Yesterday finished the last service of Lent. Today begins the first service of Holy Week. Lazarus Saturday liturgy is not celebrated in purple, but in gold. It is an anticipation of the Paschal service of next week. We need the strength of Lazarus Saturday to remind us that the end is coming, for we are […]
Saint John Climacus on humility
The quote below is from Saint John Climacus: A man who takes pride in natural abilities — I mean cleverness, the ability to learn, skill in reading, good diction, quick grasp, and all such skills as we possess without having to work for them — this man, I say, will never receive the blessings of […]
Saint John Chrysostom on fasting
Here are a couple of quotes from Saint John Chrysostom on fasting: Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless because of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and the condition of […]
Some insightful quotes on American Christianity
I will be writing on Wisconsin and some objections raised by a fellow priest today or tomorrow. My schedule has been a bit crowded lately. So, let me leave you with two quotes. The two quotes below are from a Southern Baptist pastor named Michael Spencer. He was the original InternetMonk (go to http://www.internetmonk.com). He died […]
I’d like to try my hand at being rich
Father Orthoduck admits it. This is Lent and the time for admitting things. And, despite all the warning about the love of money being the root of all evils (For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through […]
Hypatia and one of the reasons we repent during Lent
In Lent, we do not simply concentrate on ourselves. During Lent, we also read the Fathers that we may learn more of the grace of Our God. We read so that we may learn to discipline ourselves and grow in the holiness of Our God. But, if we are fully intending to use Lent as […]
Modern American thought patterns
Recently there was a news article that garnered some attention because it allowed for much hilarity from late-night comedians. Sadly it was an article summarizing a study that found that people who were regular attenders at church were fatter than others in this already quite fat country: Young, religiously active people are more likely than […]
More on pride during Lent
Well, Father Orthoduck thought that he and Father Ernesto were done posting on pride and Lent. However, the above comic was too good to pass off. As Father Ernesto commented in his previous post, he knows how easy it is for priests to fall into pride. But, the comic above nicely illustrates the false spirituality […]
The primordial sin
I had the opportunity of hearing Father Thomas Hopko speak. He quoted a young seminary student, who is now Metropolitan Jonah of the OCA, who he said wrote a most felicitous phrase in one of his papers. I doubt I can fully quote it correctly, but he said that the phrase was that the primordial […]
Of mushrooms and Lent
Let me tell you a story of some people whom I personally know. It speaks to how we may behave in a very difficult economy. On Monday I visited a physician in a small town in the center of Florida. He was born in Lebanon, and speaks with an accent. But, there he is in […]
