The link between the Old and New Testament Temples Orthodox temples have kept to the same form and function since ancient times. Using the Old Testament Temple model, Orthodox churches are divided into several courts or spaces peculiar to their function. The Holy Table, upon which is celebrated the Eucharist,
Only with effort can we gain eternal life While observing one of our hens laying an egg for the monastery’s table, it crossed my mind that a chick, if it hope to gain life in this world, must first peck at the inside of the egg, and break it open.
Isolation and the Christian Life In an age when families no longer eat dinner together, children watch TV, play computer games, and text message their friends from their bedrooms. When adults can be seen walking in our cities talking on cell phones. At a time in our history when people
Where the temporal and the eternal are connected We can be rich in liturgical correctness and wealthy in traditions, but if we do not have mercy and love, we are in reality spiritually bankrupt. Our Lord Himself made love and mercy the chief criterion whereby we will be judged on
And transforming it into the Church If she be true to herself, the Church acts with an authority that is grounded in love. She holds within her realm the authority to make her people the children of God. She has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love. And
We are all on our journey to God, together As we struggle in this life, it is good to remember that we are all journeying to God, together . We find our place of silence, where we encounter God, but even in this place set apart, we are together. In
The Nativity Fast, and the banishment of hell One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work “New Seeds of Contemplation”, he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the
We must put aside all resentment The decision to forgive another person a wrong done to us begins when we decide to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. To forgive someone does not mean that we forget what they did to us, for this may be impossible. The
An article written for clarification My article titled, “The Dark Side”, elicited numerous critical responses. I therefore asked a number of trusted priest friends for their feedback. One priest had his matushka read it, and her response made me realize the necessity of my revisiting the topic, that I might
What about your burial plans when your family is not Orthodox Some Orthodox Christians, whose family members are either not Orthodox, or who are no longer practicing the Orthodox faith, think they should skip any funeral arrangements that would involve the Church. They figure their relatives would likely not attend