by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) Orthodox Divine Services are an enormous treasure, one which we must carefully keep. Whether in the Liturgy, Vespers, Matins, the Hours, Midnight Office, or Compline, from the very opening exclamation we immerse ourselves into our element, into prayer, that nothing is capable of interrupting. One after another, psalms, litanies, sticherae, troparia, prayers and exclamations by the priest: the entire service moves like a single, constant, unfolding mystery, breathing as one, everything in one rhythm, nothing distracting from prayer. Byzantine liturgical texts, filled with the most profound theological and mystical content, alternate with the prayerful … [Read more...]
Why are Parishioners Censed during Divine Services?
by Archpriest Victor Potapov Incense symbolizes prayer. That is pointed out in Sacred Scripture: And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5: 8). As sweet-smelling smoke lightly rises up, so true prayer coming from a purified heart, should rise up to God. As incense has a pleasant aroma, so prayer, done with love and humility, is pleasing to the Lord. The Holy Apostle Paul says, Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, August 6, 2023
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Modest Attire
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...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday July 30, 2023
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Where is our Bliss in Paradise if our Loved Ones are in Fiery Gehenna?
by Priest Alexei Taakh The idea that God created such a “concentration camp” for eternal and cruel torture of sinners is nonsense. He is Love, He came down into our world and suffered for us; He taught love and forgiveness… And then He suddenly turned into a ruthless executioner and tortures His children everlastingly as punishment for several years of sinful life? It is nonsense. “After the general resurrection we will meet with our kin and friends. This long–awaited meeting and the life of the age to come is the fundamental hope of Christians. This is how we console ourselves after the deaths of our loved ones. But after the Last Judgment not everyone will inherit the Kingdom of … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, July 23, 2023
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Spiritual Maturation and the Church Calendar
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...]
“Children, It is the Last Hour”
by Fr. Lawrence Farley It is sometimes imagined that the Resurrection of Christ finds its full significance as the last happy chapter in the story of His life, so that after a gruelling chapter about His betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, and burial, the tale can end with the Evangelist concluding, “And He lived happily ever after”. Consistent with this is a theological view which finds the sole significance of His Resurrection as proof that the price Jesus paid for our sin on the cross was accepted by the Father—that is, the Father indicated that the price Jesus paid by dying for our sins was fully sufficient. In this view, the Resurrection of Christ had no salvific value such as did His … [Read more...]
Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, July 2, 2023
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