What a blessing! A dear, Orthodox friend (an iconographer), recently gifted me an amazing icon of a saint whom I deeply revere, St. Gabriela (also known as Mother Gavrilia).
This Shining New Saint (whose feast day is March 28, civil calendar) saw Christ in everyone, and was imbued with sincere, simple, Christian love, and genuine humility.
Her life was andstill is a verdant, precious, inspiring model to us all!
My goddaughter introduced me to The Ascetic of Love, a wonderful book, compiled from St. Gabriela’s letters, notes, and conversations over the years, including those closest to her later on, in the monastery. It’s one of my absolute go-to-favourite books, and I highly recommend everyone to read it if possible… but (warning), it’s hard to put down!
As I gaze into St. Gabriela’s holy icon, I’m prayerfully drawn into the spiritual depths of her kind eyes… seemingly full of great expectations from me. It’s like she’s lovingly, encouragingly, yet gently reprovingly, reminding me (who’s so quick to judge others and not myself), “The ball’s in your court, Barbara. Always in your court.”
Our soul is a Divine Breath. Our body is His Creation. In the whole of us we are the icon of God… When you have thought of criticism -judging others, ask God to take hold of you at that hour so that you can love that person as He loves. Then God will help you see your condition. If Christ were visible, could you criticize?… Three things are needful. First Love, Second Love, Third Love. ~ Quotes by St. Gabriela
Through the holy intercessions of our Bright, Venerable and God-bearing Mother Gabriela the New Ascetic of Love, O Christ our God, have mercy on us, and save us! Amen!
Wishing you an Old-Style Calendar* Blessed Feast of St. Spyridon & St. Herman of Alaska Day! To my New-Style Calendar* Friends,Christ is Born!
Before my fiancé I were baptised, we visited our first Orthodox Church Service on Western Christmas Day. It was a beautiful little chapel, steeped in holiness, and we walked in fully expecting Christmas. Surprised and perplexed by the apparent 13 day calendar* difference, we soon delighted in the golden glow of candlelight, and the smokey tendrils of incense that swirled like giant halos about the holy icons of saints. The tiny choir sang peacefully, matching the priest’s warm intonations. We stood, suspended within timeless Eternity. This was Heaven on Earth… for here, one acutely felt the Presence of Jesus Christ at the Eucharist. The priest’s concluding sermon reminded us that as we approach Christ’s Holy Nativity, that today we also celebrate two bright and special saints. One from of old, and one fairly new… St. Spyridon and St. Herman. Thus began our joyous journey home to the Orthodox Church.
On the church date December 12th, is the Feast of the Holy Wonderworker, St. Spyridon of Tremithus. (270 – 348 AD) St. Spyridon was born in Cyprus, and initially worked as a shepherd and known for his great piety. He married and had one daughter, Irene. Upon the death of his wife, Spyridon entered a monastery, and their daughter entered a convent. St. Spyridon eventually became Bishop of Tremithus and took part in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea(325), where he was instrumental in countering the erroneous theological arguments of Arius and his followers. There’s an account of his speech at this event, regarding the Holy Trinity… At one point, St. Spyridon grasped a brick and squeezed it so hard that miraculously, a flame flew up, while at the same time water trickled downwards, leaving only a small amount of crushed clay within his hand. He exclaimed:“There are these three elements, but one brick; likewise, in the Holy Trinity, there are three Persons, but One God”.
Today we also remember and celebrate the Holy Wonderworker St. Herman of Alaska. St. Herman was a monk, missionary and miracle worker who brought the Orthodox Faith from Russia to the native peoples of Alaska in the late 18th century. He taught the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ and defended these people from exploitation by the Russian traders. Here’s a recent miracleof St. Herman of Alaska on Mt. Denali, and a YouTube Visit to Spruce Island: The holy Relics of St. Herman the Wonderworker.
For our good, for our happiness, let us make a vow that from this day forth, from this hour, from this minute, let us strive to love God above all else and seek to do His Holy Will. ~ St. Herman of Alaska
A Sermon by +Archpriest John Adams of Eternal Memory, on St. Herman of Alaska
Drawing closer to the Feast of the Nativity we read the gospel (Luke 14:16-24) about those who were invited to a great supper, and those who wouldn’t come, so others take their place. Many are called, but the chosen seem to be those who simply didn’t make an excuse. They came. No matter what their state was when they were called. It wasn’t more important than the feast.
