously quenched by the wood of the Cross. The sting of death and the victory of hell have been vanquished; for Thou, O my Savior, hast come and cried to those in hell: “Enter again into Paradise!”
Trisagion Veneration of the
Holy Cross (Tone 1)
Instead of “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal…”, we sing:
Before Thy Cross, we bow down in worship, O Master,and Thy holy Resurrection, we glorify.
Prokeimenon Veneration of the
Holy Cross (Tone 6)
Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Vs: To Thee, O Lord, will I cry; O my God, keep Thou not silent toward me.
~5~
Epistle Reading Veneration of the
Holy Cross
Alleluia Verses Veneration of the
Holy Cross (Tone 1)
Vs: Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast purBrethren, seeing then that we have a great high priest, that chased of old! is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us Vs: God is our King before the ages; He has worked salvahold fast to our profession. For we have not an high priest tion in the midst of the earth! which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet with- Gospel Reading out sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Veneration of the Holy Cross grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help The Gospel according to St. Mark (2:1-12) in time of need. The Lord said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let For every high priest taken from among men is ordained him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoboth gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compas- ever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save sion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, standing here who will not taste death before they see the Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. kingdom of God come with power.” The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews (4:14-5:6)
Theotokion
All of Creation Rejoices
All of creation rejoices in thee, O Full of Grace: the assembly of Angels and the race of men. O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a Child—our God before the ages. He made thy body into a throne, and thy womb He made more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in thee, O Full of Grace. Glory to thee!
Pre-Communion Hymns
A Helper and A Protector
A helper and a protector has become salvation to me. This is my God, I will glorify Him; God of my Fathers, I will exalt Him for in glory was He glorified.
Open to Me the Doors of Repentance
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
wasted my life in laziness but by thine intercessions, deliver me from all impurity.
Open to me the doors of repentance, O Life-Giver, for my spirit rises early to pray towards Thy Holy Temple, bearing Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great merthe temple of my body all defiled but in Thy compassion, cy and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, blot out my transgressions. When I think of the many purify me by the loving kindness of Thy mercy. evil things I have done, wretch that I am, I tremble at the Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. fearful day of judgment but trusting in Thy loving kindLead me on the paths of salvation, O Mother of God, for ness, like David, I cry to Thee: “Have mercy on me, O I have profaned my soul with shameful sins and have God, according to Thy great mercy.” ~6~
Sunday of the Holy Cross
Let all the earth venerate the Cross, through which it has learned to worship Thee, the Word.
n this third Sunday of the Great Fast we celebrate the Veneration of
the precious and life-giving Cross. Since during the forty days of the Fast we are also in a way crucified, mortified to the passions, contrite, abased and despondent, the precious and life-giving Cross is offered to us as refreshment and confirmation, calling to mind the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and comforting us. If our God was crucified for our sake, how great should be our effort for His sake, since our afflictions have been assuaged through the Lord’s tribulations, and by the commemoration and the hope of the Cross of glory. For as our Savior in ascending the Cross was glorified through dishonor and grief; so should we also endure our sorrows, in order to be glorified with Him. Also, as those who have traveled a long hard road, weighed down by the labors of their journey, in finding a shady tree, take their ease for a moment
and continue their journey rejuvenated, so now in this time of the Fast, this sorrowful and laborious journey, the Holy Fathers have planted the life-giving Cross, for our relief and refreshment, to encourage and make easier the labors that lie ahead.
Or as when there is a royal procession, the king’s scepter and banners precede him, he then appears himself, radiant and joyous in his victory, causing his subjects to rejoice with him. So then our Lord Jesus Christ, desiring to show His sure victory over death and His glory on the day of the Resurrection, sends His scepter before Himself, the sign of His kingship, the life-giving Cross, to gladden and refresh us, as it greatly fortifies and enables us to be prepared to receive the King with all possible strength, and to praise Him in His radiant victory. This week lies at the middle of the holy Forty Day Fast. The Fast is like a bitter source because of our contrition and the sadness and sorrow for sin that it brings. And as Moses plunged the branch in the bitter waters of Marah, making them sweet, so God, who has led us through the spiritual Red Sea away from Pharaoh, through the life-giving wood of the precious and life-giving Cross sweetens the bitterness of the Forty Day Fast, and comforts us as those who were in the wilderness, up until the time when by His Resurrection He will lead us to the spiritual Jerusalem. And since the Cross is called, and indeed is, the Tree of Life, it is the very tree that was planted in the Garden of Eden. So it is fitting that the Holy Fathers have planted the Tree of the Cross in the middle of the Forty Day Fast to commemorate both Adam’s tasting of its sweet fruit and of its being taken from us in favor of the Tree of the Cross, tasting of which we shall in no way die, but will have even greater life.
