Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice
Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice
Kontakion 1
A wonderful and marvellous healing has been given to us by your holy icon, O sovereign Lady Theotokos. By its appearance we have been delivered from spiritual and physical ills, and from sorrowful circumstances. So we bring you our thankful praise, O all-merciful Protectress. O sovereign Lady, whom we call "The Inexhaustible Cup:" bend down your ear and mercifully hear our lamentation and tears that we bring to you, and give your healing to those who suffer from drunkenness, so that we may cry out to you with faith:
- Rejoice, O Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Ikos 1
Angelic powers and multitudes of saints continually glorify you, the Theotokos, Queen of all, the intercessor for us sinful christians wallowing in lawlessness and remaining in sins. It is for our consolation and salvation that you in your mercy gave us your miraculous icon, so that looking upon it, as at the one and only star among a multitude of stars on a starlit night, we may prostrate ourselves, shouting from the very depths of our heart:
- Rejoice, dwelling-place of the unapproachable God.
- Rejoice, our constant wonder.
- Rejoice, you make our sorrow wipe away our sins.
- Rejoice, you make our grief heal our ills.
- Rejoice, through your miraculous icon, you bring us your heavenly mercy.
- Rejoice, O joy of our grieving heart.
- Rejoice, our wonderful reconciliation with God.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 2
On seeing the deep sorrow and grief of people possessed by the destructive vice of drunkenness, and also their true repentance, you have willed, O most holy Lady, to show your mercy to the blessed city of Serpoukhov by the appearance of your miraculous icon "The Inexhaustible Cup," so that all who fall down before it with faith and a contrite heart will receive healing from this grievous illness, and thus may cry to God from the depths of their heart:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Having understood the meaning of the threefold apparition of St Varlaam, and his order to go to the city of Serpoukhov, the man possessed by the illness of alcoholism did so, and there, in a monastery he found your holy icon called "The Inexhaustible Cup." On seeing such mercy bestowed on us sinners, we cry out to you with veneration:
- Rejoice, through pious people you show to us sinners the glory of your marvellous work.
- Rejoice, sagacious guide, showing us the way of salvation.
- Rejoice, O good teacher, by your goodness you attract us to yourself.
- Rejoice, by bestowing on us your great blessings you teach us gratefulness.
- Rejoice, by making us know hope beyond doubt you give us gladness of heart.
- Rejoice, you destroy our destructive passions.
- Rejoice, you help us in our good intentions.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 3
The power of the Almighty and the grace of the sovereign Mother of God strengthened a man suffering from alcoholism, when in obedience to an order of the Theotokos, given to him by St Varlaam, he set out for the city of Serpoukhov, in spite of his paralysed legs. On his arrival, he found the icon of the most pure Theotokos, and was healed from illness of the soul and that of the body. Therefore, from the very depth of his heart, he gratefully exclaimed to God:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 3
You are an inexhaustible fountain, a cup of heavenly gifts that ever ever remains full. And the people of the city of Serpoukhov, as well as all orthodox, from every city and village, who come to your most wonderful icon, "The Inexhaustible Cup", are healed. And so with grateful lips they cry out to you:
- Rejoice, O vessel of holy water that dissolves our sorrow.
- Rejoice, O cup by which we receive the joy of our salvation.
- Rejoice, you attend to our spiritual and physical ills.
- Rejoice, your prayers tame our passions.
- Rejoice, you give to each according to his needs.
- Rejoice, you give generously to all.
- Rejoice, you have opened for us the treasury of mercy.
- Rejoice, you show mercy to the fallen one.
- Rejoice, O sovereign lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 4
People laden with passions and addictions, doubting of ever finding deliverance, come with repentance to your inexpressible mercy. And on having been healed, from the very depths of their hearts they cry to our Saviour born of you:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 4
On seeing the sorrow and tears of parents, wives and children whose family member is possessed by the passion of addiction, the Lord gave us your icon, O Theotokos, and all who come to it receive consolation and spiritual joy. And so we cry out to you with tears of gratitude:
- Rejoice, O lamb, you gave birth to the Lamb of God.
- Rejoice, you are the ladle that draws up joy from the source of immortality.
- Rejoice, you are the alleviation of the grief of sorrowing mothers.
- Rejoice, you are the hope of the hopeless.
- Rejoice, you gracefully protect those who come to you.
- Rejoice, you are the delight and joy of those in grief.
