St. LukeDiocese Orthodox Christian Church of the South, Orthodox Church in America The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest 1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/ basilncana@yahoo.com • (256) 235-3893
Christ is Risen!
May 29th, 2011 • 6th Sunday of Pascha • Sunday of the Blind Man
Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Tyre (308). Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Constaninople (730). Martyrs Cyril, child Carellus, Primolus, Phinodus, Venustus, Gissinus, Alexander, Tredemius, and Jocunda, at Caesarea in Cappadocia (253-259). Commemoration of the First Œcumenical Council (325). St. Alexander, patriarch of Alexandria (328). Righteous John and Martyr of Ustiug (13th c.). Blessed Constantine XII, last Byzantine emperor, martyred by the Turks (1453). New Martyr Andrew of Chios (1465). Repose of Blessed John of Ustiug, fool-for-Christ (1494). New Martyr John (or Nannus), at Smyrna (1802). New Hiero-confessor Luke (Voino-Yasenersky), archbishop of Simferopol (1961). Uncovering of the relics (2000) of St. Job (Joshua in schema) of Anzersk Island (Solovki) (1720). (Gr. Cal.: Hieromartyr Olbian, bishop of Anaea and his disciples, in the Asia province of Asia Minor [284-303].) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Surety of Sinners” in Moscow (1848).
Announcements
Please check the schedule below for services for the Feast of the Ascension.
Fr. Basil’s Wednesday class on St. Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians will be held after Vespers. Today is designated as Prison Ministry Sunday. Information on Orthodox Prison Ministry can be found in today’s bulletin. MON, 5/30
This Week’s Scripture, Service and Fasting Schedule TUES, 5/31 WED, 6/1 THURS, 6/2 FRI, 6/3 SAT, 6/4 FAST
NO SERVICES
Matins 8 a.m.
Matins 8 a.m.
FAST Divine Liturgy 8 a.m.
Matins 8 a.m.
Great Vespers 4 p.m. Acts 17:1-15
Acts 17:19-28 Acts 18:22-28
SUN, 6/5 Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.
Great Vespers 4 p.m. Acts 19:1-8
Acts 20:7-12
Acts 20:1618, 28-36
John 11:47-57 John 12:19-36 John 12:36-47 Luke 24:36-53
John 14:1-11
John 14:10-21
John 17:1-13
St. Issac, founder of Dalamatia Monastery
Sts. Martha & Mary
St. Kevin of Glendalough
Sunday of the Holy Fathers
St. Philosophus Newmartyr of St. Petersburg
St. Justin the Philosopher
Acts 1:1-12
Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Service times are subject to change. Please check with Fr. Basil if in any doubt.
Great Vespers “Lord, I Call”
From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in the Lord!
SUNDAY (Tone 5)
O Lord, Who hast captured hell and trampled on By Thy precious Cross, O Christ, Thou hast put the death, Thou hast enlightened the world by Thy predevil to shame. By Thy Resurrection, Thou hast blunt- cious cross! O Savior, have mercy on us. Sunday of the ed the sting of sin and saved us from the gates of death! BLIND MAN (Tone 2) For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous We glorify Thee, O Only begotten One. Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!
The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.
redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
The man blind from birth asked himself: “Was I born Christ was led as a sheep to the slaughter in order to blind because of my parents’ sins? Or am I a living grant Resurrection to the human race! The princes of sign of the people’s faithlessness? I am not content to hell were frightened by this, for the gates of sorrow continue asking whether it is night or day. My feet can were lifted. Christ the King of glory had entered, say- no longer endure tripping on the stones. I have seen ing to those in chains: “Go forth!” And to those in nothing: neither the sun shining, nor the image of my darkness: “Come to the light!” Maker. But I entreat You, O Christ God, look upon Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, me and have mercy on me!” hear my voice!
O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!
O, great wonder! The Creator of the invisible suffered The man blind from birth asked himself… in the flesh in His love for man and rose again immortal! Come, O sons of nations, let us worship Him! De- For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of the Lord remaineth forever. livered from error by His compassion, we have learned Jesus, passing by the Temple, met a man blind from to sing of one God in three Persons! birth. He had compassion on him and put spittle on his Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer! eyes, saying: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam!” He We offer Thee our evening worship, O never setting washed himself and then gave glory to God. His neighLight, Who came in these last days to the world in the bors asked him: “Who opened your eyes, which no one flesh; Who even descended to hell to dispel its dark- could heal before?” He cried out: “A man called Jesus ness. Who hast revealed the light of Resurrection to said to me: ‘Wash in Siloam!’ and now I see; He is truly the nations. Glory to Thee, O Lord and Giver of light! the Christ, the Messiah Whom Moses foretold in the Law. He is the Savior of our souls!” If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? For with Thee is propitiation.
