Fr. Michael Gillis
December 12, 2020
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A few links ...
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Cycles of the Orthodox calendar (and why they matter) by Dr. Nicole Rojas
- https://www.pravmir.com/mama-said/ Jesus listens to his Mother at the Wedding at Cana
- Pravmir.com: Orthodox Christianity and the world
- Why We Do That: A Guide for Understanding Orthodoxy after 2,000 Years by Fr. Matthew Streett
- The New Athesim and Five Argunments for God by William Lane Craig
- Men and Church by Frederica Mathewes-Green
- The Role of Women in the Eastern Orthodox Church by Angelo Nicolaides
- WHY ORTHODOX MEN LOVE CHURCH by Frederica Mathewes-Green
- Theotokos - The Joy of All Who Sorrow by Helen Creticos Theodoropoulos (Excerpted from an address given March 23, 1996)
- A very Large Glossary of Orthodox Terms from Church of the Mother of God
- 12 Things I Wish I’d Known… (First Visit to an Orthodox Church) by Frederica Mathewes-Green, Copyright © 1989-2013
- The Meaning of the Great Fast by Mother Mary and Bishop Kallistos Ware
- Fasting (Rules) in the Holy Orthodox Church by Photios Michael and AnnaSophia
- A Letter to an Evangelical An explanation of why tradition matters by Father Michael B. Johnson
- Why do we fast? Always do the things you CAN do: The Holy Fathers on Fasting. Prison Ministry Letter.
- How to Set up a prayer (icon) corner is a good summary of where, what icons and items are appropriate, and some cautions about the place of worship in your home
- Church Etiquette: This is meant as a guide and local customs may vary
- Conservative minds convert to Orthodox Christianity by Rod Dreher
- Children in Church by Abbott Tryphon
- Link HERE to many more articles that have appeared on this site
What We Want in Our Political Leaders
Website of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship
"....In a word, we want leaders who are not prisoners of power, profit, possession, position, privilege and pleasure."
SHOWING THE WORLD TO BE THE WORLD
Fr. Stephen Freeman
Is God a Fool?
May 23, 2022 · Fr. Stephen Freeman
PRAISE YE THE LORD FROM THE HEAVENS
Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)
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Prayer corner with icons, Bible, candles, and incense |
CREATED OUT OF NOTHING FROM THE WILL OF GOD
The Doctrine of the Creation of the World, Part 1
St. Innocent of Kherson
The Priest “Father”?
Source: Out of Egypt
FR. JAMES GUIRGUIS | 23 AUGUST 2022
The Reading from 1 Corinthians 4:9-16
Mean for us Today?
PRIEST ROBERT MICLEAN | 02 OCTOBER 2022
A Particular Scandal
Source: Glory to God for All Things
ARCHPRIEST STEPHEN FREEMAN | 01 AUGUST 2022
Prayer is Not Optional
Albert S. Rossi
St. Vladimir Monastery Summer Institute
“ITS BETTER TO LET TEENAGERS BE,
PRAY FOR THEM
AND SURROUND THEM WITH LOVE”
What is Incense?
The ingredients given to Moses by God:
Ex 30:34-38 - 34And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
(Wood) Resins:
Resins are natural secretions which occur when the bark of the plant is damaged, which provides protection from pests. Frankincense, myrrh, copal, damar, and amber are common resins. Resin don’t give off much scent until they are burned; exposure to high heat causes resins to give off smoke and aroma. Benzoin is a very common fixative with an earthy “vanilla ice cream” scent.
Athonite incense, in the tradition of the Greek monasteries of Mount Athos, are made from pure frankincense tears ground into a powder and mixed with fragrant oils and aromatic wood resins. The mixture is kneaded into a “dough-like” consistency; rolled and cut. The pieces are coated with a very finely ground white clay to mitigate the stickiness to keep the rolled pellets from clumping together. The incense is finally cure for at least 30 days which results in a substance of complex fragrances.
Some popular types of Athonite incense include: Old Church - a woody blend of frankincense, cedar, fir needles, and vetiver. Burning Bush – soft floral with cinnamon, clove, and honey. Jerusalem – powerful rose with berry, and honey. Bethlehem Rose – rose with vanilla. Damascus Rose – intense rose fragrance with rich amber. Byzantium – geranium, lily, wild berry, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla. Evergreen and Embers - fir, spruce, balsam, cedarwood and moss with touches of cinnamon, cloves, and eucalyptus (great during Nativity season). Nazareth – sandalwood, musk, florals, and cinnamon. Iveron – white blossoms, rose, lily, and musk. Certain varieties of incense are popular during particular Festal seasons - such as rose scented varieties for celebrations of the Theotokos. Other varieties (such as Nazareth) may be "low impact" for those persons with sensitivities to smoke or asthmatic.
