Category: Saints and Blesseds

The Holy Apostle Thomas

The story of the Holy Apostle Thomas shows us that the evangelists had a clear and intelligent idea of who Christ is – our Lord and God. They were not a primitive, ignorant, superstitious people, Thomas’ actions show that they accepted the truth of Jesus as Son of God only through a rigorous process of observation and reasoning. For us, it is through the testimony of these honest and trustworthy witnesses that we believe in Christ and constitute a “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” Hear their witness, Jesus tells us, for “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. (John 20:29)”

We believe because we hear the apostles, and, for us, the “doubting” Thomas becomes the strong support of our faith in Jesus, our Lord and God, risen from the dead.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras

Patroness of Catechists in the UGCC

Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska (1869-1919) was designated as the Patroness of Catechists in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Her biographer said, “Josaphata speaks to modern people about the beauty of a radical life according to the Gospel and the need for compassion and solidarity with those in need. She shows that even small acts of love can change the world.”

~Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski
Eparch of New Westminster and Chairman of the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission

The Great and Holy Prophet Moses

Today, September 4, the Byzantine Church liturgically recalls the memory of the Holy Great Prophet Moses. The Troparion for this feast is sung in Tone 2 and reads:

O prophet Moses, you reached the summit of virtues. By this you came to see the glory of God. You received the tablets of the grace-giving Law and became the crown of prophets and a mystery of piety; for you carried grace deep within you.

The biographer for the Prophet Moses says:

On Mt. Horeb the great prophet Moses saw God in the bush that burned without being consumed, and God revealed his Name to him, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). It is this Name of God that we invoke in the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great, “O Eternal Being … “On Mt. Sinai God revealed a portion of his glory to Moses when he gave him the ten commandments. On Mt. Tabor, Moses stood with Elijah to witness the glory of God revealed though Jesus. Today we honor this Great Prophet who has led us into the presence of God, who led his people into the land promised by God, who today leads us to an understanding of God, essential Being, the Creator of all that is, the Cause of all that is good and the Lover of each and every person, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras, edited

The Fourth Sunday of Lent: forming virtue

On the 4th Sunday of Lent on the Byzantine liturgical calendar, we remember a great monastic father, St. John Climacus (579-649). He wrote a book called, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” encouraging his monks to grow in virtue. Various virtues and asdcetical practices are compared to rungs on a ladder. These are good disciplines for us also during the Lenten season.

St Andrew, the first called

As the First-Called, Andrew was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42).

“St. Andrew the Apostle was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross in Patras, near Corinth. The X-shaped cross caused excruciating pain, far greater than the traditional cross. Due to the fact that the condemned man was crucified with his legs spread, he could not support his body on them, and practically all the weight of his body hung on the nailed hands, thus enduring terrible torments.”

Today, the Cross of St. Andrew is kept next to the head of St. Andrew in the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle in the Greek city of Patras.

We sing with the Church:

Andrew, first-called of the Apostles and brother of the foremost disciple, entreat the Master of all to grant peace to the world and to our souls great mercy. (Troparion, tone 4)

The Feast of Angels

We celebrate today the angels – the Greek word, “messengers.” They truly bring us a message of good news, announcing to the shepherds in the field, “The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. (Luke 2:10-11).”

It is the archangel Gabriel who announces the conception of Jesus to Mary. And in even greater joy, the angels announce to the women at the tomb, ““Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. (Luke 24:5-6)” The epistle today tells us, “You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet. (Hebrews 2:7-8)” Materialists deny the existence of angels, but it is only reasonable to believe that there is more to reality than what we can see with our physical eyes and hear with our physical ears. Angels are our connection with God, so much so that sometimes in the Old Testament there seems to be a confusion between God and his angels. Jesus tells us, “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30).” Jesus tells his arresters, “Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)”

And angels comfort him in the agony in the garden. Today then is a day of faith, today we connect with God, today we hear the good news of the coming of God into the world, today we hear the good news of the resurrection to life.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras