After sharing with you that Thanksgiving (Eucharistia) and Commemoration (Anamnesis) are an essential part of the Liturgy, it dawned on me that, perhaps, I should answer this fundamental question: What is the Liturgy? While the question is easy enough to … Continue reading
adminstmike
In last week’s Bulletin I suggested that each of us, if we truly desire salvation, must ask ourselves several questions. The first set of questions I presented dealt with the actual process of becoming holy – being called to holiness. … Continue reading
Any strictly chronological presentation of the books within the New Testament (NT) would, after any real consideration of Paul’s letter to the Romans, take us to Mark’s Gospel, the first and oldest of the written Gospels. Around the year 70, … Continue reading
The thoughts of Maximus, which I have been sharing with you during the past several weeks, leads me to sharing with you Eastern Christianity’s thoughts about man. The view of man prevailing in the Christian East is based upon the … Continue reading
Dormition of the Mother of God On this coming Friday our Church celebrates the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Our communal celebration of the feast will be on the weekend when we will bless flowers). This … Continue reading
This miracle story appears in all four Gospels. Matthew connects it with the killing of John the Baptizer and the withdrawal of Jesus from Galilee. Mark associates it with the return of the Twelve from their mission and a withdrawal … Continue reading
One of the twelve major feasts of our Church is the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord which is recounted in three of the four Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-8; and Luke 9:28-36). Although the feast goes back to … Continue reading
Many have been the influences on the structure of the Liturgy. The Fathers of the Church, in writing about the Liturgy, also helped shape it into the experience of worship of God that we have today. From the earliest times, … Continue reading
If you have been following this article in my Bulletin, you are probably aware that it is my belief that truly vibrant spiritual communities have members who understand to some degree that they care called to holiness. The followers of … Continue reading
St. Maximos the Confessor was born in Constantinople in 580 CE, the son of a noble Byzantine family. He majored in philosophy and theology in school and, in 610, became confidential secretary to Emperor Herakleios until the Emperor’s death in … Continue reading