Before the Great and Holy Week, I was sharing my thoughts and those of the Scripture scholar Marcus Borg about the Letters of St. Paul which were written much before the four Gospels and, it is believed, probably influenced the … Continue reading
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The state of mind, the forms of worship, the spirituality and theology of the Eastern Church are not merely a matter of rite: they imply a specific vision of life and eternity, uniting Easterners of many different backgrounds: Melkites, Ukrainians, … Continue reading
Before the Great and Holy Week, I began to share the thoughts of one of our Father among the saints, Theophan, as a means of sharing some insights into Eastern spirituality as it is experienced by Slavic peoples. He was … Continue reading
As I have shared with you, I believe that when members of a Christian community truly understand that they are Called to Holiness, the community becomes vibrant. One might ask: What makes a parish or community vibrant? People who truly … Continue reading
When Christ revealed the identity of the Father and of God, he placed this revelation within another, still more inaccessible mystery, that of the Trinity. God is Father because he has a Son who is God, Jesus Christ. The basic … Continue reading
As we think about the Divine Liturgy, we must ask: What was the Divine Liturgy like at the time of John Chrysostom? We know that he attempted to simplify the Divine Liturgy of Basil the Great and the other Fathers … Continue reading
A BIG THANK YOU Another BIG THANK YOU is truly in order after last week’s celebration. It was absolutely glorious! I loved every minute of it. We had absolutely great singing and I felt the regular members brought the spirit … Continue reading
As all, I am sure, are probably aware, the early Christians were criticized for their belief in the Resurrection. It was one of the primary subjects of the earliest apologetic works of the Church Fathers. Some of the Fathers wrote … Continue reading
All four Gospels of the New Testament indicate that the Resurrection of the Lord took place on the first day of the week and that Mary of Magdala was one of the first persons to find the tomb empty. Matthew’s … Continue reading
I would, as I have done so many times before, exhort you to take a serious look at our traditional Easter Icon. The true Easter icon depicts the Lord’s Descent into Hades and does not represent Him as coming out … Continue reading