The Veneration of the Holy Virgin in the Ancient Church All the early reformers, including Luther and Calvin, believed Mary to be Ever Virgin. The practice at the time was to refer to all cousins as siblings, and none of the early Christians believed Mary had born any children other
Category: The Morning Offering
Addressing the youth of the Ethiopian cathedral in Seattle Moving on to the Horizon Recently I spoke with an old friend of forty years, an Episcopal priest who is dying of a rare form of cancer. The day I called him was the second anniversary, to the day, that his
Faith Without Works is Dead The very moment faith enters the soul is that moment when we turn toward God in repentance and recognize we can not live without Him. As we grow in our faith we come to realize we must remain in a continual state of repentance, for
An Invitation to be God’s Children We have been praying most of our lives, but do we ever think about what that means? Have we ever thought how incredible it is that our Creator God has invited us to speak with Him at any time? That the Lord of the
Worship is the Main Work of the Church Orthodox Christianity is primarily known for its worship, for the core of our Orthodox Christian life is to be found in the services conducted in our temples. I read somewhere that during the height of the Soviet period of repression, a Roman
The Church as Hospital for the Soul With love in Christ, Abbot Tryphon Thursday September 27, 2012 17th Week after Pentecost. Tone seven. Fast. Food with Oil The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. Fast day.Repose of St. John Chrysostom (407). New Hieromartyr John priest (1918). New Hieromartyr
Humility Quickens Love for the Man with the Malice Heart“A man who is wrathful with us is a sick man; we must apply a plaster to his heart – love; we must treat him kindly, speak to him gently, lovingly. And if there is not deeply-rooted malice against us within
Theosis According to Protopresbyter George Metallinos, Dean of the Athens University School of Theology, “For we Orthodox the unique and absolute goal of life in Christ is theosis, our union with God, so that man – through his participation in God’s uncreated energy – may become “by the Grace of
Laughter Father Artemy of Moscow, Russia Although we have no written evidence that Our Lord Jesus Christ laughed, I am personally convinced that he did. How could He not have shared in our humanity with perfection had he not had a sense of humor, and shared moments of laughter with
Short Prayers used in Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air, wholeheartedly demonstrating our sincerity