Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Great Feast of the Holy Theophany of Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ

May Christ our True God, who acepted to be baptized by the Holy Prophet John in the Jordon River and who, upon entering the house of Zacchaeus blessed all who were there, bless now this house and all who dwell in it. Grant them health, strength and salvation, peace and prosperity; and grant all their petitions that are for their salvation and for everlasting life. Amen.

Explanation

The article below was written by Rev. Fr. James Graham, Pastor of Saint Elias the Prophet Melkite Greek Catholic Mission, San Jose, CA. The article appeared in THE VOICE OF THE PROPHET, News from St Elias the Prophet Melkite Greek Catholic Mission, Volume 8, Number 1, January 2002

The custom of the priest visiting parishioners'homes and businesses to bless them with the "Jordan Water" from Theophany has endured for hundreds of years. Traditionally, house blessings should be completed before the beginning of Great Lent.
The first few years, which are spent almost entirely in the home, are the most formative years of life.
In a real sense, the home is a school. Things are constantly being taught there. Parents and others in the household teach by what they are and how they live every day. It is the most important of schools, because values, attitudes, a way of life are taught there all the time. In a real sense, the home is also a church. Prayers are said there. God is worshipped there. Most homes have a Bible and prayer books. There is an altar in the home-the dining table. There we bless our daily food and eat it. This food becomes our body and blood-our tissues of life, constantly renewed and replaced.
There are people, Christians, in the home, just as in church. Most homes have a cross and ikons; many have candles. Most Christians pray at home, in the morning and in the evening. If they have sinned, they ask for God’s forgiveness. Certainly religion is not something found only in church. It is found in the home, too.
This is why the Church brings the blessing of Theophany into the home. Just as the home is an extension of the church, this blessing of the home is an extension of the service of blessing that began in the church. So let our homes be Christian places. Let them show our faith, with ikons and candles and prayers and Christian living. Above all, let them be places where the presence of Christ is felt day by day. Let them be places of light, of love, of refuge from the darkness of this world.

Cycle of the Holy Theophany of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ

Holy Theophany Cycle
Holy Theophany Preparation
Holy Theophany Paramony
Holy Theophany
Great Blessing of Water
House Blessings
Holy Theophany Celebration
Holy Theophany 2nd Day Celebration and Synaxis of John the Baptist

Liturgical Cycle

Liturgical Cycle
Calendar 2001 / 2002 Liturgical Cycle

Great Feast Days

Feasts Days - Specific

Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ
The Theotokos
The Holy Prophet and Glorious Forerunner John the Baptist

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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