Dear Siju,
I am happy that you voiced a concern that is in the minds of many.
Many have responded to your question and let me add my 2 cents.
In each of our Liturgies and sacraments, our experience must be of
actually being present for the occasion, as though we were present
when it happened at the specific point in history, as though it is actually
happening right before us. That is how our 'experience' becomes 'real'. The Holy
Sacrifice which we celebrate every week (Holy Qurbana) is not a repetition of
what happened at Calvary (the One Sacrifice of the Lord is sufficient), but a
continuation of that act. We participate as though we were present at Calvary by
transcending space and time. This is a difficult concept to grasp, a tough idea
to swallow, but if we understand this - we will know how deep the teachings of
Orthodoxy is.
This means, during Yeldho Perunnal (Christmas) we participate as
though we are present when the God-man was born out of a human being
in Bethlehem. We experience the joy with the shepherds and the wise
men. On Hosanna, we are with the children singing 'Hosanna' in
Jerusalem. On Pesaha, we are with the Lord at the Lord's table when
the Holy Eucharist is instituted, along with the apostles.We must
understand the Holy Sacraments apart from time and space, as these
are from a dimension beyond the limitations of time and space.
On Good Friday, we are with the Lord, close to him, trying to fathom
his great passion and unimaginable love for us. That is when, for
example, the Kabaradakka Shushroosha becomes so meaningful. Whereever
we are, whenever we participate, we are transferred spiritually to be with
Nicodimos and Joseph from Arimethia (an incident that
happened 2000 years ago in the outskirts of Jerusalem) to bury the
Holy Body.
Let us pray to the Lord "Open my eyes so I may see" just like Elisha's prayer
for his servant. (2 Kings 6:17) so that the Lord opens the spiritual eye for us
to see what the physical eye cannot see and what our normal mind cannot
comprehend. Christ's life on earth was not merely for His contemporaries then,
but touches those before and those after, and that is what the Church celebrates
each year. We need to see Christ as the God-Man that He is, uniting the Creator
with the Creation, and encompassing the entire realm of time within Him. Let us
be believers and defenders of the faith rather than doubters, as the Lord
admonished our Apostle St. Thomas.
Once again, thanks for asking the question. Many do not ask, or ask in the wrong
place. Either ways, they end up creating wrong notions about the Lord's Church.
Best regards.
Mathew Samuel, Albany, NY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/19631
I am happy that you voiced a concern that is in the minds of many.
Many have responded to your question and let me add my 2 cents.
In each of our Liturgies and sacraments, our experience must be of
actually being present for the occasion, as though we were present
when it happened at the specific point in history, as though it is actually
happening right before us. That is how our 'experience' becomes 'real'. The Holy
Sacrifice which we celebrate every week (Holy Qurbana) is not a repetition of
what happened at Calvary (the One Sacrifice of the Lord is sufficient), but a
continuation of that act. We participate as though we were present at Calvary by
transcending space and time. This is a difficult concept to grasp, a tough idea
to swallow, but if we understand this - we will know how deep the teachings of
Orthodoxy is.
This means, during Yeldho Perunnal (Christmas) we participate as
though we are present when the God-man was born out of a human being
in Bethlehem. We experience the joy with the shepherds and the wise
men. On Hosanna, we are with the children singing 'Hosanna' in
Jerusalem. On Pesaha, we are with the Lord at the Lord's table when
the Holy Eucharist is instituted, along with the apostles.We must
understand the Holy Sacraments apart from time and space, as these
are from a dimension beyond the limitations of time and space.
On Good Friday, we are with the Lord, close to him, trying to fathom
his great passion and unimaginable love for us. That is when, for
example, the Kabaradakka Shushroosha becomes so meaningful. Whereever
we are, whenever we participate, we are transferred spiritually to be with
Nicodimos and Joseph from Arimethia (an incident that
happened 2000 years ago in the outskirts of Jerusalem) to bury the
Holy Body.
Let us pray to the Lord "Open my eyes so I may see" just like Elisha's prayer
for his servant. (2 Kings 6:17) so that the Lord opens the spiritual eye for us
to see what the physical eye cannot see and what our normal mind cannot
comprehend. Christ's life on earth was not merely for His contemporaries then,
but touches those before and those after, and that is what the Church celebrates
each year. We need to see Christ as the God-Man that He is, uniting the Creator
with the Creation, and encompassing the entire realm of time within Him. Let us
be believers and defenders of the faith rather than doubters, as the Lord
admonished our Apostle St. Thomas.
Once again, thanks for asking the question. Many do not ask, or ask in the wrong
place. Either ways, they end up creating wrong notions about the Lord's Church.
Best regards.
Mathew Samuel, Albany, NY
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/19631
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