Our Faith
More Than Just Justice
For Plato, justice was “based on the idea of good, which is the harmony of the universe.” Now Christians believe that “The Good” equals God and that the harmony of the universe is the peace of Christ. Therefore, “giving to each man what is proper to him” might include a good deal more than what usual human standards have regarded as appropriate.


Sep 3, 2010, 10:00

Theology
Templeton Prize winner Fr. Ayala: Christianity and evolution - not incompatible?
Evolution and religious beliefs need not be in contradiction. Indeed, if science and religion are properly understood, they cannot be in contradiction because they concern different matters. Science and religion are like two different windows for looking at the world.
Sep 2, 2010, 11:37

Social Life
Why Does a Pastor Need His Own Website?
Is it necessary for a priest to have his own website? Not for everyone, I suppose. We know there are different charismata in the Church. There are pastors of fervent prayer, excellent administrators, and those who consider the execution of divine services in a decorous, deliberate, and decent manner to be their mission.
Sep 2, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith
Where Does It Say That In The Bible?
Every so often, parishioners ask me faith related questions. Upon providing the answer, sometimes the response is "Where does it say that in the Bible?" This is a welcomed question. Certainly the scriptures are an important part of our faith Tradition and reading the Bible should be a daily part of our prayer routine.
Sep 1, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Back in its place
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consecrated the icon of Our Saviour on the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin. This icon had been bricked up for 80 years until it was recovered and restored.
Aug 31, 2010, 04:21

History of Christianity
The History and Development of the Orthodox-Oriental Dialogue
I aim to give a quick survey of the teachings of the major Monophysite figures, whose names the Joint-Commission of the dialogue between the two churches recommended to be added to the orthodox diptychs. Finally, I will show the consistency of the current teaching of the Monophysite churches with early Monophysitism, which totally justifies the opinion of the Muscovite Patriarchate.
Aug 30, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : Feasts. Calendar
A Second Pascha
Homily for the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos
The great and wondrous summer holiday - the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God - from olden times has been regarded by Orthodox Christians in the light of a second Pascha.


Aug 28, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : Feasts. Calendar
The Feast of the Dormition: Comparing an Assumption
Both Orthodox and Roman Catholics celebrate the mystery of Christ's taking His Mother, body and soul, into Heaven. Yet both have quite different ways of approaching this Feast that reflects their differing perspectives on the Mother of Christ our God. Their liturgical focus is different one from another as are the very terms by which they name this Feast. Let's take a closer look . . .
Aug 27, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Parallels between Fr. Daniel’s Parish and Missions in North America
Many Orthodox Christians have learned of Fr. Daniel Sysoev’s murder. One of the thingst that stood out about Fr. Daniel was his missionary efforts and the missionary impulse of his parish. Like parishes in North America, their parish had started small as well. As a priest in North America who is indebted to the Russian Mission that began in North America in 1794, I thought I would reflect briefly on the Fr. Daniel’s missionary methods in a comparative way.
Aug 26, 2010, 10:00

Family life : In the Family
The Faithful Ones
Recently, it was my great joy to attend a kind of celebration so rare in our time that it deserves an entire article devoted to it : the 50th anniversary of the loving marriage between two faithful Christians.


Aug 25, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : In the Church
To Serve Each Other
A temptation which is always there, which lurks in our hearts and in our midst always, when we think of the Church to which we belong, is to remember that the people of God are God's own elects and to draw from this a conclusion which may destroy both our own souls and the very meaning of our existence. Yet we are the elect of God, but what is it God calls us to, what is this election about?


Aug 24, 2010, 10:00

Contemporary Issues
Pearls to the Pigs and Communion to Dogs
There seems to be however a lot of confusion nowadays about animals and their role in our lives. People treat their animals as family, take them to beauty salons and spas, leave them fortunes in their wills and expect to be joined by them in heaven.

Aug 23, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith
Salvation Is Indeed By Grace
"Why, then," he asked, "do the Orthodox submit to such regulations: 'Do not eat (this or that),' or 'Do this, that, and the other thing,' in order to be a 'good Christian'? Isn't it enough to 'love God and my neighbor as myself'?" It was a good question.

Aug 21, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith
Vacation
Often, we think of a vacation as a more extravagant form of escape from the daily routines of ordinary life. Life at home is frustrating, tedious, and perhaps even painful. TV, video games, and fantasy novels no longer suffice. It’s time to run away before we collapse under the burden.


