THE HOLY FIRE HAS DESCENDED IN JERUSALEM! JOIN US FOR THE GREAT VIGIL OF PASCHA TONIGHT (Saturday, April 7) AT 11:00 PM

THE GREAT VIGIL OF PASCHA (THE EASTER VIGIL) — Tonight at 11:00 PM

The Great Vigil of Pascha (Easter), followed by the Solemn Paschal Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist will begin at 11:00 PM tonight. The Great Vigil includes the Lighting of the New Fire and the Paschal Candle, the Prophecies, the Reception of Catechumens, the Litany, and the Solemn Paschal Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist. After the Liturgy there will be fellowship and refreshments in our parish hall in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There are no Services scheduled for later on Sunday morning.

THE HOLY FIRE HAS DESCENDED IN JERUSALEM!!!

The Holy Fire has descended in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as seen on the live stream on the Facebook page of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and on RIA-Novosti. You will want to view the video and photos on these sites.

The Holy Light descended at about 2:20 PM (7:20 AM Eastern Standard Time). The Holy Fire appeared in the edicule (the small chapel built over the burial place of Christ) just a few minutes after the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, entered there to pray and wait.

The descent of the Holy Fire was preceded by a complex ceremony: the doors of the Sepulchre were sealed with a large wax seal as a sign that its inspection had finished, and in it was found nothing that would allow the Patriarch of Jerusalem to ignite a fire by any ordinary means.

By this time the church was, as always, filled to overflowing with thousands of believers—both local Arab Orthodox and Orthodox pilgrims from all around the world. When the Patriarch of Jerusalem arrived his person was carefully searched to ensure that nothing capable of igniting a fire was brought in the Sepulcher of Christ.

The Holy Fire descends from heaven and into the Sepulchre of Christ which is located within the ancient Church of the Holy Sepluchre and ignites candles brought in by the Patriarch. Often candles held by the faithful and lampadas hanging in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre also spontaneously ignite, and sometimes the spontaneous ignitions also occur in neighboring Orthodox churches.

The Miracle of the Holy Fire has occurred in Jerusalem on the Vigil of Orthodox Pascha (Easter) since the first century. When the Roman Catholic Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and seized the Holy Places from the Orthodox, the Miracle of the Holy Fire ceased. After the Crusaders withdrew from Jerusalem and the Holy Places returned to the Orthodox Church, the annual Miracle of the Holy Fire resumed. The Miracle of the Holy Fire which occurs year after year and century after century is a yearly reminder that Christ remains with His Church as its Head.

At the ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was present a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, which, closer to midnight, will deliver the fire to the patriarchal Paschal Service in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia. Delegations from other Local Orthodox Churches, such as the Romanian, Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, etc. also took part in the ceremony and received the Holy Fire to take back to their own Churches. Last year the Holy Fire was brought to the United States for the first time and we were privileged to receive it at Holy Cross parish.

You can find more information on the descent of the Holy Fire in 2018 here:

http://orthochristian.com/112062.html

The Evangelical Protestant magazine, Christianity Today had a good article on the Holy Fire titled, 

IN PICTURES: STUNNING SCENES FROM ORTHODOX EASTER HOLY FIRE CEREMONIES

http://orthochristian.com/78671.html

Here is a two hour video of today's events in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,

HOLY FIRE DESCENDS ON JERUSALEM’S CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE (VIDEO)

https://sputniknews.com/world/201804071063308007-holy-fire-orthodox-easter-jerusalem/

HOLY PASCHA — THE FEAST OF FEASTS!

Holy Pascha is the Feast of Feasts and the holiest day of the Christian Year. Everyone in warmly invited to join us at church tonight, Saturday, April 7, at 11:00 PM for the Great Vigil of Pascha. 

In the Orthodox Church the Paschal Liturgy (Easter Mass) is always celebrated at Midnight. Bring the children — Pascha is a day to make memories that will last a lifetime. Invite everyone you know to attend — family, friends, neighbors, everyone. Hearts will be touched and lives changed.

Everyone is invited to attend and visitors are always welcome. Come and share the ancient Paschal Greeting, “Christ is Risen!” With the response, “He is Risen Indeed!” Come and share the Paschal Joy! It will be a joyous and glorious night. We are a faithful, friendly, vibrant and growing parish, and we have a place for you!

We will be looking forward to seeing you at 11:00 PM tonight!

