Thanks to the person who submitted my blog for a review.
Sick
I have been sick for the last week and there seems to be no end in sight and because of that I have fallen way behind in work I need to do. I have an article due to the Archdiocese for our magazine that was due like yesterday, I have bible study to prepare for and my class on Thursday night to get ready for and grade papers. I also have a homily to prepare for Sunday. So I am trying to hunker down here but I also have laundry to do and such things around the house. Oh yea, a mailing to the parish council to get ready for our meeting on Monday. Anyone wanna help?
On top of all of this we are supposed to get 6-8 more inches of snow! I remember once saying I liked winter, well I am ready for Spring to come.
Still no spell check so sorry in advance for spelling errors.
Liturgy Stream
We will be streaming the Liturgy again this Sunday. Matins begins around 9am and Liturgy at 10am. Click the link below to watch.
Sunday of the Canaanite
The Reading is from Matthew 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Troparion of the Resurrection Fourth Tone
When the women Disciples of the Lord had learned from the Angel the joyful message of the Resurrection and had rejected the ancestral decision, they cried aloud to the Apostles triumphantly: Death has been despoiled, Christ God has risen, granting His great mercy to the world.
Resurrectional Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Savior and Deliverer is He who raised up from the tomb and from the bonds those born on earth, for He is God; and He destroyed Hades’ bars and gates, and on the third day arose, as the Master of all.
Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone
O Protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, mediation unto the creator most constant: O despise not the voices of those who have sinned; but be quick, O good one, to come unto our aid, who in faith cry unto thee: Hasten to intercession and speed thou to make supplication, O thou who dost ever protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
From www.goarch.org
Date of Easter
One of the most common questions I get this time of year is, “Father when is Easter.” Well that is not an easy question to answer. This year Orthodox Easter falls on the 27th of April while Western Easter is much earlier on the 23rd of March. “So why do we have different dates” is the usual response. I have many families of mixed marriages and they do not understand, neither do I by the way, why we have different dates. While in seminary we discussed this in class and there was a very complicated answer and mathematical formula used to determine this date. So it was always very confusing to people, me included.
Today I was reading an article in the local paper about the start of Lent and what people were going to do. Low and behold at the end there was an explanation that was so simple even I understand it. So here it is let’s see if you can stay with me on this and I will try not to get lost myself.
Both churches determine the date of Easter using this calculation. Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. With me so far? Western churches use the Gregorian calendar while we Orthodox use the Julian calendar. Okay so far so good. Now we complicate things a little more. We also use a different way to calculate the vernal equinox. We Orthodox set the date for Easter based on the actual astronomical full moon and the actual equinox as observed along the meridian of Jerusalem. Okay not so bad, I get it. The Western Churches used the fixed date of 21 March for the vernal equinox and define the full moon on ecclesiastical calculations that were used by church leaders many years ago.
Okay so it seems that we are all confused. I have been an advocate of a fixed date for Easter. I think it would make things a little easier on all of us. For example, the local schools usually have a vacation close to holy week but this year it will not be so it would appear that the kids will be in school on Good Friday, for both Good Fridays unless the parents keep the kids home.
Anyway I am not going to be able to make this decision, and church leaders don’t usually call me and ask my opinion on anything so I guess I will only be able to make my views know here.
I hope this has helped clear things up a little.
St. Ronan
There are twelve Irish saints bearing the name of Ronan commemorated in the “Martyrology of Donegal”; of these the most celebrated are: St. Ronan of Ulster, brother of St. Carnech, and grandson of Loarn, d. 11 January, 535; St. Ronan, son of Berach, a disciple of the great St. Fechin of Fore. He became first Abbot of Drumshallon, and d. 18 November, 665. St. Ronan Fionn is honoured as patron of Lan Ronan (Kelminiog) in Iveagh. His feast is celebrated on 22 May, both in Ireland and Scotland. St. Ronan of Iona is explicitly referred to by St. Bede as one of the protagonists of the Roman custom of celebrating Easter as against the Irish tradition, and he had a warm controversy on the subject with his countryman St. Finan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 660. This controversy was ended at the Synod of Whitby, in 664, when St. Ronan’s views were upheld. St. Ronan of Lismore was a distinguished successor of St. Carthage, and several Munster churches were built in his honour. His feast is celebrated on 9 February 763. Another saint of this name is best known by the ruined church of Kilronan, Co. Roscommon, where Turlogh O’Carolan and Bishop O’Rourke are buried.
The Day After
So all the counting is over and we still do not have clear front runners although it looks like John McCain is moving forward. I find this very interesting this year. Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Deval Patrick all backed Sen. Obama and what happened in Massachusetts, Hillary Clinton took the state and by a wide margin. On the Republican side most of the big Republicans in this state backed John McCain and what happened Mitt Romney took the state by a big margin. So does this mean that the political heavy weights carry no more weight? Actually it looks like the electorate is actually voting for themselves. So a long season ahead I think.
On another note, our Western Brothers and Sisters enter Lent today. I wish you all well as the journey begins, and hey if you mess it up or want a do over, join us for our Lent when that starts and do it all again?
Spell Check still not working so stuff might be spelled wrong!
4 February ~ St. Modan
Abbot and son of an Irish chieftain. He labored in Scotland, preaching at Stirling and Falkirk, until elected against his will as abbot of a monastery. Eventually, he resigned and became a hermit, dying near Dumbarton.
From Catholic Online
More from Wikipedia
Tuesday
Today, if you have been living under a rock, is Super Tuesday and if you live in Massachusetts or the other 24 states that vote today go and vote. 1.3 million people in Massachusetts are expected to vote today and your host is one of them. I have a funeral this morning and then the mercy meal after but then it is off to vote. Still not sure who for yet but I have some time. Tonight I will watch the results come in. I like to do that and on election night I even have a little map that I like to color in. I guess I am kind of an election geek but it could be worse.
So a funeral today. This is very rare here. I usually do not have funerals in this parish but this year I have had two already. Since I do not have the opportunity to celebrate a funeral I spent a little time after the wake last night to look over the service. It is raining here and that always makes for a bad time at the cemetery. The man who died had been a firefighter so a truck will be here at the church and they stood guard last night at the funeral home, very nice.
I hope to get a podcast recorded today and try to stay on schedule as best I can with the once a week recording but it gets difficult from time to time to stay on schedule. I have also begun teaching again so I have class to prepare for both on Wednesday, Bible study, and Thursday General Psychology at Nichols College. Busy week.
Take a few moments today and go VOTE!
New Englnad Patriots
Okay the season is over and it was a let down but hey they went 18-0 on the season it just all came apart in the end. I will say that they seemed like a different team last night and it was very frustrating but now it is today and the world is still turning, and I think we will survive.