The Canon of St. Andrew, the nine ode prayer of repentance written by St. Andrew of Crete in the early 700's, is the customary way Orthodox Christians around the world enter the penitential season of Lent. St. Andrew wrote the prayer with the deepest humility, a virtue necessary for entering into the presence of God in ways that foster salvation, and the man who prays it … [Read more...] about Getting Serious For 40 Days: An introduction to the Great Canon of St. Andrew
Spirituality
Journey to Pascha 2019
Hats off to Byantine TX for publishing this handy guide for Lent and Holy Week and a special thank you to Fr. Jonathan Bannon of Christ The Savior Orthodox in Rockford Illinois who created it. The guide outlines this penitential period in ways easy to comprehend and digest! The "How to Participate" section is especially valuable for inculcating simple practices into our daily … [Read more...] about Journey to Pascha 2019
Orthodoxy in the USA: Its Historical Past and Present
Fr. Seraphim Rose (1934-1982), a convert to Orthodoxy and whose story mirrors that of many Americans looking for a way out of the superficiality that characterizes much of the American religious landscape, left writings that guide pilgrims even today. Fr. Seraphim was a child of the West who knew its riches along with its soul-destroying pitfalls and marshaled this knowledge … [Read more...] about Orthodoxy in the USA: Its Historical Past and Present
God’s Commandments as Divine Energies
Drawing upon the Patristic distinction between God’s transcendent and hidden essence (ousia), and His energies (energeia,) which are operative and manifest throughout creation, we can understand God’s commandments not as formal dictates but as His own energies addressing us personally and inviting us to be “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) … [Read more...] about God’s Commandments as Divine Energies
The New South Wales Christmas Bush: Indigenizing Orthodoxy to Australia
It belongs to the inner genius of the Orthodox faith, corresponding to the Incarnational entry of God Himself into a particular time and place on earth, to embrace the particularities of the places in which it is practiced. A fine example of this is the use of pussy willow branches on Palm Sunday in Slavic lands where palms are not traditionally available. And as Orthodoxy … [Read more...] about The New South Wales Christmas Bush: Indigenizing Orthodoxy to Australia
