Category: Inspiration

On August 15, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (also known as the Dormition among Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox), a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII, exercising papal infallibility, declared that it is a dogma of the Church “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

Dormition literally means “the falling asleep.” It is the original name for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, continue to use it today.

Conclusion to Vespers on the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos (Mother of God)

Anchored HD from lindsey olivares on Vimeo.

It isn’t easy to let go of what holds us down. Sometimes we need the encouragement and love of another to pull up our anchors.

The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ’s divine glory on Todat we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration.

The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ’s divine glory on Mount Tabor in Galilee (Matthew 17:1-6; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:28-36). After revealing to His disciples that He would be put to death in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21), Christ, along with Ss. Peter, James, and John, went up the mountain. There, St. Matthew writes, “he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.”

The brightness was not something added to Christ but the manifestation of His true divine nature. For Peter, James, and John, it was also a glimpse of the glories of heaven and of the resurrected body promised to all Christians. As Christ was transfigured, two others appeared with Him: Moses, representing the Old Testament Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. Thus Christ, Who stood between the two and spoke with them, appeared to the disciples as the fulfillment of both the Law and the prophets.

At Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, the voice of God the Father was heard to proclaim that “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). During the Transfiguration, God the Father pronounced the same words (Matthew 17:5).

One by one, day after day, these workers are uncovering a true piece of art. It’s an ancient mosaic that’s about 2,000 years old. For now, it’s mostly covered in dirt, dust and soil.