The Feast of Pentecost
Categories: parish-life, feast-days
Date: 14 June 2008 11:37:42
Us Orthodoxen are celebrating the Feast of Pentecost today.
Troparion - Tone 8:
Blessed are You O Christ Our God
You have revealed the fishermen as most wise
By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit
Through them You drew the world into Your net
O Lover of Man, Glory to You!
Kontakion - Tone 8:
When the most High came down and confused the tongues,
He divided the nations;
But when he distributed the tongues of fire
He called all to unity.
Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the All-holy Spirit!
The hymn which has been with us since Pascha [Easter], Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!, gives way to a prayer and a hymn during our Divine Liturgy. At the beginning of the service, this prayer is now said by the priest instead of the chant above:
O Heavenly King, Comforter, and Spirit of Truth. You who are in all places and fill all things; the treasury of blessings and the Giver of Life. Come and dwell in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious One.
After Communion, where we have been singing Christ is Risen... since Pascha, we now return to singing:
We have seen the True Light; we have received the Heavenly Spirit; we have the found the True Faith worshipping the Undivided Trinity, for He has saved us!
Both the prayer and the hymn refer to the Holy Spirit, so it is very apt we return to them at Pentecost.
A blessed Feast of Pascha, one of the Orthodox Church's Twelve Great Feasts, to all!