The Transfiguration of the Savior, the Most High Jesus Christ 1 ′

It is celebrated on the 6th of August every year.

Θαβὼρ ὑπὲρ πᾶν γῆς ἐδοξάσθη μέρος,
Ἰδὸν Θεοῦ λάμψασαν ἐν δόξῃ φύσιν
Μορφὴν ἀνδρουμένην κατὰ ἕκτην Χριστὸς ἀμεῖψε.

According to the narrators of the Evangelists, our Lord Jesus Christ took from the disciples Peter (June 29), John (September 26) and James (April 30) and went up Mount Tabor to pray. As noted by Saint Nicodemus of Mount Athos: "And he took three apostles alone, as exalted and exalted. But Peter prevailed, because he loved Christ very much. And John, because he was loved by Christ. And James, because he could not drink the cup of death, which the Lord also drank. "

His three disciples, as they were tired from the difficult ascent to Tabor, and as they sat down to rest, they fell into a deep sleep. When they woke up, they saw an unexpected and exquisite spectacle. The face of the Lord shone like the sun, and His garments were white as light. Him They were surrounded and conversed with Him by two men, Moses (September 4) and Elijah (July 20). Saint Nicodemus of Mount Athos typically writes:

"And he brought in them Moses and Elijah, in order to correct the false suspicions, which many had about him. Because others were saying to the Lord that he was Elijah. Others, how is Jeremiah. For this reason they represented in Tabor the first and foremost Prophets, so that the disciples, and through the disciples all the people, might know how much difference there is between Christ and the Prophets. Christ is a Despot. And the Prophets are slaves. And let them learn that the Lord has the power of death and of life. For this he brought Moses from among those who were saved. And from the living, he brought Elijah ".

After the disciples came to their senses, the always enthusiastic Peter, wanting to preserve this Holy intoxication caused by the radiance of the Lord, begged them to set up three tents. One for the Lord, one for Moses and one for Elijah. But before he could finish his sentence, a cloud came and covered them, and a voice came out of them saying, That is, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am sent to save the world. Listen to him.

We must, therefore, not only listen to Him, but also obey Him. Whichever path leads us, we are obliged to be disciplined.

Customs of the Transfiguration of the Savior

The Transfiguration of the Savior, as a great despotic feast, is an exception to the customary fish-eating, in the short but strict fast of the XNUMXth of August.

In many places it is believed that on the eve of the night, at some point, the heavens suddenly open and the "holy light" appears, to those who had the patience and faith to stay awake. On this day, they offer to the temples the first grapes of the year, to be blessed by the priest after the divine service, and to be distributed as a blessing to the faithful. In some places they even offer the temple the first oil of the year, to be blessed, so that the blessing can be extended to the rest of the production.

This is the ancient custom of the beginnings, that is, the offering of the first fruits to God, a form of bloodless ritual sacrificial offering, which was passed on to Christianity. The common man, presenting for blessing the beginnings of his fruits and offspring, essentially entrusts the hope of his survival to God, from whom he reverently asks to cooperate, in order to achieve the harvest, on which the survival of the whole traditional tradition depends. community.

The Apostolic Canons already allow the bringing of grapes to the temple, but not other fruits, while Theodoros Balsamon, interpreting the Fourth Canon of the Holy Apostles, interprets this exception of grapes from the fact that the wine, which comes from them, is used for the preparation of Holy Communion.

Thus, the blessed grapes are shared and eaten together with the antidote in Lesvos, while in Moschopotamos of Pieria they left the first bunch of vintage in some icon of the temple, so that the harvest goes well. On the other hand, we must not forget that the temples of the largest and most imposing Greek fortresses are dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Savior, a fact that shows the importance, religious and nationally regenerative, that our people have always given to this great holiday. And of course, as a great holiday is a customarily established holiday, the violation of which, by some ungodly and greedy, brought about the immediate divine punishment, according to the traditions of the Greek people, for setting an example for others.

Ἀπολυτίκιον (Download)
Heavy sound.
Μετεμορώθης ἐν τῷ ὄρει Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, δείξας τοῖς Μαθηταῖς σου τὴν δόξαν σου, καθὼς ἠδυναντο. Λάμψον καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς, τὸ φῶς σου τὸ ἀΐδιον, πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, φωτοδότα δόξα σοι.

Κοντάκιον
Heavy sound. Αὐτόμελον.
Ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους μετεμορώθης, καὶ ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ Μαθηταί σου τὴν δόξαν σου, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεάσαντο,

Seat
Ἦχος δ '. Κατεπλάγη Ἰωσὴφ.
XNUMX μίαν σοὶ τῷ Δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ, ὁ τότε τούτοις, τὸ φῶς σου λάμψας, φώτισον τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν.

The House
Ἐγέρθητε οἱ νωθεῖς, μὴ πάντοτε χαμερπεῖς, οἱ συγκάμπτοντες εἰς γῆν τὴν ψυχήν μου λογισμοί, ἐπάρθητε καὶ ἄρθητε εἰς ὕψος θείας ἀναβάσεως, προσδράμωμεν δὲ ἀκούσωμεν, ἧς περ ἄνωθεν ἤκουσαν, καὶ ἐκήρυξαν, τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα.

Μεγαλυνάριον
I want to show the Disciples, power from on high and wisdom than the Father, on a mountain you rose, Christ to Taborius, and you shone as a Despot enlightening them.