What if there was someone to whom being chosen was more important than anything, more important than pleasure or comfort? To travel thousands of miles in difficult conditions, to live in the cold and dark alone, but always remembering the feast that would come. What would this person be like? Maybe they would be someone who wouldn’t lie, even though it meant death. Maybe when they chanted alone it would sound like a whole choir of angels singing. Maybe if you were alone they would take you in; if you were sick, he would pray for you and you would get well. Maybe if there was going to be disaster, like a tidal wave, maybe he would take the icon the Mother of God to the shore and the water wouldn’t come above it, and you were saved.
They might be like one candle burning in a whole dark continent, but one candle after another is lit from it, and hundreds of years later, they are still burning.
What if you saw the feast, and you saw them enter in to join the others and it was all joy and light, but you were standing on the outside looking in – for when you had been invited over and over, you always had an excuse?
*Until 1924, the Eastern Orthodox Church universally used the ancient Julian calendar, whereas the Roman Catholic Church, under Pope Gregory XIII, conducted a calendar reform resulting in the Gregorian (new, civil) calendar in 1582. The difference between the two calendars is 13 days between the years 1900 and 2100. Some branches of the Orthodox Church still keep liturgical dates according to the Julian calendar, while some others have adopted using the “new” calendar. However, Orthodox Christians who use both calendars, always strictly adhere and calculate the Great Feast of Pascha, only according to the Julian Calendar.
For the health of a dear friend, family prayers were recently said in front of this special Icon, She Who is Quick to Hear.
The original wonderworking icon resides on Holy Mount Athos at the Dokhiareia monastery. There are many copies of it throughout the world. Tradition states the icon was written in the tenth century when the head of this monastery was St. Neophytes – who is also commemorated on theIcon’s Feast DayNovember 22/9. At its first miracle in 1664 AD, our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary promised, “From this time on, my icon shalt be named Quick-Hearing, and for all hastening to it, shalt there quickly appear, mercy and fulfillment of entreaties.”
To this day, the Most Holy Mother of God continues to fulfill Her promise and quickly offers help and consolation for all, who with faith, hasten to her. She hears every prayer!
This icon, a copy of She Who is Quick to Hear, belonged to my grandmother and given upon her baptism at 89 years of age, by a venerable matushka (the same age as she), who became her godmother, by proxy.
I’ll always remember my grandmother’s first visit to the church after her baptism. It was an arduous journey, for at that time we had no Orthodox church in our city and had to travel by car and ferry, a trip (3-4 hours each way) to church.
Her godmother – an aged matushka, could only speak Russian, and my grandmother could only speak English. However,upon greeting each other joyfully for the first time (before the church service began – and what would be their last time to ever see one another upon this earth), they embraced and chatted non-stop with each other… Matushka Eudocia in Russian, and my grandmother in English! I stood perplexed at this exchange. Then one of them apparently said something amusing to the other, and they both glanced over at me, giggled simultaneously over the anecdote… and happily continued their conversation until the service began.
Journeying home after church, I was bursting to know what my grandma and matushka Eudocia were chatting about? She responded matter-of-factly, “Surely you heard, my dear? You were standing there right beside us… and now Eudocia and I know each other better – before one of us heads off to Glory!”
I asked my grandma howcould she understand matushka Eudocia, because matushka was speaking Russian?!
My grandmother smiled serenely, looked out the car window at the passing scenery and said, “We understood each other perfectly, my dear”.
And that was that!
Little Miracles occur everyday!
Memory Eternal dear Faith, and matushka Eudocia, who through the Power and Mystery of the Holy Spirit… transcended the barrier of language! Amen!
Today’s Great Feast commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. Today the Heavens are opened. Today the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.Today God the Father’s Voice from heaven declares Jesus Christ is His beloved Son. Today the Illuminating Light and Mystery of the Holy Trinity appears to the inhabited earth!
May blessings abound With God’s gracious Love, So let our hearts soar On wings like a dove!
Illuminated behind an olive oil lampada, is detail from the icon of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner, with his hands pointing us in the direction to find Christ, the Light of the World.
Jesus the Christ who was born in the flesh once for all of us, desires to be born again in the spirit in those who desire Him. In each of us, He again becomes a child in the womb of our soul and forms Himself from the virtues. He reveals as much of Himself as He knows each of us can accept. Let us contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation and in simplicity praise Him who became man for us. Faith alone can embrace these mysteries, for it is faith that makes real for us things that are beyond intellect and reason. ~ St. Maximus the Confessor (Philokalia, Vol. 2)
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple. ~ Psalm 27:4
Sanctify those that love the beauty of Thy house. Glorify them in return by Thy divine power. ~ Prayer behind the Ambo
…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8
Numinous beauty is found in the physical and spiritual splendour surrounding us!
