Thy Nativity

...hath shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory be to Thee.

Apolytikion (4th Tone)

The incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his fathers's side and an Idumean on his mother's. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned of old, was deprived of its rights and stripped of all rule and authority. Such was the condition of the Jews when the awaited Messiah was born, and truly thus was fulfilled the prophecy which the Patriarch Jacob had spoken 1,807 years before:

A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of the nations.
Genesis 49:10

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem celebrates the Nativity

Thus, our Saviour was born in Bethlehem, a city of Judea, whither Joseph had come from Nazareth of Galilee, taking Mary his betrothed, who was great with child, that, according to the decree issued in those days by the Emperor Augustus, they might be registered in the census of those subject to Rome. Therefore, when the time came for the Virgin to give birth, and since because of the great multitude there was no place in the inn, the Virgin's circumstace constrained them to enter a cave which was near Bethlehem. Having as shelter a stable of irrational beasts, she gave birth there, and swaddled the Infant and laid Him in the manger (Luke 2:1-7).

From this, the tradition has come down to us that when Christ was born He lay between two animals, an ox and an ass, that the words of the Prophets might be fulfilled: "Between two living creatures shalt Thou be known" (Abbacum 3:2), and "The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib" (Esaias 1:3).

Priests gather in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

But while the earth gave the new-born Saviour such a humble reception, Heaven on high celebrated majestically His world-saving coming. A wondrous star, shining with uncommon brightness and following a strange course, led Magi from the East to Bethlehem to worship the new-born King.

The faithful prepare to receive Christ

Certain shepherds who were in the area of Bethlehem, who kept watch while tending their sheep, were suddenly surrounded by an extraordinary light, and they saw before them an Angel who proclaimed to them the good tidings of the Lord's joyous Nativity. And straightway, together with this Angel, they beheld and heard a whole host of the Heavenly Powers praising God and saying:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.
Luke 2:8-14

Преобразился еси на горе, Христе Боже...

For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
2 Peter 1:17

You were transfigured on the Mount, Christ God revealing Your glory to Your disciples, insofar as they could comprehend. Illuminate us sinners also with Your everlasting light, through the intercessions of the Theotokos. Giver of light, glory to You.

Apolytikion (Grave Tone)

Christ is Ascended!

What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
John 6:62

On high is His body, here below with us is His Spirit. And so we have His token on high, that is His body, which He received from us, and here below we have His Spirit with us. Heaven received the Holy Body, and the earth accepted the Holy Spirit. Christ came and sent the Spirit. He ascended, and with Him our body ascended also.

St John Chrysostom

Pascha, Ransom from Affliction!

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 a stone, he greeted the, 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."

Paschal Stichera, 5th Tone

This is the day which the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it!

As the Lord would have it, this year's Pascha was different. This year's Holy Week was different as well; Great Lent was no exception. As some readers may know, there are now two Orthodox churches in this country; in addition to my parish, Holy Resurrection Church, Moscow founded the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God late last year.

Great Lent flew by this year, owing to the fact that I had not invested as much effort and time as I should have. One found oneself implicated (by one's own choice for the most part) in the quagmire of Roman Catholic affairs throughout Great Lent. It was a fruitless endeavour spanning the duration of Great Lent and Holy Week, and one emerged from the fiasco an embittered, poorer man. I should have directed my efforts to prayer and contemplation. I should have listened to my godmother about interfering in the spiritual lives of others. As they say in America, hindsight is 20/20.

Holy Week, or Passion Week as we call it, was somewhat lacking this year. One is accustomed to attending the numerous services bringing to memory the sterile fig tree, the wise virgins and the fallen woman who repents, but sadly, there were none. Holy Resurrection Church, my parish, was evicted (for reasons still unknown) and was only able to procure a temporary location from Great and Holy Thursday onwards. The Russian chapel, on the other hand, had no services during the first three days of the week either for reasons still unknown.

The day of Resurrection arrived soon, and caught one by surprise - it shouldn't have; had I been paying attention, I would have known the troparia of the first three days of Holy Week had warned, "Behold, the bridegroom comes in the middle of the night".

Great and Holy Saturday passed the same way it did for the past five years: I answered questions ("Constantine, do you know where can I buy kulich?"), researched ("Did the Holy Fire descend this year?"), conversed at length with my godmother (currently in Romania) and rested in preparation of the night's events.

