Royal Doors

Feb

19

2013

Why Are Icons Orthodox?

Faith, Featured Articles

TODAY IS THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY, which celebrates the restoration of the Orthodox use of icons in the Byzantine Empire. But what exactly is “Orthodoxy” and what does it have to do with icons? Literally the word means “rightly proclaiming” – those who glorify God in the correct manner. The oldest use of this term in the Christian East is in reference to the understanding of the Trinity as expressed in the Nicene Creed. If you could not profess this creed, then you were not Orthodox. Thus the sixth century Code of Justinian, the compilation of laws in the empire,…

Feb

12

2013

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

A Fastless Fast?

Christian Life, Featured ArticlesFasting, Great Lent

CHEESEFARE SUNDAY IS TRADITIONALLY the last day for eating dairy products until Pascha, as the Great Fast begins tomorrow. This poses a problem in our society where meat and dairy are the substance of every meal. Some people say that they cannot do without meat and so they only fast sporadically. By this they may mean they need protein and are not aware of other sources of protein, such as beans, peas, soy products (tofu), as well as seeds and nuts. But it is perhaps more likely that people miss the taste of meat, fish or dairy products more than…

Feb

05

2013

By Fr. Roman Planchak

Food for the Gods

Christian Life, Featured Articles

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…

Jan

12

2013

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

The Lord Manifested in the Jordan

Faith, Featured Articles

“THE HOLY DAY OF THE LIGHTS to which we have come, and which we are celebrating today, has for its origin the Baptism of my Christ, the True Light that lightens everyone who comes into the world, and effects my purification…” These words, which begin St Gregory the Theologian’s homily “on the Lights,” reflect what was already a well-known custom when he spoke them (AD 381). They also point to the reason why this is an especially appropriate term for this feast of the Theophany. It has been suggested that the feast was introduced in third century Alexandria, where January…

Dec

25

2012

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

Byzantine Christmas: Feast of Recreation

Christian Life, Faith, Featured Articles

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…

Dec

11

2012

By UGCC Bishops of Canada

Pastoral Letter of the UGCC Bishops of Canada for Nativity 2012

UGCC

To the Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters, Seminarians and Lay-Faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, When as a Christian family, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we greet one another with words of joy: “Christ is Born! Glorify Him!”. This is our expression of faith and of our commitment to give glory and honour to the One who came into this world to save us, to restore humankind’s relationship with its Creator. In the Sacred Scriptures we read of the wondrous…

Nov

13

2012

By Fr. Roman Planchak

Letting Christ Live in Me

Christian Life, Faith, Featured Articles

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…

Oct

17

2012

By Royal Doors Roving Reporter

Canadian Priest Receives the Lesser Schema

Jul

20

2012

By Fr. Michael Winn

Order of Holy Baptism and Chrismation

Liturgybaptism, chrismation, christening, holy mystery, initiation

All you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia! [alert style="info"]Please Note: As of the day of this post there is no official English translation of this Rite for the Ukrainian Catholic Church. This translation is provided until such time.[/alert] The priest, vested in an epitrakhil (and phelon, if it is the custom) goes with the deacon into the narthex of the church. The deacon faces the child to the East, opens its blanket and removes its hat. Then the priest breathes on the child’s face three times, makes the sign of the Cross on…