368: It’s time to prepare for Lent. Already…?

Yes, already. We just celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple – a “flashback” to Christmas and Christ as an infant. However, the Troparion of the Feast concludes like this: “Rejoice, O righteous Elder; you received in your arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who grants us the Resurrection.” And with […]

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365. Yet another great Saint Gregory: Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople

The Holy Orthodox Church is running over with Saint Gregorys. I wrote last year about “Another great  Saint Gregory” – Gregory of Nyssa. (If you’d like to read it, go to the far bottom right of this page, and scroll down to January 2022.) Before we get to this year’s great Saint Gregory the Theologian, […]

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364. Here’s what we’re going to miss again: Christ’s Temptations

Today Friday January 6 is the Epiphany, when we celebrate Christ’s Baptism. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Christ begins His public ministry. Between those events something extremely significant happened, which most Orthodox never hear about. In fact I could find very few Orthodox icons about it. Christ’s Temptations in the Desert Last summer I wrote that […]

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363. Where’s Saint Joseph?

Christ is born! Glorify Him!     Here’s the point of this Post: In traditional Western Christianity, Saint Joseph gets his due. In Eastern Christianity, Saint Joseph almost gets the brushoff, and I think we need to do better by him. If you’re busy (returning presents, perhaps?) you may stop reading now, if you wish. […]

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362. 1) From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus in five images, 2)  Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the World, 3) Nativity Poems by Saint Ephrem the Syrian and by G K Chesterton

1.  Santa Claus! And now you know why Santa Claus is dressed in red. 2. Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the world by John Ortberg, Senior Pastor, Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, California My notes:   This article was written during the 2012 Presidential campaign. I left it unaltered, except for two explanatory footnotes. We hear much […]

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