{"id":10168,"date":"2021-06-15T08:31:17","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T12:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/?p=10168"},"modified":"2021-06-15T08:31:17","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T12:31:17","slug":"st-peter-news-june-15-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/st-peter-news-june-15-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Peter News June 15, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fiftieth Day after Pascha
\nThe Great Feast of Pentecost<\/h2>\n
\n\"The<\/p>\n

The Descent of the Holy Spirit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the existing Jewish feast of Pentecost, while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus Christ were gathered together to pray, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of “cloven tongues of fire,” with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know. There were many visitors from the Jewish diaspora to Jerusalem at that time for the Jewish observance of the feast, and they were astonished to hear these untaught fisherman speaking praises to God in their alien tongues. This account is detailed in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2.<\/p>\n

The number fifty, as in the fiftieth day after Pascha, stands for eternal and heavenly fulfillment, seven times seven, plus one.<\/p>\n

The Orthodox Church sees Pentecost as the final fulfillment of the mission of Jesus Christ and the first beginning of the messianic age of the Kingdom of God, mystically present in his Church. It is traditionally called the beginning of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.<\/p>\n

Besides celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit, the feast also celebrates the full revelation of the divine Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hymns of the Church celebrate the sign of the final act of God’s self-disclosure to the world of His creation.<\/p>\n

To Orthodox Christians, the feast of Pentecost is not just a celebration of an event in history. It is also a celebration their membership in the Church. They have lived Pentecost and received “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the sacrament of chrismation.<\/p>\n

Read more on the Orthodox Wiki<\/a>website.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Pentecost Prayers Immediately Following the Divine Liturgy<\/h2>\n
\n\"Orthodox\n<\/div>\n

Immediately following the Divine Liturgy we will read the Pentecost Prayers.<\/p>\n

Why are we doing this? One reason is that Pentecost is a major feast day in our Church. Pentecost (the fifty days) is when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and then all the people in Jerusalem, the same Holy Spirit that Adam lost is restored through Jesus Christ (the Second Adam) and makes our salvation possible.<\/p>\n

If Christ hung on a cross to make our salvation possible (and he did), then we can pray these prayers that have been given to us by our Fathers in order to receive Christ’s salvation more deeply. It takes discipline, but there is never any growth without discipline. <\/p>\n

For those who cannot kneel to physical limitations, it is entirely appropriate to remain seated and both bow you head and “bow the knees of your heart” as scripture says. For those of us who can kneel, we should kneel.<\/p>\n

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Services This Week<\/h2>\n