St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America 1415 Woodstock Ave. Anniston, AL 36207 www.stlukeanniston.org The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest Contact: (256) 235-3893 or basilncana@yahoo.com
July 15, 2012
Holy Fathers of the First Six Ĺ’cumenical Councils Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles Enlightener to the Russian Lands
~ Welcome! ~
We are so pleased to have you join us today in worship. Following the service, there will be a coffee hour, during which we can get to know you and answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to make use of the service booklets provided and we welcome you to join us in prayer and song. We ask God’s blessings upon you.
Announcements We pray God grants Many, Many Years to Coleman Brightwell who celebrated his birthday yesterday, to Nicholas Lynn who will celebrate his birthday Tuesday and Lee Smith celebrating her Namesday on Thursday. The parish Knitters and Crochet Group will be meeting Monday morning after Matins.
Service Schedule Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Matins 8 am
Matins 8 am
Bible Study 5 pm
No Service
Matins 8 am
Great Vespers 4 pm
Divine Liturgy 10 am
Great Vespers “Lord, I Call” v. (10) Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name! Tone 5 (for the Resurrection) Thy precious Cross, O Christ, Thou hast put the devil to shame. By Thy Resurrection, Thou hast blunted the sting of sin and saved us from the gates of death.// We glorify Thee, the only begotten One. v. (9) The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me. Christ was led as a sheep to the slaughter in order to grant Resurrection to the human race. The princes of hell were frightened by this, for the gates of sorrow were lifted. Christ, the King of glory had entered, saying to those in chains: “Go forth!”// And to those in darkness: “Come to the light!” v. (8) Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Oh, great wonder! The Creator of the invisible suffered in the flesh in His love for man and rose again immortal. Come, O sons of nations, let us worship Him, delivered from error by His compassion,// we have learned to sing of one God in three Persons! v. (7) Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! Tone 6 (for the Holy Fathers) Thou wast begotten from the Father before the Morning Star, but Arius taught wrongly that Thou wast created. In his ignorance he designated Thee as a creature, yet the Fathers of the Council in Nicea, O Lord, proclaimed that Thou art the Son of God,// co-enthroned with the Father and the Holy Spirit. v. (6) If Thou, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee.
Thou wast begotten from the Father before the Morning Star… 1
v. (5) For Thy name’s sake I have waited for Thee, O Lord, my soul has waited for Thy word; my soul has hoped on the Lord. O honored Fathers, thou didst skillfully stitch together the garment of Christ, which had been divided and torn apart by barking dogs. Thou didst find it unbearable to see His nakedness, as, of old, Shem and Japheth could not bear to see the nakedness of their father. Thou didst put to shame the wretchedness of Arius and those who agreed with him,// and who professed the madness that bears his name. v. (4) From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch, let Israel hope on the Lord! The Macedónians and Nestórians, the Eutýchians and Dióscorenes, the Appolinárians, Sabéllians, and Séverans, who were revealed as oppressive wolves in sheep’s skins, thou, as true shepherds, didst drive far away from the Savior’s flock, having stripped the thrice-wretched ones of their sheep’s skins.// Therefore, we call thee blessed, O holy Fathers. v. (3) For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will deliver Israel from all his iniquities. Tone 4 (for the St. Vladimir) Thou wast a second Constantine in word and deed, for he was born in a Christian age, yet lived for many years among the pagans, while thou wast born of heathen, but loved Christ, Who loved thee. Thou hast gone to Him, rejoicing.// Pray ceaselessly to Him for those who honor thy memory! v. (2) Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise Him, all peoples! Brightly shining, Mount Sinai rejoices eternally, for it is sanctified by the Law of Moses and has seen the Invisible One; and thy great city, O Vladimir, also shines brightly and celebrates with joy, beholding in the Spirit the Son, glorified in thee with the Father.// Pray to Him to save and enlighten our souls! v. (1) For His mercy is abundant towards us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever. For the Russian people, O Vladimir, thou wast a father in spirit, a king and true preacher; an apostle of Christ, announcing the baptism of salvation. And having thereby brightly illumined thy people,// thou didst sanctify them throughout all the lands of thy kingdom, O blessed one. 2
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; Tone 6 (for the Holy Fathers) Today let us praise the mystical trumpets of the Spirit, the God-bearing Fathers, who stand in the midst of the Church, singing true theology, praising the changeless Trinity. They laid low the errors of Arius and upheld the Orthodox Faith.// They always entreat the Lord to have mercy on our souls. Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Tone 5
(Dogmatikon)
In the Red Sea of old, a type of the Virgin Bride was prefigured. There Moses divided the waters; here Gabriel assisted in the miracle. There Israel crossed the sea without getting wet, here the Virgin gave birth to Christ without seed. After Israel’s passage, the sea remained impassable; after Emmanuel’s birth, the Virgin remained a Virgin. O ever-existing God, Who appeared as Man,// O Lord, have mercy on us!
