How will you give thanks?

“Why do I need to go to church? I don’t get anything out of it.” We often hear such comments then become tongue-tied when trying to respond. Yet, the answer is so simple: “To give thanks to the Lord.”

The Eucharist (from the Greek word meaning to give thanks), is the most important act of our liturgical life. We gather together as a Christian family to give thanks and praise to the One we love and from whom we have received our life. For much the same reason we attend the birthdays, anniversaries and significant events in the lives of those we love. We attend to give, not to get! We attend out of love, not obligation. In this way, we deepen our relationship and connection with the one being honoured and with those gathered to do the same.

In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Sluzba Bozha, commonly celebrated on Sundays) at the Anaphora (just before the bread and wine are consecrated as the Body and Blood of Christ), the priest recites this prayer (usually silently): It is right and just to sing of You, to bless You, to praise You, to thank You...You brought us from nothingness into being, and after we fell, you raised us up again. You did not cease doing everything, until you led us to heaven and granted us your future kingdom. For this, we give you Thanks ...”. Read it in its entirety on pg. 431 in The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology of Worship (available at Sheptytsky Institute).

We come to Divine Liturgy to give thanks, yet we leave with the greatest gift of all: the most pure Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. This is the gift we celebrate at every Divine Liturgy. Indeed, we have much to be thankful for!

The Saturday (Oct. 23/Nov. 6) before the feast of St. Demetrius, the Church celebrates the first Soul Saturday of the liturgical year. Another five such Saturdays of general commemoration of the dead follow: one a week (Feb. 26) before Great Lent begins, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Lent (Mar. 19, 26 and Apr. 2) and the final one on the Saturday (June 11) before Pentecost. Why the emphasis on prayer for the departed?


Iryna Galadza is Director of the Toronto Eparchy Catechetical Resource Centre, a teacher, mother, grandmother, and wife of Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza, pastor of St. Elias Church, in Brampton, Ontario.


Related Links:

• Liturgical Participation: What does it mean?
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist

"From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others."-- Pope John Paul II

Prayer offers positive way to deal with death

The Saturday (Oct. 23/Nov. 6) before the feast of St. Demetrius, the Church celebrates the first Soul Saturday of the liturgical year. Another five such Saturdays of general commemoration of the dead follow: one a week (Feb. 26) before Great Lent begins, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Lent (Mar. 19, 26 and Apr. 2) and the final one on the Saturday (June 11) before Pentecost. Why the emphasis on prayer for the departed?

We pray for dead for a number of reasons. Prayer enables us to continue a loving relationship with our dearly departed and reminds us of the hope that someday we’ll be reunited. It helps us come to terms with our own mortality and, can positively affect the way we live. Since we are all sinners, we ask God to be merciful in judging the departed souls of our loved ones and to grant them peaceful repose.

For children, praying for the soul of dido or baba provides a positive way of dealing with death. It teaches them that although death brings sadness, it is not to be feared and loved ones aren’t forgotten.

To fully participate in the tradition of praying for the dead, ensure your family has an updated family memorial book with names going back as many generations as possible, so that they can be remembered in your prayers at home and at memorial services in church, especially on Soul Saturdays.

Deeply meaningful traditions connected with prayers for the dead abound. Read about them in the articles in the following links, and make them a part of your life.

Related Links:

• Funeral practices
• Soul Saturday Service: Great Lent, at St. Elias (video)
• Prayer for the Dead: Eastern Christianity
• Soul Saturday and 40 Days

More than one new beginning this month

September marks the beginning of the school year, our Church’s liturgical year and a return to regular schedules after the summer. This is also a good time to re-evaluate our spiritual goals.

Make frequent and regular participation in church services a goal. Mark feast days on your calendar) (see liturgical calendar on the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada website). If one falls on a workday, aim to attend an evening service. If this is not feasible, celebrate in your home, the “domestic church.”

We can live our faith through daily prayers. Create an icon corner in your home where religious images, Holy Books, photos of departed family members and lit candles lift thoughts towards worship. On a feast day, pray the tropar that pertains to that feast and reflect on its deep theological meaning (see tropars in The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology of Worship available online at the Sheptytsky Institute).

As a wife and mother of six children, a grandmother to four, and school teacher, I’ve learned that even in large families, iti’s possible to maintain a regular liturgical life. Active participation in feast-day rituals enriches our faith and helps root children in theirs.

This month also heralds the first edition of
Soul Food. This bulletin aims to support you in the challenges of living a faith-based life in modern times. Each issue will explore a spiritual theme at a community, family and individual level. Free copies will be available at parishes and by email subscription.

What do you think about Soul Food? Your comments and questions are most welcome as we’d like to make it relevant to your daily life and spiritual needs. Feel free to contact me by email or phone 905-459-8888. --Iryna Galadza

Iryna Galadza is Director of the Toronto Eparchy Catechetical Resource Centre, a teacher, mother, grandmother, and wife of Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza, pastor of St. Elias Church, in Brampton, Ontario.



First feast day in Church calendar celebrates Mary

The Birth of the Mother of God, celebrated on Sept. 8 (Gregorian ) or Sept. 21 (Julian) is the first major feast day of our Church’s liturgical year.

The great significance of the liturgical year’s first feast becomes apparent when we meditate on the fact that Mary’s birth is the beginning of salvation. She is going to carry God in her womb. It is her cooperation with God that enables Him to become man and that makes us more like God and brings us closer to Him.

In a hymn, on the feast day, we sing: “Your Nativity, O Mother of God has made joy known to all the world, for from you dawned the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God. He abolished the curse and by making death of no effect, He bestowed on us eternal life.”

Like all feast days, this one is celebrated with three services: Vespers (Vechirnia), Matins (Utrennia), and Divine Liturgy (Sluzhba Bozha). Consider attending a service and reading the feast day’s tropar (hymn) at home (see source for tropars above).

At home, in the “domestic church,” place an icon of the Mother of God in your prayer corner. Children can be told the story of Mary, colour icons to distribute to women named after her, or choose to remember her at dinner with a birthday cake.

For more information on this feast day, click here.