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Great Feast of Pentecost - Holy and Glorious Pascha Celebration Fifieth Day - Eighth Sunday of Holy and Glorious Pascha (One of the Twelve Great Feasts, class 1)

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Great Feast of Pentecost

Ten days after the Ascension into Heaven of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and on the fiftieth day of His glorious Resurrection, which is celebrated on Holy and Glorious Pascha, Holy God the Father sent Holy God the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire upon the people in the upper room. These people were The Theotokos, the apostles, the disciples, etc. The power of the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, giving them the ability to preach the Good News of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to all the people of the world in their own languages.

The Church understands Pentecost as the healing of the divisions among peoples that resulted from the prideful attempt to build the Tower of Babel up to Heaven. We cannot achieve unity with God on our own, by reaching up; we are called to unity with God by God's coming down to us and raising us up from pride and sin.

Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus had promised to send the Holy God the Holy Spirit before He ascended into Heaven on the 40th day of Holy and Glorious Pascha.

Pentecost was the birth of the Church. The Great Feast of Pentecost commemorates the birth of the Church. Then, Great Feast of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church.

Many theologians consider this Sunday to be the Eight Sunday of Holy and Glorious Pascha or the Seventh Sunday after Holy and Glorious Pascha.

The Meaning of Pentecost in Our Lives

According to St Athanasios, the purpose of Christ's coming was that we might receive the Holy Spirit to deify us. ["Deify" means to become one with God.]
"The Son has given us the first-fruits of the Spirit so that we may be transformed into sons of God, according to the image of the Son of God." It is only through the indwelling of the Spirit in the Church that we have the personal possibility of recovering the likeness. [We are created in the image and likeness of God. The great spiri-tual writers say that we always have the image of God in us, but through sin we have lost the likeness, so we always have to strive, with God's help, to grow more and more like God.] In the ikon of Pentecost, we see the Spirit coming upon the Church (in the persons of the Apostles). Below, the cosmos stands as a shriveled figure, paralyzed, grown old, reaching out to receive the Spirit's life passed on to us. The creation does not come alive until it receives the life of the Spirit, and this only comes through us. "The Mystery Lived: Light for Life, Part III," p. 19.

Trisagion Hymn is the Baptismal Hymn

All of you who have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia! or All of you who have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia! or As many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia!
Antom ol-ladheen bli-Maseeh i'tamadtom al-Maseeh qad labistom, Allilouia
Ossi ees Christon evaptisthiteh, Christon enedheesasthen, Allilouia

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastikon

TROPARION (TONE 8)
Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who have filled the fishermen with wisdom by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them, and who through them have caught in your net the whole world. O Lover of mankind, glory to You!

Apostolos

Acts 2:1-11
Acts 2:1-11 tells the story of this coming of Holy God the Holy Spirit.

Gospel

John 7:37-52 and 8:12

Antiphon

Palsm 20
Good Comforter, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Khallisna Ayouhal Mu'azee as-saalih, nahnul muranneemeena Laka, Halleloueya.

Liturgical Cycle

From Holy and Glorious Pascha to Pentecost, Sunday is the first day of the Liturical week. In the remainder of the year, Sunday is the last day of the Liturgical week.

Pascha Cycle

The Great Feast of Pentecost is within the Pascha Cycle. The Great Feast of Pentecost is the fiftieth day of Pascha and is ten days after the Ascension into Heaven of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Depending on the theologian, Pentecost is either the last Sunday of Pascha or the Sunday after the last Sunday of Pascha.

Pentecost is the day after the Second All Souls Saturday.

On the evening of Pentecost, Vespers for the Monday after the Great Feast of Pentecost are said. These Vespers include Kneeling Prayers.

Pentecost ends the Pascha cycle.

How to determine when the Great Feast of Pentecost or the final Sunday of Pascha occurs.

Date of Pascha

Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha Cycle in Latin Catholic Dominated Countries

Some important dates in Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha Cycle in Latin Catholic Dominated Countries for the years 2000-2010.

Eparch Cyrille Bustros's Message, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States)

2006

Eparch John Elya's Message, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States)

2004

2003

2002

1998

1997

More Information

Pentecost Saint Ann Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Paterson, NJ

Pentecost Sunday Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Click on Mobile Feasts of Our Lord

Ikon

Pentecost Sunday Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Click on Mobile Feasts of Our Lord

Hymns on Web

Chantez au Seigneur un Chant Chantez au Seigneur un Chant Chantez au Seigneur un Chant Nouveau St Jean Chrysostome Brussels, Belgium