The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

We will celebrate this feast on its eve, Wednesday November 20, with a Vesperal Liturgy at 7:00 PM.

According to Tradition, the righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, vowed to dedicate their child to God. When the girl was three years old, her parents brought her to the Temple at Jerusalem holding candles and singing Psalms. 

She was met by the priests of the Temple and the High Priest Zachariah himself. With no help from anyone else, the girl walked up fifteen steps. Zachariah, the father of Saint John the Baptist, took the Virgin Mary into the Holy of Holies: the most sacred place in the Temple, where she remained until at the age of twelve, when she was betrothed to Saint Joseph.

This feast celebrates the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the light of the New: the Temple’s Holy of Holies is fulfilled in the person of the Theotokos herself. In the Incarnation, she became the most-holy tabernacle of God – a high calling which we too participate in, each time we partake in the Eucharist. 

The Transfiguration of Christ

This week, we will celebrate the Great Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ upon Mount Tabor. The feast is August 6; we will serve a Vesperal Liturgy on Monday evening, August 5, at 7:00 PM, followed by the traditional blessing of fruit.

The blessing of fruit is a pious custom which finds its roots in the desire of the faithful to bless the first-fruits of the harvest, which become ready around the time of the feast. There is a poetic connection between the harvest and the Feast, as we see the tilled earth transfigured in the beauty of the fruit which comes forth from it, just as we see the beautiful fruit of our spiritual labors emerge in our lives. Below is an article written by Fr. John about the feast, from a past edition of The Cupola.

Continue reading The Transfiguration of Christ