The Synaxis of All Saints
Categories: hymns, feast-days, spiritual-writings
Date: 14 June 2009 05:31:32
Troparion - Tone 4:
As with fine porphyry and royal purple,
Your church has been adorned with Your martyrs' blood shed throughout all the world.
She cries to You, O Christ God:
Send down Your bounties on Your people,
Grant peace to Your habitation, and great mercy to our souls!
Kontakion - Tone 8:
The universe offers You the God-bearing martyrs,
As the first fruits of creation, O Lord and Creator.
Through the Theotokos, and their prayers establish Your Church in peace!
A blessed Feast of the Synaxis of All Saints! Last week, we 'in the East' were a week 'behind' in Pentecost compared to 'the West'; now we are several months 'ahead'!, the Western Liturgical chuches commemorating All Saints on November 1. A joyous Feast, as while we all have our 'favourite' Saints, and may remember them especially on their Feast Day/s, to remember them all, and in particular to give thanks for those Saints known only to God Himself, is a wondrous thing: God is truly wonderful in His Saints! As we chanted [well, as I was there and was asked to assist, I read: didn't want any cats wailing :) ] at Matins this morning, among many wonderful hymns [I need to buy myself copies of the books that contain the hymns for each Feast Day -- though there are quite a few so it may be a lifelong goal!]:
As a duty let us crown with songs of praise the Forerunner, with the Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, Bishops, righteous ones, ascetics, martyred Priests, and God-loving women, with all the God-fearing, and the myriad of angels, beseeching, through their petitions, that we may attain by their glory, glory from the presence of Christ the Saviour. ... Let us extol with divine songs of praise the assembly of the Apostles, Prophets, righteous ones, teachers, and Martyrs among Priests, yea, all the God-fearing, and the ranks of holy women who strove and eagerly lived the ascetic life, and the myriads of holy ones; for they have become inheritors of the kingdom on high, and dwellers in paradise.And, as Archimandrite Justin Popovich (+1979) wrote [thanks to Father for quotes on the Saints from him, Elder Joseph the Hesychast (+1959) and St Athanasius (+373) ]:
The godbearing Saints are the light of the world, the luminaries of the world, for this reason the darkness of sin cannot overcome them. They are not, however, light in and of themselves, but on account of Christ who is in them. They are only the faithful possessors and bearers of the light of Christ.May I indeeed be a faithful possessor and bearer of the light of Christ: a hard calling, but what a joy and most gracious gift to be blessed with possessing and bearing the light of Christ! Today was also my last Divine Liturgy before I head off to Istanbul and Georgia; it was a joy to receive Communion particularly on this Feast of All Saints, but also for strength and sustenance not only in my daily life but as I prepare for what I hope, amid the fun and sightseeing, will be a touching and moving spiritual experience also in the churches and monasteries of Georgia. Father prayed for safe travel for me after Liturgy, and I know I am blessed to have the love, thoughts and prayers of many in my parish. Thanks and praise be to God.