Saints Cyril &
Methodius
Bulgarian Orthodox
Mission
(web address: www.bocdc.org)
Meeting
at St. Luke Orthodox Church
6801
Georgetown Pike, PO Box 1015
Mc Lean, VA 22101
Holy Glorious Prophet Elijah
(celebrated
on July 20)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
His
Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH, Primate
Orthodox
Church in America
Diocese
of Washington and New York
Holy Prophet Elijah
Commemorated on
June 20
The Holy Prophet Elijah is
one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the
Old Testament. He was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years
before the Incarnation of the Word of God.
St Epiphanius of
Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah:
"When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God
around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames." The name
Elijah (the Lord's strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From
the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the
wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer.
Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king
Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety.
During
this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers,
they abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was
introduced by the impious king Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was
devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the
pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true
God. Beholding the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce
King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of
Israel. The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah then declared to
him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground,
and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was
a torch (Eccles. 48: 1) The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and
there was drought and famine throughout all the land.
During this
time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he
was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent
the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered
together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request of the
prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the
remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil
were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. By
the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised
the dead son of the widow.
After the end of three years of
drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and
promised to send rain upon the earth. The Prophet Elijah told the king to order
all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When
the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial
altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet
Elijah who served the True God.
The Prophet Elijah told them to
call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would
call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be
acknowledged as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol
from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the
holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number
of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to
dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be
soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to
God in prayer. Through the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and
consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to
the ground, crying out: "Truly, the Lord is God!" Then the Prophet
Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for
rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking
the parched earth.
King Ahab acknowledged his error and repented
of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The
Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to
eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came
before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long
journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having
arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave.
The Lord told him
that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind
that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the
Lord was not in them. The Lord was in "a gentle breeze" (3 Kings 19:
12). He revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful
servants who had not worshipped Baal.
Later, the Lord commanded
Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for
the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery
chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah's mantle, and a double portion of
his prophetic spirit.
According to the Tradition of Holy Church,
the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ.
He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain
by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world.
The
life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3
Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiastes 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time
of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount
Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30).
Orthodox Christians of
all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries.
The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor, was named for the
Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism St Olga (July 14) built a temple of the holy
Prophet Elijah in his native region, at the village of Vibuta.
In
iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery
chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray
to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.
The Twelve Holy
Apostles
Commemorated on
June 30
The Synaxis of the Glorious and All-Praiseworthy
Twelve Apostles of Christ appears to be an ancient Feast. The Church honors
each of the Twelve Apostles on separate dates during the year, and has
established a general commemoration for all of them on the day after the
commemoration of the Glorious and First-Ranked among the Apostles Peter and
Paul.
The holy God-crowned Emperor Constantine the Great
(May 21) built a church in Constantinople in honor of the Twelve Apostles.
There are instructions for celebrating this Feast which date from the fourth
century.
For lists of the Apostles' names, see: Mt.10:2,
Mark 3:14, Luke 6:12, Acts 1:13, 26.
Saints Commemorated
Today
7th SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST — Tone 6. The Repose of St. Jacob (Netsvetov), Enlightener of
the Peoples of Alaska (1864). Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs
Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia (ca. 305). Ven. Moses the Hungarian, of
the Kiev Caves (Near Caves—ca. 1043). Martyr Parasceva of Rome (2nd c.).
Ven. Gerontius of St. Anne Skete (Mt. Athos).
May
Their Memory Be Eternal
The newly departed servant Alexander; Archbishop
GREGORY; Priests Peter, Ishmael, Leo, Homer, Victor, and Thomas; Readers John,
Philemon, John, and Robert Michael; Sophia, Shafik, Michael, Steven, Christo,
Radka, Anna, Dale, Mary, Carmel, Thomas, Vasili, Mary Ellen, Andrew, Irene,
Stamatia, Peter, Vera, George, Marianthe, Panaigioti, Christophor, Rada, &
Julia.
Those Who Are In
Need of Prayer
Priests Milorad, Photius, Anthony, and Joseph;
Presbyteras Marie, Miriam, Barbara, Artemis, & Marie; Matthew, Oliver,
Zell, Theresa, Catherine, Yonka, & Bojanka,
The Parish Council
of SS Cyril & Methodius
(Elected each year
at the Annual Parish Meeting in January)
In
support of our pastor the Very Reverend Timothy Perry, who is appointed by the
Orthodox Church in America, this yearŐs Council members are:
Ms.
Nadya Choparinoff, President
Mr.
George Kochev, Vice-President
Ms.
Elena Murphy, Treasurer
Ms.
Elisabeth Sipkov-Pi–eros, Secretary
Mr.
Lawrence Woods, Council Member