Category: The Morning Offering

The Orthodox Observance of  Great And Holy Friday The commemorations of Holy Friday begin with the Matins service of the day which is conducted on Holy Thursday evening. The service is a very unique Matins service with twelve Gospel readings that begin with Christ’s discourse at the Last Supper, and

The Holy and Great Thursday Commemorations Along with the commemoration of the Lord’s washing of the disciples’ feet, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas, the Church commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, on Great and Holy Thursday. At the Mystical Supper in

Continuing Our Lenten Journey The theme of Holy and Great Wednesday is the commemoration of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus before his Crucifixion and Burial; a second theme is the agreement to betray Jesus made by Judas Ascariot. The day begins with the celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy on

The Tradition of the Paschal Egg There is a beautiful tradition within the life of the Church for believers to have as their last meal before beginning the Great Lenten Fast, to eat a hard boiled egg, white in color. This egg represents our sinful nature, and we eat this

Lifting each other up, we share our faith in Christ, Who came to make all things new In this age where secularism is on the rise, and materialism has become a major distraction from spiritual pursuits, Christian friendship has never been more important. The pursuit of personal fulfillment, entertainment, worldly

Honesty Before God Begins With Transparency Transparency of the heart must rule, if we are to have an honest relationship with God. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord, yet we often live as though we can hide that which we know is not pleasing to God. Putting on face

Suffering Is Meant To Be Salvific The Lord does not allow anything beyond our power of endurance to afflict us. Whenever difficulties come our way, we only sin if we are unwilling to endure. Suffering is meant to be salvific, for the Holy Apostle Paul tells us, “God is faithful

I’m Honored To Have Service As Our Island’s Police and Fire Chaplain Thirty-four years ago we arrived as missionary monks on Vashon Island. Our move to this island necessitated our reaching out to fellow islanders, most of whom had little knowledge of Orthodoxy, and even less knowledge of monasticism. Making

Ownership of Our Hearts Should be Reserved for God Alone The lifeless things of this world offer no spiritual satisfaction, yet we often sell ourselves off to things or people by giving them power over our hearts. It is easy to feel abandoned or hurt by those to whom we’ve