The Morning Offering
Saturday, May 22Â / 9 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 9 / 22. Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari. Prophet Isaiah. Martyr Christopher of Lycia, and with him Martyrs Callinica and Aquilina. Martyr Epimachus the New of Alexandria. Martyr Gordion at Rome. Translation of the Relics of Child-martyr Gabriel of…
Praying in the Rain
So Where’s the Joy?
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I had a funny experience this morning. Feeling overwhelmed with too many things that needed to be done and having no clear idea how to do many of them, I felt like going back to bed and hiding. Maybe no one else ever feels that way. It doesn’t happen to me very often, but every now and then, I feel that way. (That’s not the funny part.) Then I accepted my lost,…
Glory to God for All Things
Babylon and the Trees of Pentecost
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From the Feast of Pentecost The arrogance of building the tower in the days of old led to the confusion of tongues. Now the glory of the knowledge of God brings them wisdom. There God condemned the impious for their transgression. Here Christ has enlightened the fishermen by the Spirit. There disharmony was brought about for punishment.// Now harmony is renewed for the salvation of our souls. +++ The first time I…
Praying in the Rain
...But We'll Have To Kill You First
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“The good news is that we can save you. The bad news is that we’ll have to kill you first.” I recently saw a movie (I think it was Mission Impossible III), in which the “bad guys” would torment those they captured by inserting a mini bomb into their brain. The only way to disarm this mini bomb once it had been activated was to run an electric current through the body…
The Morning Offering
Friday, May 21Â / 8 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 8 / 21. Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. St. Arsenius the Great. (services combined) St. Arsenius of Novgorod, fool-for-Christ. St. Arsenius the Lover of labor, of the Kiev Caves. St. Hierax of Egypt. (Greek Calendar: St. Milles the Melode, monk. Commemoration of the miraculous healing…
Praying in the Rain
Be Angry and Do Not Sin
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Recently I was talking to my Father Confessor about my reluctance to do what I know I should do (or not do what I know I shouldn’t do). He suggested that I have not yet become angry enough to repent. I asked, “Who should I be angry with? Myself?” He smiled, “Who else is there to be angry with?” Like many conversations with my spiritual father, this one ended with no resolution. …
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Internet Discourse and the Fear of Death
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When I was studying Hamlet in college (which I did several times, being something of an addict for that story, despite my claims at The Tempest being my favorite of the Bard’s plays; I once took a class in which we spent three weeks on “Who’s there?”), if there is one thing I learned that the poor Dane learned too late, it was this:…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, May 20Â / 7 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 7 / 20. Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross over Jerusalem in 351 A.D. Martyr Acacius the centurion at Byzantium. Repose of of St. Nilus, abbot of Sora. St. John of Zaden in Georgia, and 12 disciples Saints Shio, David, Anthony, Thaddeus,…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, May 19Â / 6 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 6 / 19. Righteous Job the Long-suffering. St. Job, abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev. Martyrs Barbaruldier, Bacchus, Callimachus, an Dionysius, in Morea. Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly. Translation of the Relics of St. Pachomius of Nerekhta. (Greek Calendar Saints Mamas, Pachomius and Hilarion, monks. Martyrs Demetrius, Danax, Mesiurs,…
Glory to God for All Things
The Struggle for True Communion
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For many Protestants (and some others) whose Church experience has largely been shaped in the past few decades, one of the most disconcerting aspects of a first visit to an Orthodox Church is the fact that not everybody, not all Baptized Christians, are permitted to receive communion. Indeed, communion is restricted to Orthodox Christians who have made preparation to receive (that’s another topic). For some, this is a surprise, for others, not,…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, May 18Â / 5 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 5 / 18. Great-Martyr Irene of Thessalonica. Martyrs Neophytus, Gaius and Caianus. St. Micah, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Adrian, abbot of Monza Monastery. Opening of the Relics of St. James, abbot of Zheleznoborov. (Greek Calendar: St. Euthymius, Bishop of Maditos in Thrace, the wonderworker.)…
Glory to God for All Things
Do We Live In Between?
