Glory to God for All Things
St. Nikolai Velimirovich
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The Morning Offering
Wednesday, April 21 / 8 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! 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 of the Kiev Caves. New-Martyr John Naukliros (the Skipper)…
Glory to God for All Things
The Truth of an Icon
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Icons are lovely objects – directing our hearts towards God – sometimes miraculous and truly “windows to heaven.” But I want to be somewhat theological today and write about the “truth” of an icon. Icons are peculiar, when painted according to the most traditional patterns. They are not just “ahistorical” they are positively non-historical. We can look at an icon and see any number of events depicted that do not belong to the same…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, April 20 / 7 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! 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. St. Leucius, abbot of Volokolamsk. Opening of the Relics…
Glory to God for All Things
To Live in Wonder
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Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything – St. Gregory of Nyssa St. Gregory’s marvelous dictum is among a handful of things that describe what is required for the Christian life. So much of Christian history has been marked with a bifurcation – a split between those who study the faith and those who live it. It is not a necessary split – only a common one. Of course there is the larger…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Churching the Nation: Sharing the Orthodox Christian Faith in America
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The Morning Offering
Monday, April 19 / 6 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 6 / 19. St. Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople. St. Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Enlightener of the Slavs. 120 Martyrs of Persia. St. Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis. Martyrs Jeremiah and Archilias the presbyter. St. Gregory of St. Athanasius’ Monastery on Mt. Athos, instructor of St. Gregory Palamas. St. Gregory the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Cultural Recusancy in Quotations from Men Whose Names Start with Initials
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…the spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and many-headed in its incarnations that there seems nothing more to do than personally to refuse to worship any of the hydras’ heads. – J. R. R. Tolkien, from a 1969 letter to Amy Ronald The world is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, April 18 / 5 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Holy Myrrhbearers 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…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Theological Significance of Political Liberty
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While attending this conference this weekend, I happened in some of my offhand remarks during one of the discussion sessions to tip my political hand as “localist / libertarian-leaning.” Of course, questions of ecology and how to work with God’s creation eventually do lead to economic and political issues, though I felt the conference successfully mostly steered clear of such things. (My impression of…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, April 17 / 4 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 4 / 17. St. Joseph the Hymnographer. St. George, monk of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus. St. Zosimas, monk of Palestine. Virgin Martyr Pherbutha of Persia, her sister and servants. St. Theonas, Metropolitan of Thessalonica. St. Zosimas, abbot of Vorbozamsk. New Hieromartyr Nicetas the Albanian, of Mt.…
The Morning Offering
Friday, April 16 / 3 (Church Calendar)
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Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 3 / 16. St. Nicetas the Confessor, abbot of Medikion. St. Illyricus of Mt. Myrsinon in the Peloponnesus. Martyrs Elpidephorus, Dius, Bithonius, and Calycus. Virgin Martyr Theodosia of Tyre, and Martyr Irene. St. Nectarius, abbot of Bezhetsk. New-Martyr Paul the Russian at Constantinople. Icon of the Most…
Glory to God for All Things
Metaphors of the Atonement
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Metaphors are very important when thinking about any aspect of our salvation. People can sometimes state what they believe as doctrine very precisely without thinking about what their beliefs imply about God, the world, or themselves. Metaphors can work in a very hidden way – particularly those that are referred to as “root metaphors.” A root metaphor is the over-arching imagery that generally governs how a train of thought goes. It provides…
Praying in the Rain
Springtime
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“Let there be banished hence dejection born of passions, and thoughts that rise like tempests. In this wise shall the springtime of faith sprout up and blossom forth.” (Matins Aposticha, Thursday of Thomas week) Here we are in the springtime. Everything is blooming–the time of budding has already past. And yet we can miss it: not merely the season of the year, but the season of the Church. Thoughts besiege us. Dejection…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Reason and Conversion to Christ
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A longtime friend of mine (and former co-worker from my stagehand days) has apparently listened to the Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy podcast a lot more times than I have (he claims seven times, poor fellow). He recently sent me a note entitled “The subjugation of reason” and gave me permission to publish an excerpt here, along with my response: At your leisure, I would request…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, April 15 / 2 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 2 / 15. St. Titus the wonderworker. Martyrs Amphianus (Apphianus) and Edesiua (Aedesius) of Lycia. Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria. St. Gregory, ascetic of…
Glory to God for All Things
The Change of the Most High
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As we celebrate Christ’s Paschal victory – these thoughts are offered on the nature of our deliverance. One of the Psalms appointed for use in this season declares: “Now is the change of the Most High.” Pascha is indeed God’s change – which is why we ourselves are not the “agents of change.” As inhabitants of our modern culture, we find ourselves trapped in a world of “cause and effect.” It is…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, April 14 / 1 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day April 1 / 14. St. Mary the Egyptian. St. Euthymius, monk of Suzdal. St. Macarius, abbot of Pelecete. Martyrs Gerontius and Basilides. Martyr Abraham…
Glory to God for All Things
Behind Closed Doors
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The phrase, “behind closed doors,” has become synonymous in English with things being done in secret – generally of an unsavory or nefarious sort. Institutions speak of an “open door policy,” and promise “transparency” to those from the outside. Closed doors have always had a sense of secrecy about them. Sometimes the secrecy hides the darkness of evil, other times it protects us from the wonder of the holy. The stories of…
Glory to God for All Things
A Favor Is Asked
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Dear Friends, Donna Mazziotti, a librarian at The University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is conducting a study about theology and technology. She would love to hear from Glory to God for All Things readers about how they access the content and use the information contained on Glory to God for All Things. As a user of this site and its content, please take a brief moment to take this anonymous user survey,…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, April 13 / March 31 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day March 31 / April 13. St Hypatius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Gangra. St. Hypatius, abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon. St. Apollonius, ascetic of the…
The Morning Offering
Friday, April 12 / March 30 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day March 30 / April 12. St. John (Climacus) of Sinai, author of The Ladder. St. John the Silent of St. Sabbas’ Monastery. St. Zosimas,…
Glory to God for All Things
In a Single Moment - Paradise
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Pascha and Bright Week always remind me of the joy of paradise. The doors of the altar stand open for all of Bright Week, reminding the people of God that Christ has opened paradise to us all. These are some thoughts on the suddenness and nearness of paradise. As the Elder Cleopas used to say, “May Paradise consume you!” The Exapostelarian for the Matins of Good Friday is the hymn, “The Wise…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, April 11 / March 29 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Thomas Sunday Saints of the Day March 29 / April 11. Martyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa. Martyr Cyril the deacon of Heliopolis, and others who suffered under Julian…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, April 10 / March 28 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Bright Week Saints of the Day March 28 / April 10. St. Hilarion the New, abbot of Pelecete. St. Stephen the Wonderworker, abbot of Tryglia. Martyrs Jonah and…
Glory to God for All Things
The Mystery of Pascha - Expanded
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I have, on occasion, edited and reissued a post – though not as quickly as this one. My post from earlier this week seemed to want a few more words – something to draw the reader closer to the mystery itself. I offer this small addition and pray it is of some use. In his Revelation, St. John describes Christ as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (13:8). It…
The Morning Offering
Friday, April 9 / March 27 (Church Calendar)
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Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Bright Week Commemoration of the Life Giving Spring Saints of the Day: March 27 / April 9. St. Matrona of Thessalonica. Martyrs Manuel and Theodosius. St. John the…
