Daily Meditations

Self-Emptying: We Love by Letting Go

We cannot love God unless we love God’s world. Christians [should] have always known this, because an incarnate God is a world-loving God; but now it takes on new meaning and depth as we realize the radical interrelationship and interdependence of all forms of life. . . . In sum, we are not called to love God or the world. Rather, we are called to love God in the world. We love God by loving the world. We love God through and with the world. But this turns out

The Distraction Delusion—Get Your Hands Dirty

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, June 12, 2019 I recently bought a pickup truck, a twenty-five-year-old clunker that runs ok. I paid $600 for it and have been slowly tending to the little fixes that it requires. It’s old enough to lack the computerization that puts vehicles beyond the reach of a shade-tree mechanic. My father and his father were both auto mechanics. I had forgotten how much satisfaction I get from doing what they did.

While wearing a physical mask now may be necessary to protect us from contagion, what other ‘masks’ might we be ‘wearing’ that are NOT good for us? How can we strip these away and be authentic to God, ourselves and others? Watch the video Wearing Masks

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification TOPIC OF THE WEEK: While wearing a physical mask now may be necessary to protect us from contagion, what other ‘masks’ might we be ‘wearing’ that are NOT good for us? How can we strip these away and be authentic to God, ourselves and others? Watch the video Wearing Masks Spiritual Resources for the Pandemic Coping with COVID-19 for Orthodox Christians  “The COVID crisis causes us

How did the Fall of Constantinople Change the Renaissance in Italy?

The Byzantine Empire, also known as New Rome, was very influential on the history and culture of Europe during the Middle Ages. By the 15th century, the Empire was in terminal decline and had been for several centuries. At this time the various Italian city-states were experiencing a cultural flowering that is known by historians as the Renaissance. In 1453 the capital of Byzantium fell to the Ottoman Turkish army and this was the effective

SAINT SOPHIA COMMUNITY FORM

SAINT SOPHIA COMMUNITY FORM We hope this finds you and your family well as we make our way together through this COVID-19 pandemic. The imperative, while separated, is to stay connected! In our ongoing effort to serve our Saint Sophia Community more effectively, we are sending this Saint Sophia Community Form to learn more about you, our parishioner, your family, your interests and how Saint Sophia Cathedral can better serve you. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS

Holy Ascension

The Lord Jesus passed forty days on earth after His Resurrection from the dead, appearing continually in various places to His disciples, with whom He also spoke, ate, and drank, thereby further demonstrating His Resurrection. On this Thursday, the fortieth day after Pascha, He appeared again in Jerusalem. After He had first spoken to the disciples about many things, He gave them His last commandment, that is, that they go forth and proclaim His Name

The Spiritual Fruit of Pascha: On the Apodosis of Pascha

Source: ROCOR And so for us, too, the eternal bliss with Christ in His Kingdom has not yet commenced—this is merely our hope—but not because the Kingdom of Heaven is not yet ready, but because we are incapable of eternal bliss: we need another podvig under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. ARCHBISHOP SIMON (VINOGRADOV, +1933) OF PEKING AND CHINA: | 28 MAY 2014 Today is the Apodosis of Pascha, that is, the last day of this

Sixth Tuesday after Pascha: Tradition of the Paschal Egg

By Abbot Tryphon, April 22, 2020 The Tradition of the Paschal Egg There is a beautiful tradition within the life of the Church for believers to have as their last meal before beginning the Great Lenten Fast, to eat a hard boiled egg, white in color. This egg represents our sinful nature, and we eat this egg with the hope that the Lenten journey will bring us to repentance, and make us worthy to receive

Memorial Day, 2020

By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance forever.  Exodus 12:14 Today’s verse from Exodus was told to Moses by God at the time of the Passover and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  God told Moses that the Passover should be commemorated forever, so that every generation would remember this

Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Ontological Model Part 2: How Good Is Your Will

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 28, 2019 Suppose I give you a bicycle for the convenience of travel. Suppose, however, that the bicycle is broken: flat tires, missing spokes, a chain that slips frequently. Nevertheless, you figure out a way to make it go. The ride is bumpy and you often have to stop and fix the chain. You fear that one day the wheels will just come apart as the spokes yield to the