- Rejoice, your helping hand is there for those who seek it.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 5
O most gracious Lady, you have shown us your holy icon to be the star that leads to God, so that looking upon it and praying to you, we may say: O Theotokos, give healing to those who are suffering from drunkenness and any other illness of mind and body, and teach us all to praise God, singing:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 5
O Theotokos, on seeing the marvels and wonders granted to those who humbly venerate you, wonders pouring from your icon that miraculously appeared in Serpoukhov, and also from those that were but copies of it, we cry out to you:
- Rejoice, you are a speedy protectress of all who come to you.
- Rejoice, you hear our prayers.
- Rejoice, you have blessed the city of Serpoukhov.
- Rejoice, you have shown the glory of your miracles in the region of Moscow.
- Rejoice, inexhaustible Treasure for all who are in need of healing.
- Rejoice, O almighty help to those who strive for sobriety.
- Rejoice, O almighty help to those who fight against the world, flesh, Satan and addictions.
- Rejoice, you defend those who lead a good life in this world.
- Rejoice, O sovereign Lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 6
O Theotokos, we proclaim your wonders that pour forth from your icon, "The Inexhaustible Cup," and with tears we pray to you: Save us all from the passion of drunkenness and from other addictions and sins, and teach us, O Pure One, to abstain from all impurity, and to sing to God:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 6
In the light of the Divine Glory, you look at your Son, the eternal God and Lord Jesus Christ, standing in the chalice as shown on your icon mysteriously called "The Inexhaustible Cup;" and you give from it deliverance from drunkenness to us who come unto you and bring to you this unceasing praise:
- Rejoice, for the angelic powers and the human race rejoice because you.
- Rejoice, for your glory surpasses both human and heavenly praise.
- Rejoice, you have revealed to us the mystery of the Divine Eucharist by showing the image of your Son in the chalice.
- Rejoice, you show us the Lamb born of you who is always eaten but never consumed.
- Rejoice, O cup of life and immortality that leads us to the gates of eternal life.
- Rejoice, you fill our thirsty souls with the water from the fountain of immortality.
- Rejoice, you do not withhold your blessing even from the most rejected and despised.
- Rejoice, by your compassion you pull us away from the pit of perdition.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 7
A man wanted to thank you, O Theotokos, for healing from alcoholism, so he adorned your miraculous icon that is in Serpoukhov, singing to God from the depths of his heart:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 7
We see a new miracle from your holy icon, O Theotokos. A servant of God, Stephen, a victim of the disease of alcoholism, was imploring your maternal intercession, and he has been granted a cure. So in gratitude he adorned your icon with rich gifts, and falling before it he called to you with tears:
- Rejoice, lifegiving fountain of healing.
- Rejoice, heavenly cup of divine gifts.
- Rejoice, river that carries healing.
- Rejoice, the sea into which sink all our passions.
- Rejoice, with your tender maternal hands you raise up those who fall under the weight of drunkenness.
- Rejoice, you do not turn down gifts of gratitude.
- Rejoice, joy of pious people.
- Rejoice, you grant us those of our petitions that are good for us.
- Rejoice, O sovereign Lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 8
It must be strange and incredible to unbelievers to hear that your icon "The Inexhaustible Cup" procures miracles. But to us who believe in your words proclaimed about your first icon, "The Grace of the One who is born of me and my own blessings will always be with this icon," this present icon also exudes your mercy. And so, reverently we venerate it, crying to God:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 8
People suffering from alcoholism and addictions do put all their hope in you, O sovereign Lady. Bend down to our ills and our passions. For who but you, O Theotokos, shall raise us out of the pit of perdition and of physical and spiritual misery? And thus having bent our knees, we cry out to you:
- Rejoice, you do not reject the prayers of those who are sinful.
- Rejoice, you give your help to those who ask for it.
- Rejoice, you show the depth of your compassion for the sinner.
- Rejoice, you give courage to those who have lost all hope.
- Rejoice, you extend your helping hand to those who suffer from drunkenness.
- Rejoice, by your gift of grace you console those who suffer patiently.
- Rejoice, you nurse our physical and emotional ills.
- Rejoice, you teach us to despise the empty pleasures of this life.
