Journey of the Holy Fifty Days – by HG Bishop Serapion Bishop of Diocese of LA and So Cal

Many regard the period of the fifty Holy Days to be a time to lax spiritually, especially that it comes after the asceticism of Great lent and the Holy Pascha Week. However, the Fifty days have beautiful spiritual depth, which makes a person not lax spiritually, bu rather grow and rejoice spiritually. The readings of the Holy 50 days all revolve around our Lord Jesus Christ and the joy of His resurrection.

First Sunday Jn. 20:19-31- The gospel confirms the reality of the resurrection, since Christ “showed His hands and His side.” (Jn. 20:20). He told Tomas “Do not be unbelieving but believing (Jn. 20:27).
Second Sunday Jn. 6:35-45 Christ is the Bread of Life which came down from heaven.
Third Sunday Jn. 4:1-42 Christ is the Living Water “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (Jn. 4:13-14)
Fourth Sunday Jn. 12:35-50 Christ as the Light of the world (Jn. 12:46)
Fifth Sunday Jn. 14:1-11 Christ as the Way, the Truth, and Life (Jn. 14:6)
Sixth Sunday Jn. 16:23-33 Christ as the source of peace. In the world you’ll have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:32-33).
Seventh Sunday Jn. 15:26-16:15 Christ sends the Holy Spirit the Conforter (Jn. 16:7)

August 19 – Feast of Transfiguration – Minor Feast of the Lord

Feast of transfiguration is celebrated always on August 19 every year.

It is one of 14 feasts of of the Lord in the Coptic Orthodox church. It is one of 7 minor feasts where the other 7 feasts are major feasts. The 7 major feasts of the Lord are considered essential in our Salvation.

The 7 major feasts are 1)Annunciation, 2)Nativity, 3)Theophany (Baptism of the Lord), 4)Christ entry to Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), 5)Resurrection, 6)Ascension, 7)Pentacost.

The 7 minor feasts are 1)Transfiguration 2)first miracle wedding at Cana 3)Pascha Covenant Thursday 4)Circumcision 5)Entrance into the temple 6)Entry to Egypt 7)Thomas Sunday

Readings of the Feast of transfiguration : Matins Mt 17:1-9, Gospel Mk 9:2-13

Holy Lent Gospel Liturgies & Holy 50 days Gospel Liturgies

Mt 4:1-11 – Second Sunday
Mt 18:23-35 – Third Sunday
Mt 21:33-46 – Fourth Sunday
Mt 23:13-39 – Fifth Sunday
Mk 10:46-52 – Sixth Sunday
Mt 21:1-17 – Palm Sunday
Jn 20: 1-18 – Resurrection day

Jn 20:19-31 First Sunday in the Holy 50 days
Jn 6:35-45 Second Sunday
Jn 4:1-42 Third Sunday
Jn 12:35-50 Fourth Sunday
Jn 14:1-11 Fifth Sunday
Jn 16:23-33 Sixth Sunday
Jn 15:26-16:15 Pentacost

Tradition (with a capital T) and tradition

Importance of Tradition

Capital T Tradition refers to the special rites of the Coptic orthodox Church. Part of Tradition is the liturgy, incense, doxologies, agpeya, icons, orders, sacraments, ….

July 12th – Feast of the Apostles and Lakkan prayers

Rite of the lakkan of the feast of the apostles

—For Lakkan readings of the Epiphany Feast see http://copticchurch.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/topic-9-prayer-of-the-laqqan-waters-in-the-coptic-orthodox-church/

Upon the conclusion of the Prime Raising of Incense, the congregation chants the hymn `K`cmarwout in front of the lakkan. This is followed by the Prayer of Thanksgiving, and after the priest recites the words nem ebolha peklaoc tyrf , meaning “and from all Your people”, he blesses the water and says nem `ebolha taikolem vi;ra;ai , meaning “and from this bowl”. At the end of the Prayer of Thanksgiving, the Verses of the Cymbals are chanted, followed by Doxa Patri… Ke nun… This is directly followed by Psalm 50, and then Doxaci `o :eoc `ymwn , where the eldest priest begins reading the prophecies. The prophecies passages are: Ex. 15:22 – 16:1; Ex. 30:17-30; Is. 1:16-26; Is. 35:1-10; Is. 43:16 – 44:6; Zach. 8:7-19, Zach. 14:8-11.

