Posted by emily on Aug 29, 2010 in
living faith,
orthodoxy 
Blessed are those who love the beauty of Thy House.
I wish I could describe this day for you.
I cannot really say what it’s like to feel lost in worship. To know the words, but also know that I do not yet fully understand them. To sing hymns that have been sung by so many for so long, and not once do they actually feel old. I could experience the Liturgy every day for the rest of my life and never stop finding something new within it.
Wisdom, let us attend!
As the gospel book was brought out before the church, the children sang the hymn. It was so sweet and so beautiful that, for a moment, Father simply couldn’t sing. And so we did. The word liturgy means “the work of the people.” I wish I could express what it was like to stand in the midst of those voices.
Save us, O Son of God, who did rise from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia!
I wish to tell you what it’s like to look around the church and see that you are surrounded by the saints. In one moment, 2000 years of history is more present and alive than you can possibly imagine.
With faith, hope, and love, draw near.
I wish that everyone could know what it feels like to stand together, to wait together, to receive the Eucharist together. To know what the ‘unity of the faith’ is really like.
We have seen the Light, the True Light, and have received the Heavenly Spirit. We now have found the True Faith, by our worshiping the undivided Trinity.
Change is never an easy thing. Today we stood together and said goodbye to a beloved priest. We will miss him and his wonderful wife. We love them, and we wish them the best.
“I am no longer your priest, but I will always be your friend.”
Posted by emily on May 30, 2010 in
living faith,
orthodoxy,
tidbits Our church community is multicultural and multilingual, so like many Orthodox parishes, our services are conducted in more than one language. Fortunately for n00bs like myself, the Liturgy is mostly English. When asked if I speak any other languages, I tend to joke that I know “church Greek”.
But there are still some linguistic elements of the service that elude me, and one of the major ones is the Lord’s Prayer. We say it in Greek, then in English, and while it’s been nearly five years, I still haven’t even attempted to learn it in Greek.
This is something that I would like to remedy.
Pater imon, o en tis ouranis,
aghiasthito to onoma sou;
eltheto i vasilia sou; ghenithito to thelima sou,
os en ourano, ke epi tis ghis;
ton arton imon ton epiousion dos imin simeron;
ke afes imin ta ofilimata imon,
os ke imis afiemen tis ofiletes imon;
ke mi isenengis imas is pirasmon,
ala rise imas apo tou ponirou.
Oti sou estin i basilia, ke i dunamis, ke i doksa is tous eonas;
Amin
Posted by emily on May 22, 2010 in
living faith,
thinking matters (author unknown)
If, as Herod
We fill our lives with things,
And again with things;
If we consider ourselves
So unimportant that we must fill
Every moment of our lives
With action,
When will we have the time to make
The long, slow journey across the desert
As did the Magi?
Or sit and watch the stars
As did the shepherds?
Or brood over the coming of the Child
As did Mary?
For each of us,
There is a desert to travel.
A star to discover.
And a being within ourselves to bring to life.
Posted by emily on Apr 4, 2010 in
holidays,
living faith,
orthodoxy 
Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free.
He that was taken by death has annihilated it!
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted his flesh!
And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed: “Hades was embittered
when it encountered thee in the lower regions”.
It was embittered, for it was abolished!
It was embittered, for it was mocked!
It was embittered, for it was purged!
It was embittered, for it was despoiled!
It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!
It took a body and came upon God!
It took earth and encountered heaven!
It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!
O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!
For Christ, being raised from the dead,
has become the first-fruits of them that slept.
To him be glory and might unto ages of ages.
Amen.
Posted by emily on Feb 15, 2010 in
living faith,
orthodoxy Great Lent should be regarded as an invaluable divine gift. It is a sacred time of divine grace, which seeks to detach us from things material, lowly and corrupt in order to attract us toward things superior, wholesome and spiritual. It is a unique opportunity to remove from the soul every passion, to rid the body of everything superfluous, harmful and mortal. Accordingly, then, it is a time of immense rejoicing and gladness. A genuine feast and exhilaration!
- Catechetical Homily On the Commencement of Holy and Great Lent
