The Morning Offering
Tuesday, July 27 / 14
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 14 / 27. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, and St. Priscilla. St. Ellius (Hellius) of Egypt. St. Onesimus, monk of Magnesia. St. Stephen, abbot of Makhrishche (Vologda).. Martyr Justus at Rome. St. Nicodemus of Mt. Athos (spiritual writer). (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Aquila, Hilary, Peter the New, and Heraclius.) Service to Saints Cyricus and…
Praying in the Rain
With The Fear of God
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With the fear of God, with faith and love, draw near! The fear of God is not just awe. The fear of God is a kind of fear. It is the knowledge that God is not to be trifled with, that God’s love is such that He will not shrink from extreme consequences to cure us of our sinful habits. It seems as though we can get away with our secret…
Glory to God for All Things
The Truth as it is in Christ
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In the Gospel record of Christ’s trial before Pontius Pilate, we are told that Christ said He had come to bear witness to the Truth. Pilate, in what he must have thought was a clever response, says, “And what is Truth?” We know from elsewhere in the Gospel that Christ explained, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” It is a statement that is easily tossed about – to settle…
The Morning Offering
Monday, July 26 / 13
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(Church Calendar) Synaxis of Archangel Gabriel Saints of the Day July 13 / 26. Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel. St. Stephen of St. Sabbas Monastery. Martyr Serapion. Martyr Marcian of Iconium. St. Julian, Bishop of Cenomanis (LeMans) in Gaul. Virgin Abbess Sarah of Scete in Libya. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Axion Estin (It is Truly Meet). Photo…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, July 25 / 12 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 12 / 25. Martyrs Proclus and Hilary of Ancyra. St. Michael, monk of Maleinus. Martyr Golindukha, in holy baptism Mary, of Persia. Martyrs Theodore and his son John of Kiev. St. Veronica, the woman with the issue of blood who was healed by the Savior. Blessed Serapion,…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, July 24 / 11 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 11 / 24. Great-Martyr Euphemia the All-praised Blessed Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, princess of Russia, in holy baptism called Helen. (services combined) Hieromartyr Cindeus of Pamphylia. St. Nicodemus of Vatopedi (Mt. Athos). New-Martyr Nicodemus of Mt. Athos. New-Martyr Nectarius of St. Annes Skete (Mt. Athos). (Greek Calendar: St. Leo,…
Praying in the Rain
The Universal Application of Words
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[At Pittsburg Airport] When we speak of spiritual matters, we like to quote the fathers who have been helpful to us. We like these fathers because the way they talk about their inner life helps us identify what seems to be going on in our own inner life. For most of us, these fathers are not men whom we know personally; that is they are not spiritual fathers or confessors to whom…
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
Friday, July 23 / 10 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 10 / 23. Holy 45 Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, including Leontius, Maurice, Daniel, Anthony, Alexander, Anicetus, Sisinius, Meneus, and Belarad (Verelad). The Placing of the Precious Robe of the Lord at Moscow. St. Anthony of the Kiev Caves, founder of monasticism in Russia. Martyrs Bianor and…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, July 22 / 9 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 9 / 22. Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily. Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna in Crete. St. Theodore, Bishop of Edessa. Martyrs Patermuthius, Coprius, and Alexander the soldier, in Egypt. Saints Patermuthius and Coprius, ascetics of Egypt. St. Euthymius of Karelia. Blessed Peter, Hieromartyr of Cherevkov…
Praying in the Rain
Boring Icons
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[From the Antiochian Village in Pensylvania after a glorious game of soccer that was worth the pain] All that the Church does is iconic. In fact, all of creation is iconic, and the Church functions as our teacher helping us learn how to read with the inner eye the Word of God that surrounds us. This reading with the inner eye is commonly called contemplation. The Fathers of the Church teach us…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, July 21 / 8 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 8 / 21. Great-Martyr Procopius of Caesarea in Palestine. St. Procopius, fool-for-Christ, Wonderworker of Ustiug (Vologda). St. Theophilus the Myrrh-gusher of Pantocrator Monastery on Mt. Athos. New-Martyr Anastasius at Constantinople. Righteous Procopius of Usya (Vologda), fool-for-Christ. (Greek Calendar: Martyr Theodosia, mother of Great-Martyr Procopius.) Appearance of the…
Praying in the Rain
It's Just Not Fair
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[From Pennsylvania] Last night at dinner, one of the priests around the table had written an essay, originally for publication in a U.S. journal, in which he suggested the following: Since it is claimed that the Angel Gabriel is the one who appeared and spoke to Mohammed telling him that God had no son, and since the Gospels asserts that it was the Angel Gabriel who appeared to the Virgin Mary telling…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, July 20 / 7 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 7 / 20. St. Thomas of Mt. Maleon. St. Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in The Ladder. Martyrs Epictetus, presbyter, and Astion in Scythia. Martyr Cyriaca of Nicomedia.Martyrs Peregrinus, Lucian, Pompeius, Hesychius, Pappias, Saturninus, and Germanus, of Dyrrachium in Macedonia. Martyr Evangelus, Bishop of Tomi (Constanta)…
Glory to God for All Things
You Are Not a TV Show
