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I had a friend back east, a pastor in a “mainline” denomination who had engaged me to talk about Orthodox spirituality in an Adult Sunday School class. Now, I’ll be honest, my friend whom I love and pray for always is an Alpha Male who does not gracefully yield his teaching space. So, while I…

Some people in my social circles just had their Myers-Briggs Types done, along with a consultation with an MBTI therapist… and I’ve been doing some self examinations (I have an MBTI coming up in the new year). I usually think of myself as an Introvert b/c when the party is over (and I may have…

Trying something new here: readings as assigned on the Old Calendar.  Again, these are for MP and EP in the Rite of St Tikhon. As far as I know, these are not authorised by ROCOR’s WR Vicarate.  But if you want a set of daily readings on the Julian Calendar, here they are! Dates are…

 Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.  King of the Nations, and the one they desired, keystone, who makes both peoples one, come and save mankind, whom you shaped from the mud. Making both people one… There is a lot of “us vs…

The Daily Offices for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Rite of St Tikhon. The readings are as assigned by the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate supplemented with other devotional material. Each MP/EP link will take you to a complete office, needing only the daily psalter or, for MP, the Martyrology link. Sat St Ambrose of…

 Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis, et nemo aperuit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis. Key of David, and sceptre of the house of Israel, you open, and no one shuts, you shut, and no one opens: come, and lead the prisoner from…

The Daily Offices for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Rite of St Tikhon. The readings are as assigned by the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate supplemented with other devotional material. Sat – St Andrew, Apostle – MP – EP – Martyrology 1st Sunday of Advent – MP – EP – Martyrology Mon – St Peter…

 Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare. Root of Jesse, who stand as a sign for the people, kings stand silent in your presence, whom the nations will worship: come to set us free, put it off no longer.…

Last week San Francisco turned out for a good deed: the cheering-up of a fatally ill child in response to a request from the Make-a-Wish foundation. The wish? To be Batman for a day. Everyone from cheering crowds on the street to Police and the US Department of Justice, the Mayor and the President, all…

The Daily Offices for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Rite of St Tikhon. The readings are as assigned by the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate supplemented with other devotional material. St Clement PM (St Felicitas, VM) – MP – EP – Martyrology Sunday Next before Advent / Last Pentecost (St Chrysogonus M) – MP –…

 Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.  Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us…

The Daily Offices for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Rite of St Tikhon. The readings are as assigned by the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate supplemented with other devotional material. Sat – BVM – MP – EP – Martyrology XX Sunday after Trinity / 21 Pentecost (St Gregory the Wonderworker BC, St Gregory of Tours…

A blessed Advent! For my friends in the Western Ecclesial traditions, a little explanation: our Eastern Pre-Nativity Fast starts today. Advent is, of course, a Western Name, but we call it the Advent Fast here in America’s mostly-convert communities. Yes it is a bit longer than Western Advent, but for what it’s worth your fast…

Monday (11 Nov) was Martinmas for westerners on the Gregorian Calendar, for Old Calendar folks it falls on Saturday 24 November. In times past, in Northern Europe, the next day (12 November) was the beginning of the Advent Fast. I did a little research on Advent because, as a pious Orthodox Convert, I assumed our…

This is not a post about culturally and ethnically Orthodox folks who never seem to get to Church before the sermon. As an Orthodox Convert exposed to other Orthodox Converts and our peculiar brand of stress-inducing hyper-piety I’ve often heard a discussion of “Midnight to Midnight vrs Sunset to Sunset”.    The argument being that…