July 1, 2012
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Cosmas and Damian
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 3
- Troparion of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, tone 8
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: roman 6:18-23
Gospel: Matthew 8:5-13
How to make the Sign of the Cross properly?
Put your thumb and the first two fingers of your right hand together. The other two fingers should be bent and touching the palm of your hand.Reverently, touch your forehead with your right hand, which signifies, that God is in our mind. Then, touch your chest, which means that God is in our heart, and finally, touch your right shoulder then the left shoulder, which signifies that God is in our soul.
July 8, 2012
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Procopios, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: roman 10:1-105
Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
SERMON ON HOLY COMMUNION
Motto: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mat.4: 4; Deut.8: 3).
Dearly beloved in Christ,
Have you ever heard these biblical words? Yes, they were asserted by Christ when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. In asserting these words, Jesus withstood the temptation of sin since, as God and Man He lived in perfect harmony with the will of His Father. Notice, Jesus agrees that food is necessary for living. In fact, He does say that we all need “our daily bread” (Mat.6: 11), to sustain the process of life. But what Christ is saying in the verse with which I began the sermon is that food alone does not satisfy the hungers of a human being. Why not? Because food satisfy the body only but the soul is to be fed, also.
The question arises: Does the world have food for the soul? I want to share with you a story that will answer this question. When the first Orthodox Christians came to America, they first got jobs in the mines, stores, steel plants and mills, because they had a physical hunger. But after a while they experienced a different kind of hunger: a hunger of the soul for God. They missed their churches and worship services. They missed the mysteries, the loving fellowship of the Christian community. So you know what they did, don’t you? They organized parishes and built churches, they called priests to minister to their spiritual needs, to provide nourishment for their souls. Now they fully realized that human beings cannot live on bread alone, and that the world has no food for the soul!
One may ask: What is the food God has provided for our souls? Listen to these words of Christ: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John6: 51). In clear words Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, identified Himself with that spiritual food for the proper growth of the human personality. It is Christ, the bread of life, offered us in the Holy Eucharist. Now, since there is so much misunderstanding about the peak of our spiritual life, that is, the partaking of the Holy Eucharist, in my sermon of today I will share with you very concisely the teaching of our Orthodox Church on the Mystery of Eucharist.
The Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, is the Mystery in which the bread and wine of offering are changed by the Holy Spirit into the true Body and Blood of Christ, and then the faithful partake of it for a most intimate union with Christ and eternal life. The Body and Blood of Christ are called the “Bread of Heaven and the Cup of life” or “Cup of salvation.” They are also called “the Holy Mysteries” or “the Bloodless Sacrifice.” The Holy Eucharist is the greatest Mystery of our Faith.
Our Savior Jesus Christ pre-indicated the future establishment of this great Mystery when He said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day…He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him” (John6: 53-54; 56). The very establishment of the Mystery is set forth in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and then is repeated by St. Paul.
In St. Matthew’s gospel, we read: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’” (Mat.26: 26-28; see also Mark14: 22-25; Luke22: 19-20; I Cor.11: 23-24). The words of Christ at the Mystical Supper are very clear and do not allow any other interpretation apart from the most direct one. They were given to the Apostles and mean that we receive the true Body and the true Blood of Christ.
Having given communion to His disciples, the Lord Jesus commanded: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke22: 19). This bloodless sacrifice must be performed “till He comes” (I Cor.11: 26), as the Apostle Paul teaches, that is, until Christ’s Second Coming. The Eucharist was received by the Church from the first days as the greatest Mystery. The institution of it is preserved with the greatest reverence. It will be performed until the end of the world. For the first thousand years of Christian history, when the Church was undivided, the holy gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ were received as just that: His Body and Blood! The Church taught that this is a Mystery: the bread is truly Christ’s Body, and that which is in the chalice is truly Christ’s Blood, but one cannot say how they become so.
We do not even try, as the Roman Catholic Church does, to explain the unexplainable! St. Paul instructs with what reverence and preparatory self-testing we must approach the Mystery: “Therefore whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body” (I Cor.11: 27-29).
In the Mystery of Holy Eucharist, when the priest, invoking the Holy Spirit upon the offered gifts, blesses them, the bread and wine are actually changed into the Body and Blood of Christ by the coming down of the Holy Spirit. After this moment, even if we continue to see bread and wine on the Holy Table, in their very essence, invisibly for our physical eyes, in front of us is the true Body and Blood of Christ, under the form of bread and wine.