- Rejoice, O sovereign Lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 9
All the angels are amazed at your mercy, O Lord, for You have given to sinful mankind a strong protectress and helper. She looks down at our weakness, and heals those suffering from the bitter disease of drunkenness, and teaches the faithful to sing:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 9
The most exalted human mind cannot praise enough the appearance of your glorious icon, O sovereign Lady. Nor can we sinners bring from our sinful lips a glorification worthy of our Protectress. On having seen innumerable miracles coming from your icon, we rejoice in our heart and spirit, and proclaim:
- Rejoice, from your holy face miracles pour forth.
- Rejoice, you speedily deliver us from grief and sorrow.
- Rejoice, you put to shame those who deny you.
- Rejoice, you protect from every evil those who come to you.
- Rejoice, by your gentle radiance you disperse the darkness of our passions and our sins.
- Rejoice, you fill our hearts with love for your Son and for yourself.
- Rejoice, you show us the path of repentance.
- Rejoice, you are our mediator before the righteous judge.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 10
Wishing to save all those who suffer from the diseases of alcoholism and other addictions, you have given us your wonderful icon, O Theotokos, so that all who suffer may come to your miraculous image; and having been healed, may tenderly cry out to God:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 10
You are the wall and the shield, O Lady Theotokos, for those who suffer from drunkenness, and also for all those who come to you fervently and who piously venerate your holy icon; for the Lord God gave it to us to help us, and to heal us from this destructive addiction. And thus He inspires us to sing to you:
- Rejoice, you alleviate our sufferings and give hope to those who despair.
- Rejoice, you are the healing of our ills.
- Rejoice, with your purity you wipe away our corruption.
- Rejoice, by your holiness you illumine our darkness.
- Rejoice, by your cloak of compassion you clothe our mortal body.
- Rejoice, by your strength you fortify our prayers.
- Rejoice, you strengthen us in our weakness.
- Rejoice, you disperse the dark clouds of passions that surround us.
- Rejoice, O sovereign Lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 11
O pure one, do not despise our humble singing that we bring to you from fullness of love and zeal; and do not turn away your face from those who suffer from drunkenness and despair, but do help us, so that we also may be cleansed from every impurity and may rightly and justly sing to God:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 11
O most holy Lady! On your icon you are seen like a burning candle in rays of grace, surrounded by the assembly of saints and holy martyrs. And as you indicate to us the path of righteousness, we call to you and say:
- Rejoice, by the intercession of St. Domnica you save us from this world of trouble.
- Rejoice, by her pleading you help us to overcome passions of the flesh.
- Rejoice, by the prayers of the holy martyr Varlaam, you fill our hearts with pious thoughts.
- Rejoice, by his pleading you illumine our conscience.
- Rejoice, by the prayers of the holy martyr Paraskeva you deliver those who suffer from drunkenness.
- Rejoice, by her intercession you call us to repentance and watchfulness.
- Rejoice, together with the holy martyr Antipas you mellow the bitter heart.
- Rejoice, with him you save those who call on your name.
- Rejoice, O sovereign Lady, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 12
The grace that shines through your icon "The Inexhaustible Cup" calls to it all those who suffer, all the unfortunate, widows and orphans, and especially those who are ill with the disease of alcoholism. And no one goes away empty-handed from your inexhaustible cup, O merciful one, but all are filled with divine gifts; so that having received healing and help, they may sing to you:
- Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Praising your wondrous work and great mercy that you show to those who suffer from addictions, we beg you, O compassionate one - save, have mercy on us, show us the right path, and do not reject us who seek your protection and call out to you:
- Rejoice, you sustain us on the way to soberness.
- Rejoice, by the dew of your mercy you deliver us from the passion of alcohol.
- Rejoice, by your mercy you heal us from addictions.
- Rejoice, you are a speedy help to those who suffer from all kinds of dependence.
- Rejoice, you support those who are even-tempered.
- Rejoice, you humble the prideful.
- Rejoice, you exalt the humble and wish salvation to all.
- Rejoice, O holy Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 13
(This Kontakion is repeated three times, and is followed by Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1)
O all-merciful Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, hear our prayer, and deliver us from all ills, physical and emotional, and especially your servants who suffer from this disease, so that they may not perish, but might be saved and thus would sing to God:
- Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
O all-merciful Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, hear our prayer, and deliver us from all ills, physical and emotional, and especially your servants who suffer from this disease, so that they may not perish, but might be saved and thus would sing to God:
- Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
O all-merciful Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, hear our prayer, and deliver us from all ills, physical and emotional, and especially your servants who suffer from this disease, so that they may not perish, but might be saved and thus would sing to God:
- Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ikos 1
Angelic powers and multitudes of saints continually glorify you, the Theotokos, Queen of all, the intercessor for us sinful christians wallowing in lawlessness and remaining in sins. It is for our consolation and salvation that you in your mercy gave us your miraculous icon, so that looking upon it, as at the one and only star among a multitude of stars on a starlit night, we may prostrate ourselves, exclaiming from the very depths of our heart:
- Rejoice, dwelling-place of the unapproachable God.
