BIG C CATHOLICS

Feast Day - September 8th The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated since approximately the 6th century, although there are other conflicting accounts of when this particular feast came to be observed. It likely originated in the Eastern Church in response to the Council of Ephesus, in which Mary was officially proclaimed "Mother of God" ( Theotokos ). It is thought that the date of September 8th was chosen because the Eastern Church year begins in September. Later, this feast would help to determine the date of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There is an apocryphal story associated with the birth of our Lady, found in the Protoevangelium of St. James. Though not historical in origin, it does reflect the piety of the times. According to this account, Anna, who was barren, and Joachim prayed in earnest for a child; as often happened in biblical accounts, the child they were blessed with was given to them to advance God’s plan for salvation. &qu

In venerating the saints, remembering the souls of departed loved ones, and praying for those in purgatory, Catholics are often accused of praying to the dead. But the souls in heaven (the Church Triumphant) and those in purgatory (the Church Suffering) are not dead. They are very much live. In fact, they are much closer to the Throne of God than anyone on earth (the Church Militant). By virtue of the Communion of Saints, no Christian is an island, isolated or alone. We are joined together, spiritually united in love, through the Lord Jesus Christ and the divine economy of salvation, one family sustained by God across time. As members of Christ's mystical body, Christians are bound not only to Him, but to each other. Prayers to the saints for their intercession are efficacious for they see God now face to face. Hence, their petitions to Him on our behalf are powerful. Most of all, Christians pray to God: God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son, our Lord and Savio

The feast of Saint Sabbas (or Savvas) the Sanctified of Jerusalem is celebrated on December 5th in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. He was born in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The son of devout parents, from a young age he excelled in the spiritual life, prayer and asceticism. At sixteen, he traveled to Jerusalem, to the Monastery of Euthymius the Great, who sent him to the Monastery of the venerable Theoctistus. Here, he advanced in holiness becoming a mentor and shepherd of many desert monks. He was later blessed to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, he would leave his hermitage and come to the monastery, where he participated in the divine services and broke bread with the brethren. In due course, Sabbas received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he endured in the cave for five years. After several years, disciples began to gather around him desiring the monastic life. As the number of monks increased, a lav

Many miracles were worked following the martyrdoms of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The Orthodox Church recounts several intercessions owed to them, including this one: There lived in Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a man named Malchus. One day, he departed on an extended journey, leaving his wife behind. Before doing so, he prayed to Sts. Cosmas and Damian, entrusting her to their heavenly protection. A demon assumed the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends in an attempt to kill her. The demon called on the woman, saying that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. Believing him, she went along. The demon brought her to a solitary place with the intention of ending her life. Sensing mortal danger was imminent, the woman prayed to God for help. Suddenly, two fearsome men appeared. The devil let go of the woman, fleeing in such haste, he fell off a cliff. The men accompanied the woman home where she thanked them effusively saying “My deliverers, to whom I shall be gr

Memorial - September 13th John Chrysostom was the son of a Latin father and a Greek mother; his mother, Anthusa, was widowed at the age of twenty, soon after his birth. Putting aside all thought of remarriage, Anthusa gave all of her attention to her son: she gave him the best classical education of the day, and enrolled him as a catechumen when he was eighteen. He was mentored by Meletius, patriarch of Antioch, who sent him to the monastic school of Diodore, then baptized and ordained him lector. At this time, St. John Chrysostom decided to take his future into his own hands and became a monk-hermit, living in a cave, studying the Scriptures, and putting himself under the discipline of an old hermit named Hesychius. However, his health broke under this austere regimen and he returned to Antioch, was ordained a priest, and began his remarkable career as a powerful preacher. During the next twelve years, he electrified Antioch with his fiery sermons, filled with a knowledge a

Feast Day - September 8th The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated since approximately the 6th century, although there are other, conflicting accounts of when this particular feast came to observed. It likely originated in the Eastern Church in response to the Council of Ephesus, in which Mary was officially proclaimed "Mother of God" ( Theotokos ). It is thought that the date of September 8th was chosen because the Eastern Church year begins in September. Later, this feast would help to determine the date of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There is an apocryphal story associated with the birth of our Lady, found in the Protoevangelium of St. James. Though not historical in origin, it does reflect the piety of the times. According to this account, Anna, who was barren, and Joachim prayed in earnest for a child; as often happened in biblical accounts, the child they were blessed with was given to them to advance God’s plan for salvation. &

