Fr. John Peck – Page 24

Children’s Lesson for Sunday March 5, 2023

February 28, 2023 By Fr. John Peck [edit]

Click here to download Lesson and Coloring Page in PDF format … [Read more...]

The Old Testament God revealed by Christ

February 27, 2023 By Fr. John Peck [edit]

by Abbot Tryphon The Old Testament God was revealed to us by Christ Jesus. Prior to the incarnation of the Logos, God’s people were forbidden to make any image of Him, for no one had seen His face. Yet when Christ said to His disciples, “he who has seen Me has seen the Father”, the fullness of this loving God was revealed to His creation. Early Christians used icons to depict this truth of the incarnation. The very first icons showing the Holy Virgin and the Christ Child, were painted by non other than the holy Apostle Luke. Since Christ is revealed in His saints, even the Holy Virgin and the Martyrs were soon depicted in images, worthy of veneration by the early Christians. The … [Read more...]

The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete: An Explanation

February 24, 2023 By Fr. John Peck [edit]

The Great Canon of St Andrew, Bishop of Crete, is the longest canon in all of our services, and is associated with Great Lent, since the only times it is appointed to be read in church are the first four nights of Great Lent (Clean Monday through Clean Thursday, at Great Compline, when it is serialized) and at Matins for Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent, when it is read in its entirety (in this latter service, the entire life of St Mary of Egypt is also read). There is no other sacred hymn which compares with this monumental work, which St Andrew wrote for his personal meditations. Nothing else has its extensive typology and mystical explanations of the scripture, from both the Old … [Read more...]