- Rejoice, our constant wonder.
- Rejoice, you make our sorrow wipe away our sins.
- Rejoice, you make our grief heal our ills.
- Rejoice, through your miraculous icon, you bring us your heavenly mercy.
- Rejoice, O joy of our grieving heart.
- Rejoice, our wonderful reconciliation with God.
- Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.
Kontakion 1
A wonderful and marvellous healing has been given to us by your holy icon, O sovereign Lady Theotokos. By its apparition we have been delivered from spiritual and physical ills, and from sorrowful circumstances. So we bring you our thankful praise, O all-merciful Protectress. O sovereign Lady, whom we call "The Inexhaustible Cup." Bend down your ear and mercifully hear our lamentation and tears that we bring to you, and give your healing to those who suffer from drunkenness, so that we may cry out to you with faith:
- Rejoice, O Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst.'
First Prayer
-
- O our merciful and holy Lady Theotokos, hope and refuge of the orphan, defense of the stranger, help of those in need, and protection of those who are bitter: You see our misfortune, you see our sorrow. From all sides we are assailed by temptations, and there is no one to protect us. You, yourself, help us, for we are weak. Feed us, for we are strangers. Show us the way, for we are lost. Heal us, for we hurt. Save us, for there is no hope for us. We have no other recourse, neither protection nor consolation, but you, O Mother of all who suffer and are burdened. Look down on us sinners, who are harsh and bitter, and protect us by your holy omophor, that we may be delivered from all evil that assails us, and especially from drunkenness, so that we may always glorify your all-holy name.
Amen.
Second Prayer
-
- O all-merciful sovereign Lady, we come to your protection. Do not despise our petitions, but kindly hear us - wives, children, husbands, parents, and all those who suffer from heavy affliction of addictions of all sorts; and restore those who, because of it, fall away from our holy Mother the Church and its salvation. O merciful Theotokos, touch their heart and speedily restore them from their fallen state, and lead them to salutary repentance. Implore your Son, Christ our God, to forgive us our trespasses, and not to turn away His mercies from His people, but that He would strengthen us in sobriety and chastity.
-
- Accept, O all-holy Theotokos, the petitions of mothers shedding tears about their children, wives sobbing for their husbands, children, orphans, beggars, and all those who were forsaken, and us all who venerate your icon. And let your prayers carry our petitions to the throne of the Almighty.
-
- Cover us, and keep us from all snares of the enemy, and the traps of the evil one, and at the dreadful hour of our death, help us to pass the ordeal without stumbling. By your prayers, save us from eternal condemnation, so that God's mercy may cover us for the ages to come.
Amen.
Source: http://www.ortodoksi.net/index.php/Akathist_to_the_Most_Holy_Theotokos_of_the_Inexhaustible_Cup
Origins of Orthodox Vestments: Orarion, Epitrachelion, Omophorion
It is with the
omophorion that we come to one of the most debated topics in the study of
liturgical dress, that of the origin of the specific "garments of
office" for the major orders of the clergy. For in addition to their
sticharion or phelonion, each order (that is, deacon, presbyter, and bishop)
has a corresponding "scarf of office": the orarion, epitrachelion,
and omophorion. Most writers on this subject are at a loss to determine
definitively the origins of these garments due to the lack of references in
ancient texts and the often obscured, draped fabric folds depicted in
iconography, ivory carvings, and mosaics. However, from a study of
pre-Christian garments, Byzantine statecraft, and various ancient artworks,
including early mosaics and consular diptychs, along with an understanding of
the tailoring methods of producing these items, one may reach the conclusion
that these three garments have their origin in two historical garments, namely
the toga and the pallium, both of which had an either exclusively (in the case
of the toga) or a primarily (in the case of the pallium) ceremonial or formal
usage for at least two hundred years prior to the standardization of Orthodox
Christian vestments.
