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Learning to die before we could learn how to live – About Holy Communion in times of pandemic

Before we start, I want to qualify my words. This article is just a personal reflection, sparked by conversations I had  with a few good friends of mine, to whom I am very grateful. It is not meant to convince anyone, nor to make a  dogmatic or political stance, just my two cents for what they are worth.

The pandemic that has engulfed the world in its tiny viral claws has ignited a very vivid discussion in the Orthodox Church, regarding the way we distribute Holy Communion. As scientists, secular governments are attempting, in some places, to impose a change to our centuries old tradition of distributing the Body and Blood of Christ with a silver spoon, the Church is also trying to give a good response to this… Continue reading

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What is Man? Series (2)- Male and Female Engaged in the Holy Struggle

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Beloved in Christ,

Before we start discussing anything, we have to recognize that there is a difference, an enormous difference, between the state of Creation before the Fall and after the Fall. We also have to acknowledge that we only know, through our senses and through our rational knowledge, the formal, the fallen world. All we know about the state of the cosmos, before… Continue reading

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‘What is Man?’ Series (1) – The Abortion Debate

“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’” (St. Anthony the Great)[i]

Beloved in Christ,

The raging war that is going on in our culture for some time has at its center the understanding of man and his relationship with the Divinity, if one even recognizes one. In other words, it is a problem of anthropology. To understand this, according to the well-known Christian Orthodox bioethicist, Tristram Engelhardt, of blessed memory, one “ought [to] acknowledge that the[se] disputes […] are located in a fundamentally religious conflict: a conflict between a traditional Christian… Continue reading

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Man and woman as reflected in the original meaning of creation – complementarity and synergy in the salvation of the family in Christ

In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Your Eminence, Your Grace, Reverend Fathers, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Before we start discussing anything, we have to recognize that there is a difference, an enormous difference, between the state of Creation before the Fall and after the Fall. We also have to acknowledge that we only know, through our senses and through our rational knowledge, the formal, the fallen world. All we know about the state of the cosmos before the fall is through the glimpses of revelations given to the prophets and the Fathers. What we know now as the world, however, is not all there is and, definitely… Continue reading

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Both Now and Ever…

JanusThe first of January is the beginning of the New Year, and in the same time the end of the old one.  The Romans named this month January based on Janus, one of their pagan deities, the god of all beginning and all ends. He was represented with two heads, one old, one young, looking in opposite directions. Of course, this is a false god, he does not exist, yet his symbolism persists in our calendar and, every year, when we celebrate the New Year, we look in these two direction: the past and the future.

For us Christians, the only acceptable beginning and the end, the only alpha and omega, is the One True God, One in… Continue reading

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The Narthex as a Dynamic Place of Transformation

narthexThe icon of the Fest of Transfiguration, which we celebrate on August 6th, is a beautiful metaphor for the union and the reconciliation that Christ brings between the Old and the New Testament. In this icon we see Christ in the Uncreated Light, flanked on each side by Moses and Elijah, prophetic figures of the Old Testament while, prostrated in front of the transfigured Christ, we find three of His disciples Peter, John and James.

St. Ephraim the Syrian makes a point of this “reunion” of old and new to say:
“The Prophets and the Apostles gathered on the mount were filled with joy; the Prophets rejoiced for they have beheld here His humanity which they did not… Continue reading

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The Christian Family Suspended Between Tradition and Temptation*

Root of JeseeBeloved Brothers and Sister in Christ,

As you can see, even from my short greeting, this talk about family is actually a talk in the family. I am not here to preach to strangers, but to converse with people familiar to us who will be able to better understand what I have to say, because you are hearing it from within. You hear a lot from the outside as well; there is a lot of talk about family these days, with everyone trying to define, or rather re-define, what family is, many times based on personal thoughts and feelings or ideologies of various groups of interests, creating a lot of confusion. In the midst of all… Continue reading

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An Icon of the Christian Family

Everyone’s favorite time of the year is the period before Christmas, when the air is filled with joy, peace and expectation. We are blessed to live in a country that looks forward to Christmas although we might seem to have lost some of its meaning along the way.  We have radio stations that air carols without ceasing, exalting the season, although many of them speak about snow, jolly figures carrying gifts, family time and other things that are all fine, but missing maybe the point of all this festival. It is wonderful that everyone celebrates Christmas, in their own way, and even people that don’t believe in God enjoy the season and try to be “good for goodness’ sake”, as a recent billboard from our atheistic friends reads recently (we… Continue reading

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Giving Thanks to God for All Things

Holy 40 martyrsEvery year on Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks to God for our wonderful life. We rejoice in the fruits of the earth (with or without feathers) gathered around a table of abundance. A good thing indeed! Saint Basil the Great advised us to do this as early as the 4th century:
”When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the… Continue reading

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A Union for the Kingdom

Greek-Orthodox-WeddingIn case you haven’t been following the news, the Supreme Court has recently ruled in favor of the recognition of same-sex unions throughout United States. Does this come as a surprise? Absolutely not! We knew it was just a matter of time. But how did we get here? How come that we need a court of law to decide what marriage is?

Before we start pointing fingers at the state for changing our understanding of marriage, we have to admit first that even in Christianity, there are different views of what actually marriage is. Most Christians would agree that marriage is a union between a man and a woman that mutually agree to spend their lives together, but looking deeper… Continue reading