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

www.holycrossomaha.net

(402) 573-6558

HOLY WEEK SERVICE SCHEDULE

PALM SUNDAY, April 1

9:15 AM.  Solemn Matins

10:00 AM.  Blessing of Palms and the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist                     

SPY WEDNESDAY, April 4

11:00 – 11:25 AM Confessions

11:30 AM              Matins

11:55 AM             Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified

TRIDUUM SACRUM — The Sacred Triduum

MAUNDY THURSDAY, APRIL 5

6:30 PM Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, Procession, Vespers, and the Stripping of the Altar

GOOD FRIDAY, April 6

10:00 AM Matins

Noon Stations of the Cross

6:30 PM Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified and Vespers (Burial of Christ)

GREAT VIGIL OF PASCHA (EASTER), Saturday, April 7

11:00 PM Vespers, Blessing of the New Fire and Paschal Candle, the Prophecies, Reception of Catechumens, Litany, and the Paschal Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

www.holycrossomaha.net

(402) 573-6558

Pope: “It is an Honor to be called a Revolutionary” (La Repubblica, Mar. 29, 2018)

The Chair of New Testament Studies at the Jesuit-run College of the Holy Cross is Professor Tat-Siong Benny Liew. He was appointed Chair of New Testament Studies at Holy Cross College in 2013. Breitbart reports that Professor Liew claims that Jesus was a “drag king.” Liew says that Jesus is not only “king of Israel” and “king of the Jews,” but “also a drag king,” as presented in the New Testament Gospel of John. Saint John’s constant references to Jesus wanting water, giving water, and leaking water “speak to Jesus’ gender indeterminacy and hence his cross-dressing and other queer desires,” Liew contends. You can read all about it here:

HOLY CROSS THEOLOGY PROFESSOR SAYS JESUS WAS A “DRAG QUEEN” WITH “QUEER DESIRES"

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/28/holy-cross-theology-professor-says-jesus-drag-king-queer-desires/

But there is no need to worry about blasphemy and the danger of hell because Pope Francis now says there is no hell! Perhaps the pope was just misunderstood,… yet again. You can read about it from Newsweek here:

DOES HELL EXIST? POPE FRANCIS SAYS NO IN NEW INTERVIEW THAT COULD CHANGE CATHOLIC CHURCH FOREVER

http://www.newsweek.com/does-hell-exist-pope-francis-says-no-interview-could-change-catholic-church-866010

The Pope said, “It is an Honor to be called a Revolutionary” (La Repubblica, Mar. 29, 2018). God forbid! We are called to “guard the Deposit" of Faith, to “earnestly contend for the faith which once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and NOT TO BE REVOLUTIONARIES. This is very serious and cannot be ignored. The Second Vatican Council was indeed the French Revolution in the Roman Church. People can only continue in the Roman Church at great peril to their souls. Extramural Roman Catholicism such as the SSPX or Sedevacantism is not the answer as they are at best lifeboats and are not the Church. 

Genuine Catholicism can be found in the Orthodox Catholic Church, and no where else. The Orthodox Church is the oldest Church in the world, the original Church that was established by our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, and she is still rooted in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. The Orthodox Church has never experienced a Reformation, Counter-Reformation or a Vatican II-style Revolution. In the Orthodox Church it is an honor to be called faithful, not to be called a revolutionary. After some 2,000 years the Orthodox Church remains thoroughly Orthodox, and is unchanged and unchanging in Faith and Morals.  

For more information you will want to read:

AN APPEAL TO TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLICS FROM AN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC PRIEST

http://orthochristian.com/105123.html

It is time to come home to the fullness of the Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Faith. Please, share this with family and friends, and invite them to join us for Holy Mass this Sunday at 10:00 AM.  Make no mistake about it, souls are at stake. We are a faithful, friendly and vibrant parish and we have a place for everyone.

Blessings,

Father+

Fr. Victor Novak

Rector

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Raston, Nebraska 68127

www.holycrossomaha.net

(402) 573-6558

THE ORTHODOX WAY OF LIFE

“From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will” — St. Herman of Alaska

Orthodox Christianity is much more than a system of beliefs — it is a Way of Life. Every member of the Orthodox Church should strive to be fully involved in the life and witness of the Church as an intentional disciple of Jesus Christ. In order to live the Orthodox Way of Life as a disciple of Christ, each Orthodox Christian should strive to: 

Follow the example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in daily life, both publicly and privately, and to bear personal witness to Him.

Engage in private prayer at least mornings, evenings and at meals; and to make intercessions for the living and the dead.

Read the Holy Scriptures and spiritually edifying books regularly.

Hold the fullness of the Orthodox Christian Faith without addition or diminution, and speak to one’s pastor should questions or doubts arise.

Be a faithful member of ones parish, and attend Services there at least every Sunday and major feast day. 

Hear the Church, accept her authority in matters spiritual, and support and pray for the clergy of the Church.

Make a sacramental Confession regularly.

Receive Holy Communion frequently and with careful preparation.

Keep the fasts and feasts of the Church.

Be hard working, earning one’s own living.

