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May God bless you and your loved ones as we prepare for the beautiful feast of His Nativity!
"Through the Spirit, the prophet called out: This is our God and the Way. There shall not be another but Him. From Him you will discover the way of all knowledge. He will take on our likeness by clothing Himself in the flesh of the virgin Handmaid of God. He is coming to be born; He who is unapproachable by nature, is approachable to me" (Stichera from Vespers, Dec. 21).
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
The week of the bishops!
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Your life has shown you to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of gentleness and a teacher of moderation. You acquired greatness through humility and wealth through poverty. O father and archbishop Nicholas, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.
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Us with Bishop Kurt |
First was the ordination of Bishop Kurt Burnette as the new bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic (New Jersey). For all of us at the monastery, it was the first ordination of a bishop that we had ever witnessed. We were in awe to witness the bestowing of the vocation of apostle and the fullness of the priesthood upon this priest of God. It was a rare gift to see so many bishops participating in a Divine Liturgy: bishops of multiple countries representing various Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as numerous Roman Catholic bishops. We also loved Bishop Gerald's homily. He spoke about the qualities of St. Nicholas, especially his zeal for the faith, gentleness and humility, and set him as an example for Bishop Kurt and all the bishops and priests. We were touched by the way he spoke about humility and his challenge to the bishops and priests to spend an hour each day in prayer.
Bishop Fülöp Kocsis
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Bishop Milan Lach
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Us with Bishop Milan |
In the evening we attended the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St. Nicholas at St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Barberton, Ohio. The three bishops (Bishop John, Bishop Fülöp and Bishop Milan) concelebrated the Liturgy. What a rare gift! One of our favorite moments was when the three bishops sang the "Agios o Theos" together (the third verse of the "Holy God" which is sung in Greek by the bishop in a hierarchical Divine Liturgy) and harmonized with each other! Bishop Milan also gave a beautiful homily on the qualities of St. Nicholas which we should imitate. "Christian love should be discreet," he said.
The Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Church, as well as other moments of prayer during those few days, was truly heaven on earth. There were many moments in which we lost all sense of time, and praying with these bishops from other countries spiritually connected us to their Byzantine Catholic flocks -- our brothers and sisters in Christ. The bishops also connected us to the saints who have come before us, especially the bishops and apostles, through the succession of episcopal ordination, and ultimately to Christ. Like St. Nicholas, they emulated the faith, gentleness, moderation, humility and poverty of Christ.
If you're interested in viewing more pictures or videos from our experience last week, check out these links:
Photo Album
Homily of Bishop Milan for the Feast of St. Nicholas
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