Meatfare Sunday

"When You will come to earth in glory, O God, and all creatures will tremble before You, the river of fire will flow before your judgment- seat, and the books will be opened and all hidden things revealed: deliver me from the unquenchable fire and make me worthy to stand at your right hand, O righteous Judge!" (Kontakion)

Is it really Meatfare already?! Of course, the answer is yes. It seems that no matter when this day falls during the year, I always feel like it comes far to early for my liking. Meatfare Sunday, also known as the Sunday of the Last Judgment, is a celebratory day because, come tomorrow, we are to abstain from meat products until Pascha, or Easter Sunday. I found it oddly appropriate that Meatfare Sunday should fall on Super Bowl Sunday this year and consumed all of the wings and sausage pizza I could handle.

I have also been musing on the wisdom of our Church. The Great Fast Starts up next week (Feb. 15th) and we are to also abstain from dairy products from this time onward. No meat and no dairy is a daunting thought and so the church eases us into the process. Abstaining from all meat and dairy is the most traditional and most rigorous form of fasting (which also includes increased prayer and alms giving). There is a less intense form of fasting which a large portion of Eastern Christians adhere to which proscribes fasting from meat and dairy products on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Great Fast, or Lent as my Latin Brothers and Sisters refer to it, is an intense period of abstinence, prayer and almsgiving. For me, being away from home and from my church, it is something I have found to be a challenge. That is one reason I decided to start my blog again. It is my hope that by keeping a blog I can not only share with others aspects of my Byzantine Catholic faith and heritage, but I believe it will also be a way for me to grow spiritually. I hope to update it a few times a week with some Lenten Hymns, readings for the week and some of my own personal struggles and musings.

Finding God in Finals Week

Finals week has come, and is finally almost done. It is the main reason I have been MIA for a bit. Most final exam periods last for a week but my professors decided to offer some "unofficial exams" that began last Tuesday. So many students struggle so much during finals week so in order to help my friends out I went online to find an uplifting prayer for them. I found this rendition of psalm 23 on a blog called "amongst women".

A PRAYER FOR FINAL EXAMS

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break.
He restoreth my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grade's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown For Thou art with me.
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding.
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognize.
Surely passing grades and flying colors shall follow me.
All the days of my examination,
And I shall not have to dwell in this university forever,
AMEN

I just thought it was great. Although I had a very long exam period, I was able to take a much needed break and go home for a few days in between some of my exams. Being able to go to my home parish and spend time with my family really allowed me to come back and be refreshed and focused on my exams.

Not all of my exams were bad this year. I was able to turn in a great final TV package about the closing of the Institute of Catholic Thought's School of Theology at the University of Illinois. I also gave a group presentation of the Theology of the Body, one of my favorite topics.

I've been in college for 6 semesters and I think I have come to an interesting realization. The semesters that I have taken a course which allowed me to explore my faith have been some of my happiest semesters and I have gotten the best grades in these classes. The night our group put together our final presentation was the night before it was due. Last minute, I know! Such is college life, it is hard for 3 busy gals to get together sometimes. We worked from 10pm-1:30am making notes and then I went to my room to type them up until 3:30am. To be honest, I wasn't even tired! I was so excited about sharing what we learned with our class that I couldn't sleep. It was like the same rush I feel when I am on the trail of a great journalism story.

I feel so lucky to be able to live in a dorm that has a chapel connected to it. We have access to it 24/7! When residents tell me they are stressed, I tell them to take a time out for themselves. For a lot of them, it means take some time to go pray. I really believe that when you have your spiritual life in line, everything else falls into place. Does this mean that I think that if I go pray before an exam I will get an A? No, it means that I think that taking a 5 minute break to spend time with God will help me focus and put my priorities in order.

I've also found that saying the Jesus Prayer before an exam really helps me calm my nerves. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner."

As much as I have enjoyed this past semester, and the year (despite how absolutely miserable some of my classes were last semester) I am SO ready to go home for a few months. I love spending time with my family, going to my church to tape radio shows and help out, and just enjoying a life that isn't punctuated by papers, projects and midterms (oh my!). I'm also hoping that the summer will provide me with some awesome topics and opportunities to blog about.

