April 22, 2019 Joseph the All-Comely and the Cursed Fig Tree: the Beginning of the Holy Week Holy Week has begun. Shouts of “Hosanna!” – “Save!” have faded away, lying like forgotten palm leaves. The final week… The present day is…
April 22, 2019 Some Practical Advice on Holy Week Let’s take a break from traveling. If I tell you all my stories at once we’ll run out before long, and after all the…
April 21, 2019 Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem in Various Christian Denominations Christians have celebrated the joyful holiday of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem since earliest times with exceptional splendor. There isn’t any Christian nation which…
April 19, 2019 Foreseeing and Other Miraculous Gifts of Orthodox Elders Another phenomenon which many who visit monastics have observed is the gift of far-sight which some of these people have. Often the Elders…
April 19, 2019 Cherubic Hymn and Great Entrance: What (Not) To Do? The Cherubic Hymn is a preliminary or prefatorial chant to the Eucharistic Canon, which culminates in the transmutation (that is, a sacramental transformation) of…
April 17, 2019 Why Is The Curtain of the Royal Door Half-Closed During the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts? The curtain of the Royal Door is half-closed – as opposed to being fully closed during other Liturgies – during the Liturgy of Presanctified…
April 15, 2019 “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”: What Did Christ Mean? We find this statement recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke: “And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first…
April 12, 2019 Saturday of the Akathist: Why so Special? The Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, is one of the most beloved services of devotion that we…
April 10, 2019 Rassophore Monk and Stavrophore Monk: What is the Difference? According to one tradition (e.g., the one observed in Kiev Caves Lavra), there are several degrees of monasticism. First, a novice becomes a Rassophore…
April 10, 2019 What Counts As Blasphemy? Dictionaries define blasphemy as the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God; irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable….
