Christian Life – Page 9

Mar

08

2013

Veneration of the Holy Cross

Christian Life, Faith

The Third Sunday in the Great Fast is the twenty-first day of the forty-day fast. We are half way to our Holy Week observance of the Lord’s passion and resurrection. At this mid-point the Church directs our attention to the holy cross and to Christ’s injunction, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). The cross, adorned with flowers, is brought forth for veneration as on September 14. While that feast commemorates the historical events of the finding of the cross by St Helena and its return to Jerusalem after…

Feb

24

2013

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

The Fathers Reaffirmed

Christian Life, Faith

WHAT DO FASTS, METANIES, PROSTRATIONS, and standing through long church services have to do with prayer? Isn’t prayer the conversation with God we have in our hearts? Why is Eastern Christian spirituality so physical? On the First Sunday of the Fast we proclaimed the Orthodoxy of incorporating material creation (sacred images) in our worship because the living Word of God assumed matter in becoming fully man. On this second Sunday of the Fast we affirm our use of the material in worship for a similar reason. We worship using matter because to be fully human is to be physical. The…

Feb

05

2013

By Fr. Roman Planchak

Food for the Gods

Christian Life

Source: Eparchy of Newton SAY GOOD-BYE TO MEAT. In the fasting practice common to all Byzantine Churches Meatfare Sunday is the last day on which meat would be eaten until Pascha. This is the first step towards the fuller discipline of the Great Fast when dairy products would not be eaten as well. This is why next Sunday is called Cheesefare Sunday (good-bye to dairy products). Why is meat targeted in the Fast? Certainly in most places meat is a special festive dish. We think of the fatted calf which the father ordered slain to welcome his prodigal son back…

Dec

25

2012

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

Byzantine Christmas: Feast of Recreation

Christian Life, Faith

St Gregory of Nazlanzus sums up the Eastern Christian view of Christmas in his famous statement that the Nativity of Christ "is not a festival of creation but a festival of recreation." The birth of Christ, although a historical event, is not an end but a means to the renewal, sanctification, and recreation of the whole universe. Actually we commemorate, not so much the birth of a child, but the ultimate rebirth and transfiguration of all mankind and with it the whole world of creation. The world, held in bondage by reason of man's perversion, this is the world Christ…

Dec

20

2012

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

The Importance Of Sunday

Christian Life, Faith

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological ConsultationSaint Paul’s College, Washington, DC Recovering the theological significance of Sunday is fundamental to rebalancing our lives. As Orthodox and Catholics, we share a theological view of Sunday and so our purpose in this statement is four-fold: to offer a caring response to what is not just a human, but also a theological question; to add a little more volume to the growing chorus of Christian voices trying to be heard in the din of our non-stop worklife; to offer brief reflections in hopes of drawing attention to the fuller expositions elsewhere; and to reinforce…

Nov

13

2012

By Fr. Roman Planchak

Letting Christ Live in Me

Christian Life, Faith

WHAT DID ST. PAUL MEAN when he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)? How was he crucified with Christ? In the sacramental sense, he was “crucified” the same way we were: through baptism. In this mystery the death and resurrection of Christ are mystically represented. We are buried in Christ when we are immersed (buried) in the water. We are resurrected with Him when we are raised up out of the font. This is not simply an attempt to paint a picture of Christ’s burial…

Jun

01

2012

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

8 Quotes from St. John Chrysostom on How to Raise Children

Christian Life

Listers, one of the most important basis for children’s spiritual formation is a strong foundation of faith made by their parents. This task is a massive long-term undertaking, which requires the parents to approach their vocation with fear and trembling. St. John Chrysostom was not ignorant of this. In fact mingled in his great orations concerning deep theological matters, he often addressed parents on how to raise their children in holiness. Many people suggest that his ideas on parenting appear to antiquated. Although I believe it would foolish not to at least reflect on his words and find way to…

Jan

08

2012

By Respected Author

A House of Prayer

Christian Life

According to the age-old tradition of the Byzantine Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, the home is a kind of church, because it houses an assembly of believers. When people occupy a new house, the priest performs a consecration, anointing the four walls with holy oil and sanctifying the house with holy water and incense. Psalms are chanted and the Gospel story of Jesus' visit to the house of Zacchaeus (cf. Luke 19:1-1O) is proclaimed. At the conclusion the traditional prayer for “Many Years” is sung by the priest for the family members. When the family moves into a new dwelling,…

Sep

01

2011

By Most Rev. David Motiuk

Discover the Beauty of the Liturgical Year!

Christian Life, Liturgy

We're used to marking our lives by the events during the year that give shape to our existence and of those around us. A birthday. An anniversary. A graduation. A death. Each of these celebrations helps us mark significant moments in time. We record many of these meaningful moments in pictures, videos, greeting cards, letters and the such. And from time to time, we reminisce about the people and happenings recorded for posterity, bringing a smile to our faces when our memories fill our hearts with gladness, or bringing a tear to the eye when we recall the loss of…