A Slavic Easter… The Tradition Continues

A Slavic Easter… The Tradition Continues

‘Twas the day before Easter and all through the house,
The Hrutka was hanging, even tempting the mouse.
The beets were boiling and I was grating with care
Because the horseradish aroma was filling the air.

The Paska was sticky, it was a big lump of dough
I kneaded to plump it so it would grow.
Raisins were added, then into the pan
Where inside the oven it began to brown and expand.

With baba in the kitchen and dzedo taking a nap
I began cracking walnuts, leaving the shells in my lap.
Opened jars of lekvar were soon everywhere,
Filling rolls of kolachi were all I could bear.

Two dozen boiled eggs were waiting to cool
For coloring in pastel yellow, pink, green and blue.
Softening for the mold was a pound of sweet butter
How I prayed that my counter would be free from this clutter.

The salt shaker was cleaned and filled to the top
Leaving only the meat before I could stop.
Smoked kielbasa and bacon and brown-sugared ham
Why couldn’t they just bless cans of ready-to-eat Spam?

Finally on Sunday with filled baskets in hand
And while singing "Christos Voskrese" the congregation did stand.
With candles and incense and blessings for us all
We bidden each a Happy Easter and left the church hall.

At home the family gathered to begin the holy meal
But shortly thereafter I wondered if it was all real.
Within an hour of eating everything that they were able
My family was too full to clear the dishes from the table.

Happy Easter to All! Christos Voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese!

By Elizabeth Andreycak
This Easter poem is dedicated in loving memory of Anna Kanuck and Catherine Andreycak.

The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

I love the the Prayer of St. Ephrem no matter what time of year it is. But it is at this time of Lent during the Byzantine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts that we hear in our services.

We pray the Prayer of St. Ephrem in the Byzantine Church during the Liturgy of the Presanctified (Liturgy of Pope St. Gregory the Great, taken by both Catholic and Orthodox alike during this period), during all services of the Divine Office during Lent and at various other times during the day recommended at morning, noon, evening - upon arising and before retiring for th

e night.

The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian

Making a prostration
O LORD, Master of my life, grant that I may not be infected with the
spirit of slothfulness and inquisitiveness, with the spirit of ambition and vain talking. Making a prostration
Grant instead to me, your servant, the spirit of purity and of
humility, the spirit of patience and neighborly love.

Making a third prostration
O Lord and King, grant me the grace of being aware of my sins and of not thinking evil of those of my brethren.
For you are blessed, now and ever, and forever.
Amen.


Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings, You have power over life and death. You know what is secret and hidden, and neither our thoughts nor our feelings are concealed from You. Cure me of duplicity; I have done evil before You. Now my life declines from day to day and my sins increase. O Lord, God of souls and bodies, You know the extreme frailty of my soul and my flesh. Grant me strength in my weakness, O Lord, and sustain me in my misery. Give me a grateful soul that I may never cease to recall Your benefits, O Lord most bountiful. Be not mindful of my many sins, but forgive me all my misdeeds. O Lord, disdain not my prayer - the prayer of a wretched sinner; sustain me with Your grace until the end, that it may protect me as in the past. It is Your grace which has taught me wisdom; blessed are they who follow her ways, for they shall receive the crown of glory. In spite of my unworthiness, I praise You and I glorify You, O Lord, for Your mercy to me is without limit. You have been my help and my protection. May the name of Your majesty be praised forever. To you, our God, be glory.

Amen.

Let's Be Mindful of the Influence We have on Our Children!

Mothers, be faithful.

Don't get discouraged.

Pray for your children, and do not forget to talk to them:
your words will settle down in their hearts.
They never can, they never will forget them.
They may appear not to heed what you say;
they may put on an appearance of thoughtlessness and levity,
which look as though your words were disregarded;


but persevere ~~


those words are there, and never will be forgotten:
but may be called up in years to come when you are dead and gone,

and like seed cast in the earth, germinate and produce fruit

that shall flourish in immortality.




~Jabez Burns, Mothers of the Wise and Good

Buffalo Chicken Dip Just in Time for Superbowl!