Athonite style incense is burned using a charcoal tablet in a “burner” with is usually metal, stone, or other heat resistant container.
(The types of charcoal and charcoal burners are covered in these articles ---->>>>HERE)
REGARDING ICONOGRAPHY
Living the Golden Rule
Excerpts from artcle by
PRIEST LUKE A. VERONIS | 05 OCTOBER 2020
Let’s be the change we want to see in the world. What we want to see in others, let us start doing to others! Even if we don’t see a change in the world, we’ll see a change in ourselves!
Interestingly, the world’s religions agree on the Golden Rule, yet most of them approach it from the negative perspective – “DON’T do something bad to others, which you DON’T want them to do to you.”
Obviously, this would change our world if we didn’t do things to others which we don’t want them to do to us. Yet, our Lord Jesus emphasizes the Golden Rule in today’s Gospel reading from a positive perspective, precisely because He realizes that it’s not simply enough NOT to do something bad to someone else. The Christian goal isn’t simply to NOT do something, but we must go a step further and DO GOOD THINGS to others.
As follows of Jesus Christ, who is Love Incarnate, we understand that love isn’t the absence of bad, but it is the presence of good. We must consciously and actively display love to others; Christians live out the fulfillment of their faith by DOING GOOD ACTS for others, just as we want others to treat us well. Thus, Jesus calls His followers to take a proactive stance of love.
Read the whole article here: Living the Golden Rule
Gaining the Attention of the Mind
One of the major challenges in our prayer life
Essential Truths needed for salvation
- Accept God's power and be afraid
- Always live in the Now and don't expect anything
- Confess sins and beg God's forgiveness
- Truly believe in forgiveness. Forgive yourself and forgive others
- There really is a path to salvation
- Acknowledge mysteries, miracles, angels, and saints
- Believe in the devil; don't be distracted by his tricks
(This list was offered by an old friend and is his personal list which helps him during his struggles and are of course shared by many believers)
How We Should Conduct Ourselves in Church
ARCHPRIEST JOHN WHITEFORD
JUNE 2020
O Lord, I Have Loved The Beauty of Thy House
Psalms 25:8 (LXX)
Children in Church
“Suffer little children to come unto me,
for of such is the Kingdom of God.”
(Luke 18:16)
Feel more at home in Orthodox worship
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Do you want to read a good article? |
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First visit to an Orthodox Church
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Listen to a discussion of the article: |
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Ancient Faith Ministries Podcast: Discussion: "12 Things I Wish I'd Known..." |
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Part I (53 min) Part II (50 min) Part III (51 min) Part IV (52 min)
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DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER
A conversation with Priest Alexy Novikov about humility and anger
Father Alexy Novikov, the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in the Ozerets village of the Tver region explains the difference between true and false humility and talks about “righteous anger”—at what and whom should anger be directed, and whether we should ever resort to anger at all.
HOW TO KNOW GOD
THE HISTORICAL CASE FOR INFANT BAPTISM
Fr. Lawrence Farley
THE PASSIONS
WRITINGS OF SAINT NECTARIOS OF AEGINA
Prayer.
TRUE PRAYER is undistracted, prolonged, performed with a contrite heart an alert intellect. The vehicle of prayer is everywhere humility, and prayer is a manifestation of humility. For being conscious our own weakness, we invoke the power of GOD.
PRAYER unites one with GOD, being a divine conversation and spiritual communion with the Being that is most beautiful and highest.
PRAYER IS FORGETTING EARTHLY THINGS, AN ASCENT TO HEAVEN.
THROUGH PRAYER WE FLEE TO GOD.
PRAYER is truly a heavenly armor, and is alone can keep safe those who have dedicated themselves to God. Prayer is the common medicine for purifying ourselves from the passions, for hindering sin and curing our faults. Prayer is an inexhaustible treasure, an unruffled harbor, the foundation of serenity, the root and mother of myriad's of blessings.
from Selected Passages From the Writings of Orthodox Saints, Compiled by Father Demetrios Serfes.
FORGIVING OTHERS
“If you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God” (Mt. 5:23-24).
“When you stand and pray, forgive anything you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done” (Mk. 11:25).
In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught His followers to pray: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Mt. 6:12, RSV).
“Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any kind. Instead, be kind and tender hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ” (Eph. 4:31-32).
Before the Judgment Seat of Christ