From Wedding Dress to Baptismal Gown

Twenty-five years ago, my sister made my wedding dress.  She has now made a beautiful baptismal gown for her granddaughter from it.  The original train was left in tact.

From Wedding Dress to Baptismal Gown

Twenty-five years ago, my sister made my wedding dress.  She has now made a beautiful baptismal gown for her granddaughter from it.  The original train was left in tact.

Epiphany--Seek the Lord While He May Be Found

Today's feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of the Christ child to the wider world.  Although the Bible does  not specify three "kings," it does mention three gifts.  There is a tradition that each magi was of a different race, representing all the peoples of the world.

In his sermon today, our priest mentioned that after seeing Jesus, the kings went home "by a different route".  This, he said, was indicative and symbolic of the fact that meeting Christ will inevitably change one's life.  After seeing God, we go home "by a different route" and are forever changed.

Another thing that the three wise men represent is science and all searchers of truth.  The three magi were probably court astronomers watching the night sky for God's signs. According to BethlehemStar.net what the three astronomers were watching was the planet Jupiter appear to join with the star "Regulus".  Both Jupiter and Regulus had associations with kingship in the ancient world. This began to occur during the Jewish New Year, September of 3 BC and so alerted the wise men that a king would be born for the Jewish nation. This conjunction happened in the constellation Leo the Lion, which symbolized the Jewish tribe of Judah which was prophesied to be the tribe in which the savior would be born.

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.  ~Micah 5:2

After appearing to join Regulus, 9 months later, Jupiter then joined Venus, the symbol of motherhood.

Also according to the above website, Jupiter's movement, joining with Regulus and then Venus, stopped in December of 2 BC to the south of where the magi would be traveling, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Check out BethlehemStar.net for a more thorough explanation of the astronomical phenomenon.

At any rate, I think the magi are a sometimes overlooked aspect of the Christmas story.  Christ shows His truth to all seekers and shows Himself in all knowledge.  Let us always search for Him.

Epiphany--Seek the Lord While He May Be Found

Today's feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of the Christ child to the wider world.  Although the Bible does  not specify three "kings," it does mention three gifts.  There is a tradition that each magi was of a different race, representing all the peoples of the world.

In his sermon today, our priest mentioned that after seeing Jesus, the kings went home "by a different route".  This, he said, was indicative and symbolic of the fact that meeting Christ will inevitably change one's life.  After seeing God, we go home "by a different route" and are forever changed.

Another thing that the three wise men represent is science and all searchers of truth.  The three magi were probably court astronomers watching the night sky for God's signs. According to BethlehemStar.net what the three astronomers were watching was the planet Jupiter appear to join with the star "Regulus".  Both Jupiter and Regulus had associations with kingship in the ancient world. This began to occur during the Jewish New Year, September of 3 BC and so alerted the wise men that a king would be born for the Jewish nation. This conjunction happened in the constellation Leo the Lion, which symbolized the Jewish tribe of Judah which was prophesied to be the tribe in which the savior would be born.

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.  ~Micah 5:2

After appearing to join Regulus, 9 months later, Jupiter then joined Venus, the symbol of motherhood.

Also according to the above website, Jupiter's movement, joining with Regulus and then Venus, stopped in December of 2 BC to the south of where the magi would be traveling, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Check out BethlehemStar.net for a more thorough explanation of the astronomical phenomenon.

At any rate, I think the magi are a sometimes overlooked aspect of the Christmas story.  Christ shows His truth to all seekers and shows Himself in all knowledge.  Let us always search for Him.

National Hot Tea Month

Celebrate National Hot Tea Month with a cup of your favorite brew in front of a roaring fire.

National Hot Tea Month

Celebrate National Hot Tea Month with a cup of your favorite brew in front of a roaring fire.

January's Virtue--Be Perfect

"Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:48)

Has this verse from scripture given anyone else trouble?  I have always cringed a bit when reading or hearing it.  Perfect?!  Are you kidding?!  How can I be perfect?!

Then, the verse from Luke will come to mind:  "Nothing is impossible with God."  (Luke 1:37)

But still, I would ask, perfection seems a tall order, and it is.

Steven Covington, in an article in This Rock magazine says that the word perfect as used by Matthew means to be whole, complete or fully grown. It is the same word Jesus uses when talking to the Rich Young Man in Matthew 19:21 after he asks what more can he do to follow Christ.  Jesus tells him "If you want to be perfect, go, and sell what you have, give the money to the poor and then come follow me."   So many of us have the same question as the Rich Young Man--"What more can I do?"  We realize we fall far short of the mark but sometimes feel helpless to change.

The Beatitudes--Prescription for Perfection
Jesus gives this teaching to be perfect in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. To be fully grown as people, we must follow Jesus' prescription of the virtues He outlines.  He asks us to first of all realize our fundamental need for God ("poor in spirit"), to be aware of injustice ("mourn"), to know and long for true justice ("hunger and thirst for righteousness") and to endure the persecution that will inevitably come from seeking just treatment of all.

In order to be perfect, we must be meek, merciful, pure of heart and peacemakers.  This is what it means to be perfect as God is perfect.

January is a very apt time to begin studying the acquisition of these virtues and perfection. Although seemingly counterintuitive at first glance, it is a very appropriate way to begin since perfection encompasses all the virtues within itself.

Perfection in Eastern Christianity
The Eastern Church has a theology called theosis, which touches on this concept beautifully.  St. Athanasius of Alexandria said, "The Son of God became man that we might become god," meaning that we might become "partakers of the divine nature" as stated in the second letter of Peter, 1:4.  As a means of explanation, St. Athanasius said that we are called to "become by grace what God is by nature."  This illumination is possible only through God's grace (sometimes called God's energies in the East) and is something that takes a lifetime.

This concept of perfection being a long journey is shown in the icon on the sidebar and the one to the left, of the Ladder of Divine Ascent.  Jesus is shown at the top of the ladder waiting for the people who are climbing towards Him.  We see angels helping individuals in their journey as well as demons who are trying their best to pull people off the ladder.  This is beautifully illustrative of the struggle of each Christian to stay away from sin and strive, with God's help, towards virtue.

St. John Climacus outlined thirty steps towards spiritual perfection in a sermon by the same name.  Such steps include detachment, obedience, repentance, mourning, meekness, freedom from anger and humility.

In the West, St. John of the Cross describes a similar journey to God in Ascent of Mount Carmel in which he describes the stages of prayer and eventual union with God.

Like it or not, perfection is our goal, but we are not alone.  Indeed, it *is* impossible without the help of God's constant grace through prayer and sacrament, to keep us from falling into despair and surrender.

Let's strive for holy perfection, with God's help, in 2010!