I was five years old in 1958 and regularly watched the Disney show. Each week Jiminy Cricket crooned the same song to my listening ears: When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires will come to you. And each week I would go to bed and sob […]
The Can Opener
“For the needy shall not always be Forgotten: the expectation of the Poor shall not perish forever.” Psalm 9:18 As I shuffled through the post cards that had arrived by return mail, one in particular caught my eye. Unlike the others listing gift requests for children, this one included a request for Mildred, the mother. […]
Santa Lucia
Bread of all our hope – In the darkening world When the wind is full of teeth And the night a gaping mouth. On the brink of the world night, The final night, Night of the great soul-famine, Man, creations’s husbandman, Drowns in his own numbers – thousands and thousands fall into the bottomless night, […]
Why Give Thanks?
Why give thanks? Because it’s the will of God: In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, […]
Why is There a Line of People?
by Randall Hay One of the most moving sights in our church – for me, at least – is a line of people waiting to confess to the priest. These lines include all kinds of parishioners: mothers, fathers, children; sub deacons in cassocks, nuns; octogenarians, young adults and everyone in between. In the Orthodox Church, […]
Video Release: The Joy of Stained Glass
Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Christian Church received a Historic Preservation Education Grant to fund a series of four videos that showcase the restoration projects that have been accomplished in our church. The project is called, “Expressions of Joy,” and our first video is, “The Joy of Stained Glass.” This is the public release […]
Immersed in Evil – Then Saved by Christ
Séances, astrology, Ouija Boards, palm reading, Tarot cards, and more – all attempts to circumvent God and find knowledge through the dark side. And despite the many warnings in scripture against such things, we are often tempted to dabble in one or more of these. “Just for fun,” we tell ourselves, “It’s harmless.” Some serious […]
Wisdom from God is Available to You
When Sergius of Radonezh (known as Bartholomew before he became a monk), was growing up, his ability to learn did not match that of his two brothers. Then one day he met an old monk who, after Bartholomew explained his difficulties, gave Bartholomew a small piece of communion bread with the blessing, “Take and eat […]
Dateline: October 11, 1280
Dateline: October 11, 1280 Mount Athos Yesterday, 22 monks and 4 laymen of the Orthodox faith were martyred by Latin crusaders. The martyrs were burned alive after refusal to accept union with another faith as ordered by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Paleologos. Wanting to secure his throne, the emperor gave allowance for Crusaders together with […]
Orthodoxy in the Public Library
There’s one thing avid readers and occasional readers can agree on: books are getting expensive! That’s why we were thrilled when the public library came to Mother Macaria (our bookstore manager) and asked for a list of recommended books they could purchase for the library. Since then, she has sold quite a few books to […]