The Old Testament Readings Genesis 14:14-20
(for the Holy Fathers)
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his goods, and the women and the people. After his return from the defeat of Ched-or-lao’mer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Mel-chiz’edek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17 (for the Holy Fathers) Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.‘ “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able alone to bear you; the LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars 3
of heaven for multitude. May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you! So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien that is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ Deuteronomy 10:14-21
(for the Holy Fathers)
And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien that is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do. “And we set out from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Ka’desh-bar’nea. And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God gives us. Behold, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you; do not fear or be dismayed.’ 3 [1] Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
(for St. Vladimir)
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to thy servants who walk before thee with all their heart; “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, hearkening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee this day; that thy eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which thou hast said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that thou mayest hearken to the prayer which thy servant offers toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive. 4
Isaiah 61:10-62:5
(for St. Vladimir)
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My delight is in her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 60:1-16
(for St. Vladimir)
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Mid’ian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebai’oth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I smote you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you; 5
and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic for ever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations, you shall suck the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Tone 5
(for the Resurrection)
Aposticha
We magnify Thee in songs of praise, O incarnate Christ and Savior. By accepting the Cross and death for our sake, as the Lord and Lover of man, Thou didst overthrow the gates of hell,// and didst arise on the third day, saving our souls. v. The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath He clothed Himself. By being pierced in the side, O Lover of man, Thou hast poured out drops of life and salvation for all. By accepting death in the flesh, Thou hast granted us immortality. Thou hast freed us by being placed in the tomb, and hast resurrected us with Thyself in glory, as God.// Glory to Thee, O Lord and Lover of man! v. For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved. Thy crucifixion and descent into hell are awesome, O Lover of man. Thou hast captured it, releasing the ancient prisoners. Thou hast opened Paradise and given it to us. Grant us purification of sins, who glorify Thy Resurrection on the third day! Make us worthy of Paradise// and save us, O Lover of man! v. Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days! For our sake, Thou didst accept death in the flesh, to rise from the dead on the third day. Heal us from our earthly passions, and restore us from our evil transgressions;// and save us, O Lover of man! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; 6
Tone 4 (for the Holy Fathers) Today we celebrate the annual memorial of the God-bearing Fathers who assembled in Nicea. They laid low the godless doctrines of Arius, driving him from the unity of the Catholic Church, and teaching us how to confess the consubstantial and co-eternal Son of God. They expressed this clearly in the Symbol of Faith, and we follow their divine doctrines, believing in and serving the Son with the Father and the all-Holy Spirit,// the consubstantial Trinity and one Divinity. Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Tone 4
(Theotokion)
Look on the entreaties of thy servants, O blameless one! Stop all the terrible attacks against us, freeing us from every affliction, for we have only thee as our sure and firm anchor! Do not let us be put to shame, O Lady, for we call on thee for our intercession! Hasten to pray for those who call in faith: “Rejoice, Lady, Help of all:// the Joy and Shelter and Salvation of our souls!� Tone 5
Troparia
(for the Resurrection)
Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born for our salvation from the Virgin; for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; Tone 8
(for the Holy Fathers)
Thou art most glorious, O Christ our God! Thou hast established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth. Through them Thou hast guided us to the true Faith. O greatly compassionate One, glory to Thee!
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Tone 8
(Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion)
For our sake Thou wast born of the Virgin and endured crucifixion, O Good One, destroying death by death and revealing the Resurrection as God. Do not despise the work of Thy hand! Reveal Thy love for mankind, O Merciful One! Accept the Theotokos who is praying for us, and save the despairing people, O our Savior! 7
Divine Liturgy The Beatitudes
In Thy Kingdom remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The thief on the cross believing Thee to be God, confessed Thee earnestly from his heart, crying aloud: O Lord, remember me in Thy kingdom.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Let us with one accord praise as Savior and Creator, Him Who made life flower for our kind by the wood of the cross and Who withered the curse coming from the tree.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. By Thy death, O Christ, Thou hast destroyed the might of death and hast raised with Thyself those dead from the ages, praising Thee as our true God and Savior.
Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. The holy women having come to the tomb, O Christ, sought to anoint Thee, giver of life, with myrrh, and an angel appeared to them crying aloud: The Lord is risen.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. That it might escape the dread Nestorios, who wickedly introduced a duality of sons, the assembly of error slid from the mire into the pit, vainly teaching a confusion of wills and natures; but it was refuted by the godlike Fathers.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven. The Son, whom the Fathers of old had proclaimed as consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, the assembly of inspired Teachers taught all, with divine energies acknowledging one natural energy and will.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. The champions of error, thinking the will to be hypostatic, wickedly introduced along with the wills the persons of those who willed: the Fathers, excellently refuting them, teach that the energy which is appropriate to it is congenital with the nature.
Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. All-blameless Lady, you have become the door of the divine ray and source of the unsetting light; for all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt ineffably in your womb; you reward with his natural energy and radiance those who crave. 8
Troparia/Kontakia Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 5) Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born for our salvation from the Virgin; for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, to endure death, and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection!
Troparion for the Holy Fathers (Tone 8) Thou art most glorious, O Christ our God! Thou hast established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth. Through them Thou hast guided us to the true Faith. O greatly compassionate One, glory to Thee!
Troparion for Holy Prince Vladimir (Tone 4) Holy Prince Vladimir, you were like a merchant in search of fine pearls. By sending servants to Constantinople for the Orthodox Faith, you found Christ, the priceless Pearl. He appointed you to be another Paul, washing away in baptism your physical and spiritual blindness. We celebrate your memory, asking you to pray for all Orthodox Christians of Russia and for us, your spiritual children.
Kontakion of the Resurrection (Tone 5) Thou didst descend into hell, O my Savior, shattering its gates as Almighty, resurrecting the dead as Creator, and destroying the sting of death. Thou hast delivered Adam from the curse, O Lover of Man, and we cry to Thee: O Lord, save us!
Kontakion to Holy Fathers (Tone 8) The Apostles’ preaching and the Fathers’ doctrines have established one Faith for the Church. Adorned with the robe of truth, woven from heavenly theology, it defines and glorifies the great mystery of piety.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…
Kontakion for Holy Prince Vladimir (Tone 8)
O most glorious Vladimir, in your old age you imitated the great Apostle Paul: he abandoned childish things, while you forsook the idolatry of your youth. Together with him you reached the fullness of divine wisdom: you were adorned with the purity of holy baptism. Now as you stand before Christ our Savior, pray that all Orthodox Christians may be saved!
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion of our Steadfast Protectress (Tone 6) Steadfast Protectress of Christians, constant Advocate before the Creator; despise not the entreating cries of us sinners, but in thy goodness come speedily to help us who call on thee in faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for thou dost always protect those who honor thee! 9
Tone 4
Prokeimenon
(for the Holy Fathers)
Blessed are Thou, O Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name forever! v: For Thou art just in all that Thou hast done for us! Tone 3
(for Great Prince Vladimir)
v: Sing praises to our God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
The Epistle Reading Romans 12:6-14
(for the Resurrection)
Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Hebrews 13:7-16
(for the Holy Fathers)
Brethren, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Galatians 1:11-19
(for the Holy Prince Vladimir)
Brethren, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but 10
I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
Tone 1
Alleluia
(for the Holy Fathers)
v: The Lord, the God of gods, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. v: Gather to Me, My venerable ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice! Tone 6
(for Great Prince Vladimir)
v: I have exalted one chosen out of My people.
The Gospel Reading Matthew 9:1-8
(for the Resurrection)
At that time, he crossed over in a boat, and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he then said to the Paralytic— ”rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
John 17:1-13 (for the Holy Fathers) At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, you glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made. “I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you did send me. I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are mine; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but 11
the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
John 10:1-9
(for the Holy Prince Vladimir)
The Lord said to the Jews who had come to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
S
Great and Holy Prince St. Vladimir
t. Vladimir was a devout pagan in his early life. He was a great conqueror who had many wives and erected many pagan statues in the lands that he ruled over.
Upon finding out that other faiths existed beyond his own paganism, he decided to send his envoys out into the world to find out what was true faith on earth. His envoys met with Muslims, but felt that there was no joy among them, and that their faith was very mechanical. The envoys also met with Jews and Catholics, but were still unimpressed. Everything changed, however, when the envoys arrived in Constantinople. Upon attending Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, the envoys said, “We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth.” Taking the word of his envoys, St. Vladimir had himself and his nation baptized into the Orthodox Church. St. Vladimir changed completely after his baptism. He destroyed all the pagan statues that stood in Kievan Rus’, and replaced them with churches. He also attempted to live in peace as much as possible with his neighbors and had only one wife. The holy and right-believing Vladimir (Svyatoslavich), Baptizer of Kievan Rus’ (958-1015) was the Grand Prince of Kiev when Orthodoxy was introduced into present day Russia and Ukraine. He is also the grandson of St. Olga, and the father of Sts. Boris and Gleb the Passion-Bearers (and the first saints of the Russian lands). He is Russian Church, commemorated by the Church on July 15.
