Ι.Ν. Μεταμόρφωσης Βριλησσίων (Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Our Savor, Vrilissia, Attica, Greece [about])
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Hymns. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Hymns. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Σάββατο 15 Απριλίου 2023
Σάββατο 14 Μαΐου 2022
The Vindication of the Mother of God
At Christmas time, the Virgin Mary gets a bit of attention in the wider culture. A woman gives birth in difficult circumstances: Mother, baby, ox and ass, the manger. It’s a very touching scene. She quickly fades from the scene however, with some five centuries of culture desperately afraid that she will get too much attention.
In that vein, she is pretty much absent from Easter. We have eggs, chocolate, bunny rabbits, and the resurrection of Christ (along with new dresses and such), but Mary has no place in our culture’s Easter imagination. Some of this is undoubtedly the result of 500 years of a dominantly anti-Catholic Protestantism. You have to mention Mary at Christmas, but she can conveniently be forgotten at Easter.
Unless you’re Orthodox.
In Orthodoxy, there is essentially no teaching regarding Christ that ignores His mother. There is no teaching regarding Jesus that ignores His humanity and His humanity requires that we remember her. When the Council of 431 (3rd Ecumenical) declared Mary to be “Theotokos” (“Birthgiver of God”) it was on account of its concern that the full truth of who Christ is not be distorted. The mystery of the Incarnation (rightly understood) makes it possible to speak the paradoxical title of “Birthgiver of God” (not just “Birthgiver of Christ”). Christ is fully God and fully man. The one born of Mary was God and man. God was born of her.
This is echoed as well in the prophetic word that was spoken to Mary when she brought Jesus to the Temple 40 days after His birth (in concordance with the Law). Simeon the prophet, holding the child in his arms, said to His mother:
“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)
His words speak of a “sword.” This is far deeper than a hint that what is to happen to her Son will make her sad. He didn’t say, “It will cause you grief.” The suffering of Christ on the Cross is equally the sword that pierces the soul of Mary. Mary is the first Christian, the first to believe the word concerning her Son. His suffering is her suffering. His suffering is to be our suffering as well. If you have been united with Christ on the Cross, then, in some measure, your own soul has been pierced by the sword that pierced the soul of Mary. St. Paul says,
“I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live. Yet, not I, but Christ lives in me, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Mary is the first of those who have been crucified with Christ.
Our ignorance of such things (or our forgetfulness), encourage us to forget that our discipleship is marked by the Cross and defined by our communion with the Crucified Lord. Too easily, the resurrection of Jesus comes to mean nothing more than a promise of life after death. “Jesus died and was resurrected so that I could go to heaven.” While that is sort of true, it represents a serious diminishment of the gospel.
As Christ was on the Cross, His thoughts turned to His mother. He endures the suffering and the shame of the crucifixion. She shares in the shame and, in that, a sword pierces her own soul. Christ gives her to the care of St. John, “the disciple whom He loved.” He does not merely ask John to care for her, but says, “Behold your mother.” John must now be her son. Incidentally, this supports the Church’s teaching that the “brother and sisters of Christ” are not children of Mary. It would have fallen to them to take of her had that been the case.
As the Church enters into the depth of Holy Week and approaches the Lord’s death and resurrection, the Theotokos is ever present on its mind. At what becomes a liturgical climax the Church gathers around the funeral shroud icon (epitaphios) in the center of the Church. Following its commemoration of Christ’s suffering and death, the burial shroud had been placed there for the faithful to venerate. They have offered their lamentations.
At this last moment, as the priest stands before the image, we hear these verses from the choir:
Do not lament me, O Mother, seeing me in the tomb, the Son conceived in the womb without seed, for I shall arise and be glorified with eternal glory as God. I shall exalt all who magnify thee in faith and in love.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!
I escaped sufferings and was blessed beyond nature at Thy strange birth, O Son, who art without beginning. But now, beholding Thee, my God, dead and without breath, I am sorely pierced by the sword of sorrow. But arise, that I may be magnified.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!
By my own will, the earth covers me, O Mother, but the gatekeepers of hell tremble at seeing me clothed in the blood-stained garments of vengeance; for when I have vanquished my enemies on the cross, I shall arise as God and magnify thee.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Let creation rejoice, let all born on earth be glad, for hateful hell has been despoiled, let the women with myrrh come to meet me, for I am redeeming Adam and Eve and all their descendants, and on the third day shall I arise.
