Daily Meditations Archives - Page 267 of 351

The Fifth Wednesday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! On India and Buddhism—Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Part I)

05/13/2015

Conversations with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew by Olivier Clement Behind the “New Age” movement one can also discern a rediscovery of India, and particularly of Buddhism. Many westerners today report that they find true serenity in Buddhism. They learn that there exists a dharma (to use the Sanskrit word), a path of salvation, a world order; one could even call it Wisdom, almost in the Biblical sense of the word. And this dharma, not unlike the

The Fifth Tuesday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Orthodox Fundamentalism

05/12/2015

By George E. Demacopoulos One of the cornerstones of Orthodox Christianity is its reverence for the great Fathers of the Church who were not only exemplars of holiness but were also the greatest intellectuals of their age. The writings of men like St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Maximos the Confessor have been and will always remain essential guides to Orthodox Christian living and Orthodox Christian faith. Thus it is alarming

The Fifth Monday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Saint Silouan the Athonite and His Relevance Today, Part I

05/11/2015

By Harry Boosalis It is interesting to observe the increasing interest in spiritual life among many people around the world. Many people are seeking a personal experience of God. They desire a tangible and dynamic experience of His presence within their daily lives. Furthermore, many today are trying to satisfy this inner need through a variety of methods and means. The recent growth of the various pseudo-Christian cults and other such religious groups bears witness

The Fifth Friday after Pascha: The Relics of Saints Barbara, Kyrikos & Panteleimon

05/08/2015

The brief biographies, as well as the Apolytikia and Kontakia, of the three saints whose relics will be interred in the cavity of the Altar table of Saint Sophia Cathedral, on Sunday, May 10, 2015. Saint Barbara (December 4) Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian. She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age, she was enlightened in her pure heart

The Fifth Thursday after Pascha: Consecration as Death and New Life

05/07/2015

By Rev. Deacon Drew Maxwell Consecration can be a reminder of our own baptisms and an encouragement to truly live our lives in the light of God’s Kingdom. The fact is, any consecration, whether it is a consecration of our church or the consecration of our persons, is an end and a beginning; a death and a birth. Our baptismal ceremony is a mystical recreation of Christ’s death and resurrection. In the font at baptism,

The Fourth Wednesday of Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! The Feast of Mid-Pentecost, the Pentecostarion and Churches Named after Holy Wisdom, or Hagia Sophia

05/06/2015

The fifty days following Pascha until the Feast of Pentecost are known as the period of the Pentecostarion in the Orthodox Church. At the mid-point between these great feasts of Pascha and Pentecost, on the twenty-fifth day which is always a Wedneday, is one of the most beloved feasts for the most devout Orthodox Christians known quit simply as Mid-Pentecost. Mid-Pentecost is to the Pentecostarion what the Third Sunday of Great Lent which honors the

The Fourth Tuesday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! The Feast Day of Great Martyr Irene of Thessalonica

05/05/2015

The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents named her Penelope. Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. He also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. An old

The Fourth Monday of Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Service of the Consecration of a Church (Part X)

05/04/2015

LIGHTING OF THE VIGIL LIGHT During the service the Bishop invites the faithful to come forward and to offer a few drops of oil in a Vigil Light. This they do as an offering to the Church. The Bishop will later light the Vigil Light and will place it on the Altar Table near the Artoforion. This light will be kept burning at all times and is symbolic of the never failing light of Christ

The Third Friday of Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Service of the Consecration of a Church (Part IX)

05/01/2015

ANOINTING OF THE CHURCH The Bishop then anoints the four walls of the Church and the Holy Icons making the sign of the Cross on them with Holy Chrism. This act symbolizes the sanctification of all creation with the Grace of Christ. THE BISHOP: Glory to the Holy and Almighty and life-giving Trinity, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. CHOIR: Amen. DEACON: Again and again in peace, let us pray to the

The Third Thursday of Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Service of the Consecration of a Church (Part VIII)

04/30/2015

THE VESTING OF THE ALTAR TABLE The Altar Table is now covered with the “Katasarkion”. This white linen cloth represents the Lord’s burial shroud. The Katasarkion is tied with a cord which represents the cord with which our Lord’s hands were tied as He stood before the High Priests. The Katasarkion will never be removed and will remain on the Altar for as long as the Church remains standing. As the Katasarkion is being placed