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Orthodoxy Versus Christian Materialism (Part I)

By Father Stephen Freeman Over the years I find myself coming back to a number of ideas within the modern world that differ markedly from Orthodox thought. These are ideas that are imbedded so deep within our culture that they seem self-evident to most people. Many Orthodox believers hold to one or more of them, distorting their understanding of the faith. This article is an effort to create a list and address each one. If

On October 28 the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the Feast Day of the Protection of the Theotokos, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.

The feast-day of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God was established following a vision of holy Father Andrew during the course of a Vigil in the Church of Vlachernae at Constantinople. At the Fourth Hour of the night while deep in prayer, the Saint lifted up his eyes to heaven and beheld the Holy Mother of God watching over the faithful as she covered the faithful with her holy Veil. Epiphanius, the disciple

Congratulations to our past Parish Council President, Cassandra Tsintolas Johnson on her re-appointment as a voting member of the Archdiocesan District Council by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros.

The Saint Sophia Cathedral Community congratulates past Parish Council President, Cassandra Tsintolas Johnson on her re-appointment as a voting member of the Archdiocesan District Council by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros.  In His appointment letter, His Eminence emphasized that the Archdiocesan District Council is the “esteemed body of clergy and lay individuals …working together…for the collective betterment and spiritual flourishing of our communities and faithful” that comprise the Archdiocesan District and that “requires a unique blend of

Congratulations to Janice Calomiris, Parish Council President, on the occasion of her appointment as a voting member to the Archdiocesan Council, 2024-2026

The Clergy, Parish Council and entire Community of Saint Sophia Cathedral CONGRATULATE Janice Calomiris, Parish Council President, on the occasion of her appointment as a voting member to the Archdiocesan Council, 2024-2026. The Archdiocesan Council functions as the advisory and consultative body to the Archbishop and to the Eparchial Synod, and is concerned with the Archdiocesan ministries, institutions, and financial affairs of the Holy Archdiocese of America in between biennial Clergy Laity Congresses.

GREAT MARTYR DEMETRIOS OF THESSALONIKA

The feast day of Saint Demetrios is a great feast for all of Orthodoxy, but especially Thessalonica, which is his birthplace. His church is a building dating from the ancient Christian era, built one hundred years after his holy martyrdom which was in 296 A.D. But after 300 years it burned down, and was rebuilt in the days of Leo the Wise. Saint Demetrios along with Saint George are the two brave young men of

Turning Back (Part II)

Turning Back (Part II) ‘The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Master, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?”… But Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him,

Turning Back (Part I)

Turning Back (Part I) What is required of us above all is an entreaty, a cry of trust and love de profondis, from the depths of our heart. For a moment we must lose our balance, must see in a flash of clarity the meaninglessness of suffering, the ripping apart of our protective covering of happiness or moral virtue. Remember how often in the Gospels Christ attacks the Pharisees. Remember, in Crime and Punishment, the

Holy Apostle James (Iakovos), the Brother of the Lord

Holy Apostle James (Iakovos), the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). From his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by

Noetic Science and Natural Science. Noetic Faculty.

Noetic Science and Natural Science: The theological vision of God and natural science By Abbot Tryphon, December 1, 2019 Orthodoxy does not exclude from the theological vision of God the findings of natural science. Science and faith can be in concert with one another and our desire to reinstate our communion with God can involve both natural science, and the science of the soul. An Orthodox Christian does not have to suspend scientific knowledge in

Why We Forgive

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 14, 2016  There are many ways to think about forgiveness, not all of them true or helpful. It is easily the most emotionally and psychologically difficult aspect of the Christian life revealing both the power of trauma as well as the tenacity of lingering memories. The directness of Christ’s commandments (“forgive your enemies”) and the consequences of ignoring them (“if you do not forgive others neither will your heavenly Father