About Panjangam in geevarghese mar yulious, Kunnamkulam

As a remembrance and a means of union with Christ, the liturgical year becomes a source of grace. With its
succession of feasts and fasts it commemorates on the one hand events in the life of our Lord, His Mother, St. John
the Baptist and also all those men, women and children who have achieved sanctity. Each feast brings into focus
a special aspect and meaning of the divine order. The feasts of the saints, beginning with those of the Theotokos
and ending with those of the most recently glorified members of the Church “celebrate a special grace that flows
from Christ, for their sanctity is but an aspect, a shining ray of the holiness of Christ” (Fr. Lev Gillet). The festal
calendar is a result of continuous development. Begun in Christian antiquity, it is always “in progress.” Each age
adds to it its own significant ecclesiastical events and its own martyrs and witnesses of the faith, who in the purity
of their hearts have seen the invisible God as in a mirror, and through whom divine grace has richly flowed to us.
The liturgical Calendar of the Oriental Orthodox Church begins on ʻKoodhosh-Ethoʼ (Sanctification of the
Church) Sunday, falls on 8th Sunday before Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord. So this will be
the Sunday after 29th of October every year; for instance 2nd of Nov. in 2014.
Like we have seven liturgical hours per day such as 6pm: Evening, 9pm: Compline (daily retirement for
sleep), 12am: Midnight, 6am: Morning, 9am: 3rd Hour/ Before daily work begins, 12pm: Noon and 3pm: 9th
Hour/ end of daily work. However, for conveniant of community worship, the 9th hour of the previous day
along with Evening and Compline complied together as Evening Prayer and likewise the Night, Morning,
3rd Hour and Noon are compiled in the Morning Prayer; and seven days per week (Sunday to Saturday).
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IS ALSO DIVIDED INTO SEVEN SEASONS OR PERIODS.
EACH PERIOD OF AN YEAR, EACH DAY OF A WEEK AND EACH HOUR OF A DAY HAS SOME COMMONALITY IN THEIR THEME! THE SEVEN SEASONS /PERIODS ARE:
It is arranged in such a beautiful way by the Fathers to lead us in a
meaningful Christ centered spiritual life and for personal meditation
that in every year we begin from the bingeing of Creation of the
World to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we grow with
Him, becoming disciples, follow Him in His Public Ministry like His
suffering, death, resurrection, ascending into heaven, descending
of the Holy Spirit, growth of the Church and finally looking forward
the Last Judgement and Second-coming. The same pattern and
sequence we can see both in meditation theme of each day in a
week and also in each canonical hour of a day!
Season of Annunciation:
It starts from KoodhoshEtho to Eldho (the Feast
of Nativity of our Lord)/
Sunday/ Evening: refers
the time from the start of
Creation till to the birth
of our Lord; covers the
entire Old Testament.
Season of Epiphany:
Eldho to the beginning of
the Great-lent/ Monday/
Compline (before bed):
refers the time from the
birth of our Lord till to His
Public Ministry; covers
thirty years in the life of
our Lord.
Season of Great Lent:
Great-lent/ Tuesday/
Night: the time of His
Public Ministry; refers
around the three
and a half years that
He ministered many
those who believed in
Him.
Season of Resurrection:
Feast of Resurrection to the Feast of
Pentecost/ Wednesday/ Morning:
refers the time that our Lour being
with us as Resurrected Being and
Presence; covers the forty days till His
ascension and the ten days that the
Apostles and believers awaited for
the Holy Spirit.
Season of Pentecost:
Pentecost to the Feast of
Transfiguration (Aug. 6th)/
Thursday/ 7am: refers the time
of the Growth of the Church
through the propagation of the
Gospel by the Apostles, Prophets,
Martyrs and holy Fathers, Doctors
and Departed of the Church.
Season of Transfiguration:
From Aug.6th to the Feast
of exaltation of the Holy
Cross (Sep. 14th)/ Friday/
Noon: refers the assurance
in Him and believe those
who suffered for the
Kingdom of God will be
glorified.
Season of Holy Cross:
From Sep. 14th to the next
Koodhosh-Etho/ Saturday/
3pm: refers the Futuristic
Period as we affirm in the
last part of the Nicene Creed,
“we look forward for the
resurrection of the dead
and a life eternal to come”.
While Sunday, being the first day according to the creation account
of the Holy Scripture, represents the binging of Creation, when
we reach to Saturday being the seventh day, represents Sabbath,
a day of rest and hence the Church remembers all the Departed
souls on Saturday! Likewise, while the Evening time represents
the start of Creation, the 9th hour, the last canonical hour of each
day, represents the Resurrection of the dead in Christ. This spiritual
Rhythm and harmony is seen in every aspect of the liturgical life of
the Church!
The Holy Scripture itself begins from the Creation story, “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”(Gen. 1:1),
prepares the way for our Lord through the Old Testament and in the
New Testament it further explains that the ʻWord of Godʼ became Man
in Christ, through His redemptive-works He paved a way to humanity,
founded the Holy Church as His own bride and made her to await
for His Second Coming, the Last-Judgement and promised eternal
Salvation. He assures: ʻHe who testifies to these things says, “Surely I
am coming quickly.” Amen. And the Church pray and saying: “Even so,
come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).