From Fr. John Whiteford’s blog, originally titled ‘Stump the Priest: Prayers for the Dead in the Bible and in Tradition’ by Fr. John Whiteford Question: “Where do we find any evidence that praying for the dead is a biblical? From what I have read it appears that the Bible almost says the opposite of this […]
Discourse on the Theotokos
August 17, 2017 By
by Cyril of Jerusalem THE TWENTIETH EXPLANATION WHICH THE HOLY PATRIARCH, APA CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM, COMPOSED ON THE LIFE OF THE HOLY THEOTOKOS MARY. AND HE DECLARED ALSO THAT HER PARENTS WERE A MAN AND A WOMAN, LIKE THE PARENTS OF EVERY OTHER PERSON. AND HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING THE DAY WHEREIN SHE WENT […]
Homily on the Dormition
August 16, 2017 By
by Theodosius of Alexandria THE FALLING ASLEEP OF MARY Discourse of Theodosius. A discourse which our thrice blessed father Abba Theodosius, the archbishop of Alexandria and the confessor who bore Christ, delivered. Now he delivered it concerning the assumption of the Lady of us all, the holy God-bearer Mary, on the sixteenth of the month […]
The Passing of Blessed Mary
August 15, 2017 By
by Melito of Sardis (d. 180 a.d.) This text preserves an early version of the Virgin’s Dormition, and perhaps the earliest known in Latin. It is dated by most scholars to sometime in the fifth century. The narrative’s location of Mary’s house on the Mount of Olives particularly suggests an early date, since this is […]
St. Gregory the Theologian and the Literal Interpretation of Scripture
August 11, 2017 By
by Fr. John Whiteford On interpreting Scripture, one must be intellectually honest about quotations. George Demacopoulos gave another lecture at the Eagle River Institute which was recently posted on Ancient Faith Radio, and in the course of that lecture he made the following statement: “St. Gregory the Theologian actually wrote, in one of his most […]
Does Death Change the State of the Soul?
August 9, 2017 By
by St. Justin Popovich “The souls of the departed, enter into the life beyond with the entirety of their contents. ‘Their works follow them’ (Apoc. 14:13)*. They enter there with all their thoughts and perceptions; with all their virtues and passions, with all their good qualities and vices, with the whole of their moral universe. Just […]
Preaching at the Funeral of Someone You Don’t Know
August 3, 2017 By
7 Pitfalls to Avoid in Preaching
August 3, 2017 By
by Michael J. Kruger Preaching is hard work. To those sitting in the pews, preaching can look relatively effortless—especially when it’s done well. But don’t be fooled. Preaching exhausts the body and soul in ways incommensurate with its duration. I could work in the yard all day in 90-degree heat and (somehow) feel less exhausted […]
