In the book “Everyday Saints” there is a section about a monastery in Russia which had fallen into moral decay. This was not long ago, by the way. It all happened only a century ago. These monks, not unlike the Prodigal son, had taken the divine inheritance from their heavenly Father, and spent it on […]
Category: Article
Orthodox Marriage & Its Misunderstanding
The love that exists between a man and a woman is an important theme in many books of Scripture. The Book of Genesis, in particular, tells us of holy and pious couples, such as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel. A special blessing, bestowed on these couples by the Lord, was made […]
Why do we Celebrate Christmas on December 25th?
Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to […]
Is God Just?
Is God just? Archpriest Alexei Uminsky, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly (Moscow), reflects on this difficult question. The question of Divine justice is, of course, quite complex. It is probably difficult to call God just – perhaps even impossible – because we do not observe Divine justice in the […]
The Real St. Nicholas
One of the things I hate about going shopping during the season of the Christmas rush is the music that is piped in over the mall sound system. I would happy with traditional renderings of the old carols, but instead, my ears are assaulted with the latest auditory atrocity, celebrating Christmas as a time of […]
Christian Names & Patron Saints
The Orthodox Church has always placed great significance upon names. In fact, not only are names of great import in the Church, but the actual process of naming someone holds great significance to us. These customs are of divine origin and of tremendous significance, but unfortunately are not a part of modern American culture. The […]