Sunday of the
BLIND MAN (Tone 5)
We glorify the Leader of our salvation; by His ResurrecGlory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… tion from the dead, the world was saved from deceit. Passing by the way, O Lord, You met a man blind from The assembly of Angels rejoices as the deceit of demons birth. Your Disciples were puzzled and asked: “Rabbi, is overthrown. Fallen Adam rises as the devil falls. who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “It was not that this man sinned, 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. or his parents, but that the works of God might be reThe guards were instructed by the lawless ones: “Hide vealed in him. I must work the works of Him Who sent the rising of Christ, take money and say: ‘The body me, which no one else can do.” As He said this, He spat was stolen from the tomb while we were asleep.’” But on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and anointwho has heard of a body being stolen, a body em- ed the man’s eyes with the clay and said to him: “Go, balmed and naked, with its grave clothes left behind wash in the pool of Siloam!” He went and washed, and in the tomb? Do not be deceived, O Jews, study the was made whole, crying: “Lord, I believe!” He worwords of the Prophets and understand: Christ is the shipped You, and we cry: “Have mercy on us!” Redeemer of the world and all powerful! ~3~
DOGMATIKON (Tone 5)
This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
In the Red Sea of old, a type of the Virgin Bride was Pascha of beauty, the Pascha of the Lord, A Pascha prefigured. There Moses divided the waters. Here Ga- worthy of honor has dawned for us. Pascha! Let us embriel assisted in the miracle. There Israel crossed the brace each other joyously! Pascha, ransom from afflicsea without getting wet. Here the Virgin gave birth to tion! For today, as from a bridal chamber, Christ has Christ without seed. After Israel’s passage, the sea re- shown forth from the tomb, and filled the women with mained impassable. After Emmanuel’s birth, the Vir- joy saying: “Proclaim the glad tidings to the Apostles!” Sunday of the gin remained a Virgin. O ever-existing God, Who BLIND MAN (Tone 8) appeared as Man, O Lord, have mercy on us! Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… O Christ God, Sun of Righteousness, by Your touch You Aposticha enlightened all. Give sight now to our spiritual eyes, and SUNDAY (Tone 5) show us to be sons of the day! Great is Your ineffable We magnify Thee in songs of praise, O Incarnate goodness towards us! O Lover of mankind, glory to You! Christ and Savior. By accepting the Cross and death PASCHA for our sake, as the Lord and Lover of man, Thou didst Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. overthrow the gates of hell, and didst arise on the This is the day of resurrection! Let us be illumined by third day, saving our souls. the feast! Let us embrace each other! Let us call PASCHA “Brothers” even those that hate us, and forgive all by Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate the resurrection, and so let us cry: Him flee from before His face!
Today, a sacred Pascha is revealed to us: a new and “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by holy Pascha, a mystical Pascha, a Pascha worthy of death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!” (1x) veneration, a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer, a Troparia blameless Pascha, a great Pascha, a Pascha of the faithSUNDAY (Tone 5) ful, a Pascha which has opened to us the gates of ParaThe Word who with the Father and the Spirit hath no dise, a Pascha which sanctifies all the faithful. beginning, and for our salvation was born of a Virgin, As smoke vanishes so let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire! let us faithful hymn and worship, for He was pleased Come from that scene, O women bearers of glad tidings, to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and to endure death and say to Zion: “Receive from us the glad tidings of joy, and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection. of Christ’s Resurrection! Exult and be glad, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, seeing Christ the King, Who comes forth Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion (Tone 5) Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, from the tomb like a bridegroom in procession!” now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
So the sinners will perish before the face of God. But let the righteous be glad!
The myrrh-bearing women, at the break of dawn, drew near to the tomb of the Life-giver. There they found an Angel sitting upon the stone. He greeted them with these words: “Why do you seek the Living among the dead? Why do you mourn the Incorrupt amid corruption? Go, proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples!”
