The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts PRIEST: Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, unto the ages of ages. READER: Amen. Come, let us worship God our King and bow down before Him. Come, let us worship Christ God our King and bow down [...]
Ecclesiastical New Year September 1 Reading: For the maintenance of their armed forces, the Roman emperors decreed that their subjects in every district should be taxed every year. This same decree was reissued every fifteen years, since the Roman soldiers were obliged to serve for fifteen years. At the end of each fifteen-year period, an [...]
September 8th The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos The birth of the Blessed Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary took place in the remote and obscure little town ofNazareth, in the Galilee region of theHoly Land. That hallowed event would be an important step on the long road that led to the birth of [...]
The Transfiguration of Christ By Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South The Transfiguration of Christ is recorded in the first three Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9: 2-9; Luke 9: 28-36). The fourth does not contain an account of the event, but its author, being one of the three witnesses, is probably referring specifically to it when [...]
The Fast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos For the first fourteen days of August during each year, the Holy Orthodox Church enters into a strict fast period in honor of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. The eminent Orthodox theologian, Father Sergei Bulgakov, beautifully expresses the high regard which the Orthodox Christians [...]
July 2, - Feast of the Deposition of the Honorable Mantle of Our Lady, the Mother of God, at Blachernae The Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out [...]
Fr. John Meyendorff on the Trinitarian Dimension of the Holy Spirit It has often been noted that East and West differ in their approach to the mystery of the divine Trinity. The West takes for granted God’s unity and approaches his “trinity” as a matter of speculation, while the East starts with a living experience [...]
Sermon on the Feast of Pentecost by St. John Chrysostom Our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was a notable Christian bishop and preacher from the fourth and fifth centuries in Syria and Constantinople. He is famous for eloquence in public speaking and his denunciation of abuse of authority in the Church [...]
Word Magazine January 1976 Page 3 “WHEN THOU, 0 LORD WAS BAPTIZED IN THE JORDAN,... ’’ By REV. FR. GABRIEL BARROW IN THIS HOLY EPIPHANY SEASON, it is the Tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church to Bless Water in the Church. This “Blessed” or “Holy Water” is then sprinkled on everything, so that all creation [...]
Word Magazine March 2000 Page 14 WHY DO WE FAST SO OFTEN? By Fr. Stephen Ziton Let’s begin by taking a look at what happens when we do not keep the fast. In Genesis 3 we learn of the fall of Adam and Eve, and how their failure to keep the fast when they ate [...]