May the Lord bless us all with an abundance of blessings, grace, joy, and the Uncreated Light.

Fr. Serge

Christ is Transfigured!

response: WOW!

On the Mountain!

While I share in the elation expressed over the celebration of a Great Feast of the Saviour, I must express my doubts as to the proliferation of Feast-specific greetings that seem to be popping up.

Greetings with the Feast.

Fr David Straut

Greeting: Christ is risen!
Response: Truly He is risen! / Indeed He is risen! / He is risen indeed!

This is obviously the universal tradition of the Church.

Greeting: Christ is born!
Response: Glorify Him!

This is a much later greeting and response, used only in some Eastern Christian circles, but I like it and use it. After all, it is the opening words of the Christmas Canon.

But other newly-minted greetings ('Christ is baptised! 'Christ is transfigured!') with their rather trite answers make one fear what will be next: 'Christ is conceived? Christ is circumcised? Let's get a grip here!

Fr David Straut

Dear Father,

I couldn't agree more. Before we make a fetish out of inventing new "customs" (an oxymoron if ever I've heard one) let's try observing the old ones.

Happy Transfiguration!

Fr Serge

Happy Feast!

A man came forward to be anointed with oil. The priest said, "Christ is Risen"! to which the man replied, "Crucify Him!" True story...

Chilling.

Sounds like Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor.

Fr. Serge

A few years ago, I was listening to a NYC talk-radio show while driving home from work (we still lived in NJ at the time). The host of the program had become friendly with the Greek owners of a NJ diner, and was learning a lot about Greek religion and culture. He put out the question to callers: How many of you know the proper response to the greeting "Christos Anesti!"? One Ukrainian-American caller said that he did not know the response in Greek, but he could respond in his own language: "Slavite Jeho"!!!

Dn. Robert

On a bit of a tangent:

Soem time ago the Moslems asked if Christians would admit that their founder, Mohammed, was a prophet.

Seems to me that the feast of the Transfiguration gives us the answer. Christ is transfigured with Moses and Elijah and ends alone. It says to me that the age of the patriarchs and prophets is at an end; that Christ is the fulfillment of all and the end of all humanity's longing.

So my counter proposal to the Moslem clerics is that we will acknowldege their founder as a prophet IF AND WHEN they admit that

1. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and the end of all prophecies, and
2. there are no prophets from God the Creator and Father after Christ.

Sure Mohammed is a prophet, but a prophet of whom?

BOB

Don't hold your breath!!!