At my first few Divine Liturgies, standing rather than kneeling during consecration came as a particular shock. So this week we will go through various postures of prayer and other prayerful actions during the Divine Liturgy, and why we do them. Standing During Divine Liturgy First of all, what does standing mean for us during …
Although there are many differences between the Eastern and Western Catholic Churches, the Eucharist remains central. However, the Byzantine Churches follow traditions about the Eucharist that are now unfamiliar in the West. Let’s explore these traditions in this week’s article. Receiving Communion in the Eastern Rite When I went to my first Divine Liturgy, what …
It is that time of year again… we are counting down to a new year in the Church! September 1st is the beginning of the new Church year for Byzantine Catholics. You can read about why this is in our previous article about the Church New Year here. In that article I also included some …
The Dormition Fast begins August 1st, and lasts through to the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The BadgerDad wrote an excellent article on the details of the Dormition Fast, which you can read here. In it there are various prayers poignant to this period, as well as a bit about the …
The Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Most Holy God-bearer We celebrate the Dormition of Anna, the mother of the Theotokos, on July 25th. As the mother of the Theotokos, St. Anna (together with Joachim) held an important role in preparing Mary for her role in Salvation history. They taught their daughter to pray, …
The Repose of Blessed Olga, Princess of Kiev, Who Took on The Christian Name Helen at her Holy Baptism July 11th is the feast of Blessed Olga, Princess of Kiev. Her Christian name is Helen, and she is also called Elena or Helga. And we also call her Equal to the Apostles. Olga attempted to …
Hyacinth of Caesarea Hyacinth was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia, between 88 and 96 A.D. He was raised Christian. And at some point he became a member of the Emperor’s household. The Emperor at this time, Trajan, persecuted Christians. Emperor Trajan led Rome’s military effectively, and greatly expanded the Roman Empire. History even calls Trajan …
Hope as a virtue is very particular to Christianity. In fact, without Christ, hope wouldn’t even make sense as a virtue. Because without Christ, hopes are mere optimistic ideals. And with Christ, our hope is firmly founded on faith and reason. Hope is necessary for our salvation. The one who has hope lives differently – …
The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul We have officially arrived at one of the key feasts in the post Pentecost Liturgical year for Eastern Christians. June 29th is the Feast of the All-holy and Praiseworthy Apostles Peter and Paul, our fathers among the saints. Since the Monday after the Eastern feast of All Saints, …
The Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas On June 11th we commemorate the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas. So to help us celebrate, let’s go through what we know about these two saints, and their prayers and tropars. Bartholomew Bartholomew is one of the 12 Apostles. There is a strong possibility that he is the same …