Mid(ish) Lenten Update and a Nice Rant

I've titled this the way that I did because when this goes public It Will probably actually be mid-Lent. But, for my Patrons, they get early access. Hooray!

I like to put out updates during this time since 1) I typically do a social media fast, and 2) my readers/followers can be apprised of what Is going on. I don't want my Patrons (especially the paying ones) to go too long without getting any content from me.

So far, my Lent has been filled with blessings. I did end up sick with the flu or similar for about a week, and then after that I ended up in the hospital for 2 nights with a GI inflammation. I'm actually sitting in an examination room waiting on the doctor for a follow-up appointment from my hospital stay while writing this particular sentence. I still consider this to be a blessing, because I'm sure this was a gift from God.

Naturally, as a human, I am prone to error, and I have definitely done so.

One failing is that I haven't made it to a Vespers service this Lent. I also said I'd totally join the choir, but have yet to attend a practice - which takes place before Vespers. I need to hold myself a lot more accountable than I have been.

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The Importance of Knowing Our Faith

 I'll admit that I am not up to date with a lot of what is going on in the Protestant world since starting on my journey to Orthodoxy some 14 years ago. It leaves me to wonder what old heresy they'll rehash and try to pass off as new knowledge. And that leads us to this image that I found on Facebook...

On Evangelism

 

 

On the Finding of the True Cross

On Wednesday, the 14th of September, we Orthodox (and a few other liturgical types) celebrate the finding of the True Cross by St. Helen (or Helena), the mother of St. Constantine the emperor of Rome. This feast is known as the Elevation of the Holy Cross.

On Charity

I hope that everyone had a good, and profitable weekend. This post is on a topic that I struggle with all of the time. I'm almost hesitant to post this because it gets a little personal for me, but that is kind of the point of Lectio Divina. This post is not about charity in the modern sense, but about love.

On Relics

When I was reading the Prologue from Ohrid yesterday (16Jan2022), the first thing that I read was about the chains of the Apostle St. Peter. In this paragraph on St. Peter I saw a verse from Acts that I had never really considered before, and that being Acts 19:12.

Lectio Divina

When I was a novice oblate I was given a handbook with twelve lessons to be completed within a year - one lesson per month. At the beginning of the handbook, it is explained that there are six duties of a Benedictine Oblate of Our Lady and Saint Laurence. One of those duties is the practice of Lectio Divina - or Divine Reading.

The Significance of a Sarcrament

I'm going to try a new series here. I know, I don't think I finished anything else I started, why should this be any different? Well... reasons. And stop making fun of my ADHD, it makes finishing things and keeping focus very

On Celtic Christianity pt. 2

In my last post I talked about how it is very difficult to recreate an authentic Celtic Christianity. This is due to the lack of knowledge that we have about the Celts and how they practiced Christianity. Of course we do have the resources I mentioned, such as the Stowe Missal, the Antiphonary of Bangor, and the Rule of Tallaght, with which we could recreate a version of the Culdees. But there is another resource we can use for some insight into what is still a particular form of Celtic piety.

On Unitarianism

Unitarianism is the belief that God the Father is the only person of the Godhead, or rather that Jesus is not a distinct person of the Godhead and not God. This belief is similar to that of Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Arianism, and Jehovah Witness(ism). It should be said that Unitarianism beliefs are in fact a heresy.

The Masculine Appeal of Paganism

I've seen a disturbing trend across social media lately. Many of the men that I know were Christian - even if nominally so - are seemingly leaving their faith and embracing Paganism and Asatru (belief in the Norse gods). Why would this be so? What is causing these men to leave behind Christianity and pick up these different beliefs?

Saint Laurence of Rome

Saint Laurence of Rome was martyred on August 10th in the AD 258.

Sunday of Orthodoxy

Today we celebrate 1) the first Sunday of Great Lent, and 2) the Sunday of Orthodoxy - when the Church celebrates the triumph of the use of icons.

On Faith and Works

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Matthew 15:21-28 KJV
http://bible.com/1/mat.15.21-28.KJV

I find these verses slightly reassuring and also very relevant to our times today.

In this passage from today's daily reading we see that this Canaanite woman comes to Jesus because her daughter was being vexed by a demon. At first Jesus simply ignores her, but through her faith she keeps asking for His help. Finally, even after telling her that He was here for only the lost sheep of Israel, Jesus helps the woman and saves her daughter.

On Gay Marriage, Reprise

Some of you may have read my original post on the issue of gay marriage. So why am I writing yet another blog post about this? How have my views changed, if they have changed at all?

Christianity without Repercussions: Prayer pt 2

In the last post of this series, I covered how we Orthodox pray in just about everything that we do, trying to reach a point of praying without ceasing. I also wrote about how using formal prayers - and set times to pray - are biblical and were also used in the Early Church. I will cover why we pray to (and for) the dead, saints, angles, and the Theotokos.

The Use of Candles in the Orthodox Church

Question: Why do we light candles in the Orthodox Church?

Answer: There are typically two types of candles that Orthodox are familiar with. First there are the genuine pure beeswax candles made from the combs of hives. Secondly, there are the paraffin wax candles made from petroleum. When the Fathers of the Church speak of the Orthodox use of candles, they are referring to the pure beeswax candles and not the latter. Paraffin wax produces carcinogens and soot when burned. In fact, one air quality researcher stated that the soot from a paraffin candle contains many of the same toxins produced by burning diesel fuel.

With this information in mind, we can better understand the six symbolic representations of lit candles handed down to us by Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki:

Read more at Mystagogy

Christianity Without Repercussions: Faith pt 2

In my last post on faith, I touched on the differences between the typical Protestant worship service, and the typical Orthodox worship service. Technically, every Orthodox service is a worship service, but I really only covered the Divine Liturgy, with a brief glimpse at Matins (I haven't even touched on Vespers, Royal Hours, Lenten services, Paschal services, Memorial services, etc). In this post, I am going to continue to compare and contrast services.

Christianity without Repercussions: Faith Pt. 1

In my last post in this series I touched upon the difference between the Orthodox view of Salvation and the Protestant/Evangelical view of Salvation. I still have a lot to delve in to on the salvation end of things (such as the difference in the views of atonement), but I'm going to leave those alone for right now and focus on the Faith aspect of things.

Oldest Hymn to the Theotokos: Reprise

So back on the 15th of January I posted a link to the Oldest Hymn to the Theotokos. Now I thought that article was pretty interesting, so I wanted to go back and give my thoughts as to why this is so significant.