So stick around, the best is yet to come.

First Women Journalists

The second Sunday after Easter is one of my favorites. In the Eastern Churches, we call it the "Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women". Today we celebrated the women who appeared at the tomb just after Christ rose from the dead. After hearing from the angel that Jesus had risen, they were the first to behold the risen Lord.

This past Easter I spent a lot of time contemplating the Myrrh Bearing Women. Those faithful women who never left Jesus. I think it is interesting that they went to the tomb after the Sabbath anyway. They probably saw the huge stone rolled in front of the tomb. They probably knew that it would be difficult to get a chance to anoint Christ properly, but they went anyway. Why? They went because they loved their teacher and friend so much that they knew they had to at least try.

I also realized how providential it was that these women were the first to see Christ. Women, by their nature, are very receptive. They are receptive both physiologically and psychologically. Everything about women, down to the gross anatomy proves the receptivity of women. How fitting it is that Jesus chose women, the most receptive to be the first to hear the news about His Resurrection. Jesus probably even knew that no woman can keep a great thing secret for long. In this case, he instructed them to take the news to his disciples. In this way, I call the Myrrh Bearing Women the First Women Journalists.

These women hold a special place in my heart. It isn't just because I am an aspiring female journalist but also because the very first time I was on the radio with Fr. Tom was on the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women. I was on with Katie Reidy, also dubbed a Myrrh Bearing Woman, and together we shared our Easter experiences. It was a memorable day for me that helped to shape my future.

I Just Love Happy Endings

I love happy endings, really, I do. I'm a sucker for a good chick flick or a Disney movie. To me, Easter is one of the best happy endings/new beginnings ever. Unfortunately, this year my Easter was marred by something awful. I came back to school on Bright Monday when I received a phone call from my Dad. I thought it was odd because he called right before church was supposed to start on Monday night and he was scheduled to sing. He was at church, he said, and wanted to let me know that one of our Holy Water fonts had been stolen.

Stolen? I thought to myself. Who steals from a church on the day after Easter. Actually, my father said, they don't know if it was stolen on Monday. It could have been stolen on Sunday! I was really filled with anger. Easter was the most joyous day! Our church was full of peace and happiness and then, this happens.

On the one hand, I am so angry that I could scream. My church is truly like a home to me. More importantly, it is the House of God. My mom joked when I went away to school that I wasn't homesick, I was church-sick. Hearing that something that held something as precious as Holy Water was taken from a place that I love just broke my heart. On the other hand, I was deeply saddened, too. I thought about the person who stole it. What caused them to steal it? I don't know their heart, but more than likely, they needed money. It makes me sad to think that they had to steal from a church. I am sure that if they would have knocked on the door of our church, Fr. Tom could have helped them, somehow.

Our church is pretty unique (in many ways) because we leave our church open all day. Anyone can come into pray at anytime. I spoke with Fr. Tom, and I am happy to say that this won't change. Closing our doors would be like letter the Devil win. He wants us to close our doors, he wants this to hurt us and so we cannot let him win. We're hurt but yet we have been praying for those who stole from us.

In the Resurrection Canon we sing "Let us call bretheren, even those who hate us, and in the Resurrection, FORGIVE everything and let us sing: Christ is risen from the dead. By death he conquered Death, and to those in the graves, He granted Life!"

As I alluded to in the beginning, this story has a happy ending. I received an email from my Uncle Bill. In the email was an article that I will post a link to below. Our Holy Water font was found! Basically, it was found in someone's front yard in Midlothian. How it got there, we aren't sure. There is one small mistake in the article. It states that a few weeks ago we had two icons stolen from our church. While this did happen to us, it happened about two years ago during Lent. I'm sure there was just some confusion about dates and such.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.southtownstar.com/neighborhoodstar/orlandpark/1537977,042209churchtheft.article

Christ is Risen! Christos Voskrese!

Sunday Morning- Resurrection Matins and Divine Liturgy

CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! CHRISTOS VOSKRESE! VOISTINNU VOSKRESE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7uvSrhBAiI

It is easy and difficult for me to fully explain what Resurrection Matins are really like. Fr. Tom and I always joke that we can't tell people what Byzantine services and liturgies are like, they just have to experience it. I think this is because we really experience the liturgy with all of our senses.

