About. The boys both brought their favorite icons to church this morning. Wherefore, thankfully we cry out: When You came to save the world You filled all things with joy, O our Savior. My wife will be taking St George of Ioannina. This distinction safeguards the veneration of icons from any charge of idolatry. The first Sunday of Great Lent, that is Sunday of Orthodoxy, gives prominence to the triumph of the Orthodox Church over false teachings. The day was called "Triumph of Orthodoxy." The theme of the victory of the icons, by its emphasis on the incarnation, points us to the basic Christian truth that the one whose death and resurrection we celebrate at Easter was none other than the Word of God who became human in Jesus Christ. In 361, Julian the Apostate was doing his utmost to restore pagan customs. People are allowed to worship only the Trinity, that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Sunday of Orthodoxy is commemorated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which is preceded by the Matins service. This is the holy deed that all we the Orthodox commemorate today, and we call this radiant and venerable day the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, the triumph of true doctrine over heresy. Let us then clap our hands like the psalmist, and offer praise and thanksgiving to God. Traces of this more ancient observance can still be seen in the choice of the Epistle reading at the Liturgy and in the Alleluia verse appointed before the Gospel: “Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His Name.”. The former is not only relative, it is in fact paid to the person represented by the icon. As Lent is a period of communal fasting which continues for seven weeks, such triumphalism early on is understandable: it helps to strengthen the faithful for the coming days. ICONS The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. To the right of the icon are the Patriarchs Methodios and Tarasios. Kissing it, we who believe cry out: O God, save your people, and bless your heritage.”, “We have moved forward from unbelief to true faith, and have been enlightened by the light of knowledge. Seasons of Grace: Reflections on the Orthodox Church Year (Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2002), pp. Although globally icons have become popular as religious art, in our Tradition, they are far more than this. But there is a clear doctrinal distinction between the veneration paid to icons and the worship due to God. Icon of the Triumph of Holy Icons provided by Theologic and used with permission. They mistakenly thought that icons were the same as “graven images” which are not to be made accord- Amen. If you look at the icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, you'll see the empress Theodora and her son Michael standing next to the famous Directress Icon of the Theotokos. Infinite, Lord, as divine, in the last times you willed to become incarnate and so finite; for when you took on flesh you made all its properties your own. The Feast of Orthodoxy (also knowns as the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Restoration of the Icons) is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent(six Sundays before Pascha) in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Church. On this First Sunday of Lent in 842 A.D. the iconodules—our “right believing” forefathers who upheld the Apostolic Faith, celebrated their victory over the heretical beliefs of the iconoclasts, the “icon-smashers.” (National Icon Collection 18, British Museum) The Feast of Orthodoxy (also knowns as the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Triumph of Orthodoxy) is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent (six Sundays before Pascha) in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church and of the Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches. Icons are sacred images. The experience provides the faithful significant content to listen to, watch, and read; in order to lead, grow, and inspire. The “Synodikon of Orthodoxy” is a text contained in the “Triodion” and read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of Lent. 51-52, 299-313. Schmemann, Alexander. Then in the year 843 the Christian Empress Theodora said that they should all be brought back in the Churches because they showed holiness. The icon is surrounded by numerous saints who struggled against the Iconoclastic heresy. The festival at which this icon would have been displayed was the Sunday of Orthodoxy, celebrated annually on the first Sunday in Lent to commemorate the restoration of icons. It is the day that we take icons in our hands and proudly confess, “This is the faith of the apostles. Following is a reading of excerpts from the Affirmation of Faith of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the singing of the Great Prokeimenon. This coming Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent: the Triumph of Orthodoxy. The Feast of Orthodoxy (also knowns as the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Restoration of the Icons) is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent(six Sundays before Pascha) in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Church. At the intercession of your spotless Mother, O Christ, and of all the saints, we pray you to grant us your great mercy. On the right, behind Theodore the Studite, stands a bishop identified by his garb while right behind him stand the brothers Theodorus and Theophanes Graptoi. So the interior of Orthodox churches is often covered with icons painted on walls and domed roofs, and there is always an icon screen, or iconostasis, separating the sanctuary from the nave, often with several rows of icons. 100-102. 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