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
Articles
Is Music Sacred?
If there is no pre-existing, intelligible order to go out to and apprehend, and to search through for what lies beyond it – which is the Creator – what then is music supposed to express? If external order does not exist, then music collapses in on itself and degenerates into an obsession with techniques. Any ordering of things, musical or otherwise, becomes purely … [Read more...] about Is Music Sacred?
Voyage of the Prodigal: A Poem by Mary Lowell
It was not so dark the last I looked; the stars there were could still be counted, and the moon was a frail lost ship, not the queen she is now of this indigo ocean. Off there, so far away I can only believe, maidservants are lighting the porches as brother with his staff drives home the herds where Father wept when I begged to go free. He would not know me now, a … [Read more...] about Voyage of the Prodigal: A Poem by Mary Lowell
Never Too Late: A Homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son
By: Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster, PhD Holy Trinity Monastery Cathedral, Jordanville, NY February 24, 2019 The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most remarkable stories in all of world literature. We might even call it the greatest “short story” ever told: only 22 biblical verses in all! That it was, in fact, told by our Lord Jesus Christ … [Read more...] about Never Too Late: A Homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son
St. John Chrysostom: Turn Your Home Into Heaven
Source: Orthodox Christian By Anna Saprykina St. John Chrysostom wrote, “Turn your home into heaven; you will do this not when you change the walls or rebuild the foundation, but when you invite the Almighty Lord to your repast. God never disregards any kind of supper. Where there is spiritual science, there is humility, sincerity and modesty. Where the husband, and … [Read more...] about St. John Chrysostom: Turn Your Home Into Heaven