~7~
St. Nicholai (Velimirovich)of Ochrid and Zicha
The New Chrysostom
Nicholai Velimirorich was born into a large peasant family in the village of
Lelich, Serbia, on December 23, 1880. Young Nicholai began his education in Lelich and later went to the capital city, Belgrade, to attend St. Sava Theological Seminary. He graduated in 1902 at 22. He entered the graduate Theological Faculty (or school) in Bern, Switzerland, in 1905 and 1909 received a doctorate in sacred theology—the first of many doctoral degrees he would earn. Later that year, he returned to Serbia and was tonsured a monk at the Monastery of Rkovica, receiving the name Nicholai. He was soon ordained to the priesthood and eventually elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Two years after his ordination, he joined the faculty at his alma mater, the St. Sava Theological Seminary in Belgrade and taught there until 1915. During his four summer vacations from St. Sava’s, Archimandrite Nicholai went to study in Russia. When World War I broke out, Archimandrite Nicholai was sent to England on a diplomatic mission. While he was there, he lectured at Oxford University and received a doctorate in philosophy at the university’s King’s College. At the same time, he received honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Glasgow University. He returned to Serbian in 1919 and was elected and consecrated a bishop that same year, at age 39. He was appointed to the Diocese of Zicha and later to the Diocese of Ochrid. He spent 1921 and 1922 as a missionary bishop in America, creating and administrating the Serbian Orthodox Diocese in the United States and Canada. After his two years in America, he returned to Ochrid, where he resumed the archpastorate of his two Serbian dioceses. That is where he remained until 1934, when he went back to Zicha until the collapse of Yugoslavia in World War II.
Dachau concentration camp, where—although they suffered horribly—they both survived the war. Years later, Bishop Nicholai said that he had once spoken with an elder on Mount Athos. Young Nicholai asked the monk: “Father, what is your main spiritual exercise?” The elder replied, “The perfect visualization of God’s presence.” Ever since then, Bishop Nicholai said, “I tried this visualization of God’s presence. And as little as I succeeded, it helped me enormously to prevent me from sinning in freedom, and from despairing in prison. If we kept the vision of the invisible God, we would be happier, wiser, and stronger in every walk of life.” As the war was nearing its end, Bishop Nicholai and Patriarch Gavrilo were liberated from Dachau. Patriarch. Gavrilo returned to Yugoslavia, but Bishop Nicholai did not, having found that he was unwelcome in Serbia. During the years that followed the war, Church leaders were not given the freedom to preach the Gospel and teach the Faith in Yugoslavia. So it was from abroad that Bishop Nicholai felt he could best serve the faithful of his Church, and he chose to remain in foreign exile. He first went to England, but within a year, in April 1946, he decided to go again to America. This time he was a refugee, without any official position in the Church. He arrived at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in New York City. He also taught at the Serbian Orthodox Seminary in Libertyville, Illinois, until 1949. Bishop Nicholai moved to the Russian Orthodox St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York and later to St. Tikhon’s Monastery and
During World War II, the Nazis occupied Yugoslavia. Civil war broke out, and Serb fought Serb. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians were tortured or massacred by the Croatians under the direction of the Nazis. Hosts of other Serbs were sent to Nazi death camps. Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo and Bishop Nicholai were sent to the infamous ~8~
Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. There he would teach, preach, continue to write, and pursue his own studies. In addition to degrees from Bern and Oxford, Bishop Nicholai received doctorates from Halle in Germany, the Sorbonne in Paris, and Columbia University in New York.
Serbian Church House in New York, and there he received his spiritual children and other visitors. His correspondents, his spiritual children, his students, his fellow monks, and all who knew him came to regard him with love and respect.
