www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology What is the proper greeting ?

What is the proper greeting that we greet each other now in the current liturgical season. I assume we no longer say "Christ is Risen" after the Ascension. When do we go back to "Glory to Jesus Christ" And what do we say in between the two?

Joe Prokopchak
a sinner in much need of God's mercy

Joe, I think it is "Christ is Amongst Us! (Christos Posredi Nas!)

reply: He is and always shall be!
(Jest' i budet'!)

Ung-Certez

After Ascension, we return to both of our "ordinary time" Christian greetings. Generally, "Glory to Jesus Christ" and its response is used when greeting one another at any given time or place. Greetings such as "Christ has ascended" et al, seem to be more recent attempts at integrating the current liturgical season with a Christian salutation. At the Theophany, "Christ is Baptized" "In the River Jordan" is used rather unilaterally, both here and in Europe, although it would appear to be of later development than the ordinary time greetings or those of Christmas or Easter.

"Christ is among us" (more literally from the Slavonic - "Christos posredi nas" - it means: "Christ is in our midst" or "Christ is between us" - in the vernacular: "posred nas" or "mizh nami") is a more liturgical greeting, used mainly in the setting of the divine services. The priest greets us with this one when we receive the "mirovannja" or venerate the hand cross. It is also used when the "kiss of peace" is exchanged among the clergy during the Divine Liturgy.

Theoretically, it would not seem improper to use this second one more frequently as well, although the "Slava Isusu Khrystu" - "Glory to Jesus Christ" is by far the more commonly used greeting outside of the services. In Europe, this greeting often replaces our "hello."

God bless you all,

Fr. Joe

Wasn't the "Christ is Baptized" greeting invented by one of our priests in Pittsburgh back in the 1980s? Perhaps it is used in Ukraine, but our prayerbooks never mention it in the list of "Christian greetings" and I've never seen it used in any secular or church publication from the Carpathian Rus' region.

Not that there's anything wrong with a legitimate development, I guess. Imagine how a traditional Greek Catholic Rusyn feels, however, when he goes to church bright and early on January 1 and the priest and Americanized congregation are already greeting with "Glory to Jesus Christ". Ummmm... where I come from, it's "Christ is Born" (or in Slavonic, better yet) until February 2.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

When I was at Holy Resurrection Monastery during Theophany, and they used the "Christ is baptized in the Jordan" greeting. Now the monks, while part of the Ruthenian metropolia, do not at all do things exactly in conformity with the rest of the Byzantine Catholic Church. This is probably due in large part to the fact that they came to it from the outside and the hegumen was originally Greek Orthodox and celebrates the liturgy as he remembers it being done in his childhood. So if the Theophany greeting is very traditional or not, I don't know, but the monks use it and are very serious about strictly following Byzantine liturgical tradition.

Yours in Christ.

Arturo

I was on the Presov Eparchy site (http://www.grkatpo.sk) today, and at the top of their page they have "Slava Isusu Christu!"

As the Troparion puts it, Christ "ascended in glory" so returning to "Glory to Jesus Christ" makes perfect sense.

Maybe someone wants to say "Christ has ascended!" "Into heaven!" ???

Dave

Dear Lemko:

Until some time ago, I also believed as you did, that the "Christ is Baptized" greeting was indeed an invention of a certain priest in the Pittsburgh area in the early 1980s. While it is not theoretically wrong, I as you had never heard or seen of it prior to those times, which is the reason I suppose that some believed it to be a more recent "invention" among US Rusyns. It was not a part of my childhood. I do contend with you that "Christos Razdajetsja" was used much beyond Jan. 1.

However, as I began to minister in parishes that are comprised mainly of "new immigration" parishioners from the Lviv region of Ukraine, I heard this greeting again and continue to hear and use it during the season of Yordan. When I say, "Khrystos Krestivsja" they automatically respond, "Na ritsi Yordani" (In the river Jordan), so there is certainly some other precedent for this in the "krayu."

Could it be that perhaps this greeting was either ignored here in the US in the earlier days, thus deemphasizing the importance of the Feast of the Baptism (which is not as highly observed in the Latin Rite), or developed later "over there" and was then implemented by some of our clergy here in the 80s and also brought to this country by our newer immigrants in the "ethnic parishes." On the other hand, maybe it just "always was" from "time immemorial" and some areas missed out on it. There could be many explanations. According to my parishioners, it's the way they've always known it, but then again, they are immigrants mainly in their 30s and 40s, so the question of the greeting's origin continues.

Additionally, my cantors from Lviv sing "kol'ady" well beyond Yordan, until Feb 2/15, the "Stritennya" including of course, "Boh Predvichnyj" and other carols pertaining to the Nativity itself, in addition to some particular Theophany and "New Year's" carols.

As for things like "Christ is ascended" "Into heaven" or "In glory" (which I've never heard used, but only seen in print recently), these seem to me to be a stretching of the traditional limits of our greetings, and lessening the importance and uniqueness given to the special ones used on the very "high holydays." There was a standing query at one time, that may sound crass, but nevertheless was brought up: "What would one say on Jan. 1 at the Circumcision?" "Christ is circumcised" and the response being . . . ??? I'll leave it at that, but it demonstrates that good intentioned piety can sometimes stretch the limits of good liturgical sense. Furthermore, what would one say on Aug. 15/28? "Mary has fallen asleep (or dormitized)" "In Gethsemane" or "And assumed into heaven"???

As a general rule, our greetings are affirmations of our faith. They begin with an exclamation or doxology, proclaiming glory to God or the faith-fact of the event/season. The response affirms that which the greeting proclaimed, either expanding on the aspect of faith defined or confirming the doxology (Glory to Jesus Christ - Glory forever; Christ is in our midst - He is and shall be; Christ is Born - Glorify Him; Christ is Risen - Indeed He is risen; etc. etc.)

The difference with the Theophany greeting (which I have come to use and like) is that it is more descriptive than doxological: "Christ is Baptized" "In the river Jordan." A response of "Glorify Him" would also seem appropriate at this time, and in keeping with the doxological nature of our greetings, rather than describing in more detail, the event itself. I have heard the latter used very occasionally (Slavite . . . ) rather than the former and more common one (Na ritsi Yordani). Otherwise, at Christmas, we should say, "Christ is Born" "In Bethlehem" "Christ is Risen" "From the dead" or "In Jerusalem" and so forth. But, I agree that "legitimate development" can be a good thing, if it has a qualified/confirmed origin within our tradition. Just a theological observation that has always perplexed me.

"Glory to Jesus Christ" and "Christ is in our midst" seem perfectly fine to continue with at times of the year when our custom dictates no extraordinary greeting (Christmas, Easter and evidently, Bohojavlennja/Theophany).

Good observation Lemko. God bless you all,

Fr. Joe

"In the flesh!" or, alternatively, "OUCH!"

Enough impiety from me for today.

Dave

I believe the proper greeting for the Circusision would be "Mazeltov!"

How about, as a Rx: "But Uncircumscribed!"

XB

Herb