The following eloquent commentary on the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ is from Orthodox priest Fr. Lawrence Farley’s, Let Us Attend: A Journey Through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy . May we reverence Christ's wisdom. (H/T Fr. Ted's Blog ) "When we hear the words of the Gospel, we are being entrusted with a treasure, and we must let these words bear fruit in our lives. Otherwise we will hear truth to our condemnation on the Last Day. That is why, before the Gospel is even chanted, the priest prays the Gospel prayer for all who are about to hear it: ‘Illumine our hearts, O Master and Lover of mankind, with the pure light of Your divine knowledge. Open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of Your Gospel teachings. Implant also in us the fear of Your blessed commandments, that trampling down all carnal desires, we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well-pleasing to You.’"

January 2, 2017 Basil was educated in Caesarea, Constantinople, and Athens in the fourth century. He enjoyed stimulating university life. There he met Gregory Nazianzen, a quiet, scholarly man. The two became close friends. Basil traveled through the East and studied monastic life. As a result, he formed his own monastic group. Gregory joined him. From their discussions, Basil composed a rule of life for monks. He allowed monks and nuns to operate hospitals and guesthouses and work outside the community. His principles still influence Eastern monasticism. The two friends lived the monastic life for only about five years. Then Gregory had to return home to care for his father, who was a bishop. When Gregory got home, he was ordained a priest, although he did not think himself worthy. He watched over his father’s diocese. In 374, Basil was made bishop of Caesarea. The Church called on him to refute the Arian heresy, which claimed that Jesus was not God. Emperor Valens promote

Orthodox priest, Father Josiah Trenham, interviews His Excellency, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Prefect of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. Although this was recorded prior to the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision legalizing ‘gay marriage’, Archbishop Cordileone powerfully illustrates why redefining marriage is destructive to the health and well-being of marriage and society. The following are Archbishop Cordileone's concluding remarks. Beginning at 32:35 Fr. Trenham: "Your Excellency… your speaking has been very educational for us. I'm wondering if you could speak directly to us, how can we assume our responsibility also, as an Orthodox community, what can we contribute, how can we co-labor in this?" Abp. Cordileone: "One sort of side benefit I see to what's going on in the culture is God, in His own way, is bringing His people together. The ecumenical cooperation has been very heartening, and I think we see where we nee

Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. — St. Ephrem Pour into our hearts O Lord, we pray, the Holy Spirit, at whose prompting the Deacon St. Ephrem, "the Harp of the Holy Spirit", exulted in singing of your mysteries and from whom he received the strength to serve you alone.

As we celebrate this month dedicated to our Lady, here is an article from our archive for your consideration. [Originally published in February 2013 as "Mary is the New Burning Bush".] In Exodus 3:1-2 it is written:  "Meanwhile Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock beyond the wilderness, he came to the mountain of God, Horeb. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him as fire flaming out of a bush. When he looked, although the bush was on fire, it was not being consumed." The theophany of the burning bush, in which God appeared to Moses, did not immolate itself. Not so much as a leaf was singed. This is a miracle precisely because the conflagration failed to scorch, burn or otherwise disfigure the plant. Moses was rightly amazed. So too, throughout Scripture, whenever God intervenes in human affairs the people He touches are neither disrespected or compromised. Moreover, God, the source of love and li

Father Daniel Meyer is an Orthodox priest at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church . He does an admirable job explaining the differences between the Roman and Orthodox Churches on Holy Ascension's website. His Q & A presentation of the barriers to unification is informative and in large part fair [albeit from an Orthodox perspective].  Fr. Meyer explains: For a Roman Catholic walking into an Orthodox church, there will be many elements that are familiar—services led by an ordained priesthood, sacramental worship, ancient tradition, Christian art, etc. But Orthodoxy also has much that is unfamiliar—a mostly married priesthood, communing infants, no papacy, and so forth. It is also likely that an Orthodox church will be a riot of color in comparison with the simpler statuary of Rome’s churches. But beyond these initial impressions, there is actually much that continues to separate Rome from Orthodoxy. One of the most common mistakes is an assumption that surface similarities mean

The Prodigal Son (Click to see full image). A Reader's Guide to Orthodox Icons is an outstanding site that makes one long for full unity. In light of the fourth Sunday of Lent's Gospel account, they have a most informative post on various icons depicting the Parable of the Prodigal Son . One in particular [see above] is considered for it's contemplative value and theological insights [from the Orthodox perspective]. It is well worth your time.