To: Siobhan; Kolokotronis; sandyeggo; NYer; Romulus
A picture, similar to the one below, was one the front page of the Washington Post today, above the fold. I was very glad to see it. The Eastern Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, deserve the visibility!
PS - Though I think I know the answer to the question, I want to be sure. What is the significance of the deacon holding his stole up, mirroring the bishop with the censor? I know that in the traditional Latin rite of exorcism, the stole can be used to bless an oppressed person, so I guess this is something similar. Also, one of the TV commentators said something about the Eastern bishops using incense instead of holy water, though they failed to mention that Cardinal Ratzinger also blessed the coffin with incense. That whole comment brought to my mind whether or not water is blessed in a similar way in the East (I would assume so). Please pardon me if I this sounds wrong, but I don't know too much about such things.
49 posted on
04/09/2005 4:16:29 PM PDT by
Pyro7480
("All my own perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded upon Our Lady." - Tolkien)
To: Pyro7480; Siobhan; sandyeggo; NYer; Romulus
In Orthodoxy, the deacon's stole is representative of the wings of an angel. When chanting or reading, the deacon holds up the end of the stole to symbolize the spreading on an angles wings.
We do indeed use holy water, just as it is used in the West. There is a special and quite beautiful service for the blessing of water called an "agiasmo".
50 posted on
04/09/2005 4:39:59 PM PDT by
Kolokotronis
("Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips!" (Psalm 141:3))
To: Pyro7480; Kolokotronis
A picture, similar to the one below, was one the front page of the Washington Post today, above the fold. I was very glad to see it. The Eastern Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, deserve the visibility! Just curious; did the Washington Post reporter indicate that these were Eastern Catholics, as opposed to Orthodox Christians (no intent at malignment), which was misreported by several in the MSM. I'm sure the Orthodox Churches are also being bombarded with questions about their 'participation' at the Funeral for Pope John Paul II.
It is truly a conundrum for so many in the media who, like the majority of Catholics, have no concept of the Eastern (Oriental) Churches.
Thank you, Pyro, for this post! Here's one for you.
52 posted on
04/09/2005 4:48:04 PM PDT by
NYer
("America needs much prayer, lest it lose its soul." John Paul II)
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