Tag Archives: Orthodox

In this gospel, Jesus teaches us that the only way we can overcome the evil in this world, is through prayer and fasting. The incident in today’s Gospel took place immediately after the Transfiguration. At the Transfiguration three of our Lord’s disciples, Peter, James and John saw our Lord Jesus Christ as He truly is, shining with the glory of …

On December 26, 2013 vocative.com published the article The Religious Spoils of War, which featured an interview with Syrian rebel Abu Jafar, leader of the “Battalion of the Martyr Abu Taan”, which is an offshoot of “Free Kalamoon”. Abu Jafar was revealed to be the one responsible with pillaging the Monasteries of Saint Thekla and Saint Sergius in Maaloula which he …

Author: Fr James Bernstein Published by Conciliar Press, 2009 (Source: http://thechristianactivist.com)   Light and fire are interconnected. Light radiates heat, and when focused produces fire; fire emanates light. Both also have a wide spectrum of electromagnetic rays and energy, such as radiate from stars. Light illumines, is life-giving, but also burns. Orthodoxy teaches that on a supernatural level, uncreated light, …

Twenty years of Greek Serbian Friendship celebrated in Sydney Neos Kosmos – 2 Oct 2013 With more than 35 dancing groups participating, and a program of more than eight hours, the annual Greek-Serbian Orthodox and Cultural Friendship Day was celebrated last Sunday in Rooty Hill, Sydney. Serbian and Greek dancing schools were joined by other Orthodox communities to give unique …

The following sermon address was given by His Grace Bishop Basil of Wichita to the parish of St Mary Orthodox Church in Wichita, Kansas regarding the crisis in Syria, September 8, 2013:  “This week will be a very important week, an historical week, one way or another–our church, our Patriarchate in particular, and this world in general. This week our …

ORTHODOX MINISTER PUT AN ECCENTRIC SPIN ON LIFE Fr John Maitland Moir, 1924 – 2013 At Edinburgh University, the flag flew at half-mast in honour of Father John  Maitland Moir, the Orthodox Chaplain to the university. His life had elements of  the popularised, practical and unconventional Christianity of C.S. Lewis, to  which he added layers of spirituality and asceticism. He …

14 June 2013 Speakers at a conference in Oxford last week gave strong indications that the two Orthodox archbishops kidnapped near the Syrian city of Aleppo on 22 April had been killed. A senior regional source said he thought Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi had been murdered on the day that they were kidnapped. The pair …

Introduction In recent times, there has been a subtle but noticeable trend of Byzantine iconography manifesting itself within the decor of Roman Catholic and Protestant churches all around the world. To the discerning Orthodox Christian observer, initially there is joy at the fact that other fellow Christians are adopting and using iconography as an expression of faith, and thus serve …

Here in New Zealand, and in places where the other Orthodox Christians (the Antiochians, Russians, Serbs, Romanians, etc) do not have churches and priests of their own as (well as) in the Fiji Islands, we the Greek Orthodox cover their devotional needs. So well-pleasing and very beautiful are our shared feelings every time and whenever all we Orthodox attend the …

Introduction The role played by the discipline of fasting  has figured prominently within the spiritual life of Christianity, and has remained integral to the Orthodox Church. Its purpose and meaning is multifaceted, to which entire treatises have been written on the subject. For this reason, we will not labour the point by providing an exhaustive exposition on the subject, since …