Mark 10:32-45 - "And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (RSV) (byzcath.org)
-------------------------------------Lk. 7:36-50 (Venerable Woman – For St. Mary of Egypt)The Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt: (Coptic Source)On this day also of the year 137 A.M. (421 A.D.) the hermit St. Mary of Egypt departed. She was born in the city of Alexandria about the year 61 A.M. (345 A.D.) from Christian parents.When she became twelve years old, Satan the enemy of the human race, seduced her, led her astray, and made her his net through which he caught innumerable souls.She continued in this sinful conduct for seventeen years until the mercy of God touched her life, she met people going to Jerusalem and she went with them. Since she did not have what to pay for the trip, she gave her self to the owners of the ship in return, until she came to Jerusalem. She also went on doing the same there. She wished to enter through the door of the church of the Resurrection, but she felt a hidden power pulling her from the back preventing her from entering the church. Whenever she tried to enter she felt as someone preventing her from doing so, and right away she realized that was because of her uncleanliness. She lifted up her eyes with a broken heart, and she wept interceding with St. Mary and asked her to intercede on her behalf before her Beloved Son. She felt encouraged and wished to enter with those entering, nothing prevented her from entering, and she prayed therein to God asking Him to guide her for what was pleasing to Him.She stood before the icon of the blessed and pure Virgin, and asked her fervently to guide her that she might save her soul. A voice came out of the icon saying: "If you cross the Jordan river you will find rest and salvation." She rose in haste and when she left the court yard of the resurrection and on her way she met a man who gave her three small coins with which she bought bread. Then she crossed the Jordan river to the wilderness where she lived for forty seven years. She strove strenuously for seventeen years, Satan fought against her by the fornication that she repented from. She overcame with the grace of God and she ate all this period the herbs of the desert.In the forty fifth year of her living in the desert, St. Zosima went to the wilderness, according to the custom of the monks there, during the holy Forty Days of fast for devotion and asceticism. While he was walking in the desert he saw this Saint from far and he thought that she was a shadow or mirage. He prayed to God to reveal to him the fact about this mirage, and he was inspired that it was a human being. He went toward the shadow, but it fled from him. When she saw that he is insisting on following her, she called him from behind a hill saying: "O Zosima if you wish to talk to me, throw me a rag that I may cover myself for I am naked." He marvelled for she called him by his name, he threw to her what she covered herself with, and she came to him. After the greetings and the metanias, she asked him to pray for her because he was a priest. He asked her to tell him the story of her life from the beginning to the present time. After she told him, she asked him to bring with him in the next year the Holy Eucharist to partake of it.In the next year he came to her and she partook of the Holy Mysteries, then he gave her what he had from dates and lentils, she only took a handful of lentils, and she asked him to come to her in the next year. When he came to her in the next year he found that she had departed, a lion standing beside her and writing beside her saying " Bury Mary, the poor woman, in the dust of which she was created." He marvelled from the writing and from the lion that was protecting her body and while he was thinking how he was going to dig to bury her, the lion came and dug a grave for her. He prayed over her and buried her. When he returned to his monastery, he told the monks the story of the strife of this holy woman, and they all increased in steadfastness in the Divine Mercy and progressed in the spiritual life. All the years of her life were seventy six years. May her prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
--------------------------------------------Feast Day: 40 Martyrs of SebasteThe martyrdom of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteia is a powerful lesson in Christian faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and friendship. The story of this martyrdom begins in the early part of the 4th century when the persecution of Christians was still active. There were 40 soldiers of the Roman army who possessed sincere faith in Jesus Christ. When it was realized that they would not deny their belief in the Lord, they were brought to trial before their commander who threatened to have them discharged from the military dishonorably. One of the soldiers responded: "Do not take only our military status, but also our bodies; nothing is dearer or of greater honor to us than Christ our God." Following a number of failed attempts to torture them, they were finally stripped, tied, and thrown into a lake. It happened to be wintertime and the temperature was extremely cold. To tempt the soldiers to deny Christ, the torturers lit fires near the lake to entice them to deny Christ. One soldier actually did come out of the water and headed for the fire, but before he could get there, he died. During the night, a light from heaven came down and heated the lake and warmed these Christian witnesses. At the same time, thirty-nine crowns were sent from heaven and rested upon each of them. One of the soldiers torturing them saw this and, moved by this event, confessed the Christ as Lord and Savior and joined the others in the lake. A fortieth crown appeared and descended upon him at that very moment. In the morning, the commander was furious when he learned of the events and ordered that their legs be broken and they be thrown back into the lake. On the third day following their drowning, the martyrs appeared to the local bishop and told him to search beneath the water and recover their relics. In the middle of the night, the bishop, along with his priests, went to the lake where they found the relics glowing in the water and, gathering them together, they gave them a proper burial.
