Santa Nicholas

December 6 – is the Feast and Commemoration of Saint (Santa) Nicholas.  The Orthodox Christian bishop whose entire life was a simple sign of goodness, love and benevolence to the poor or anyone who was in need.  It amazes me, and yet it does not amaze me, how the real story of this real man has been [...]

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Amusing Ourselves to Death

In these last days, men will give themselves up to foolishness and frivolity, to vain pursuits and various and sundry lusts of the flesh, unable and unwilling to control their unbridled passions, walking into death traps without even knowing it.  Save but for the Divine gifts of repentance, contrition and the mercy of God… there [...]

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Faith That Establishes the Universe

On the first Sunday of Great Lent, we celebrate the ‘Sunday of Orthodoxy’ when we remember the restoriation of Holy Icons to the church.  This Sunday, and each day, remind us that Icons are not ‘art’, but theology – the love of God in real tangible earthly forms.  It is an Incarnational theology that reminds us that [...]

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A Return to Normal

Lent is here.  In the popular media, and in conversations around cubicles and water coolers the daily ‘chit-chat’ sometimes gravitates towards the idea of Lent, especially on the Wednesday known in the West as “ash” Wednesday, and the banter often goes like this, “So, (snicker, snicker) What are you giving up for Lent?”  Then follows an [...]

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Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

  Troparion – Tone 4 Your Nativity, O Christ our God, Has shone to the world the Light of wisdom! For by it, those who worshipped the stars, Were taught by a Star to adore You, The Sun of Righteousness, And to know You, the Orient from on High. O Lord, glory to You! Kontakion [...]

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Angels Sing

This is a post from a few years ago.  I am still awed by the beauty and richness of our Orthodox heritage.  A cross-cultural, counter-cultural tradition of more than 20 centuries.  Glory to God!    ”…no matter what you are doing, spin threads for heaven…” Of the many beautiful things that make up the Orthodox [...]

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Peter Gabriel, Coffee, Bagels and Worship?

Just imagine. The band is playing Peter Gabriel. A woman leads worship with stories of real life, social challenges and human frailty. The lights dim and a video spoof of “Cops” fills the 16 foot screen. After that we watch a skit that is more like Saturday Night Live than the typical church drama. Adults [...]

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No Electricity? No Problem.

Yet another reason to embrace the ancient faith; to come home to Orthodoxy. A few Sundays ago, in the middle of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (the primary Eucharistic Liturgy of the Orthodox Church…dating to about the 5th century and still in use today unchanged) the lights went out.   Everything went black.  Boom [...]

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Your Holy Cross Redeemed the World

The Elevation of the Holy Cross is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on September 14. This feast is also referred to as the Exaltation of the Cross. This is also a popular name day for Stavroula/Stavros (from “stavros” meaning cross). This feast commemorates two events: The finding of the Cross [...]

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August 6 – The Feast of the Transfiguration

(This is a post from two years ago.  On August 6th of 2008 our family was preparing for our Chrismation, (entrance into the Orthdox Church on August 16).  After reading this post, I am so thankful that we are home in the Church.  Our deep love for Christ has only increased since our arrival to Holy [...]

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St. Elizabeth the New Martyr – July 5th

Enjoy this wonderful account of a 21st century Orthodox Saint, St. Elizabeth who was martyred for her faith at the hands of Communist Socialists.  She gave up royalty, wealth, power and Protestantism for Christ and His Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Her endearing and enduring legacy reminds us that we must never take our [...]

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Pentecost – Come Holy Spirit

Fifty days after the celebration of Pascha (the Passover) from death to life, the resurrection of Christ, comes the great feast of Pentecost.  This Sunday, Christians all over the world remember the promise Jesus gave to his fearful, and anxious apostles and disciples.  Imagine the self-doubt, the wonder, the inadequacy that they must have felt.  “Go, [...]

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For the Life of the World

Christ is risen!  Truly He has Risen! A blessed ‘Bright Week’ to everyone.  For your edification today I want to share an excerpt from a wonderful Orthodox priest and blogger Fr. Stephen Freeman.  I consider his website one of my daily stops for the growth of my faith, and the nourishment of my soul.  Thank [...]

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Hail, Mary? (Hail, yes.)

March 25th The Feast of the Holy Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. 9 months.    March 25 to December 25.   One Virgin.   One holy conception.  One birth.   One Savior.  True God and true man.  One in essence and undivided.  Conceived in time, from the beginning of time, for all mankind.  Today, this very day, the incarnation, the enfleshment [...]

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“…my confession before I die…”

After reviewing some of my recent posts, I am reminded by one of my favorite sayings:  Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much. Convicting and true.  So thank you readers for putting up with my many words and with my struggling efforts at trying to write well. Often I think provide too much; much more [...]

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‘Fighter’ for the Irish

Growing up in the “West” ( i.e. every geographic location from Athens moving West to the Americas) one assumes that all the ‘famous’ saints are Roman Catholic, or at least, European in origin and Catholic in affiliation.  However, we need to remember that The Church has always been One: one in essence, practice, faith, and undivided in unity from Pentecost until about [...]

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Divine Ladder of Ascent

The aim of the treatise of St. John Climacus, the Divine Ladder of Ascent,  is to be a guide for practicing a life completely and wholly devoted to God – its ultimate aim is Theosis – a complete union and oneness in Love with God.  The ladder metaphor—not dissimilar to the vision that the Patriarch Jacob [...]

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Stairway to Heaven

This Sunday March 14, marks the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent celebrating the life and teaching of  St. John Climacus and the Divine Ladder.  And the Church finds herself just past the halfway point on its pilgrimage to Pascha – the Holy Resurrection of Christ.  By now the strict fast of the season is starting to press [...]

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“Happy to you!”

“Happy to you!”  Ten characters, three words, one simple sentence.  Happy to you. That’s John’s first spoken sentence, his first attempt at stringing together more than random sounds and “repeat after me” words, but actually him putting real words together to form a thought; his thought.  And when you consider all the combinations of words that he has been [...]

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…return to the ‘normal’ life…

How many people have accepted the idea that Lent is the time when something which may be good in itself is forbidden, as if Good were taking pleasure in torturing us.  Lent is a return to the “normal” life, to that fasting which Adam and Eve broke, thus introducing suffering and death into the world.  [...]

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