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More important than worrying about current politics and global events is …

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: More important than worrying about current politics and global events is … “the beautiful miracle that took place Tuesday [November 3rd] by our holy Geronda Ephraim of blessed memory. One of his photographs began to weep and he appeared to one of his spiritual children.” “…Tuesday, November 3, the icon of Saint Elder Ephraim Arizona-Philotheitis was crying.  The icon of Saint Elder Ephraim of Arizona-Philotheitis is in tears. The elder

The Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. Christ Is Born, Glorify Him! (Part I)

The feast of the Entrance of Mary into the temple marks the first specific liturgical announcement of the birth of Christ. On this festival, for the first time in the season the canon of the Nativity of Christ is sung at the festal vigil.1   Christ is born; glorify Him! Christ comes from heaven; go to meet Him! Christ is on earth; be exalted! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! And praise Him in

The Fourth Day of Christmas Advent. The Poor Among Us.

By Abbot Tryphon, December 8, 2019  Loving the poor and homeless among us This past week, following a doctor’s appointment in Seattle, I drove past a homeless camp. My mind was immediately drawn to the memory of the day a homeless man attacked me, and with an unexpected “sucker punch”, knocked me to the ground while I was pumping gas. At that moment I realized I was still feeling a little bit afraid of homeless

The Third Day of Christmas Advent. Fasting for Christmas

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, November 19, 2020 [This past Sunday], November 15, the Orthodox Church began its “Winter Lent,” the fast that prepares for the feast of the Nativity. Somewhat similar to Advent, it is the older practice, a full 40-day fast, that reminds us that Christmas, joy that it is, is a foretaste of Pascha. The Cave of Bethlehem reminds us of the Cave of Hades (icons of the Descent into Hell picture the

The Second Day of Christmas Advent. Saint Matthew Apostle and Evangelist.

The name Matthew is derived from the Hebrew Mattija, being shortened to Mattai in post-Biblical Hebrew. In Greek it is sometimes spelled Maththaios, BD, and sometimes Matthaios, CEKL, but grammarians do not agree as to which of the two spellings is the original. Matthew is spoken of five times in the New Testament; first in Matthew 9:9, when called by Jesus to follow Him, and then four times in the list of the Apostles, where

John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, the “Golden-Mouth”

This greatest and most beloved of all Christian orators was born in Antioch the Great in the year 344 or 347; his pious parents were called Secundus and Anthusa. After his mother was widowed at the age of twenty, she devoted herself to bringing up John and his elder sister in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. John received his literary training under Anthragathius the philosopher, and Libanius the sophist, who was the greatest

Together. Authentic Orthodoxy.

By Abbot Tryphon, November 5, 2019  We are all in this together As we struggle in this life, it is good to remember that we are all together. We find our place of silence, where we encounter God, but even in this place set apart, we are together. In our journey to God, our common goal is the acquisition of a humble and contrite heart, and our common homeland is found in the Divine Liturgy,

Remembering our Veterans

By Archpriest Theodore Boback, Syosset, NY Two holidays are brought to us in the Orthodox Church in America on November 11—Veterans Day in the United States of America and Remembrance Day in Canada. In the United States, Veterans Day originally was celebrated as Armistice Day beginning in 1918, celebrating the end of World War I, the “War to end all Wars.”  In 1954, the emphasis changed and the celebration and remembrance became known as Veterans

Eastern Christianity: Trinity

Just as some Eastern fathers saw Christ’s human/divine nature as one dynamic unity, they also saw the Trinity as an Infinite Dynamic Flow. The Western Church tended to have a more static view of both Christ and the Trinity—more a mathematical conundrum than an invitation to new consciousness. In our attempts to explain the Trinitarian mystery, the Western Church overemphasized the individual names—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but not so much the quality of the relationships

Human Tradition in a Modern World

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, October 16, 2015  Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.  – Monty Python and the Holy Grail The comic genius of Monty Python often shows it face when interjecting the present into the past. The charming Arthurian legend of the transmission of Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake is