February 20, 2018 493 0 The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts as One of the Greatest Masterpieces of Orthodox Piety and Liturgical Creativity The joyousness which accompanies the performance of the Divine Liturgies of St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom was regarded by the early…
February 20, 2018 280 1 Practical Tips on the Presanctified Liturgy As this Divine Liturgy (really Vespers with the communing of the faithful) is served only on weekdays during Great Lent, prostrations are done by…
February 12, 2018 115 0 Cheesefare Week: In Great Lent VS Outside of Great Lent Cheesefare week, the last full week before Great Lent begins, is an “in between” week liturgically in the Orthodox Church. Each day is “kind…
February 1, 2018 346 0 What is the Eucharist and why do we partake? One of my greatest stumbling blocks coming into the Orthodox Church was the closed communion table. Growing up Protestant, my experience was that the…
January 30, 2018 276 1 Liturgical Origin of the Words “A Mercy of Peace…” Q: I have heard it argued that the phrase in the Liturgy “A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise” is both nonsensical and…
January 26, 2018 502 1 Why Orthodox Christians Have a Closed Communion Table? One of my biggest struggles on my journey into Orthodoxy was the closed communion table. It seemed quite unfair that someone else could deem…
January 10, 2018 119 0 An Introduction to Matins: Part 2 The Canon The miracle of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ enlightened human nature. In the canon, the portion of the Vigil which follows the…
January 2, 2018 474 1 An Introduction to Matins: Part 1 The Services of Vespers and Matins define the day. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we read: 5And there was evening and…
December 18, 2017 170 0 An Introduction to the Great Vespers In the Bible we read that in the beginning, God created heaven and earth, and that the earth was unstructured (“unsightly” or “unfurnished,” as…
December 11, 2017 990 0 What is the Significance of the Iconostasis and Curtain in the Orthodox Christian Church? In an Orthodox church there is no thing or action which does not carry meaning of spiritual weight. Even the iconostasis and curtain over…