by Abbott Tryphon The Old Testament is filled with the image of God’s people being a holy people, set apart. The ancient Israelites were not like their neighbors. Their values and their faith impacted everything about them. They dressed differently than many of their neighboring pagan tribes. Their worship was centered on the God that had revealed himself to them and made them his chosen people. Their spiritual and moral views reflected this relationship with the One God that had entered into communion with them and who had revealed Divine Truth through the prophets. The Church is the continuation of the Church of the Old Testament and as such, we are the chosen people of God. Our lives … [Read more...]

by Abbot Tryphon One of the most spiritually profitable discoveries for me, personally, was when I started, as a new Orthodox Christian, the observance of the liturgical calendar. Each day of the year I was carried along with the cycle of commemorations that brought to life various events in the life of Christ. The calendar provided me with daily scripture readings that quenched my thirst. The historical memory of the Church, lived out in the various periods of fasts and feasts, allowed me to experience a Christianity that was vibrant and meaningful. An important element in the calendar, I discovered, was the daily commemorations of Christian saints and martyrs. These saints came alive … [Read more...]

The first Arizona Icon Writing Workshop, sponsored by ASONA and Christ the Savior Churches is complete. Running from June 12-17, 2023, the week long Iconology Workshop was led by Tatiania and Dimitry Berestova of the Prosopon School of Iconology, and featured 12 students, lay and clergy, including two advanced students who have studied under the Prosopon School previously. Consisting of 22 distinct steps that were executed in 6 days, the Christology, anthropology, patterns, symbolism, and allegories of the icon and iconography were well presented by Tatiania Berestova. Running all day, from morning til evening, the workshop closed at around 5 pm on Saturday evening, just in time for Great … [Read more...]