During Resurrection Matins, we take on the role of the myrrh bearing women. We have arrived at the tomb to find it empty and find the Risen Lord! The video above is part of the procession (I will try to link it directly on this page but blogger was taking forever!). We sing "Your resurrection O Christ our Savior, the angels in heaven praise with hymns. Make us on earth also worthy with a pure heart, to extol and give glory to you." When the priest reaches the entrance of the church (remember, during this weekend, the Church takes on the appearance of the tomb!) he reads the resurrection gospel and then he sings:

"Let God Arise and let his enemies be scattered and let those who hate him flee from before his face!"

We sing: "Christ is Risen from the dead! By death he conquered death! And to those in the graves he granted Life"

Priest: As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish as wax melts before a fire.

Us: Christ is Risen!...

Priest: So let the wicked perish at the presence of God! And let the righteous ones rejoice!

Us: Christ is Risen!...

Priest: This is the day that the Lord has made, let us exult and rejoice in it!

Us: Christ is Risen!



Priest (Breaking the "seal" of the tomb with a hand cross): Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever, Amen.

Us: CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD! BY DEATH HE CONQUERED DEATH AND TO THOSE IN THE GRAVES, HE GRANTED LIFE!

The Doors are flung open and we find a large icon of the resurrection in the place of the shroud. All of the red altar coverings have been changed to white (by the altar cloth fairies aka some faithful women).



Everything is fast paced from hear. The melody of Matins sounds like you are running because you ARE running. We ARE the myrrh bearing women. We HAVE seen the risen Lord. What would you do? Sit around and be like "well that was neat, want to get some coffee?" NO! You would run as fast as you could to tell everyone.

The deacons are almost constantly incensing the church proclaiming "Christ is Risen!" or Christos Voskrese (Christ is Risen in Old Church Slovanic) to which we respond "Indeed He is Risen!" or "Voistinnu Voskrese!".

During Matins, we also sing one of my favorite hymns to the Theotokos, or Mother of God.

"The angel exclaimed to her, full of grace! Rejoice O Pure Virgin! Again, I say Rejoice! Your Son is risen from the grave on the third day, and has raised the dead! Let all nations rejoice: Shine in splendor O new Jerusalem, for the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you O Sion. Since with joy and rejoice! And you, Pure Mother of God, Rejoice in the Resurrection of your Son!"

During Matins all of the faithful process up to kiss a hand cross, a gospel book and an icon of the resurrection. Everyone is singing loudly and joyfully!

I think all of Matins is my favorite part, but I especially love when the priest reads the Easter Sermon by St. John Chrysostom. The zinger comes at the end where the saint-rightly dubbed "golden tongue"- says: "O death, where is your sting; Abyss, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are cast down; Christ is risen, and the demons are crushed; Christ is risen, and the angels sing for joy; Christ is risen, and life had overcome; Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ the Resurrection has become the first-fruits of the dead. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen!"

Wow. Just let all of that sink in for a minute. Fr. Joe (Fr. Tom's cousin) read this with such enthusiasm and emphasis that it was really powerful. We who have journeyed with Christ can't help but smile. Because we walked with him at every step of the way, being able to say Christ is Risen means something very special to us. Everything we did, everything we experienced was preparing us for this moment, so that we could truly sing out that Christ is Risen! We were baptized into his death and we rejoice in his resurrection!

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Christos Voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese!

Saturday Night- Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil

"Today Hades sighs and cried out: 'I should never have received the One Who was born of Mary; for He came against me and destroyed my power and crushed my gates of bronze. Being God, He raised the souls which I once held." Glory to your cross and resurrection, O Lord!"

This is just one of the stichera which we sing on Holy Saturday evening. A stichera is basically a way of singing what we believe.

Like our Roman Catholic bretheren, we also baptize catechumens on Holy Saturday. This year, we baptized a young girl. It was so precious because she was old enough to recite her own Baptism vows. Before the actual baptism, the priests asks her if she renounces Satan and if she has committed herself to Christ. When she answers "Yes, I do renounce him!" and "Yes, I HAVE committed myself to Christ!" it was just so meaningful and heartfelt.