Be honest and trustworthy in actions and relationships, live up to one’s personal and family responsibilities, and live chastely according to ones state in life.

Return a tithe to the parish in support of its work, and give offerings in support of the parish and the wider Church, the poor and the most vulnerable in society. 

Give personal service to the parish and to the community.

Be a good citizen and pray for the civil authorities, rendering unto caesar what is caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. 

As far as is possible, live in peace with all men.

Uphold the standard of marriage as entrusted by Christ to His Church.

Take care that children are raised with love and are brought up to know, love and serve the Lord.

Receive the last rites of the Church and Christian burial at the end of ones earthly pilgrimage. 

Leave a bequest to the parish in support of its continued work.

Do you want to live a life of serious discipleship as an intentional disciple of Jesus Christ? The Orthodox Church is the oldest Church in the world, dating back some 2,000 years to Jesus Christ and his apostles. The Orthodox Church is the original Church, the one and only Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and she is still firmly rooted in Jerusalem, the Holy Land and the East. Jesus Christ is the Truth Revealed. Orthodox Christianity is the Truth Lived. The Orthodox Way of Life is the Way of Life in Jesus Christ our Lord. We love being Orthodox. You will too. Come and see. Everyone is welcome…

ASH WEDNESDAY — February 21

“From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us strive to love God above all, and fulfill His holy will” — St. Herman of Alaska

Wednesday, February 21st, is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It would be very difficult to over-emphasize the importance of Lent to our spiritual lives, so please do your best to clear your schedule and to be in church at 6:30 PM for Ash Wednesday Services. 

Confessions will be heard at mid-day on Ash Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM.

Ash Wednesday Services begin at 6:30 PM, and will consist of Solemn Vespers, the Imposition of Ashes, and the Sung Litany.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church. Ashes are placed on the foreheads of Christians on Ash Wednesday in the form of a cross. The words (based on Genesis 3:19) used to accompany this ceremony are, "Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris" — “Remember, O man, that dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." 

Beginning Lent with the imposition of ashes is credited to St. Gregory I, the Great (c. 540–604). The formula, based on the words spoken to Adam and Eve after their fall, reminds the faithful of their own sinfulness and mortality, and thus of their need to repent and turn to Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Fr. William Saunders writes, “The liturgical use of ashes originates in Old Testament times. Ashes symbolized mourning, mortality and penance. For instance, in the Book of Esther, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, 485-464 B.C.) of Persia to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire (Est 4:1). Job (whose story was written between the 7th and 5th centuries B.C.) repented in sackcloth and ashes (Job 42:6). Prophesying the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem, Daniel (c. 550 B.C.) wrote, "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Dn 9:3). In the fifth century B.C., after Jonah's preaching of conversion and repentance, the town of Ninevah proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, and the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the ashes (Jon 3:5-6). These Old Testament examples evidence both a recognized practice of using ashes and a common understanding of their symbolism.

Jesus Himself also made reference to ashes. Referring to towns that refused to repent of sin although they had witnessed the miracles and heard the good news, our Lord said, "If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago" (Mt 11:21).

The early Church continued the usage of ashes for the same symbolic reasons. In his book, De Poenitentia, Tertullian (c. 160-220) prescribed that the penitent must "live without joy in the roughness of sackcloth and the squalor of ashes." Eusebius (260-340), the famous early Church historian, recounted in his The History of the Church how an apostate named Natalis came to Pope Zephyrinus clothed in sackcloth and ashes begging forgiveness. Also during this time, for those who were required to do public penance, the priest sprinkled ashes on the head of the person leaving confession.

In the Middle Ages (at least by the time of the eighth century), those who were about to die were laid on the ground on top of sackcloth sprinkled with ashes. The priest would bless the dying person with holy water, saying, "Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return." After the sprinkling, the priest asked, "Art thou content with sackcloth and ashes in testimony of thy penance before the Lord in the day of judgment?" To which the dying person replied, "I am content." In all of these examples, the symbolism of mourning, mortality and penance is clear.

Eventually, the use of ashes was adapted to mark the beginning of Lent, the 40-day preparation period (not including Sundays) for Easter. The ritual for the "Day of Ashes" is found in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Sacramentary, which dates at least to the eighth century. About the year 1000, an Anglo-Saxon priest named Aelfric preached: "We read in the books, both in the Old Law and in the New, that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast." As an aside, Aelfric reinforced his point by then telling of a man who refused to go to Church on Ash Wednesday and receive ashes; the man was killed a few days later in a boar hunt. Since this time, the Church has used ashes to mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when we remember our mortality and mourn for our sins.

