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Daily Meditations

The Great and Holy Pascha! Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen!

05/01/2016

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein.” Pascha is the day of universal joy and peace. The entire world, every breath and all creation, triumphs and rejoices. For the Lord has conquered and destroyed death, abolishing the “dominion of death” – the power of death. With the Resurrection of Christ, the dawn of the coming general Resurrection has already begun to break over all creation, for

The Great and Holy Saturday: On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos (Part III)

04/30/2016

On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos When She Embraced the Precious Body of our Lord Jesus Christ A Homily of our father Among the Saints Symeon the Metaphrast, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (15th Century)  Part III O how bitter is this burial! You granted life to those in the tombs, but lie dead before my very eyes. Once You were wrapped in swaddling clothes; now I shudder to see You in a shroud. As a

The Great and Holy Friday: On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos (Part II)

04/29/2016

On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos When She Embraced the Precious Body of our Lord Jesus Christ A Homily of our father Among the Saints Symeon the Metaphrast, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (15th Century)  Part II O Mighty One, You manifested such great things in me! You chose me out of every generation! You declared me through the tongues of the Prophets! When You were about to descend from heaven, as You Yourself knew, You

The Great and Holy Thursday: On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos (Part I)

04/28/2016

On the Lament of the All-Holy Theotokos When She Embraced the Precious Body of our Lord Jesus Christ A Homily of our father Among the Saints Symeon the Metaphrast, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (15th Century)  Part I  In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Now I understand, O sweetest Jesus, why those Persians, who came to Your Nativity, brought not only gold as to a king, and

The Great and Holy Wednesday: The Services of the Bridegroom (Part III)

04/27/2016

Holy Wednesday On Holy Wednesday the Church invites the faithful to focus their attention on two figures: the sinful woman who anointed the head of Jesus shortly before the passion (Matthew 26:6-13), and Judas, the disciple who betrayed the Lord. The former acknowledged Jesus as Lord, while the latter severed himself from the Master. The one was set free, while the other became a slave. The one inherited the kingdom, while the other fell into

The Great and Holy Tuesday: The Services of the Bridegroom (Part II)

04/26/2016

Holy Tuesday On Holy Tuesday the Church calls to remembrance two parables, which are related to the Second Coming. The one is the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-3); the other the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). These parables point to the inevitability of the Parousia and deal with such subjects as spiritual vigilance, stewardship, accountability and judgment. From these parables we learn at least two basic things. First, Judgment Day will be

The Great and Holy Monday: The Services of the Bridegroom (Part I)

04/25/2016

Sunday through Monday Evening Introduction Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the Bridegroom in the

Palm Sunday: The Feast of the Entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem

04/24/2016

Introduction On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people when out to meet the Lord and welcomed

Saturday of the Holy and Righteous Friend of Christ, Lazarus

04/23/2016

Introduction On the Saturday before Holy Week, the Orthodox Church commemorates a major feast of the year, the miracle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when he raised Lazarus from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days. Here, at the end of Great Lent and the forty days of fasting and penitence, the Church combines this celebration with that of Palm Sunday. In triumph and joy the Church bears witness

Easter Is More than a Holiday, It’s a Time for Giving of Ourselves

04/22/2016

Easter Is More than a Holiday, It’s a Time for Giving of Ourselves Here’s What’s New:   The Fulfilling of a Journey The Children’s Word: It’s hard to be humble! Fasting is More than a Diet The Pascha Basket Joint Declaration Concerning Christian Persecution and Refugees Great in Zeal, but Little of Stature The Hurriyet Daily News Reports on ‘Orthodox Council Moved fromTurkey… OCN Spark is Here Live Bible Study

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