Glory to God for All Things
A Pascha of Incorruption
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I urge readers to follow the link to the website Ora et Labora and read the newly translated article: A Pascha of Incorruption, written by the New Hieromartyr Hilarion (+1929). It is an exquisite commentary on the Orthodox teaching of Pascha, but also demonstrates how the theology of the Church survived and prevailed through its liturgical life and prayers, despite official efforts (in Russia in the 19th century in this case) to…
The Morning Offering
Little Oliver
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Thursday, April 30 / April 17 (Church Calendar) Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Saints of the Day April 17 / 30. G Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop in Persia, and those with him: Martyrs Abdechalas and Ananias, presbyters, Usthazanes, Fusicus (Pusicius), Ascitrea, and Azat the eunuch. Martyr Adrian of Corinth. St. Acacius, Bishop of Melitene. St. Zosimas, abbot of Solovki.…
Glory to God for All Things
Unbelief and the Two-Storey Universe
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I have written extensively about what I have described as a “two-storey universe.” In short, this is a description of how many modern Christians see the world. There is the first floor – the natural world which operates according to naturalist, “secular” rules, and the second floor – the world of God, heaven, hell, angels, etc. The spiritual crisis of much of modern man is the inherent disconnect in these two worlds. It…
The Morning Offering
The Monastery's Kitchen
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Wednesday, April 29 / April 16 (Church Calendar) Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Saints of the Day April 16 / April 29 Virgin Martyrs Agape, Irene and Chionia in Illyria. Martyrs Leonidas, Chariessa, Nice, Galina, Callista (Calisa), Nunechia, Basilissa, Theodora and Irene of Corinth. St. Theodore-Bassa, princess of Novgorod. New-Martyr Michael of Smyrna. The Weeping Icon of the…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Tuesday, April 28 / April 15 (Church Calendar) Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: Taken during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Saints of the Day April 15 / 28. Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens and Trophimus of the Seventy. Martyr Sabbas the Goth of Walachia. Martyrs Basilissa and Anastasia of Rome, disciples of Apostles Peter and…
Glory to God for All Things
The Unplanned Life
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The following article was first written and posted in March of 2007. I have added a few additional thoughts to the end. One of the geniuses of modern life is the plan. It is certainly the case that if you have a company and a product, or whatever passes for those in these days, there is probably a plan to go with them. Occasionally you hear from Christians, “God has a plan for…
The Morning Offering
Annual Pilgrimage
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ll-Merciful Saviour Monastery’s 23rd Annual Monastery Pilgrimage Vashon Island, Washington Beginning with the Feast of Saint Olav of Norway, Tuesday, August 11th, and Concluding with the Patronal Feast of the Monastery, The Feast of the All-Merciful Saviour Friday, August 14th (August 1st, Old Style). Clergy: Bring your red vestments. Camping space is available in the Monastery’s Saint Seraphim’s Wood, and…
The Morning Offering
Our Newborn Goat
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Monday, April 27 / April 14 (Church Calendar) Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: The newest member of our community. Any ideas for a name for this newborn miniature goat, would be most welcomed. His mother, Olivia, is very proud, as she should be! Saints of the Day April 14 / 27. St. Martin the…
Glory to God for All Things
Everywhere Present
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Everything you do, all your work, can contribute towards your salvation. It depends on you, on the way you do it. History is replete with monks who became great saints while working in the kitchen or washing sheets. The way of salvation consists in working without passion, in prayer…. May God give you the strength to keep your spirit, your mind, and your heart in the spirit of Christ. Then everything that…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Sunday, April 26 / April 13 (Church Calendar) Thomas Sunday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: Interior view of Holy Protection Monastery Church. Saints of the Day April 13 / 26. Hieromartyr Artemon, prebyter of Laodicea in Syria. Martyr Crescens of Myra in Lycia. Woman Martyr Thomais of Alexandria. Martyr Eleutherius of Persia. Martyr Zoilus…
Glory to God for All Things
On Behalf of All and For All
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There is a great mystery in the life of the Christian faith. An example can be found in words of St. Nikolai of Zicha (Prayers of the Lake XXIX). It is this mystery of communion that is so easily missed by those who dismiss Orthodox Christianity, or reduce Christianity to an argument about miracles. The Orthodox faith teaches us the truth about what it means to exist as a human being. We…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Saturday, April 25 / April 12 (Church Calendar) Bright Saturday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: The Holy Table, with the Holy Shroud in place. Saints of the Day April 12 / 25. St. Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium. Virgin Anthusa of Constantinople. St. Athanasia, abbess of Aegina. Martyrs Menas, David, and John of…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Friday, April 24 / April 11 (Church Calendar) Commemoration of the Life-giving Spring Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: Our monastery’s icon of the Holy Resurrection, painted by a nun in Bulgaria. Saints of the Day April 11 / 24. Hieromartyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamus, disciple of St. John the Theologian. St. Pharmuthius, anchorite of…
Praying in the Rain
Focus North America Ministries
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Glory to God for All Things
A Faith That Cannot Be Defended