I cannot stress enough that the sanctified Gifts are not only signs or symbols reminding the faithful of the salvation, as the Protestant reformer Zwingli taught. Also, it is not only by His activity and power that Christ is present in them, as Calvin, another reformer, taught. By the same token, Christ is not only co-present in panem, cum panem, sub panem, “in the bread, under the form of bread, with the bread,” as Luther taught. They all were dead wrong!
The consecrated Gifts in the Mystery of the Eucharist are changed into the true Body and Blood of Christ! This is the teaching of the Orthodox Faith! This is the unchanged teaching of The Church for two millennia. Here is what the holy Fathers who participated in the First Ecumenical Synod professed: “At the Divine Table we should not see simply the bread and the cup which have been offered, but raising our minds on high, we should with faith understand that on the sacred Table lies the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, Who is offered as a Sacrifice by the priests; and truly receiving His precious Body and Blood, we should believe that this is a sign of our resurrection.”
In order to explain the possibility of such transformation of the Eucharistic elements into the Body and Blood of Christ, St. John Damascene indicates how the bread and wine or water taken by us as food are converted “in a way unknown to us” into our own body.
My friends:
Here are my questions: Do you approach the chalice when the priest invites you to do so “with fear of God, with faith and with love?” Are you a frequent partaker of Holy Communion? If you are not, I do remind you of these words of Christ: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you!” (John6: 53). Yes, we are spiritually dead if we fail to do so! Yes, we cannot live by bread alone, we need to feed ourselves with the spiritual food “the bread of life…the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die” (John6: 48; 50). This bread cannot be offered by this world, but by the Church! It is the Holy Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Christ!
There is a well known case study in medical journals that emphasizes the need for spiritual food. A number of years ago, there was a large foundling home in South America. Some one hundred babies were there, ranging in age from six months to three years. The institution provided normal care for the youngsters. There was nourishing food to eat, clean clothing to wear, and adequate medical facilities for the sick. Yet something was missing. Over a period of time the children became restless, listless and hopeless. There was no joy and radiant life. Something was wrong!
It was discovered that the children were not being loved. The nurses were so busy that they did not lovingly cuddle their charges. Once they started to do this, a gradual change came over them. As they showered their affection on them, as they kissed them and held them close, as they sang to them and spoke to them, as they simply loved them they changed. This was nourishment for their souls! This was the food that had been denied them!
Beloved: As we pray to God for “our daily bread,” let us remember that, as Orthodox Christians, this means food to sustain not only our bodies, but food to sustain our souls, also. Our sublime spiritual food is the Holy Eucharist! Let us not deprive ourselves of the power which is communicated to us in the eating and drinking of the Holy Gifts! However, let us not partake of them in willful disregard of the Lord, since it could result in sickness and death. Here is again St. Paul’s warning: “He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself!” (I Cor.11: 29). Let us examine ourselves and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup to unite ourselves with Christ as a foretaste of the Kingdom, taking to heart His divine words: “Man shall not live by bread alone!” (Mat.4: 4). Try and remember: The Eucharist has always been the supreme act of thanksgiving and praise to God in His Church. So, come, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm34: 8) Amen.
Rev. Dr. Dumitru Macaila
July 15, 2012
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 5
- Troparion for the Holy Father, Tone 8
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Gospel: Matthew 5:14-19
Sunday of the Holy Fathers
On the Sunday that falls from the 13th to the 19th of the present month, we chant the Service to the Holy and God-bearing Fathers who came together in the Seven Ecumenical Councils, that is: the First Council, of the 318 Fathers who assembled in Nicaea in 325 to condemn Arius, who denied that the Son of God is consubstantial with the Father; the Fathers of the First Council also ordained that the whole Church should celebrate Pascha according to the same reckoning; the Second Council, of the 150 Fathers who assembled in Constantinople in 381 to condemn Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who denied the Divinity of the Holy Spirit; the Third Council, of the 200 Fathers who assembled in Ephesus in 431, to condemn Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who called Christ a mere man and not God incarnate; the Fourth Council, of the 630 who assembled in Chalcedon in 451, to condemn Eutyches, who taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in Christ after the Incarnation, and Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who illegally received Eutyches back into communion and deposed Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople, who had excommunicated Eutyches; the Fifth Council in 535, of the 165 who assembled in Constantinople for the second time to condemn Origen and Theodore of Mopsuestia, the teacher of Nestorius; the Sixth Council in 680, of the 170 who assembled in Constantinople for the third time, to condemn the Monothelite heresy, which taught that there is in Christ but one will, the divine; and the Seventh Council in 787, of the 350 who assembled in Nicaea for the second time to condemn Iconoclasm.
