The Feast of The Transfiguration of The Lord

The Liturgy of the Feast of The Transfiguration, Church of St. Mary Of The Angels, 2020
Feast of The Transfiguration of The Lord, Orthodox Liturgy, 2020

Every year, on August 6, both the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches celebrate the Feast of The Transfiguration of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. The feast commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor when our Lord appeared in His divine glory before the apostles Peter, James, and John.

Recorded in three of the four Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36), the event of the Transfiguration unfolded as following: Jesus took the Apostles Peter, James, and John with Him up upon a mountain, and, while they were on the mountain, He was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became glistening white.

Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ, talking to Him. Peter declared how good it was for them to be there and expressed the desire to build three booths for Moses, Elijah, and Christ.

While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces filled with awe. Jesus came to them and told them to not be afraid. When the three looked up they saw only Jesus.

As Jesus and the three apostles came down the mountain, He told them not to speak of what they had seen until He had risen from the dead.

Original article can be found here: https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/08/06/feast-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord-jesus-christ/

The Dormition of The Mother Of God (The Theotokos)

The Feast of The Dormition of The Most Holy Mother Of God (The Theotokos) is celebrated is celebrated on August 15 each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and in the Greek kimisis) or “falling-asleep” of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos.

On the Cross, the Lord charged “the apostle He loved” (considered by tradition to be the Apostle John) to care for His holy Mother. After having been settled by the Apostle in a house in Jerusalem, The holy Mother lived for the rest of her days on earth, praying and offering counsel and encouragement to the Apostles.

It is unknown how old she was when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that in three days’ time she would enter into her rest, but many say that she was about 60 years old. After receiving the news from the Archangel, The holy Mother gave thanks to God and hastened to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continually, preparing herself to meet the Lord.

Meanwhile, the Apostles, scattered in various parts of the earth, were caught up in clouds and miraculously brought by the holy Angels to Jerusalem, so that they might all be with the Theotokos at her repose. After she had blessed them, she gave up her soul to God. The Apostles buried her with all honor, solemnity and joy at Gethsemane.

The Apostle Thomas was delayed by God’s providence, and arrived on the third day. The other apostles went with him to her tomb, intending to honor her. But when the Apostles opened her grave, they found her holy body gone and only the winding-sheet remaining. That evening the Theotokos appeared to them surrounded by angels, and said to them, ‘Rejoice: I will be with you always!’. Thus they learned that she had been bodily translated to heaven, anticipating the general resurrection of all.

If you want to read more about the Icon of The Feast of The Dormition of The Mother Of God, I invite you to read this article. More information about the appearance and the personality of The Holy Theotokos can be found here.

The Chosen – TV series

Directed and co-written by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen is the first original TV series about the life of Jesus Christ.

Backed by over $11 million dollars raised through crowdfunding, the groundbreaking multi-season series, that dramatizes the Gospel narrative and presents the ministry and miracles of Jesus Christ, launched this week for viewers to stream on-demand.

The writer and director behind The Chosen says they aim to change the rules for how to cinematically approach the biblical text.

“I’ve seen pretty much every Jesus movie or miniseries ever made,” says Dallas Jenkins, a filmmaker for the past two decades. “But I’ve had the hardest time connecting with most of them, even the ones I’ve enjoyed as a believer, because they make the journey safe and clean.

“There’s no way to portray redemption — from depravity and oppression, to joy and freedom — unless it’s desperate and authentic.”

On Tuesday, in advance of Easter weekend, a full trailer for The Chosen released along with the series premiere (currently free). Three further episodes are available for purchase. Producers announced the complete first season will release in November on the VidAngel streaming video platform.

Check out the official trailer below:

The Chosen trailer – a TV series about the life of Jesus Christ

The Feast Day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, 2019

Today, on the 29th of June, 2019, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the feast day of the Holy Foremost Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul.

I invite you to read about the holy lives of the two apostles by clicking the following links:

https://orthodoxie.com/en/june-29/

https://www.novinite.com/articles/198202/Today+the+Orthodox+Church+Honours+the+Memory+of+the+Great+Apostles+Peter+and+Paul

Saint Peter, Saint Paul, pray for us sinners.