An unforgettable, unrepeatable and unbelievable moment. The sense that you had seen, or heard, or touched something ineffable, unknowable, something transcendent. It was truly a moment in which, with a heartbreaking honesty, you felt that you had directly experienced the mercy of God. It was sacramental in every sense of the word. It reminded us of what music, liturgy, art, life, culture and history are all about: the overwhelming sense of thanksgiving to God for all that we have received and for all that we have not received. A completely uncompromised and unqualified thank you to life, life as an expression of an intimate and immediate communion with God Almighty. Amen.
Continue reading Concert of Georgian Music by St. Nino’s ChoirAuthor: Fr. John
Christmas Social & Talent Show
On Sunday, January 9 our Parish Church School sponsored a delicious meal following the Liturgy and all enjoyed the food and fellowship. A meal of pasta Bolognese, baked ziti, penne ala Vodka, sandwiches, and ham was organized by our Church School Coordinator Kathryn Larkin, and prepared by the church school parents. A full complement of salads, assorted desserts and beverages were also in ample supply. After the meal was well underway, our annual talent show commenced. Once again, the all but hidden talents of our young folks emerged to charm and warm the hearts of those gathered. The Talent Show ran about a half-hour, with performances ranging from violin solos to Jiu Jitsu demonstrations.
Each of these performances was well thought out, skillfully executed and obviously, each had been carefully rehearsed in advance. Together, they bore evidence of the interests and activities of our students in their lives beyond the Parish. Once again, the wealth of their talent and energy was inspiring; their willingness to share this talent with us was refreshing. Continue reading Christmas Social & Talent Show
Christ is Baptized! In the Jordan!
Sixteen of us celebrated the feast today at Divine Liturgy and thereafter shared a delicious festal agape. Last night, twenty-five persons gathered for Great Vespers and the Blessing of Water. Splashing water on each person’s head after they drank from the font and venerated the Holy Gospels, I recalled many joyous past occasions at this feast. Water anointing seems to bring out a more playful, or perhaps a surprised reaction, on the part of the recipient, as opposed to oil anointing. Here is a feast where getting wet – at least in a very small way – is clearly part of the event. Continue reading Christ is Baptized! In the Jordan!
Feast of the Circumcision of Christ and the Feast of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia
“The mystery of Thy dispensation, O Christ our God, has been accomplished and perfected as far as was in our power; for we have seen the type of Thy Resurrection; we have been filed with Thine unending life; we have enjoyed Thine inexhaustible food; which in the world to come be well-pleased to vouchsafe to us all, through the grace of Thine Eternal Father, and Thine holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.”
We celebrated the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil today, with a small group of faithful gathered. The civil new year is upon us, but our thoughts are drawn to the liturgy and its hymnography, the words of which we hear during Great Lent and just a few other times each year. How blessed it is that we can come together and begin the year in this fashion. “All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace, the assembly of angels and the race of men. O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a child — our God before the ages. He made your body into a throne, and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices with you, O Full of Grace. Glory to you!”
The world focuses on the passage of time, the notable events of the past year, and the hopes and expectations of what is to come in 2011. Rather than be sentimental about the past year, we would do well to consider the present moment, and how we are to share in the mystery of Our Lord’s Resurrection…the coming year can be of immense importance to us if we enter into this mystery. The barrier to this is not our serendipitous fortune but only our willingness to see ourselves as we truly are, and to repent.