Do not lament me, O Mother, seeing me in the tomb, the Son conceived in the womb without seed, for I shall arise and be glorified with eternal glory as God. I shall exalt all who magnify thee in faith and in love.
The verses are a dialog between Christ and His mother. It gathers her whose heart had been pierced with the sword of shame and grief into His own compassion. He encourages her with the promise that He will rise and vindicate her. He will be glorified and will magnify her. Her faithfulness, humility, and obedience will be justified before all the world. “All generations will call her blessed.”
She replies, recalling the mystery of her Son’s “strange birth.” Though she now sees His body lying “dead and without breath,” she urges Him to arise.
He responds that He is “covered by the earth” by His “own will.” He is no one’s victim but is doing the very thing He was born to do. And now He is clothed in the “blood-stained garments of vengeance.” Vanquishing His foes by the cross, He will rise and magnify her.
He closes, repeating the initial verse. At the repetition of “I shall arise,” the priest takes up the funeral shroud and bears it into the altar. The doors are shut and every light, every candle in the Church, is extinguished. In silence the Church waits. Mary waits. All creation holds its breath.
Quietly, the priest begins to sing, “Thy resurrection, O Christ our Savior, the angels in heaven sing…” He will shortly come forth bearing the newly kindled light which spreads to all. And the Paschal procession begins around the Church (I’m describing the Slavic practice).
His resurrection is a vindication of His mother. Equally, it is the vindication of every believer. For we, too, have stood silently by the tomb, venerating His dead body. We, too, have had some share in His shame, either from others or cast upon us by our own unfaithfulness and doubting. Was I wrong to believe in, O Lord? Have you forgotten me? I am surrounded by my enemies and they mock me. Where are You, Lord?
“I shall arise,” Christ says.
Mary saw Him. Mary Magdalen saw Him. Peter and John saw Him. Then the twelve. Then James the Brother of the Lord. Then by over 500. And even to St. Paul He appeared, as if to one born out of time.
And they began the procession that continues to circle the earth singing, “Enable us on earth, to glorify Thee in purity of heart.” At the head of our procession is His Mother – now vindicated and magnified by all. She told the truth. She gave birth to God the Word. We call her blessed.
Videos from St. Maximus Orthodox Church Choirs & ORTODOX™ (Vatopedi monastery, Athos)
Παρασκευή 16 Απριλίου 2021
Δευτέρα 20 Απριλίου 2020
Orthodox Easter Hymn "It is The Day of Resurrection: Let us forgive all things on the Resurrection" // Αναστάσεως ημέρα - اليوم يوم القيامة
Amjad Khalil
Doxastikon of Pascha plagal of first tone. Andraos Muaiqel (1890--1964), adapted by Basil Crow. You may use the following link to download the note with byzantine music notations:
"It
is the day of Resurrection let us be radiant for the festival and let
us embrace one another. Let us say, O brethren even to those that hate
us; Let us forgive all things on the Resurrection, and thus let us cry:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon
those in the tombs bestowing life."
In Greek from here.
In Greek from here.
اليومَ
يَومُ الِقيامةِ فسبيلُنا أنْ نَتَلألأَ بالموسِمِ و نُصافِحَ بعضُنَا
بَعضَاَ, و لْنَقُلْ يا إخوةُ, ولنَصْفَحْ لِمُبْغِضِينَا عن كُلِّ شَيءٍ
في القيامة, و لْنهتفْ هكذا قائلين: المسيحُ قامَ مِنْ بينِ الأمواتِ و
وَطِئَ الموتَ بالموتِ و وَهَبَ الحياةَ لَّلذين في القُبور
باليونانية هنا
«Αναστάσεως ημέρα και λαμπρυνθώμεν τη πανηγύρει και αλλήλους περιπτυξώμεθα. Είπωμεν αδελφοί και τοις μισούσιν ημάς, συγχωρήσωμεν πάντα τη Αναστάσει. Και ούτω βοήσωμεν. Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος».
Παρασκευή 3 Απριλίου 2020
The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
"Unto you, O Theotokos, invincible General, your City, in thanksgiving ascribes the victory for the deliverance from sufferings. And having your might unassailable, free us from all dangers, so that we may cry unto you: Rejoice, O Bride Ever-Virgin".
