The Morning Offering
Letter written by the wife of the Newly Martyred Moscow priest
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the wife of the newly martyred priest, gunned down by a Muslim in his own church, in Moscow, Russia. Let us contemplate the great sacrifice made by this priest, for the Christ he so loved, and the Muslim people, he so dearly cared about, and whom he wanted to personally know this very Christ. Holy New Martyr Daniel, pray to…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, November 25 / 12 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 12 / 25. St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. St. Nilus the Faster of Sinai. Prophet Ahijah (Achias) Blessed John the Hairy, fool-for-Christ at Rostov. St. Leon, Patriarch of Constantinople. New-Martyr Sabbas Nigdelinus of Constantinople. New-Martyr Nicholas of Constantinople. St. Nilus the Myrrh-gusher of Mt. Athos.…
Glory to God for All Things
Thanksgiving
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This year I will make the annual pilgrimage back to South Carolina to be with family for the (American) Thanksgiving holiday. Fewer of my children will be there – a mark of the maturing of their own families and the difficulty of travel at this time of year. The year is different as well for it will be the first Thanksgiving holiday without my mother’s presence (may her memory be eternal). With…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, November 24 / 11 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 11 / 24. Martyrs Menas of Egypt, Victor at Damascus, and Vincent of Spain. St. Theodore the confessor, abbot of the Studion. Martyr Stephanida (Stephanis) of Spain. Repose of Blessed Maximus of Moscow. Repose of St. Stephen Dechani of Serbia. St. Martyrius, abbot of Zelensk (Pskov) St.…
Praying in the Rain
Blessed are the Peacemakers
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Please notice that it does not say, “Blessed are the good negotiators.” Peacemaking is not about negotiating resolution between hostile parties. Peacemaking is about being peace. Now, the ability to negotiate the end of a dispute is a great gift and I do not disparage it, but this is not what this beatitude is talking about. One need not be a Christian at all to be a good negotiator, one who can…
Praying in the Rain
Advice on Prayer
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Prayer requires a certain longing of the heart. Certainly discipline is involved; but, and this is merely my opinion, forcing yourself to say prayers may not be the answer either. People seem to make too big a deal about prayer rules. Like the Sabbath keeping that made some of the Jews miss Christ in their midst, so I think prayer rules sometimes keep us from growing in our relationship with Christ. A…
The Morning Offering
Monday, November 23 / 10 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 10 / 23. Apostles Erastus, Olympas, Herodion, Sosipater, Quartus, and Tertius of the Seventy. Martyr Orestes ofCappadocia. St. Theocteristus, abbot of Symbola on Mt. Olympus. Hieromartyr Milos (Miles), Bishop of Persia, and two disciples St. Nonnus, Bishop of Heliopolis. Martyr Constantine, prince of Georgia. (Greek Calendar: Great-Martyr…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, November 22 / 9 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! St. Nectarius Kephalas, Metropolitan of Pentapolis Saints of the Day November 9 / 22. Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus. St. Matrona, abbess of Constantinople. St. Theoctiste of theisle of Lesbos. Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica. Martyr Anthony of Apamea. St. John the Short of Egypt Saints Eustolia and Sosipatra of Constantinople. St.…
Glory to God for All Things
That Our Hearts May Be Healed
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The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too is God, the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasuries of grace—all things are there. (H.43.7) St. Macarius If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, November 21 / 8 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 8 / 21. Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers: the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael Uriel,Salaphiel, Jegudiel, and Barachiel. Righteous Martha, Princess of Pskov. New-Martyr Michael the Blessed of Chernigov (1922) Repose of Metropolitan Philaret of NYC (1985) Photo of the Day Quote of the…
The Morning Offering
Friday, November 20 / 7 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 7 / 20. Holy 33 Martyrs of Melitene: Hieron, Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus,Theogenes, Nicon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius,Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrychius, Anicletus, Theomelius,Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus, and Amonitus. St. Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius near…
Glory to God for All Things
To Believe the Truth
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I have to confess as I begin this post that I find myself reaching for words. I reach for words to say something I know, but which is hard to express. To believe the truth is not the same thing as having a correct opinion – indeed the two have almost nothing to do with one another. And this is a great difficulty – for most of the things that we think…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, November 19 / 6 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 6 / 19. St. Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople St. Barlaam, abbot of Chutin (Novgorod). St. Luke, monk of Sicily. Martyrs Tecusa, Alexandra, Claudia, Matrona, Polactia, Euphrosyne, and Athanasia of Ancyra. St. Luke, steward of the KievCaves. Repose of St. Herman (Germanus), Archbishop of Kazan. St.…
Glory to God for All Things
Florovsky's "Limits of the Church" Added