C
Rejoice, Impassable Gate of the Lord! Rejoice, Wall and Protection of those who run to thee! Rejoice, Unshakable Refuge! Rejoice, thou who knewest not wedlock, who gavest birth in the flesh to thy Creator and God! Do not cease praying for those who praise and worship thy Son!
hrist being led into the heart by faith, dwells in it with peace and joy. It is not without reason that it is said of God, ‘He is Holy, and rests in the saints.’” St. John of Kronstadt (1829–1908) ~4~
Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom Beatitude Verses
Troparia
SUNDAY
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
SUNDAY (Tone 5)
The Word who with the Father and the Spirit hath no The thief on the cross believing Thee to be God con- beginning, and for our salvation was born of a Virgin, fessed Thee earnestly from his heart, crying aloud: ‘O let us faithful hymn and worship, for He was pleased Lord, remember me in Thy kingdom.’ to ascend the Cross in the flesh, and to endure death and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection. 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 Kontakia Sunday of the BLIND MAN (Tone 4) of the cross and Who withered the curse coming Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… from the tree. I come to Thee, O Christ, blind from birth in my spirBlessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. itual eyes, and call to Thee in repentance: “Thou art By Thy death, O Christ, Thou hast destroyed the might the most radiant Light of those in darkness.” of death and hast raised with Thyself those dead from PASCHA (Tone 8) the ages praising Thee as our true God and Savior. Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thou didst descend into the tomb, O Immortal, Thou didst destroy the power of death. In victory didst Thou The holy women having come to the tomb, O Christ, arise, O Christ God, proclaiming: “Rejoice!” to the sought to anoint Thee, giver of life, with myrrh, and an Myrrhbearing Women, granting peace to Thine Aposangel appeared to them crying aloud: ‘The Lord is risen.’ tles, and bestowing resurrection on the fallen. Sunday of the
BLIND MAN
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Prokeimenon Sunday of the
BLIND MAN (Tone 8)
After your Rising, O Christ, you said to your friends: Pray ye, and render unto the Lord, our God! Tarry in Jerusalem, until you are clothed with invinciVs: In Judea is God known; in Israel great is His name. ble strength and sure support from on high. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Epistle Reading
Sunday of the You made clay, and anointed the eyes of the man Blind BLIND MAN from birth, and you gave him the grace of sight as he The Acts of the Holy Apostles (16:16-34) hymned your immaculate power, through which you In those days the apostles, as we apostles were going to the saved the world. place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us, crying, Three-personned Unity, Father unbegotten, Son be“These men are servants of the Most High God, who gotten, Spirit proceeding, thrice-holy Lord, one Esproclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she did sence, one Power, save your whole people. for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. said to the spirit, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Who can recount your great things, O Pure one? For Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very beyond nature you bore God in the flesh, who delivers hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain the world from every sin through you, Virgin all-un- was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them blemished. into the market place before the rulers; and when they
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had brought them to the magistrates they said, “These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one’s fetters were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.
Alleluia Verses Sunday of the
BLIND MAN (Tone 8)
Vs: Look upon me and have mercy on me! Vs: Direct my steps according to Thy word!
Gospel Reading Sunday of the
BLIND MAN
The Gospel according to St. John (9:1-38)
At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of
God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he”; others said, “No, but he is like him.” He said, “I am the man.” They said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.”
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So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe”: and he worshiped him.
Theotokion
PASCHA
The Angel cried to the Lady, full of grace: “Rejoice, rejoice, O pure Virgin! Again, I say: ‘Rejoice, thy Son is risen from His three days in the tomb! With Himself He has raised all the dead.’” Rejoice, O ye people!
I
Shine, shine, shine, O New Jerusalem! The glory of the Lord has shone on thee! Exult now, exult, and be glad, O Zion! Be radiant, O pure Theotokos, in the Resurrection of thy Son!
Sunday of the Blind Man
I should like to draw your attention to two aspects of today’s reading. The first one is that once again the Lord Jesus Christ has performed a miracle on the Sabbath, offending thereby those who kept to the law with strictness and fanaticism. But indeed, it is not to offend that Christ did act so. God created the world in six days: and on the seventh He rested from His labours, but He committed the world to the charge of man. The whole of history, from the creation of the world to the Second Coming is the hour of man, the hour when man must help the creation to bear fruit, to be fulfilled, to be united to its Maker. Man has failed in his vocation, we have made of
the world something ugly and monstrous while we were called to make of it a fulfilment of beauty and of harmony with God, and in itself. But Christ came, the only true man, the only man in perfect harmony with God, the only man who could fulfil the task of man. And His performing of these miracles on a Sabbath day is a call to us to treat History, our day, the day in which
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we live, as the day which God has committed to our charge, and make of this day the day of the Lord.
thinkest not of the things of God’.