After the prophecies, the congregation responds with Tenouwst `mmok `w Pi`,rictoc , as the priest raises incense and prays the Pauline prayer, which is followed by the Pauline Epistle (Heb. 10:22-38). Then, the Trisagion is chanted. The priest prays the Litany of the Gospel, which is followed by the Psalm (7:50 and 10) and the Gospel (Jn. 5:1-18).

Then, the priest raises a cross with three lighted tapers, while praying the major V] nai nan . Using the cymbals, the congregation responds with Kuri`e `eleycon ten times in the melismatic tune. The priest then blesses the lakkan and the bowl three times with the sign of the Cross, as the congregation chants the Gospel Response and the first verse of the Doxology of the Apostles, which begins with the words Pisorp qen ni`apoctoloc , meaning “the first among the apostles…”

The priest prays the Seven Long Litanies, which include the litanies of: 1) the sick; 2) the travelers; 3) the waters; 4) the king or ruler; 5) the departed; 6) the oblations; and 7) the catechumens. The priest, while facing the East, prays certain requests, and with each request the congregation responds with Kuri`e `eleycon .

Then the priest carries a cross that is lighted with tapers, and the congregation cries out with the deacons with one voice saying Kuri`e `eleycon , one hundred times in a recitative tune. After this, the serving priests say the Three Long Litanies, which are of peace, the fathers, and the congregations; and then the Creed is fully recited. The Espasmos of the Apostles is chanted, then the deacon says, “Offer in this order…” and the congregation respond with the Hiten ni`precbi`a . The priest prays, “The love of God the Father, and the grace of His only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the communion and gifts of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The priest makes the sign cross over the water for the first time, and the congregation responds with “And with your spirit.” Directly following this, the priest signs the water with the cross a second time, and chants, “Lift up your hearts,” to which the congregation responds with “They are with the Lord.” To conclude the blessing of the lakkan, the priest makes the sign of the cross over the water a third time and says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord,” and the congregation responds saying, “He is worthy and righteous.” The priest continues by praying the Liturgy of the Blessing of the Waters. While the priest says the words `Agioc three times, he does the sign of the cross three times over the water and continues the Liturgy. Later on, at the end of each petition, the priest does the signs cross over the water. The congregation responds with “Amen.”

The deacon then says, `Proceuxa;e , to which the congregation responds, Kuri`e `eleycon . The priest continues to pray the assigned prayers specific to the occasion, followed by the Lord’s Prayer. The priest then administers three Absolutions, followed by the deacon responses: Cw;ic `amyn @ ke tw `pneumati… Following this, the priest blesses the lakkan water and the bowl, three times with the sign of the cross. While doing so he says Eulogitoc Kurioc… and the congregation respond with “One is the Holy Father, one is the Holy Son, one is the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

The serving priest soaks the end of a towel with the water of the Holy Lakkan, and washes the feet of the priests, deacons, and the congregation. At the same time, the congregation chants Psalm 150. After the lakkan, the priest says a prayer of Thanksgiving, which is followed by the blessing. Then, the Divine Liturgy commences for the glory of the Holy Trinity, to whom is glory forever.

Source

Mikhail, Deacon Albair Gamal, The Essentials in the Deacon’s Service, (Shobra, Egypt: Shikolani, 2002), p. 798-810. Translated from Arabic by Bishoy K. R. Dawood, edited by Alexander A-Malek.

http://www.copticheritage.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&page_id=358

Pentacost, Worship service or Kneeling (sagdaa)

About the major feast of the Pentacost follow the next link:

http://copticchurch.wordpress.com/2009/06/
Here’s the program and readings for the Pentacost Kneeling (Worship) services

The Worship service
The first prostration
Deuteronomy 5:23-33,6:1-3
Pauline 1 corinthians 12:28-31,13:1-12
Gospel Ps 96:7,8,1 John17:1-26

The Worship service
The second prostration
Deuteronomy 6:17-25
Pauline 1Corinthians 13:13, 14:1-17
Gospel Luke24:36-53
Litany for the ruler
Litany for the departed
Litany for the oblations

The Worship service
The third prostration
Deuteronomy 16:1-18
Pauline 1 Corinthians 14:18-40
Ps 65:2, John 4:1-26
Litany of the fathers
Litany for those who asked us to remember them
Litany for the assemblies
Graciously, accord O Lord
Thrice-Holy prayer
Introduction to Doxologies:
Hymn Shere ne
Hymn Ten ti
Doxologie St Mary
Doxology for heavenly orders
Doxology for the Apostles
Doxology for St George
Conclusion of Doxologies
Creed
End of prayer

The Resurrection Feast in the Coptic Orthodox Church

The Resurrection feast is one of the major Seven feasts of the Lord. The celebration begins on the eve of the day with a Liturgy. Before the Gospel reading the priest performs the opening of the tomb on the altar as the following recording shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlFiK72gSY4

General Funeral Prayers

After the liturgy of Palm Sunday, the general funeral is prayed. During Pascha week no special funeral prayers will be done. Pascha prayers are not interrupted.