To begin with the
deacon's orarion, this garment is a long, narrow band, usually five to seven
inches in width, which is worn over the sticharion, suspended from the left
shoulder and while I have expended much effort in finding firm correlations,
absolute confirmation continues to elude me in the shadows of history, and so I
must be clear that these are purely my own theories, some supported by
respected authors on the subject, such as Duchesne and Legg, and others not
extending to the hem of the sticharion both in front and in back (the
additional length wrapped around the torso and over the right hip, as is now in
use in the Greek tradition, seems to be a later addition, and its initial use
could have been reserved to archdeacons). In its general design the orarion is
a very long rectangle, approximately nine feet in length (fifteen feet with the
Greek hip loop).
Some authors have
attempted to trace its origins to the imperial "handkerchiefs"
distributed by Aurelian to be waved in approval at the theatre or circus.
According to this attribution the garment would carry, despite its imperial
gifting, connotations of worldliness and entertainment, both of which ideas are
strongly at odds with the deacon's primary role of service at the Divine
Liturgy, such service being associated with the ministry of the angels in heaven.
Several writers have tried to bolster the supposed connection of the orarion
with Aurelian's handkerchief on the basis of speculative etymology.
"Os" is Latin for "mouth" or "face," which some
have taken to refer to the use of a scarf to wipe the face, thus suggesting
that the orarion begins its liturgical service as a glorified napkin or sweat
cloth. Such explanations might well strike one as insufficient and slightly
ridiculous.
Previously we have
noted the importance of studying the fundamental design of a garment when
attempting to determine the origins of a particular piece of Orthodox
liturgical vesture. A long, rectangular garment used for a formal purpose is
more satisfactorily found in the ancient pallium, which we have previously seen
was reserved for dignified settings and thus is far more appropriate in both
its design and usage for the Divine Liturgy. As with most cloak-like garments,
the pallium had two methods of wear: the first being to wrap the garment around
the shoulders letting the ends hang down the front of the body; the second
being to wrap the garment. The question of the source of the word
"orarion" is a linguistic puzzle which is fascinating in its own
right and may, or may not, shed light on the origins of the garment thus named.
In addition to a derivation from "os," it has also been suggested
that the name could derive from the Latin "hara" (referencing the
deacon leading prayers at the services of the hours) or simply from the Latin
verb "orare," meaning "to pray," and in this understanding
could well have the meaning "the item one prays with," establishing
it as a liturgical scarf of office and thereby differentiating it from a
ceremonial or court scarf of office.
Around the front
and back of the body, covering one shoulder completely and fastening at the
other shoulder with a pin or fibula.
This latter style of wear is depicted on the courtiers in the Sant' Apollinare
mosaics, yet more evidence of the use of the pallium as a mark of office and
service, since courtiers were servants of the imperial court, an earthly
corollary to the office of the deacon at the Divine Liturgy. If we take the
pallium thus worn sideways, fastening at the left shoulder, and abbreviate it
to a narrow strip (a natural evolution from ancient forms of folding and
draping garments so that only the decorative border would be displayed), we
have a garment identical to the deacon's orarion. While there is no conclusive
evidence proving this origin of the orarion, this theory best answers the
foremost questions of suitability of use and consistency of design. A mosaic
from Sant' Apollinare in Classe depicting courtiers wearing the pallium If the
form of the orarion does indeed come from the abbreviation of the full pallium
to its decorative border edging, then another source for the word
"orarion" is suggested: "ora" is a Latin word meaning
"border" or "edge."
Moving on to the
epitrachelion, the scarf of office of the presbyter, we may find its origins in
the alternate wear of the pallium, that of suspending the garment around the
shoulders and allowing the ends to hang down in front of the body. Once again,
the pallium was associated with dignity and formality, as well as being the
appropriate narrow, rectangular design, all of which points to the epitrachelion
finding its origins in the pallium. (In the West the name of the historic
pallium eventually came to be associated with a badge of archepiscopal office,
a fact which further underscores its revered position in garment history.) As
the noted liturgical scholar Duchesne observes, "In the last analysis this
scarf [the pallium] was, no doubt, a relic of the short mantle which had been
brought into fashion in the Roman Empire by the Greeks. But the discolora
pallia of the Theodosian Code were evidently scarves, and scarves of office,
which were worn over the paenula..."
In modern usage we
are accustomed to seeing the epitrachelion held together with buttons up the
front (or, more rarely, as a solid piece of fabric with a hole for the neck
opening, sometimes referred to as the "Athonite" style due to its
common use on the Holy Mountain), but this is a much later adaptation of the
garment. The common form of the epitrachelion in early centuries was certainly
that depicted in icons of the early Fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom and St.
