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On the sixth Sunday following Pascha, the Church commemorates the Feast of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council held in Nicea in 325 AD. Through these Holy Fathers of the Church, God has given us the Creed of Our Faith, better known as the Nicene Creed.

It is very important to note that according to the synaxarion for this Feast, Our Lord Jesus Christ put on human flesh, accomplished the work of salvation and ascended to the throne of the Father. The Council confessed and proclaimed Christ as having the same essence and honor as the Father. It was the saints of the Church which prescribe this Sunday following the Great Feast of the Ascension, in order bear witness to the fact that the Son of God, truly became man and, being perfect man and perfect God, ascended into heaven and “sat at the right hand of the Majesty on high”. (Hebrews 1:3)

It is also very true that the closeness of this Sunday is evident in the hymnography for many of the hymns on this Sunday connect Christ’s Glorious Ascension with the formulation of the Creed of the Church, the summary of truths about the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; One God existing eternally in Three Persons, all working together for the salvation of the world.

May we rejoice and give thanks to the Fathers of the Church celebrated today for the great achievement they affirmed with absolute clarity: our New Testament faith.

Sunday Of The Fathers Of The First Ecumenical Council