TWO Ascension- articles

TWO Ascension- articles: 1) From Synaxarion: On the Holy Ascension of Our Lord, and 2) Vladyka Metropolitan Agafangel: On the Ascension of Our Lord (& about the rebirth of the Russian Church, and us)-    Inbox

Dan Everiss <oregdan@hotmail.com> Thu, May 25, 2017 at 11:50 PM Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original  Glory to Thy Holy Ascension, O Lord Jesus Christ, Our God and Our Saviour!   Thursday of the Ascension On this day, the Thursday of the sixth week of Pascha, we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ. Verses Thou didst sit at the right hand of the Father, O Word, Granting unto Thine initiates a most steadfast faith. Synaxarion When Christ was with the Disciples before His Passion, He promised them the coming of the All-Holy Spirit, saying: “For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.” And again: “When He is come, He will teach you all the truth.” For this reason, after His Arising from the dead, being seen of them for forty days, not always eating and drinking with them, but at intervals, He gave them firmer proof of His Resurrection. Finally, after making many promises concerning the Kingdom of God, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but await there the coming of the All-Holy Spirit, since they were to be baptized through Him. He commanded them to remain in Jerusalem, so that in that place the preaching of the Gospel might be first confirmed, lest in going to foreign parts they should become easy prey for slander, and because it was necessary for them to be equipped, like soldiers, with the weapons of the Spirit, and go thus into battle against the enemies of Christ. When the time for the Ascension was at hand, He led them forth to the Mount of Olives (it is called by this name, because it was planted with a great many olive trees), and conversed with them about His proclamation to the ends of the earth, and also about His perpetual Kingdom to come. When He saw that they were going to ask Him what they should do, and since His immaculate Mother was also present there, He drew their attention to the Angels, who indicated His ascent to Heaven. And while they beheld, He was taken up from their midst, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Being thus escorted by the Angels, who exhorted each other to lift up the heavenly gates and were astonished that His flesh was reddened with blood, He ascended and sat at the right hand of the Father, deifying the flesh, and—I make bold to say—putting it on a level with God. For through the flesh we were reconciled to God and the ancient enmity was destroyed. The Angels stood before the Apostles in the form of men, saying: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye in amazement, gazing up into Heaven? This Jesus, Whom ye saw as God in the flesh, will come again thus, that is, in the flesh; save not as before, in poverty and gentleness, but with great glory, as ye behold Him now escorted by Angels.” Then the Apostles, wearied by their gazing, returned from the Mount of Olives. This is very close to Jerusalem, by a distance of two thousand and forty paces. This is the Way of the Sabbath. Thus was it enjoined on Moses to walk so many paces on the Sabbath, because this was the distance from the Tabernacle of witness to the camp of the Jews. It was permitted for worshippers to go out there on the Sabbath, but not to extend their journey any further. For this reason it was called the Way of the Sabbath. Hence, it seems to some that the Ascension of Christ took place on the Sabbath, but this is rather improbable. When they returned, the Apostles went up to the upper room, in which they remained, together with the Myrrh-Bearing Women and the Mother of the Word, occupying themselves in fasting, prayer, and supplications and awaiting the advent of the All-Holy Spirit, according to the promise. O Christ our God, Who didst ascend in glory, have mercy on us. Amen.     =================================================================================================================================== "We believe that the Holy Spirit will descend upon us sinners, and that the Russian Church will resurrect and be reborn. ....We have no other hope now". Metropolitan Agafangel: Ascension of Our Lord Автор: Митрополит Агафангел вкл. Author: Metropolitan Agafangel inc. 25 Май 2017 25-May-2017 . . Опубликовано в Авторская колонка (Просмотров: 61) Posted in Author's column (Views: 61) Таги: рпцз , митрополит агафангел Tagi: rpcz , Metropolitan Agafangel Господь всему живому, предопределённому Им наследовать Жизнь вечную, указал единственный путь к этой вечной жизни – пройти сквозь смерть в Воскресение. The Lord of  all the living, including of those predestinated by Him to inherit eternal life, He indicated the only way to  acquire this eternal life -is  to go first through death and then  to the Resurrection. В деле созидания Церкви, как живого организма – Вознесение – как смерть Тела Христова, а Троица – как Его Воскресение. In the work of building the Church as a living organism -the  Ascension of Christ is likened to  the death of the Body of Christ, and the Feast of the Holy Trinity [Pentecost]  is likened to His Resurrection. Господь на Тайной вечери соделал учеников причастниками Своего Тела и Крови, и Церковь, таким образом, родилась как Тело Христово. The Lord at the Last Supper made His disciples partakers of His Body and Blood, and the Church was thus born as the Body of Christ. Когда Господь Телом Своим покинул грешную землю и возсел одесную Отца Небесного (что для Церкви стало подобно краткой трёхдневной смерти Христа), ученики без Учителя осиротели. When the Lord left His sinful earth in His  Body and ascended to the right hand of the Heavenly Father (which for the Church was likened to the brief three-day death of Christ), the disciples without their Master, became  orphaned. Весь период от Вознесения до Троицы – время, как бы, тишины. The whole period from the Ascension to the Feast of the Holy Trinity [Pentecost],  is a period/time, as it were, of silence. Дух Святой, Дух Животворящий, будто, оставил Тело Церкви. The Holy Spirit, the Life-giving Spirit, has as if, left the Body of the Church. Церковь ждёт своего Воскресения, ждёт Сошествия Святаго Духа. The Church awaits its Resurrection, awaits the Descent of the Holy Spirit.[Pentecost]. День Вознесения Господня 2007 года – как день смерти Русской Зарубежной Церкви. The   Day of the Ascension of the Lord in 2007 -is  as the day: of the death of the Russian Church Abroad. Воскресит ли её Господь? Will the Lord resurrect it? Только Он знает. Only He knows. И только от Него это зависит. And it depends solely  on Him.  Мы верим и знаем, что вслед за смертью приходит воскресение. We believe and know that after  death comes the resurrection. Мы должны молиться об этом воскресении всей своей душой, всей своей крепостью, всей силой последней надежды, как из готовой к погребению могилы: "Душе Истины … прииди и вселися в ны!" We must pray for this resurrection with our whole soul, with all our strength, with the whole strength as of our last hope, as from a grave ready for burial: "May the soul of Truth ... come and settle in us!" Мы верим, что снизойдёт на нас, грешных, Дух Святой и Русская Церковь воскреснет и возродится. *We believe that the Holy Spirit will descend upon us sinners, and that the Russian Church will resurrect and be reborn. Иной надежды у нас сейчас нет. We have no other hope now. Tags: Tags: рпцз Ppm митрополит агафангел Metropolitan Agafangel