Posted in Catechesis on April 12, 2006 | No Comments »
Faith is a comprehensive knowledge of the essentials, and knowledge is the strong and sure demonstration of what is received by faith, built upon faith by the Lord’s teaching, conveying the soul on to infallibility, science, and comprehension. And, in my view, the first saving change is [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged simplicity on April 5, 2006 | No Comments »
Walk before God in simplicity, and not in subtleties of the mind. Simplicity brings faith; but subtle and intricate speculations bring conceit; and conceit brings withdrawal from God. — St. Isaac of Syria
Let all of us who wish to attract the Lord to ourselves draw near to [...]
Posted in Catechesis on April 5, 2006 | No Comments »
There is only one sin, that of despising anyone. – a desert father
Rage is idolatry. When I rage, I play God. Rage is delusion. The raging person treats his own dissatisfaction not only as another’s crime, but a crime of such magnitude as to cease to see [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged c.s. lewis, fasting, Vladimir Lossky on April 5, 2006 | No Comments »
Notes on the Great Fast
Catechumens: The question with which we’re often greeted by non-Orthodox observing our abstinence during the Great Fast is more or less whether fasting is a good idea. To such questions, we really have nothing to say in any language that would make sense while their [...]
Posted in Catechesis on April 5, 2006 | No Comments »
Catechumens: It is easy to think of the Saints as distant, as inhabiting another time, or a kind of special world. This can feel as though it exempts us from the call to be Saints, but we are each, individually called to that, and the Lord, the angels, and [...]
Posted in Catechesis on February 15, 2006 | No Comments »
The practice of godparents, witnesses or sponsors of a person who is to be baptized, and who are to instruct the person in the rules of Christian living, has existed from the first century of the Christian era. The first written information about godparents is attributed to the second [...]
Posted in Catechesis on February 15, 2006 | No Comments »
From: A Dictionary of
Orthodox Terminology
Fotios K. Litsas, Ph.D.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese web site
Affinity. (Gr. Syngeneia). The spiritual relationship existing between an individual and his spouse’s relatives, or most especially between godparents and godchildren. The Orthodox Church considers affinity an impediment to marriage.
Baptismal Garments. (Gr. [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged godparent, godchild, godfather, godmother, godson, goddaughter on February 15, 2006 | No Comments »
by Sub-deacon Thomas Wilson Godparent and Godchild should develop a close and loving relationship. As with any relationship, this spiritual one needs to be fostered and cared for in order for it to develop. The best way for this relationship to grow is through prayer. Pray [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged godchild, goddaughter, godfather, godmother, godparent, godson on February 15, 2006 | No Comments »
Sub-deacon Thomas Wilson has compiled from the OCA web site and Fr. Timothy Sawchak some areas of responsibility for the godparent. They are written mostly in the tone of godparents of non-adult godchildren, but essentially, they break down into these twelve:
1. Keep the anniversary of [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged church, home prayer, prayer, prayer book on February 11, 2006 | No Comments »
Prayer is the test of everything; prayer is also the source of everything; prayer is the driving force of everything; prayer is also the director of
everything. If prayer is right, everything is right. For prayer will not allow anything to go wrong. - St. Theophan the Recluse
Every [...]
Posted in Catechesis, tagged church, home prayer, prayer, prayer book on February 11, 2006 | No Comments »
The temptation to fear private prayer or treat it with overmuch delicacy is a deadly one. It can also be a misconception, since private prayer is never prayer ‘alone’. All Orthodox prayer is prayer in and with the Church, the Saints, the Angels. This is especially true of prayer [...]
Posted in Catechesis on February 8, 2006 | No Comments »
HYMN TO THE RESURRECTION:
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ,
let us worship, the holy Lord Jesus,
the only Sinless One!
We venerate Thy Cross, O Christ,
and Thy Holy Resurrection
we praise and glorify;
for Thou art our God,
and we know no other than Thee;
we call on Thy name.
Come, all you faithful,
let us venerate Christ’s Holy Resurrection!
For, behold, through the Cross
joy [...]
Posted in Catechesis on February 8, 2006 | No Comments »
Just as the simple thought of human realities does not oblige the mind to disdain the divine, so neither does the simple knowledge of divine things persuade it fully to disdain human things, for the reason that the truth exists now in shadows and figures. Hence there is a [...]
Posted in Catechesis on February 1, 2006 | No Comments »
Catechumens: Throughout the scriptures, we learn to be gentle in our speech with others, to season our speech with grace, to be reverent of that which is worthy of reverence, wherever we find it, and to avoid speaking ill of that which is not helped by our condemnation. Christ [...]
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| V & E on Adjectives as Idols |
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| V & E on Transvaluation of Ethics |
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