Bishop Nicholai fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, March He began as a professor at St. Tikhon’s Seminary, but even- 18, 1956, at St. Tikhon’s. Ten days later, his body was tually he was appointed dean. At that time, most of the moved for burial to the Serbian Monastery of Sava in Libcourses at St. Tikhon’s were taught in Russian, but Bishop ertyville, Illinois, where it remained until April 24, 1991. Nicholai chose to teach only in English. Other faculty At that time his body was taken back to Yugoslavia, where members disagreed with his decision, and some became he lay in state in many towns and cities. According to his resentful of him, but the bishop knew that it was impor- own final wishes, the bishop’s body was finally transferred tant for the students to hear their lectures in their own lan- to his native village of Lelich in Serbia on May 12, 1991. guage. On most occasions, he even preached his sermons in His remains joined those of his parents and his nephew, English in the monastery church at St. Tikhon’s so that ev- Bishop Jovan Velimirovich. In 1987, the local diocese as a eryone—the monks, the seminarians and the faithful laity saint of the Church glorified Bishop Nicholai. who attended the Liturgy—would be able to understand (Source for the Life of Bishop Nicholai (Velimirovich): Portraits him. The people often complained about the use of English, of American Saints, Compiled and Edited by George A. Gray but he would answer: “You have learned and heard enough. and Jan V. Bear, Diocese Council and Department of Missions It is time for the seminarians to learn something.” Diocese of the West Orthodox Church in America, 650 MichelOne of the students wrote of Bishop Nicholai: He sighed a great deal when he prayed and before class he would spontaneously pray for us and the seminary. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of each seminary student. At time he would sit on a warm fall evening and pay his flute, and the tears would stream down his face as he remembered his beloved Serbia. He also survived the Dachau prison camp. When the students would complain about the food, he would say, “You don’t know what bad food is. We would search through the garbage cans at Dachau.” But beyond that, he would not mention his sufferings.
torena Street, Los Angles, California, 1994, pp. 74-77).
Troparion Tone 8
Golden-mouthed preacher of the Resurrected Christ, guide of the cross-bearing Serbian people through the ages, resonant lyre of the Holy Spirit, joy and glory of priests, teacher of repentance, Bishop of the whole nation, leader of the Godpraying army of Christ, O Holy Nicholai of Serbia and all Orthodoxy; with the saints in Heavenly Serbia, pray the Only Lover of mankind to grant peace and unity to our people.
Kontakion Tone 3
Born in Serbian Lelich, you where the Archpastor in Saint Bishop Nicholai’s health had been weakened by his captivity Naum’s Ochrid. you presented from the throne of Saint Sava in at Dachau. Despite his ill health, however, he remained in Zicha, by the Gospel you instructed and enlightened the people constant contact with the faithful of the Serbian and other of God. You led many to repentance and love for Christ. For Orthodox churches. He taught his seminary classes with en- Christ’s sake you endured suffering in Dachau. For all this, O thusiasm, power, and deep insight. He often traveled to the Saint, He glorified you. Nicholai, the New God-pleasing One!
