WEEK 4
Saturday, 5th October, 2002 [September 22nd, 2002]
Day of the Holy Prophet Yonah [8th century B.C., Holy Hieromartyr Phokios, Bishop of Sinopolis [117],
Readings: First Reading: First Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Corinthians 15:39-45
Holy Gospel: Saint Luke 4:31-36
Sunday, 6th October, 2002 [September 23rd, 2002
15th Week after Pentecost, Tone 6
Feast of the Conception of the Venerable, Glorious Prophet and Forerunner John and Baptist of the Lord
Readings: Matins: First Reading: Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Hebrews, Chapter 4.
Holy Gospel: Saint Luke 24:1-12
Divine Liturgy: First Reading: Second Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Holy Gospel: Saint Luke 5:1-11 [Week 18]
Readings for the Feast of the Conception of the Forerunner
First reading: Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Galatians 4:22-31
Holy Gospel: Saint Luke 1:5-25
Usual Hymns for Monday evening and Tuesday morning, Second Tone:
The memory of the Just is celebrated with hymns of praise,
but the Lord's testimony is sufficient for You, O Forerunner;
for You have proved to be truly even more venerable than the Prophets,
since You were granted to baptize in the running waters Him
Whom they proclaimed.
Wherefore, having contested for the truth,
You did rejoice to announce the Good Tidings even to those in Hades:
That God has appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world
and granting us great mercy.
Friday [Yom Vav] 29 Tishri 5763
Qabbalat Shabat [Reception of the Sabbath]: 5:44 [Jerusalem], 6:04 [Tel Aviv], 5:55 [Haifa]
Motzaei Shabbat [Outgoing of the Sabbath]: 6:58 [Jerusalem], 7:00 [Tel Aviv], 7:01 [Haifa]
Saturday, Shabbat 30 Tishri 5763
Shabbat Bereshit [In the Beginning]
Blessing of the New Month, Rosh Hodesh MarHeshvan, New Moon on Monday Yom Bet de MarHeshvan at 7:38, permanent time]. First part appears tonight after the Outgoing of the Sabbath in Jerusalem
Readings: Parshah [Portion of the Torah]: Bereshit [In the Beginning, Genesis] 1:1 - 6:4
Maftir [additional reading]: 6:5-8
Haftarah [Additional Prophetic Portion]:
* Ashkenazi rite: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:5-43:10
* Sefardi rite: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:5-42:21
* Yemenite rite: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:1-42:16
INTRODUCTION
Last week, the Orthodox Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation-Elevation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross. This major Feast in Jerusalem gave the possibility to the local faithful to venerate the Holy Cross and to make the Procession through the Church of the Resurrection,m the Anastasis. Patriarch Irenaeios, followed by the Bishops, the clergy and the lay people bowed before the Holy Cross and the Tree of Life as the faithful were chanting: Kyrie Eleison! And we had a deep spiritual connection with the Jewish Festival of the Outgoing of Sukkot, the Day of the Hoshanna Rabbah, calling to proclaiming the everlasting Reign of God in the Universe, on Heaven and on this Earth.
This week, we meet the conception of a new baby. September seems to be a very procreative period in the Orthodox and Eastern Traditions, certainly linked to this specific time when God created the world. This week, there is a special parallel between the conception of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord Jesus Christ and the reading, in the Jewish tradition, the Torah Portion Bereshit [In the Beginning], the inception or generation process [Genesis in Greek] of the worlds, universe, galaxies and the strong dynamic move which it implied. The birth of Saint John the Forerunner who is to be killed for the sake of the Lord is also to be compared with the parashah [pericope] as defined in the Jewish Communities: the portion starts with the account of the creation of the world and ends with God's decision to "blot out" mankind. And we know that God does repent and reconsiders His project as we shall see in the next week.
THE ORTHODOX READINGS
Two weeks ago the Orthodox Church also celebrated the conception of the Holy Mother of God, Mary. The ancestors of the Lord had family ties with Saint John's parents, Zechariah and Elisabeth. In Saint Luke 1:36-56, it is recounted about the visit that Mary made to her cousin who was living in a city of Juday, i.e. close to the present area of Jerusalem and we know that Ein Kerem is the traditional place where Zechariah's family was residing.
There is a sign: Life is given, which implies a creative action, first concerning Mary, Mother of God, during the time she was visited by the Archangel Gabriel, her own visit to her cousin Elisabeth, wife of the priest Zachariah of the course of Abijah [cf. 1 Chronicles 24:10]. This appears to be a whole process: The priest Zachariah, of the mishmar, the priestly course of Abijah, was "visiting" the Temple for the offering of the incense, when he was himself visited by the same Archangel Gabriel, God is Strong. In Hebrew and Aramaic the word "to visit" is related to different noticeable meanings:
a] The basic root B-Q/B-Q-'/B-Q-Q [baqah/baq/baqaq]: to enter into, search, investigate, examine, find out; a gnat. The redundant BAQ AQ shows a strong emotional dynamic process.
b] BaQa'[ayin]: to split, chop, to greak through, to clear Although this word is absolutely not connected with BaRa "to create", we can relate it to the same principle of a "chopping
TO CONTINUE TO PAGE 2 PLEASE PRESS HERE
HOW to contact us?