We have come from afar to venerate the infant Christ — not from the land of the wise men but out of the darkness of our own souls, out of the murk of sinfulness. We have been guided by the miraculous star that has risen within us, obeying its mysterious and powerful call. We have seen from afar the radiant manger and the heavenly glow above it, but we have found the … [Read more...] about We Have Come from Afar: A Christmas Oration
Articles
Calculating the Date of Christmas: Why We Celebrate the Nativity Feast on December 25
It is sometimes believed that we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the Church Fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. But in fact, just the opposite is true. The choice of December 25th was based not on pagan festivities, but on a careful chronology of sacred events concerning the Incarnation of our Lord. Ironically, it was the pagan festival … [Read more...] about Calculating the Date of Christmas: Why We Celebrate the Nativity Feast on December 25
Memory Eternal: Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona
At 10 PM (MT) on September 7, 2019 Elder Ephraim (Moraitis) reposed at the age of 92. Born Ioannis Moraitis in Volos, Greece on the Day of the Nativity of St John the Baptist in 1927, he was raised in worldly poverty and spiritual wealth, and from the age of fourteen experienced the calling to monastic life. On September 26, 1947, Ioannis arrived at Mt. Athos at St. Anna's … [Read more...] about Memory Eternal: Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona
Body Mutilation, Biopunk, and Transgressive Individualism: Is Society Now Adopting the Values of ‘Blade Runner’?
Ominous tattoos, bizarre body piercing, and transsexual mutilations are only the beginning, argues Orthodox bioethicist Wesley J. Smith. “Transhumanists” are true believers who envision a point in time—known in movement parlance as “the Singularity” — when the crescendo of technological advances becomes unstoppable, culminating in attaining … [Read more...] about Body Mutilation, Biopunk, and Transgressive Individualism: Is Society Now Adopting the Values of ‘Blade Runner’?
How Not to Perish Eternally
A merciful heart is the likeness of God. And if we reject such a heart, then we of necessity reject God Himself. And how then can we be saved, how then can we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Source: Remembering Sion By Heiromonk Gabriel "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Our … [Read more...] about How Not to Perish Eternally