This week, in addition to the Feast of our Lord’s Circumcision, the Holy Church commemorated the miraculous ascension of the Holy Prophet Elias the Thesbite to the heavens on a chariot of fire. He is one of two men who departed from this world without first tasting death, the other being the Righteous Enoch (Gen 5:21-24). Elias lived during the reign of the wicked monarchs of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel (874-853 B.C.), who encouraged the …

Don’t hold a grievance against anybody, even if they’re wicked, because otherwise your prayer won’t be heard by God. Defeat evil with good! Remain a sheep, and with the power of Christ you’ll overcome the wolves.

On Wednesday, a married couple full of violence and hatred attacked a group of government employees in San Bernardino. On Thursday, many secular lawmakers and journalists attacked prayer as the proper response, preferring to place their faith in man-made gun control legislation rather than in the power of prayer to God. Faithful Christians, however, know that prayer is more fundamental to human life than air, food, and water. As the Holy Apostle wrote, we are …

By now, we have all seen the horrifying photo of the three-year-old boy whose lifeless body washed up in Turkey, a victim of humanity’s neglect of the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of refugees who are trying to escape Syria and other places in the Middle East to seek basic human needs. Among the many things we can do for these refugees, by far the most important is to pray for them, as the Holy …

Although all life should be holy, God has appointed for us holy days and times. If we are trained to keep these days holy, we will take them as examples for the rest of the days… Because man perhaps cannot practically be permanently cautious or in steady enthusiasm all the days of his life, God laid stress on certain days. He said in the Book of Leviticus that they are the proclaimed day of the …

During these difficult days, we are increasingly called upon to worship as a community in unity of Spirit, in one voice. What is communal worship, and how does it differ from individual worship? What is the Biblical basis for communal worship in the body of the the Church? The Differences Between Communal and Individual Worship In prayer, for example, there is individual prayer; you pray in your room to your Father who sees in secret. …

Beloved Orthodox Christian! Have you ever wondered why it is the Orthodox Church has an annual cycle of feasts and fasts? What about the monthly commemorations in the Coptic Calendar? Why do we commemorate the betrayal and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ by fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays? Why is Christ’s Resurrection commemorated every Sunday on what we call the Lord’s Day? Why are certain hours of the day set aside for prayer according …

In the Holy and Divine Liturgy, we observe within many prayers the structure of supplicating and petitioning God the Father in the Name of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most common example of this in the Anaphora of St. Basil is the Prayer of Thanksgiving in which we give thanks to God the Father “for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition.” At the end of this prayer, the …

Before all things, the Teacher of peace and the Master of unity would not have prayer to be made singly and individually, as for one who prays to pray for himself alone. For we say not My Father, which art in heaven,” nor “Give me this day my daily bread;” nor does each one ask that only his own debt should be forgiven him; nor does he request for himself alone that he may not …

Moreover, when we stand praying, beloved brethren, we ought to be watchful and earnest with our whole heart, intent on our prayers. Let all carnal and worldly thoughts pass away, nor let the soul at that time think on anything but the object only of its prayer. For this reason also the priest, by way of preface before his prayer, prepares the minds of the brethren by saying, “Lift up your hearts,” that so upon …