Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church
McKinney TX Homilies, scripture commentary, spiritual reflections
A recipe from our sisterhood. This is really good, and a bit hot. It was a massive hit at one of our trapezas.
There is no need to use the olive oil. I sautee things in water all the time. In almost any recipe, where oil is used to sautee onions or someting else, you can use water. Try it! You need not break the oil fast unless you want to. …
Rarely does the Rite of Orthodoxy, which is now being performed, take place without censures and reproaches on somebody’s part. And no matter how many sermons are given explaining that the Church here acts wisely for the salvation of her children — still the malcontents just keep repeating their line. Either they do not listen to the sermons, or these sermons do not strike home as regards the latters’ perplexities, or perhaps they have formed their own conception of this rite and do not want to abandon it, no matter what you tell them.
To some people our anathemas seem inhumane, to others constricting. Such charges might be valid in other situations, but there is no way they can apply to our Rite of Orthodoxy. I will clarify for you briefly why the Church acts thus, and I think you yourselves will agree with me that in so doing, the Church acts wisely. …
by Saint John Maximovitch
The Greek word “anathema” consists of two words: “ana”, which is a preposition indicating movement upwards and “thema”, which means a separate part of some- thing. In military terminology, “thema” meant a detachment; in civil government “thema” meant a province. We currently use the word “theme”, derived from “thema”, to mean a specific topic of a written and intellectual work.
“Anathema” literally means the lifting up of something separate. In the Old Testament this expression was used both in relation to that which was alienated due to sinfulness and likewise to that which was dedicated to God.
In the New Testament, in the writing of the Apostle Paul it is used once in conjunction with “maranatha”, meaning the coming of the Lord. The combination of these words means separation until the coming of the Lord; in other words – being handed over to Him (1 Cor 16:22) …
Links on timely topics for Great Lent, Media, and recipes. Clean Saturday 2010
Five homilies given at St Nicholas Orhtodox Church, McKinney Texas on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Most are Audio, but one has been transcribed to HTML and Word Doc. (I need a lot of help transcibing – any takers?)
Can any Good thing come out of Nazareth? Come and See!
Today, brothers and sisters, is the first Sunday of the Great Lent, the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The Church wants to tell us some things. Indeed we should come to Church always with the expectation that God will teach us something, whether it be something we learn with our mind and consciously understand, or something that penetrates the soul, and helps us in an unseen way.
A most important statement for a Christian to understand in this particular gospel reading, even after He has lived the Christian life for some quite some time is:
“Come and see”.
The Church says “Come and see”. What is She telling us to “come and see?”
The question which preceded this instruction (and more than this – also a promise, a pledge, and a rallying cry) by Nathaniel to Philip was:
“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” …
The Lord himself shall enter into judgment with the elders of the people, and with their rulers: but why have ye set my vineyard on fire, and why is the spoil of the poor in your houses? Friday in the First Week – At the Sixth Hour – Is 3:1-14
The Lord asks a question of the Jews through the prophet. Does this question apply to us?
The answer is quite simply, “Of course!” All that is written in the scripture applies to us – we are to answer the questions, test ourselves in relation to the examples, and take to heart all the admonitions. …
“Trust in God with all thine heart; and be not exalted in thine own wisdom. 6. In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her, that she may rightly direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, Thursday in the First Week At Vespers, Proverbs 3:1-18)
Man’s wisdom is nothing; it is foolishness before God. The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom, that is, of fulfilling the injunction: “In all thy ways acquaint thyself with (wisdom).”
The Lord Jesus Christ is here called “wisdom”, it is one of His many titles. This is why we are told: “In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her.” Wisdom is not an attribute, but a person; one becomes acquainted with a person. …
HAITI: February 16, 2010, Port au Prince 27 Jan/9 Feb 2010, Martyr Stephen
To His Eminence Vladika Hilarion …
Three weeks after the violent earthquake that devastated Haiti and, according to the latest bulletin from the Haitian Government, caused 212,000 deaths and injured more than 194,000, 4,000 people have become amputees of one or more limbs and a million have become homeless. We of the Orthodox Mission in Haiti are expressing our gratitude for your active solidarity to the victims of the earthquake on Jan 12, 2010.
We are sending our thanks to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and especially to …
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(Also a picture, links to other articles about Haiti and contact information for the Fund for Assistance and the IOCC)
To the Archpastors, Pastors, Monastics and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Church Abroad Dear archpastors, pastors, monastics, brethren, sisters and children, beloved in the Lord! I congratulate all of you with the arrival of the salvific days of the Great Fast! If we turn to the sources, we see that, even as early… Continue reading Lenten Epistle of Hilarion, Metropolitan Of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch Of The Russian Church Abroad