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Ninth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Why Did He Come? (Part II)

11/23/2015

Meditation: Why Did He Come? St. Gregory of Nazianzus wrote: Darkness is loosened, light is created. The Pillar of Fire is given to Israel. Those dark in ignorance see the great light: knowledge and wisdom. Old things are finished; all is become new, the letter retreats; the Spirit prevails; shadows disappear; the truth now enters; nature’s law is overturned for heaven needs filling… What was invisible, now is distinguishable. What was untouchable now is touchable…

Sixth Day of Christmas Advent, Christmas is Already Easter

11/20/2015

In Jesus, God achieved the perfect synthesis of the divine and the human. The incarnation of Jesus demonstrates that God meets us where we are as humans. God freely and fully overcomes the gap from God’s side. The problem of redemption is already resolved once and for all, long before its dramatic illustration on the cross. Bethlehem already revealed that it was good to be a human being. For the Christian, spiritual power is always

Fifth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Why Did He Come? (Part I)

11/19/2015

Prayer Lord Jesus, You have come so many times to us and found no resting place, forgive us for our overcrowded lives, our vain haste and our preoccupation with self. Come again, O Lord, and though our hearts are a jumble of voices, and our minds overlaid with many fears, find a place however humble, where You can begin to work Your wonder as you create peace and joy within us. If in some hidden

Fourth Day of Christmas Advent, Journey to Bethlehem, Part I

11/18/2015

By Father John Parker About seven hundred years ago Andrei Rublev, or one of his disciples, painted perhaps the most memorable and beautiful icon of the Nativity of Christ. The 14th century icon is warped and cracked, but is in remarkable shape despite its age and history. It tells us, in earthen pigments bound to the gesso plaster, the story of the birth of Jesus, each facet of the good news surrounding the Virgin Mother Mary and

Third Day of Christmas Advent, The Christmas Fast and Prophesies

11/17/2015

By Presbytera Emily Harakas Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year-wonderful, yes, but probably the busiest! There are so many things to do-especially for the homemaker. The special gift(s) to purchase, the house and tree trimming, the cooking, the baking, the Christmas party and entertainment, the Church Pageant and the caroling … etc., all this wonderful preparation for the most “wonderful time of the year!” During the year, our Orthodox Church observes many fast

Second Day of Christmas Advent, Preparing for Birth: The Fast of the Nativity

11/16/2015

By Father Andrew Barakos The fast of the Nativity (November, 15th through December 24th) is first mentioned historically in the 7th Century. The only universal fasting rules (canons) of the Church that exist refer to Great Lent (40 days before Pascha or Easter); which is the most severe fast of the year. The fast of the Nativity on the other hand, varied in duration and degree of severity throughout the Church. The Nativity fast is

The Winter of Beauty (Part II)

11/13/2015

The most striking general characteristic of contemporary art is its rejection of the face; even those who are aware that, after their descent into hell, there might be a resurrection, find the human face virtually impossible to portray; I think of the extraordinary Holy Faces of Manessier, those immense buds of the night which can never open out. There is a parallel in literature, where words are separated from the Word and whirl around like

The Beginning of the Spiritual Life

11/12/2015

The development of this inner sensitivity is the beginning of a spiritual life. It seems that the emphasis on interpersonal sensitivity has at times made us forget to develop the sensitivity that helps us to listen to our own inner voices. Sometimes one wonders if the fact that so many people ask support, advice and counsel from so many other people is not, in large part, due to their having lost contact with their innermost

AWARENESS: SILENCE’S VERY OWN PRACTICE

11/11/2015

The practice of contemplation over many winters into spring often leads to a subtle but fundamental shift in prayer: from using a prayer word as a means of concentration to simple sitting in awareness. Just being. It is much as St. John of the Cross describes it: “Preserve a loving attentiveness to God with no desire to feel or understand any particular thing concerning God.” When inner silence sits in simple repose, its prayer is

REAL PEACE (Part II)

11/10/2015

Fr. Maximos went on to emphasize that the lack of inner peace emanates from our egocentric passions and unbridled desires. Furthermore, he pointed out that all external wars, violence, and social and interpersonal conflicts spring from our inner states of disharmony. For him, therefore, achieving freedom and justice must begin with an arduous effort to attain inner peace. Revolutionaries who fight for justice do not understand that, no matter how noble their cause may be,

Blog

Ninth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Why Did He Come? (Part II)

Sixth Day of Christmas Advent, Christmas is Already Easter

Fifth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Why Did He Come? (Part I)

Fourth Day of Christmas Advent, Journey to Bethlehem, Part I

Third Day of Christmas Advent, The Christmas Fast and Prophesies

Second Day of Christmas Advent, Preparing for Birth: The Fast of the Nativity

The Winter of Beauty (Part II)

The Beginning of the Spiritual Life

AWARENESS: SILENCE’S VERY OWN PRACTICE

REAL PEACE (Part II)

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