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Not everything is Holy Tradition

“Custom is the plague of wise men and the idol of fools” — Thomas Fuller One of the mistakes that is common in liturgical groups is to mistake anything which has been done for a while with Holy Tradition. Even among the Orthodox, there is a common tendency to see what is as what must be kept. This becomes particularly visible in a pan-Orthodox congregation. This past Palm Sunday,... [Read more]

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Christians in Syria

Doonesbury on 30 Dec 2008 I am priest in a Church whose Patriarchate is headquartered in Damascus, Syria. I have found that Americans have a number of misconceptions about Christianity in Syria. Because of Syria’s classification by the State Department as a terrorist state, the assumption has been that Syria is a radical Muslim state. But, actually, that is not true. Syria is a secular socialist... [Read more]

Can a heretic be saved?

St. Augustine refuting heretics Since the Middle Ages, it is quite common to assume that if one is a heretic, then one cannot be saved. This is not surprising, since it seems that one of the favorite words of the Roman Church was ”anathema” (or accursed) in those days. Meantime, the Reformers did their own bit of burning and cleansing. [Mind you, the Orthodox threw a couple of pogroms... [Read more]

Please be careful this New Year’s Eve

More Comment Graphics Yes, this is a rough graphic. I meant for it to be a rough graphic. I looked for a rough graphic on the Internet, one that I could reprint here. Too many of our high school and college youth think it is funny to end up completely wasted. They do not see themselves as even their friends see them, as objects of hilarious picture-taking. And, too many of those photographs end up... [Read more]

Hmm, back to infallible and imperfect

Ephesians 2:19-22 – “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are... [Read more]

What is the he Palaia Diatheke (The Old Testament)?

OK, so what is the Old Testament? Well, in Greek it was called “he Palaia Diatheke,” which was translated into Latin as Vetus Testamentum, from which we get our English, “Old Testament.” “The Latin rendered testament in English originally came from the Latin for ‘witness’ and from there expanded to mean ‘to make a will’; thus, though it is purported... [Read more]

Heavenly clouds on Christmas Eve

We had the traditional Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Christmas Eve, late afternoon. We had the unexpected addition of two visiting chanters who volunteered to help our lone chanter. As a result, we had some wonderful three-part chanting going on. It really helped the congregation join in. On the funny side, I got just a little carried away with the incense. Hmm, would you believe our Parish Council... [Read more]

And, so, I am travelling again

I would ask for your prayers today. I, again, thought that I would be returning to finish a discussion that I had started days ago. However, yesterday, I was notified that my first cousin had had a stroke and is in intensive care. [I also need to visit my priest friend again.] Now, I should mention that this cousin is somewhat special. She was born on the same day that I was, within a few hours of... [Read more]

Help on blog

I could use a little feedback on one of the features of this blog. It seems that since I have added IntenseDebate to the blog that it is taking longer to load. A friend of mine has added it to his blog, and his blog seems to load just as fast. So, some feedback please. 1. Are you experiencing longer load times, for this blog, lately? And, since you are reading this. 2. Do you have any suggestions for... [Read more]

The Nativity Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn! The angels sing!   The archangels blend their voices in harmony! The cherubim resound their joyful praise!     The seraphim exult His glory! All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth and man in heaven. He who... [Read more]

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