by Christina StolaasShe’s always there. Sometimes in the background, sometimes with a welcoming smile up front, sometimes noticed and appreciated, sometimes being silently judged. Your pastor’s wife; the powerful force behind most church leaders often perceived as a mystery by the rest of the church. It doesn’t have to be that way. What if we just [...]
On the Issue of the Orthodox "Diaspora" Introduction It seems, during the course of work on the Great Orthodox Council, that the issue of the "diaspora" will be the most important, in the sense that there is no issue more important than it. Due to serious disagreements that currently exist between the Orthodox Churches, mostly [...]
Violence and the Gospel by Metropolitan George (Khodr) of Byblos and Batroun [This article was first given at a conference in Lyon of the Association of Christians Against Torture, and appeared in Supplément de la vie Spirituelle, Sept. 1987] This essay is not an analysis of violence but a hymn to that evangelical virtue which [...]
Saint Maximos the Confessor on The Lord's Prayer St Maximos the ConfessorПреподобный Максим ИсповедникΜαξίμου του Ομολογητού If the purpose of the divine counsel is the deification of our nature, and the aim of divine thoughts is to supply the prerequisites of our life, it follows that we should both know and carry into effect the [...]
AN ORTHODOX UNDERSTANDING OF ACTS OF MERCY Fr. Thomas Hopko Christ commanded his disciples to give alms. To "give alms" means literally "to do" or "to make merciful deeds" or "acts of mercy." According to the Scriptures the Lord is compassionate and merciful, longsuffering, full of mercy, faithful and true. He is the one who [...]
The Church is One by Alexei Khomiakov The Unity of the Church follows of necessity from the unity of God; for the Church is not a multitude of persons in their separate individuality, but a unity of the grace of God, living in a multitude of rational creatures, submitting themselves willingly to grace. Grace, indeed, is [...]
The Bible In The Liturgy There Biblical references for everything that is said during the Divine Liturgy. Below is the text of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. Under each line, you will see "Bible References:" along with the Book, Chapter and Verse(s). While many have studied why we say and do the Divine [...]
What do Icons Mean? The very meaning of the icon has as its foundation the incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Christ is “the icon of the invisible God” (Col.1:15), and the transfiguration on the mount offers support of this (Matt. 17:1-13). It [...]
Click below God s Yellow Pages
Young Children in the Orthodox Church Some Basic Guidelines by Presbytera Juliana Cownie Part One: At the Divine Liturgy "Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16) Of course, we Orthodox Christian parents want to bring our children to Christ. We bring them to be baptized, [...]