Divine Liturgy This Sunday!!!
Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy is celebrated each week in the St. Philip Neri Oratory Chapel at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 5919 Kalanianaole Hwy, Honolulu, in Hawaii Kai.
Weekly Schedule is as follows:
Great Lent 3 DL Basil the Great (Triumph of the Holy Cross) March 15th 2009 - 10:30 am
Great Lent 4 DL Basil the Great (St. John Climacus) March 22nd 2009 -8:30 am
Great Lent 5 DL Basil the Great (St. Mary of Egypt) March 29th 2009 - 10:30 am
Palm Sunday DL Basil the Great April 4th 2009 -10:30 am.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE TBD
Weekly Schedule is as follows:
Great Lent 3 DL Basil the Great (Triumph of the Holy Cross) March 15th 2009 - 10:30 am
Great Lent 4 DL Basil the Great (St. John Climacus) March 22nd 2009 -8:30 am
Great Lent 5 DL Basil the Great (St. Mary of Egypt) March 29th 2009 - 10:30 am
Palm Sunday DL Basil the Great April 4th 2009 -10:30 am.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE TBD
Fr. Damien Iconography Class: 30 Mar 09 - 4 Apr 09 Sts Constantine & Helene Greek Orthodox Church
Fr Damien Icon Class Registration Form
Prayer List
- GENERAL INTENTIONS: Dan, Dorothy, and Genka Krushelnycky; Cyndi Henry; Clark & Robbie Sjodin & Family; Andy & Marilyn Tomi; Nalani New; Steven Henry & Family; Madalyn Schutzius; Melanie Schutzius; Paul & Angela Cehr; Natalie, Olivia, and Justin Moore; Ken Kubacki; Jessica Smilgius; Kathy Riddle; Samantha Smith; Keith & Jenny McComb and Family;
- CLERGY: Fr. George Busto, Fr. Mike Owens, Fr. Hal Weidner, Fr. Gary Secor, Fr. Richard Edeline; Fr. Joseph Stanichar, Fr. Michael Hyduk
- MARTYRED: Bishop Paulos Faraj Raho, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq; Father. Ragheed, Deacon Basman, Deacon Ghazwan, Deacon Waheed of the Chaldean Church
Catholic/Orthodox Sources
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
THE MIRACLE OF THEODORE OF TYRE, THE GREAT MARTYR
Commemorated the first Saturday of the Great Fast
If you are interested the ritual for blessing the boiled wheat (koliva or kutia) is found on the attachment.
(Του Αγίου Μεγαλομάρτυρος Θεοδώρου του Τήρωνος)
He was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. They commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. St. Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time St. Theodore prayed.
They charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, St. Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer and gave up his holy soul to God.
This occurred in about the year 306 under the Romanos emperor Galerius (305-311). Unharmed by the fire, the body of St. Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto.
Later on, fifty years after the death of St. Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St. Theodore, having appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxios, ordered him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva).
In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St. John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nektarios of Constantinople (381-397).
We pray to St. Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.
Source: OCA
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
The origin of this tradition: "On the first Saturday of the Great Fast we remember the miracle of St. Theodore of Tyre in 362 AD with koliva. The Emperor, Julian the Apostate, had the food in the market sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to pagan gods in order to defile the first week of the Great Fast. Patriarch Aphdoxios of Constantinople appeared to the saint in a dream warning him of the emperor's scheme. St. Theodore told the people to cook the wheat they had at home rather than grinding all of it into flour. Thus, they did not buy anything in the market and avoided the tainted food."
= = = = = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
In the city of Amasea, in the province of Pontus, during the Emperor Maximian's (286305) persecution, the soldier Theodore, together with other Christians, was required to renounce Christ and to offer sacrifice to idols. When he refused to do this, Theodore was subjected to cruel tortures and was confined in a dungeon. Here, during prayer, he was consoled by a miraculous appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. After a certain time, the martyr was brought out of the dungeon, and by various tortures they again tried to compel him to renounce Christ. Finally, seeing the inflexibility of the martyr, the ruler sentenced him to burning. Saint Theodore himself entered the fire dauntlessly, and here, with prayer and doxology he gave up his soul about the year 305. His body was buried in the city of Euchaita (in Asia Minor). Later, his relics were translated to Constantinople, to the church named after him; his head is located in Gaeta, Italy.
Some fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361363), desiring to defile the Christian Great Lent, ordered the city governor of Constantinople to sprinkle secretly the provisions sold in the markets with blood from sacrifices to idols each day throughout the first week of the Fast. Saint Theodore appeared in a night vision to Eudoxius, the Archbishop of Constantinople, and ordered him to announce to the Christians that they should not buy the defiled provisions in the markets, but should use kolivo (kutia), that is, boiled wheat with honey, as food. In commemoration of this event, the Orthodox Church to this day celebrates the memory of the Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro annually on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On the eve, on Friday (or on Saturday), after the Prayer Behind the Ambo, a Moleben is served to Saint Theodore the Tyro (his epithet "tyro" means "recruit" in Latin) and kutia is blessed
= = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
St Theodore Saturday
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the end of the first week of Great Lent is connected with an event in the reign of Julian the Apostate. The tradition states that the Emperor knew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict fasting, and would go to the marketplaces of Constantinople on Saturday to buy food. So he ordered that blood from pagan sacrifices be sprinkled over all the food that was sold there. This made the food unsuitable as Lenten fare (since the Christians could not eat meat products during Lent), and in general as food for Christians, who are forbidden to eat food from such sacrifices. However, St. Theodore Tyro appeared in the dream to Archbishop Eudoxius and advised him that the people should not eat food bought at the marketplace that day, but only boiled wheat mixed with honey.
= = = = = = = = = = == =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
1st Saturday of Great LentSt Theodore the Recruit Today we remember the miracle of St Theodore and the boiled wheat. Fifty years after the death of St Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). The Troparion to St Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to St Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). Saint Theodore is also commemorated on February 17.
= = = == = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
In Byzantine Christianity, [Catholic or Orthodox] boiled wheat called koliva (or kollyva) Greek, koljivo (Serbian), (Serbian Cyrillic: кољиво), colivă Romanian, коливо (kolivo) (Bulgarian) is the ritual food blessed after the memorial liturgy performed at various intervals after a death, after the burying ritual, during (mnemosyna - memorial services), at the first Friday of the Great Lent, at slavas, or at mnemosyna in the Christmas meal. For its pleasant taste, in some countries (not Greece) it is consumed in other non-religious conditions as well, often with cream on top.
It is the combination of boiled wheat kernels, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and parsley. The practice of making and eating koliva is known in Greece, Russia, and many Balkan countries, therefore recipes may vary.
When served, the koliva mixture, which looks something like earth, is shaped into a mound or cake to resemble a grave. The whole is then covered with powdered sugar and the initials of the deceased are outlined on the top. A candle, usually placed in the center of the koliva, is lit at the beginning of the memorial service and extinguished at its end. After the liturgy, those attending share in eating the koliva as they speak of the deceased and say "may God forgive him/her."
The origin of koliva pre-dates Christianity. The word stems from the Ancient Greek kollyvo or κόλλυβo, which originally means cereal grain) (also called "žito", or "wheat" in Bulgarian and Serbian). In the Ancient Greek "panspermia", a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts were offered during the festival of the Anthesteria. In Greece, therefore, koliva is also called "sperna," a term associated also with "sperm." The association between death and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva. The ritual food passed from paganism to early Christianity in Byzantium and subsequently spread to the entire Orthodox world.