In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross …  As we begin this holy season of Lent in preparation for Easter, we must remember the significance of the ashes we have received: We mourn and do penance for our sins. We again convert our hearts to the Lord, who suffered, died and rose for our salvation. We renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to a new life with Christ. Finally, mindful that the kingdom of this world passes away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfillment in Heaven.”

Those of us who have been trying to follow the Lord, but have the humility to recognize the sin in our lives and that we continue fall short of our high calling in Christ, can say on Ash Wednesday, “Today, I will begin again.” And those who have never turned to Christ, or who have fallen away from following Him can say, “Today, I will begin.” Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season is a time for beginnings and for new beginnings. Let us make the most of this important and grace-filled day and season. Please invite family and friends to join us for Ash Wednesday Services. It can be the beginning of a new life as an intentional disciple of Jesus Christ.

To help us begin a holy and spiritually profitable Lent, I am attaching links to a several helpful articles. Please remember that they are written by Eastern Rite priests and may mention certain Eastern Rite Services or practices that do not necessarily apply to us in the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church.

THE HEALING POWER OF FORGIVENESS

http://orthochristian.com/110798.html

ON NOT TRYING HARDER

http://www.pravmir.com/not-trying-harder/

THE FIRST WEEK OF GREAT LENT: PASTORAL ADVICE

http://orthochristian.com/110822.html

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES — Wednesday, February 21

CONFESSIONS will be heard from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. 

Confessions can also be heard during the Psalms (but not the Canticles) at Solemn Vespers on Wednesday evening.  

SOLEMN VESPERS, IMPOSITION OF ASHES, AND THE SUNG LITANY at 6:30 PM.

Everyone is invited to attend. Visitors are always welcome. We are a faithful, friendly and vibrant parish, and we have a place for you. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you on Ash Wednesday.

Please forgive me, a sinner, for any offense I may have caused you. Pray for me as I do for you. Many God grant us all a holy and spiritually profitable Lent.

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

www.holycrossomaha.net

(402) 573-6558

THE FUTURE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE WESTERN WORLD WILL LIKELY BE WESTERN RITE — Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch

A MUST HEAR interview with Fr. John Mangels who reports that His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch opined that the future of the Orthodox Church in the Western world will likely be Western Rite.

Fr. John Mangels has been an Orthodox priest for 28 years, and has pastored in both the Eastern and Western rites of the Orthodox Church. He had been an Old Catholic priest for 12 years before entering the Orthodox Church. Fr. John is currently the rector of St. Augustine’s Orthodox Church, a Western Rite parish in Denver Colorado.

https://www.orthodoxwest.com/locallygrown

FORMER ANGLICAN BISHOP SAM SEAMANS TO VISIT HOLY CROSS PARISH

Fr. Samuel Seamans, formerly a bishop with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), will be joining us at Holy Cross Orthodox Church for a Pre-Lenten Retreat with Metropolitan Jonah on Saturday and Sunday, February 10 and 11.

Metropolitan Jonah is perhaps the best known Orthodox bishop in America. A former Anglican himself, he was a featured speaker at the Inaugural Synod of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in 2009, and addressed its Provincial Synod again in 2012. Later, Metropolitan Jonah addressed a Conference of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen (FCC), the group that organized the great St. Louis Church Congress in 1977.

The theme of the Pre-Lenten Retreat is, The Pillars of Orthodox Spirituality.

The Retreat begins at 9:15 AM on Saturday, February 10th with Matins (Morning Prayer), followed by the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, with lunch in our parish hall after the Liturgy. 

The Conferences on the theme of The Pillars of Orthodox Spirituality will be held from 12:30 to 4:30 PM, with Vespers at 5:00 PM, followed by a reception for Metropolitan Jonah.

The Retreat continues on Sunday, February 11th, with the formal Reception of a Bishop and Matins at 9:15 AM, followed by the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, and a catered luncheon in our parish hall immediately after the Liturgy. 

In addition to the Conferences on Saturday, Metropolitan Jonah will be the homilist or preacher at both Eucharistic Liturgies and will be the luncheon speaker on Sunday. 

There will be ample opportunities for discussions with both Metropolitan Jonah and with the clergy of Holy Cross Orthodox Church. In addition, Fr. Samuel Seamans, a former traditional Anglican bishop who is now an Orthodox priest and the pastor of a Western Rite Orthodox parish in Arkansas, will be available to discuss his journey to Orthodoxy.

The public is invited to attend and fully participate in the Retreat. So far, we are expecting clergy and laity from seven States, and from as far away as New York. There is no cost for the Retreat or the meals, but free will offerings will be taken.

The favor of a response is requested so we can better plan for meals, but is not required. Questions about the Retreat or directions are also welcome. You can call the church office at (402) 573-6558 or email me at venovak@hughes.net.

We will be looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

www.holycrossomaha.net

(402) 573-6558