2nd Sunday of Pascha. Anti-Pascha
St. Thomas Sunday
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
My Lord and my God! (John 20:28) cried the holy apostle Thomas. Do you feel the strength with which he has grasped the Lord, and how tightly he is holding onto Him? A drowning man grasps the plank on which he hopes to be saved in the same way. We will add that whoever does not have the Lord like this for himself and does not keep himself this way in relation to the Lord, does not yet believe in the Lord as he should. We say: “Saviour and Lord,” meaning that He is the Saviour of all; but Thomas says: “my Saviour and Lord.” He who says: “my Saviour,” feels his own salvation proceeding from Him. The feeling of salvation lies adjacent to the feeling of perishing, out of which the Saviour pulls whomever He saves. The feeling of perishing, for a man who is life-loving by nature and who knows that he cannot save himself, forces him to seek the Saviour. When he finds Him and feels the power of salvation proceeding from Him, he grasps Him tightly and does not want to be torn from Him, though he be deprived for this of life itself. Such a nature of events in the spiritual life of a Christian are not only imagined in the mind, but are experienced in deed. Then, both his faith and his union with Christ become firm, like life and death. Only such a person can sincerely cry: Who shall separate me! (cf. Rom. 8:35).
St. Theophan the Recluse
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Radonitsa — Pascha for the Departed
Radonitsa is a special day in the Church calendar when the Holy Church prayerfully commemorates all Orthodox Christians who have fallen asleep in the Lord throughout the ages. Unlike the solemn and penitential days of Great Lent, the commemoration on Radonitsa is filled with Paschal joy, for we believe that death has been conquered, Christ is risen, and each soul is granted the hope of eternal life.
The word Radonitsa comes from “radost” (joy) and “rod” (kin), signifying the joy of Christ’s Resurrection that we bring to our departed loved ones. We do not remember them with sorrow alone, but in the radiant light of Pascha, we affirm that they live in Christ and await our prayerful communion with them.
This Sunday, April 27, marks the beginning of this sacred time of remembrance.
Immediately following the Divine Liturgy, there will be no trapeza. Instead, in keeping with ancient Orthodox tradition, we will go together to the cemetery:
Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, 200 W. Copans Rd, Pompano Beach
There, we will serve a general memorial service (Panihida).
Additionally, upon request, brief lityas at individual gravesites will be offered for your departed relatives.
On Tuesday, April 29, the actual day of Radonitsa, the Divine Liturgy will begin at 9 AM, followed by a Panikhida at Church, as we bring the joy of the Resurrection into our prayers for those whom the Lord has already called to eternity.
These days are a sacred opportunity when the Church, as a loving Mother, calls us to remember our departed, to pray for them, visit their graves, submit names for commemoration, and take part in these services.
We express our love through prayer, for the Church is one — both on Earth and in Heaven — and in Christ there are no dead, but all are alive.
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