Why Do Orthodox Christians Constantly Seek God’s Mercy?

by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom Our modern translation ‘have mercy’ is a limited and insufficient one. The Greek word which we find in the gospel and in the early liturgies is eleison. Eleison is of the same root as elaion, which means olive tree and the oil from it. If we look up the Old and New Testament in search of the passages connectd with this basic idea, we wll find it described in a variety of parables and events which allow us to  [Read more...]

The Objective Danger of Holiness

by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon One of the stories that have proved troubling to students of Holy Scripture over the years is the account of Uzzah, who stretched forth his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, we recall, was being carried by ox cart in order to be installed at David’s projected new shrine at Jerusalem. Some obstacle, however, perhaps a bump in the road, caused the oxen to lurch, nearly upsetting the cart and putting the Ark in  [Read more...]

Origin of the Word “Goodbye”

As we are about to embark on a New Year, and say “Goodbye” to the old, I thought this article was most appropriate. God be with you! Few people are aware that the origin of the farewell greeting “goodbye” has its origin in a parting prayer: “God be with ye”. To understand this, it is helpful to see earlier forms of the expression, such as God be wy you, god b’w’y, godbwye, god buy’ ye, and good-b’wy. The first word of the expression  [Read more...]

In The Spirit of St. George: The Vocation of the Christian Warrior

The vocation of the Christian warrior is a dangerous and demanding one requiring as it does that the solider stand physically between the aggressor and his intended target and that he respond with force—even deadly force if needed—and yet do so without malice. This requires to be sure not only intense self-discipline and physical courage equal to any monastic asceticism, it also demands that the warrior bear the physical, psychological and spiritual scars of his service. This burden is made all the more difficult I think when military personnel (to say nothing of law enforcement professionals) are greeted with a lack of appreciation for the positive good of their service to say nothing of open hostility and moral censure what their service.