Post of the Day - Celebrating Sunday of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

 "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women." (Lk 1:28)

A Short Description of the Icon:



This icon is rich in Syriac tradition design and color. It symbolizes the joy of the announcement to Mary, that she will be the Mother of God.

The Virgin Mary stands in her house of prayer, portrayed in a posture of submission and acceptance, filled with joy and peace at the message of the Angel. The Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove, descending upon her in his great act of divine mystery. To the left of the icon, we see Archangel Gabriel, stretching out his right hand to the Virgin Mary, in both proclamation and blessing. With his left hand, he holds the angelic staff. The blue semi-circle at the top of the icon, as depicted in all the icons of this series, symbolically represents the realm of the Divine and the presence of God the Father.

Post of the Day - November 25, 2010 Concecration of the Church Icon

Maronite Icon - Consecration of the Church

"Then I, John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rv 21:2)



The Consecration of the Church Icon is a literal historical and Biblical, as well as an Antiochene representation of the Church.  According to the Syriac tradition, this Icon is read or viewed from the Right to the Left.  We will describe the pictures of this icon starting from the bottom Right, row by row.

The bottom section of the Icon shows the following symbols of the Church: the Ark of the Noah, the Ladder of Jacob, the Tabernacle of Aaron, the Daughter of Kings and of David, the Church in the bosom of Christ and Priests a the Altar of Mysteries.

The Next row shows the Old Testament history of the People of God, Adam and Eve and the angel guarding the Tree of Life, The Three Patriarchs with Moses and the Law at Mount Sinai.  in the center are the Old Testament holy places of worship, the Tabernacle, the ark of the covenant and the temple of Solomon. On the left are the judge Samuel, the prophet Elijah, major and Minor Prophets, the Kings David and Solomon and ending with John the Baptist.

In the Center of the Icon shows the Crucifixion in the Syriac style.  The second Adam, who has shed his blood to bring salvation to the sons and daughters of man.  Rising above the cross is the symbol of the Trinity, flanked by the tongues of fire representing the Pentecost and the birth of the church.  To the Right shows the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, of all ages and all nations led by the apostles Peter and Paul, groups of apostles, martyrs and confessors and the entire community of saints.

To the left of the Apostolic Church of Antioch, specifically the Syro-Maronite Antiochene Church, shows the Syriac Church Fathers, the founder and people of the Maronite Church.  Above the Church of Antioch is the emblem of the Maronite Patriarchate, the Monastery of St. Maron beside the Orontes River, the cedar tree and a snow capped mountain of Lebanon.  Opposite is the Tree of Life with twelve fruits for the healing of the twelve tribes and seven fruits fro the sacraments of the church.

From the Throne of God above runs the River of Life, the Mountains, clouds, whirlwind, lighting and firer depict theophany - the visible manifestation of God to Man.

The colors are symbolic too- gold for eternity; red for martyrdom and kingship; blue for heaven; white for purity and green for creation. The sun with twelve stars represents the New Testament Church, Christ and the Apostles. The moon and twelve stars stand for the Old Testament Church, the patriarchs and our Lady.

The top of the icon shows the New Jerusalem, the eternal bride of Christ, to whom Christ comes in glory, to make His dwelling place forever.

Post of the Day - Saints Cosmas and Damien

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Saints Cosmas and Damian are venerated as a type of saint known as Unmercenary Physicians ("without money"). This classification of saints is unique to the Eastern Church and refers to those who heal purely out of love (Matthew 10:8) While each of the Unmercenaries have their own feast days, all are commemorated together on the first Sunday in November, in a feast known as the Synaxis of the Unmercenary Physicians.
The Orthodox celebrate no less than three different sets of saints by the name of Cosmas and Damian, each with its own distinct feast day:

• Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor — alternately, of Mesopotamia (November 1) Twin sons of Saint Theodota. Died peacefully and were buried together at Thereman in Mesopotamia.

Orthodox icons of the saints depict them vested as laymen holding medicine boxes. Often each will also hold a spoon with which to dispense medicine. The handle of the spoon is normally shaped like a cross to indicate the importance of spiritual as well as physical healing, and that all cures come from God.
In Russia since 17th century there was a priestly Kosmodemyansky family. Their family name was constructed by joining the names of Saints Cosmas and Damian (Kosma and Demyan in Russian). The family includes Saint Pyotr Kosmodemyansky (1872–1918), a priest murdered by militant atheists for his opposition to blasphemy, and his granddaughter Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923–1941), the most revered martyr of the Soviet Union.

Prayer to Sts. Cosmas and Damien

Oh glorious martyrs of Christ,
Saints Cosmas and Damian, 
you gave your lives for the love of God,
benefiting your fellow man,
and crowning your martyrdom with an open and loyal profession of your faith.
You taught us to love God above all things,
and to love our fellow man as ourselves,
professing always,
and without fear,
the religion of Jesus.

Augmenting amongst the faithful populace many miracles,
you are glorious indeed.
Through your intercession,
which brings about deliverance of these miracles,
we pray to you for your aid in all things.
May your patronage never be far from us in the illness of our body and soul.

Oh great protectors,
Saints Cosmas & Damian,
assist us with your love and free us from all evils.

Post of the Day - Saint Martin De Porres November 3, 2010



St. Martin de Porres was born at Lima, Peru, in 1579. His father was a Spanish gentleman and his mother a freed-woman from Panama. At fifteen, he became a lay brother at the Dominican Friary at Lima and spent his whole life there-as a barber, farm laborer, almoner, and infirmarian, among other things.
Martin had a great desire to go off to some foreign mission and thus earn the palm of martyrdom. However, since this was not possible, he made a martyr out of his body, devoting himself to ceaseless and severe penances. In turn, God endowed him with many graces and wondrous gifts, such as, aerial flights and bilocation.
St. Martin's love was all-embracing, shown equally to humans and to animals, including vermin, and he maintained a cats and dogs hospital at his sister's house. He also possessed spiritual wisdom, demonstrated in his solving his sister's marriage problems, raising a dowry for his niece inside of three day's time, and resolving theological problems for the learned of his Order and for bishops. A close friend of St. Rose of Lima, this saintly man died on November 3, 1639 and was canonized on May 6, 1962. His feast day is November 3.
Saint of: barbers, innkeepers, public education, public health, racial harmony, social justice .

Pope John XXIII quoted during his canonization

In 1962, Pope John XXIII remarked at the canonization of Martin: "He excused the faults of others. He forgave the bitterest injuries, convinced that he deserved much severer punishments on account of his own sins. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly he comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers and Negroes, as well as mulattoes, who were looked upon at that time as akin to slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: 'Martin of Charity.'"