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The Twentieth Day of Christmas Advent. Holy Great Martyr Barbara.

12/04/2020

Saint Barbara was born in the 3rd century A.D. in the city of Heliopolis in Phoenicia, which was then under the rule of the Roman Emperor Maximian – a vicious persecutor of Christians. St. Barbara’s father was a wealthy and powerful pagan named Dioscorus. Her mother died early, and after his wife’s death Dioscorus began to guard his only daughter, who was a rare beauty. He said: “People are unworthy to look upon my daughter’s

The Nineteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Faith and Mystery.

12/03/2020

MATTHEW’S GOSPEL TELLS US about the centurion at Capernaum who asks Jesus to heal his servant in distress. “I will come and heal him,” says Jesus. To which the centurion responds, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus says the word and the servant is healed. Of the Roman centurion he then says, “Not even in Israel have

Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Christ Comes to Restore the Image.

12/02/2020

Human beings, male and female, are made in the image and according to the likeness of God.1 This is a fundamental doctrine of the Judeo-Christian worldview. It means that we humans are not simply the product of our heredity and environment, of our biological makeup and genetic construction. Neither are we simply the result of some accidental combination of physical particles and material cells, nor merely the outcome of historical processes, economic systems, and sociological

Preparation During the Nativity Fast

12/01/2020

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification TOPIC OF THE WEEK – Preparation During the Nativity Fast The Nativity Fast began on November 15th and lasts through December 24th. “…The meaning of this [Nativity Feast is the incarnation and birth of God, the Savior of the world. When we think about the meaning of God’s incarnation and the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, we should think of how Jesus can become

The Seventeenth Day of Christmas Advent. I’ll Be Small for Christmas

12/01/2020

By Father Stephen Freeman Children today are raised with dreams of greatness. Cultural affirmations of our limitless potential, well-intentioned, have not produced a generation of over-achievers, but have indeed brought forth hordes of great dreams. This is nothing new in American culture. We are the world’s longest sustained pep-talk. Ronald Reagan loved to quote the 1945 Johnny Mercer hit: You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent, Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

11/30/2020

The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). The future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, St

Christmas Traditions and Our Time of Glad Tidings and Joy

11/27/2020

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification TOPIC OF THE WEEK – Christmas Traditions and Our Time of Glad Tidings and Joy “When people ask me what my family Christmas traditions are, and how we are supposed to feel during this season, I take pause. Are we supposed to have some special family traditions? If I don’t, am I somehow deficient or wanting? What are we supposed to feel, and what

The Thirteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Shopping for God

11/27/2020

By Father Stephen Freeman I overheard a conversation between two blue-collar workers that encouraged my soul. In the aftermath of last week’s shopping frenzy (Black Friday, etc.), they were reflecting on the madness. “I had a friend who said he bought his mother-in-law a new TV. He was excited about the bargain.” The other worker nodded. “So I asked him, ‘Did she need a new TV?’” He said the man replied, “I never thought of

Twelfth Day of Christmas Advent, “O Give Thanks unto the Lord!”

11/26/2020

By Father Steven Kostoff “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!” (Psalm 136:1) In an article titled “A Moveable Fast,” the scholar Elyssa East summarized the history of our American Thanksgiving, and the intentions and practices of the early New England colonists toward this national feast. Initially, she writes, Thanksgiving was built around the Christian rhythm of fasting and feasting. Bearing that in mind, she also offered her

The Eleventh Day of Christmas Advent: St. Katherine the Great Martyr of Alexandria

11/25/2020

By Father James Thorton THE GREAT MARTYR OF ALEXANDRIA St. Catherine is one of the early Church most beloved Saints, honored and esteemed for over 1,600 years. She lived in Alexandria during the time of the Emperor Maxentius at the beginning of the fourth century. She was not only a lady of stunning beauty and considerable wealth, but had also been blest to be the recipient of a first-rate education, the best education that money

Blog

The Twentieth Day of Christmas Advent. Holy Great Martyr Barbara.

The Nineteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Faith and Mystery.

Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Christ Comes to Restore the Image.

Preparation During the Nativity Fast

The Seventeenth Day of Christmas Advent. I’ll Be Small for Christmas

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent, Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

Christmas Traditions and Our Time of Glad Tidings and Joy

The Thirteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Shopping for God

Twelfth Day of Christmas Advent, “O Give Thanks unto the Lord!”

The Eleventh Day of Christmas Advent: St. Katherine the Great Martyr of Alexandria

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