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
Before we get into the Gospel story… Tonight at the end of the Aposticha we hear the Hymn of Kassiane, a Ninth Century nun and hymnographer. She was one of several young women interviewed by Emperor Theophilus as a prospective bride. The story says he was so flummoxed by Kassiane’s beauty that he said something […]
Read More »The Exaposteilarion hymn sung in Bridegroom Matins – from “Orthodox Chants”. Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:15-46; 23:1-39 In tonight’s Gospel, the confrontation between Jesus and the authorities continues. They must stop this Man. Killing Him was the last option. The better way, the cleanest way, was still to outwit Him, discredit Him. They’d had no success […]
Read More »Holy Monday Morning: Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Gospel Reading: Matthew 24:3-35 In the Gospel today and tomorrow we hear Jesus’ teachings about the Last Things. Matthew says that on Monday the disciples (small town boys from up north) were marveling at the great buildings in Jerusalem. Jesus said, “I tell you, the time is coming when […]
Read More »Why, you ask, are we having Matins (usually served in the morning) in the evening? Why do we have Vesperal Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (obviously an evening service) in the morning? I’m sorry you asked. Here’s my guess: it’s because our Matins hymn “The Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night” was written […]
Read More »Giovanni di Paolo, 1326 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 […]
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