Father Bill's Orthodox Blog – Orthodoxy from the Third Coast
A Variety of Topics: Saints, Seasons, Society, the Moral Life, plus Travels mostly to Greece, and more, by Father Bill Olnhausen
Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! Chora Church, Constantinople, 14th c (US Public Domain) It seems strange to title this Post as I did, then follow it with “Christ is risen!” and a gorgeous Orthodox Paschal icon… and then immediately go back to Thomas and his doubts. However, I intended to talk about doubt […]
Read More »Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! The Story of how Thomas came to believe Gospel: John 20:19-31 On the Sunday after the Resurrection, Christians both East and West celebrate the day when “doubting Thomas” came to faith. Actually the man should be called “Believing Thomas”: When Jesus announced that He was going to Judaea, […]
Read More »Christ is risen! Truly he is risen! Father Alexander Schmemann called our Orthodox Paschal celebration “an explosion of joy”. I’m not going to try to describe the services. Words are inadequate. They speak for themselves. (Every time I preached on Pascha I wished I hadn’t.) Here are a few Paschal videos. There is so […]
Read More »Pre-Script, written Holy Friday, 11:30 a.m. Forgive me for beginning with a personal note. I just discovered tonight’s Lamentations Service livestream from Agios Demetrios Church in Piraeus, a suburb of Athens near where Khouria Dianna and I used to stay. Any Protestant readers, including me long years ago, would not believe what it was like. […]
Read More »This is a beautiful service, the service I love above all others – and that’s saying a lot. If for some reason you can’t get to church, please watch it livestream, either live or on video. Is this a funeral service? Yes. Is this a resurrection service? Yes! We stand before the bier on which […]
Read More »