Service hours: Sundays and Feast days: Orthros at 9:30 am; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.

EXPERIENCING THE RESURRECTION

s the Paschal season comes to an end, we Orthodox Christians should recollect how we have experienced and continue to experience the Resurrection Christ. We do it in at least seven ways. First, through the Paschal celebration of Christ's Resurrection we experienced Easter Sunday. Secondly, we personally shared in Christ's Resurrection with our Baptism. Thus, St. Paul reminds us, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-5).
   Thirdly, we experience Christ's Resurrection every time we share in the Eucharist at each Divine Liturgy. As one of the prayers of the Liturgy says, quoting Jesus, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim my death and confess my resurrection." Fourth, each and every Sunday is a sharing in the Resurrection, since the services from Saturday night Vespers to the end of Sunday are a celebration of Christ's Resurrection. One of the prayers during the Sunday Orthros service says, "We have beheld the resurrection of Christ."
   Fifth, as Orthodox, we believe that icons are "windows on heaven," which serve to bring us into communion with the divine and holy realities. When we reverence an icon, we "connect" with the person or event depicted. So, when we reverence the icon of the Lord's Resurrection, we are brought into personal communion with His Resurrection.
    There is, sixth, another kind of Resurrection, illustrated by the repentance of the Prodigal Son: "for this my son was dead, and is alive again" (Luke 15:24). Every time we turn away from sin and return to God, it is a moral and spiritual resurrection that we experience.
   Finally, we look forward to the Resurrection at the Final Judgment. The Creed says, "I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." We will be resurrected to share in the General Judgment to come, and, hopefully, in eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
   So it is with confidence that faithful Orthodox experience Christ's Resurrection. We remember Jesus' last words to Thomas: "'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe'" (John 20:29).

5th  SUNDAY OF PASCHA – THE MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH

GOSPEL ENTRANCE AND OTHER HYMNS

Dismissal Hymn  for Pascha Sung in Greek before the Entrance ("Christos Aneste…").
Priest’s Entrance Hymn: In the congregations bless God, the Lord who springs out of Israel. Priest & People: Save us o Son of God who did rise from the dead, we sing to You, Alleluia.
Dismissal Hymn – Plagal 1ST Tone
 (Sing in English before the Entrance) "The Eternal Word" Hymnal, 85-86.
Dismissal Hymn of the Presentation of Christ (Sing) From the sheet in the pew.
Kontakion for Pascha
   (Sung) by the Leaders in Greek (“Ei kai en tafo”)
   (Read) Even though You descended into the grave, / O immortal One, / You destroyed the power of Hades; / and You arose as victor, / O Christ our God, / saying to the myrrh-bearing women, / “Hail!” / and to Your Apostles granting peace; / You also grant resurrection to the fallen. 
           Return to page 26 for “Holy God” and for the Epistle and Gospel Readings

  

EPISTLE – Acts 16:16-34

n those days, as we apostles were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us, crying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers; and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, “These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.

GOSPEL – John 9:1-38

t that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he”; others said, “No, but he is like him.” He said, “I am the man.” They said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe”: and he worshipped him.

   In the Place of “Truly it is proper . . . ” (Hymnal, 54) the Leaders sing “O Angelos eboa . . . Fotizou . . .” (Read) The Angel cried out to the one full of Grace: / Hail! Holy Virgin, and again I say, Hail! / Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day. / Shine, shine, / the New Jerusalem! / For the glory of the Lord has dawned upon You. / Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion; / and You, O all-pure Theotokos, / delight in the Resurrection of Him, / to Whom you gave birth.