By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 25, 2015 I consider it both a strange mystery and a settled matter of the faith that God prefers not to do things alone. Repeatedly, He acts in a manner that involves the actions of others when, it would seem, He could have acted alone. Why would God reveal His Word to the world through the agency of men? Why would He bother to use writing? Why not simply communicate
The main reason Christianity spread so rapidly following the Resurrection of Christ, was the power behind the resurrection. The truth of Christ’s resurrection empowered believers to joyfully embrace martyrdom, knowing that they would be joined in eternal bliss with their resurrected Saviour. Although their martyrdom would involve both mental and physical anguish, they were almost joyful in their willingness to go to their deaths, rather than betray their faith. Not the kind of thing one
By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 9, 2019 As Great Lent has passed its mid-point, attention begins to move towards Holy Week itself and its very intense focus. It has been an unusual time for me, having traveled on two successive weekends to lead retreats. Travel is always disruptive, and absence from your own community creates a break in the normal continuity of the Fast. I have great sympathies for those whose jobs involve frequent travel.
Religious Education at Home: A Comprehensive Online Catechetical Website of the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Dear Sunday School Teachers, Parents and Students Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Now that many of us have been asked to maintain physical and social distance, the Department of Religious Education of the Archdiocese is searching for ways to keep us all connected to our Orthodox Christian Faith and way
March 21, 2020 Brothers & Sisters, I wish to share the edifying message and prayer services offered below from a dear friend and classmate of mine from our Hellenic College days, Father Nicholas Palis of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Bethlehem, PA. As I have intimated in recent days, the present COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis has imposed a kind of temporary monasticism on us, i.e., our quarantine is something akin to an induced cloister, an ascetic seclusion
“Now you are the Body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:2 Dearest Steward of Saint Sophia Cathedral, During the early centuries of the Church, local churches were organized with the goal to impact the local community by bringing the Gospel to it. Everyone in the geographical area would be the focus of the local church’s mission. Today, of course, things have radically changed, especially with
By Fr. Stephen Freeman, February 24, 2018 According to St. Basil, God is the “only truly Existing.” Our own existence is a gift from God who is our Creator. None of us has “self-existing” life. We exist because God sustains us in existence – in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Sin is the rejection of this gift of God – a movement away from true existence. +++ Much of our attention in the
By Father John Parker, February 27, 2018 I still hear, from time to time (though less frequently), “What are you giving up for Lent”? I’m glad that it is still ‘out there’—the idea that there is a season during which someone might actually abstain from something. Abstinence of any sort is usually trampled upon in our day. Self-indulgence (because, after all, ‘you deserve it’), generally reigns. One could summarize the 40 Days of the Great Lenten Fast
From Old Testament times, the people of God prepared for holy occasions with fasting and prayer, and the New Testament continued with this holy tradition. The Lord Himself fasted for forty days before beginning His earthly ministry, demonstrating the importance of fasting before starting any spiritual task. Christ even went so far as saying “When you fast” (Matt. 6:16), rather than If you fast. Our Lord told his disciples that “when the bridegroom shall be
PRAYER OF PROTECTION FROM THE CORONAVIRUS Brothers & Sisters, During this difficult and trying time, the Metropolis of Atlanta has published a most beautiful prayer of protection from the coronavirus (below). His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta encourages all the Faithful throughout the United States to offer this prayer in their “κατ’οικον εκκλησία,” in their “church of the home.” Whether individually or as a family, I ask you to offer up this prayer before Almighty
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