Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Holy and Glorious Pascha Preparation Seventh Day - Great Lent - First Sunday: The Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy (34th Day before the Transition Period) with Procession with the Holy Ikons and Presentation of the Holy Ikons for Veneration

Sundays of Great Lent or Pascha Cycle
Sunday	Name	Day of Great Lent	Day before Transition Period	Apostolos	Gospel	Action
1	Sunday of Triumph of Orthodoxy	7th day of Great Lent	34th day before Transition Period	Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40, 12:1-2A	John 1:43-51	Procession with holy ikons and presentation for veneration

The First Sunday of Great Lent commemorates the Triumph of Orthodoxy: that is, the victory of the True Christian Faith over heresies, enemies, and other adversaries. This Sunday especially celebrates the restoration of the holy ikons and other holy images to Christian worship after the defeat of the Iconoclastic heresy (heresy of Iconoclasm) of the 8th and 9th Centuries. (The word "Orthodoxy" does not refer to the modern-day Orthodox Churches.)

Procession with the Holy Ikons and Presentation of the Holy Ikons for Veneration

On the First Sunday of Great Lent, we traditionally have a procession with the holy ikons at the end of the Divine Liturgy. The people are between the Holy Cross bearer and the priest. The people carry their favorite ikon from home three times around the Church. Then, everyone comes forward to venerate the ikons.

The reason for the procession with the holy ikons is:

To show that we understand the true meaning of images. Images remind us of transcendent realities, but we never mistake the images for the realities. That is, holy ikons of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ help us to focus on Him as Our Lord, God, and Savior, but we do not worship the actual ikons.
This Sunday especially celebrates the restoration of the ikons and other holy images to Christian worship after the defeat of the Iconoclastic heresy (heresy of Iconoclasm) of the 8th and 9th Centuries. In 843, under the Empress Theodora, there was the final restoration of the holy ikons. This action was know as the Triumph of Orthodoxy and is celebrated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

History

In the 7th and 8th centuries, a movement arose that declared that ikons were sinful and bad. This movement is now called "Iconoclastic heresy (heresy of Iconoclasm)". (In Greek, the word "Iconoclast" means "image smasher".) Iconoclasm banned and destroyed the use of ikons, statues, and all other images of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ and the saints. Many ikons were removed from churches and homes and were destroyed. The followers of this movement destroyed many ikons and statues, calling them idols, because they thought people worshiped the images instead of worshiping Holy God.

Year	Council / Person	Action
787	Seventh Ecumenical Council	Declared that we worship only Holy God, but we venerate or reverence the person being depicted on the ikons, not the wood or paint of the ikons. The reason was that Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ took on human flesh, a part of the earth's matter; therefore it is possible to depict Him through material symbols. A symbol, which has verbal images, is a Gospel. A symbol, which has material images, is an ikon. Holy ikons portray the divine Sonship and actions of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ by means of paints and colors. Thus, we remember and experience Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ when we prayerfully read the Gospels and when we prayerfully behold him in ikons. The Seventh Ecumenical Council declared that ikons are proper in churches and homes, because they help Christians pray by reminding us of the presence of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Saints.
843	Empress Theodora	Final restoration of the holy ikons. This action was know as the Triumph of Orthodoxy and is celebrated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastikon

KONTAKION (TONE 8)
The infinite Word of God became circumscribed when He was incarnate in You. O Mother of God. He restored our corrupt image to its former beauty by joining it to the divine splendor.

TROPARION OF THE HOLY IMAGES (TONE 2)

Before your most pure image we bow in worship, O Good One, begging forgiveness of our stumblings, Christ God: because You chose of your own free will to ascend upon the Cross in the flesh to deliver from the enemy's yoke those You had created. For this reason we cry out to You in thanksgiving: "You, our Savior, filled all things with joy when You came to save the world!"

VESPERS STICHERON (TONE 6)
Truly has the Church of Christ received honorable adornment: the noble and hallowed ikons of Christ the Savior, of The Theotokos and of all the saints. We lift them up with joy and gladness as the Church exults in grace, happily glorifying her God, the Lover of All People, who patiently suffered for our sake.

VESPERS STICHERON (TONE 6)
Master, infinite in your divine nature, You condescended in these latter days to become incarnate and finite: for in assuming our body, You accepted all its properties. Wherefore we represent your likeness, and embrace it with the Model in mind. We go up to your love, and, following the divine tradition set by the apostles, we draw from it the grace of healing.

Pascha Cycle

The Sundays of Great Lent are within the Pascha Cycle. The Sundays of Great Lent are between the Fourth Sunday of the Triodion: Sunday of Cheese fare - Forgiveness and the Transition Period between Great Lent and Great and Holy Week. Great Lent begins on Clean Monday and ends on the Friday after the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

The First Sunday of Great Lent is the Sunday after Clean Monday. Also, this Sunday is the Sunday after the Fourth Sunday of the Triodion: Sunday of Cheese fare - Forgiveness. Clean Monday is the first day of Great Lent.

How to determine when the First Sunday of Great Lent: The Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy occurs.

Great Lent is Forty Days.
A count back from the date of Pascha is made.

Sundays of Great Lent or Pascha Cycle
Sunday	Name	Day of Great Lent	Day before Transition Period	Apostolos	Gospel	Action	Saint
Vespers of Clean Monday	Service of Forgiveness	Vespers of 1st day of Great Lent	Eve of 40th day before Transition Period			Forgive
Clean Monday	1st day of Great Lent	1st day of Great Lent	40th day before Transition Period	1 Cor. 3:18-23	Lk. 21:8-36
1	Sunday of Triumph of Orthodoxy	7th day of Great Lent	34th day before Transition Period	Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40, 12:1-2A	John 1:43-51	Procession with holy ikons and presentation for veneration
2	Sunday of Veneration of Holy Relics Gregory Palamas	14th day of Great Lent	27th day before Transition Period	2nd Cor. 4:6-15	Mk. 2:1-12	Procession with holy relics and presentation for veneration	All Saints have Relics St. Gregory Palamas
3	Sunday of Veneration of Holy Cross	21st day of Great Lent	20th day before Transition Period	Heb. 4:14-5:6	Mk. 8:34-9:1	Procession with Holy Cross and presentation for veneration
4	Commem- oration of Our Holy Father John Climacus	28th day of Great Lent	13th day before Transition Period	Heb. 6:13-20	Mk. 9:17-31		Our Holy Father John Climacus
5	Commem- oration of Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt	35th day of Great Lent	6th day before Transition Period	Heb. 9:11-14	Mk. 10:32b-45		Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt
Friday after Fifth Sunday	Last day of Great Lent	40th day of Great Lent	1st day before Transition Period	Eph. 2:4-10	Mt. 4:1-11

Traditions

Traditions of Great Lent and Holy Week Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton

More Information

Saint Ignatios of Antioch Melkite Greek Catholic Church Then click on Resources. The first category is Lenten Information.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Lent But Were Afraid to Ask St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church, Sacramento, CA

First Sunday of Great Lent Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Click on The Triodion Celebrations for Great Lent

Ikon

First Sunday of Great Lent Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Click on The Triodion Celebrations for Great Lent

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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