In 1978, Fr George Calciu delivered seven courageous homilies, one on each Wednesday of Lent, addressing the youth of Romania, knowing that his defiance would earn him even more long years of communist imprisonment. These became monuments of resistance to the tyranny of communism, and stirred the heart of a nation with the words: “What do you know of Christ, young man? If … [Read more...] about Christ Has Risen Within Your Heart!
Liturgy, Scripture & The Seasons of the Church
It’s Pascha, Not Easter!
The right word can make the meaning of something clear, and the wrong word can obscure or even hide its real meaning. The right word for the celebration of the resurrection of Christ is the Greek word "Pascha" which means "Passover" in English. It opens up the rich and necessary association of Christ as the "Pashal Lamb" with the paschal lamb of Exodus and the flight of the … [Read more...] about It’s Pascha, Not Easter!
The Symbolism of Palm Sunday
Although it was an historical event that took place at a particular time and place, Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem has other dimensions as well. For example, it fulfills in a remarkable way the clear and precise prophecy of the Prophet Zacharias. But beyond this, it also has a mystical, symbolical meaning addressing the salvation of each of us. St Nikolai … [Read more...] about The Symbolism of Palm Sunday
Getting Serious For 40 Days: An introduction to the Great Canon of St. Andrew
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
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