Daily Meditations Archives - Page 105 of 347

The Saturday of Lazarus

04/24/2021

The solemnities of Great Week are preceded by a two-day festival commemorating the resurrection of Lazaros and the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem. These two events punctuate Christ’s ministry in a most dramatic way (Jn 11:1 – 12:19). By causing the final eruption of the unrelenting hostility of His enemies, who had been plotting to kill him, these two events precipitate Christ’s death. At the very same time, however, these same events emphasize His

The Sixth Friday of Great Lent: Let’s Get Out of This Place

04/23/2021

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 11, 2020 The Saturday before Palm Sunday is known as Lazarus Saturday among the Orthodox, and they celebrate Christ raising him from the dead just prior to His entrance into Jerusalem (gospel of John). It is a feast that offers something of a preview of Christ’s resurrection, and a foretaste of the General Resurrection at the End of the Age. Some years back I sat in a cave that is purported to

The Sixth Thursday of Great Lent. Orthodox Pharisees. Why Do You Judge Your Brother?

04/22/2021

Orthodox Pharisees The Orthodox Faith is nothing without transformation of life By Abbot Tryphon, March 9, 2020 If our spiritual life is concentrated only on external practices and traditions, but does nothing to bring about real change, we have gained nothing. Too many people think as long as they keep the fasting rules, do their prayers, and attend the services, they are good Orthodox Christians. Yet if there is no love, no charity, and forgiveness

The Sixth Wednesday of Great Lent: The Mystical Reality of Holy Week

04/21/2021

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 6, 2015 As we journey through Holy Week… For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1Co 15:16-19 NKJ) Earlier this Spring, two

The Sixth Tuesday of Great Lent. Our Struggle for Repentance. Ask for Repentance

04/20/2021

Our Struggle for Repentance Ask for repentance in your prayer and nothing else By Abbot Tryphon, September 5, 2020 The first step in becoming truly repentant is found in a heartfelt contrition before God for our sins. Saint Paul tells us that we must “Pray without ceasing (Thessalonians 5:17)”, and the Church Fathers saw this as the basis for the use of the Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on

The Sixth Monday of Great Lent: The Mystery of Holy Week and Pascha

04/19/2021

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 2, 2018 This [coming] weekend, Orthodox Churches [begin] the observation of Holy Week. The services are long and plentiful. In my parish, from Lazarus Saturday to Pascha, there will be somewhere on the order of 40 hours of services. It is a large parish effort. Most of the services have the participation of the full choir. Last night, I had the anxious face of a young server in the altar

The Fifth Friday of Great Lent: St. Mary of Egypt and Moral Progress

04/16/2021

By Stephen Freeman, January 11, 2015 The suggestion has been made several times recently that my criticism of moral progress is not supported by the example of the saints. Surely, it is said, the transformations we read about in the lives of the saints are clear examples of moral progress. A noted such example, perhaps the greatest story of repentance and asceticism known in the Church, is that of St. Mary of Egypt. It is worth looking

The Fifth Thursday of Great Lent. Resisting an Unbelieving World

04/15/2021

We must resist this world that has collectively slipped into madness By Abbot Tryphon, January 2, 2020 In this secular society there are many Orthodox individuals who’ve found themselves sharing their lives with non-Orthodox friends and family members. Sometimes these people are not even practicing Christians, so the struggle to keep to the traditions and practices of the Orthodox Faith can be difficult. Even the blessing prayers before each meal can be awkward when other

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent: Experiencing Great Lent as a Couple

04/14/2021

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Verdaris Orthodox Christians around the world are embarking upon the spiritual journey of Great and Holy Lent, a time that encourages all people to renew, refresh and rediscover their life in Christ. But as this blessed season begins to unfold in earnest, it is important to correct the misconception of the practice and experience of Lent as a lonely or solitary journey. This important clarification applies especially to those in the community

The Fifth Tuesday of Great Lent: Our Journey to God

04/13/2021

We must be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives By Abbot Tryphon, December 24, 2019 The spiritual struggle that is required of us cannot depend on having a spiritual father. Most Orthodox Christians do not have one, and the average parish priest is not equipped, either with the time, nor the inclination, to take on the role of spiritual father to members of his flock. Just carrying the load as