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Today being Christmas for many Orthodox Christians, I am fondly remembering my visit a year ago to the beautiful St. Nikolas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Vienna.
If you enlarge my photo with a few clicks, a strange (to the Western eye) Nativity scene will open to you.
The fresco on the wall of St. Nikolas church shows a baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and another young Jesus being bathed by Mary's, shall we say, personal assistant.
Joseph is off to the side, looking worried.
And who is that guy in the black hairy coat?
There are some surprising answers in this rather "un-orthodox" post in a museum researcher's blog.
His post is titled "Have yourself a gloomy little Christmas: The traditional Nativity icon."
If you prefer a more religious interpretation, see the blog "A Reader's Guide to Orthodox Icons."
By the way, some say the ox and ass stand close to the manger to warm the baby with their breath.
That I quite like!
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(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday.)
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Showing posts with label Orthodox Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orthodox Christian. Show all posts
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Friday, February 12, 2016
Moscow meets Rome
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Vienna's beautiful St. Nikolas Russian Orthodox Church, in November.
(Click to open the photo, then once again to greatly enlarge it and see the detail.)
Within the next hours, Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis will have a historic meeting -- over coffee at Havana airport.
The first coming together since the great schism in 1054.
UPDATE: On Twitter:
UPDATE 2: Here is the Joint Declaration that resulted from the meeting.
UPDATE Feb. 13:
My favorite quote from the get-together:
"Together, they discussed concrete proposals for working together, “because unity is made by walking,” the pope said. Even if the goal of full unity is not reached in this lifetime, he said, “at least when the Lord comes, he’ll find us walking.”
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Vienna's beautiful St. Nikolas Russian Orthodox Church, in November.
(Click to open the photo, then once again to greatly enlarge it and see the detail.)
Within the next hours, Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis will have a historic meeting -- over coffee at Havana airport.
The first coming together since the great schism in 1054.
UPDATE: On Twitter:
Today is a day of grace. The meeting with Patriarch Kirill is a gift from God. Pray for us.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 12, 2016
UPDATE 2: Here is the Joint Declaration that resulted from the meeting.
UPDATE Feb. 13:
My favorite quote from the get-together:
"Together, they discussed concrete proposals for working together, “because unity is made by walking,” the pope said. Even if the goal of full unity is not reached in this lifetime, he said, “at least when the Lord comes, he’ll find us walking.”
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Labels:
church,
Orthodox Christian,
Pope Francis,
Russian,
Vienna
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Church of All the Saints of the Holy Land and Russia
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This beautiful church in Ein Kerem is called the Church of All the Saints of the Holy Land and Russia.
(You can click two separate times to enlarge any of the pictures.)
And today, on the Byzantine liturgical calendar, it is Sunday of All Saints.
The Divine Liturgy for the Feast of All Saints of the Holy Land took place this morning at the church of the same name within the Gorny Convent.
Russians built the convent in 1871 but the big church was "on hold" for over a century.
Just a few years ago it was finally finished, complete with golden domes.
It looks out over my beloved Jerusalem Hills.
Read more about this Sunday at the Greek Orthodox website, including this nice summary:
More pictures of the Russian Orthodox nuns and the several churches at the Gorny Convent in my earlier posts.
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And speaking of Russian Orthodox nuns, good Sister Dr. Vassa has started sharing whatever insights come to her during her morning reflections on how to make improvements in her and our spiritual life and life in general. Very helpful, even for me, a non-Christian!
Just go to https://www.facebook.com/ and type in Vassa Larin.
Her posts are public and you do not need to have a Facebook account to see them.
UPDATE June 9: The Moscow Patriarchate just published their photos from the feast day at the church in Gorny Convent, with the arrival of an icon from Mt. Athos.
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday and to the bloggers' meme for churches around the world, inSPIRED Sunday.)
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This beautiful church in Ein Kerem is called the Church of All the Saints of the Holy Land and Russia.
(You can click two separate times to enlarge any of the pictures.)
And today, on the Byzantine liturgical calendar, it is Sunday of All Saints.
The Divine Liturgy for the Feast of All Saints of the Holy Land took place this morning at the church of the same name within the Gorny Convent.
