Dear brothers and sisters,
This is newsletter #35 of the St Ignatius Parish in Belfast.
Contents of this Newsletter:
- This Week in the Life of the Church: Spiritual Life and Fasting
- A Pastoral Word: Encouragement of the Cross
- News and Announcements
This Week in the Life of the Church
The second lenten talk by clergy of our St George’s Cathedral in London, delivered by Fr Boniface Carroll on “Building the Spiritual Life through Fasting”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fkU9iXDsaI
Saints and Feasts of the Week
*The saints named here accompany the days of the week as living witnesses of Christ. Only the principal saint or feast of each day is listed here, in keeping with the liturgical order of the Church.
- Sunday, 15th of March – Sunday of the Holy Cross
- Monday, 16th of March – Hieromartyr Alexander I, 5th pope of Rome
- Tuesday, 17th of March – St. Patrick, bishop of Armagh, Apostle to the Irish
- Wednesday, 18th of March – St. Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem and Holy Martyr Edward, King of England
- Thursday, 19th of March – The Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria
- Friday, 20th of March – The Holy Fathers who were slain at the monastery of St. Sabbas; St. Cuthbert the Wonderworker, abbot of Lindisfarne; St. Herbert, hermit of Derwentwater
- Saturday, 21st of March – St. James the Confessor, bishop of The Studion
- Sunday, 22nd of March: Sunday of St John Climacus
Hymns of the Week
*The hymns listed here are those that shape the prayer of the Church for the week, following the liturgical order and hierarchy. They are offered as an aid to prayer and may be used, as each is able, in personal prayer or a simple prayer rule at home.
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE SEVEN
Thou didst shatter death by Thy Cross, Thou didst open paradise to the thief; Thou didst turn the sadness of the ointment-bearing women into joy. And didst bid Thine Apostles proclaim a warning, that Thou hast risen O Christ, granting to the world the Great Mercy.
APOLYTIKION OF HOLY CROSS IN TONE ONE
O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, granting to Thy people victory over all their enemies, and by the power of Thy Cross preserving Thy commonwealth.
KONTAKION FOR SUNDAYS IN GREAT LENT (AND AKATHIST SATURDAY)
To thee, the Champion Leader, do I offer thanks of victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror; but as thou that hast that power invincible, O Theotokos, thou alone can set me free: from all forms of danger free me and deliver me, that I may cry unto thee: Hail, O Bride without Bridegroom.
Sunday Epistle and Gospel
*The Epistle and Gospel of the Sunday that begins the current liturgical week
- Epistle: Hebrew 4:14-5:6
- Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1
The Sunday and daily Scripture readings may be read online via the Archdiocesan website: https://www.antiochian-orthodox.com/calendar
A Pastoral Word: Encouragement of the Cross
On the Third Sunday of Great Lent, at the midpoint of the fasting period, the Church brings out the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for veneration. We process with it, we bow before it, and we sing:
“Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, Master, and Thy Holy Resurrection we glorify.”
The Church places the Cross before us today as encouragement.
But you may ask: what encouragement? Don’t we often think of the Cross in negative terms? For example, we think of the suffering of our Lord. We also speak about the difficulties in our life by saying: “God has sent me this cross to carry.” So, you might say: “Father, how is the Cross encouragement? For me it is simply a reminder of how difficult life is, and that somehow I just have to endure sorrow and struggle.”
But this is not the true meaning of the Cross.
Nowhere in the Bible is it said that God throws crosses upon us. Quite the opposite: in today’s Gospel we hear Christ saying, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
We are called to take up the Cross. To understand the meaning of this phrase, we must understand why the Cross is both our encouragement and an example to follow. Let me give you three reasons.
First, the Cross is the sign of God’s love. The Cross reveals to us how much God loves His people. Christ, the Son of God, denied Himself and, in the words of Saint Paul, humbled Himself and became man, like us in everything except sin. He accepted weakness, suffering, and death for one purpose: to save those whom He loves. He offered Himself as a sacrifice to the Father so that our sins might be forgiven and we might receive eternal life. This is what the Cross symbolizes. It is the image of perfect, self-sacrificial love.
And this is the first encouragement: God loves us so much that He gave Himself for us. And we know that the Cross is never separated from the Resurrection. Where there is the Cross, there also comes life.
Second, the Cross assures us of God’s mercy. In the Epistle we heard today from the Letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul reminds us: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
When we stand before God, we do not stand before a distant judge who does not understand human life. Christ Himself experienced hunger, thirst, pain, abandonment, and suffering. He was tempted by the devil in the desert. He knows how difficult the struggle of life can be. Therefore, when He judges us, He judges with mercy.
So when we find ourselves weak in our spiritual life, when we struggle in prayer, when we fail in fasting, when we fall into sin, we should not fall into despair. Instead, we draw near to Him with confidence, knowing that He understands our weakness and receives us with mercy when we return to Him.
Third, the Cross shows us the path of true peace and victory. The world promises peace through power, punishment, and domination. The peace of the world is often built through violence and fear. But the peace of Christ is different. In the hymns of the Church, the Cross is called the “weapon of peace” and the “invincible trophy.” Through the Cross Christ conquered sin and death and granted us eternal life.
Did He punish anyone in accomplishing this? Did He speak words of hatred? Did He call for revolt, for war, or for violence against others? No. Even on the Cross He prayed for those who crucified Him. And in the end the Cross breaks the gates of Hades. Christ descends into the realm of death, proclaims life to those held there, and leads humanity into freedom through His Resurrection.
Can a bomb, a bullet, or an angry word achieve this?
Where the world tells us to be harsh, Christ teaches us to love. Where the world teaches revenge, Christ teaches forgiveness. Where the world teaches pride, Christ teaches humility.
And so, coming back to the words we heard in today’s Gospel, Christ says: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
To take up the Cross does not mean to suffer. It means to deny selfishness and pride and to live in the same self-giving love that Christ showed on the Cross. Love for God and love for the people around us, bringing into the world the true peace that is born from mercy, forgiveness, and sacrifice.
The Cross, therefore, is not only our encouragement. It is also our practical example. Christ shows us the way, and He calls us to follow Him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in the middle of our Lenten journey the Church places the Cross before us not as a burden but as a banner of victory. It strengthens us, reminds us of God’s love and mercy, and shows us the path we are called to follow.
Let us bow before the Holy Cross with faith. Let us take it up in our own lives with courage. And let us continue our Lenten journey with hope, remembering that beyond the Cross already shines the light of the Resurrection.
News and Announcements
- Readers Service Last Sunday – Thank you to all who attend the church on Sunday of the Holy Cross, for the Reader Service of Typika and Hours. At the end of the service, the faithful venerated the Holy Cross. The service was followed by fasting refreshments and fellowship. Some photos:
- Online Faith & Fellowship – During Great Lent meetings take place every Thursday at 19:00, unless announced otherwise. Join us at 19:00 this Thursday, 19th of March, for the next meeting: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/93643306643 We will pray Great Compline and have a conversation about spiritual life.
- Have you visited our Parish Library yet? Our library offers a growing collection of Orthodox books for adults and children: spiritual classics, lives of the saints, theology, Church history, and books for young readers. A good spiritual book can deepen our understanding of the faith and accompany us in our spiritual life.
You can browse the catalogue and request books online through the parish website. All the information about borrowing books, together with the online request form, can be found here: https://saintignatiusbelfast.org/library
Our librarians, Michael and Porphyrios, will be happy to help if you are looking for something to read. You can contact them at: library@saintignatiusbelfast.org
