Author: Nicole M. Roccas

In Anger We Trust? Repentance in the Age of Rage

· Nicole M. Roccas 6 Leave a Comment on %s
It’s been over a month, and I’m still reeling from a comment I read on social media in January. Since yesterday was Forgiveness Sunday, signaling that we have now entered into Lent proper, I’m reflecting on how that single comment has shaped my attitude toward anger and reconciliation. It all started with a meme. What the meme actually…

What Should I Read Next? 3 Books to Read if You Liked Time and Despondency

· Nicole M. Roccas
(Note: Some links below may be affiliate links. More info here.)  Not infrequently, Time and Despondency  readers inquire what I recommend they read next. It’s a question I receive more often the closer Great Lent gets and folks start scoping out reading material to complement the themes of the Fast. With that in mind, I’m posting three books that…

The “End” of Christmas: What St. Gregory Wanted for Christmas in AD 380

· Nicole M. Roccas
Back in November, I read a wonderful homily by St. Gregory the Theologian that I have returned to often throughout Nativity this year. Oration 38 (read the full text here) was written in 380-81 and is often subtitled “On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ,” leaving Orthodox Christians everywhere to wonder: which is it, St. Gregory? Christmas or…

5 Ways to Redeem the Time during the Nativity Fast

· Nicole M. Roccas 2 Leave a Comment on %s
The Nativity Fast starts tomorrow (New Calendar)! I can almost smell the pine trees… and lentils. Speaking of beans, in our tradition, we are given a multitude of time-honored practices that invite us into the liturgical and sacramental significance of Christ’s entrance into this world–fasting rubrics, for example, or added emphasis on repentance, prayer, and almsgiving.  It’s tempting…