Russians built the convent in 1871 but the big church was "on hold" for over a century.
Just a few years ago it was finally finished, complete with golden domes.
It looks out over my beloved Jerusalem Hills.
Read more about this Sunday at the Greek Orthodox website, including this nice summary:
In this celebration, then, we the pious reverently honour and call blessed all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives. All these, as well as the orders of the Angels, and especially our most holy Lady and Queen, the Ever-virgin Theotokos Mary, do we honour today, setting their life before us as an example of virtue, and entreating them to intercede in our behalf with God, Whose grace and boundless mercy be with us all. Amen..
More pictures of the Russian Orthodox nuns and the several churches at the Gorny Convent in my earlier posts.
.
And speaking of Russian Orthodox nuns, good Sister Dr. Vassa has started sharing whatever insights come to her during her morning reflections on how to make improvements in her and our spiritual life and life in general. Very helpful, even for me, a non-Christian!
Just go to https://www.facebook.com/ and type in Vassa Larin.
Her posts are public and you do not need to have a Facebook account to see them.
UPDATE June 9: The Moscow Patriarchate just published their photos from the feast day at the church in Gorny Convent, with the arrival of an icon from Mt. Athos.
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday and to the bloggers' meme for churches around the world, inSPIRED Sunday.)
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Labels:
church,
feast days,
Gorny Convent,
Orthodox Christian,
Our World Tuesday,
Russian,
Sr. Vassa
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Orthodox Pentecost today and a video
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The Orthodox and Eastern Churches are celebrating Pentecost this weekend.
(Catholic and Protestant Pentecost was last Sunday.)
Here in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the Greek Orthodox clergy's red vestments bring to mind the red tongues of fire of the first Pentecost in Jerusalem.
Some selected lines from the liturgy:
DEACON: For those who incline their hearts as well as the knee before the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: That He will accept our act of kneeling as incense before Him, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. . . .
The Orthodox and Eastern Churches are celebrating Pentecost this weekend.
(Catholic and Protestant Pentecost was last Sunday.)
Here in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the Greek Orthodox clergy's red vestments bring to mind the red tongues of fire of the first Pentecost in Jerusalem.
The prostration goes with the liturgy of the day which has three sets of kneeling prayers for Pentecost.
The
first is a prayer of great repentance; the second prayer is a call to
the Holy Spirit to help the faithful follow the right path during their
life; and the third prayer is to remember those who have gone before.Some selected lines from the liturgy:
DEACON: For those who incline their hearts as well as the knee before the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.
DEACON: That He will accept our act of kneeling as incense before Him, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. . . .
DEACON: Again, on bended knees, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison.
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My photos are from 2009 but not much changes from year to year.
Wishes for a joyous feast day to all the Orthodox Christians!
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Sister Dr. Vassa Larin, an American sister of the Russian Orthodox Church, has eleven minutes of good insights about Pentecost/Descent of the Holy Spirit in this new video (Episode 50!):
(You can also follow her meditations and world travels on her Facebook page, Vassa Larin.)
UPDATE: Here is the entire text of Great Vespers on the Sunday Evening of Pentecost with the Kneeling Prayers, in English, from the helpful website http://www.antiochian.org/online-liturgical-guide .
UPDATE June 6: Today the Jerusalem Patriarchate put online the videos and photos of the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost.
UPDATE June 6: Today the Jerusalem Patriarchate put online the videos and photos of the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost.
(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday.)
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Labels:
clergy,
Holy Sepulchre,
nuns,
Orthodox Christian,
Pentecost,
prayer,
Sr. Vassa,
video
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Pools of Bethesda, St. Anne's, and a video
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Enter Jerusalem's Old City through the Lions Gate, aka St. Stephen's Gate, and soon on your right you will find the place of the White Fathers.
The door of St. Anne's is open. Welcome.
If the beautiful old basilica is empty, test its great acoustics with a song.
Outside are the famous pools of Bethesda.
(Click once and then once again to get the photos full size.)
For some Christians this weekend is the Sunday of the Paralytic, about the story in John 5:1-9 of the healing at the pool of Bethesda.
But Sr.Dr. Vassa Larin has helpful, welcome advice for us all, based on this story of healing, e.g. our past, no matter how difficult, can be beneficial, "So, let‘s not wallow in the bed of our past, but take it up and walk, to the greater glory of God."