A little fun before embarking on the whole three hours of the Paschal services

The sanctuary was sumptuously draped in celebratory red; the relics of Pope St Clement and numerous others are visible to the right and left of the royal doors

The evening of Holy Saturday saw the largest gathering of Orthodox faithful in church this year - it is the the feast of feasts, after all. Nobody wants to be left out.

My request to serve was denied, and I was condemned to marinate with the hundred or so people who turned up - the Paschal crowd was split into two groups this year (one for each church), but I barely noticed the difference.

We had invited close to twenty visitors from the Roman Catholic Church, but apparently, a saboteur had spread the word that our Paschal service lasted till 6 am and the bulk of these Catholics, balking at the thought of standing for seven hours, refused at the last minute. Why so many chose to believe this person instead of calling Edward or I is beyond comprehension...

Despite being confronted with an outlandish liturgy in an alien tongue, some friends still came! Only a mere three were to last the night.

Even the pious are unable to stand throughout: Vikotoriia takes a much needed rest outside the chapel

Being at the Russian chapel, there was to be no Arabic or Romanian this year (although, the nuns performed a rather odd rendition of the Greek Paschal troparion). Pity, I was looking forward to that.

You rich and poor together, hold high festival!
You sober and you heedless, honour the day!
St John Chrysostom

Proclaiming the Resurrection: Христос воскресе!

The three who survived the services had no stomach to stay for the festivities. A great loss it was, for the Russians, more than any other ethnic group in local Orthodoxy, love to eat, and numerous women had worked tirelessly to prepare the fine feast awaiting us after the long Paschal liturgy. You can't find better East Slavic food any where else in Singapore; after all, everything was homemade, and much love and care went into their preparation.

The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.
The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
St John Chrysostom

2008 broke all previous records for the number of kulichi prepared locally

Forty days of abstinence (meat, eggs and dairy) and three hours of standing is sure to work up an appetite. The remaining congregation rushed for the food, particularly meat, as soon as they were blessed.

Despite hunger and lethargy, Russians are still quite capable of being picky

Meat!

The food was enjoyed thoroughly: Alexandra & Viktoriia

Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal Kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave.
St John Chrysostom

Nine-year-old Elizaveta remained wide awake even throughout, having ingested 1/2 of the world's sugar supply before arriving

Not everyone was as alive as Elizaveta was: a visibly tired Mother Olympiada, the choir mistress, manages a smile

Fighting back lethargy, one had a wonderful meal, met many new people (the late hour was a potent recipe for bloopers: one was speaking to a lady for a good 2 minutes or so before realizing she spoke no English) and chat with parishioner and visitor alike. For the first time since I discovered Orthodoxy, a "youth group" was formed that very night for an hour or so. Its microscopic number notwithstanding, one thoroughly enjoyed oneself talking to people of similar age group.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith:
Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.
St John Chrysostom

And how true his words were, for that night was truly a feast!

Holy & Great Friday

By Your precious blood
You have redeemed us from the curse of the Law.
By being nailed to the cross and pierced by a spear
You have poured forth immortality for man.

O Our Saviour, glory to you!

Sessional Hymn, Tone 4

A fearful, awesome mystery is performed today!
The releaser of Adam is arrested!
The trier of hearts is unjustly tried!
The God before whom angels stand in fear stands before Pilate!
The creator is struck by the hand of the creature!
The judge of the living and the dead is judged to death - on a tree!
The destroyer of hell is sealed in a tomb!

Compassionate Lord and Redeemer, glory to you!

Vespers, Tone 6

Holy and Great Tuesday

In envy the priests and scribes
Cunningly gathered a council against you, Saviour,
Moving Judas to betrayal.
He shamelessly went forth and spoke against you,
Saying to a transgressing people:
What will you give me if I deliver him into your hands?
From his condemnation save our souls, O Lord!

Kathisma, Tone 4

Why are you idle, my wretched soul?
What useless cares cause you to be lost in dreams?
Why busy yourself with things that pass away?
The last hour is at hand, and we shall be parted from all earthly things.
Therefore, while there is yet time, rouse yourself and cry:
I have sinned before You, my Saviour.
Do not cut me off like the barren fig tree.
In Your compassion, O Christ, take pity on me who call out with fear.

Ikos

Great and Holy Monday

Today Christ's Holy Passion dawns upon the world as a saving light,
For He comes of His goodness to suffer:
He who holds all things in his hand
Consents to be hung upon the wood
In order to save mankind.