Icon from here
The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
The Hymn "Ti Ypermaho" ("To the Champion Leader") in Greek and Kiswahili
Σάββατο 14 Μαρτίου 2020
The Hymn "Ti Ypermaho" ("To the Champion Leader") in Greek and Kiswahili
Αέναη επΑνάσταση ["Constant Revolution" - the word Revolution (επανάσταση) in Greek is associated with Resurrection (ανάσταση)]
The Hymn "Ti Ypermaho" ("To the Champion Leader") with the students of Kasikizi in Tanzania. The orthodox pries chants in the original Greek, and they're chanting the next verse in Kiswahili (one by one).
To thee, the Champion Leader, O Theotokos,
we thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and thanksgiving
as ones rescued from suffering ;
but as thou art one with invincible might,
Deliver us from all possible dangers ,
so that we may cry to thee:
Rejoice, Unwedded Bride...
In the 7th Century, the people of Constantinople were saved from the attacking Avars by the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary after they took over the Church of Panagia ton Vlahernon. On the 8th of August wanting to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for her assistance, the people gathered in Aghia Sofia and standing up throughout the psalm, sang the Akathisto Ymno to thank her and to salute her with this most beautiful of hymns. One of Orthodoxy's most beautiful this hymn has been attributed to Romanos o Melodos, Romanos the Melodian, who wrote many Orthodox chants over that period.
On the first four Fridays of Great Lent during the service of the Small Compline the Akathist Hymn (Akathistos Ymnos) is observed.
The fifth Friday is the day that the Akathistos Ymnos, of which this verse is the beginning, is chanted in its entirety in all Orthodox churches around the world, during the last of the Heretismous services - the Salutations to the Virgin Mary services.
The Akathist Hymn is a profound, devotional poem, which sings the praises of the Holy Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary. It is one of the most beloved services in the Orthodox Church. It was composed in the imperial city of Constantinople, "the city of the Virgin," by St. Romanos the Melodist, who reposed in the year 556. The Akathist Hymn has proven so popular in the liturgical life of the Church that many other hymns have been written following its format. These include Akathists to Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Cross, and to many Saints.
The Akathist hymn consists of praises directed to the Mother of God, beginning with the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel: "Rejoice." As the hymn is chanted all of the events related to our Lord's Incarnation pass before us for our contemplation. The Archangel Gabriel marvels at the Divine self-emptying and the renewal of creation which will occur when Christ comes to dwell in the Virgin's womb. The unborn John the Baptist prophetically rejoices. The shepherds recognize Christ as a blameless Lamb, and rejoice that in the Virgin "the things of earth join chorus with the heavens." The pagan Magi following the light of the star, praise Her for revealing the light of the world.
The word "akathistos" means "not sitting," i.e., standing; normally all participants stand while it is being prayed. The hymn is comprised of 24 stanzas, arranged in an acrostic following the Greek alphabet. The stanzas alternate between long and short. Each short stanza is written in prose and ends with the singing of "Alleluia." Each longer stanza ends with the refrain: "Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded." (here)
The fifth Friday is the day that the Akathistos Ymnos, of which this verse is the beginning, is chanted in its entirety in all Orthodox churches around the world, during the last of the Heretismous services - the Salutations to the Virgin Mary services.
The Akathist Hymn is a profound, devotional poem, which sings the praises of the Holy Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary. It is one of the most beloved services in the Orthodox Church. It was composed in the imperial city of Constantinople, "the city of the Virgin," by St. Romanos the Melodist, who reposed in the year 556. The Akathist Hymn has proven so popular in the liturgical life of the Church that many other hymns have been written following its format. These include Akathists to Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Cross, and to many Saints.
The Akathist hymn consists of praises directed to the Mother of God, beginning with the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel: "Rejoice." As the hymn is chanted all of the events related to our Lord's Incarnation pass before us for our contemplation. The Archangel Gabriel marvels at the Divine self-emptying and the renewal of creation which will occur when Christ comes to dwell in the Virgin's womb. The unborn John the Baptist prophetically rejoices. The shepherds recognize Christ as a blameless Lamb, and rejoice that in the Virgin "the things of earth join chorus with the heavens." The pagan Magi following the light of the star, praise Her for revealing the light of the world.