July 22, 2012
7th Sunday after Pentecost
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 6
- Troparion of St. Magdelene, Tone 1.
- Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-35
Did You Know?
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6.According to tradition, the Lord's Transfiguration came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross.
The event of the Transfiguration is recorded in three of the four Gospels: Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.
July 29, 2012
8th Sunday after Pentecost
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 7
- Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Transfiguration, Tone 7
Epistle: 1 Cor. 1:10-17
Gospel: Matthew 14: 14-22
Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Our Lord had spoken to His disciples many times and He desired to give them full assurance, concerning that glory which is prepared for those who endure to the end. He took His three foremost disciples (Peter, James and John) and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as the light. there appeared the Prophets Moses and Elias, who spoke with the Lord Jesus concerning His saving Passion which was about to take place. Standing before Him as reverent servants, they showed that He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, for Moses came forth from Hades, having died many centuries before, and Elias, as it were from heaven, whither he had been taken up while yet alive. After a little while a radiant cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud they heard that same voice which had been heard at the Jordan at the Baptism of Christ, testifying to the Divinity of Jesus and saying: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. 17: 5). As Jesus and His disciples came down the mountain, He told them not to speak of what they had seen until He had risen from the dead.
August 5, 2012
9th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday before the Transfiguration
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 8
- Troparion of the Forefeast of the Transfiguration, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Transfiguration, Tone 7
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34
The Transfiguration and the Divine Liturgy
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6. This event is recorded in three of the four Gospels: Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.Jesus christ Showed Himself as God when He transfigured, performed miracles and resurrected from the dead.The transfirguration, which occurred on Mt. Tabor, happens in every Divine Liturgy. Through the Liturgy we are brought into the very presence of God. The Holy Spirit is present. He transforms our gifts of bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus is present. Like the disciples on Mt. Tabor, we, too, fall on our faces before Him penitently expressing our unworthiness to stand in His Holy presence. But we also enjoy being in His presence. Like St. Peter we say. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you will, let us stay here. Let us make three tents; one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elias.” Also it is good to be with Jesus in the liturgy, to hear Him speak to us, to receive the Hoy Spirit and to receive Christ within us. It is the greatest “good” on earth.
August 12, 2012
10th Sunday after Pentecost
and the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 1
- Troparion of the transfiguration, Tone 7
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Transfiguration, Tone 7
Gospel: Matthew 17: 14-23
The Feast of the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos
When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He announced this to her through an Angel three days beforehand. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their sorrow. Then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and then lay back upon her pillow. Thus she did surrender her spirit into the hands of her Son and Lord. As the Apostles took up the saintly body to its resting place, heavenly voices could be heard accompanying them on the way. Thomas the Apostle did not arrive in time for the burial, so the others led him to Mary’s tomb to view the remains of the beloved Virgin and when they arrived they discovered to their astonishment that the body was gone.
Was Mary’s Body Taken Up to Heaven?
The Orthodox Church believes that upon death, Mary’s body was translated to heaven. Upon coming to the grave and not finding her saintly body, the disciples became assuredly convinced that she ascended to heaven in the body. Like her son, Mary underwent physical death but her body, like His, was afterwards raised from the dead and she was taken up into heaven in her body as well as in her soul. We Honor the theotokos above all saints, we do not pray to Mary. We pray only to God. We ask the theotokos and the saints to pray for us.The name most often used for the mother of God is Theotokos or Godbearer because God chose her to bring His Son, Jesus into the world.
August 19, 2012
11th Sunday after Pentecost
Leave-Taking of the Dormition
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 2
- Troparion the Dormition, Tone 1
- Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Dormition, Tone 2
Gospel: Matthew 18: 23-35
Why do we Honor the Mother of God?
The name most often used for the mother of God is Theotokos or Godbearer. We honor the theotokos above all saints, we do not pray to Her. We pray only to God. We ask the theotokos and the saints to pray for us. The Incarnation (God becoming man in the person of Christ) was not only the work of God by His power and by His Spirit, but it was also the work of the will and faith of the Virgin. The Blessed Mother said yes to God. She bears her Son freely and with her full consent. This, then, is why we honor the Virgin so greatly and we sing for her: “it is truly meet to bless thee O theotokos, ever blessed and blameless, and the Mother of our God. More Honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious than the Seraphim who a Virgin gave birth to God the word: True Theotokos we magnify thee.”
