We have come to the time of Pentecost, the time in which we remember Christ sending the Holy Spirit to the church. It is, as St. Gregory Nazianzus once indicated, a new time, a new era for the world. The pre-resurrection ministry of Christ has ended and now is the time of the Holy Spirit. Thanks to the way God has chosen to work with us, we have another Comforter, another arm of the Father sent to us to comfort... Read more
The brethren came to Abba Anthony and laid before him a passage from Leviticus. The old man went out into the desert, secretly followed by Abba Ammonas, who knew that this was his custom. Abba Anthony went a long way off and stood there praying, crying in a loud voice, “God, send Moses, to make me understand this saying.” Then there came a voice speaking with him. Abba Ammonas said that although he heard the voice speaking with him, he... Read more
In medieval lore, various so-called monsters became famous, with Grendel from Beowulf being one of them who is remembered to this day. The question of his origin was raised in Beowulf, and in the text, it was suggested that he came from the line of Cain: Even thus did the men of that company live in mirth and happiness, until one began to work deeds of wrong, a fiend of hell. Grendel was the grim creature called, the ill-famed haunter... Read more
The church is called to be universal. It is called to go forth across the world, spread the grace of Christ, helping to heal the world from the wounds of sin. The church is to make its presence in the world, not by rejecting it, but by transforming it. It is in the world but not of the world. Those who are in the church find themselves being transformed so that their existence, their way of life, is already connected... Read more
And He ascended too, just as He had become incarnate, for the sake of our salvation – Sergius Bulgakov[1] So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my... Read more
I find it difficult to appreciate the rhetoric of Trump and his administration. They think in terms of “winners and losers." Read more
There might be no figure who is as great, indeed, as important for the development of Greek religious and philosophical thought, who yet remains mysterious to us to this day than that of Orpheus. We have few historical facts we know about him. We have, to be sure, many legends which probably had some sort of historical basis, giving us a way to discern more about the man behind the myths, but what we know most is not the historical... Read more
This Sunday, the Byzantine tradition in its ongoing cycle of Paschal Sundays remembers the Man Born Blind. On it, Christ’s earthly ministry is once again seen as an allegorical representation of what Christ brings to us as a result of the resurrection. We have the narrative of a man who was born blind, who, it is said, was not blind because of any sin he or his family did, but so that in and through him, the glory of Christ,... Read more
Three Fathers used to go and visit blessed Anthony every year and two of them used to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, but the third always remained silent and did not ask him anything. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him, “You often come here to see me, but you never ask me anything,” and the other replied, “It is enough for me to see you, Father.” [1] It is common for... Read more
What happens if you die before being baptized? Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In