We perceive God’s grace through the noetic beauty of nature. Our souls sense itwhen we throw open the doors of our heart and gaze upon the holy icons at Church. We smell it in the sweet fragrance of pure beeswax candles, the bouquets of flowers, and the clouds of billowing incense. We hearit in the joyful voices singing hymns and psalms of praise. We tasteit in the Holy Mysteries, the antidoron and prosphora. We experience His Mercy of Peace through the powerful permeation of communal prayer at Divine Liturgy.
Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote: Beauty will save the world.
True Beauty points to God… Who exudes and transcends Inexpressible Beauty in everything, through the Glorious, Gladsome Light of His Divinity!
An Upstairs Cliros Where Choir Sings Behind Congregation
Music is unique among the liturgical arts in that it’s something we have to do every time we come to church. Iconography, architecture, church furnishings, liturgical books, all these are things an artist can produce once and be done with. But music is never finished. As soon as you sing a note it vanishes forever. As soon as the service is over, whatever beauty you achieved during it has to be produced all over again in the next service. ~Benedict Sheehan
Beautiful church singing comes through prayer, attention to the hymns’ text, and by actively watching the director. Liturgical singing is both a physical and spiritual effort… It’s our living Prayer Before the Ambo.
St. Augustine says, When you sing, you pray twice.
For millennium, while Christian Choristers have basked in the spiritual blessings of psalmody, science has more recently determined the physical health benefits of singing. It’s been documented that choral singing synchronizes the choir’s heart rates– especially during slow chants.
In choral church singing, single voices should never stand out. Individuality ceases when we humbly work on hearing each another. Listening carefully is the only way a choir can blend properly to create true harmony. This could be said in regards to many other things in life.
When one has spare time, it’s wonderful to also sing at home… with or without accompaniment. It literally keeps one out of mischief for awhile (yes!), and uplifts our spirits.
Singing spiritual songs from the heart at any time is a musical metamorphosis. Hymns of consolation, joy and thanksgiving help us grow closer to God… and He blesses all who engage in the beauty of His Church!
We ought to offer up doxologies to God with a humble heart, in order that they may be welcome, like fragrant incense. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ~ Colossians 3:16
Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! ~ Psalm 47:6
Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! ~ Psalm 96:1
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! ~ Psalm 98:4
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ~ Psalm 100:2
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. ~ Psalm 104:33
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! ~ Psalm 105:2
We all receive God’s blessings equally. But some of us, receiving God’s fire, that is, His word, become soft like beeswax, while the others like clay become hard as stone. And if we do not want Him, He does not force any of us, but like the sun He sends His rays and illuminates the whole world, and he who wants to see Him, sees Him, whereas the one who does not want to see Him, is not forced by Him. And no one is responsible for this privation of light except the one who does not want to have it… ~ St. Peter the Damascene
Church Icons of The Most Holy Theotokos – Image by Iulia Radu from Pixabay
Greetings on this wonderful Feast! What a glorious day! Our priest brought a small relic of St. Anna (from Mt. Athos) this morning for the parish to venerate after Divine Liturgy. Blessed joy!
St. Anna (Ann or Anne, from Hebrew Hannah – means favour or grace) is descended from the lineage of King David, and the mother of the Virgin Mary, and grandmother of Jesus Christ.
O Godly-minded Anna, thou didst give birth unto God’s pure Motherwho conceived Him Who is our Life. Wherefore, thou hast now passed with joy to thy heavenly rest, wherein is the abode of them that rejoice in glory; and thou askest forgiveness of sins for them that honour thee with love, O ever-blessed one. ~ Troparia
This is my favourite icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ! It’s from the ancient St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai and dated mid 6th century. The medium of Encaustic/Wax was used, and it’s the earliest remaining Byzantine-style icon of Christ the Pantocrator… which means Christ: the All Powerful, the Lord of Hosts, God Almighty, and Ruler of All.
God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves. ~ St. John Chrysostom
Prayer unites one with God, being a divine conversation and spiritual communion with the Being that is most beautiful and highest. Prayer is forgetting earthly things, and ascent to heaven. Through Prayer we flee to God. ~ St. Nektarios of Aegina
Do not think that you have a right to complain when your prayers are not answered. God fulfills your desires in a manner that you do not know. ~ St. Nektarios of Aegina
If God is slow in answering your request, or if you ask but do not promptly receive anything, do not be upset, for you are not wiser than God. ~ St. Isaac of Syria
Do you know what a great gift it is that God gave us the right to speak to Him every hour and moment, wherever we are? He always listens to us. This is the greatest honour we have. For this reason we must love God. ~ St. Porphyrios