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There is such a thing as a Christian faith worth defending (in some sense). However, it seems like those who enjoy attacking the Christian faith find its least worthy representatives for the marshalling of their meager intellectual forces. This often means that atheists attack a faith nobody (virtually) believes, and that defenders sometimes defend something less than Christianity. I have seen several recent articles (most notably in the New Statesman) that have…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Thursday, April 23 / April 10 (Church Calendar) Bright Thursday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: The Holy Table of the monastery, adorned for Pascha. Saints of the Day April 10 / 23. Martyrs Terence, Pompeius, Africanus, Maximus, Zeno, Alexander, Theodore, Macarius, and 33 others beheaded at Carthage. Martyrs James presbyter, and Azadanes and Abdicius…
Glory to God for All Things
Singleness of Heart
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Perhaps the most scathing reading during Holy Week occurs in the Bridegroom Matins of Great and Holy Tuesday of when we hear Chapter 23 of Matthew’s gospel. There is a refrain which marks many of the verses: “Woe to you scribes and pharisees, you hypocrites!” A single such sentence would carry a punch, but in this particular chapter of Matthew, Jesus says this 8 times (with many other such invectives added in).…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Wednesday, April 22 / April 9 (Church Calendar) Bright Wednesday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Photo of the Day: Interior of our monastery’s temple, decorated for Pascha. Saints of the Day April 9 / 22. Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Martyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia. Martyrs Desan bishop, Mariabus presbyter, Abdiesus, and 270 other Martyrs in Persia.…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Tuesday, April 21 / April 8 (Church Calendar) Bright Tuesday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Saints of the Day: April 8 / 21. Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Herodion, Agabus, Asyncritus, Rufus, Phlegon, Hermes, and those with them. St. Celestine, pope of Rome. Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace. St. Niphont, Bishop of Novgorod. St. Rufus the Obedient…
The Morning Offering
Christ is Risen!
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Monday, April 20 / April 7 (Church Calendar) Bright Monday Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Saints of the Day: April 7 / 20. St. George, Bishop of Mitylene. Martyr Calliopus at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia. Martyrs Rufinus deacon, Aquilina, and 200 soldiers at Sinope. St. Serapion of Egypt, monk. St. Daniel, abbot of Peryaslavl-Zalesski. St. Nilus, abbot of Sora.…
Glory to God for All Things
Relative to Pascha
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If you have attended Pascha services, or served them, it is quite possible to suffer some of the “natural consequences,” which for me means that after a somewhat disordered sleep I am sitting, having coffee and writing at 3:30 in the morning, wide-awake. I have no complaints. I generally like to be up by around 5 or so, so I am only off by a couple of hours…. There is also the…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, April 19 / April 6 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Christ is Risen ! Greetings on the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Article of the Day: The Miracle of the Holy Fire, has taken place every Pascha, since at least the 12th century, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It only takes place…
Praying in the Rain
George Eliot
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Kh. Krista West, in her podcast, The Opinionated Tailor, mentioned once her love for the novels by George Eliot, particularly Adam Bede. Since Bonnie and I are rather addicted to 19th century novels, we are always looking for recommendations. We went out and bought most of her novels (btw, “George Eliot” is the pen name for Mary Ann Evans Cross). I started with Middlemarch and was mesmerized. Bonnie tried to begin with…
Glory to God for All Things
Christos Voskrese
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This delightful youtube video was posted a year ago. One of our readers and occasional commenter, Dejan, (without a doubt my favorite Serb) provided the English translation. The words are from a poem by St. Nikolai Velimirovich who served for a time as the Rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary – truly one of the great Serbian saints of the modern era. Translation: People rejoice, nations hear: Christ is risen, and brings the…
Glory to God for All Things
Letter from Butyrskaya Prison - Pascha 1928
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Serge Schmemann, son of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in his wonderful little book, Echoes of a Native Land, records a letter written from one of his family members of an earlier generation, who spent several years in the prisons of the Soviets and died there. The letter, written on the night of Pascha in 1928 is to a family member, “Uncle Grishanchik” (This was Grigory Trubetskoi who had managed to emigrate to Paris). This…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, April 18 / April 5 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Great and Holy Saturday Saints of the Day April 5 / 18. Martyrs Theodulus, reader, and Agathapodes, deacon, and those with them at Thessalonica. St. Publius of Egypt, monk. Saints Theonas, Symeon, and Phorbinus, of Egypt. St. Theodora, nun of Thessalonica. St. Mark the Anchorite of Athens. St. Plato, abbot of the…
Glory to God for All Things
Paradise in a Single Moment
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The Exapostelarian for the Matins of Good Friday is the hymn, “The Wise Thief.” It draws our attention to the mercy of God – who promised paradise to the wise thief, “This day.” Thoughts on the nearness of paradise are also a theme in the writings of Dostoevsky. If paradise is so near – why do we settle for less? During Holy Week, one of my favorite hymns in the Church is…