Aug 20, 2010, 10:00

Contemporary Issues
Has Our Pursuit of the "American Dream" Become a Ball and Chain?
Has our pursuit of this dream gotten out of hand today? From a Christian perspective has the pursuit of the good life here in America supplanted or replaced our pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven? Are we really living better today because of the “American Dream?” I ask these questions based on the following observations.

Aug 18, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Anyone, however, who has the slightest historical knowledge of Orthodox missions, will know that evangelisation lies at the very heart of the Church's life. Any local church that has lost its heart and soul for mission is dysfunctional, disobedient to Christ (Matthew 28:19-20) and an occasion for great sorrow. We must not let the heterodox, who copy our own historic methods, undermine our missionary zeal from within.

Aug 17, 2010, 10:00

History of Christianity
The History and Development of the Orthodox-Oriental Dialogue
In the previous article, I discussed the problems that subverted the Ecumenical dialogue. I tried to analyze why the approach led to a dead end and called for a fresh start with a proper approach. In brief, I referred to the fallacy of the attempts of reducing the difference between the Orthodox and Monophysite Christologies to be merely a terminological misunderstanding.
Aug 16, 2010, 05:14

Our Faith : Fasting
Dormition Fast Begins
Several years ago, I was sharing with an Orthodox pilgrim the thought that the Dormition fast, though short, was very intense spiritually and that hardships seemed to befall people more in those two weeks than in the long Apostles’ fast. Without hesitation he responded, “Of course! Lent is the hardest, but after Christ, who does the devil hate the most? The holy Mother of God!”
Aug 14, 2010, 10:00

Family life : Bringing up children
Multiply Blessed and Fully Alive: To Grow in Faith is to Glorify God
“Multiple Intelligence Theory” and Learning in the Orthodox Church
Parenthood itself is a vocation that glorifies God. Like God the Father and Vinedresser (John 1:15), you can nurture and cultivate the traits in which you see your children growing and thriving. When you do so, you participate in God’s work. Like the Father who lovingly raises each person to the fullness of life, you can invite and inspire your children to grow to their full capacity, in whatever ways work for each.


Aug 13, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : In the Church
Where Can One Go in an Orthodox Church
A Brief Discussion of Holy Space
In our modern society, we tend always to see things subjectively and self-centerdly; we are trained from childhood to do this. We therefore think of our rights, and when we meet something like the Orthodox practice in this instance, we find the matter odd, because our first thought is that our rights have been eroded. This is why I suggested that we look at the thing from the other end.
Aug 12, 2010, 10:00

Contemporary Issues
The Orthodox "I really like their hats!"
His father gets apoplectic and screams at him, in a line that was objectively funny and incredibly sad, "Isn't that the group that mutilates squirrels?" That's what the world, at least in America, knows about the Orthodox. Old men in strange garb doing strange things in front of a few old people (probably immigrants) in a strange language at a strange place possibly including squirrels.

Aug 11, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : Fasting
Why do We Fast?
When you fast, do you ever feel sorely challenged, irritated and impatient; annoyed with the lack of food? Sometimes the fasting experience seems negative. “Why do I put myself through this?” I sometimes ask. What keeps us fasting, attending services, observing a daily rule of prayer and following the ascetical practices of the Church?


Aug 10, 2010, 10:00

Contemporary Issues
Russian Orthodox Church - helping the fire victims day and night
“We send a car to each location reported to be in need of help, collect information and then organize help” – explains a coordinator in the Russian Orthodox Church Department for Charity. For a week already it has been the most actively functioning place – volunteers are collecting clothes, raising money, gathering information, and sending fire fighting equipment to the areas with forest fires.


Aug 9, 2010, 10:00

Our Faith : Fasting
Why a Fast for Dormition?
There is a perception that we should fast when we want something, as though the act of fasting somehow appeases God, and seeing us “suffer” gets Him to grant our request. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Aug 7, 2010, 10:00

Parish
How Do Visitors Experience Your Parish?
Most of us have wondered how our parish appears to visitors. Do we overwhelm and smother visitors or ignore them? And which is worse? Is a visitor, particularly a non Orthodox, totally lost when joining our parish for Liturgy or vespers? What do they experience? Do they have any idea what is going on?


Aug 6, 2010, 10:00