Following is the program:

General funeral

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Lithany of the sick
Psalm 138:7-10
Psalm 118:175;115:16,17
Psalm 114:1-9
Pauline Epistle
Chant 1st verse in coptic
Corinthians 15:1-23
Gospel
Psalm 65:4
John 5:19-29
Creed
Litany of the departed

updated February 22nd, 2010- Lent in Coptic Orthodox Church

http://copticchurch.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/lent-in-coptic-orthodox-church/

Topic # 21- Feast of Pentacost in the Coptic Orthodox Church

For readings of the Worship prayers (Kneeling) or in Arabic (Sagdaa) follow the link

http://copticchurch.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/topic-33-pentacost-worship-service-or-kneeling-al-sagdaa/

Feast of Pentacost is a major feast, one of the seven major feasts in the coptic church. Pentacost is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after the feast of the Resurrection, or after 50 days.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)

Year 2010 message:

http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/139/the-holy-spirit-in-the-mysteries-of-the-church/

Year 2009 message:
Feast of the Pentecost

 One of the Seven Major Feasts of the Lord is the descending of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, known as Pentecost Day (Fiftieth day). On this day, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples as tongues of fire, through which they were able to speak in different tongues and preach the news entrusted to them by our Lord Jesus Christ. This gift is the promise of the Father to the human race. After the Son reconciled the Father with the human race by giving Himself up as a sacrifice on the Holy Cross, and after giving our human body the capability of living with God through His Ascension, God the Father poured on us the grace and blessings of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to live by the Spirit with God while we’re still on earth. The feast is called “the Feast of Pentecost (Arabic: Ansara),” a Hebrew word that means, “feast.” Originally this day was a Jewish feast, which was one of their three major feasts: the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year (cf. Ex. 34:22). On this day, the Jews thanked God for the ingathering, and they came from various countries around the world to Jerusalem for this feast (cf. Acts 2:5).

In the New Testament, the Church celebrates this day by commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples: “From heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts. 2:2-4). In the Dioscolia (chapter 31), it is written: “After ten days from the Ascension, let there be a great feast, for on this day, in the third hour, our Lord Jesus Christ sent us the Paraclete, and we were filled with His gifts and spoke in new tongues.” Also, in the Canons, it is written: “Do not work on Pentecost day, for the Holy Spirit descended on the believers through Christ.” This day commemorates the institution of the Church and its true beginning, and it marks the beginning of the true service and the preaching of the Apostles and disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason, the day has a special place in the life and rites of the Church (St. Mary Church, S. St. Paul, Minnesota).

http://stmarymn.org/component/option,com_jcalpro/Itemid,59/extid,60/extmode,view/

 

 

 

1. Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
   As written in the Holy Book of Acts, chapter 2, the Holy Spirit descended upon those in the upper room as tongues of fire and they spoke in tongues. We call this day the “Birthday of the Church” because through the descent and dwelling of the Holy Spirit with the faithful, they became attached to Christ as branches to the vine (John 15:1-8) and one in the Body of Christ, i.e. the Church, (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:24). Thus, through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit with the faithful, they become a part in the kingdom of God beginning here on earth.
2. Second Coming of Christ
   In the Old Testament, the fiftieth day was also several feasts in one. It had several names such as the Feast of Weeks, Feast of the Harvest, and Feast of the Firstfruits (at the end of the harvest). It was one of three major feasts in which all firstborn males were to be present in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices along with the Feast of the Firstfruits (at the beginning of the harvest) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Ex 23:15-17; Deut 16:16; 2 Chr 8:12-13). The Feast of the Firstfruits (at the beginning of the harvest) always fell on the day after the first Sabbath following the Passover. So the Feast of Weeks, i.e. the fiftieth day, was seven weeks from the Feast of Firstfruits (Ex 34:22; Num 28:26; Deut 16:10). So it was a Sabbath of Sabbaths. Since barley appeared first amongst the crops, it was offered on the Feast of the Firstfruits (at the beginning of the harvest). But by the time of the Feast of Weeks, the wheat had appeared and it was harvested. Thus, it was also the Feast of the Harvest and a Feast of the Firstfruits.

