The veneration of the Virgin Mary has long been point of contention among Christians. Although it may be difficult to delineate a uniform position among the plethora of Protestant denominations, it is generally recognized that most of the Reformed Churches have no particular place of honor for the Virgin Mary in their theology or worship. Most believe that her role was fulfilled at giving physical birth to the human Jesus Christ and from there on she is nothing but a regular woman that went on with her life, having other children and never to be heard of again. On the other hand the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox, although may differ in some theological aspects, hold the Virgin Mary… Continue reading
Entries Tagged as 'orthodox'
Who’s afraid of the Most Holy Virgin Mary?
August 3rd, 2011 No Comments
Tags: Catholics · Eastern · idol · Maria · Mariolatry · Mary · Opinion · orthodox · Protestants · Roman · Theotokos · Virgin
Always forward looking
July 15th, 2011 No Comments
One of the issues that philosophy has spent a lot of ink on is the answer to the question: who we are? Many thinkers have tried to give a proper answer to this basic question, and yet , despite their efforts, the world is confronted with a huge identity crisis with profound effects at all levels of our society.
In Christianity however, this question is already answered and answered in a very fulfilling way. We know who we are: the Creation of the Most High, fashioned out of His boundless love. Our origin is in Him and this suffices for us. The more important question, as Christians, should be however: where are we going?
The human life should… Continue reading
Tags: Ascension · christian · dynamic · mountain · orthodox · progress · transfiguration
My summertime with God
July 1st, 2011 No Comments
Time is a very precious asset. As a priest, in Confession one of the most common sins I hear is the lack of time for prayer. The majority of the people realize that their prayer life lacks the breadth and the depth it should have and yet over and over they repeat the same mistake. I know very well out of personal experience what a busy schedule looks like, so I generally have a lot of compassion in this respect.
The other day however I read an interesting survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding how the average Americans spend their time, and my sympathetic mindset has been severely shook.
Here is the daily schedule of… Continue reading
Tags: christian · orthodox · redemption · relax · sleep · statistics · time · TV · Vacation · waste · Work
The chronicle of a social death foretold
June 1st, 2011 3 Comments
A friend of mine died yesterday. He made a public announcement about it and then he committed suicide. Not physically, spare the thought, but for all practical purposes he is now dead to the world. How did it happen? Well, he officially announced that he is quitting Facebook for good, and, with this, his life has ended; no one will even remember that he ever was; he has passed into the World Wide Web oblivion.
He is not the only one to end like this. Today, if you do not have an electronic presence, you are a nobody to the world. If all your friends do not know what time you woke up and what you ate for breakfast… Continue reading
Tags: Christ · christian · church · Communion · community · Depression · ekklesia · facebook · faith · Jesus · online · orthodox · social media · twitter
Credo ergo sum – I believe therefore I am
May 3rd, 2011 No Comments
Last year there were rumors that the tomb of Jesus was found. The other day some claimed to have found the nails that were used to crucify Christ. More and more news like this surface today and, although most of them prove to be untrue, the people avidly read them because we, even as Christians, are not happy anymore with what the Holy Tradition has passed unto us for centuries and we want new proof for everything. We have ceased to believe in the catholicity of the Church, in the universal truth shared in the community of the ecclesia for generations and we trust more the intellect of man, despite its shortcomings, ignoring the divine Sophia, the Wisdom of God… Continue reading
Tags: apostle · believe · Christ · christian · doubt · doubting · orthodox · Resurrection · Thomas · truth
Hristos anesti! Christ is risen!
April 27th, 2011 1 Comment
Tags: Christ is risen · Christos anesti · Easter · Hristos a inviat · orthodox · Pascha · Resurrection
Athos reflections -a pilgrim’s photographic journal
March 23rd, 2011 No Comments
I just decided to publish my photos from the pilgrimage to Mount Athos I took last October. Take a look at it. If you like it you can have your own copy by following the link.
Tags: book · journal · Monastery · Mount Athos · orthodox · photography
Lent as transforming expectation
March 5th, 2011 No Comments
But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit. (2Co 3:18)
Coming back home the other day, I observed with great joy that some trees on my street started to blossom. I was immediately moved to think: the winter is over, spring is here! All the cold weather, all the snow and the ice is gone. But, the thought continued, if we won’t pass through winter we couldn’t appreciate spring in its fullness.
One the most beautiful celebrations in Japan is the cherry blossom festival. People gather from afar to be… Continue reading
Tags: christian · expectation · Fasting · lent · orthodox · transformation
Frightened by Confession Part 3 – My first Confession?
February 23rd, 2011 1 Comment
As the Great Lent is about to start, and Fr. X speaks again on Confession, Nick begins to realize that Confession should be part of his regular Christian life as a divine given tool that is indispensable for his continuing spiritual growth and the strengthening of His relationship with God. Overcoming the anxiety that is common before a first Confession, he sets up an appointment with Fr. X. However, the more he thinks about it the more he realizes that he does not really know what to say or do during Confession… Continue reading
Tags: adult · baptism · Confession · first · freightened · mystery · orthodox · sacrament · second
Christian love and human eros on Valentine’s Day
February 11th, 2011 No Comments
Valentine’s Day is a big deal in America and I am not going to try to diminish that. Even though trying to trace back the roots of this tradition is a very convoluted task, at this point in time it really doesn’t matter to any one where it all started it doesn’t matter if the real St. Valentine existed or not, or if the romancing stories around him are truth or pure fiction, people celebrate it unconditionally. Out of this mess one thing is sure: if you fail to buy chocolate and/or flowers on this day you are toast… Continue reading
Tags: christian · crowning · love · marriage · modern · orthodox · pagan · Valentine's Day
