Christ our God has come in the flesh. The Father begot Him from the womb before the Morning Star. He rules the heavenly hosts, yet now He lies in a manger of dumb beasts. He Who looses the tangled knots of sin now is wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The Feast of the Procession of the Cross originated in Constantinople, where the Cross was carried through the city during the first part of August to bless water sources, with prayers for protection from sickness. It’s still an occasion for water blessings, and while it’s a less well-known one than the Baptism of Christ in January, a few of us enjoyed blessing the lake in somewhat more hospitable weather.
For St. Thomas Sunday (the Sunday after Pascha), Archbishop Michael made his annual visit to Holy Apostles. He tonsured Nikolaos Demetriades as a reader, and awarded Fr. Joel the Kamilavka. Especially falling during the Paschal season, it was a joyous occasion for all.
To celebrate Jesus sanctifying the waters by his baptism, Orthodox churches not only bless water in church, but traditionally bless the nearest body of water as well. We have a long-standing practice of blessing Cayuga Lake on or shortly after the Feast of Theophany. This year we had the particular joy of holding this blessing jointly with St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church in Ithaca. It was a lovely opportunity to embody our shared work of sanctifying this place.