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The modern world, with the advent of technologies such as the internet and other instantaneous forms of digital creation, has created what is easily described as a virtual world. In digital comprehension, a virtual world is not a real world, but increasingly feels like one and, to some extent, can be experienced like one. Doubtless, human experience has known a variety of experiential worlds, but this latest, the virtual world, stands perhaps…
The Morning Offering
Monday, July 19 / 6 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 6 / 19. St. Sisoes the Great. Virgin Martyr Lucy, and Rixius, and those with them at Rome: Martyrs Anthony, Lucian, Isidore, Dion, Diodorus, Cutonius, Arnosus, Capicus, Satyrus, and others. Martyr Cointus (Quintus) of Phrygia. Martyrs Marinus and Martha, and their children Audifax and Abbacum (Habbakuk) and…
Praying in the Rain
The Loving Act of Saying No
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Love has boundaries. Sometimes we have to say no to those we love because to say yes would create a condition in which we are no longer ourselves and no longer able to love. Most of us have experienced the pain of having to say no to someone we love. As young adults, many people who love and respect their parents beyond words have to suffer through the anxiety and sometimes misunderstanding…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, July 18 / 5 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 5 / 18. St. Athanasius of Mt. Athos and his six disciples Uncovering of the Relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh St. Lampadus, monk of Hirenopolis. Martyr Anna at Rome. Martyr Cyrilla of Cyrene in Libya, widow. Saints Athanasius and Theodosius of Cherepovetsk, disciples of St. Sergius…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, July 17 / 4 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! The Royal Martyrs of Russia Saints of the Day July 4 / 17. St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete. St. Martha, mother of St. Symeon Stylites the Younger. Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia Tsar Nicholas II, Tsaritsa Alexandra, Crown Prince Alexis, and Grand-duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, and those martyred with them…
Praying in the Rain
Two Women Who Made A Difference
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There are two more people I remember from my days as a “disturbed” child, both women. The first woman is Mrs. Srpage (one of the very few names I remember). She was the morning staff person responsible for getting the boys in my wing of the dorm up and dressed and out to breakfast most mornings. She was also responsible for washing our clothes. Washing and cleaning was a gift of love…
The Morning Offering
Friday, July 16 / 3 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 3 / 16. Martyr Hyacinth of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Translation of the Relics of Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow. Martyrs Mocius (Mucian) and Mark. Martyrs Diomedes, Eulampius, Asclepiodotus and Golinduch, who suffered with Hyacinth. St. Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople. St. Alexander, founder of the Unsleeping Ones. Holy…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, July 15 / 2 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 2 / 15. The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. St. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem. St. Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev. St. Juvenal, Proto-martyr of America and Alaska. St. Monegunda of Chartres (Gaul). Akhtyrka Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Repose of…
Praying in the Rain
Counsellors And A "Disturbed" Boy
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Thinking about my past has opened a floodgate. I hope you don’t mind. It feels good for me to write these things down. Perhaps it will help someone. In the institution for “disturbed” children there were, as far as I could make out, two kinds of staff: counsellors and high-level counsellors. I say “high level” because these were the ones you very seldom saw except by appointment (these were probably the staff…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Behind the Barricades
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A somewhat bizarre and truly sad story has unfolded here in Emmaus. It seems that the president of the Emmaus Historical Society recently became embroiled in controversy within the society, and finally stepped down as president yesterday, just before the election for the presidency scheduled for this evening, leaving his opponent in the election uncontested. Today, the former president barricaded himself into a barn…
Glory to God for All Things
The Mystery of Goodness
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Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God (3John 1:11). One of the most common affirmations in Orthodox services is the goodness of God. Many services conclude with the blessing: “For He is a good God and loves mankind.” The goodness of God is utterly foundational to our faith – and yet…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, July 14 / 1 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day July 1 / 14. Holy and wonderworking unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs at Rome. Martyr Potitus at Naples. St. Peter, monk of Constantinople. St. Angelina of Serbia. Translation of the Relics of St. John of Rila from Tirnovo to Rila. St. Gallus, Bishop of Clermont (Gaul). (Greek Calendar:…
Praying in the Rain
Me and God and the Bible
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“Trust not in princes or the sons of men….The Lord makes wise the blind…. He will adopt for himself the orphan and widow….” In my last blog, I revealed a little about my childhood and my rough start in life. I’ve often wondered not just why God saved me from a life of drugs, crime and institutionalization–a trajectory that I avoided by a mere hair’s breadth on a couple of occasions–but I…