If we were truly Christian we could repeat with the Book Another feature which is not unconnected with the of Revelation the words of the Spirit and of the Church, first, is this: when we read in the Gospel of the mighty ‘Come, Lord Jesus, and come soon’—and yet, we do not. acts of God, of His preaching, of His miracles, we turn How many of us long for this coming, long for it, knowto Him in hope that He will work His wonders on us. ing that His coming will mean our death to things of the And we forget that Christ told us that He gave us an earth and our awakening face to face with God?.. example which we should follow, that what He has We are sent to be in the world what Christ has been, and done, we should do; and indeed, in His own words, the only reason why we are not, is that we do not deny, that those who will believe in Him, will do greater reject ourselves in order to fulfil our mission. The blind things even than those miracles which He had fulfilled. man met Christ, face to face, Christ healed him. How Our vocation is to transfigure this world, thoroughly, many around us are blind—not physically blind, but but not to be the constant objects of divine care. We, with a blindness more cruel than physical blindness: Christians, have made Christianity anaemic, powerless, blind to the meaning of life, blind to love, blind to comweak by treating history not as the day of man, but the passion, blind to everything that could make life into a day when God must lavish upon us, a little flock, His warfare and a victory. It is for us to go out as Christ went, grace, His help and His mercy. with forgetfulness of self, taking up our own cross, folIn fact He called us, on the evening of His Resurrec- lowing Him, because He has said, that if we want to get tion, to go into the world as He came into the world, to anywhere, it is Him we must follow. This is a challenge go into the world as messengers of love, as messengers to us. What happened in the days of the flesh, must hapof God, and to fulfil our mission as He fulfilled His, at pen now, that we are the incarnate Body of Christ, and the cost of our lives, pouring our lives for others to live, if we are not capable of doing this, we must ask ourselves giving our death, if necessary for others to come to life. pertinent, cruel questions and answer them ruthlessly, We are very far from our vocation; we run to God for without mercy to ourselves, and become the Christians help at the very moment when He commands us to which we are to be, which we are called to be Christians sally forth, to move onwards, to be His presence in the in whom people can recognise Christ Himself. Amen. world. Saint Paul understood that, when he said, ‘I fulMetropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, 12 May 1980 fil in my body,—that is in all his person, soul and flesh,—what was lacking in the sufferings of Christ’. And we are called by Christ to forget ourselves, to turn away from ourselves, because we are the stumblingblock that prevents us from fulfilling our mission—our fear for our body, our fear of moral, of mental agony, our fear of all things which it is our vocation to fulfil. We are afraid of death, and yet we proclaim that Christ has overcome death: where is our faith? We grieve when someone dies, and yet, we know that death is no more, that there is only a temporary falling asleep while a living soul rejoices face to face with her living God. We must learn to put ourselves on one side, whenever fear, or greed, or anything which is centred in us prevents us from fulfilling our mission, the mission of being the messengers of divine love of divine compassion, of divine truth. We must say to ourselves, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an adversary of God, because thou ~8~
The Twelve Apostles By Rev. George Mastrantonis
Continued from last week
What was the intention for calling these disciples? They were to capture men instead of fish, once they had passed through a period of training. He did not send them immediately on a special mission. The disciples were to take intensive training in divine attitudes, in the new interpretation of the Scriptures and in obedience to the Lord. They were invited to meet the new standards of moral life and to grow in courage to spread the Gospel and nourish its growth in mankind. The loyal Eleven have proven themselves worthy of the Mission. They have changed the orbit of the world in the name of Jesus. The Choice and Installation
Acts 1:13. The arrangement of names in these lists are made in three steps, with changes occurring in each step. Jesus attracted many disciples. He knew them all, but Peter appears first and Judas last. There is no primacy of He also knew that not all would be capable of being Peter in the sense of jurisdiction or authority over his fishers of men. He had determined to make a formal fellow Apostles. Such an authority Peter never received selection of a definite number from the body of His and never exercised. “His position is that of the foredisciples (Mk. 3:13; Lk. 6:13). It was one of the crucial most among equals; a position due not to any formal or moments for the destiny of His mission. Even for huofficial appointment, but to the ardor and force of his man activities the founders of a organization look carenature.” (Hastings) fully for co-workers of integrity and the capability to promote their ideals. The farsightedness of leadership What was our Lord’s aim in selecting His special group? is in being able to select capable men to accomplish the St. Mark states that the purpose was that they might be mission, rather than attempting the work alone, regard- with Him so He might send them forth to proclaim less of the wonders one man may be capable of. A good the approach of the Kingdom of God, and so He could leader is not afraid of co-workers, but is very careful I endow them with the power to heal and to exercise. St. selecting them. Jesus Christ spent one night praying to Mark (3:14,15) records: His Father for the right choice (Lk. 6:12). He sought “He ordained twelve that they should be with Him, and specific guidance in this critical hour of His life. His that He might send them forth to preach and to have choice would affect the future mission, and the world. power to heal sickness and to cast out devils.” For this reason: But the Lord’s aim was more than that. It is described “He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued by Him on the eve of His death. He expected them to all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He be His envoys on earth. Their supreme duty was to bear called unto Him His disciples. And of them He chose witness to Him; to teach the world how He lived, what twelve, whom also He named apostles: Simon (whom He said, what He wrought. Jesus prayed for them: “As he also named Peter) and Andrew, his brother; James Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also and John, Phillip and Bartholomew, Matthew and sent them into the world” ( John 1 7, 18). Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called Apostles’ Training Zelotes, Judas the brother of James and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor” (Lk. 6:12-16). The Apostles were God-fearing people. Only a religious tie bound them to Jesus. Their integrity, justice In the New Testament there are four lists of the Aposand mercy cannot be denied. They were diligent, honest tles, in Matt. 10:2-4; Mk. 3:16-19; Lk. 6:14-16 and in and pious people, and above all dedicated to the Lord ~9~
and to His command. They were not men of high education, but neither were they illiterate. Most of them spoke Aramaic and Greek. They were educated in the knowledge of. God in synagogues, and they managed a discipline of high standards.