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I have added Fr. Georges Florovsky’s seminal article, “The Limits of the Church,” to the Pages section of the blog. This article is one of the most thoughtful and oft-discussed treatments of St. Cyprian’s statements on the Church and the limits of grace. Florovsky’s understanding both takes St. Cyprian seriously as well as the canonical practices of the Church through the ages in the matter of the reception of converts. If you…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, November 18 / 5 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 5 / 18. Martyrs Galacteon and his wife Episteme at Emesa. Repose of St. Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod. ApostlesPatrobus, Hermas, Linus, Gaius and Philologus of the Seventy. St. Gregory, Archbishop of Alexandria. Martyrs Domninus,Timothy, Theophilus, Theotimus, Dorotheus, Eupsychius, Carterius, Pamphilius, Agathangelus and Castorus of Palestine Hieromartyr Silvanus,…
Glory to God for All Things
In the Shadow of the Grand Inquisitor
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Perhaps the most famous chapter in all of Dostoevsky’s novels is that of the “Grand Inquisitor” in The Brothers Karamazov. It is a “poem” according to the character Ivan Karamazov, a fanciful tale that embodies all of the cyncism that Ivan can muster. In a previous chapter, “Rebellion,” Ivan had mounted a devastating complaint against God with regard to the problem of evil. Having completed his tales of injustice (mostly involving children…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, November 17 / 4 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 4 / 17. St. Ioannicius the Great. Hieromartyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra, and Hermas,presbyter. Blessed Simon of Yurievits. St. Nicander, abbot of Gorodensk (Novgorod). St. Mercurius, faster of the Kiev Caves. St Paul, Metropolitan of Tobolsk. St. Sylvia, mother of St. Gregory the Dialogist. (Greek Calendar: Martyr…
The Morning Offering
Monday, November 16 / 3 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 3 / 16. Martyrs Acepsimus the bishop, Joseph the presbyter, and Aeithalas the deacon, of Persia Dedication of theChurch of the Great-Martyr George in Lydda. (services combined) Martyrs Atticus, Agapius, Eudoxius, Carterius, Istucarius(Styrax), Pactobius (Tobias) and Nictopolion, at Sebaste. St. Acepsimas, hermit of Cyrrhus in Syria. St.…
Glory to God for All Things
Patriarch Pavle of Serbia falls asleep in the Lord
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This morning (November 15), Patriarch Pavle of Serbia fell asleep in the Lord. May his memory be eternal! Pray for the Church in Serbia as it mourns one of the holiest men to have been a successor to St. Sava. His simplicity and uncompromising commitment to the truth in Christ, resisting every force of politics or worldliness, will always be living examples of what it means to serve the flock of Christ.…
Glory to God for All Things
The Cross and the Church
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This weekend I have been in Memphis, Tennessee, at St. John Orthodox Church leading a retreat for their Church women. The topic of the retreat was “The Emptiness of God.” The following series of articles captures much of the thought that was offered this weekend (and thus a summary of my thoughts as I have made my way back home – it’s about a 400 mile trip each way). For me, these…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, November 15 / 2 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 2 / 15. Martyrs Acindynus, Pegasius, Aphthonius, Elpidephorus and Anempodistus of Persia. St. Marcian of Cyprus. Blessed Cyprian of Storozhev, former outlaw (Olonetsk). New-Martyrs Bishop Victorin and Priest Basil Luzgin (1918). (Greek Calendar: Women-Martyrs Cyriaca, Domnina and Domna. Martyrs of senatorial rank beheaded under Marcus Aurelius.) Photo…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, November 14 / 1 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day November 1 / 14. Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, and their mother St. Theodota. Martyr Hemeningilda the Goth of Spain. Martyrs Cyrenia and Juliana in Cilicia. Martyrs Caesarius,Dacius, Sabbas, Sabinian, Agrippa, Adrian and Thomas at Damascus. Hieromartyrs John the bishop and James the presbyter…
Praying in the Rain
Blessed Are the Pure In Heart
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Although I have with God’s help at times ascended to the high plains of mercy, I cannot say that I have ever walked the plateaus of purity of heart nor the peaks of peacemaking. I have gazed upon them. And in this I derive hope. The promise of the sixth beatitude it nothing less than deification, the beatific vision, to see God. To see God is to become like God, as St.…
The Morning Offering
Friday, November 13 / October 31 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day October31 / November 13. Apostles Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobulus of the Seventy. Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria. Saints Spyridon and Nicodemus the prosphora-bakers of the Kiev Caves. St. Maura of Constantinople St. Anatolius, recluse of the Kiev Caves. New-Martyr Nicholas of Chios. (Greek Calendar Martyrs Stephen,…
Glory to God for All Things
Why We Fast
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This Sunday, November 15, marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast (40 days before Christmas). The following article offers some thoughts on the purpose of fasting. Fasting is not very alive and well in the Christian world. Much of that world has long lost any living connection with the historical memory of Christian fasting. It is as though they were Jews who heard there was such a thing as kosher and decided…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, November 12 / October 30 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day October30 / November 12. Hieromartyr Zenobius and his sister Zenobia of Aegae in Cilicia. Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria. MartyrAnastasia of Thessalonica (same as Anastasia the Roman). Apostles Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas of the Seventy Hieromartyr Marcian, Bishop of Syracuse. Martyrs Alexander, Cronion, Julian, Macarius and 13 companions…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
My Emmaus
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I remarked to my wife the other day that I now really don’t want to live anywhere but in Emmaus (we live in Allentown for the moment but hope that that will change in the next few years). I have started referring to this place occasionally as “my Emmaus.” (The genitive case is, of course, not merely the possessive.) I’ve moved a good many…
