Category: ByzCath
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St Raphael and the Episcopalians
WHEN I ENTERED THE Church in 2002, I took St Raphael of Brooklyn as my patron. The word “coincidence” like “luck” is something that Pagans use, but not Christians. But as an Episcopalian at the time, I stumbled upon or was led to find a letter that St Raphael had written regarding Episcopalians in 1912.…
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The Medium is the Message
The Readings for the Elevation of the Holy Cross (14 Sept 23) For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 TAKE A LOOK AT THE various English translations of 1 Corinthians 1:18. Most of…
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A New House
The Readings for Dedication of the Church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem (13 Sept 23) Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honor than the house. Hebrews 3:3 THIS IS ONE OF Those arguments that gets lost in translation. Because –…
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Breaking Bad
The Readings for 16th Tuesday after Pentecost (xii.IX.2023) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. Galatians 5:13 SAUL or, to use his Latin name, Paul (it was not, like Abraham, changed by God) is telling…
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The Burned Icons
AN ELDER SAT his cell praying before his icons. On the stand before him was a large piece of wood, scared but mostly empty, ancient wood. In the middle of the wood was what seemed like a face, although there was a slash through it. Towards the upper left, there was a flash of color,…
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Carpenters?
The Readings for 15th Tuesday after Pentecost (5 Sept) Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? Matthew 22:11 FROM THE FOLKS WHO DO “The Jesus Seminar” I’ve head they Craftsmen – that is men who…
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Total Number of Possible Sins?
IN WESTERN, EURO-AMERICAN minds sin is often conceived of as a case of “don’t -do”. There are very few positive sins – sins of omission – in this concept. Even when they exist, as for feeding the hungry, they are usually expressed as negatives: don’t forget to… Don’t ignore… This is true inside and outside…
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Some Parallels
THERE IS A SENSE IN THE Eastern Church of the Apostles as the first class of Bishops. From them evolved (in a short time) the order of Deacons. Then, after a time, presbyters. In the Western Church, there is a sense of the Apostles as presbyters. Over time there arose, first the Deacons, and then…
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Dude it up!
The Readings for 14th Saturday after Pentecost (2 Sept) They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. Matthew 23:5 AFRIEND WHO IS A LATIN RITE DEACON Tells of meeting Byzantine Rite Deacon who was dressed as for Divine Liturgy. Byzantine Vestments are very spiffy, indeed! My friend asked the Deacon, “How…
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Happy New Year!
The Readings for the Eclessial New Year (1 Sept) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 USING THE FIRST OF September as the New Year was a Byzantine practice from…
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Homily for 8th Pentecost
Readings for 8th Sunday After Pentecost (Julian Calendar) These are notes… Delivery was different. Thank God 🙂 JUST BEFORE THE PRIEST says “Holy things are for the Holy” he says this prayer. I’m not sure if you can hear it outside of the altar. It can be said silently or softly. Hearken, O Lord Jesus…
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Patristic Prooftexts
THE COVER IMAGE is one of my favourite books of all times, The Roots of Christian Mysticism by Fr Olivier Clement. I have owned three copies of it, I think. Maybe four. Until recently, I also had my original one: the cover was broken and almost every page was marked up. The writer, an Orthodox…
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Becoming Human
DIGGING IN MY email, I found this report of a retreat offered by Fr John Behr at my former parish, Holy Trinity Cathedral (OCA). It was a great retreat and, from this report which I wrote for our parish newsletter, it seems evident that Fr John has been working on the same issues for a…
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All Saints: the Body of Messiah
The Readings for the Solemnity of theBody and Blood of Christ The Readings for the Sunday of All Saints So Jesus said to them, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the…
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Byzantwo
THE PREVIOUS Post was written and posted. Totally forgotten was the point: the bridge used by the writer to open up the “the west” for the fruits of prayer arising in the east was the Liturgy. The Vatican Two “novus ordo” is exactly the Byzantine Divine liturgy, slightly tweaked for Westerners. By way of History,…
Orthoparadoxy 