Fr. Bill's Orthodox Blog – Orthodoxy from the Third Coast
Saints, Seasons, Society, Sins, plus Travels mostly to Greece and who knows what next? by Father Bill Olnhausen
I hope that’s not an irreverent way to introduce a saint – but every year when we come to Saint Joseph, that’s the saying that springs automatically into my mind. This man’s life was almost entirely “lemons” – it sounds like it’s out of a soap opera – and yet he “squeezed” great good out […]
Read More »I can think of three possible ways this article might go: 1 I knew a young Protestant couple who were interested in Orthodoxy. They saw that a local Orthodox church was having services on the Friday evenings of Lent, so they went to check it out. The priest met them at the door and welcomed […]
Read More »Great Lent is a time to concentrate on prayer and, as I see it, to “experiment” with prayer. In the Orthodox Church, personal prayer is not a “one size fits all” thing. Except for the very basics, each of us is allowed to (and should) adapt our prayer life to our situation and abilities. Since […]
Read More »How would you like to go swimming in a lake in Sivas, Turkey * on March 9, when the average high temperature is 46°F (8°C) and the average low temperature is 36°F (2°C)? No? Trip Advisor gives a nearby lake (Godpinar Golu) a five star rating. You still say that on the whole you’d rather […]
Read More »For many years I felt slightly whiplashed by this First Sunday of Great Lent. For a week we’ve been in the the Lenten Fast with its liturgical color: a sombre violet. Then suddenly and seemingly out of context, on this First of Sunday of Lent here comes the gold for the “Sunday of Orthodoxy” and […]
Read More »