The word "akathistos" means "not sitting," i.e., standing; normally all participants stand while it is being prayed. The hymn is comprised of 24 stanzas, arranged in an acrostic following the Greek alphabet. The stanzas alternate between long and short. Each short stanza is written in prose and ends with the singing of "Alleluia." Each longer stanza ends with the refrain: "Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded." (here)
In the 7th Century, the people of Constantinople were saved from the attacking Avars by the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary after they took over the Church of Panagia ton Vlahernon. On the 8th of August wanting to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for her assistance, the people gathered in Aghia Sofia and standing up throughout the psalm, sang the Akathisto Ymno to thank her and to salute her with this most beautiful of hymns. One of Orthodoxy's most beautiful this hymn has been attributed to Romanos o Melodos, Romanos the Melodian, who wrote many Orthodox chants over that period.
It is
divided into four parts for the services of the Salutations to the
Virgin Mary, Οι Χαιρετισμοί, which take place on the first four Fridays
of Lent. During each of these four Fridays one part of the hymn is
chanted whilst on the fifth Friday the entire Akathistos Ymnos is
chanted.
«"Mama wa Yatima" means "Mother of Orphans" in Swahili. (My thanks to the Romanian Patriarchal advocate Andrei Vladareanu for the image of this icon he commissioned for the Kenyan Orthodox Church.)» Fr. Cassian Sibley 29 Δεκεμβρίου 2018. More here. See also
Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos (Mother of God)
The First Salutations To The Theotokos
Orthodox Tanzania (tag)
Πέμπτη 25 Απριλίου 2019
Holy Thursday: "Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross"!...
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross.
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face.
Τhe Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails:
The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.
We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ.
Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.
(Ancient Hymn of the Holy Thursday in the Orthodox Church)
Photo: Service of the Twelve Gospels, Holy Thursday 2019, Kenya (from here).
See also
Victory Against Death - The Sadness and Joy of Holy Saturday!
About The Paschal Lamb
The Mystery of Holy Week and Pascha
The Orthodox Holy Week & Holy Easter (Pascha) This Time Is That Time – Holy Week Thoughts
Icon from here
Παρασκευή 12 Απριλίου 2019
The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
"Unto
you, O Theotokos, invincible General, your City, in thanksgiving
ascribes the victory for the deliverance from sufferings. And having
your might unassailable, free us from all dangers, so that we may cry
unto you: Rejoice, O Bride Ever-Virgin".
Icon from here
Click:Icon from here
The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
"Akathist 4th Stanza- St. Anthony Ichamara-Nyeri Deanery Most Holy Theotokos intercede for us...", Kenya
Πέμπτη 22 Μαρτίου 2018
Παρασκευή 23 Φεβρουαρίου 2018
Great Lent in the Othodox Church: The Akathist Hymn to Mother of God & the Miracle of the Boiled Wheat by st. Theodore the Tyro
Please, click:
The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
Icons from here
1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat
St Theodore the Tyro, photo from the post New Afrikaans Orthodox parish in South Africa, dedicated to the Great Martyr St Theodore the Tyro
See also
Great Lent: Seeking the narrow path
The Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, “mother of chastity, accuser of sins, advocate of repentance, life of the angels and salvation of men” - Like Moses, Elijah, Daniel & the Lord...
LIVE, BEYOND THE LIMITS!
An Atonement of Shame – Orthodoxy and the Cross
Heaven & Hell in the Afterlife Acc. To The Bible
Salvation and atonement (& The significance of the “Antilytron”)
The Uncreated Light
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
Justice and mercy
Lent (tag)
Great Lent: Seeking the narrow path
The Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, “mother of chastity, accuser of sins, advocate of repentance, life of the angels and salvation of men” - Like Moses, Elijah, Daniel & the Lord...
LIVE, BEYOND THE LIMITS!
An Atonement of Shame – Orthodoxy and the Cross
Heaven & Hell in the Afterlife Acc. To The Bible
Salvation and atonement (& The significance of the “Antilytron”)
The Uncreated Light
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
Justice and mercy
Lent (tag)
Τρίτη 11 Απριλίου 2017
The hymn of St. Kassiani, the repentance of a whore and the Holy Tuesday in the Orthodox Church !
