November | 2006 | presvlisa's Xanga Site

Today’s the Day!

Listen to “Come Receive the Light” to learn more about this historic visit. The program begins with the topic, “the real meaning of Christmas” and ends with a conversation with His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, about the visit of the Pope to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and why it is important.

I received this e-mail forward today, from my cousin Sandra, Maria~Angelica’s Godmother. The graphics aren’t my favorite, I prefer Byzantine icons. lol! The message is a good one and very worth sharing. Although knowing the readers of my blog…it is like preaching to the choir! *EDITIED*(I changed the graphics,more to my liking.)

IT’S STRANGE ISN’T IT

1. Isn’t it strange how a 20 dollar bill
seems like such a large
amount when
you donate it to church, but
such a small amount
when you go shopping?

2. Isn’t it strange how 2 hours seem so long when
you’re at church, and how
short they seem when you’re
watching a good movie?

4. Isn’t it strange how difficult
and boring it is to read
one chapter
of the Bible, but how easy
it is to read 100 pages of
a popular novel.

5. Isn’t it strange how everyone
wants front-row-tickets
to concerts or
games, but they do whatever
is possible to sit in the last
row at Church?

6. Isn’t it strange how we need to
know about an event for Church 2-3
weeks before the day so we can
include it in our agenda, but we can
adjust it for other events at
the last minute?

7. Isn’t it strange how difficult it
is to learn a fact about God to share
with others, but how easy
it is to learn, understand,
extend and repeat gossip?

8. Isn’t it strange how we
believe everything
that magazines and newspapers
say, but we question the words in the
Bible?

9. Isn’t it strange how everyone
wants a place in
Heaven, but they don’t want
to believe, do, or say anything
to get there?

10. Isn’t it strange how we send
jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded
right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?

IT’S STRANGE ISN’T IT?

Now that you’ve read this message, forward it to anybody
that you consider a friend, family member, or foe. May they be blessed!

My friend Phyllis asked me about this icon, I thought I would share what I shared with her. Fr. and I were able to see the original icon in the Tretiakov Gallery, in Moscow.

~Rublev’s Trinity~

Magdaline Bovis

This article was published in the St. Nina Quarterly, Volume 2, No. 4.

Nowhere is the mystery of the three-in-one Godhead more clearly grasped than in St. Andrei Rublev’s icon of the Trinity. Also known as the “Hospitality of Abraham,” this icon is based on the Old Testament story in Genesis 18, where Abraham is visited by three young men (later identified as angels) presaging Trinitarian doctrine. It has become the image par excellence of the Holy Trinity for the Church.

In the icon the Biblical site of the oak grove at Mamre is indicated by a single tree, and Abraham’s tent by the house in the upper left in this economical background. The total focus is on the three figures. Their role as angels is evidenced by their wings and by the thin staffs that they hold so lightly.

The composition is one that the eye discovers to be curvilinear as it is led from one angel to the other, following the tilts of the heads, the gazes of the eyes, and the fold of the robes. Even the tree leans in a gentle arc. But on closer observation, there is movement in the icon; it is energized.

The identity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from left to right is based on their order of mention in the creed of the faith. The role of Christ here is not based on His incarnation as the God-Man but as the Second Person of the Trinity equal in all ways: hence the identical faces and the absence of the cruciferous nimbus, Christ’s traditional halo enclosing His cross and specific to Him in all other icons.

The colors of the garments are significant. The Father’s mantle is yellowish-pink, somewhat diaphanous, and blends more than the others into the totality of the scene; indeed His role in the Creed resides in the first article alone, but undergirds the entire creed. The second person appears in Christ’s traditional garb, which is the reddish purple chiton (tunic) with the golden clavus, the stripe of cloth on the right side which falls over the shoulder to the hem of the garment, which indicated noble rank in Roman times. It is surmounted by a blue mantle. The Holy Spirit angel wears the green of freshening and renewal, which He inspires. Green is the color of spring and rebirth in creation. It and blue are the most prevalent colors in nature. A variation of this blue appears in the mantle of the Christ angel.

Over and above composition and color is the aura of peace and tranquility that is evoked by this scene. A serene, soft joy permeates the faces and a calm exceeding ordinary stillness exudes from the relationship of the three angels. Therein lies the “perichoretic dance” of love in unity which is the essence of the Trinity – unity in and through love.

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite Saints, his story is beautiful. This is also one of my favorite icons. St. Stylianos , pray to God for us and protect our children.