Christian interpretation
Orthodox Christians consider the wheat to be the symbol of resurrection according to the Gospel:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John, 12, 24)
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the first week of Great Lent is connected with the history about persecutions of Julian the Apostate, who is said to add the blood from pagan sacrifaces to the food sold in the Empire, thus disturbing the Christian fasting. According to the tradition, St. Theodore of Tyre showed in the dream to the archbishop of Antioch with an advice to eat only koliva during the week.
Recipies for Koliva
Plain Koliva (kutia)
2 cups of wheat
3 quarts of boiling water
1 tsp salt
Boil until wheat kernels are tender (about 50 mins) then pour on about 1/3 cup of honey and mix.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Fancy Koliva (kutia)
2 cups wheat 3 quarts water 1 cup poppy seed 2/3 cup of sugar 1/3 cup honey, dissolved in ¾ cup hot water ½ cup chopped walnuts, raisins, almonds, or pecans
1) Dry the wheat in an oven at 250 F for one hour, stirring occasionally. Wash and soak in cold water overnight.
2) Next morning, bring wheat to the boiling point; simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until the kernels burst open.
3) Scald the poppy seed and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and grind with either a mortar and pestle or a food processor using the finest setting. Set aside.
4) Combine honey and sugar in hot water. Set aside.
5) Before serving, add the sweetened mixture, poppy seed and the nuts to cooled, boiled wheat.
If you are interested the ritual for blessing the boiled wheat (koliva or kutia) is found on the attachment.
(Του Αγίου Μεγαλομάρτυρος Θεοδώρου του Τήρωνος)
He was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. They commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. St. Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time St. Theodore prayed.
They charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, St. Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer and gave up his holy soul to God.
This occurred in about the year 306 under the Romanos emperor Galerius (305-311). Unharmed by the fire, the body of St. Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto.
Later on, fifty years after the death of St. Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St. Theodore, having appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxios, ordered him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva).
In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St. John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nektarios of Constantinople (381-397).
We pray to St. Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.
Source: OCA
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
The origin of this tradition: "On the first Saturday of the Great Fast we remember the miracle of St. Theodore of Tyre in 362 AD with koliva. The Emperor, Julian the Apostate, had the food in the market sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to pagan gods in order to defile the first week of the Great Fast. Patriarch Aphdoxios of Constantinople appeared to the saint in a dream warning him of the emperor's scheme. St. Theodore told the people to cook the wheat they had at home rather than grinding all of it into flour. Thus, they did not buy anything in the market and avoided the tainted food."
= = = = = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
In the city of Amasea, in the province of Pontus, during the Emperor Maximian's (286305) persecution, the soldier Theodore, together with other Christians, was required to renounce Christ and to offer sacrifice to idols. When he refused to do this, Theodore was subjected to cruel tortures and was confined in a dungeon. Here, during prayer, he was consoled by a miraculous appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. After a certain time, the martyr was brought out of the dungeon, and by various tortures they again tried to compel him to renounce Christ. Finally, seeing the inflexibility of the martyr, the ruler sentenced him to burning. Saint Theodore himself entered the fire dauntlessly, and here, with prayer and doxology he gave up his soul about the year 305. His body was buried in the city of Euchaita (in Asia Minor). Later, his relics were translated to Constantinople, to the church named after him; his head is located in Gaeta, Italy.
