The Sunday of Orthodoxy

The first Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The dominant theme of this Sunday since 843 has been that of the victory of the icons. In that year the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, was finally laid to rest, and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday in Lent. Ever since, this Sunday has been commemorated as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy.”
The Seventh Ecumenical Council dealt predominantly with the controversy regarding icons and their place in Orthodox worship. It was convened in Nicaea in 787 by Empress Irene at the request of Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople. The Council was attended by 367 bishops.
Almost a century before this, the iconoclastic controversy had once more shaken the foundation of both Church and State in the Byzantine Empire. Excessive religious respect and the ascribed miracles to icons by some members of society, approached the point of worship (due only to God) and idolatry. This instigated excesses at the other extreme by which icons were taken out of the liturgical life of the Church by the Iconoclasts. The Iconophiles, on the other hand, believed that icons served to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the Church; they considered icons to be man’s dynamic way of expressing the divine through art and beauty.
The Council decided on a doctrine by which icons should be venerated but not worshipped. In answering the Empress’ invitation to the Council, Pope Hadrian replied with a letter in which he also held the position of extending veneration to icons but not worship, the last befitting only God.
The decree of the Council for restoring icons to churches accesses an important clause which still stands at the foundation of the rationale for using and venerating icons in the Orthodox Church to this very day: “We define that the holy icons, whether in colour, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the wall, furnishings and in houses and along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commenmorate and love their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and honour (timitiki proskynisis), but not of real worship (lateria), which is reserved for Him Who is the subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature. The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerate in it the reality for which it stands”.
An Endemousa (Regional) Synod was called in Constantinople in 843. Under Empress Theodora., the veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed at the Hagio Sophia Cathedral. The Empress, her son Michael III, Patriarch Methodios, and monks and clergy came in procession and restored the icons to their rightful place. The day was called “Triumph of Orthodoxy.” Since that time, this event is commemorated yearly with a special service on the first Sunday of Lent, the “Sunday of Orthodoxy”.
Orthodox teaching about icons, as defined at the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787, is embodied in the texts sung on this Sunday.

A Holy Group of Christ’s Disciples

In St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, several of Christ’s “Seventy Apostles” are mentioned. Six of them are on this icon: Stachys, Amplias, Urbanus, Apelles, Aristobulus, and Narcissus. These zealous and dedicated labourers in the vineyard of Christ are all commemorated on the same day on our Church Calendar.

In addition to their connection with the Apostle Paul, these six saints were closely connected with the Apostle Andrew as well. In fact, five of them were ordained bishops by St. Andrew for various Christian communities.

The APOSTLE STACHYS might be viewed as the most prominent of this illustrious group. He was ordained as the first Bishop of Byzantium, which eventually became known as the great city of Constantinople. ST. AMPLIAS became the first Bishop of Odyssopoulos, where he was eventually martyred for the Faith. URBANUS was chosen to be the first Bishop for the region of Macedonia, where he too, suffered martyrdom. NARCISSUS, according to the Tradition of the Church, was ordained by St. Andrew as Bishop of Athens, while ARISTOBULUS received similar acclaim as Bishop of Brittany. Like their fellow apostles, they too gave their lives in the service of the Lord.

Each of these saints exhibited a total dedication to our Saviour. This was evident in their ceaseless efforts to foster this new faith called “Christianity” to not only gain a foothold but thrive for centuries to come.

The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin ...... Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey ...... Litho in U.S.A.

The Apostle Luke - A Nourisher of the Soul

Apostle Luke is one of the saints that might be described as being “larger than life.” Born in Antioch, Luke was a great student of philosophy, medicine and art. Luke’s life changed one day when he came to Jerusalem and encountered Jesus Christ face to face. After hearing the Saviour’s teachings and witnessing His miraculous works, Luke became a devoted disciple of the Lord. According to the Tradition of the Church, Luke, together with Cleopas, saw the Risen Christ on the road to Emmaus immediately after His Resurrection.

Luke accompanied the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey. He chronicles their travels to Philippi, Rome, Caesarea and Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, It is thought that he authored the Gospel that bears his name in 60 A.D.

After Paul’s death, Luke preached the Gospel in Italy, Dalmatia and Macedonia. He ultimately suffered martyrdom at the age of 84 when he was hanged from an olive tree in the town of Thebes.

In addition to his other accomplishments and achievements, the Apostle Luke is widely accepted as being the first iconographer of the Church. His works include three icons of the Mother of God as well as icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Luke is also referred to as a historian, for his Gospel dates biblical events by reference to secular history. Since his Gospel was directed mainly at Christians with a Gentile background, it greatly emphasizes the challenge of evangelization for the Church.

The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin ...... Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey ...... Litho in U.S.A.

