HOLY ASCENSION PARISH NEWSLETTER, JULY-AUGUST 2011 Transfiguration of Our Lord, St Katherine’s Monastery, Sinai. THE HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH is the Washington, DC, parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), under the omophor (or the conciliar leadership) of Metropolitan Agafangel (Pashkovsky), Bishop of Odessa & Taurida. The Holy Ascension Parish was organized on Ascension Day, 17 May 2007. BISHOPS & LOCAL CLERGY Metropolitan Agafangel, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, and Bishop of Odessa & Taurida Bishop Joseph (Hrebinka) of Washington Father John Hinton, priest Deacon Andrew Frick Seraphim Englehardt, subdeacon John Herbst, subdeacon ADDRESS 3921 University Drive, Fairfax VA 22030 703.533.9445. HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH, JULY 2011 PART 1. OUR PARISH. The Holy Ascension parish welcomes all Orthodox people to its sacraments and all people with an interest in Christianity and the abiding Tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church. The immediate Holy Ascension parish background is Russian émigré and American, with many other English- speaking members. Members, visitors, and people in touch online come from all ethnicities. The Church is One. http://www.holyascension.info/ . http://ruschurchabroad.com/ http://sinod.ruschurchabroad.org/engindex.htm PART 2. NATIVITY OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, JULY 7. Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the circumstances of his birth, as recorded in the New Testament, are miraculous. The sole biblical account of birth of St. John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of St Luke. St. John’s parents, St. Zechariah or Zachary — a Jewish priest — and St. Elizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. During St. Zechariah's rotation to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to offer incense at the Golden Altar in the Holy Place. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him John. However, because St. Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel, he was rendered speechless until the time of St John's birth; at that time, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, and St. Zechariah wrote, "His name is John" and could speak (Luke 2 RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD, DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON 1:5-25; 1:57-66). Following St. Zechariah's obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future ministry of St. John (Luke 1:67-79). At the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she would conceive of the Holy Ghost Jesus, he also informed her that Elizabeth, her cousin, was already six months pregnant (Luke 1:36). Saint Mary the Virgin then journeyed to visit Elizabeth. St. Luke’s Gospel recounts that the baby “leapt” in St. Elizabeth’s womb at the greeting of Mary (Luke 1:44). This is interpreted by Christians as John's first act of prophecy. In the Orthodox Church, St. John the Baptist is usually called St John the Forerunner, pre- paring the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Feast of his Nativity is celebrated on June 24 as a major feast day celebrated with an All-Night Vigil, and an Afterfeast of one day. The feast always falls during the Russian icon of the Nativity of Saint Apostles' Fast. John the Baptist. 3 HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH, JULY 2011 In addition to the birth of John the Baptist, the Orthodox Church also has the following commemorations of the life of John the Baptist: January 7 - The Synaxis of St John the Forerunner (main feast day, immediately after Theophany (Epiphany) on January 6). February 24 - First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner. May 25 - Third Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner. August 29 - The Beheading of St. John the Forerunner. September 23 Conception of St John the Forerunner and the Commemoration of Sts. Zechariah and Elizabeth. PART 3. THE APOSTLES FAST +AND THE FEAST OF STS PETER & PAUL, GLORIOUS LEADERS OF THE APOSTLES, JULY 12. Having rejoiced for 50 days following the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles began to prepare for their departure from Jerusalem to spread The Lord’s's message. According to Sacred Tradition, as part of their preparation, they began a fast with prayers to ask God to strengthen their resolve and to be with them in their missionary undertakings. The scriptural foundation for the Fast is found in the Synoptic Gospels, when the Pharisees criticized the apostles for not fasting, the Lord Jesus said to them, “Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” In the immediate sense, the Lord was referring to His being taken to be crucified; but in the wider sense it is understood in terms of his Ascension into heaven, and His 4 RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD, DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON commission to preach the Gospel, which can only be accomplished with prayer and fasting. The tradition of the Fast has existed at least since Pope Leo I (AD 461), as known in his homilies, though the same fast has been forgotten in the West. With this Fast, believers express their thanks for the apostles' endurance of persecution during their missionary service. The Apostles' Fast ends began on the Monday following All Saints' Sunday, i.e., the second Monday after Pentecost) and ends with the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. One should attend the All-Night Vigil (or at least Vespers) on the eve, and the Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast--Julian Calendar, 29 June, which falls on Gregorian and civil calendar 12 July. Overleaf--Russian Icon of Saint Paul, 1700-1725, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, 5 HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH, JULY 2011 SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE. Saint Pail the Apostle also called the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, and Saint Paul (c. AD 5 – c. AD 67), was the most influential early Christian missionary, whose writings form much of the New Testament. According to the Bible, St. Paul was known as Saul prior to his conversion, and was dedicated to the persecution of the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. While traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to “bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem,” the resurrected Lord Jesus appeared to him in a great light. Saul was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus, 6 RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD, DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. Along with Simon Peter and James the Just, St Paul was one of the most prominent early Christian leaders. He was also a Roman citizen—a status that conferred privilege with respect to laws, property, and governance. Fourteen epistles in the New Testament are attributed to St. Paul although some modern scholars question the circumstances of his authorship. St. Augustine of Hippo developed St. Paul's idea that salvation based on faith rather than “Works of the Law.” St. Paul's conversion dramatically changed the course of his life. Through his missionary activity and writings he eventually transformed religious belief and philosophy around the Mediterranean Basin. His leadership and influence led to the formation of Christian communities dominated by Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and held to the Judaic moral code, but who relaxed or abandoned Mosaic ritual and dietary obligations. St. Paul's teachings from the life and works of Jesus Christ and his teaching of a new covenant (or "new testament") established through Jesus' death and resurrection informed the ancient Church. The Bible does not record St. Paul's death. SAINT PETER. The Orthodox Church regards the Apostle Peter, together with Apostle Paul, as “Preeminent Apostles.” Another title used for Peter is Coryphaeus, which could be translated choir director or lead singer. The Orthodox Church recognizes Apostle Peter's leadership role in the early church, especially in the very early days at Jerusalem, but the Orthodox 7 HOLY ASCENSION ORTHODOX CHURCH, JULY 2011 Church does not consider St. Peter to have had any “princely” role over his fellow Apostles. Nor does the Orthodox New Testament mention any extraordinary authority for Peter with regard to faith or morals. The Orthodox hold that Peter did not act as the leader at the Council of Jerusalem, but spoke merely as one of many who spoke. The final decision regarding the non-necessity of circumcision was spelled out by St. James, the Brother of the Lord. With regard to the Lord Jesus' words to Peter, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church,” the Orthodox hold that the Lord is referring to St. Peter’s confession of faith, and not to the person of Peter as that upon which He will build the church. This interpretation is recommended by the original Greek wording with the feminine demonstrative pronoun when He says “upon this rock" (ταύτ τ πέτρ ). If he had been referring to St. Peter himself, he would have used the grammatical masculine. ῃ ῇ ᾳ PART 4. THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION, AUGUST 19 This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!— “ Gospel of St. Mark 9:7 The Synoptic Gospels, (Matthew 17:1-9), Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36), present the Holy Transfiguration as a key event and almost immediately after the Confession of Peter: “Thou are the Christ".