Category Archives: Eastern Byzantine Catholic

Byzantine Catholic Devotion: Mystical Energy

18 Saturday Feb 2017

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Mystical Energy from God: “Be Attentive”

eucharisticon_2

The Eucharist host of the eastern rite is shown above the chalice. The host is square compared to a round host in the Latin Roman Catholic rite.

Mystical energy starts with the Eucharist. The Eastern Church believes the mystical life is all around us, and asks us to “be attentive” to God’s word. During Divine Liturgy the religious and faithful say “Be Attentive”a prayer phrase repeated many times cumulating with the Eucharist.

IC XC NIKA Original

On each Holy Eucharist the prosphoron or loaf of altar bread, has “IC XC NIKA” is stamped.

The IC XC means “Jesus Christ”. The abbreviation is from both Greek and Slavonic languages.

NIKA means “conquers”. It is a Greek verb, closely related to “is victorious”.

 

 

 

The Eucharist According to Saints and Monks

“As we receive the Holy Eucharist, we are invited to share in his victory, we receive the victory into our bodies and souls, and we become victors, conquerors, insofar as we do the will of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.”

“Do you not believe that you too are a conqueror? St Paul takes us even further: We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37). – Abbot Joseph, Mt. Tabor Monastery

The victory that we celebrate is that of Jesus Christ over the world, the flesh, and the devil, over sin and death. For Him to conquer evil was essential to his mission, so much so that St John could even say: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8). – Abbot Joseph, Mt. Tabor Monastery

gregory of nyssa HTC

St. Gregory of Nyssa, Holy Trinity Chapel

 

Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton were among the Roman Catholics who loved the Eastern Byzantine liturgy.

St. Gregory of Nyssa is one of the great contributors to the mystical tradition in Christian spirituality and monasticism. The word became incarnate “so that by becoming as we are, he might make us as he is”, said Gregory of Nyssa.

St. John Chrysostom prayer, “Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of your mystical Supper.”

“It is Gods body that deifies and nourishes me; it deifies the spirit & nourishes the mind mystically.” – St. John Chrysostom

Irene Chrysovalantou

St. Irene Chrysovalantou was granted the gift of clairvoyance. She knew thoughts of all she saw. St. Irene kept the feast of St. Basil especially holy because they both came from Cappadocia.

On one particular Divine Liturgy, Irene had a vision of countless radiant angelic beings entering the church: some with stringed instruments, singing beautiful hymns to God. Among these beings was a particularly majestic man, a face radiant like the sun, who was treated with devotion. He approached the altar and, taking the shroud offered to him by the other beings, covered the fragrant smelling altar.

The angel who stood by the altar, with great sadness, cried out to the majestic one, “Until when, O Lord?” to which a voice replied, “Until the second Solomon, when the heights will be united with the depths and all will be one. Then the Lord will be exalted and the memory of Irene will be glorified.” Irene took this as confirmation of her teaching that no one, whether herself or another of the sisters, could be glorified until they achieved the Kingdom in death.

To define God’s love is to limit it. It must remain unlimited, boundless, indefinable, unexplainable. The explainable has only limited value and transient interest.

Prayer is the elevation of the intelligence to God, not in order to learn about God but to discover God; not to know about Him but to know Him, to experience God in one’s own life.”

– From Introduction to the Byzantine Rite by Archbishop Joseph Raya.

Byzantine Catholic Devotion: Theosis Means Becoming Like God

08 Wednesday Feb 2017

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Theosis: Becoming Like God

resurrection

The Resurrection: Beating Death on the Cross. Holy Trinity Chapel.

We glorify You and fall down before You, for You arose from the tomb, our only God. I will recount Your wonders.

The teaching of deification or theosis in Eastern Orthodoxy and much of Eastern Catholicism refers to the attainment of likeness of God, union with God or reconciliation with God.

“Theosis is a goal of Eastern Orthodox Christians, for according to the Bible, we are ‘made in the image and likeness of God.’ It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace.” – Millet and Reynolds

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Ladder of Divine Ascent icon St. Catherine’s Monastery Egypt, 12th century. Monks ascending the ladder to Jesus, led by S. John Climacus.

Theosis is the mystery where He makes divinity our own. It is the movement toward communion with the divine.

Irenaeus
St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, “if the Word has been made man, it is so that men may be made gods.”

“As it [the Holy Spirit] regenerates you, it changes you from corruptible to incorruptible, from mortal to immortal, from sons of men into sons of God and gods by adoption and grace.” – Symeon the New Theologian (10th century)

John Paul II B

St. John Paul II said Catholics should be familiar with “the venerable and ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches”.

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Pope St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II also said,

“…the teaching of the Cappadocian Fathers on divinization (which) passed into the tradition of all the Eastern Churches and is part of their common heritage.

