Pentecost- Holy Trintiy

HERE  is a link to a very nice blog that helps explain Icons.  The link will take you to a post about the Icon of Pentecost.  Today is our parish Patronal Feast day.
I would like to type more but Manny is very tired and is crying to go to take his nap.

Saints Peter and Paul

      

Troparion
Holy Apostles Peter & Paul, Troparion, Tone IV —
O first enthroned among the apostles/ and teachers of the whole world;/ entreat the Master of all,/ that He grant peace to the world// and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion, Tone II —
The steadfast and divinely eloquent preachers,/ the foremost of Thine apostles, O Lord,/ hast Thou received into the delight of Thy good things and into rest;/ for Thou hast accepted their pangs and death as greater than any wholeburnt offering,// O Thou Who alone knowest the hearts of men.

My New Books Have Shipped!!!

I'm so excited my new books have shipped. I cant wait to get them.

Here's a list of whats coming from The Orthodox Marketplace-

Children's Bible Reader
Divine Liturgy Illustrated
For to Us a Child is Born - Christmas Magazine
Heaven on Earth: The Divine Liturgy
Journey Through Holy Week - Children's Guide
The Bible For Young People
The Saturday Service of Great Vespers [CD]

And from Amazon-

The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare
Pictures of God, a Childs Guide to Understanding Icons
How to Pray with Icons

Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

From Festive Matins-
I stand in awe at the wondrous works of GOD graciously manifested and fulfilled in the Virgin. I cannot comprehend the strange and secret manner by which she alone was chosen from all creation to be made known as the Undefiled One. I am unable to express in word or thought this ineffable mystery, yet I wish to praise her. In confidence I dare to proclaim and extol her, saying: Indeed she is the heavenly Tabernacle.

August: The Month of the Theotokos

I'm going to be writing about Mary or the Theotokos this month so more will be coming.

This is from a great book titled- Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Anthony M. Coniaris

To the Orthodox Christian August is a sacred month- a month that brings with it a feeling of intensified reverence. It is the month of the Blessed Theotokos. For on the fifteenth of August the Orthodox Church celebrates the most solemn of feasts related to the Mother of God, namely, her repose or falling asleep.

Special prayer services are held regularly during the first fifteen days of the month. It is a period of special fasting similar to Lent. Orthodox families are invited to attend these services and to participate in the fast.

In order to help parents explain the meaning of this sacred period to their children, we propose to deal with the following two question:

1. What we mean by the falling asleep of the Theotokos (Mary);

2. Why, as Orthodox Christians, do we regard her above all the saints of God as "more honorable than the Seraphim and more glorious then the Cheruim."

Dormition Fast August 1st Through the 14th

Edit- I talked with Father Paul and he said we can fast from meat only so since I'm nursing my lil guy thats what I'm gonna do plus give up my sweeties- baked good, cookies, pies, cakes, ect.... Oh my!!!!


I'm posting this for myself so I can remember what to do.....

The general guidelines for the Dormition Fast are as follows:

WEEKDAYS are Strict Fast Days. On these days we abstain from meat, dairy, fish with backbones, fowl, wine, and oil.

SATURDAYS and SUNDAYS are Wine and Oil Days. On these days the fast is relaxed to permit wine and oil, but we still abstain from meat, dairy, fish with backbones, and fowl.

The one exception to these general rules is that the Great Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ (August 6), which always falls during the Dormition Fast, is celebrated as a Fish, Wine, and Oil Day. On this great feastday, the fast is further relaxed to permit fish with backbones, in addition to wine and oil, but we still abstain from meat, dairy, and fowl.

Notes:

Meals for the fast should follow the dietary restrictions and be cooked simply. Portions should be smaller than usual.
If you have a medical condition that requires you to relax the fasting guidelines, then do so.
Generally speaking, children and elderly people are allowed to relax the fast under the guidance of their spiritual father.

Homemade candles to be blessed for The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord

Forty days after Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of our Lord. The event which the Church commemorates on this feast is described in its Gospel: “And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And behold, there was in Jerusalem a man named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by inspiration of the Holy Spirit into the Temple. And when his parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he also received Him into his arms and blessed God …” (Lk. 2:22-28).

From the words of the Gospel and from the Liturgical texts for the feast, it is evident that it has a threefold character: the purification of Mary, the redemption of Jesus as first-born Son, and the meeting of Jesus with the aged Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

According to the Mosaic Law, a mother who had given birth to a boy was considered unclean for seven days, then for 33 days was excluded from public worship. When the appointed forty days were past, she was expected to offer a sacrifice for her purification – “a lamb for a holocaust and a pigeon for a turtle dove for a sin offering.” In case of poverty, however, two young pigeons or turtle doves would suffice. The priest then prayed for her, “purifying” her and restoring her to her former status. Sacred Scripture tells us that the Mother of God fulfilled this law despite the fact that, considering the spirit of this legal enactment, she was not bound to it. Mary was the chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit, virgin in conceiving and virgin in giving birth to her Son. Yet the Holy Spirit inspired her to comply with this law and she fulfilled the will of God, embracing it with her whole heart.

The second aspect of this feast is the presentation of Jesus in the temple. By another ordinance of the Mosaic Law, every first-born was considered as belonging to God and had to be brought back by an offering. The Mother of God fulfilled this also. She brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him according to the command of the Lord “Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.

According to the Gospels, on the same occasion as the presentation of the Child Jesus, another significant encounter took place. There was then living in Jerusalem an old man, Simeon by name, whose heart longed unceasingly for the Messias. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he should not die without first seeing the Lord’s Anointed. Led by the Spirit, Simeon went to the Temple at the time Mary and Joseph were bringing In the Child Jesus. Mary, guided by the same Holy Spirit, welcomed the saintly man and placed her divine Son in his trembling hands.

Besides Simeon, the prophetess Anna, Phanuel’s daughter, was there to meet the child Jesus. The holy Anna was noted for her piety and was venerated by the people because of her great age. Simeon and Anna are thus representatives of the Old Testament, gathered to celebrate the happy coming of the Child who was to renew the face of the earth.