Great Lent Of the many ways to draw closer to God during Lent, don’t forget music! Especially in the setting of family life, music can draw the family together towards God. So this year, when I updated my Great Lent playlist for my kids, I also put together a YouTube playlist with many of the …
March (Still Great Lent – Check out our Great Lent Resources below!) (5) – Gregory Palmas 9 – 40 Martyrs of Sebaste – also check out ByziMom’s (12) – Veneration of the Holy Cross 14 – St. Benedict 18 – Cyril of Jerusalem (19) – Ven. John Climacus 25 – Annunciation – Akathist Saturday (26) …
February 1 – Last day to use the greeting Christ is Born! Glorify Him! (Time to take down our Christmas Tree!) 2 – Presentation/Encounter in the Temple (12) – Meatfare Sunday 14 – Repose of Venerable Cyril, Teacher of the Slavs (19) – Cheesefare/Forgiveness Sunday (20) – First Day of Great Lent (strict fast) (Check …
We celebrate Saint Euthymius (also spelled Euthemius) the Great on January 20th, commemorating his death that day in Jerusalem. We know Saint Euthymius for founding many monasteries in the fifth century. Also, he participated in the decision making of the Fourth Ecumenical Council. Euthymius the Great Euthymius was born in a noble Christian family in …
A house blessing is a common part of our faith. And, as far as I know, common across all rites of the Church. (If there are exceptions you know of, I would be happy to hear it in the comments). Now that Theophany has passed, it is the traditional time for house blessings! I am …
We celebrate Venerable Theodosius on January 11th. And this great saint is known as the founder of the the Cenobitic monastic life! But who really was he? Let’s see what we know about Venerable Theodosius. Theodosius the Great The name Theodosius means Gift of God, or Given by God. And, appropriately, there are several known …
The end of January marks the 5th anniversary of The Byzantine Life! Although the blog didn’t go live until March, January 2018 marked the beginning of The Byzantine Life, when we purchased the domain and began building this site. There are also many great feast days in January, with the 1st marking both the Circumcision …
In the East we celebrate the Theotokos on the day after Christmas (Roman Catholics celebrate St. Stephen). We celebrate the Theotokos on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity primarily because it is through Mary that the incarnation is possible. The Nativity of Christ is the greatest moment of Mary’s life. It is …
Each month this year I want to prepare and look ahead to see what major feast days are coming up. One thing I appreciate about blogging is that it gives me a reason to look ahead at feast days. And that it makes me take the time to learn about them. However, especially with a …
Apostle Philemon We celebrate Apostle Philemon on November 22nd. He is probably most recognized as a recipient of a letter from Paul, which is included in the cannon of scripture. Philemon was wealthy, and as such at the time, had slaves in his household. In the epistle to Philemon, we hear that one of his …