This can be summarized in the thought already expressed by Saint Irenaeus at the end of the second century: God passed into man so that man might pass over to God.

This theology of divinization remains one of the achievements particularly dear to Eastern Christian thought.” (St. John Paul II)

“The fundamental vocation and goal of each and every person is to share in the life of God. We have been created by God to live in fellowship with Him. The descent of God in the Person of Jesus Christ has made possible the human ascent to the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that each Christian is involved in a movement toward God which is known as theosis or deification.”

– Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi means “the way you pray determines what you believe.” It was first used by Prosper of Aquitaine.

in-the-west-tall

“Theosis describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person becomes ever more perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God. It is not a static relationship, nor does it take place only after death. On the contrary, theosis is a movement of love toward God which begins for each Christian with the rites of Baptism and which continues throughout this life, as well as the life which is to come.”

– Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald
in-teh-east-tall

Through Christ, we “become partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Also, St. Basil the Great described man as the creature who has received the order to become a god.

Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (John 18:2).

“The Orthodox Church understands theosis as a union with the energies of God and not with the essence of God which always remains hidden and unknown. However, the experience of the Church testifies that this is a true union with God.

It is also one which is not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the human retain their unique characteristics. In this sense, Orthodoxy believes that human life reaches its fulfillment only when it becomes divine.”

–  The Orthodox Church: An Introduction by Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald

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Tree of Life. This Orthodox icon first appeared in the 15th century.
The twelve shoots of branches are the Apostles.

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Theosis, therefore, is our union with the energies of God. To you be glory forever!

Eastern-Rite Veneration: “Channels of Divine Grace”

26 Thursday Jan 2017

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Icons: “Channel of Divine Grace”

our lady of the sign

Our Lady of the Sign. “The Lord will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son. Is 7:14.  Holy Trinity Chapel.

“What the Gospels explains by means of words, the iconographer shows by means of his works.” Saint Basil the Great

Iconography has been used for centuries as a means of communicating theology with the use of images. Especially in the early days of the church, when many could not read, this was extremely beneficial.

Veneration of icons is a common Byzantine practice, respect being paid not to the painting itself but to the person it represents. Some icons are believed to be the means of obtaining miracles, and people pray in front of them for healing or other assistance.

Icons are considered ‘windows into heaven.’

jesus at HTC

Christ the Teacher icon. O God, we pray that the whole creation will in all things be restored to your Son, the King of the Universe. Holy Trinity Chapel.

An image, says St. Thomas Aquinas, connotes three simultaneous qualities: likeness to prototype, derivation from it, and similarity of species with it. Likeness alone is not enough … The underlying idea of the icon is the manifestation of the hidden.

Metropolitan Seraphim explains the role of the icon in prayer this way:

“If you stand before the Redeemer’s icon or that of the Mother of God, stand as if you were before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself or before the Blessed Virgin Mary. Keep your intelligence without any representation, for there is a great difference between standing before the Lord in His very presence and representing Him to the imagination.

In the latter case, attention is not given to prayer directly, but is held by traditional impressions which only skim the surface of our consciousness.”

eucharist st paul and JesusThe Eucharist icon. Jesus with St. Paul. Holy Trinity Chapel.

st. peter and jesus HTCEucharist icon. Jesus with St. Peter. Holy Trinity Chapel.

with Jesus; “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Pantocrator HTC

The Pantocrator, Christ blessing his people with New Testament in left hand. Holy Trinity Chapel.

original Old Trinity

The original Holy Trinity icon written by Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev (b.1360), also called The Hospitality of Abraham and Sarah. One of the most recognizable icons in the world.

The three angels portrayed are sharing together at the table. When a circle is superimposed over the icon, Rublev portrays each figure as equal, no one is more important than the other.

rublev Holy Trinity immaculate conception

“The Holy Trinity” mosaic icon.  Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia PA. Photo credit: Cathedral of Immaculate Conception

The persons of the Holy Trinity: the Holy Spirit is on the right, the Son in the middle, and the Father on the left.

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Macrina the Younger sister of St. Basil. Holy Trinity Chapel.

In the Life of Macrina, by  St. Gregory of Nyssa, Macrina says “Lord, from your sacrifice, true life begins when present life finishes.” –

The icon, then, is not only an aesthetical entity. It is the result of the faith and prayer of the Church. It is the life of the Church lived in Christ.

A saving truth is not communicated by the word alone but by the fact of awakening vital forces of life, through the presentation of beauty. Because God loved us, He turned to us a visible face, a human face, in Christ. He turned to us the face of the absolute beauty which is not different from the fullness of God and the fullness of being. The icon carries with it the love of this beauty, and the beauty of this love.

– from Byzantine Daily Worship by Archbishop Joseph Raya & Baron José de Vinck, Alleluia Press, Allendale, NJ. Adapted for use by Father J. Michael Venditti. Eparchy of Passaic NJ.

pantocrator 1

Pantocrator, “Ruler of All” Christ blessing his people located on ceiling of the Holy Trinity Chapel in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

“Christ,” says St. Paul, “is the icon of the invisible God” (Col. 2:7).

The icon, therefore, is not a picture. The icon is not a painted representation meant to teach. The icon is a grace and a life. It is a life that penetrates and purifies and elevates. From the icon emanates a virtue that inspires the faithful with hope and gives him consolation.

St. John of Damascus calls it a “channel of divine grace”. In another sense, one can say the icon’s relationship to the faithful is similar, though certainly not equal to, that of Holy Scripture. It may be for this reason that, in the vocabulary of the Byzantine Tradition, an icon is not “painted” but “written.”

– Eparchy of Passaic (NJ)

“Old Testament Trinity” Three angels with Abraham and Sarah. Holy Trinity Chapel.

“Old Testament Trinity” icon is based on Genesis 18:1-15. The story is commonly known as the hospitality of Abraham. When Abraham talks to them, they respond as one (“they said”), the one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

cappadocian-fathers

 

 

 

 

Cappadocian Fathers: Basil “the man of action”, Gregory of Nazianzus “the orator” and Gregory of Nyssa “the thinker”.

top of dome pantocrator

The Pantocrator icon written on ceiling of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.

The Transfiguration of our Lord, celebrated August 6

Transfiguration Icon. Here You were transfigured in glory on Mount Tabor, O Christ; You showed Your disciples Your glory.

Icons are “channel of divine grace,”as  St. John of Damascus calls it, next to the scripture, an almost sacramental character.

 

The Branches of Eastern Christianity

23 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by in Eastern Byzantine Catholic, Shrines of Philadelphia

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Eastern Christianity consists of four main church families:

(a) the Eastern Orthodox Church, which recognize the Patriarch of Constantinople;

(b) the Oriental Orthodox churches;

(c) the Assyrian Church of the East;  and

(d) the Eastern Catholic churches also called Byzantine Catholic, which are in communion with the Church of Rome and the Pope.

branches of christianity

1. The Eastern Orthodox Church also called Orthodox Church has 300 million members.

The churches in Rome and Constantinople separated in an event known as the East–West Schism of 1054. In Rome, the church became the Roman Catholic Church (red line) and in Constantinople the church became the Eastern Orthodox Church (blue line).

Christians of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox, examples are the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Constatinople. They are not in communion with Rome.

greek orthodox church wtc.jpg

Rendering of Greek Orthodox Church National Shrine, currently under construction, at site of World Trade Center in NYC. Original church was destroyed by 911.

While Eastern Orthodox Christians have much in common with Eastern Catholics, they’re still in schism, split off from the Pope and therefore not Catholic.

Each Orthodox Church has a bishop, with a territory over which he governs. There is no central command like a pope in the Roman Catholic rite.

2. Oriental Orthodox Churches – 86 million members

The Assyrians and Orientals left the Orthodox Church in the years following the Council of Ephesus (431) and the Council of Chalcedon (451), in their refusal to accept those councils’ Christological definitions, which were based on St. Basil’s methodology and writings.

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The Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches Annual Concelebrated Liturgy led by H.H. Mor Ignatius Aphrem

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Oriental Orthodox icon.

3. Assyrian Church of the East – .6 million members
Headquarters in Erbil in Northern Iraq.

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Coat of Arms of Assyrian Church of the East.

4. The Eastern Catholic Churches – 19 million members

Within Eastern Christianity are the Eastern Catholics that have their roots in the Orthodox East, with twenty three Eastern Churches in communion with Rome. They are autonomous self governing Eastern Catholic Churches. As an example, the Byzantine Catholic tradition is one of these and includes the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.

Mt Tabor Mount_of_transfiguration

Aerial view of the Church of Transfiguration at the summit of Mount Tabor, which is divided into Eastern Orthodox (northeast) and Roman Catholic (southeast) areas.

Byzantine Catholic Churches include Ukrainian, Ruthenians, Melkites, Coptics and others.

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Byzantine Ukrainian Church: Iconostasis of Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki, Finland

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Saint Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, Alberta, Canada

The Byzantine Ukrainian rite, the largest of the eastern catholic churches has 4.5 million members or 26% of all Eastern Catholics.

The Pantocrator, “Ruler of All”, Christ blessing his people with New Testament in left hand

The Pantocrator “Ruler of All” Christ blessing his people with New Testament in left hand, seated on a holy chair in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia. The Pantocrator is central to Eastern Byzantine Catholics.