St.Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

Cyril was born in Jerusalem during the reign of Constantine the Great and died during the reign of Theodosius the Great (315-386). He was ordained a priest in 346 and succeeded to the throne of Blessed Maximus, Patriarch of Jerusalem in 350. On three occasions he was dethroned and sent into exile. Finally during the reign of Theodosius, he returned but was not reinstated. He lived peacefully for eight years and then gave up his soul to the Lord. He underwent two difficult struggles: one against the Arians who became powerful under Constantius, the son of Constantine, and the other during the reign of Julian the Apostate, against this traitor and the Jews. During a period of Arian domination, on the day of Pentecost, the sign of the Cross, brighter than the sun, stretched over Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, lasting for several hours beginning at nine o’clock in the morning. This phenomenon, seen by all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, was reported in writing to Emperor Constantius, and served greatly in establishing Orthodoxy over the heretics. During the time of the Apostate, still another sign occurred. In order to humiliate the Christians, Julian persuaded the Jews to restore the Temple of Solomon. Cyril prayed to God to prevent this. There was a terrible earthquake, which destroyed all that had been newly built. Then the Jews began restoration anew. Again there was an earthquake, which not only destroyed the newly constructed portion but also overturned and scattered the old stones beneath the ground that supported the Temple. And so the words of the Lord came true: There shall not be left one stone upon another; that shall not be thrown down (Mark 13:2, Luke 21:6). Among the many writing of this Holy Father is his Catechetical Discourses, a first-class work preserved to the present, which confirms the Faith and practice of Orthodoxy. This saint was a unique archpastor and a great ascetic. He was meek, humble, exhausted from fasting, and pale in complexion. After a life of many labours and noble struggles for the Orthodox Faith, Cyril peacefully reposed and took up his habitation in the eternal court of the Lord.

This is the Faith of the Fathers…

In the history of the “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church: which existed until the Great Schism in 1054 AD, there were 7 occasions when the hierarchs of the Church deemed it necessary to convene what is now referred to as an “ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.” By and large, these gatherings were called to order to deal with important theological matter that posed threats to its unity and well-being.

The seventh and final Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 787 AD during the reign of the Empress Irene. Patriarch Tarasius occupied the Ecumenical Throne inConstantinopleat the time. Some 350 bishops gathered in the city ofNiceato deal with an extremely volatile question: Was it proper to pray before and to venerate icons?

For centuries, sacred images of Christ, His Blessed Mother and the Saints adorned churches everywhere. In 726 AD. However, a faction in the Church called “iconoclasts,” felt that paying homage to icons was a form of idolatry, and in direct conflict with the second Commandment:” Thou shall not make unto thyself any graven image.” With the blessing of Emperor Leo III, icons were often forcibly removed from their place of prominence in churches and destroyed. When the 7th Ecumenical Council met, it was St. John of Damascus who made a passionate plea in defense of the use of icons: “Concerning the charge of idolatry, icons are not idols, but symbols. Therefore, when a Christian venerates an icon, he is not worshipping the symbol, but merely venerating it. Such veneration is not directed towards wood, paint or stone, but towards the person depicted. Therefore, relative honor is shown to material matter.” I do not worship matter, but the Creator of matter.” The words of St. John of Damascus touched the hearts of the other Church Fathers. The Council decreed that the veneration of icons was not idolatry.

Learning about God

Dear Son,
Have you noticed how obsessed we have become in doing things quickly? We have express lines in supermarkets, express lanes at toll booths – you can even find restaurants with express buffets! From morning to night, we find ourselves rushing around, constantly checking our watches so that we aren’t late for our next appointment. It has rightly been said that we are all in a hurry to get nowhere!
There is one area of our lives, however, where our pace needs to slow down a bit, and that is in the practicing of our Faith. Practicing our Faith properly takes time. We cannot rush through our morning and evening prayers and expect to derive any benefit from them. There is no “Reader’s Digest” version of the Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services of our Holy Orthodox Church. Their lengthy and often repetitious hymns have been so constructed to enable us to “lay aside all earthly cares” and to transport us to a timeless place.

Nowhere is this need to “take our time” spiritually more important than when we read the Sacred Scriptures. The Bible is not a book that lends well to “speed reading!” Its holy books were written centuries ago, and they reflect the culture and values of another era. In studying the Word of God, it is imperative that we take care that we digest every verse so that we fully understand its intended message. In Psalm 119:15, it is written: “I will meditate on Your precepts and contemplate Your ways.” What a perfect way to experience the Scriptures: slowly and deliberately.

It’s probably too late for us to quit “living life in the fast lane.” But it is NOT too late for us to “drive in the slow lane” as we travel the path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Love,
Dad

Deeds of Love Count A Lot

Dear Son,
Although the Holy Fathers praised monasticism as the angelic state, and although many of the greatest saints lived their lives and attained perfection in the soundless and lifeless desert, nevertheless, the Orthodox Church does not recommend the tonsure to all the faithful. “Neither were all those in the desert saved nor were all those in the world lost,” said one saint. To a city dweller who, with no inclination for monasticism, desired to enter the monastery, St. Niphon said: “My child, a place neither saves nor destroys a man, but deeds save or destroy. For him who does not fulfill all the commandments of the Lord, there is no benefit from a sacred place or from a sacred rank. King Saul lived in the midst of royal luxury and he perished. King David lived in the same kind of luxury and he received a wreath. Lot lived among the lawless Sodomites and he was saved. Judas was numbered among the apostles and he went to Hades. Whoever says that it is impossible to be saved with a wife and children deceives himself. Abraham had a wife and children, 318 servants and handmaidens and much gold and silver, nevertheless, he was called the Friend of God. How many aristocrats and soldiers! How many artisans and field-workers! Be pious and be a lover of men, and you will be saved!”

Love,
Dad