Basil the Great; in these depictions it is clear that the epitrachelion is a
narrow, non-buttoned length of fabric hanging down from either side of the neck.
In addition to these artistic representations there are also a number of
extant, embroidered epitrachelia, many dating from as far back as the eleventh
century, that are made in this non-buttoned style as highly embellished, narrow
rectangles to be draped around the neck, all of which support the origins of
the epitrachelion being traced to the pallium. It is significant to note that,
when laid out flat, an orarion and a buttonless epitrachelion without shaping
at the neck are virtually identical, another argument for the common origin of
both garments in the pallium.
We now return to
that garment which began our discussion of the various clerical scarves of
office, the omophorion, the preeminent garment which identifies its wearer as a
bishop. It is with the development of the omophorion that we find the most
striking evidence of a conscious transference of symbolic garments from the
civic to the spiritual realm. For in the omophorion of the Orthodox Church we
find the last remnant of that great and quintessentially Roman garment, the
toga. Other writers have opined that the origins of the omophorion are to be
found in the pallium, but the widespread use of the pallium in late antiquity
means that such a garment would not have been suitably commensurate with the
status and respect accorded to bishops in the early Byzantine period. In order
to better understand the elevated requirements of the bishop's particular badge
of office, it is necessary to consider the authority accorded to the Christian
episcopate as early as the Constantinian era:
Under conditions, Constantine gave to the bishops the
power of arbitration in certain suits; their findings were to be valid in the
courts of the Empire, and it was enacted that the decrees of the Christian
synods were to be upheld. Honorius later on enlarges the legislation of
Constantine and gives to the arbitration of a bishop an authority equal to that
of the Praefectus Praetorio himself, an officer second in importance only to
the emperor. It would be thus quite natural that a bishop being a high Roman
official should adopt some of the ensigns of his civil duties.
This official honor
and authority bestowed by the emperor upon the Church's episcopate continued
and expanded under Justinian:
Although the emperor appointed his bishops, the
Justinian Code conceded to them independence, immunity, and authority to an
extent that must have made them sovereign lords wherever the imperial power was
not immediately present. In the administration of the Byzantine Empire the
bishop occupied a position second to no one except the emperor himself. In the
city the bishop nominated the municipal officers, maintained fortifications,
aqueducts, bridges, storehouses, and public baths; supervised weights and measures;
and controlled the city's finances. In the provinces it was again the bishop
who recommended candidates for the administrative posts and maintained a close
watch on their activities, including those of the governor himself. In addition
to these administrative powers, the bishop acted as judge. The age did not
distinguish between the two sources, spiritual and political, of the bishop's
power.
For someone with
authority as great as that wielded by a bishop, no mere pallium, however
dignified, would suffice; he must wear the greatest symbol of office the
ancient world had devised: the toga. We must remember that by the second
century AD the toga was no longer used in its old senatorial form as a full
cloak to cover the body, but as a purely ceremonial garment with distinctive
folds, the toga contabulata, as shown
in the consular diptych of Consul Anastasius. In this diptych we see the consul
wearing the toga, folded into a band approximately eight inches wide (this
accorded with the eight-inch band of ornamentation along the edge of the toga),
Y-shaped configuration as the present-day omophorion, with the exception that
the back section of the garment is wrapped to the right front and draped over
the left arm. (In modern usage, this section of the garment simply hangs down
the back of the bishop and is not brought to the front of the body; this
difference is most likely because bishops now usually wear the omophorion
standing while all extant ivory consular diptychs show the consul seated.) This
and other consular diptychs as well as iconographic depictions provide a very
strong visual argument for the omophorion originating from the toga, not the pallium.
Further evidence is
found in the Theodosian Code, where the pallium is bestowed upon lower-ranking
officials, not those with the kind of overarching authority a bishop would
wield. Yet again, we must look not only at the design of the garment, but also
consider its appropriateness and suitability according to the mindset of the
Byzantines. A garment which was seen as suitable to a consul in the secular
realm would accord perfectly with the respect and honor due a bishop in the
spiritual realm.
