Page 61 - Western Diocese Annual 2023

The first Sunday of the Great Lent is dedicated to the tri- umph of Orthodoxy. On
this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the restitution of icons that took place on the Seventh Ecumenical Synod. The date of the celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy was installed in 843, when the triumphant procession with icons took place from the Church of Blachernae to Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The date of this event took place on 11th of March, first Sunday of the Great Lent, for this reason and by the decree of the synod that took place at that time, the first Sunday of Lent was called the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
The custom of celebrating the First Sunday of Orthodoxy was brought to North America with Orthodox Christians belonging to many jurisdictions. Moreover,
it became a tradition, lasting to this day, for the Orthodox of all canonical jurisdictions to serve together for this triumphant Feast at the Pan-Orthodox Vespers.
His Grace Bishop Maxim, ma- ny orthodox priests from various jurisdictions, were invited by Fr. Steven Tsichlis and The St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church located in Irvine, to serve the Pan-Ortho- dox vespers. On this occasion, Bishop Maxim presided the ves- pers and presented a sermon in which he highlighted and con- nected the meaning of icons with the reading of the Gospel for the Feast of Orthodoxy that speaks of Nathaniel and his meeting with the Lord (John 1: 41–51). Bishop
Maxim said that “In the Gospel, St John invites us not only to see Christ but also to have a pure heart, for with a pure heart we can truly see our Saviour. At the end of the dialogue Jesus promises Nathaniel that he will see greater things, and this is the Kingdom of God. In the 21st century, when we help other people come to Church, what will they see? It would be the icons. The icon, as St. John of Damascene describes, shows two things, that which is seen and that which is unseen. The indescribable God becomes describable in Christ who be- comes Man. This is the mystery that icons bring to our minds, hearts, and eyes. The purity of
2023 DIOCESAN ANNUAL
Sunday of Orthodoxy
Celebrated at the St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, CA
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