by Fr. Thomas Hopko –
Thus we come to see that as there is no resurrection without crucifixion, there is also no sanctification without suffering, no glorification without humiliation; no deification without degradation; and no life without death. [Read more…]
Orthodox Church
Nativity of Christ: Sign of God’s Boundless Love and Humility
by Chris Banescu –
The Feast of Christ’s Nativity is not only a cause for celebration that God is with us and true joy has come into the world, but it’s also an eternal reminder of our Lord and Savior’s great humility and boundless love for us. [Read more…]
Man and Woman – An Orthodox Christian Understanding
In Volume I, Doctrine of The Orthodox Faith four book series, Father Thomas Hopko provides a clear and thorough overview of the sources of Christian doctrines and the theology of the Orthodox Church. In the chapter titled “Man” Father Hopko explains how God created man in His “image and likeness” as male and female and gave them dominion over [Read more…]
Living Normal Lives in Troubled Times
by Chris Banescu –
After enduring two years of coronavirus disruptions and madness, we all hoped our lives would return to some semblance of normality. But thanks to Vladimir Putin’s terrible decision to invade Ukraine, the world may be at the brink of World War III. We just reached the end of one global life-changing crisis, only to face an even more ominous, potentially world-destroying, calamity.
How can we live normal lives when insanity spreads all around us? How should we conduct ourselves with potential Armageddon hanging over our heads? How do we preserve our humanity while the world descends into chaos and madness?
Similar questions were asked decades ago, when the arrival of atomic bombs changed the nature of war and forever altered the course of history. [Read more…]
To Become Like God We Must Have Knowledge of Him
by St. Basil the Great –
Those who are idle in the pursuit of righteousness count theological terminology as secondary, together with attempts to search out the hidden meaning in this phrase or that syllable, but those conscious of our calling realize that we are to become like God, so far as this is possible for human nature.
But we cannot become like God unless we have knowledge of Him, and without lessons there will be no knowledge. Instruction begins with the proper use of speech, and syllables and words are the elements of speech. Therefore to scrutinize syllables is not a superfluous task. [Read more…]
Impossible for Holy Communion to Carry Germs or Diseases
by Archbishop Michael Konstantinides –
Consequently, not only is it not, nor could it ever be possible for Holy Communion to be a carrier of germs, but, on the contrary, it is by general rule the carrier of health and life and strength. [Read more…]
The Church Sanctifies the World, She Does Not Espouse Life of the World
“The purpose of the Church is to sanctify the world, to have the world enter the life of the Church, not to have the Church espouse the life of the world.” ~ Elder Athanasios Mitilianos