It is likely that
the omophorion began as a garment denoting the bishop's civil, rather than
spiritual, authority. It is interesting to note that even in modern liturgical
practice, the bishop wears the great omophorion until the reading of the Gospel
at which point he removes the great omophorion and remains without omophorion
until the end of the Great Entrance at which point he dons the small omophorion
(an abbreviated omophorion of rather late development). This may well hark back
to an early practice in which the bishop would have worn the omophorion until
the Little Entrance (i.e. the start of the Divine Liturgy proper), at which
point he would have removed it for the remainder of the Divine Liturgy, from
that point forward being vested as a presbyter.
From "The History of Vestments"
By Subdeacon Zoran Bobic
Source:
http://www.slideshare.net/zjbobic/history-of-vestments
Personal Stories: A Life Changing Encounter with Orthodoxy
Apparently, many people, especially Orthodox
Christians, have a lot to tell about how they got to know the Orthodox faith.
Some people encountered Orthodoxy as babies, thanks to their parents; some
received the Holy Baptism fully aware why their souls need it; yet others, by
becoming Orthodox, managed not only to help their souls but also to radically
change their lives, filling them with spiritual joy and deep meaning.
Daniel Hublet, a Belgian, got to know Orthodoxy
thanks to the sisters of mercy of our St Elisabeth Convent, especially Sr Maria
Fedchenko (who later became his godmother), as well as thanks to Nun Nymphodora
and Nun Menodora, whom Daniel now considers his spiritual mothers.
He says, “I was born to a Christian family and
always actively participated in the life of the Catholic Church. However, I
would often come to Orthodox divine services, and this led me to discover an
alternative way of prayer: veneration of icons, prostrations, Orthodox
chants...
My mum is an artist and used to have a keen interest
in Orthodox
Daniel met the sisters of mercy from our Convent in 2010 in Namur, Belgium,
where they participated in a Christmas Fair. He recalls, “It was in December. I
saw Orthodox icons on their stall. I came closer and very soon found myself
engaged in active conversation with Sister Maria Fedchenko. I saw how difficult
her obedience was: she had to stand outdoors all day long, in spite of the cold
weather, and I wanted to help her somehow. Long after the Christmas Fair was
over, we continued to talk with Sister Maria on Skype. I told her about my
planned trip to Belarus, so, knowing my affection towards Orthodoxy, she
invited me to visit St Elisabeth Convent. It was here in 2011 that I witnessed
the Easter All-Night worship service for the first time.
Minsk, as I saw it, is a densely populated city
with lots of tall buildings and bustling city life, even at night. However,
when I visited St Elisabeth Convent, I realized that it is an island of tranquility
and peace, a place of incredible grace in the midst of the hustle and bustle of
the city. When I first crossed the threshold of the church in honor of the
Reigning icon, it was as if I found myself in heaven. All this indescribable
beauty - the building, the icons, the frescoes, the mosaics - shone
inconceivable light. It was here that I realized that the Mother of God opened
her embrace to me. This feeling did not leave me even when I came back home.
Our friendship with the sisters of St Elisabeth Convent continued, and I would
provide accommodation for them during their visits to Belgium. They would tell
me a lot about the Orthodox faith, and I learned lots of new and useful things
for my soul. One of the sisters who stayed in my house brought serious changes
into my life.”
Daniel and Olga Maskievich met in October 2012. Sister Olga received a
blessing from Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok, the spiritual father of St
Elisabeth Convent, for her first obedience in Belgium and France. Olga says, “I
have been a member of the Sisterhood for over fifteen years. I had been married
before I met Daniel but my first marriage ended in divorce. I hoped that the
Lord would send me a good husband and that we would have mutual understanding
and a happy family. Father Andrew knew that I was getting desperate over being
lonely for so long. Father Andrew blessed me to go to Belgium with the sisters
and help them. He also told me about Daniel and advised me to get to know him.
I did not expect that, and, frankly speaking, I was afraid that I might fall in
love with him because I would have to change everything in my life and move to
Belgium. Things went precisely that way. Besides, Nun Rufina also prayed for me
to have a husband and a family with the blessing of Father Andrew. I believe
that her prayer helped me a lot.”
Daniel had also been married and had three children, two of them adopted.
Daniel recalls, “It happened that my wife and I lost touch and could no longer
understand one another; we had different opinions, but it was me who suggested
the divorce. I felt guilty and somewhat burdened by this fact. The Sacrament of
Matrimony in the Catholic Church is administered only once, one cannot be
married twice. I was left with many unanswered questions after my divorce. I
discussed them with Nun Nymphodora and Father Andrew (I was introduced to him
when I visited your Convent). As I opened up my soul to them, I realized that
the Orthodox faith made it possible to be forgiven by the Lord even for those
who committed the sin of divorce, for God’s mercy is boundless and He can
forgive everything, if one truly repents and is willing to start a new
righteous life.
