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The Sixth Wednesday of Great Lent. Fast from…Feast on…

FAST from self-concern and FEAST on compassion for others. FAST from discouragement and FEAST on hope. FAST from lethargy and FEAST on enthusiasm. FAST from suspicion and FEAST on truth. FAST from thoughts that weaken and FEAST on promises that inspire. FAST from shadows of sorrow and FEAST on the sunlight of serenity. FAST from idle gossip and FEAST on purposeful silence. FAST from problems that overwhelm you and FEAST on prayer that sustains. FAST

Managing Fear and Anxiety during COVID-19

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification RESOURCES FOR HOLY WEEK AND PASCHA AT HOME TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Managing Fear and Anxiety during COVID-19 Coping with COVID-19 for Orthodox Christians  Family/Adult –  What Are You Afraid Of? (An article on fear based on the fictional book, Sasha and the Dragon) “…The dragons that are threatening us today include not just pestilence, but also economic fears, political fears, fears of the unknown

Sixth Tuesday of Great Lent. The Ethos of Lent

By Fr. George Morelli The ethos of Lent for the committed Orthodox Christian is told to us by St. Dorotheus of Gaza. He likened it to a wake-up call, ‘a coming to one’s self’ (like the Prodigal Son) to find meaning for the entire year. The “great and saving forty days” are to wake us up to all times and seasons of all year. St. Dorotheus means more than this year only because each and

Sixth Monday of Great Lent. At the Heart of Lent

By Fr Stephen Freeman, March 2, 2018  Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! (Ps. 119:11) Years ago, I heard a statement from an American monk: “The contemplative need go no further than his own heart to find the source of all violence in the world.” It struck me as true then and has only seemed more so as the years have passed. At the time (not

The Fifth Friday of Lent. The Fullness in Lent

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 18, 2014  This article keeps coming to mind as I celebrate the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts on these Lenten Wednesdays and Fridays. There is nothing to compare to them in the Christian liturgical world. It’s hard to thinking of fasting in the midst of such a feast. Orthodoxy has a number of “favorite” words – all of which fall outside the bounds of normal speech. Though we commonly use

A SPECIAL EASTER APPEAL FROM FATHER STEVE

A SPECIAL EASTER APPEAL FROM FATHER STEVE Holy Week & Pascha, 2020 Dearest Parishioners and Stewards, During this “Virtual Holy Week,” it is my most heartfelt prayer that you will continue to support your beloved Cathedral as you have always done so in the past. By clicking on the links, below, you may light a virtual candle, contribute to a virtual tray, light a virtual “Kandili” (votive candle) for health and remembrance, and make a

The Fifth Thursday of Great Lent. Thoughts on Great Lent

By Metropolitan Ioïl (Frangkakos) of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia, February 20, 2018 In this period, we have two fasts, as we all know. There are about seven weeks of strict fasting, eight if you include the Cheese-fare week which precedes. For a lot of people this is an enjoyable and desirable time, for others it’s difficult and for others again not at all pleasant. We’ll try to convey some thoughts on this period, as it

Preparing to Return to Church

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification TOPIC OF THE WEEK Family/Adult –  Unsure about when ‘social distancing’ will finally end and when we will be able to worship as a community again, we are spending our days at home. What should we be doing during our time at home now in the context of preparing to return to church for when that day comes? Click Below: PODCAST (recommended) BLOG    Preschool

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent. The Banishment of Hell. Repentance.

One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they all hate one other and cannot get away from each other and from themselves.” This very much fits with the Orthodox view of hell as being in the presence of

Fifth Tuesday of Great Lent. Orthodox Christian Lent, Prayer, Fasting and Baptism

By Fr. Patrick Reardon, March 13, 2005 The word “Lent,” now associated exclusively with the observance of the liturgical year, originally meant “spring” and had no directly religious significance. In English usage, however, its reference was gradually limited to the season of preparation for Pascha, a season that does, in fact, coincide with spring. In languages dependent on Latin, the word for Lent is some variant of “forty,” derived from the Latin *quadragesima*. This is