November 26

Venerable Stylianos of Paphlagonia

Saint Stylianus was born in Paphlagonia of Asia Minor sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries. He inherited a great fortune from his parents when they died, but he did not keep it. He gave it away to the poor according to their need, desiring to help those who were less fortunate.

Stylianus left the city and went to a monastery, where he devoted his life to God. Since he was more zealous and devout than the other monks, he provoked their jealousy and had to leave. He left the monastery to live alone in a cave in the wilderness, where he spent his time in prayer and fasting.
The goodness and piety of the saint soon became evident to the inhabitants of Paphlagonia, and they sought him out to hear his teaching, or to be cured by him. Many were healed of physical and mental illnesses by his prayers.
St Stylianus was known for his love of children, and he would heal them of their infirmities. Even after his death, the citizens of Paphlagonia believed that he could cure their children. Whenever a child became sick, an icon of St Stylianus was painted and was hung over the child’s bed.
At the hour of his death, the face of St Stylianus suddenly became radiant, and an angel appeared to receive his soul.
Known as a protector of children, St Stylianus is depicted in iconography holding an infant in his arms. Pious Christians ask him to help and protect their children, and childless women entreat his intercession so that they might have children.

St Stylianos was a man who practiced every day of his lifetime what Jesus preached when he said,

“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God” (Luke 10:14).

His great concern for children was such that he came to be considered the patron saint of children, but he did not limit his benevolence to children alone, as his life story bears out.

Stylianos was born during the seventh century in Adrianopolis in the province of Paphlagonia into a family which for generations had known nothing but poverty, a circumstance which was accepted without complaint and in which the simple, uncomplicated life afforded them greater time for religious matters. What the family of Stylianos lacked in material things was more than offset by the wealth of a deep faith in Jesus Christ and a cheerful commitment to the Messiah who never owned anything more than the clothes he wore. Stylianos was early made aware of this affinity with the Lord and by the time he had reached maturity had acquired a profound sense of responsibility to the Savior. Determined to serve Jesus Christ to the fullest of his ability, Stylianos joined the hermits of the desert with a view toward cleansing his soul through a period of meditation and prayer, as well as through association with men likewise pledging their lives to Jesus Christ.

Unlike most other hermits, however, he did not withdraw from society altogether, preferring to go among the people for whatever good he might do, and then returning to his little cave for rest and prayerful meditation. One night while he prayed for guidance in helping others, Stylianos felt a divine presence and was consumed by the great glory of the Holy Spirit, emerging from his cave the next day with a spirit of exultation and serenity he had never known before.

In his customary rounds, wherein he counseled and comforted, he felt compelled to place his hand on a stricken child, something he had not up to that time dared to do; he felt the power of the Lord being transferred to the ailing youngster through his extended arm. The child immediately recovered, and thenceforth St Stylianos was sought after by every suffering soul for miles around, young and old. His cave became a magnet for the sick and suffering, many of whom received complete cures not only through the power in this man but through their faith as well, without which a sufferer’s case was hopeless.

It was this time that St Stylianos concerned himself primarily with children, not just the physically afflicted but also those who were in need of spiritual guidance. Families from all walks of life entrusted to St Stylianos the enlightenment of their children, and he was forced to seek out larger headquarters and to recruit from the ranks of his hermit friends the assistance needed to tend to so many. His was probably the first day-care center of the world, where mothers could safely leave their children while tending to other matters of the home.

St Stylianos was inadvertently qualified to become the patron saint of children yet to be born, owing to his miraculous intercession for a young woman who helped him with children but could bear none of her own. When the woman conceived, her husband out of sheer joy spread the word of this miracle, and before long many barren women came to the great hermit. Those whose faith in Jesus Christ was genuine became fertile. The cheerful countenance of St Stylianos was his hallmark, because he seemed always to be smiling, Now and then, however, he would be challenged by an outraged discreditor of little faith, and only then would the beaming hermit’s face darken with a scowl. He was also approached by greedy mercenaries with all manner of propositions for commercializing his talents and reaping a tidy fortune, but for these people he always had the same answer: that he had been paid in advance for his services when the serenity of the Holy Spirit came upon him. He would smile as they left. He lived to a ripe old age, and it is said that, when he was buried his countenance still beamed with a faint smile from the light of the Lord.