The Feast of the Fallen Asleep of the Mother of God is celebrated on August15
August 26, 2012
12th Sunday after Pentecost
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 3
- Troparion of the Martyrs, Tone 3
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-20
Saint Joachim and Saint Anna
(Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
So much attention is paid by Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, sanctified in every conceivable way; that there is a tendency to overlook her parents. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, were a very old couple, who lived in the small town of Nazareth. They wanted a child very much, but Anna just never became pregnant. They prayed frequently to God asking Him to give them a child. One day Anna was walking in her garden when she discovered a nest of birds. This reminded her that she was childless, and she began to cry. She then prayed again to God for a child, and pledged to dedicate the child to His service. Joachim also prayed to God for a child. God sent an angel who appeared to both Joachim and Anna at the same time, even though they were not together. The angel told them God would answer their prayers. About nine months later they had a baby girl and named her Mary.
September 2, 2012
13th Sunday after Pentecost
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Mamas, Tone 4
- Troparion of the Archangel, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: I Cor. 16: 13-24
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-42
We should make the sign of the Cross:
Every time, we enter or we leave the church.Every time, we pass in front of the Holy Altar.
Every time, we venerate the icon, the cross, or the Holy Gospel.
Every time, we hear or we say: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
In the beginning and end of the Divine Liturgy.
We shouldn’t make the sign of the Cross:
At the chalice after and before taking communion.Every time, we receive the blessings from a Priest or Bishop.
September 9, 2012
14th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross
Nativity of the Theotokos
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 5
- Troparion of the Nativity, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: Gal. 6: 11-18
Gospel: John 3:13-17
The Elevation of the Venerable and Life- Giving Cross
The Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross commemorates the discovery of the precious Cross which remained lost for nearly 400 years. It was discovered by St Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine the Great in 395. She had her servants dig in the spot on Golgotha, where Jesus was put into the tomb. Saint Helen picked the spot because she smelled sweet basil which was growing there. She found the true cross between two other crosses, which belonged to the two thieves. She was able to identify the cross because it bore the inscription: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”. Many miracles occurred through contact with the true Cross. Consequently, the precious Cross was lifted on high by Archbishop Macarius of Jerusalem; as he stood on the ambo, and when the people beheld it, they cried out, “Lord have mercy.”
The Cross is a very important Christian symbol, because it is symbolic of the crucifixion of Christ, and His suffering and death for the sins of the people of the world. During the Divine Liturgy, the Cross is carried in a procession. It is held up high in a tray of flowers and the herb basil. At the end of the service, the blessed flowers and basil are distributed to the people.
September 16, 2012
15th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 6
- Troparion of the Holy Cross, Tone1
- Troparion of St. Euphemia, Tone 4
- Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Holy Cross, Tone 4
Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1
The Elevation of the Venerable and Life- Giving Cross
The true Cross of our Lord remained lost for nearly 400 years, and then it was discovered by St Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine the Great in 395. As she searched on Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, she was animated by the sweet odor emerging from the earth; she decided to dig in the spot. Shortly, Three Crosses, exactly alike, were found. The cross which bore the inscription: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”, was belonging to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The others crosses were belonging to the two thieves.
Many miracles happened through contact with the true Cross. Tremendous gatherings were coming up to see, touch and kiss the Holy Cross, which was impossible. Patriarch Macarius lifted it on high for all the people to see. The people bowed down in worship and cried out:” Lord, have mercy!”
During the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Cross is placed in a tray of flowers with some sweet basil, The Holy Cross is then lowered to the ground to show that it was buried for many years, and lifted up to celebrate its discovery. The whole congregation sings the following Troparion: “Save Thy people and bless
September 23, 2012
16th unday after Pentecost
Conception of the Prophet and Frerunner, John the Baptist
- Troparion of Resurrection, Tone 7
- Troparion of St. John, Tone 4
- Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: Gal. 4: 22-27
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
September 30, 2012
17th unday after Pentecost
- Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 8
- Troparion of the St. Gregory, Tone 4
- Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
- Kontakion of the Theotokos, Tone 4
Epistle: II Cor. 6:16-7:1
Gospel: Luke 6: 31-36
The Meaning of the Cross in the Orthodox Church
The Cross is a very important Christian sign and symbol. It signifies the crucifixion of Christ Who suffered and died on the Cross for our salvation.
Also, we venerate prayers to it. The power of the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Cross and drives away the evil sprits.
After discovering the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians from all over the world, kept with them fragments of wood which they believed were parts of the first Cross. They would pray and touch the wood when they become ill or when they were at risk. They believed that, by the power of God through the Cross, they would get better, stronger and they would be delivered from all danger.
Fr. Mark often talks about the expression of “knock on wood” and how it originated in some of his sermons.
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