Click here
Donate
Search
Donate

Daily Meditations

The Fifth Thursday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Members of One Another (Part XII): Compassion Towards Plants

05/30/2019

The compassionate love of St Silouan extends beyond animals to plants: ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees’ (Revelation 7:3). On one occasion when the two of them were walking together, Fr Sophrony struck out with his stick at a clump of tall wild grass. The Starets said nothing, but he shook his head doubtfully; and at once Fr Sophrony was ashamed. In his own writings St Silouan says: That green leaf

The Fifth Wednesday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Black Tuesday, May 29, 1453, The Fall of Constantinople

05/29/2019

Constantine XI Paleologos, the last Emperor of the East Roman Empire, who was martyred by the forces of Sultan Mehmet during the assault on The City on May 29, 1453, was a man whose personal life was marked by tragedy, but who above all maintained steadfast his Christian faith and his dedication to his duties as the Christian Emperor. He is venerated among Orthodox for his deep faith in Christ, his faithfulness to his people

The Fifth Tuesday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Desert and Temptation (Part I)

05/28/2019

One of the great themes of monasticism is the desert. The monks deliberately went into the desert to be alone and to seek God. The ancients considered the desert the dwelling-place of demons. Anthony went into the desert to fight the demons on their own turf. It was a heroic decision to push his way into the realm of the demons — and a declaration of war on the demons that plagued him and sought

The Fifth Monday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Venerable Saint Bede of Jarrow

05/27/2019

By Vladimir Moss Our holy Father Bede the Venerable was born in the year 673 on the lands of the monastery of St. Paul at Jarrow in Northumbria. At the age of seven he was entrusted to the first abbot of Jarrow, St. Benedict Biscop, and after his repose to his successor, St. Ceolfrid. There is a tradition that during a plague that swept England during St. Ceolfrid’s abbacy, only the abbot and the young

The Fourth Friday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Paschal Gift

05/24/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 18, 2017  It is impossible to describe the joy of Pascha, particularly as I experience it as a priest. This year, I was deeply aware that I stand in a place that was both created for me, and for which I am unworthy. The joy of such a combination is the realization of the Gift. When you are trying to find a gift for someone, the most difficult part, it

The Fourth Thursday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Members of One Another (Part XI): Compassion Towards Animals

05/23/2019

St Silouan gave careful thought to our relationship as humans with the animals. This is only to be expected. He had grown up in an agricultural community. The Holy Mountain which then became his monastic home abounds in living creatures, in birds, butterflies, snakes and jackals, and also (at any rate in the days of the Starets) in wolves and wild boar, not to mention the domestic animals, the horses and mules, that the monasteries

The Fourth Wednesday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Persons in Communion: Blood and Fire

05/22/2019

In Christ, God has reunified humanity. From henceforth and without limit of time or space, it is nothing other than the Body of God. That is what Cabasilas meant when he said that people are more truly related to each other in Christ than they are according to the flesh. Carnal kinship leads to death, kinship in Christ to eternity. The blood that springs from the pierced side of Christ, the wine of the Eucharist,

The Fourth Tuesday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen

05/21/2019

The Church calls Saint Constantine (306-337) “the Equal of the Apostles,” and historians call him “the Great.” He was the son of the Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who governed the lands of Gaul and Britain. His mother was Saint Helen, a Christian of humble birth. At this time the immense Roman Empire was divided into Western and Eastern halves, governed by two independent emperors and their co-rulers called “Caesars.” Constantius Chlorus was Caesar in the

The Fourth Monday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! Salvation as At-One-Ment: Divinization

05/20/2019

…. we [have] explored the metaphor of a wedding to describe what God is doing—preparing and drawing us toward deeper intimacy, belonging, and union. The Eastern Fathers of the Church were not afraid of this belief, and called it the process of “divinization” (theosis). In fact, they saw it as the whole point of the Incarnation and the very meaning of salvation. The much more practical and rational church in the West seldom used the

The Third Friday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! A Pascha of Beauty – In a Soviet Prison – 1928

05/17/2019

Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 8, 2018  Serge Schmemann, son of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in his wonderful little book, Echoes of a Native Land, records a letter written from one of his family members of an earlier generation, who spent several years in the prisons of the Soviets and died there. The letter, written on the night of Pascha in 1928 is to a family member, “Uncle Grishanchik” (This was Grigory Trubetskoi who had managed to emigrate

Categories
Archives
Trending
Adam Advent Bethlehem Christmas Christmas Advent communion Constantinople Cross death Egypt Eucharist Fathers Fr. Antony Hughes Fr. Stephen Freeman grace Great Lent heart holy spirit humility incarnation Israel Jerusalem kingdom Kingdom of God lent love Mary Messiah Moses Mother of God Nativity Old Testament Pascha Paul Pemptousia Pentecost prayer repentance resurrection salvation silence St. Paul Theotokos transformation Trinity
View Our Live Stream Services
Keep In Touch

Stewardship Application

How to stay connected when separated

Daily Meditations

Father Steve's Daily Meditations & Weekly Bible Study every Tuesday at 7PM

Worship Schedule

Click here to view!

Light a Virtual Candle

Please Light a Virtual "Kandili" (Votive Candle) for Healing and Remembrance

Text-to-Give in 2 easy steps!

1) Text 202-899-7801 to include your donation amount

2) Follow the link to complete the one-time registration

Donate Now

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 2815 36th St NW, Washington DC 20007

© 2020 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral