Matthew says that when Herod realized the magi were not going to return, he ordered the slaughter of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and the neighboring towns (Matt. 2:16-18). Although Mark and Luke do not mention the Slaughter of the Innocents, John alludes to it in the Apocalypse (Rev. 12:1-4), and thus becomes a witness to the verity of the Matthew’s record. The witness of Matthew and John is also corroborated by a pagan writer named Macrobius. Macrobius wrote an encyclopedic account of Roman culture entitled the Saturnalia, in which he records the legends and lore of the holidays marking the Roman calendar. In book two, Macrobius records some of the witty … [Read more...]
The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.” - Psalm 49:23 (LXX) Next year is the 400th anniversary of the celebrating Thanksgiving to God for the mercy, love, and bounties he pours out on us. The giving of thanks is the central act of Christian worship, and it is an integral feature of Old Testament worship, which are types of Christian worship. There are many instructions for sacrifice throughout the Pentateuch, but Leviticus chapters 1-7 is completely dedicated to the 5 Levitical offerings which were the main sacrifices used in the rituals. The 5 kinds of sacrifices described in such detail in Leviticus … [Read more...]
A Life of Thanksgiving
by Fr. Stephen Freeman I do not believe it is possible to exhaust this topic. I have set forth a few suggestions of how we might build and maintain a life of thanksgiving. Particular thought is given to those times when giving thanks is difficult. 1. I must believe that God is good. I struggled with this for many years. I believed that God was sovereign; I believed that He was the Creator of heaven and earth; I believed that He sent His only Son to die for me. But despite a host of doctrines to which I gave some form of consent, not included (and this was a matter of my heart) was the simple, straight-forward consent that God is good. My father-in-law, a very simple Baptist deacon of … [Read more...]
ASONA Prayerbooks and Door to Paradise back in stock.
Two of our most popular booklets, the ASONA Prayerbook and the Door to Paradise, are back in stock at ASONA. The ASONA Prayerbook is, of course, our parish published Orthodox Prayer book, containing all the necessary prayers for one's prayer rule, as well as a special prayer for peace, the Prayer Rule of St. Pachomius, and an Examination of Conscience in preparation for Confession. Prayerbooks are available for a donation of $10. The Door to Paradise is a booklet, published by St. Hermans Press, that we offer for free to first time visitors, or other visitors who have not had the chance to be offered a copy. It is an excellent introduction to the Orthodox faith and spiritual way of life. … [Read more...]
What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard of Jesus?
What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus? Will God condemn people to hell for not believing in someone they have never heard of? First, people are not condemned to hell for not believing in Jesus whom they have never heard of. Rather they are already condemned because of their sin. Thus, the real question is not how can God send someone to hell, but how can God condescend to save any one of us? As Paul has so beautifully written in the book of Romans, "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:8-9). If ignorance were … [Read more...]
“God’s Wrath” Was Not Part of the Theology of Israel’s Sacrificial System
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Adult converts to the Orthodox Church often remark on a sense of relief---not to say liberation---they felt when they became acquainted with Orthodoxy's teaching on Salvation. I have heard testimonies on this point times out of mind. These folks, coming mainly from Western Christian backgrounds, had previously thought about Salvation chiefly in forensic terms. They were accustomed to hearing the word "merit" a lot with respect to the Cross. Their former Soteriology might be summarized in Archbishop Cranmer's lines in The Book of Common Prayer, which declare that on the Cross Jesus Christ, "by his one oblation of himself once offered," made "a full, perfect, … [Read more...]
An Apologetic for Home Education in the 21st Century
By Allison Burr In the greatest of ironies, a recent issue of Harvard Magazine has condemned parents being at home with their children all day, even while the governments across America have now required it for the past several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My efforts to recast homeschooling in a less-threatening light are rooted in two things: teleology and practice. In the most recent issue of Harvard Magazine, Erin O’Donnell presents Dr. Elizabeth Bartholet’s arguments against homeschooling and her radical call to ban the practice entirely.* Dear me. My fellow 2 million homeschoolers and I must have unwittingly ruffled her feathers somehow, to be subjected to such … [Read more...]
Six Men Who FAILED to Paganize the Origins of Christmas
by John Sanidopoulos Every Christmas season, the usual myths are hauled out and distributed for popular consumption. You know them. We’ve all heard or read them. That Christmas celebrations were stolen from the Romans The Christmas tree is a pagan hangover That other gods had virgin births That Yule and the mistletoe are all about Odin These falsehoods are repeated often and loudly, under the guise of being “historical truths.” And strangely they still stump most Christians, who are then filled with doubt about what they believe. Of course, these myths were designed to elicit precisely this sort of reaction from believers. All of them were invented in the 18th- and … [Read more...]
On The Cross
by St. Theophan the Recluse The Lord accomplished our salvation by His death on the Cross: on the Cross He tore up the handwriting of our sins; through the Cross He reconciled us with our God and Father; and through the Cross He brought down upon us grace-filled gifts and all heavenly blessings. But this is the Lord’s Cross itself. Each of us becomes a partaker of its salvific power in no other way than through our personal cross. When the personal cross of each of us is united with Christ’s Cross, the power and effect of the latter is transferred to us and becomes, as it were, a conduit through which every good gift and every perfect gift (James 1:17) is poured forth upon us from the … [Read more...]
September is National Preparedness Month
National Preparedness Month (NPM) is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As our nation continues to respond to COVID-19, there is no better time to be involved this September. 2020 is the poster child year for preparedness, and who knows what the rest of the year will bring. Therefore, as a public service, we are encouraging all of our parish members, catechumens, inquirers, and interested visitors - anyone and everyone - to take the time to make the most of National Preparedness month in their own households. Use this 'calendar' to complete your preps. Remember, it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and … [Read more...]
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