Orthodoxwiki (video from Matushka Anna)
The Hymn of Kassiani, also known as the Hymn of the Fallen Woman, is a Penitential Hymn that is based on the Gospel reading for Holy Wednesday morning (Matthew 26:6-16), which speaks of a sinful woman who anoints Jesus' feet with costly ointment (distinguished from a similar incident with a different woman, St. Mary of Bethany). This hymn is chanted only once a year and considered a musical high-point of the Holy Week, at the Matins and Presanctified Liturgy of Holy Wednesday, in the Plagal Fourth Tone.
THE HYMN OF KASSIANI THE NUN - 4th Plagal Tone
Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the Ages of Ages. Amen.The woman who had fallen into many sins recognizes Thy Godhead, O Lord. She takes upon herself the duty of a myrrh-bearer and makes ready the myrrh of mourning, before Thy entombment. Woe to me! saith she, for my night is an ecstasy of excess, gloomy and moonless, and full of sinful desire. Receive the sources of my tears, O Thou Who dost gather into clouds the water of the sea; in Thine ineffable condescension, deign to bend down Thyself to me and to the lamentations of my heart, O Thou Who didst spread out the Heavens. I will fervently embrace Thy sacred feet, and wipe them again with the tresses of the hair of my head, Thy feet at whose sound Eve hid herself for fear when she heard Thee walking in Paradise in the cool of the day. O my Savior and soul-Saver Who can trace out the multitude of my sins, and the abysses of Thy judgment? Do not disregard me Thy servant, O Thou Whose mercy is boundless.
HISTORY
Kassiani is one of the first composers whose scores are both extant and able to be interpreted by modern scholars and musicians. Approximately fifty of her hymns are extant and twenty-three are included in the Orthodox Church liturgical books. The exact number is difficult to assess, as many hymns are ascribed to different authors in different manuscripts and are often identified as anonymous. In addition, some 789 of her non-liturgical verses survive. Many are epigrams or aphorisms called "gnomic verse." An example: "I hate the rich man moaning as if he were poor."
She was born between 805 and 810 AD in Constantinople into an wealthy family and grew to be exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. Three Byzantine chroniclers, Symeon Metarphrastes, George the Monk (a.k.a. George the Sinner) and Leto the Grammarian, claim that she was a participant in the "bride show" organized for the young bachelor Theophilos the Iconoclast by his stepmother, the Empress Dowager Euphrosyne. Smitten by Kassia's beauty, the young emperor approached her and said: "Through a woman [came forth] the baser [things]," referring to the sin and suffering coming as a result of Eve's transgression. Kassiani (Kassia) promptly responded by saying: "And through a woman [came forth] the better [things]," referring to the hope of salvation resulting from the Incarnation of Christ through the Theotokos (Mother of God). According to tradition, the dialogue was:
"-Εκ γυναικός τα χείρω." " -Και εκ γυναικός τά κρείτω."His pride wounded by Kassiani's terse rebuttal, Theophilos rejected her and chose Theodora as his wife.
The next we hear of Kassiani is that in 843 AD she founded a Monastery in the west of Constantinople, near the Constantinian Walls, and became its first Egoumenissa (Abbess). Although many scholars attribute this to bitterness at having failed to marry Theophilos and becoming Empress, a letter from Theodore the Studite indicates that she had other motivations for wanting a monastic life. It has a close relationship with the nearby monastery of Stoudios, which was to play a central role in re-editing the Byzantine liturgical books in the 9th and 10th centuries, thus ensuring the survival of her work.
She wrote many hymns for liturgies; the most famous being the eponymous Hymn of Kassiani, sung every Holy and Great Wednesday (liturgically; actually chanted late in the evening of Holy and Great Tuesday). [Source: Kassiani the Hymnographer]
AN ANALYSIS OF THE HYMN OF KASSIANI
"Lord!...Do not disregard me…You, whose mercy is boundless."
The melodious harmony of this hymn reverberates through the Orthodox churches of the world, as the climatic conclusion of the service of Holy and Great Tuesday Evening. The faithful surrender to the waves of contrition, which descend from the chanters or choirs. The hymn spreads to the congregation the touch of another world, a world which the soul yearns for.
There are few hymns which move people so deeply as this one. In a quiet, mystical way, it enters into the deepest parts of our inner cosmos. Turned into ourselves, each one of us witnesses the journey of our soul down a path of slavery and darkness, for which it was not created, and its subsequent dramatic deliverance and emergence into the Eternal Light.
 |
| Icon from here |
But what is it that is heard on the night of Holy and Great Tuesday in our churches? Is it sweet-sounding hymn? A lyrical song? Or a lamentation?