Walking through Gordon Food Services a couple of months ago and sampled this dip, and just loved it! Made it for my husband for a party he attended boy was it a big hit!!

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)

1 cup bottled Ranch Salad Dressing

1 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped OR 2 cans of chicken drained

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Soften cream cheese, mix together all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with celery, crackers or Nacho chips (my personal favorite!)

Mother Teresa on Abortion

"I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself." "And if we can accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?" "By abortion the Mother does not learn to love, but kills her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, that father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put other women to the same trouble. So abortion leads to more abortion."

"Any country that accepts abortion is the poorest of the poor"

"Many people are concerned with children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is the greatest destroyer of peace today- abortion which brings people to such blindness."

"We must remember that life begins at home and we must also remember that the future of humanity passes through the family"

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you live as you wish"

It was so moving to watch the march for life last week on EWTN. Sooo many people participated in the march, yet mainstream tv failed to acknowledge it. To me, that is unbelievable.

I was so happy this week, we found out that my 13 year daughter won first place for a poster she designed that was made into a banner that was carried at the march. I have to say, at age 13 I did not even know what abortion was. I am trying so hard to make my children aware at an early age so there is no question in their minds that abortion is never an option for a mother. I think it is important for mothers to teach their children at an early age to take care of others. Life is so much more fulfilling when we take action to help our neighbors in need, including the unborn who have just as much of a right to life as we have.

I heard this past December of a church having a birthday party for Jesus, and everyone was suppose to bring diapers, baby cloths and other items that would be donated to a crisis pregnancy center. What an awesome idea!!

Let's pray for the unborn, and the mother's who are in crisis, and do whatever we can from where we are to help them.

Proverbs 31:10-13 - A Reflection by St. Madeline Barat

"How rare it is to find a valiant woman! It is perhaps necessarily so, since Scripture says that they are more precious than pearls and diamonds. Let us however work to train a few. For in this century we must no longer count on men to preserve the faith. The grain of faith that will be saved will hide itself among women. A woman cannot remain neutral in the world. She too is set for the fall and resurrection of many. How different are God's thoughts from ours!

Between women and God is often arranged the eternal salvation of husbands and sons. But for this she must be valiant. Strong to uphold purity of life. Strong to keep inviolate the treasure of faith. Strong in every battle of life. Great-souled in the face of calamity, persecution and death. And remember, sorrow is the training ground of strong souls."
~ St. Madeline Sophie Barat (1779-1865)

Beautifing Your Home In The Winter . . .

Now in the heart of winter, we are spending so much of our time as family indoors, it is now more important than ever to be conscious of the atmosphere that we are creating in our homes. Be mindful to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for those we love. In how we create the mood in our home by our own feminine touches, we are in a sense a domestic artist! Moms, you are the heart of your home!

One of the many joys of being a homemaker is to create
a sense of peacefulness, beauty, & cheerfulness within the home.


We all have the ability to create the mood in homes by simple touches creativity.


The goal is not creating the most pristine home, but a home that is warm and inviting to all those that enter and abide there.

"Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is an intimate view that is not always perfect--a few dishes in the sink, books piled next to the bed. Everything in its place may give a certain satisfaction, but a lived-in room exudes comfort and warmth." ~ Mary Randolph Carter



A fresh bouquet of flowers will add beauty
to any room in the home.





Flowers are a wonderful way to furnish the
home with a spark of life and joy.

I love the feeling of an ordered house, a delicious dinner in the oven,
fresh flowers and beautifully scented candles burning...

"Housekeeping is an art: it combines intuition and
physical skill to create comfort, health, beauty, order and safety."
-Cheryl Mendelson

Let's take JOY in beautifying our homes this upcoming week . . .


"She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness."
~Proverbs 31:27

Take Better Care of Yourself This Year - Some Inspiration From Father Corapi

I am going to try and take better care of myself this year. I have about40 pounds I need to loose. I have been trying to eat better and get my 10,000 steps a day. This video of Father Corapi is very inspirational to me. He reminds us that taking care of our health is actually a moral obligation, our health and bodies are a gift from God that we need to be good stewards of. Take a look and be inspired!!