   It is the same in the New Testament. The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ occurred on the same day as the Feast of the Firstfruits of the Jews. So the descent of the Holy Spirit occurred on the Pentecost, the fiftieth. Thus, it is a reminder of the preparation for that final harvest on the last day when the general resurrection will occur and all will be judged. Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection and when all rise from the dead on the last day and the judgment occurs, it will be the final fulfillment of the salvation of the righteous for eternal life with Christ in His kingdom, a Sabbath of Sabbaths.

Of note, the first Pentecost in the Old Testament, i.e. the fiftieth day following the first Passover, was the day that the cloud of God’s presence descended on Mount Sinai and Moses began to receive the law. Thus, this feast is also a celebration of God’s presence with His people, teaching and guiding them into all that is necessary for life with Him according to His will. This is also related to the judgment in the last day since each will be judged by the words and commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 12:47-50) of which the Holy Spirit is always teaching and reminding us (John 14:26).

Notice also that the description of God’s presence on Mount Sinai included smoke, fire, lightnings, thunderings, the sound of a trumpet, and quakings (Ex 19:16,18). This is why when St. Peter says the prophecy of Joel the prophet in Acts 2:17-21, he was not only speaking of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but also of events related to the last day:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17-21).

 

His Grace Bishop Youssef

 

http://www.suscopts.org/resources/interesting-facts/22/feast-of-pentacost–the-feast-of-feasts/

 

Definitions

Pentecost

Pen”te*cost\, n. [L. pentecoste, Gr. ? (sc. ?) the fiftieth day, Pentecost, fr. ? fiftieth, fr. ? fifty, fr. ? five. See Five, and cf. Pingster.]

1. A solemn festival of the Jews; — so called because celebrated on the fiftieth day (seven weeks) after the second day of the Passover (which fell on the sixteenth of the Jewish month Nisan); — hence called, also, the Feast of Weeks. At this festival an offering of the first fruits of the harvest was made. By the Jews it was generally regarded as commemorative of the gift of the law on the fiftieth day after the departure from Egypt.

2. A festival of the Roman Catholic and other churches in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles; which occurred on the day of Pentecost; — called also Whitsunday. –Shak.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc

Pen·te·cost  (pěn’tĭ-kôst’, -kŏst’)     n.   The seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. Also called Whitsunday. Judaism See Shavuot. [Middle English pentecoste, from Old English Pentecosten, from Late Latin Pentēcostē, from Greek pentēkostē (hēmerā), fiftieth (day), feminine of pentēkostos, fiftieth, from pentēkonta, fifty; see penkwe in Indo-European roots.]

Sha·vu·ot also Sha·bu·oth  (shə-vōō’ōt’, -əs, shä’vōō-ôt’)     n.   Judaism A feast held on the sixth and seventh days of Sivan in commemoration of the revelation of the Law on Mount Sinai and the celebration of the wheat festival in ancient times. Also called Pentecost. [Hebrew šābû'ôt, pl. of šābû'a, week, from šeba', seven; see šbʕ in Semitic roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

www.dictionary.com

 

Pentecost

In the New Testament, the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus. Pentecost is the Greek name for Shavuot, the spring harvest festival of the Israelites, which was going on when the Holy Spirit came. The disciples were together in Jerusalem after Jesus’ Resurrection and return to heaven, fearful because he had left them. On that morning, however, “there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Because of the festival, crowds of visitors were in Jerusalem, speaking many languages, but the disciples of Jesus moved among them and spoke to them all, and “every man heard them speak in his own language” about “the wonderful works of God.” Peter then made a powerful speech to the crowds in the city, and many were baptized as new followers of Jesus.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

Additionally, note the the third hour of the Agpeya prayers is to remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples.

 

Feast of Ascension

 

Readings : Ps 23:7, 10, Jn 16:23-33, Acts 20: 1-16 

 

Sunday after the Ascension

 

Jn 16:26-28 See Romans 8:26 and Eph 6:18 ..”in the Spirit”

Sunday after Readings: ps 147:1,7, Lk 24:36-53, Acts 1-14