I always helped the sisters when they came to Belgium. Nun Nymphodora would
tell me more and more about the Orthodoxy, and eventually I felt more and more
inclined to become Orthodox. Nevertheless, I felt that I did not deserve it and
could not embrace it, could not enter this amazing and spiritually abundant
Orthodox life. I was afraid to take this step. When the Christmas Fair in
Belgium was over in January 2012, Nun Nymphodora and other sisters asked me if
I wanted to become Orthodox. They told me, “You are so close, you are so
interested, and you know so much about our religion.” I replied that I was not
ready but I hoped to be ready by the end of the year 2012. Nun Nymphodora said,
“You never know what the Lord has in stock for us, so you shouldn’t postpone
the decision and you shouldn’t be so terrified. Come to our Convent for the
Easter, it’s the best time to be baptized.” It took me four months to get ready
for this. I was thinking hard but finally, I made up my mind. Father Andrew baptized
me in St Elisabeth Convent, in the church in honour of the Holy Royal Martyrs,
on the Holy Saturday, the Easter Eve, and Sister Maria Fedchenko became my
godmother.
After baptism, I felt that the heaven’s door
opened for me; I felt so powerful, I felt so loved by everyone around me, by
all who were present at my baptism. I realized that this was the step I had had
to take long before. Stunning peace dawned on my soul, I became unusually calm
and resolute, it was a miracle for me. My new life began. When I already was
Orthodox, I got to know Olga, and we got married here, in the Church in honor
of the Reigning icon of the Mother of God, on September 8, 2013, the feast day
of Our Lady of Vladimir. It was no accident, for it was this image of the
Theotokos I prayed in front of prior to my becoming Orthodox; I prayed in front
of this icon both at home and in a church in Belgium. After my baptism, I was
asking the Lord to grant me the joy of meeting an Orthodox woman who would like
to share her faith and her life with me. It is very difficult in Belgium
because there are so few Orthodox churches there. However, the Lord
listened to my prayer.”
Daniel has many friends and acquaintances, many
of whom were surprised by his decision but, he admits, they did not abandon him
for this. When he became Orthodox, Daniel did not lose any of his Catholic
friends; his mother was happy because she realized that her son finally found
what he had been looking for all those years. Before he made up his mind to
become Orthodox, Daniel asked for her blessing, saying, “You baptized me in the
Catholic Church but I would like to ask you for a blessing to become Orthodox.
We believe in one God, it’s just that I want to take a different path to Him.”
She replied, “I know, this is your path. Go ahead.”
Currently, Daniel and Olga live in Graide, a village near Namur. Olga
carries on her obedience in the Convent and helps the sisters during their
trips to France and Belgium. Daniel works in Mont-Godinne hospital. Daniel’s
children and other family members warmly welcomed Olga, and her son from her
first marriage decided to remain in Belarus. “He is grown up, twenty-four
already,” Olga says, “He prefers to live in his homeland. We come to Belarus
from time to time in order to visit our relatives and friends, as well as to
visit St Elisabeth Convent and see all who pray for us, who have supported and
taught us.
What can we — weak and sinful people who had to
suffer from loneliness and received a happy family as a gift from God — say in
the end? Praise the Lord for everything, for this hard path that led us to this
wonderful encounter! May the Lord save everyone who prayed for us: Father
Andrew, the nuns, the sisters and the brothers, our friends and relatives, and
other people, and also those who were jealous and wanted us evil because it was
also beneficial for our salvation. During this bright Easter season, we would like
first of all to wish everybody to have faith: believe in your dreams and in
goodness, and obey your spiritual father. God has everything you need, and He
can give it to you, and He gives each person His best. Call upon the Lord as
your loving father and He will always help you. We wish you faith, love, hope,
beauty, and Easter joy in your souls and in your lives.”
Story by Helena Gulidova
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
About Our Blog
Welcome to the official blog of the Catalogue of St.Elisabeth Convent! The blog includes recent ministry updates of the convent, sermons, icons, personal stories and everything related to Orthodox Christianity. Join our Catalog of Good Deeds and become part of the ministry of St.Elisabeth Convent! #CatalogOfGoodDeeds
Most Popular Posts
Partners