Some fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361363), desiring to defile the Christian Great Lent, ordered the city governor of Constantinople to sprinkle secretly the provisions sold in the markets with blood from sacrifices to idols each day throughout the first week of the Fast. Saint Theodore appeared in a night vision to Eudoxius, the Archbishop of Constantinople, and ordered him to announce to the Christians that they should not buy the defiled provisions in the markets, but should use kolivo (kutia), that is, boiled wheat with honey, as food. In commemoration of this event, the Orthodox Church to this day celebrates the memory of the Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro annually on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On the eve, on Friday (or on Saturday), after the Prayer Behind the Ambo, a Moleben is served to Saint Theodore the Tyro (his epithet "tyro" means "recruit" in Latin) and kutia is blessed
= = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
St Theodore Saturday
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the end of the first week of Great Lent is connected with an event in the reign of Julian the Apostate. The tradition states that the Emperor knew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict fasting, and would go to the marketplaces of Constantinople on Saturday to buy food. So he ordered that blood from pagan sacrifices be sprinkled over all the food that was sold there. This made the food unsuitable as Lenten fare (since the Christians could not eat meat products during Lent), and in general as food for Christians, who are forbidden to eat food from such sacrifices. However, St. Theodore Tyro appeared in the dream to Archbishop Eudoxius and advised him that the people should not eat food bought at the marketplace that day, but only boiled wheat mixed with honey.
= = = = = = = = = = == =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
1st Saturday of Great LentSt Theodore the Recruit Today we remember the miracle of St Theodore and the boiled wheat. Fifty years after the death of St Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. St Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). In memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by St John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). The Troparion to St Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to St Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). Saint Theodore is also commemorated on February 17.
= = = == = = = = = = =
FIRST SATURDAY OF THE GREAT FAST
In Byzantine Christianity, [Catholic or Orthodox] boiled wheat called koliva (or kollyva) Greek, koljivo (Serbian), (Serbian Cyrillic: кољиво), colivă Romanian, коливо (kolivo) (Bulgarian) is the ritual food blessed after the memorial liturgy performed at various intervals after a death, after the burying ritual, during (mnemosyna - memorial services), at the first Friday of the Great Lent, at slavas, or at mnemosyna in the Christmas meal. For its pleasant taste, in some countries (not Greece) it is consumed in other non-religious conditions as well, often with cream on top.
It is the combination of boiled wheat kernels, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and parsley. The practice of making and eating koliva is known in Greece, Russia, and many Balkan countries, therefore recipes may vary.
When served, the koliva mixture, which looks something like earth, is shaped into a mound or cake to resemble a grave. The whole is then covered with powdered sugar and the initials of the deceased are outlined on the top. A candle, usually placed in the center of the koliva, is lit at the beginning of the memorial service and extinguished at its end. After the liturgy, those attending share in eating the koliva as they speak of the deceased and say "may God forgive him/her."
The origin of koliva pre-dates Christianity. The word stems from the Ancient Greek kollyvo or κόλλυβo, which originally means cereal grain) (also called "žito", or "wheat" in Bulgarian and Serbian). In the Ancient Greek "panspermia", a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts were offered during the festival of the Anthesteria. In Greece, therefore, koliva is also called "sperna," a term associated also with "sperm." The association between death and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva. The ritual food passed from paganism to early Christianity in Byzantium and subsequently spread to the entire Orthodox world.
Christian interpretation
Orthodox Christians consider the wheat to be the symbol of resurrection according to the Gospel:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John, 12, 24)
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the first week of Great Lent is connected with the history about persecutions of Julian the Apostate, who is said to add the blood from pagan sacrifaces to the food sold in the Empire, thus disturbing the Christian fasting. According to the tradition, St. Theodore of Tyre showed in the dream to the archbishop of Antioch with an advice to eat only koliva during the week.
Recipies for Koliva
Plain Koliva (kutia)
2 cups of wheat
3 quarts of boiling water
1 tsp salt
Boil until wheat kernels are tender (about 50 mins) then pour on about 1/3 cup of honey and mix.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Fancy Koliva (kutia)
2 cups wheat 3 quarts water 1 cup poppy seed 2/3 cup of sugar 1/3 cup honey, dissolved in ¾ cup hot water ½ cup chopped walnuts, raisins, almonds, or pecans
1) Dry the wheat in an oven at 250 F for one hour, stirring occasionally. Wash and soak in cold water overnight.
2) Next morning, bring wheat to the boiling point; simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until the kernels burst open.
3) Scald the poppy seed and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and grind with either a mortar and pestle or a food processor using the finest setting. Set aside.
4) Combine honey and sugar in hot water. Set aside.
5) Before serving, add the sweetened mixture, poppy seed and the nuts to cooled, boiled wheat.
No comments:
Post a Comment