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| Holy Fire in Jerusalem |
We typically celebrate the Easter - however that the Orthodox people generally saying that's Pascha - but I felt like that was so special that I celebrated the Pascha in a different Christianity tradition which was unfamiliar to myself, being to live in the country who well-known about Western Christianity. We celebrate the Pascha on a different calendar, it is Julian Calendar so many people wonder that why we are being late celebrate the Pascha and even the Christmas, a week late (between 12-13 days on Julian and Gregorian calendars) from the Western Christians. But, in certain times in history, we celebrate on the same date like 2017 we celebrate the Pascha together with Roman Catholics and it will be happening next year!
The Eastern Orthodox is the holy and first church to just celebrated a blessed holy week in last week! Unfortunately, I was unlucky in that schedule as I had a five-day training during the holy week schedule, that caused I had to miss multiple of holy week liturgies and only attended on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, excluding skipping the Pascha while was on Semarang for a Sunday event. I only watched the Holy Fire ceremony (the miracle once a year happened on Julian calendar) from Jerusalem on a live-streaming with Greek speaking. So, I felt disappointed but I knew that was hard and it defined that I am on the right pathway.
I wish the government will give us a week break for the Orthodox people like Russia. In Russia, they have a long break so they didn't work and attended the church for celebrating the holy week. But, yeah we aren't majority here and we understand. I hope I would attend the entire next year, from Saturday Lazarus until the Pascha. Probably I should file a long break for that and the leader does think that's not problem. I hope so because I always wanted to be able to attend the entire on holy week that the church had scheduled.
But in over my heart, deep that I know I am on the right pathway in this Orthodox church - it's, it's been my home to bond in my spiritual journey - as beyond I know where it ends guideline in that, what's my life led by. So, I know, I am, I before thy in that journey. I mean, being an Orthodox is such special for me, I hope I will receive my first communion one day, so I can attend the entire canonical Orthodox churches, like Antioch, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, even the mother church is Jerusalem. The Orthodox is the privilege that allowed me to learn its local traditions and how Christ is, to bond, life, faith, and social. It brings me to take get closer in Christ's relationship, getting closer.
I do not care about how amount is which leads us to be a ultra minority community. I do care about how Christianity itself to establish, ministry, survive, and teach in its longest periods, like the first century, wars, councils, pandemic, conflicts, communism, cold war, etc. The time can change but the church should remain in the same thing - looking at Hebrew 13: 8, has three words: Jesus Christ is alone one from yesterday, today, and forever. So, I think the Christianity self that should be the same from Jesus himself on His 33-year on the earth until the present. Jesus invited so many people that He met and said, "Follow me." it result 12 disciples and another followers, including His mother, Mary the Theotokos, the first person to be follower of Him. He went to Heaven and commanded the twelve disciples to go ministry across the world and baptize these people in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The twelve still looked up on the sky and the angel down there saying the most important message that, Jesus will be coming in the same place where the twelve looking up. It is the end, Jesus will be coming second on this earth. From He was on the earth to He will be coming second. Always same teachings, that is what's I meant about Christianity, where it began from.
The twelve, then, established the first church in Antioch and its first-ever Bishop, too. St Stephen was the first martyr after receiving the Pentecost. Simply, went away on multiple place where they were to proclaim that Jesus is risen out there which nobody would believe about and ended up in averaging scale of persecution. The massive scale persecution that happened in Rome under Emperor Nero. We had five old churches in the first century; Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The Eastern Church is Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Constantinople speaking Greek and the Western Church is Rome alone one speaking Latin. We have two rites, Latin and Byzantine.
In that modern era proof that we are Orthodox and we are still exist even though many people think we are extinct due to the fall of Constantinople where Hagia Sophia took over into Mosque by Ottoman Empire and Turkish government, four old cities were conquered by Muslim, and Russia suffered the communism's 80 years. But, God strengthens us and we are still alive today. Greece became an independent nation despite they could not reach on the Constantinople who is currently still part of Turkish nation. Russia experienced the revival after the communism fall. Russia reestablished the destroyed churches and re-renovated the churches who were bars, public services demolished into the beautiful churches and always be filled by crowded Russian people to celebrate the liturgy. That is the big Orthodox faith revival! Russia now launched the ministry overseas, that's called ROCOR, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The Greek Orthodox church does the same! They begin out overseas ministry in Asia, Oceania, and a bunch of countries who do not have firmly Orthodox traditions or the countries who formerly Orthodox nations, like Finland.
So, I believe that the Orthodox church is what's a church representing Hebrew 13: 8, church/ Christ is alone one in the same from yesterday, today, and forever. The Orthodox church has seven sacraments, agreed on the entire of seven councils, Christianity dogma and theology, and how they survived went through unpredictable changed era and generation. They did not leave after the Chalcedon Council, they did not add some dogma on those councils and creeds, they did not benefit its councils for the private interest, like the political interest. They did on the all way to oppose its heresy and wrongful teachings and made sure that Christianity remained to exist until today. They knew there was the future which they took responsible in its teachings where the Apostles had preached. That's why a Byzantine Empire was led by an Emperor, not a Patriarch and was a secular empire, unlikely the Pope of Rome concurrent two positions as the head of country and the head of the church.
So, that's why I felt so special being able to celebrate holy week at the Eastern Orthodox Church and meet my friends and my spiritual father who kindly teaching me about Orthodox Christianity. I always want to be an Orthodox and receive my first communion one day. I was in tears in witnessing so giant development of these people get baptized and catechumen into Eastern Orthodox Church, the more inquiring people also. We pray that the Orthodox Christianity will be many many spreading across the earth, like in the United States has an autocephalous church, called OCA (Orthodox Church in America), even though the United States doesn't have firmly Orthodox traditions.
Orthodox is the true Christianity that people should know and learn about. Orthodox is 2.000 years ago, will be the next 2.000 years. The Orthodox, everyone (bishops, patriarchs, deacons, converts, monks, nuns, and people) must obey in the Holy Traditions, self in Christianity - that nobody can change or has an authority on itself.
So, welcome to Eastern Orthodox Church! Happy Pascha! Many years! ☦☦☦
Christ is risen! Christos Anesti!
"Orthodoxy is what Christ taught, the Apostles preached, and the Fathers kept." St. Athanasius the Great
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