they were training in the personality of Jesus. His presence was an education in itself. His acts and words in everyday life, in dealing with the depressed and humble, meeting the sinners, protecting the underprivileged and encouraging people of the rank an file—all these things were an education to them. They saw Him preaching and praying, healing infirmities and restoring broken hearts. Again they were aware of the Master’s acts against dry customs and aware of the Sabbath, circumcision, foods and times of prayer. They learned much from the Sermon on the Mount, from the parables and statements such as, “God is spirit—and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” ( John 4:24).
Four of them were fishermen, one was a collector of taxes and the rest belonged to the general working classes. They were not of rank or distinction. They worked to sustain themselves. The Gospels do not present them as men of genius, or original thinkers. All of them were young men about the same age as our Lord or younger. They were men of different background, temperament and habits. They had in common their devotion to Jesus and their pious life. They came together under the same A second phase of their Apostle’s training involved the roof to learn and to obey. miracles performed by Jesus. The Messiah was expected to work miracles, but the actual performance of the The Apostles accompanied the Lord from place to place. miracles kept the Apostles astounded. The nature of They heard all His preaching and admonition, His prithese works was beyond explanation then and still is vate advice to the people and His ambitions. They wittoday. The Apostles bore witness to many miracles—the nessed the healing of people and learned the causes of catch of fish (Lk. 3:1-7), the stilling of the storm (Mk. sickness and the power of the evil spirits. They learned 4:39), walking on the sea ( John 6:16) and many others. not only in the clinic of preaching and pastoral work. They learned, too, that the miracles were made nor only The Twelve formed a Jesus Christ was the head. They for the sake of the miracles, but also as a sign of convichad a common purse and one was appointed treasurtion and faith, and a lesson of moral uprightness, as in er. The sources of their supplies came from their own the case of the fig tree. property and gifts, especially the generosity of several women who accompanied them on some of their jour- Finally, the Apostles were trained in Jesus’ teaching. For neys (Lk. 8:2-3). them He was the Teacher. He spoke with confidence. They were together for living and training. First of all
CHRIST “SENT” HIS APOSTLES The Apostles spent less than three years with their Mas- ments before His arrest. The prayer was recorded by one ter. He called them “that they might be with Him” (Mk. of His Apostles. He empowered them with the Holy 3:14) to be trained and educated, and then “that He Spirit on the day of the Pentecost The mighty Spirit as might send them forth to preach” the Gospel and minis- “tongues of fire” descended on the Apostles and transfigter unto the people. Their work between these two stages ured their doubts and fears and attitudes in such a maris in agreement. It has been changed only in the stages velous way that they became heralds of the new mission. of advancement. But what a change! From pupils they Their chief duty was to bear witness to the Savior Jesus became teachers; from followers of Christ, they became Christ, His life, teaching, and atoning work, and espeleaders, bringing people to Christ. They started as discicially to bear witness to Christ’s resurrection, “a witness ples and in three years advanced as Apostles. Their visible to his resurrection”, “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrecGuide, their Lord, became the Invisible One, “The Spirit tion of the dead.” “And with great power the Apostles of Jesus” (Acts 1:6, 7), always present as He was before. gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord JeJesus Christ selected them after devoting one night sus” (Acts 1:22; 4:2,33). in prayer for their ministry. After their training, Jesus To be continued next week. prayed for them and their future, even up to a few mo~10~
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The consecration of St. Andrew Church of Bragadiru, Ilfov, Romania, by His Grace Barsanuphius on May 15, 2011
St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church 1415 Woodstock Ave. Anniston, AL 36207