Enjoy Sr. Vassa's video:
(Linking this post to inSPIREd Sunday meme.)
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Enter Jerusalem's Old City through the Lions Gate, aka St. Stephen's Gate, and soon on your right you will find the place of the White Fathers.
The door of St. Anne's is open. Welcome.
If the beautiful old basilica is empty, test its great acoustics with a song.
Outside are the famous pools of Bethesda.
(Click once and then once again to get the photos full size.)
For some Christians this weekend is the Sunday of the Paralytic, about the story in John 5:1-9 of the healing at the pool of Bethesda.
But Sr.Dr. Vassa Larin has helpful, welcome advice for us all, based on this story of healing, e.g. our past, no matter how difficult, can be beneficial, "So, let‘s not wallow in the bed of our past, but take it up and walk, to the greater glory of God."
Enjoy Sr. Vassa's video:
(Linking this post to inSPIREd Sunday meme.)
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Labels:
Bethesda pools,
church,
Orthodox Christian,
Sr. Vassa,
St. Anne's
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Easter greetings to Orthodox friends
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"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint his body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?'
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."
Do you see the angel in blue, pushing back the rolling stone with just one hand?
(You can always click and enlarge the picture . . .)
Here is the entrance to the tomb (one of the tombs in Jerusalem) seen from above.
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Wishing Orthodox Christians a blessed Pascha, joyous Easter!
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"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint his body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?'
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."
Mark 16:1-4
Do you see the angel in blue, pushing back the rolling stone with just one hand?
(You can always click and enlarge the picture . . .)
Here is the entrance to the tomb (one of the tombs in Jerusalem) seen from above.
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Wishing Orthodox Christians a blessed Pascha, joyous Easter!
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Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Russian Orthodox prayer, the video!
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Holy Trinity Church was built in 1872 and served as a spiritual center for the many Russian pilgrims who came to Jerusalem in the 19th century.
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All too often the door of the castle-like Holy Trinity Cathedral is locked.
Recently I was walking past it, in Jerusalem's Moscow Square, when I saw a nun come out. Without thinking twice, I grabbed the door and asked in sign language if I might enter and she nodded.
Wow, I was finally inside! And a service was in progress!
I was unfortunately not wearing the required head scarf and skirt, so I stood in the narthex, sort of hiding behind the door. The men's choir upstairs was so glorious that, after two hours, I could no longer resist my blogger's temptation and took out the camera for a furtive 19-second video.
When the Russian Orthodox priests in their splendid vestments came around incensing the several dozen worshipers, the head priest and I--our eyes locked in a second of intense mutual curiousity.
Soon a nun came and, smiling, excitedly asked me a long question in Russian. I shrugged and said, "English? Hebrew?" She knew only Russian, and that was the end of it. I still wonder what she asked. . . .
Holy Trinity Church was built in 1872 and served as a spiritual center for the many Russian pilgrims who came to Jerusalem in the 19th century.
Recently I was walking past it, in Jerusalem's Moscow Square, when I saw a nun come out. Without thinking twice, I grabbed the door and asked in sign language if I might enter and she nodded.
Wow, I was finally inside! And a service was in progress!
I was unfortunately not wearing the required head scarf and skirt, so I stood in the narthex, sort of hiding behind the door. The men's choir upstairs was so glorious that, after two hours, I could no longer resist my blogger's temptation and took out the camera for a furtive 19-second video.
When the Russian Orthodox priests in their splendid vestments came around incensing the several dozen worshipers, the head priest and I--our eyes locked in a second of intense mutual curiousity.
Soon a nun came and, smiling, excitedly asked me a long question in Russian. I shrugged and said, "English? Hebrew?" She knew only Russian, and that was the end of it. I still wonder what she asked. . . .
The story of the church in the Russian Compound, now in downtown Jerusalem, can be read at
and in Russian: http://www.rusdm.ru/ .
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This post is a gift to Irina at the wonderful Moscow Daily Photo. Today she showed us a replica of the Western Wall outside the Moscow Synagogue!
Their synagogue was built about the same time as our Holy Trinity Church!
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