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Among the Myrrhbearing Women, it is clear that Mary Magdalene is something of a “first among equals.” In the Synoptic Gospels she is always listed first among the other women whose names are recorded by the Evangelists [Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10]. In the Gospel According to Saint John, she is the only one of these remarkable women…
The Orthodox Church’s claim that Pascha is “the Feast of Feasts” is far more than poetic rhetoric. On the most basic level, it reminds us that the very existence of the Church is dependent upon the reality of Christ’s bodily resurrection “from the dead.” The Feast of Pascha makes that abundantly clear with an intensity that can be…
I came across the phrase “earthly life ceases” at the beginning of an explanation of Holy Week written by the late Father Thomas Hopko. What could he mean by saying that “earthly life ceases?” It is certainly not meant to be taken “literally” because, if so, Father Thomas would not be much of a thinker or theologian! The phrase “earthly life…
“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension” [2 Corinthians 4:17].
The Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross extends throughout the entire week. Thus, we continue to “bow down” and venerate the Cross whenever we gather together for any services throughout this week up to, but not…
“Enlighten me through prayers and fasting” [Forgiveness Vespers].
Within the context of Great Lent and our ascetical effort during this season, commonly called fasting, I would like to raise the issue of not only fasting from certain foods and drink—the most basic aspect of asceticism because of our sheer dependence on food and drink—but also of…
A “good beginning” to Great Lent can go a long way toward a “good ending.” Today, on “Pure Monday,” it certainly may seem premature—if not a bit ludicrous—to already allude to the end of Great Lent. We are just beginning our Lenten journey, and the end is not quite in sight! But I bring this up with a pastoral purpose in mind. I have, in…
I thought to compile a list of more-or-less Orthodox “lenten classics” upon which you may want to draw as Great Lent approaches. I have read and re-read these books through the years and they have all had an impact on my spiritual formation.
Each book is quite accessible—no dry theology, just a variety of lively approaches to God and the spiritual…
On Sunday, January 29, the Sunday of Zacchaeus, we heard the first “signal” that Great Lent is just around the corner, beginning this year as it does on Monday, February 27. With this in mind, perhaps we can further reflect on this marvelous passage from Saint Luke’s Gospel in which our Lord encounters Zacchaeus the tax collector [Luke…
In the Parable of the Great Supper—Luke 14:16-24—we find a revealing glimpse into humankind’s inexhaustible propensity for making excuses. This unending flow of excuses is often cloaked as tightly-argued rationalizations, served up with an unassailable logic, and promoted with sincere conviction. Psychologically, excuse-making is not to be confused…
The Gospel reading for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord is Matthew 2:1-12. This passage proclaims the Good News that the Savior was born in Bethlehem according to the biblical prophecies. The star guides the Magi and they, in turn, bring their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Child in acknowledgment that He is…
Several years ago, Newsweek magazine carried an article written by Julia Baird under the rubric of psychology, titled “The Devil Loves Cell Phones”—a rather unexpected and somewhat jarring title considering the secular orientation of such a mass media journal as Newsweek. The article was a one-page commentary based upon a review of a new book by…
Today—November 15—we begin the forty day Nativity Fast, one of four seasons of the year during which we are called upon to intensify our spiritual lives through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I would like to expand on this by emphasizing the necessary virtue of patience that accompanies any period of preparation in the life of the Church. We are…
“Remember, never to fear the power of evil more than your trust in the power and love of God” [Apostle Hermas of the Seventy].
In perhaps his most complex, yet theologically rich Epistle—that to the Romans—the Apostle Paul provides a passage now justifiably famous for articulating his “theology of the Cross.” This passage in many ways stands at…
“Take heed then to how you hear” [Luke 18:18].
“Make sure that you never refuse to listen when He speaks” [Hebrews 12:25].
We are blessed with hearing the Scriptures at every Divine Liturgy, be it on the Lord’s Day or on any other day on which the Liturgy is celebrated. Therefore, we will hear at least one reading from an Epistle and one from a…
Fall officially begin at 10:21 a.m. EDT on Thursday, September 22. From my personal—and, admittedly, “subjective”—perspective, there is nothing quite like the fall among the four seasons. For me, one of this season’s greatest attractions is found in the flaming red, orange, yellow and golden leaves that transform familiar trees into a…
Ironic indeed, that the Olympic Games—which displayed an array of highly disciplined specimens of physical prowess and stamina, male and female—should have created a vast multitude of “coach potatoes!” who remained more-or-less immobile before their TV sets cheering on their respective heroes. As I always find the Olympic Games quite entertaining,…
“Strictly speaking, a system of ethics which does not make death its central problem has no value and is lacking in depth and earnestness”—Nikolai Berdyaev.
“Our one and only war… is the sacred battle with the common enemy of all people, of all mankind—against death”—Archimandrite Sophrony.
Recently I met with some folks—both Orthodox and…
We recently celebrated the Great Feast of Pentecost on June 19. All of the subsequent Sundays of the liturgical year, until the pre-lenten Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee sometime next year, will be so numbered, challenging us to keep our spiritual sight on the overwhelming significance of Pentecost in the divine economy. The New…
At the Vespers of Pentecost that will be celebrated in all of our parishes on Pentecost Sunday—which falls on June 19 this year—we will implore the Risen Lord, Who sat down at the “right hand” of God the Father, to send the Holy Spirit upon us, as He did upon the apostles who “were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). It is quite significant that…
In the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed we profess, “Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man…. And the third day He arose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.”
What a wonderful expression of…