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Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission |
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O ye incorporeal angels who stand before the throne of God, luminous with the brilliance thereof and everlastingly shining with radiance. As secondary luminaries, entreat Christ, that He grant unto our souls peace and great mercy. O immortal messengers of the truly incorruptible Life, ye most blessed ones who received life from the first Life, ye have become holy beholders of the eternal Wisdom, full of light, and reflecting lamps shown forth as is meet. O ye archangels and angels, principalities, thrones, dominions, six-winged seraphim, and divine, many-eyed cherubim, instruments of wisdom, virtues and powers most divine. Pray ye to Christ, that He grant our souls peace and great mercy. Archives:
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HOLY RESURRECTION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC MISSION
Slava Isusu Chrisu! Slava Na Viky!
Divine Liturgy begins at 4 p.m. Every Sunday
Every Third Sunday of the Month is Food Sunday
12th Sunday after Pentecost
Our Offerings
Welcome, Visitors!
Those who are family and relatives, friends to parishioners, those who are inquiring about the Byzantine Catholic Faith, and those who have been away for a while.
Welcome, Bishops!
Archbishop Basil and Bishop Kurtz, with humility and reverence we welcome you to our mission! We give thanks and praise to the Trinity, who has blessed us with your presence! God grant you many years in health and happiness!
A Mother’s Love
A little girl and her family went camping for the first time. The little girl was unaccustomed to hearing the natural voices
of the forest and was frightened by them. Instinctively, she woke up her mother and told her how frightened she was. The
mother tried to console her young daughter and told her that no harm would come to her. But each time the mother drifted back
to sleep, the young girl would again become frightened and wake up her mother and plead, “Stay up with me, Mommy!”
Finally, the mother told the little girl that she could protect her not only when she was awake but also when she was asleep.
“How can you protect me if you are sleeping, Mommy?” the little girl asked. “Because I love you,” her
mother answered. “And a mother’s love,” she continued, “can do just about anything.” Satisfied
with this answer, the little girl drifted peacefully asleep.
A mother’s love is powerful indeed. It has rightly been said that one of the most powerful forces on earth is the prayer
of a mother for her child. If this is true of our own mothers, how much more is it true of the Mother of God, the heavenly
mother of us all? Because of the great love that exists between the Mother of God and her Son, she was taken body and soul
into heaven. This bond of love is shared with us, too. Therefore we acknowledge the Mother of God as our greatest advocate and
intercessor before the Lord. Her heart belongs to God and her prayers for us will always be heard.
The Icon of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God
The feast of the Dormition is of early origin and probably began in pilgrimages to Mary’s tomb. By the sixth century it
was widespread throughout the entire Church. Scripture gives no account of the death of the Theotokos. There is nothing
certain about the day, year, or manner of her death. Tradition is the foundation for the feast and the dogma.
In iconography, the Theotokos is portrayed lying on her deathbed. Christ is pictured in glory, surrounded by a mandorla as He
looks upon the body of His mother. He holds in his left arm a small figure of a child clothed in white garments and crowned
with a halo. This is Mary’s soul, which He received at the moment of her death. The Twelve Apostles surround the bier.
Some icons show the two-fold aspect of this feast: the death and the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. This is done by
showing the Theotokos seated on a throne in a mandorla carried by angels into heaven. To show the moment of the miraculous
arrival of the Apostles from the various parts of the world, some icons portray them arriving in clouds. In the background,
two groups of women represent the faithful of Jerusalem.
Pastoral Ponderings: Be the Big Person on the Small Road
Enter by the narrow gate, for the road is wide that leads to destruction and many there are who take that route; while the
gate to life is so tight and its path so narrow that few can even find it. — Matthew 7:13-14
St. Matthew records this remark right after Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in which He describes the tight path down
that leads to fullness of life. Basically he says: “Hold no grudges. Don’t obsess over offenses. Stop nursing your
anger. Don’t sneer at anyone. Don’t be so litigious. If someone rips you off, give him a gratuity. Pass no
judgment. Take the speck out of your own eye before becoming your brother or sister’s oculist.”
Compare that with the reckless freeway people prefer: “Never let go of a grudge or forget an injury. Litigate at the
drop of a hat. Avoid simple solutions; if you can make things complex, do so. Don’t get mad, get even. Demand an eye for
an eye. Demand a million-dollar settlement for a fender bender. Ferret out the faults of Fr. X, smirk at the ignorance of
Mrs. Y, and gossip over the lechery of Mr. Z — all while maintaining a proper, pious façade.”
The paradox of all this is that in order to get through Jesus’ gate we have to be very “BIG” . . . while the
world would have us remain comfortably “small.”
— Father O’Connell
Last updated: 29-Aug-2004 |