It is all of these, but chiefly, it is a drama with universal connotations. An act without scenery nor actors present on the stage. The chorals are replaced by the sobs and lamentations of the one and only central heroine of the drama. The musical background is "the source of her tears," "the groaning of her heart," "the embracing and kissing" of the feet of the Lord.
The dramatic act takes place before God in the human soul. Its shame is the realization of sinfulness which brings a person to contrition, and the "exodus" from the "night" of "intemperance" to the "boundless mercy" of the Savior.
So is it drama? Yes, a drama without active scenery. A drama that is universal and real. Universal because it concerns all people in the world, and real because it is relevant to human life on earth throughout the ages.
It is heroic, because it presents to us, the person, who stands before his sinfulness and is shaken, and confesses it, and even more heroically, looks to the "inexplorable depths" of God's great mercy to find salvation.
Even though this drama begins from an episode in the life of the Lord, described by Saint Luke the Evangelist (Luke 7:36-50 [& Matthew 26:6-16]), it surpasses both time and unfolds beyond time in a place which cannot place where the central character, the human soul, moves between two extremes: the human tragedy--"a dark and moonless love of sin"- and the Eternity of salvation to mankind by the God-Man, Who, in His "ineffable condescension, bowed down the Heavens", Who takes the soul out of the "ecstasy of darkness", which drives it to.
Of course, it is not Kassiani the nun who is "the woman who had fallen into many sins", as some thought. She is though, the poet who is anguished as she witnesses the fall of mankind. This anguish however, does not lead her to a pointless cursing of the 'fate' of humanity. She climbs onto the wings of Faith, and harbors in God's love, in order to present, with a unique sensitivity, the human pain that will eventually be healed and lead to the unending doxology of the "soul-saving Lord."
The sinful soul laments, but not in the emptiness of an inexorable loneliness. From the beginning of the hymn, we hear the cry "Lord!" The sinful woman is not by herself in her pain. Traveling with her on this painful journey is the Lord, to Whom her confession is being made
'The woman who had fallen into many sins', the heroine of the drama which Kassiani presents to us, concludes her prayerful monologue. She proclaims in a way which matches the overall tone-humble, supplicatory, modest-her basic request, which is also the message of the hymn--she expresses it with prayer in a tone of unshakeable faith and certainty: "Do not disregard me…You, whose mercy is boundless." (Translated from the original Greek.)
Please, see also
An Atonement of Shame – Orthodoxy and the Cross
The Orthodox Holy Week & Holy Easter (Pascha)
The Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
About saint Kassiani (Cassiane) from the orthodox site Full of Grace & Truth
The Iconoclast controversy, which vexed the Church for over a hundred years, coincided with one of the most productive periods in church hymnography. Among those who made significant contributions in this field, the names of St. Andrew of Crete (+740), Saint John Damascene (+754), and Saint Theodore the Studite (+826) are well known. Less familiar are the women hymnographers of this period-the nuns Thecla, Cassiane and Theodosia-who demonstrated considerable talent in this same field. Of these, Cassiane won lasting distinction as the only woman whose works have entered into the liturgical tradition of the Church.
Cassiane was born in Constantinople some time before 805. Her father's aristocratic status gave Cassiane the privilege of a good education. She was tutored in both secular and sacred studies, and showed such exceptional aptitude for learning as to draw the attention of the great abbot of the Studion Monastery, Saint Theodore. He remarked likewise on her pious character, and indeed, from an early age she desired to become a nun. She was at the same time a spirited young woman of strong convictions and did not hesitate to express her opinions.
Cassiane was also gifted with physical beauty. When the heir-apparent, Theophilus, was in search of a bride, he narrowed the choice to six lovely maidens. Cassiane was one of them. When they gathered for the final decision to be made, Theophilus, who had heard of Cassiane's intelligence, approached her with the statement, "From woman came corruption" (referring to the fall of Eve), to which the quick-witted Cassiane responded, respectfully but surely, "But also from woman sprang forth what is superior" (i.e., God's incarnation from the Holy Virgin). Unnerved, Theophilus passed over Cassiane and offered the golden apple, the sign of his choice, to the more demure, and silent, Theodora.