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The time between the Ascension of Christ and the Day of Pentecost marked something of an “in-between” period for Christ’s disciples. They had been instructed at the time of the Ascension to remain in Jerusalem and wait “for the promise.” Ten days later the promise was fulfilled and the Holy Spirit filled the fledgling Church with the Holy Spirit. It has been a fairly common treatment by preachers of the gospel to…
The Morning Offering
Monday, May 17Â / 4 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 4 / 17. Virgin Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus in Asia Minor. Hieromartyr Silvanus, Bishop of Gaza. Hieromartyr Albian (Olbian), Bishop of Anea in Asia Minor. Hieromartyr Erasmus, Bishop of Formia in Campania. Translation of the Relics of Righteous Lazarus and St. Mary Magdalen, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Martyrs Aphrodisius, Leontius,…
Praying in the Rain
Dying with Christ
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St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ,” thus identifying himself with the two thieves who were crucified with Christ. Two were crucified with Christ, yet only one was raised to paradise. Both thieves, at the beginning, railed against Jesus, mocking Him, and saying with the crowd of onlookers, “if you are really the Christ, come down from the cross and save yourself and us too.” But one thief had a…
Glory to God for All Things
Heavenly Minded
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Years ago, I recall hearing someone complain about zealous Christians, “They are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” The truth of the statement depends entirely on the understanding of heaven and earth. It is possible to pursue a version of “heaven” such that the spiritual life is undermined. It is also possible to pursue heaven in such a way that the world around us is transformed. It is…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, May 16Â / 3 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council Saints of the Day May 3 / 16. Martyrs Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura of Antinoe in Egypt. St. Theodosius, abbot of the Kiev Caves Monastery and founder of coenobitic monasticism in Russia. St. Peter the Wonderworker, Bishop of Argolis. (Greek Calendar: St. Ecumenius…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, May 15Â / 2 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 2 / 15. St. Athanasius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria. St. Athanasius of Lubensk, Patriarch of Constantinople. Martyrs Hesperus, Zoe, and their sons Cyriacus and Theodulus, at Attalia. Translation of the Relics of the Holy Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb (in holy baptism, Romanus and David). St. Boris-Michael,…
Praying in the Rain
Blessed Isidore the Fool for Christ
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I was thinking about the life of Blessed Isidore the Fool for Christ. He was a convert to Orthodoxy who became a Fool for Christ. His “foolishness” was that he lived in rags and had no home except a hut made from branches. He spent his nights in prayer and his days teaching and preaching. What I find interesting is that he was considered insane and thus a Fool for Christ because…
Glory to God for All Things
Within a Mandorla
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There is a small class of events within the gospels that are treated in a special manner by iconographers. This special treatment reflects the language of Scripture as well. In the icons of the Transfiguration, Pascha and the Ascension, there is a particular artistic device used called a Mandorla. Sometimes circular, sometimes almost star-shaped, it serves as something of a “parenthesis” within an icon. What is being set in the parenthesis is…
The Morning Offering
Friday, May 14Â / 1 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day May 1 / 14. Prophet Jeremiah. St. Paphnutius, abbot of Borovsk. Martyr Batas of Nisibis. Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev. New-Martyrs Euthymius, Ignatius and Acacius of Mt. Athos. St. Gerasimus, abbot of Boldinsk. St. Tamara the Queen of Georgia. (Greek Calendar: St. Isidora. St. Panaretus of Cyprus, Archbishop…
Praying in the Rain
Reading the Parable of the Good Samaritan
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Almost every contemporary biblical commentary interprets the parable of the Good Samaritan as moral exhortation. But this is not the primary way this parable is understood in the hymns of the Orthodox Church. Most commentaries (and most sermons) read this parable as though the audience is called to identify with the Good Samaritan (who helped the wounded man), not the priest or levite (who passed by “on the other side”). Jesus’…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, May 13Â / April 30 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! The Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ Saints of the Day: April 30 / May 13. Holy Apostle James, the brother of St. John the Theologian. St. Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus. Martyr Maximus of Ephesus. Opening of the Relics of St. Nicetas, Bishop of Novgorod. Translation of…
Praying in the Rain
Praying for Joey
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A friend of mine, Don Hill, has a son, Joey, who has DMD (I don’t even know what that stands for, but it is a degenerative desease of some sort) and is now in ICU. Here is an excerpt from Don’s e-mail to me. Please pray for the Hill family. …. I am not a medical professional so don’t bother yourself with correcting my attempt to describe Joey’s medical condition. I am…
Glory to God for All Things
God Has Gone Up with a Shout
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There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he led a host…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, May 12Â / April 29 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Apodosis of Pascha Saints of the Day: April 29 / May 12. Nine Martyrs at Cyzicus: Theognes, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichus, Artemas, Magnus, Theodotus, Thaumasius, and Philemon. St. Memnon the Wonderworker. Martyrs Diodorus and Rhodopianus, deacon, at Aphrodisia in Anatolia. St. Basil, Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro. New-Martyr Nectarius of Optina (1928). Photo…
Praying in the Rain
Confidence (continued)
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Anonymous wrote: What is the difference between spiritual confidence and other kinds of confidence? Is there any kind of confidence that is healthy other than confidence in knowing we are loved by God? Is it normal to feel less and less confidence generally the longer you are orthodox? Dear Anonymous: This is a matter of discernment, for a lot depends on what is masquerading under the guise of confidence. A tradesman, for…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, May 11Â / April 28 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 28 / May 11. Apostles Jason and Sosipater of the Seventy, and their companions: Martyrs Saturninus, Jakischolus (Inischolus), Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius, Mammius, the Virgin Cercyra, and Christodulus the Ethiopian, at Corfu. Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian at Dorostolum. Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis who were…
