Sunday, June 07, 2026
Menu Plan: Corpus Christi
"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."
- Saint Ignatius' Letter to the Ephesians, paragraph 20, written c. A.D. 80-110
“Take note of those who hold heterodox [heretical] opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes”
- Saint Ignatius' Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2-7:1, written c. A.D. 110
St. Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He was a first hand witness of Christ as a child, heard St. John preach when he was a boy, and later became a disciple to him, he was a close friend of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who also was a direct student of Saint John the Evangelist. Seven of his letters written to various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he received the martyr's crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the arena. He was both a first hand witness of Christ, as well as a direct successor of the Apostles and Apostolic Fathers. His testimony about the Church and the faith are powerful. It is because of the many who took exception to his teachings, who wanted to disprove his existence, or invalidate his writings, that we actually have so much of his work. The more they dug, the more they authenticated his work.
Corpus Christi is another Western, fairly modern, feast, and we unapologetically adore it. It is the celebration of the Real Presence of the Body of Christ in the world. It is a feast of His glorious body, both literal in the Eucharist, and figurative in the Church. I'm not sure if we will be having a procession today, but that is one of my favorite things we do on this day. You have the people, who are symbolically the Body of Christ on earth, displaying, proclaiming and celebrating the Eucharist, which is actually the Body of Christ on earth. We pray and sing hymns and proclaim in word and action that Christ is alive and here with us. He offers Himself in the Eucharist as a gift to us, a medicine for sin and for our salvation. Glory to God!
It is airshow week and incredibly busy. We also have a day full for our family trial and are hoping for excellent news. Please pray fervently, especially Wednesday and Thursday.
- Sunday - Feast of Corpus Christi
Breakfast: Corned Beef Hash with Fried Eggs, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Gnocchi with Red Sauce and Chicken, Salads/Sides/Bread/Dessert brought by Parishioners - Monday - Feast of Saint Justin Martyr
Breakfast: Toast with Labneh, Za’atar and Olive Oil, Apples, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Enfrijoladas, Cuban Rice, Cuban Lime Cookies - Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Cheese Zombies, Tomato Soup with Bacon Crumbles, Orange Rum Cake - Wednesday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Tomato and Olive Pasta, Green Salad, Fruit Plate - Thursday
Breakfast: Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwiches, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mediterranean Chicken Salad, Fruit Salad - Friday - Feast of Saint Boniface
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Roasted Vegetable Laffa, Toum and Taratoor, Sliced Oranges - Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes and Syrup, Sausages, Fruit Cups, Orange Juice, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Grilled Burgers and Hot Dogs, Chips, Coleslaw, Cookies
Labels: Church Year, Corpus Christi, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, June 06, 2026
Menu Plan: Trinity Sunday
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God; Oh come, let us adore Him.
This is one of a few truly Western feasts that I truly revel in and wish were shared by both lungs of the Church. I know that I "read" more Eastern, but in these I am firmly Western. This is a feast that I think should be enthusiastically embraced by all of the Church. It is a theological feast. It celebrates what we believe. We believe in, rejoice in, and love the Trinity! In the east, it is celebrated along with Pentecost, however, it is a principal feast in the west. Prior to the Great Schism, it was a secondary feast and relatively minor observance. It came about around the time of the Arian heresy, which was repudiated by the Nicene and Constantinople Councils in the Nicene Creed. Around this time, there were prefaces and prayers written and proclaimed in churches on Sundays which emphasized orthodox Christian faith, and those for the Holy Trinity were said the Sunday after Pentecost in some areas, in other areas, it was the Sunday before Advent. It was emphasized to counter the erroneous teachings of the day, and was elevated in the west to primary first class status in 1911, again to counter heretical teaching. In the east, while it is not primary, in the quite the same way, it is the first of the three day observance of Pentecost, and is also called Trinity Sunday. Each of those three days emphasizes different parts of the faith that is born that day, and the first is Trinity. Because we are a week apart this year, ironically, we are celebrating Trinity Sunday on the same day. I pray one day it will be observed in unbroken community. God is unity (one God) and community (three Persons) and has created all people to be in one in community. God shows us this community in Himself so we can be an image of Him in the world.
This week, appropriately, we ordained a new priest for our local church. Rich and I have been helping here for years, as a stop gap, to get this little parish to a place where they are served by dedicated clergy. Of course, we are still assisting, but this is a major waypoint for this parish, and we are rejoicing. Our church had the meal largely catered by a wonderful local restaurant, and a few of us women provided the desserts. I found out that crème brulée requires 80 eggs, three gallons of cream, and nine cups of sugar.
This has been a busy week for so many reasons this week. That is why this is posted so late. Friday ws a major point in the troubles our family has been enduring. We have been praying and were able to bring 32 people to be with us, praying, and being witnesses, in support of our family. That was a high moment. We were not prepared for a hold, though, and have to wait until next week to know the full outcome of this. Please keep praying.
The good news is that, aside from our kids' godparents coming from my home town, a clergy couple from our old hometown, former priests from this area returning to come in support, friends and neighbors, our local adult kids, even Dominic and Shawn came with Winnie (who behaved perfectly as we sat and observed and prayed). We had four priests, a deacon, and a retired pastor there. We had a retired firefighter/EMT, and a retired reserve police officer. We had business owners, homemakers, future lawyers (he ought to be a lawyer by the end of this year), friends of our kids, neighbors, everyone you can think of - and every age from nine months to 83 years old. Dominic, Shawn and Winnie stayed the weekend, and we were able to decompress and rest from a very exhausting experience. I made cinnamon rolls to bring with us to either celebrate, or to commiserate. It was kind of in between, but that was what made up our dinner Friday.
Next week is also a huge, busy week for us, and we are all starting to feel a lot of this in our health, so please pray for our strength. Since we have been slammed for the past few weeks, with no relief for another week and a half, the recipes are on hold. I will get them posted as soon as I can.
- Sunday - Trinity Sunday
Breakfast: Croissant, Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Piccata, Green Salad with Bleu Cheese, Candied Walnuts and Craisins, Caprese Gnocchi, Formaggio Bread, Roasted Vegetables, Fruit Plate, Limoncello Crème Brulée*, Chocolate Mousse, Cookies - Monday - Feast of Saint Justin Martyr
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Xinjiang Cumin Lamb, Jasmine Rice, Homemade Samoa Bars - Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Leftover Gnocchi and Chicken Piccata, Green Salad, Crème Brûlée - Wednesday
Breakfast: Toast with Za'atar Spice Blend, Olive Oil, Aleppo Pepper, Sliced Cucumbers and Radishes, Olives, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Saneyet Battatas, Basmati Rice, Chopped Salad, Fruit Plate - Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Leftovers - Friday - Feast of Saint Boniface
Breakfast: Toast with Za'atar Spice Blend, Olive Oil, Aleppo Pepper, Sliced Cucumbers and Radishes, Olives, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Snack Tray and Cinnamon Rolls - Saturday
Breakfast: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus, Limoncello Crème Brulée
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen, Trinity