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W
The healing of the Paralytic
hat has the event related today in the Gospel (St. Matthew 9:l-8) to do with us? Who of us is aware of being paralysed? And who of us has faith, the calm and yet passionate certainty that no one but God can give us again the freedom of our movements?
This story is not a parable, it is an event; but it also conveys to us something more than the power of God to heal physical sickness if we come to Him with faith; that is having put aside all other hope but knowing for certain that our life and our death, our health and our sickness are in the hand of the Living God Who has chosen to become man in our midst, to share with us everything, including death and pain, including agony of mind and all the horror which may strike us when we look at the surrounding world, the world which we have made and are making. But there is another aspect in this story to which I want to attract your attention. Who of us can say that he is not paralysed? Paralysed by fear, paralysed by the desire to be seen in the best of lights, paralysed by our calculations that do not allow us to act freely, to breathe freely, to be fearless? How many of us could dare say that they are not possessed of the desire to be seen better than they are, to be seen as they are not, as God does not see us? How many of us could say, «I want to be seen as I am—not only in all my frailty (this others could accept), but in my deceitfulness, in my ugliness, full of fear, full of vanity», that is, of the desire to be judged on appearances and not on the reality? And yet, Saint John of the Ladder says that one who is possessed of vanity is arrogant in the face of God while he is a coward in the face of men. How many of us live continuously measuring our words, calculating our actions, thinking of the result not only aiming at a good result but afraid of how people will judge us? How afraid we are to look at ourselves and see the truth about our own selves, no longer to look into the distorted mirror that shows us to ourselves and others as beautiful, acceptable, noble, pure—but in another mirror, the mirror of our conscience, the mirror of God’s words and of God’s judgement of which we are aware, but from which we avert our gaze? How many of us, when we catch a glimpse of what we are, do not allow this shaft of light to go beyond a frightened awareness and fall into our hearts to search the darkest corners of it, the deepest corners to which light has not penetrated, which love has never reached, in which the truth has never sounded? How many of us are honest enough to judge themselves, their actions, incipient or fulfilled, in the light of truth? We are all paralysed: paralysed by fear, paralysed by calcula-
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tions, paralysed by the determination not to see because we are afraid of what we may see. We still, all of us, imagine that we can live the life of a paralytic and die whole; that we may live a whole life never having faced the truth, and stand before God Who is the Truth—and be acceptable. Oh, it is not a matter of God rejecting us! It is a matter of suddenly discovering, with horror, that we have no place in the realm of Truth, in the realm of daring Truth, in the realm of beauty, of heroic beauty. Let us reflect on this; let us not think of the man who was paralysed and whose faith healed his body by the power of God; let us think of our own paralysed condition. After one of my last sermons, I was asked by someone, «Why is it that your last sermon was so stern?» I can answer in all honesty: because for months and months I have been searching my own soul, confronting my own conscience, and seeing with horror that I live a lie, that I am not a Christian according to the Gospel, that I stand condemned not only by the Gospel itself, but by what I look like as a Christian. Yes, what I am saying is what I feel about myself; but do you not feel similar things, even if you are infinitely more worthy of God than I am? Do you not feel that, more or less, we all sin in the same way, that we all betray our own self that is called to be a revelation of God, a visible image, a divine presence incarnate in soul, in body, in action and word, in thought and feeling, in intention and result—do we not see that? I do! And what I say is a confession—yes, but a confession which is addressed to all of you: this is what I see in myself—LOOK at yourselves: we still perhaps have time to become true and real as God has willed us, to be what God dreams we should be, to respond to His love by not betraying ourselves, one another and Him. And there is hope, there is hope because God has the power to heal, God has the power to break our palsy if we turn to Him with faith, and hope and courage! Amen Antony (Bloom) of Sourozh (19 June 1914—4 August 2003) was best known as a writer and broadcaster on prayer and the Christian life. He was founder and for many years bishop— then archbishop, then metropolitan—of the Diocese of Sourozh, the Patriarchate of Moscow’s diocese for Great Britain and Ireland (the name ‘Sourozh’ is that of the historical episcopal see in Sudak in the Crimea). As a bishop he became well known as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director and writer on prayer and the Christian life.