Category: Redeeming the Time

Electronic Newsletter May 15 / May 29 Sunday of the Blind Man

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas Electronic Newsletter May 15 / May 29 Sunday of the Blind Man Announcements Prayer Requests Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week Fasting in the Coming week Links related to the coming week "Blinded in the eyes of my soul, I cry out to Thee, O Christ, like… Continue reading Electronic Newsletter May 15 / May 29 Sunday of the Blind Man

Commemoration of all benefactors on our summer feast.

We have been in our new temple since last June. We could not have built this temple with of the grace of God, and also without the generosity of many benefactors. We came close to being out of money, and a bad example according to the Gospel parable, many times, but always, somehow, funds became available.

We have made a solemn promise to commemorate our benefactors and their loved ones perpetually in our liturgies and to serve a yearly Moleben and panakhida for them. We have a permanent parish document with all the names, and it is mandated in our parish by-laws that each rector use these dyptichs in the proskimidie of the Divine liturgy.

We have fixed one or around the day of the “summer feast” of St Nicholas for this. since the commemoration of the translation of his holy relics falls on the 5th Sunday of Pascha, 2011, tomorrow, we will be serving a panakhida for the reposed loved one of our benefactors and also a Moleben for our benefactors and their families on Sunday.

The Dyptichs document is divided by benefactor families, and has addresses and other information. Below are just the first names only, stripped out of the document, to give you an idea of how many people have helped us, and how many we pray for, generally at least two times a week. …

Electronic Newsletter May 1 / May 15 Sunday of the Paralytic

Announcements
Prayer Requests
Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week
Fasting in the Coming week
Links related to the coming week
# Thoughts on the Sunday of the Paralytic
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“I have no man”
# Thoughts on the Sunday of the Paralytic
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“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk!”
# Questions and answers for The Sunday of the Paralytic
# Icon of the healing of the paralytic by the sheep’s pool

Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers Announcements Prayer Requests Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week Fasting in the Coming week Links related to the coming week "The myrhh-bearing maidens in the deep dawn came to the tomb of the Giver of Life.… Continue reading Electronic Newsletter April 25 / May 8 Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers

Cactus flowers, appropriately, during Bright Week 2011!

This cactus was taken from “Little Mount Athos” which is a rock outcropping on Possum Kingdom lake, during the St Peter the Aleut Summer Camp, 2010. I grew it outside for a while, but is was in a place where it got trampled, so I transferred it to one of my favorite pots, a used coffee can from my favorite coffee.

The flower appeared on Bright Week, 2011

Meditations on the Paschal Canon, Ode I

The Paschal Canon by St. John Damascene (8th century) is an amazing mediation on the Resurrection of our Lord, and is (together with the Paschal Stichera) the heart of the Paschal services. This is a short reflection on the content and meaning of Ode I of this canon.