Invisible Judge,
How have you been seen in the flesh?
How have you been slain by lawless men,
Condemning our condemnation by your sufferings?
Therefore with one voice, O Word,
We ascribe glory, dominion and praise to your power!

Kathisma, Tone 1

Palm Sunday

Sitting on Thy throne in heaven, and carried on a foal on earth, O Christ God, accept the praise of angels and the songs of children who sing: BIessed is he who comes to recall Adam!

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone

Christ is Baptised!

As with the post on Christmas, this is another late post:

Of old, the river Jordan
Turned back before Elisha's mantle at Elijah's ascension.
The waters were parted in two
And the waterway became a dry path.
This is truly a symbol of baptism
By which we pass through this mortal life.
Christ has appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters!

Troparion (4th Tone)

19th January marked Theophany (according to the Old Calendar), one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Church. This feast celebrates our Lord's divine manifestation - the revelation of God in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. The word 'Theophany' is itself derived from the Greek Θεοφάνεια; "God shining forth".

This feast is often confused with the Western Christian celebration of Epiphany. While the essence of the feast in both cases remains the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world, they commemorate different historical events. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi, while the East celebrates the baptism of Christ in the Jordan.

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan marks the first (and one of two) occasions when all three Persons of the Trinity manifested themselves to humanity: the Father speaking through the clouds, the Son being baptized in the river and the Holy Spirit descending from heaven in the shape of a dove. Thus, this feast not only celebrates the shining forth of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but the Trinity as well.

On this day, there is a great blessing of waters. The blessing is done twice: once in the church, and again outdoors at a body of water. In what was described as "a sign of Christian unity", the congregations of both Russian and Greek parishes in Singapore met at East Coast Park to witness the blessing of the sea.

Regular Roman Catholic visitor Ernest and I hitched a ride from church to East Coast Park from the Mitsyk family. Vika read us Bible stories (in Russian, with a Ukrainian accent) along the way. Her brother Seva amused himself with my folding fan.

Bishop Sergey of Vladivostok, who was visiting at that time, presided over the joint blessing.

Lost in Translation: Bishop Sergey spoke no English, and Fr Daniel spoke no Russian - the mechanics of the ceremony was tirelessly maintained by many translators.

Nun Svetlana bears the icon of Theophany.

Censing the Congregation

The cross is dipped three times into the sea, blessing it.

The cross was then cast into the waters and volunteers try to recover it. The person who gets the cross first returns it, and it given a special blessing. The girls (as seen in this picture) were, oddly enough, swimming away from the cross. Edward remarked that women have no sense of direction.

The cross was venerated by the faithful after the blessing of the sea.

The day was concluded with much food and drink, while the children were happy to spend the rest of the day at beach.

Christ's Mass

Outside a Protestant church hangs a banner that reads, "Is yours a Christ-less Christmas?"

We ask, "Is yours a Mass-less Christmas?"

The Roman Church celebrates several feasts throughout the year which contain the -mas suffix, such as Candlemas (Presentation of Our Lord), Michaelmas (the feast of St Michael the Archangel) and the little-known Lammas (Loaf-mass Day, or the first wheat harvest of the year). The word "Christmas" is a contraction of the phrase "Christ's Mass", derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, which refers to what is properly known as the (Mass of the) Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord.

So, for this Christmas, do not stop at remembering Christ; remember the liturgy, the great gift the Church has given to us for celebration of the Eucharist!

The Fiftieth Day

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
John 8:12

Today, fifty days after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ, we celebrate the Feast of Holy Pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

We also celebrate the establishment of the Church on this day, which saw the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of thousands who believed in the message of salvation through Our Lord Jesus Christ. This Feast is the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

For the Christian East, the descent of the Holy Spirit is also understood as a reversal of the events at the Tower of Babel. There, mankind was divided by the confusion of tongues; but here, mankind is united by the gift of tongues.

When the most High came down and confused the tongues,
He divided the nations;
But when he distributed the tongues of fire
He called all to unity.
Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the Most Holy Spirit!

Kontakion, Tone 8

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, I remember a Greek-Australian friend, Kosma, a theologian who has since been tonsured a monk, mention that the Anna Vissi song, "Eisai" was a favourite of the secretary to the Greek Archbishop of Sydney. Something about the lyrics being about the Holy Spirit.

