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The Name of our Lord Jesus Christ was given by revelation: “You shall name Him ‘Jesus’” (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31), and “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).When, with faith and trust, we call upon the Name of Jesus, we enter His presence. Over time, we become “a temple of God” (I Corinthians 3:16), who...  Read More

Prayer is our path toward freedom, for it connects each of us with divine strength to overcome our passions and become who God designed us to be. Without prayer there is only madness.You can use a daily Prayer Rule from any standard Orthodox Prayer Book, or you can use either of these suggestions:SHORTER RuleUpon waking, take a moment to quiet the senses,then begin with the Great Doxology:Glory to...  Read More

An expressly liturgical language is intended not only to function as a suitably dignified medium, but also to cultivate an awareness of the division between the sacred and the profane. This division is evident in every material manifestation of the Church — in her architecture, her vestments, her music, her iconography. In each of these the Church has her own mode of expression which is quite diff...  Read More

After His Resurrection and before His Ascension, our Lord Jesus gave His disciples this command: “Go forth into all the world and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:8). This is t...  Read More

by St Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia(7 February 1906 - 2 December 1991)The Church is without beginning, without end, and eternal, just as the Triune God, her founder is without beginning, without end, and eternal. She is uncreated just as God is uncreated. She existed before the ages, before the angels, before the creation of the world — before the foundation of the world, as the Apostle Paul says (Ep...  Read More

Communities, like individuals, are unique; still, we all share the human condition. So it is that groups assembled deliberately to form themselves into genuine community routinely go through certain stages in the process.These stages, in order, are: pseudo-community, chaos, emptiness, and community.Pseudo-communityThe first response of a group in seeking to form a community is most often to try to...  Read More

How Shall We Live?The Rhythms of Christian LifeOrthodoxy is the path toward freedom. To be free from sinful passions so that we can grow into who God designed us to be — this is the Orthodox way. And to rise into the radiant perfection of Jesus Christ — this is the goal and the joy of the Christian! Just as all the fullness of God dwells in Christ (Colossians 2:9), so is all the fullness of Christ...  Read More

Who Am I Now?The Vows and Vision of BaptismDeeply momentous in one’s life — even echoing into eternity — is the Mystery of Baptism. The Holy Spirit descends to do His transfiguring work. Vows are made and a vision is given to the newly-illuminated warrior of Christ.To help us recall the glory to which we are called, here are excerpts from the Baptism andChrismation services:From the EXORCISM"Look ...  Read More

A Cleansing ConfessionA Practical GuideWhen fellowship with God and each other has been broken by sin, the Church — since its earliest days — provides a way to restoration: the Sacrament of Confession (or, much better, Reconciliation), in which we experience forgiveness from God, unburden the soul, and restore fellowship with God and each other.Why confession? Because sin separates us from God — o...  Read More

Conflict in Christ: Walking the Road Toward Peace TogetherIf you’re fighting with another person, you’re ultimately fighting the wrong battle, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and powers and world rulers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12).Yet, our Lord Jesus was realistic: fallen people in a fallen wor...  Read More

Orthodox Christianity teaches that a clear distinction exists between the uncreated God and the created world. God is good, and because God created the world, the world is good; but it is also fallen, and as a result we face additional distinctions: between old and new 1, death and life 2, profane and sacred 2, all the degrees of shadow and the very Light Itself 4. Salvation may be understood as t...  Read More