It would have been a difficult match. Theophilus was an iconoclast and harshly enforced the imperial edict-renewed after the death of Empress Irene -forbidding the veneration of sacred images. Theodora, an iconodule, did not approve of her husband's policy, but she concealed her veneration of icons and kept quiet. Cassiane, by contrast, openly professed herself in favor of the holy icons. She not only spoke her mind, but she acted on her convictions, visiting iconodule monks in prison and sending them gifts. For her defiance of the imperial edict, she suffered persecution and was beaten with a lash.
Far from being disappointed at Theophilos' rejection, Cassiane was now free to unite herself to the bridegroom of her own choosing-the King of kings, Jesus Christ. She was tonsured a nun about the year 820, and founded a convent on one of Constantinople's seven hills, where she led "an ascetic and philosophical life" pleasing to God. An energetic abbess, she not only regulated the life of the convent, but she also found time to pursue her scholarly literary interests. She combined the talents of poet, theologian and musician, writing hymns and composing musical settings for them. Originally sung by her nuns, many of her compositions proved to have enduring value; twenty-three of her works were later incorporated into the liturgical books of the Church.
One of Cassiane's most brilliant creations is her hymn, sung in the Matins service for Holy Wednesday, on the subject of the sinning woman. Based on the story from St. Luke's Gospel (7:36-50), this hymn blends dramatic and narrative elements to create a masterpiece of hymnography which manages, in a few short lines, to present the essential Christian drama of sin and salvation.
The most familiar of Cassiane's works are undoubtedly the irmoi in the Matins canon for Holy Saturday, which is repeated at the Midnight Office for Holy Pascha: "Weep not for me, O Mother, beholding in the tomb the Son Whom thou hast conceived without seed in thy womb, for I shall arise..." With these stanzas, Cassiane achieves a taut sense of anticipation, providing a marvelous momentum into the climatic celebration of Our Lord's Resurrection.
Cassiane had a forceful personality: "I hate the fool who acts the philosopher," she wrote. "I hate silence when it is time to speak." And this, combined with her many talents and keen intellect makes her an appealing model for today's woman. But it is the fact that she lived only for God, to the end of her life, that made her a saint.
Commemorated September 7.
Videos from ZOLTRAN1 (Holy Cathedral of Athens 1976) & Pat Tsagalakis.
Τετάρτη 29 Μαρτίου 2017
The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete - a dialog between a human and his soul
Orthodox.net (photo from here & here)
The Great Canon of St Andrew,
Bishop of Crete, is the longest canon in all of our services, and is associated
with Great Lent, since the only times it is appointed to be read in church are
the first four nights of Great Lent (Clean Monday through Clean Thursday, at
Great Compline, when it is serialized) and at Matins for Thursday of the fifth
week of Great Lent, when it is read in its entirety (in this latter service,
the entire life of St Mary of Egypt is also read).
There is no other sacred hymn
which compares with this monumental work, which St Andrew wrote for his
personal meditations. Nothing else has its extensive typology and
mystical explanations of the scripture, from both the Old and New
Testaments. One can almost consider this hymn to be a “survey of
the Old and New Testament”. Its other distinguishing features are a
spirit of mournful humility, hope in God, and complex and beautiful Trinitarian
Doxologies and hymns to the Theotokos in each Ode.
The canon is a dialog
between St. Andrew and his soul. The ongoing theme is an urgent exhortation
to change one’s life. St Andrew always mentions his own sinfulness
placed in juxtaposition to God’s mercy, and uses literally hundreds of
references to good and bad examples from the OT and NT to “convince
himself” to repent.
A canon is an ancient
liturgical hymn, with a very strict format. It consists of a variable number of
parts, each called an “ode”. Most common canons have eight Odes,
numbered from one to nine, with Ode 2 being omitted. The most penitential
canons have all nine odes. Some canons have only three Odes, such as many of
the canons in the “Triodion” (which means “Three
Odes”).
In any case, all Odes have the
same basic format. An “Irmos” begins each Ode.
This is generally sung, and each Irmos has a reference to one of the nine
biblical canticles, which are selections from the Old and New
Testament, which can be found in an appendix in any complete liturgical Psalter
(book of Psalms, arranged for reading in the services). A variable number of
“troparia” follow, which are short hymns about the
subject of the canon. These are usually chanted, and not sung. After each
troparion a “refrain” is chanted. At the end of each
Ode, another hymn, called the “Katavasia”,
either the Irmos previously sung, or one like it is sung.
