Tag: liturgical time

“Desiring the Kingdom” in Lent: A Book Review

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If you’ve listened to the most recent episode of Time Eternal, you’ll know I’ve been reading James K. A. Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation during Lent. Here, I’m posting a full review of the book. To summarize, I found this a really worthwhile read. Smith comes from the Reformed tradition, but so many of his insights…

Time Outside Time (Guest Post)

· Nicole M. Roccas
Today I’m happy to share some thoughts from Charlotte Riggle! She’s written a wonderful guest post that gives a kind of time-oriented behind-the-scenes glimpse into her children’s book, Catherine’s Pascha. With Pascha just around the corner, I’m delighted to welcome her to the Time Eternal blog.     * * * Writing a picture book requires a huge leap…

A Simple Life, An Unfolded Soul

· Nicole M. Roccas
Our culture and media resound with the call to live more simply. Interestingly, the desire to pare life down to the essentials is voiced by virtually every major segment of readers, from secular to new age to generally religious to specifically Christian crowds. There is something about our current societal, cultural, and digital predicament that activates the human…

Show notes for “Sites of Eternity”

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The Time Eternal podcast is back with a new format and approach. In this first episode, my husband and I walk the meditation trail at Antiochian Village and ponder this whole business of recovering eternity in the world of time. With this relaunched version of Time Eternal, one of the new things I’ll be doing is posting show…

Time in the Shape of the Cross: 3 Reflections

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This morning, I received an interesting email from a reader/ listener of Time Eternal. This person had recently read Dr. Al Rossi’s book Becoming a Healing Presence. “Rossi speaks of time as cruciform (cross-shaped),” she wrote. “This idea really intrigues me, but I also feel like I don’t fully grasp what is meant by it and how I…

The Apostles Fast: Bridging the Paschal with the Ordinary

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  Well, it’s finally here. We’re in the thick of the Apostles’ Fast–a fasting period that begins the day after the Sunday of All Saints (the Sunday immediately following Pentecost) and culminates in the feast of Sts Peter and Paul (June 29). The fast goes back at least to the fifth century, and probably a bit earlier (there…

A Basket-less Resurrection: 4 Ways Pascha is Different for Greeks than other Orthodox

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Christ is risen! Xristos Anesti! Christus ist auferstanden! A week or two before Holy Week, I mentioned to a friend that our Greek Orthodox parish (like most Greek parishes) doesn’t do blessed baskets at Pascha (1). I don’t think my priest would know what to do if–in the chaos of pre-Pascha preparations–I suddenly appeared on the solea with a basket full…

Holy Week: the best of times, the strangest of times

· Nicole M. Roccas
Dang it. I’d done it again. I vowed not to, I told myself I’d be smarter this year. But alas… it seems I’m doomed every Holy Monday evening to the same fate. Namely, the fate of slipping quietly into Church and opening my prayer book (smartphone app) to the Bridegroom Matins of Holy Monday. And not realizing until…

Beyond Punctuality: Being on Time for the Right Time

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In Germany, where I’ve lived several times, there is a well-known proverb that translates: “Five minutes ahead of time is exactly the right time.” One of my supervisors there once threatened to dock pay when I showed up on time for work one morning. For her, if I wasn’t ahead of time, I wasn’t on time. And I was setting myself on…

What Writing and Working are Teaching Me This Lent

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O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and…