Take a look at this performance from the Closing Ceremony of the 2004 Olympics and see if you agree!

Lyrics

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Ise i mera mou, ise i nihta mou,
Ise to lioma mou, ke ta ksenihtia mou,
Ise o paradisos stis paresthisis mou,
Ise to karma mou, ki oles i esthisis mou.

You are my day, you are my night,
You are my intoxication, and my late nights,
You are paradise in my hallucinations,
You are my karma, and all my sensations.

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou.

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Esi, ti zoi mou orizis,
Esi, to mialo mou trelenis,
Esi, se ola iparhis,
Esi, ki as min ise edo.

You determine my life,
You confuse my mind,
You exist in everything,
You, even if you're not here.

Why stand ye gazing into Heaven?

This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven
Acts 1:11

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable, and cried out to those who love You, "I am with you and no one is against you."

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone

Christ is Risen!

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Psalm 24:10

Readers will forgive the dearth of posts following Holy and Great Friday - I have been extremely busy (well, not exactly busy but I've had my hands full). The past weeks have seen much joy and sorrow.

The Great and Holy Feast of Our Lord's Resurrection fell on the same day according to both the Julian and Gregorian Calendar this year. This feast of feasts is the most significant day in the liturgical year - it is a celebration of victory; the victory of the Cross over Death. In this victory that came through the Cross, Christ broke the bondage of sin, and through faith offers us restoration, transformation, and eternal life.

It may not appear obvious to a visitor at first glance, but much preparation went into the celebration, involving parishioner and visitor alike. Several women spent many days cleaning the church, readying the premises to receive massive numbers. Edward spent much time buried in liturgical sheet music, browsing through uncommon harmonies and obscure melodies to select the perfect mix of tunes for the evening. Whole families were involved preparing flowers and food. My role was minuscule by comparison: I merely cleaned the altar.

Inna brought traditional Easter fare - paskha & kulich

The evening of Holy Saturday bore witness to what was perhaps the largest gathering of Orthodox faithful in church to participate in the feast of feasts. All manner of visitors arrived, though Russians formed the bulk of the congregation this year. Edward was prepared for them - having prepared Slavonic texts for the music (in addition to Greek, Romanian, Arabic and Latin - yes, even Latin).

My little girls greeted visitors, giving out candles and other assorted paraphernalia. The girls were extremely useful in handling Russians: a bloke turned up and announced, "I am Russian; I do not speak English."

No light is present in church, symbolizing the darkness of the world without Christ. At midnight, the priest emerges from behind the icon screen and offers light to the congregation as the good news is proclaimed, "Christ is risen from the dead..."

"Come, receive the light from the unwaning light..."

The people are then led outside the church, where the Gospel of St Mark is read. Then comes the breathless moment as the people wait for the priest to start the hymn of Resurrection, which they join him in singing, repeatedly: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!"

Elena glances bemusedly at the camera as the people are led outside

Pondering over Mark 16:6: "He is risen! He is not here."

The large number of people spilled over from the church's small courtyard onto the street

Anxiously waiting the Paschal troparion

From that moment, the service takes on a joyous atmosphere. People greet with the triple kiss as they wish each other, "Christ is risen!" The hymns of Odes that follow express it well:

It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O ye peoples: Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha; for Christ God hath brought us from death to life, and from earth unto Heaven as we sing the triumphal hymn.

A predominantly Russian crowd remained after that. Most Greeks have a curious of habit of leaving at the Third Antiphon, when the line "Let God arise! Let His enemies be scattered!" is sung.

In addition to the Greek, Slavonic, Arabic and Romanian, Edward sang the pre-Nikonian Slavonic Paschal troparion: "Хрїстосъ воскресе изъ мертвыхъ, смертїю на смерть настѹпи, и гробным животъ дарова!"

Eggs (coloured red to symbolise the bloodshed for us by Christ), symbolic of new life, are distributed at the conclusion of the service. A traditional game is played where each player hits the other players' egg with their own. The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs.

Edward & I knock eggs

Three princesses gather in the backyard after the Paschal celebration

I leave you with an excerpt from the marvelous sermon of St John Chrysostom, which is typically read during Pascha:

Enjoy the feast of faith;
receive all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities,
for pardon has shone forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death,
for the Savior’s death has set us free:
he that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it!

Many thanks to Kenneth & Yaroslav for the photographs!