On Great and Holy Friday
Today He Who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree. The King of the angels is decked with a crown of thorns. He Who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. He Who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped on the face. The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the Cross with nails. The Son of the Virgin is pierced by a spear.
We worship Your Passion, O Christ.
We worship Your Passion, O Christ.
We worship Your Passion, O Christ.
Show us also Your glorious Resurrection.
A definition of true patience
Here’s a quote from the late Russian Orthodox pastor and scholar, Father Alexander Men, on what real patience looks like. We don’t read much about Father Men today, but he was instrumental in the spiritual rebirth of the Russian Orthodox Church at the time of the fall of Communism. You can read more about him at this link.
The Beatitudes
Summary
The Beatitudes are a central part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They are also central to his entire Gospel and, indeed, to the life of every Christian.
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Monday prayer, readings, reflection
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Today’s scripture readings → https://www.oca.org/readings/daily/2023/02/20
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29) The Orthodox Church doesn’t do a lot of fire-preaching. And when we do talk about fire, it is something very different. → https://share.descript.com/view/4D6HGr2lokI
Love in Christ,
+FrAJ
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Eden’s forbidden tree
Summary
In the Book of Genesis, we read that God planted two trees in the Garden of Eden. One tree promised life, the other tree was much less promising. Here’s a reflection on the Eastern Orthodox Christian understanding of Eden’s forbidden tree.
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Matthew Bible Study (Part 6): Matthew 3:13-17
Summary
In this episode, we look at the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, and the great theological truth revealed at that moment.
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When imperfect faith is enough
Summary
The honesty with which the Gospels portray the doubts and struggles of the apostles reminds us that our faith doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be persistent.
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Matthew Bible Study (Part 5): Matthew 3:1-12
Summary
In this episode, we skip ahead 30 years, to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. But we don’t start with Jesus. First, we’re introduced to John the Baptist.
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Orthodox Christianity and the Old Testament
Summary
This is a recording that I pulled out of the archives. It’s a look at the story of Lot from the book of Genesis, with a discussion about the lens through which the Orthodox Church reads the Old Testament.
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Eastern Orthodoxy 