Fasting Suggestions For Great Lent
A very nice selection of choices for all Orthodox Christians during Great Lent this year. Received from Rozanne Spires, an Orthodox Christian in Odessa, TX. Thank you, Rozanne! FAST from self-concern and FEAST on compassion for others. FAST from discouragement and FEAST on hope. FAST from lethargy and FEAST on enthusiasm. FAST from suspicion and FEAST on truth. FAST from thoughts that weaken and FEAST on promises that inspire. FAST from shadows of sorrow and [Read more...]
The Power Of Forgiveness
By Fr. George Morelli This is an exceptionally good and thoughtful article by one of the best therapeutic minds in the Orthodox Tradition today. It is a comprehensive look from many Biblical, Patristic and spiritual sources at the true power of Christ’s teachings on forgiveness. I thought it most appropriate as we approach the Sunday of Forgiveness. In almost every spiritual text anger is listed as one of several deadly sins. In his classic work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St. John of [Read more...]
The Orthodox St. Valentine
The ancient martyrology of the Church of Rome marks February 14th as the remembrance of “the martyr Valentine, presbyter of Rome” (Valentinus mean “vigorous” in Latin). Unfortunately the historical data for the saint is incomplete. The Martyrdom of the Saint in Rome Saint Valentine lived in Rome in the third century and was a priest who helped the martyrs during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II the Goth. The great virtue and catechetical activities of the saint had become familiar. For this he [Read more...]
On Holy Communion, The Purifying Treasure
Collected by St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain “With the fear of God, faith and love draw near.” We shall prove from scriptural and patristic witnesses that it is necessary for the faithful and Orthodox Christians to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord frequently throughout our lives, so long as there is no objection from our spiritual father, and that frequent Communion produces great benefits for the soul and body; while delaying this, on the contrary, produces many harmful and destructive [Read more...]
Orthodox Bishops Speak Out Against HHS Mandate
Record of Protest Against the Infringement of Religious Liberty by the Department of Health and Human Services The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to [Read more...]
Repentance, Confession & Examination of Conscience
What does it mean to repent? When our Lord Jesus Christ began His public preaching,he began with the word ‘repent.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) If we are to repent, then we need to know our sinfulness. That’s a tall order, frankly. As St. John put it, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) This is [Read more...]
Anti-fascist Alexander Schmorell To Be Glorified By German Orthodox Church
DIOCESE OF BERLIN AND GERMANY: January 23, 2012 In 2007, the Diocese of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia decided to canonize Alexander Schmorell, a member of the anti-fascist student organization “White Rose,” who was executed on July 13, 1943, in Stadelheim Prison in Munich for anti-fascist activities and confessing the Orthodox Christian faith. The act of canonization will be formalized on February 4-5 in Munich, according to the official website of the Orenburg Diocese of the Russian [Read more...]
No Longer An Ancient Curiosity
by Andrei Zolotov, Jr. The Thirteenth Apostle was in town earlier this week. The Judge of the Whole Universe. I am not kidding. His name is Theodoros II, and he is the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. His full title is a bit of a going joke among the knowing: His Most Divine Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria, Libya, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, all the land of Egypt, and all Africa, Father of Fathers, Shepherd of [Read more...]
Orthodox Priest Martyred In Syria
From the Mystagogy blog of John Sanidopoulos. Another Orthodox martyr – this one a young priest in Syria. On January 25, 2012 Greek Orthodox Hieromonk Basilios Nassar was shot by an armed terrorist group in Hama, Syria on the second day of heavy fighting there. Fr. Basilios was at the Metropolis when he was informed by a phone call that a parishioner of his was shot and needed assistance. The Patriarchate of Antioch has reported that the 30-year-old priest was shot while giving [Read more...]
Strong Orthodox Christian Presence at Annual DC March for Life
Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with Their Graces, Bishops Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, Michael of New York and New Jersey, and Matthias of Chicago and the Midwest led hundreds of Orthodox Christian clergy, faithful, and seminarians at the 39th annual March for Life here Monday, January 23, 2012. According to Archpriest John Kowalczyk, a pro-life activist and co-founder of the Orthodox presence at the annual gathering, “this was the biggest [Read more...]
