452. Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy: The Entrance of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ into Jerusalem

Introduction Yesterday we celebrated the raising of Lazarus which was, as we sang, the “prefiguring of the General Resurrection”, when all mankind will be raised from death. “Those who have done what is good will rise to life, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” John 5:29  Christ was demonstrating, […]

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451. 1) Vespers for Palm Sunday, 2) How to keep Holy Week

For those who may not know: I’m repeating my annual series of twice-daily Posts during Holy Week. Before we begin: As we move towards this Holy Week please be sure to pray especially for the millions of Orthodox people of Ukraine, many of whom again this year will not be able to get to church […]

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450. Lazarus Saturday Morning Divine Liturgy

   Now we begin our twice-daily commentaries on the services and themes of Holy Week and Pascha – based on talks I gave at these services during the twenty-five years when I was Pastor of Saint Nicholas Church, Cedarburg. Each year I’ve altered them just a bit as I’ve come across new information, to correct […]

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449. The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Saint Mary of Egypt – Penitence

I love this story. In the late Fourth Century monks from the Monastery of Saint Savas (Mar Sabas) * down below Jerusalem in the West Bank, spent Lent alone in the desert. A priest-monk Zosimas, walking alone one day on the Jordanian side of the river, to his surprise saw someone ahead of him. He […]

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448. The Fourth Sunday of Lent: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief” – The three kinds of Doubt

The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent: Mark 9:17-31 At that time, a man came to Jesus kneeling and saying: “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and […]

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