On the Remembrance of Death
Tonight, brothers and sisters in Christ, we offer our hearts and prayers in this Evening Raising of Incense service on the eve of the Fourth Sunday of the blessed Coptic month of Paope. Every day, our loving Mother, the Holy Church, nourishes us with different spiritual teachings through the Katamerous, or the daily readings, which are quite accessible these days. I wholeheartedly encourage you to search out these readings every day, whether we have services …
The Third Day Memorial: No More Clichés
As Orthodox Christians, our departed loved ones are never far from our minds and the consciousness of the Holy Church. From the very beginning, the Church established special prayers and memorials for the repose of their souls, a practice which stems from our faith that those who have departed continue to live in Christ and that the connection between the living and dead does not cease to exist after their departure. Rather, this bond of …
The Beautiful Gate of Nain
On the Fourth Sunday of the blessed Coptic month of Paopi, our Mother, the Holy Church, nourished us with the story of the Raising of the Son of the Widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17: “And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was …
The Right to Really Die
On October 5, the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a new law that confers what is known as the “right to die” upon people living in this state.The media has done an exceptionally good job in distorting the meaning of this law for Christians. The Associated Press, for example, is careful to note that Gov. Brown is a “lifelong Catholic and former Jesuit seminarian” who signed the law after discussing the issue with a …
The Conqueror of Death in the Tomb
As we conclude our celebration of the Saturday of Light or Bright Saturday, commemorating our Savior’s entombment and descent into Hell, we recall that His tomb was only a short distance away from His Cross. As He hung on the Cross, He must have gazed on the tomb and remembered the words of the Righteous Job, “My spirit is wasted, my days are shortened, and only the grave remaineth for me” (Job 17:1).However, our Lord …
The Power of Love over Death
Today, we celebrate the Raising of Lazarus as a precursor to our celebration of our Savior’s victory over death next Saturday and His Resurrection next Sunday.We remember in these celebrations that the power of the Resurrection is not a separate power of God, but rather, it is the power of God’s love for mankind. God is Love and Love is Life. When Christ weeps at Lazarus’ grave, He weeps in His love for us as …