On Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 PM at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC, Fr. Gregoire Legouté of Port-au-Prince and his wife Rose will give eyewitness accounts of the hardships Orthodox Christians in Haiti are facing as a result of the violent earthquake that devastated their poor Caribbean nation. …
Author: seraphimholland
Triumph Of Orthodoxy. Pleasures Of Sin For A Season. Audio homily 2010.
What is the triumph of Orthodoxy? A short synopsis of the historical background, then discussion of what this triumph is for the individual. It involves “faith”, understanding that the pleasures of sin are for a season, and believing that a good thing CAN come out of Nazareth.
The First and most deadly sin of Cain. 2nd Monday of Great Lent.
What was the worst sin of Cain? Do not say “murder”! Cain became a murderer because of his previous sins, and the single greatest sin a man can commit, which eventually led him to murder his brother Abel. Cain’s terrible fall should make us tremble with fear, as he trembled till the end of his days, because the beginning of it was so ordinary, and such a common sin. …
Havana Black Beans from Abby.
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. …
What is an Anathema? Bishop Theophan the Recluse
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. …
The Word “Anathema” and it’s meaning
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 recently encountered and recommended. 02/20/2010
Links on timely topics for Great Lent, Media, and recipes. Clean Saturday 2010
Homilies on the First Sunday of Great Lent – The Triumph of Orthodoxy. Audio and Text.
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?)
First Sunday Of Great Lent Sunday Of Orthodoxy – The Triumph of Orthodoxy
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?” …
Great Lent, the first week, Clean Friday. The Spoil of the Poor – Isaiah 3:1-14
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. …