Putting aside all hypocrisy and living for Christ How easy it is to worship with all piety and correctness while standing in a service within an Orthodox temple, yet make no effort to live Orthodoxy during the rest of our week. If we are abusive towards our spouse, abrasive with
The saints are alive in Christ Jesus Vigil lights are placed before the icons of the saints, according to Saint Symeon the New Theologian, as a way of showing that without the Light, Who is Christ, the saints are nothing. It is only as the light of Christ shines on
Let us be an Angel Unaware There is not one of us who does not meet someone in a given week who is not in need of encouragement, love, and mercy. There is the mother whose children are going to bed hungry for lack of food money. The elderly neighbor
Properly preparing for the reception of the Holy Mysteries Anyone who desires to receive the Holy Mysteries in the Russian Orthodox Church must prepare themselves with confession, the Precommunion Prayers, and have abstained from all food or drink from midnight on. In fact, most of the world’s Local Orthodox Churches
Let us not shroud the Light of Christ in darkness The importance of presenting the gospel message in a loving, inviting way, and the Church as a hospital of the soul where everyone can be made whole, must not be minimized. When we make our Orthodox faith the focus of
Important for both confessor and penitent The Seal of Confession is a hard and fast rule throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Since the priest, in Orthodox theology, is but a witness to the confession, since the confession is given to Christ Himself, confidentiality is an absolute must. The
Orthodox icon of the Baptism of our Lord (Theophany) Commemorated January 6th (January 19th, Old Calendar). This icon is about the Feast that reveals the Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son,
Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is coeternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church
When correcting others is like assaulting them When focusing on the sins of others, we set for ourselves the mission of correcting them. We see ourselves as called to help this poor, unfortunate one by pointing out their sins, and telling them how they can be a better person. We
Reaching our full potential by the company we keep We don’t like certain behavioral patterns that have become habitual, so we feel helpless in our attempt to change. Our growth as Christians is often fraught with failure, and we seem to find ourselves stuck. Our spiritual journey to God feels