By St. Gregory the Theologian More on Atonement – an Excerpt from “On Holy Pascha”, Homily 45 Now we are to examine another fact and dogma, neglected by most people, but in my judgment well worth inquiring into. To whom was that Blood offered that was shed for us, and why was it shed? I […]
Are John 3 and 6 About Baptism and Eucharist?
April 4, 2017 By
by Seraphim Hamilton There is a convergence of language in John 3 and 6. Both chapters contain the rare (for John) phrase “Son of Man” a reference to the ascending High Priest in Daniel 7. Both contrast flesh and Spirit. Both refer to the promise of the new exodus. Both allude strongly to Ezekiel 36-37. […]
An Uncomplicated Truth
October 13, 2016 By
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon It is reasonable, I suppose—or at least natural—for modern students of religion to wonder how the earliest Christians, all of them Jews, were able to reconcile their belief in the divinity of Christ with the monotheism enshrined in Israel’s Sh’ma’. Indeed, historians of Christian thought have devoted many studies to […]
Mystery or Memorial? Sacrament or Symbol?
September 2, 2016 By
What is the Lord’s Supper? What is the Eucharist? Was it always understood as a Sacrament? Throughout the history of Christianity, the overwhelming majority of Christians have consistently believed that Jesus Christ, in a mystery, imparts His Body and Blood to His people though the vehicle of the Lord’s Supper. Bypassing all the Biblical references, […]
Sentenced to Life
June 4, 2016 By
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Of the standard Greek nouns commonly translated as “life” in the New Testament, John’s Gospel uses only two: psyche and zoe. Psyche, often translated as “soul,” indicates the life or being of an individual. For example, in the sustained pastoral parable in John this is the term used when the […]
Loosing the Grave Clothes of Lazarus
May 10, 2016 By
by Paul Smith This was sent to me by my friend Paul Smith. He has preached before (before his days in Orthodoxy), and still has grand insight into homiletics and the Church. Thanks Paul for allowing me to republish it! Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t take off the binding grave clothes he […]
Resurrection Victory
May 6, 2016 By
by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh Do we not see that death continues to reap its harvest around us? Are there not graves beside Christian churches as well? How can we say that ‘there is none dead in the tomb’, that Christ has conquered death by death? In the Name of the Father, the Son, and […]
“Lord, Why Can I Not Follow You Now?”: Why Peter Had To Wait
March 28, 2016 By
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Saint John’s early affirmation, “The Word became flesh,” is both the thesis of his whole gospel and the interpretive principle for understanding its sundry parts. This one verse affirms that everything expressed in the divine Word took on a fleshly, human form. In the stories recounted by John, we ponder […]
