Summer Harvest

And so with Peter, John, and James, 

Our God, whom heaven's hosts proclaim,

Climbs up Mount Tabor, there to pray, 

Where, look! He shines more bright than day.

-from The Transfiguration of Our Lord

by Mother Melania, illustrated by Bonnie Gillis

In many Christian denominations, August 6th is the commemoration day of the revealing of Christ's radiant divinity to his disciples, Peter, James and John: the "Feast of the Transfiguration".

Every year our family attends a liturgy for the Transfiguration at our Orthodox parish, where many beautiful scriptures and hymns are read and sung in celebration of this special summer feast day.  And we bring...fruit! 

It is tradition to bless fruits on this day - especially grapes. Why grapes? This is an ancient Christian custom.  At the beginning of  August, farmers used to gather the early fruits of their summer harvest (grapes, figs etc.) and present them in the Church to be blessed and to given freely to the congregation. [source]

These fruits are called the “beginnings”. They show physical transformation and represent a religious transformation (i.e. wine in Holy Communion).  

Two girls in our parish, excitedly watching the blessing,
and waiting for the grapes to be passed out to be eaten
at the end of the service!

The book The Transfiguration of Our Lord, featured at the top of this post, can be listened to  here, where it is beautifully read by Dr. Chrissi Hart on Ancient Faith Radio's program "Under the Grapevine".





All the books from the "Twelve Great Feasts for Children" series, by Mother Melania (formerly Sister Elayne), can be purchased here, from Ancient Faith Publishing.

(About the "Twelve Great Feasts for Children" series: Glowing watercolor illustrations highlight the beauty of each of the Church's feast days. The simple, psalm-like poems are written especially for children, but the whole family will enjoy them. In the Orthodox Church Year, the Feast of Feasts, in a class by itself, is the Resurrection. After the Resurrection in importance come the twelve Great Feasts. These feasts are the Church’s celebration of, and participation in, key events leading to our salvation. Little books for little hands. 24 pages each.)

Icon of the Transfiguration [source and more information]

THE FEAST OF FEASTS - HOLY DAY OF HOLY DAYS!

From my house to yours...

Christ is Risen!  Today in the Orthodox Church is Easter Sunday, otherwise known as "Pascha".

Cover art by Bonnie Gillis, from Pascha the Feast of Feasts, from
the Three-Day Pascha series by Mother Melania
(formerly Sister Elayne)

This beautiful little book is available here (can be ordered individually, or a set).
Life has blossomed forth from the tomb, creation is made new, the doors of the Kingdom are opened wide. So, the Resurrection is the core of the Christian Life. Only because Christ is risen can we forgive one another, be healed of all our diseases of soul and body, and rise to the Life God intends for us-His own Life, of which we can partake because Christ has fully partaken of our own.
A supplement to the series for children of the Twelve Great Feasts, this set uses simple verse and colorful illustrations to acquaint children with the themes and imagery of Holy Week.
About the author and illustrator:
Sister Elayne is a member of the community of St. Barbara Orthodox Monastery in Santa Barbara, California. Since the time she wrote this series of poems, she has been tonsured as a stavrophor nun, and has received a new name, Mother Melania.
Bonnie Gillis is an iconographer and illustrator. She recently moved to Langley, British Columbia (in Canada), where her husband, Father Michael, is pastor of a new Orthodox mission.

GOOD STORIES, WRITTEN BY A NUN

As promised, here is my post about Mother Melania and her wonderful books for children...

Chapel at Holy Assumption Monastery

Mother Melania, who I am blessed to call my friend, is the acting superior of the Orthodox community of Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, California.  She has authored two series of children’s books:  her first series, "Halo Stories", includes the collections The Twelve Great Feasts for Children; The Three-Day Pascha Set; and Old Testament Stories for Children. These books all feature beautiful watercolor paintings done by artist and iconographer Bonnie Gillis.

On fire-preparedness day, the Duck Pond 

neighbors are all cleaning up – all except Greedy,

 a bit of a hoarder. His loot causes his home to 

burn, and he learns a difficult lesson.

"Good Neighbors", the newest series of books written by Mother Melania, teaches children about being good neighbors through the comical adventures of the animals who live around Duck Pond - who must often be saved from the consequences of their foolish choices by Fearless the Fire Duck. The illustrator for this whimsical series is Cayce Kruse Halsell.

The idea for these stories came when members of Mother Melania's former community - Saint Barbara Monastery in Santa Paula, CA - were evacuated from their monastery due to a fire that swept through the nearby mountains. On their way back home, some of the sisters stopped to buy small gifts for some children and brought home a rubber ducky sporting a fire hat. Immediately, he became Fearless the Fire Duck and soon he had a whole community of friends.

Mother Melania with some of her books...

OTHER BOOKS IN THE "GOOD NEIGHBORS" SERIES:
A vain and self-centered cat learns humility. In attempting to match the antics of a squirrel, Capers strands himself in a tree. Harry, his bloodhound pal, and Fearless the Fire Duck come to the rescue.

The only words Mimi seems to know are ‘me’ and ‘mine’ – until she is saved by others, during a neighborhood disaster. Through this she begins to think of others.

THE GREAT BLESSING OF THE WATERS

Great Blessing of the Waters by Boris Kustodiev

During the Orthodox service for the feast day of Theophany (or Epiphany), the priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the water with his hand and prays specifically for God's blessing to be invoked upon it. At the climax of the service, he immerses the hand cross into the water three times in imitation of Christ's baptism to the singing of the festal troparion:

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord,
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest.
For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee,
And called Thee His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove,
Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ God, Who hast revealed Thyself,
And hast enlightened the world, glory be to Thee!


THE THEOPHANY OF OUR LORD by Sister Elayne (now Mother Melania), with illustrations by Bonnie Gillis.  Beautiful watercolor illustrations accompany the beautiful poetic text about the Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's baptism.

"CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!"

Artwork by Niko Chocheli

This is the greeting that is happily proclaimed among Orthodox Christians on Christmas Day.  Not that there's anything wrong with "Merry Christmas!" - we exchange that greeting as well - but "CHRIST IS BORN!  GLORIFY HIM" just really says it all, as it carries in it the meaning of life for us as Christians.  And I can't think of two better books that "say it all" for December 24th and 25th, than these:

PREPARE O BETHLEHEM:  THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY, by Niko Chocheli. Luminously illustrated verses from Orthodox hymns of the prefeast and feast of the Nativity.  To read my past post about this artist and his books, click here.

THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD by Sister Elayne (now Mother Melania), illustrations by Bonnie Gillis.  Beautifully rendered watercolors accompany the poetic telling of the birth of Christ.  To read more about Mother Melania and her books, click here.  (Be watching for a post from me about all her books, coming soon!)

That's the end of my "40 Books for 40 Days" Advent Christmas book list.  I hope you liked it!   Have a Merry Christmas as we celebrate our Lord's Nativity...

What shall we offer You, O Christ, 

who for our sakes has appeared on earth

as a man?

Every creature made by You 

offers You thanks,

the angels offer You a hymn;

the heavens a star; the magi gifts;

The shepherds, their wonder; the earth

its cave;

the wilderness, the manger;

and we offer You a virgin mother.

O pre-eternal God, have mercy on us!

-THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

DECEMBER 25

VESPERS