The troparia of the Great Canon
in all its twelve Odes are usually chanted by the priest in the center of the
church, with the choir singing the Irmos and Katavasia. There are varying
traditions about bows and prostrations. Some prostrate and some make the sign
of the cross and bow three times after the Irmos and each troparion.
General Themes of the Great Canon.
Where shall I begin to lament the deeds of my
wretched life? What first-fruit shall I offer, O Christ, for my present
lamentation? But in Thy compassion grant me release from my
fallsMon:1.1
Desire to change - dialogue with the soul
Come, wretched soul, with your flesh, confess
to the Creator of all. In the future refrain from you former brutishness, and
offer to God tears of repentanceMon:1.2
Recognizing Reality
The end is drawing near, my soul, is drawing
near! But you neither care nor prepare. The time is growing short. Rise! The
Judge is at the very doors. Like a dream, like a flower, the time of this life
passes. Why do we bustle about in vain? Mon:4.2
How to pray - Laments and supplications to God
Thou art
the Good Shepherd; seek me, Thy lamb, and neglect no me who have gone
astray Mon:3.5
OT and NT examples of righteousness and unrighteousness, for the purpose of emulation or avoidance.
Do not be a pillar of salt, my soul, by
turning back; but let the example of the Sodomites frighten you, and take
refuge up in Zoar.(Genesis 19:26) Thu Ode
3:5
I have reviewed all the people of the Old Testament as
examples for you, my soul. Imitate the God-loving deeds of the righteous and
shun the sins of the wicked.Tue Ode 8
THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT THE GREAT CANON.
The Great Canon was
written by a holy man to teach himself the right way to live. We cannot benefit
from it unless we make it a priority to stand in prayer, in the church, and
listen to it, with a great desire and expectation for God’s grace to
teach us and heal us. Our theology is first and foremost – experienced
and prayed, and not only “studied”.
The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete
All these texts are available at http://www.orthodox.net/greatlent/
As chanted on Monday of the first Week
As chanted on Tuesday of the first Week
As chanted on Wednesday of the first Week
As chanted on Thursday of the first Week
As chanted on Thursday of the Fifth Week
St Andrew, Archbishop of Crete.
Commemorated July 4
From The Prologue from Ochrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich ©1985 Lazarica Press, Birmingham UK (icon from here)
Born in Damascus of Christian parents, he was
dumb until the age of seven. When his parents took him to church for Communion,
the power of speech was given to him. Such is the divine power of
Communion.He went to Jerusalem at the age of fourteen and was tonsured in the monastery of St Sava the Sanctified. In his understanding and ascesis, he surpassed many of the older monks and was an example to all. The Patriarch took him as his secretary.
When the Monothelite heresy, which taught that the Lord had no human will but only a divine one, began to rage, the Sixth Ecumenical Council met in Constantinople in 681, in the reign of Constantine IV. Theodore, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was not able to be present at the Council, and sent Andrew, then a deacon, as his representative. At the Council, Andrew showed his great gifts: his articulateness, his zeal for the Faith and his rare prudence. Being instrumental in confirming the Orthodox faith, Andrew returned to his work in Jerusalem.
He was later chosen and enthroned as archbishop of the island of Crete. As archbishop, he was greatly beloved by the people. He was filled with zeal for Orthodoxy and strongly withstood all heresy. He worked miracles through his prayers, driving the Saracens from the island of Crete by means of them. He wrote many learned books, poems and canons, of which the best-known is the Great Canon of Repentance which is read in full on the Thursday of the Fifth Week of the Great Fast.
Such was his outward appearance that, 'looking at his face and listening to the words that flowed like honey from his lips, each man was touched and renewed'. Returning from Constantinople on one occasion, he foretold his death before reaching Crete. And so it happened. As the ship approached the island of Mitylene, this light of the Church finished his earthly course and his soul went to the Kingdom of Christ, in about the year 740.
See also
The Way - An introduction to the Orthodox Faith
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
Theosis, St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony
Orthodoxy's Worship: The Sanctification of the Entire World
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
Theosis, St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony
Orthodoxy's Worship: The Sanctification of the Entire World
Εγγραφή σε:
Αναρτήσεις (Atom)