Orthodox Church Season
Annunciation to Mother Mary | 4th Sunday of Advent (St. Luke 1:26-38)
On this Sunday of Annunciation to Mother Mary when we see a young woman accepting the will of God, let us contemplate on the greeting, “Hail, full of grace”. Also let us look at how a confluence of divine and human will led to the Incarnation of Christ.
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Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple | November 21
When Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anna decided that the time had come to fulfill their promise to the Lord and dedicate Mary to His service in the Temple. Let us learn about the birth and life of Mother Mary and how she became the dwelling place of God.
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Koodosh Eetho | Sanctification of the Church (Nov 1)
‘Sanctification’ is an act or process of acquiring sanctity, of being made or becoming holy or sacred that is set apart for God. It is an act wherein a very ordinary and sinful person is made or becomes holy to radiate, emanate, and transform into the temples (or an indwelling place) of the living God.
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Learning from the Life of the Apostles
In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus The Orthodox Churches, both Oriental and Eastern, along with Catholic Churches after celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, are going through a period of fasting known as the Apostles’ Fast…
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Reading the Icon of Trinity – Finding Yourself within Trinity
The most distinct icon of the Trinity was written by Andrei Rublov. In this icon, Abraham and Sarah are completely absent. The icon only depicts the three angels leaning towards each other in mutual love, their hands held in a blessing towards the center of the table. The table is now unmistakably an altar, with even a small recess shown in which traditionally relics are placed. The various fruits, breads and meat shown on other icons are replaced with just a single chalice, representing the Holy Eucharist. Take a little while to gaze and meditate on the icon.
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Pentecost – Holy Spirit residing within Man
With the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ, the time of salvation had arrived and the Divine work of redemption has been completed, the fullness revealed, all gifts bestowed: it belongs to us now to “appropriate” these gifts, to be that which we have become in Christ: participants and citizens of His Kingdom. Through Christ’s descent and Crucifixion, He made the sinful human nature able to become divine and through His ascension, He made it possible for the human nature enter into the presence of God and through the descent of the Holy Spirit, God began to dwell within us.
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Ascension of Jesus – A Call to Theosis (St. Luke 24:36-53)
We who seemed unworthy of the earth, are now raised to heaven, We who were unworthy of earthly dominion have been raised to the Kingdom on high, have ascended higher than heaven, have came to occupy the King’s throne, and the same nature from which the angels guarded Paradise, stopped not until it ascended to the throne of the Lord.”
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Understanding the Cost of Discipleship under Jesus Christ (St. Luke 9:51-62)
When we look at the life of Jesus, we find that He always willed to do the will of the Heavenly Father and He was willing to follow His Father’s will, even though He would be rejected, hated and ostracized by the society around Him….
Jesus’ response for His would-be followers is striking. It’s not as if He rebuffs His would-be disciple — exactly. It’s more a matter of making clear to him what he’s offering before he signs on the dotted line. Discipleship is costly. It is radically costly. It costs you everything.
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Finding Christ on our Journey to Emmaus (St. Luke 24:13-35)
In the name of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus One of my favorite resurrection events that is mentioned in the Gospels is written by St. Luke 24:13-35. It is a situation where we all can place ourselves in…
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Sailing the Rough Seas with Christ, the Bread of Life (St. John 6:16-29)
“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” It is a wonderfully worded statement which says the message of the Holy Bible in a crux. We are not able to do anything that gives us eternal life. That is given by God. God is the only one who can accomplish such a great work. But how are we working with the work of God? Jesus says you must believe. The work of God, what God requires, is faith.
