First thing: My comfortable Holy Week shoes arrived today, they're cute... although a bit boat like. But honestly, they're more for form than function.
Second thing: I saved $14.80 on Pascha candy last night. One of the many reasons I'm so happy I'm Orthodox! (Sadly, we'll be sharing the date with western Easter for the next few years, no more 50% off candy for us until 2013, when Pascha is, I believe, 5 WEEKS later than western Easter!)
In the Church many times people ask for the intercession of certain Saints for assistance with specific tasks. This post is NOT a post about the theology of praying to Saints. Just know, as Orthodox Christians we pray asking for the prayers of the Saint, we do not worship the Saint. It is often said "what protestant Christian wouldn't ask for the prayers of one of their heroes of the faith, such as Billy Graham?" How different is it for us to ask the intercessions of those who have actually finished the race?
One Saint that I ask for assistance on a regular basis is St. Phanourios. He is known for helping people locate things that are lost. I have not needed to pray to him for help finding anything "big" although his prayers help me find my keys on a very regular basis!
Here's how the story usually goes: I look, and look, and look... then, rather exasperatedly, I pray "Most Holy St. Phanourious, well pleasing to God, pray to God for me." And pretty soon, I find whatever I'm looking for.
So today, I was looking for two somethings in multiple stacks of paper, needles in haystacks. I looked and looked and looked. Nothing. Then I asked for St. Phanourious' prayers, and it was the very next item I look at. This happened twice, and I found both of the papers I was looking for!
There is a tradition in the Church of baking a St. Phanourious Cake to honor him. Since it's Holy Week, I will not be baking the cake this week, but plan to make one next week. It is traditional to share the cake with others in honor of the Saint, I think I'll bring it to church at some point to share!
Thank you for your prayers St. Phanourious!
6 comments:
great story! i would like a piece of the cake.
marjo
2 questions: what's with the "Fortune City" thingy in the middle of your post? and .... drum roll... are you ever going to announce the winner of the contest from over a month ago? Inquiring minds want to know:-) (prob w e-posting is you can't see my smile or hear teasing tone in m voice)
that's so weird! i had added a picture of one of his icons... that's apparently the website i found it on... it should be corrected now.
you COULD make a fasting cake and bring it to share for Thursday afternoon Liturgy. Just sayin. (You know, you can make any cake, right? I thought it had to be the "St. Phanourious cake" but it doesn't. Which is good, cause that cake is...well, it's different) Oh- my story is that I was looking for my mom's recipe file (she was an AMAZING cook!) and I looked for MONTHS! Then, I prayed for a while and it came back to me! (it had been hiding at someone's house who I don't even know- long story. ANyway, St. Phanourious is amazing and I am still thankful for his intercessions!
And St. Phanorious is very close to your boyfriend's heart because his feast day is my birthday. You should put that in there. You know you can't have a whole post without mentioning me.
C.S. Lewis mentions the idea of praying to the saints in his book "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer". I thought he had some good insight on something I (as a Protestant) hadn't given much thought to before.
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