Mary Archives - Page 16 of 17

Seventh Day of Christmas Advent: The Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

11/21/2013

During the first days of the Christmas fast the Church celebrates the feast of the entrance of the child Mary into the Jerusalem temple. Called in the Church The Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, this festival, which is not among the biblically recorded events, is one of the twelve major feasts of the Orthodox Church year. Its purpose is not so much to commemorate an historical happening as to celebrate a

Mary, the Icon of how the Gift is Received (In Anticipation of the Dormition Fast)

07/31/2013

Jesus is the Icon of the Gift itself and how the Gift is given. Mary is the Icon of how the Gift is received. In her great “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55), Mary is not afraid to first of all boast openly of her own beauty and greatness, because she knows it is all a gift. It is not a statement about her; it is a statement about God! She is the perfect yes to God, precisely

“BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK” (REV 3:2, Part II)

03/06/2013

As our practice deepens we see that thoughts are as porous as screen, porous to their grounding Silence. Realizing this, we are not quite so compelled to react or push away or grasp. Yet the externals of our practice remain basically the same; whenever we are aware that the attention has been stolen, we bring the attention back, whether or not we need to repeat the prayer word. While the externals of our practice are

Feast of Saint Stephen, Archdeacon and First Martyr

12/27/2012

WE OFTEN THINK THAT WHEN DECEMBER 25 IS PAST, Christmas is over. But no, this rich, extended feast is just beginning. The whole of Christmas—all twelve days of it—is about the Incarnation. This central mystery of Christian faith is brought home to us by the infant in the manger, the Child wrapped in swaddling-clothes. The cradle scene stays with us—or at least, it is supposed to remain set up—throughout the twelve days. Gazing on the

Christmas, 2012

12/25/2012

What shall we offer you, O Christ?Who for our sake appeared on earth as a human?Every creature made by you offers you thanksgiving.The angels offer you a hymn,The heavens, a star,The magi, gifts,The shepherds, their wonder,The earth, its cave,The wilderness, a manger,And we offer to you, a Virgin Mother.(Vesper Hymn) The simplicity of the story of Christ’s birth reveals the depth of God’s love and the mystery of His actions in our life. As we

Christmas Eve: The Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent

12/24/2012

The persons who are involved in the story of Christ’s birth were all quite different. Mary and Joseph were humble travelers seeking a place of shelter. The shepherds were simple men of the land tending their flocks. The wise men were wealthy and aristocratic foreigners wandering in a strange land. Yet, each of them shared a common characteristic. They opened their hearts to the actions of the Lord who mysteriously led them to the village

Christmas Advent: The Thirtieth Day

12/14/2012

The Russian Nativity Icon The Russian nativity icon vividly portrays the Christmas perspective of the Orthodox Church. Through symbolism and teaching about Gods incarnation (becoming human) the icon presents Christmas as a “feast of re-creation.” The word icon is a Greek word meaning “image” or “likeness.” The nativity icon is done in an art style dating back to the sixth century Byzantine Empire. Orthodox iconography is a purely idealistic art form. Through the Byzantine style

Christmas Advent: The Twenty-Ninth Day

12/13/2012

Thin Places (Part III) More hectic than holy? If you visit Bethlehem today, you’ll find that it doesn’t have the same kind of pastoral, quiet and mystical aura of a thin place like Iona. There’s jostling with a long line of pilgrims waiting to get into the Church of the Nativity, monks yelling instructions to be quiet, cameras flashing, security officers mulling about — all for people to get one chance to touch the star

Christmas Advent: The Nineteenth Day

12/03/2012

THE BLIND FAITH OF MARY AND JOSEPH Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. -ISAIAH 7:14 Kingdom people are history makers. They break through the small kingdoms of this world to an alternative and much larger world, God’s full creation. People who are still living in the false self are history stoppers. They use God and

Christmas Advent: The Fifteenth Day

11/29/2012

AN INDELIBLE IMAGE: two pregnant women, one of them just beginning to show, the other round and heavy, who is startled when her infant leaps in her womb. It’s a joyful scene, both everyday and extraordinary. For Elizabeth’s child, we are told, recognizes that Mary bears the Savior long promised to Israel. Mary is, as Elizabeth suddenly exclaims—no doubt after being kicked hard by John—the mother of the Lord. It usually takes a good kick

Archive

Seventh Day of Christmas Advent: The Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Mary, the Icon of how the Gift is Received (In Anticipation of the Dormition Fast)

“BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK” (REV 3:2, Part II)

Feast of Saint Stephen, Archdeacon and First Martyr

Christmas, 2012

Christmas Eve: The Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent

Christmas Advent: The Thirtieth Day

Christmas Advent: The Twenty-Ninth Day

Christmas Advent: The Nineteenth Day

Christmas Advent: The Fifteenth Day

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