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A Faith That Cannot Be Defended
Read more: A Faith That Cannot Be DefendedThere is such a thing as a Christian faith worth defending (in some sense). However, it seems like those who enjoy attacking the Christian faith find its least worthy representatives for the marshalling of their meager intellectual forces. This often means that atheists attack a faith nobody (virtually) believes, and that defenders sometimes defend something […]
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Singleness of Heart
Read more: Singleness of HeartPerhaps the most scathing reading during Holy Week occurs in the Bridegroom Matins of Great and Holy Tuesday of when we hear Chapter 23 of Matthew’s gospel. There is a refrain which marks many of the verses: “Woe to you scribes and pharisees, you hypocrites!” A single such sentence would carry a punch, but in […]
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Relative to Pascha
Read more: Relative to PaschaIf you have attended Pascha services, or served them, it is quite possible to suffer some of the “natural consequences,” which for me means that after a somewhat disordered sleep I am sitting, having coffee and writing at 3:30 in the morning, wide-awake. I have no complaints. I generally like to be up by around […]
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Christos Voskrese
Read more: Christos VoskreseThis delightful youtube video was posted a year ago. One of our readers and occasional commenter, Dejan, (without a doubt my favorite Serb) provided the English translation. The words are from a poem by St. Nikolai Velimirovich who served for a time as the Rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary – truly one of the great […]
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Letter from Butyrskaya Prison – Pascha 1928
Read more: Letter from Butyrskaya Prison – Pascha 1928Serge Schmemann, son of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in his wonderful little book, Echoes of a Native Land, records a letter written from one of his family members of an earlier generation, who spent several years in the prisons of the Soviets and died there. The letter, written on the night of Pascha in 1928 is to […]
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Paradise in a Single Moment
Read more: Paradise in a Single MomentThe Exapostelarian for the Matins of Good Friday is the hymn, “The Wise Thief.” It draws our attention to the mercy of God – who promised paradise to the wise thief, “This day.” Thoughts on the nearness of paradise are also a theme in the writings of Dostoevsky. If paradise is so near – why […]
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Take, Eat
Read more: Take, EatThe simple words of Christ to His disciples at the Last Supper were profound on many levels: the commandment was short and straight-forward; it reversed an ancient prohibition; it set the primary manner for human beings to receive grace and thus teaches us much about how it is we receive grace in a normative manner […]
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For the Sake of Envy
Read more: For the Sake of EnvyIn the Praises for Matins of Holy Wednesday, we read: Oh, the wretchedness of Judas! He saw the harlot kiss the footsteps of Christ, but deceitfully he contemplated the kiss of betrayal. She loosed her hair while he bound himself with wrath. He offered the stench of wickedness instead of myrrh, for envy cannot distinguish […]
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Riding on a Donkey
Read more: Riding on a DonkeyAs far back as Genesis, in the prophecy of Jacob over his sons, we hear the association of the Messiah with a donkey: Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a […]
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In the Tomb of Lazarus
Read more: In the Tomb of LazarusLargely ignored by much of Christendom, the Orthodox today celebrate “Lazarus Saturday” in something of a prequel to next weekend’s Pascha. It is, indeed a little Pascha just before the greater one. And this, of course, was arranged by Christ Himself, who raised His friend Lazarus from the dead as something of a last action […]
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I just wanted to add my appreciation to you Father, and to the many who comment here often. In a…
Mallory, There’s a Scripture verse that describes God as restraining evil – though it is specifically referring to a cataclysmic…
Is it true God is constantly restraining evil? How can we really know that? Perhaps the evil that is restrained…
Dear Father, Thank you for your musings. Indeed, there is solidity in the reality of the sacraments that does not…
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We are each going to die at some point. Few know when. None of us should harber fear as to…