Archive for April, 2014

Happy to the Music

 

The Apostle Thomas verifies the resurrection of Christ. (“My Lord and my God!”)

The dancers are primarily people with Down Syndrome.

4 minutes. To access:

You Tube: HAPPY World Down Syndrome Day 2014 – Pharrell Williams 

Christ is risen!

Acts 2:22-28, NKJV

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have takenby lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.‘” (Psalms 16: 8-11, NKJV)

icon from Fiat Lux

 

 

Christ Is Risen!

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing eternal life!

Truly He is Risen!

Translations:

Syriac – Meshiha qam! Bashrira qam! Arabic– Al-Masih-Qam! Hakkan Qam! Ethiopian- Amharic– Kristos Tenestwal! Bergit Tenestwal!  Tigrigna – Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou! Eritrea: Eyesus ten-si-ou!  ba-ha-ke ten-si-ou! Greek – Χριστός Ανέστη! Αληθώς Ανέστη! Albanian (Tosk) – Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall! Latin – Christus Surrexit! Surrexit vere! Georgian – ქრისტე აღსდგა! ჭეშმარიტად აღსდგა! Armenian – Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց՜ Օրհնեալ է յայտնութիւնն Քրիստոսի՜ Bulgarian – Христос Возкресе! Воистина Возкресе! Serbian – Христос Воскресе! Ваистину Воскресе! Macedonian: Hristos voskresna! Navistina voskresna! Romanian & Moldovan – Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat! Irish – Tá Críost éirithe! Go deimhin, tá sé éirithe! Church Slavonic – (Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!) Russian – Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе! Belarusian – Хрыстос уваскрос! Сапраўды ўваскрос! Ukrainian – Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес! Kazakh:  Khristos terildi! shyndap terildi! Finnish – Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi! Mandarin – 基督復活了 他確實復活了 Japanese – ハリストス復活!実に復活!Aleut – Kristus aq ungwektaq! Pichinuq ungwektaq! Yupik – Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq! Swahili– Kristu amefufuka! Kweli amefufuka!Indonesian: Kristus sudah bangkit!  Dia benar sudah bangkit! Spanish:  Christo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado!

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! (St. Luke 24:1-6a)

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.  . . . . then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 54b)

But for you who fear my name the Sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in [His] wings, You shall go forth leaping like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2)

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy. (Isaiah 35:5-6a)

The Orthodox Church has now entered into the Paschal Season, in which we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, as well as our own, for Christ’s resurrection brings for us our resurrection. Our Lord has defeated death by death. As He arose with a transformed body with which He could both eat fish and enter through closed doors, we will one day rise with new bodies, with capabilities beyond our present ability to conceive. Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee!

“It is the day of the Resurrection! Let us adorn ourselves with the splendor of the festival and embrace one another! And let us say, O brethren, even unto those who hate us: ‘Let us forgive all things at the Resurrection, and thus let us cry out: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!’”

from http://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/157-ephrem-paschal-hymn

Paschal Hymn, by St. Ephrem the Syrian

I fall in adoration at your feet, Lord!
I thank you, God of goodness;
God of holiness, I invoke you,
on my knees, in your sight.

For me, an unworthy sinner,
you have willed to undergo the death of the cross,
setting me free from the bonds of evil.

What shall I offer in return for your generosity?

Glory to you, friend of men!
Glory to you, most merciful!
Glory to you, most patient!
Glory to you who forgive sin!
Glory to you who have come to save us!
Glory to you who have been made man in the womb of a Virgin!
Glory to you who have been bound!
Glory to you who have been scourged!
Glory to you who have been derided!
Glory to you who have been nailed to the cross!
Glory to you, laid in a sepulchre, but risen again!
Glory to you who have preached the Gospel to men and have been believed!
Glory to you who have ascended to heaven!
Glory to you, seated at the right hand of the Father and who will return with him, in majesty, among the angels, to judge those who have disregarded your passion!

The powers of heaven will be shaken;
all the angels and archangels, the cherubim and seraphim
will appear in fear and trembling before Your glory;

the foundations of the earth will quake
and all that has life will cry out before Your majesty.

In that hour let your hand draw me beneath Your wings,
and save me from the terrible fire, from the gnashing of teeth,
from the outer darkness and from despair without end.
That I may sing to Your glory:

Glory to Him who through His merciful goodness has designed to redeem this sinner.

Icon from The Bondservant

The Venerable Nikephoros the Leper †1964

St. Nikephoros the Leper

Three blog posts on St. Nikephorus.

He was a leper. But now he rests, alive in Christ,  awaiting the call of God, the day all will be resurrected from the dead, as all Christians do. His body will rise, as St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:4, “further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.” Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

 Mystagogy: The Venerable Nikephoros the Leper (1890-1964)

Full of Grace and Truth: Selected miracles of St. Nikephoros the Leper

Full of Grace and Truth: Selected hymns to St. Nikephoros the Leper (source of the icon pictured)

Orthodox Christian Service (Diakonia)

Orthodox Diakonia

The purpose of this site is to promote reflection and understanding about the social thought and action of the Orthodox churches, in history and today.

Our Lord Jesus Christ washing the disciples feet; Ethiopian Icon

an introduction by Alexander Belopopsky

Churches and Organizations: A Survey of the main diaconal  (service) structures and organisations in the Orthodox Church 

The Finnish Orthodox Christian Page, in Engish (and Finnish, of course), with up-to-date news:

Filantropia Why are missions and diaconia important? 

See also

Sophia Institute, International Center for Orthodox Christian Thought and Culture: Philanthropy and Social Compassion in Eastern Orthodox Tradition  

1
icon from Blue Eyed Ennis 

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