Tag: Advent

“Or rather…”: Reframing Our Suffering Through the Language of Liturgy

· Nicole M. Roccas 6 Leave a Comment on %s
Yesterday morning, the third Sunday before the Feast of the Nativity, a phrase I’ve heard on countless occasions rang in my ears as though for the first time: “… or rather…” It’s a tiny but profound phrase that occurs in a sentence sandwiched in the middle of the Eucharistic canon: In the night in which [Christ] was given…

The Fruit of Waiting: Advent Through a Doula’s Eyes (Guest Post)

· Nicole M. Roccas 1 Leave a Comment on %s
In this unique guest post, doula Laura Jansson reflects on the connections between Advent and the kind of waiting and her work helping mothers birth their infants into the world. What a timely perspective! ~*~ Advent – a time of waiting. But if we’re honest, what are we waiting for? What are you most looking forward to about…

Finding Meaning in the Messy Middle (Guest Post)

· Nicole M. Roccas 1 Leave a Comment on %s
This morning, I’m glad to welcome Lynnette Horner, host of one of the newer blogs on Ancient Faith (Walking an Ancient Path) to Time Eternal. I appreciate Lynette’s writing and her ability to communicate the gems of Orthodoxy to a broader Christian audience. Today, her thoughts on the temptation to “click through” fasting seasons, and the “messy middles”…

“Study Oneself”: Learning to Give Thanks by Journaling

· Nicole M. Roccas 2 Leave a Comment on %s
In my continuing journey through Diary of a Russian Priest, I was struck by these words, which Fr. Alexander wrote in counsel to a young person: I advise you to keep a diary. This helps one to study oneself, saves one from making the same mistakes, keeps the past alive. It is worth while noting every great joy, sorrow,…

Translating the Untranslatable: Reflections on an Icon of the Mother of God

· Nicole M. Roccas 2 Leave a Comment on %s
Last week, my husband and I went to the funeral for his godfather, Demetrios, who had fallen asleep a few days prior from cancer. May his memory be eternal. At one point during the visitation, I came into the room where Demetrios’ body lay and found my husband standing quietly in the back corner while others milled around…

Keep the Cross in Christmas: Reframing the Annual Culture Wars

· Nicole M. Roccas
Honestly, I’m kind of bracing myself for the annual Christmas wars. Any day now, people will start populating their newsfeeds with the frantic mantra to “Keep Christ in Christmas!” It’s not that I wish to minimize the importance of Christmas or that I’m unconcerned about religious liberty. In this case, though, I wonder if we actually recognize what…

Marking Time: The Christmas Countdown

· Nicole M. Roccas 4 Leave a Comment on %s
When I was growing up, our holidays were very secular. We didn’t belong to a church, and we didn’t experience liturgical seasons like the Orthodox do. My mom was Danish, and because Denmark happens to be a Lutheran nation, there are some secular Danish traditions that grow out of the Lutheran experience.  In particular, the Danes love to…

When God Waited for Our Salvation: Timing the Resurrection in St. Athanasius’ _On the Incarnation_

· Nicole M. Roccas
As I mentioned the other day, I’m reading St. Athanasius’ On the Incarnation during this Nativity season. This time around, I’m listening to the treatise on audiobook while going about other tasks. Since I frequently zone out to concentrate on whatever I’m doing–the dishes, the laundry, cleaning the bathroom–I’m listening to it multiple times and letting my mind…