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem in the year 315
and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he succeeded him on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem. As Patriarch of Jerusalem, St Cyril zealously fought against the heresies of Arius and Macedonius. In so doing, he aroused the animosity of the Arian bishops, who sought to have him deposed and banished from Jerusalem. ~9~
There was a miraculous portent in 351 at Jerusalem: at the When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) ascendthird hour of the day on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy ed the throne he repealed all the anti-Orthodox decrees of Cross appeared in the heavens, shining with a radiant light. Constantius, seemingly out of piety. St Cyril returned to It stretched from Golgotha above the Mount of Olives. St his own flock. But after a certain while, when Julian had Cyril reported this portent to the Arian emperor Constan- become secure upon the throne, he openly apostasized and renounced Christ. He permitted the Jews to start retius (351-363), hoping to convert him to Orthodoxy. building the Temple of Jerusalem that had been destroyed The heretic Acacius, deposed by the Council of Sardica, by the Romans, and he even provided them part of the was formerly the Metropolitan of Caesarea, and he collab- funds for the building from the state treasury. orated with the emperor to have St Cyril removed. An intense famine struck Jerusalem, and St Cyril expended all St Cyril predicted that the words of the Savior about the destruction of the Temple down to its very stones (Luke. his wealth in charity. But since the famine did not abate, 21:6) would undoubtedly transpire, and the blasphemous the saint pawned church utensils, and used the money to intent of Julian would come to naught. Soon there was such buy wheat for the starving. The saint’s enemies spread a a powerful earthquake, that even the solidly set foundation scandalous rumor that they had seen a woman in the city of the ancient Temple ofSolomon shifted in its place, and dancing around in clerical garb. Taking advantage of this what had been rebuilt fell down and shattered into dust. rumor, the heretics forcibly expelled the saint. When the Jews resumed construction, a fire came down The saint found shelter with Bishop Silvanus in Tarsus. After this, a local Council at Seleucia, at which there were about 150 bishops, and among them St Cyril. The heretical Metropolitan Acacius did not want to allow him to take a seat, but the Council would not consent to this. Acacius stormed out of the Council, and before the emperor and the Arian patriarch Eudoxius, he denounced both the Council and St Cyril. The emperor had the saint imprisoned.
from the heavens and destroyed the tools of the workmen. Great terror seized everyone. On the following night, the Sign of the Cross appeared on the clothing of the Jews, which they could not remove by any means.
After this heavenly confirmation of St Cyril’s prediction, they banished him again, and the bishop’s throne was occupied by St Cyriacus. But St Cyriacus soon suffered a martyr’s death (October 28).
After the emperor Julian perished in 363, St Cyril returned to his See, but during the reign of the emperor Valens (364-378) he was exiled for a third time. It was only under the holy emperor St Theodosius the Great (379-395) that he finally returned to his archpastoral activity. In 381 St Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned the heresy of Macedonius and affirmed the Nicea-Constantinople Symbol of Faith (Creed). St Cyril’s works include twenty-three Instructions (Eighteen are Catechetical, intended for those preparing for Baptism, and five are for the newly-baptized) and two discourses on Gospel themes: “On the Paralytic,” and “Concerning the Transformation of Water into Wine at Cana.” At the heart of the Catechetical Instructions is a detailed explanation of the Symbol of Faith. The saint suggests that a Christian should inscribe the Symbol of Faith upon “the tablets of the heart.” “The articles of the Faith,” St Cyril teaches, “were not written through human cleverness, but they contain everything that is most important in all the Scriptures, in a single teaching of faith. Just as the mustard seed contains all its plethora of branches within its small kernel, so also does the Faith in its several declarations combine all the pious teachings of the Old and the New Testaments.” St Cyril, a great ascetic and a champion of Orthodoxy, died in the year 386. ~10~
Lenten Recipes
Vegan Lasagna
“This lasagna is very good AND is a vegan recipe!” Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1½ cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup tomato paste
Filling
2 pounds firm tofu
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
¼ cup chopped parsley
Directions 1. Make the sauce: In a large, heavy saucepan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Place the onions in the saucepan and saute them until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 5 minutes more.
and mash all the ingredients together by squeezing pieces of tofu through your fingers. Mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
6. Assemble the lasagna: Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole pan. Arrange a single layer of lasagna noodles, sprinkle onethird of the tofu mixture over the noodles. Distribute the spinach evenly over the tofu. Next ladle 1½ cups tomato sauce over the tofu, and top it with another layer of the noodles. Then sprinkle another ⅓ of the tofu mixture over the noodles, top the tofu with 1 ½ cups tomato sauce, and place a final layer of noodles over the tomato sauce. Finally, top the noodles with the final ⅓ of the tofu, and spread the remaining tomato sauce over everything.
5. Place the tofu blocks in a large bowl. Add the garlic, basil and parsley. Add the salt and pepper,
7. Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy.
2. Place the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil and parsley in the saucepan. Stir well, turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer covered for 1 hour. Add the salt and pepper. 3. While the sauce is cooking bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil. Boil the lasagna noodles for 9 minutes, then drain and rinse well.
~11~
A Romanian nun strikes the wooden semantron in the Sfanta Manastire Viforata in Romania. St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church 1415 Woodstock Ave. Anniston, AL 36207