During the initial part of our Pentecost Period, that is from Pascha to the Ascension, we repeatedly sing the Easter Tropar (Christ is risen from the dead). Each time we sing it, we sing it three times in a row … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning About the Practices of Our Religion
The idea of anamnesis (anyone who has been reading my Bulletin should be well acquainted with this idea) is of particular relevance to us during this post-Pascha period. Why? Because it reminds us that the events we are celebrating are … Continue reading
I would slightly digress in this article on the Divine Liturgy as we enter into the Great and Holy Week for a special reason. This year we also celebrate the feast of the Annunciation on Great and Good Friday. The … Continue reading
I shared in the last issue that the sacramental act of anamnesis draws the Church into a transformative encounter with the risen Christ in the present. This occurs within the context of retrospection and anticipation. On the one hand, successive … Continue reading
Eucharistic anamnesis is not a mere spectacle; nor is it a mysterious phenomenon to be wondered at. It is participatory. However, discussion of the Eucharist has been, and continues to be, a focus of controversy with regard to both theology … Continue reading
The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is the center of our worship. We often refer to ourselves as a “Eucharistic community” meaning that all believers gather in unity at the Lord’s Table. The Eucharist is more than just a ritual, it … Continue reading
Although I thought I had shared all I wanted to share about Anamneis, it seems that I was fooling myself, I came across a very good article, author unknown, about the subject. There are parts of it that I would … Continue reading
In the Eastern Church’s experience and tradition, the Church is herself a sacrament. Historians of theology have many times noted that in the early patristic tradition we find no definition of the Church. The reason for this, however, lies not … Continue reading
While our Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, as most Eastern Christian Churches, still puts a lot of emphasis on the period that has become known as Lent in the West, it does stress the fact that our efforts are only truly valuable … Continue reading
In the Eastern Church’s experience, a sacrament (more appropriately called Mystery) is primarily a revelation of the sacramentality of creation itself, for the world was created and given to man for conversion of creaturely life into participation in divine life. … Continue reading