Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Holy and Glorious Pascha Preparation Fourteenth Day - Great Lent - Second Sunday: The Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Relics and Saint Gregory Palamas with Procession with the Holy Relics and Presentation of the Holy Relics for Veneration (27th Day before the Transition Period)

Sundays of Great Lent or Pascha Cycle
Sunday	Name	Day of Great Lent	Day before Transition Period	Apostolos	Gospel	Action	Saint
2	Holy Relics St 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

The Second Sunday of Great Lent commemorates the Holy Relics of the Saints and Saint Gregory Palamas.

Holy Relics of the Saints are Commemorated on the Second Sunday of Great Lent

In 1843, His Beatitude, Patriarch Maximos III Mazloum, Patriarch of the cities of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, of Cilicia, Syria, Iberia, Arabia Mesopotamia, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, of all of Egypt and the entire East, Father of Fathers, Pastor of Pastors, Bishop of Bishops, the Thirteenth of The Holy Apostles, ordered that the relics of the the saints to be venerated on this day. Also, Patriarch Maximos III composed a Office for this feast.

Two saints do NOT have relics of their bodies:

The Theotokos, 15 August, who died and whose body and soul were taken into heaven
Holy Prophet Elias the Thesbite / Mar Elias, 20 July, who did NOT Die and whose body and soul were taken into heaven

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

We have a procession with the holy relics and a presentation of the holy relics for veneration by all the faithful at the end of the Divine Liturgy. These actions are to show that we understand the true meaning of relics. Relics are not venerated for themselves, but for the holiness of the people of God from whom they originated. Relics remind us of the power of God in the lives of human beings. Holy relics of the saints help us to focus on them but we do not worship the actual relics.

Gregory Palamas is Commemorated on the Second Sunday of Great Lent

In 1971, the Holy Synod approved commemorating Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent. The reason was that Gregory Palamas' theology is the basis for many prayers. Also, that Holy Synod wrote a Kontakion and a Troparion for Gregory Palamas.

This decision of the Holy Synod is mentioned in a footnote in a book published in 1992. The book was written in Arabic by the Liturigical Committee of the Patriarchate. A rough translation of the title is "The Holy Divine Liturgy".

In 1359, Gregory Palamas died.
One of Gregory Palamas' followers, Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople declared him a saint in the year 1368, established a feast day on 14 November, and ordered a special commemoration on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.
Melkites did not officially honor Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent until the Holy Synod made its decision in 1971.
(My understanding is that for centuries some Melkites followed the Greek Orthodox pratice and honored Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.)
Melkites do not commemorate Gregory Palamas on 14 November.

For more information on Georgy Palamas, Saint Gregory Palamas

Gospel

St Mark (2:1-12) The reading is the story of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ' healing of the paralyzed man. The paralyzed man brought by his friends to see and hear Jesus in Capernaum. When the crowd was so thick that they could not get through, they did not let that stop them. They climbed onto the top of the house and removed the roof and lowered their friend down into the room where where Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ was. Impressed with their faith, Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ forgave the man's sins. When some people questioned how he could forgive sins, he also healed the man of the paralysis, to demonstrate that The Holy Son of Holy God has the authority from Holy God to forgive sins.
This Gospel story shows the power of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ as Holy God to forgive sins and to heal physical illness. It also shows the close connection between sin and sickness and death, which would not be in the world if sin had not disrupted the original perfect relationship between Holy God and creation. Also, this Gospel story reminds us once again of the healing power of Holy God's mercy, but it also reminds us that our strong faith can do good not only for ourselves but for others.

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastichon

TROPARION (TONE 8)
O victorious witness of the Lord, blessed is the earth that received your blood, and holy are the heavenly places that opened to your souls. You have vanquished the enemy in battle and proclamined Christ with courage. We beg you to intercede with Him who is all good that He may save our souls.

VESPERS STICHON OF ST GREGORY PALAMAS (TONE 6)
Your lips are full of grace, O Holy Father Gregory. You have become a shepherd of the Church of Christ, teaching your spiritual flock to believe in the Trinity, consubstantial in one Godhead.

Prayer for the Second Sunday of Great Lent

O Word of God, my Lord Jesus Christ,
I am lost in the wilderness of my transgressions: call me back to You.
I am keeping away from You because of my many sins: draw me back to You.
I am dead: give me new life.
Let my Lent be an occasion for me to shed tears that will cleanse me.
I cry out to You: "O Christ, my Lord, have mercy on me,
for You are gracious and generous in your mercy."

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.

How to determine when the Second Sunday of Great Lent 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

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

Ikon

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

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
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-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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