~It’s A Beautiful Day~

It is nearly 72 degrees here, really unbelievable. I have the windows and doors open. Normally it is freezing by now! Today is a record high, beating the previous highest temperature, almost hundred years ago, back in 1908. The boys are outside, Basil is mowing the lawn, Fr. went to visit some elderly parishioners, to give them Holy Communion, later on we will be putting up Christmas lights and Maria~Angelica is enjoying Nicholas’ leftover peanut butter sandwich. LOL! Nicholas is NOT an eater. When Nicholas left the table and Maria~Angelica happily pulled his plate over and reached right in and picked up his sandwich. This is her first taste of peanut butter and boy is she enjoying it!

We have had a nice couple of days. Thanksgiving was wonderful. I am very thankful that we live so close to my family. The boys always enjoy going to Yiayia and Papou’s house. We are so thankful to have healthy parents. I was not so blessed to have grandparents, at least not for very long.

Yesterday we took the children to the Art Museum, always a treat! I just LOVE that place! Then we had a little get together at a dear friend’s house, whose mother is home bound. It was nice to visit with everyone. My parents took us out to dinner on the river and then we took the boys downtown to see the Christmas decorations. My Thanksgiving pictures were all blurry, because the camera was on the wrong setting. Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. As I post this I am enjoying listening to “Ancient Faith Radio”- Check it out.

Glory be to God for all things!

“Over the Hills and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go…”

~The Art Museum~

One of my favorite pieces.

~Downtown~

It was 50 degrees last night, although you wouldn’t know it by the way I have the baby bundled up! It is so much fun having a new baby. We all really enjoyed watching her enjoy the animated decorations.

~Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!~

Enjoy this special time with your friends and family, for we indeed have much to be thankful! Glory be to God for all things!

November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving Day

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Order of St. Andrew, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I greet you in the love of our gracious God as we celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving. As we come together as families, friends, and communities from across the land on this wonderful day it is indeed appropriate to feast with one another in a spirit of Christian gratitude; for God has blessed us with gifts and treasures which we must never take for granted. Among the more precious of these God-given gifts that we remember on this day are the indispensable values of our democracy, our religious freedom, and our civil liberties.

Our celebration of Thanksgiving traces its roots to the 17th century experience of the early colonists to the New World and their interactions with the Native American peoples of what is today known as New England. This interaction and concurrent celebration of the so-called “First Thanksgiving” in 1621, continues to be a subject that is worthy on its own terms of more honest examination and study. More than two centuries later, by official Proclamation in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln established the holiday as a “day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” It is in this broad historical context that our national holiday of Thanksgiving has become interwoven in the fabric of the religious consciousness of the United States.

Precisely because of its rich history and its express theological orientation, Thanksgiving Day is one of the few, if not the last, of our remaining national religious holidays. For us, the religious character of Thanksgiving resonates melodiously with our Orthodox Christian faith, as exemplified by hymns of doxology that we offer to God in our regular worship of Him: “We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory.” This short phrase constitutes one measure of the larger hymn of the “Great Doxology” that we as a Church chant and recite in our daily liturgical services. By these terms, Thanksgiving is quite literally for us a daily holiday that transcends the geographical boundaries of the United States and reaches out universally to all persons in all corners of our world, all of whom are recipients of God’s abiding love and comfort, particularly those who live in dire conditions of need for the love and comfort of God, whom we remember prayerfully on this day.

My beloved Christians, as we gather with our loved ones during this Thanksgiving holiday, worshiping God and feasting together in gratitude for His blessings, I pray that we may all continue to grow in our understanding of the tremendous implications and lessons of Thanksgiving Day. This is a holiday that is rich in history and in religious significance for our nation and for us as Orthodox Christians, who continuously give thanks to God for all His wonders and blessings. May God bless you and your families on this day of Thanksgiving, and may God bless America.

With paternal love in Christ,

+DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America

~Great Christmas Present!~

We have been waiting for this Children’s Bible to come out.

Wonderful illustrations and simplified text make the bible come alive for your child – a popular Greek title now available in English for the first time!

in cooperation with:

Also in Greek:

“This Children’s Bible Reader handsomely brings to life the central stories of the Old Testament and the New Testament and makes them accessible to children.

Translated from the Greek Bible Society’s acclaimed work, this English edition with its easy-to-understand text and excellent iconographic illustrations will certainly illumine the hearts and minds of our children and strengthen their faith as they read these inspiring stories from our sacred scriptures.

It is my warm prayer that the Children’s Bible Reader will find it’s way into every Orthodox parish and every home with children. It will be a very valuable resource for families, parents, children, and catechetical schools, inspiring and edifying all who read from it.”

-His Eminence Archbishop DEMETRIOS of America

To sneak a peek inside this marvelous book, click the detailed image or else download a sample (8 MB).

Click HERE for more details.