During the Vespers we have two very long Old Testament readings. My favorite is the story from the book of Daniel (Daniel 3:1-51) about the three youths who were thrown into the firery furnace: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three refused to worship the golden statue which King Nebechadnezzar (say THAT five times fast) set up. Although they were cast into the white hot furnance they were not burned! Instead, the angel of the Lord came into the furnace and made the inside "as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it" and the three of them sang praises to God.

During the Liturgy of St. Basil we sing "All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ! Alleluia!" instead of the Trisagion or Thrice Holy Hymn. This echos the epistle reading from Romans 6:3-11. St. Paul writes that "A man who is dead has been freed from sin. If we have died with Christ, we believe that we are also to live with him. We know that Christ, once raised from the dead, will never die again; death has no more power over him. His death was death to sin, once for all; his life is life for God. In the same way, you must consider youselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus."

Finally, we read the account of the Resurrection according to St. Matthew. Christ has risen from the dead. We can sing this from the rooftops, right? Not exactly. During this liturgy we don't take on the role of a particular person. No one knows that Christ is Risen yet because we haven't found out about it yet. Can you imagine witnessing such an event? We would probably we blinded by the glory and magnificence of it all! Christ is risen but the story isn't over yet. Many people who attend Vespers and Liturgy on Saturday night come back on Sunday morning to hear the rest of the story.

Yum-O! Since technically, Christ has risen, we can bless the Easter baskets. I wish the internet had a scratch and sniff screen because the smell in our vestibule was A-Mazing. Ham, sausage (sorry if your a vegetarian but you don't know what you are missing), cheese, butter, sweets mingled with the sweet smelling incense and filled the air.

On the way home my sister and I are starving. We both decided that sleep was more important than eating dinner so we decided to stop off at Steak'n'Shake. I had given up meat for lent and my sister had been following the fast for percription for Good Friday (no meat or dairy) and Holy Saturday (no meat) so we were ready for meat. My sister isn't a huge burger eater but we both ordered burgers and dug in. Let me tell you my friends, a greasy burger never tasted so good ;)

When we go home I can hardly sleep because I am so filled with excitement and anticipation for Pascha!

Holy Saturday- Jerusalem Matins

On Saturday morning, my aunt and I get up to go to the Jerusalem Matins service. This year (because of the revised liturgy and revised EVERYTHING, don't get me started) the service lasted about 2 hours. During this service we commemorate the Harrowing of Hell or Christ's descent into Hades to free the souls from Satan's clutches. We take the burial shroud and process with it around the church singing the Trisagion, or "Thrice Holy Hymn" three time. We sing "Holy God, Holy and might, Holy and Immortal. Have mercy on us." This is sung in the funeral melody to remind us of Christ's death the previous day. "This symbolizes Christ's movement through hell anticipating the moment when he will conquer Satan's power of death by rising out of hell and taking all humanity with him" (taken from my church bulletin this year).

The famous "dry bones" passage from Ezekiel is read during Jerusalem Matins. In Ezekiel 37:11-14 it reads: "Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off!' Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised and I will do it says the Lord."

Our services during Great Week are filled with readings from the prophets that foreshadowed the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord. We read especially from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and we hear about the trial of Job as well.

After Jerusalem Matins, I am sent on a special mission. I like to call it "Project Easter Basket". Every year the Teens make Easter baskets for members of our parish. The parishioners bring back the baskets but we have to buy new candles and coverings for them every year. That is where I come in. Since not many of the other Teens have their own means of transportation I head out in search of the candles and coverings. Last year I hit the mother load at Home Goods. I found the perfect napkins to use as coverings and they had candles! I was back and forth in a half and hour. This year, I was not so lucky. I found the LAST package of plain (aka boring) white napkins but NO candles, not even cream ones. No biggie, I would just head to Target which is right next door. How on earth Target was out of candles, I will never know, but they were. I headed to three other stores before finding them at Walgreens (of all places) and for really cheap too! I head back to church with my finds and food coloring for the Easter eggs.

I dropped them off and headed home for a much needed nap. I needed to gear up for Vespers with Diving Liturgy later that night! I almost feel like I can justify taking a nap because we believe that even Jesus kept the old Sabbath before rising from the Grave on Sunday.