Fr. Steve Zorzos, Author at Saint Sophia

The Second Wednesday of Pascha. Pascha in Orthodoxy: Why We Celebrate the Holy Season (Part II)

04/22/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Orthodoxy Christianity 101 The Theological Meaning of Pascha Pascha vs. Western Easter: Understanding the Differences While both Pascha and Western Easter celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, there are distinct variations that set them apart. As an Orthodox Christian, I’ve observed that the calculation of the date is one of the most significant differences. Pascha often falls on a different Sunday because it’s determined by the Julian calendar, whereas Western Easter uses

The Second Tuesday of Pascha. Pascha in Orthodoxy: Why We Celebrate the Holy Season (Part I)

04/21/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Orthodoxy Christianity 101 Pascha, or Easter as it’s widely known, is the most significant feast in Orthodox Christianity. It’s a time when I delve deep into the heart of my faith, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a one-day event; it’s the culmination of a sacred season filled with profound spiritual significance. You might wonder why Orthodox Christians call it Pascha and why it’s often on a

The Second Monday of Pascha. Disbelief and Divine Compassion

04/20/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~Protopresbyter Vasileios Kalliakmanis, Professor of the Theological School, A.U.Th. Divine compassion, as a consequence of the mystery of divine self-emptying, isn’t restricted to the Cross and burial. It continues after the Resurrection as well. The risen Lord had no wish to impose the glad tidings on people by force. Nor did he require them to embrace the news unconditionally. As the glorified Lord, he agreed to be the object of

Sunday of Thomas. The Doubt of St. Thomas

04/19/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~ By Saint John Chrysostom John 20:24-25 But Thomas, (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe’.

Bright Friday: Theotokos of the “Life-Giving Spring”

04/17/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! The feast of the Life-giving Spring has its origins in the fifth century. It commemorates the consecration of the Church built next to it outside of Constantinople. The very large and beautiful church named in honor of the Theotokos of the Life-giving Spring was built by the Emperor Leo the Great (457-474) in Valouki, west of Constantinople (now Balıklı, Istanbul). Emperor Leo (January 20), before his ascension to the throne, had encountered a blind

Bright Thursday. On Bright Week

04/16/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Archimandrite John Krestiankin, +2006 Now all things are filled with light; heaven and earth, and the nethermost parts of the earth… Christ is Risen! Children of God! From a fullness of unearthly joy, I greet you with words full of Divine power: “Christ is Risen!” The holy fire of this salvific tiding has burst anew with bright flames over the Lord’s Tomb, and has spread throughout the world. The

Bright Wednesday. May ‘The Phos’ Be with You!

04/15/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~ By Andrew Estocin Popular culture is going crazy for Star Wars! Count me among the millions…. How does an Orthodox Christian respond to Star Wars? That is an easy answer. One of the most progressive beliefs that the Orthodox Church holds is that we can learn from the wisdom of the world even when it is not specifically Orthodox. St. Basil the Great reminds us that we can engage

Bright Tuesday. New Martyrs Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene of Lesbos

04/14/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Newly-Appeared Martyrs of Lesbos, Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene were martyred by the Turks on Bright Tuesday (April 9, 1463) ten years after the Fall of Constantinople. For nearly 500 years, they were forgotten by the people of Lesbos, but “the righteous Judge… opened the things that were hid” (2 Macc. 12:41). For centuries the people of Lesbos would go on Bright Tuesday to the ruins of a monastery near

Bright Monday. I am the Resurrection and the Life

04/13/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~ By Saint Justin Popovich If there’s one truth that sums up all the Gospel truths, it’s Christ’s resurrection. Moreover, if there’s one reality that summarizes all the realities in the New Testament, it’s Christ’s resurrection. All his miracles, all his truths, all his words, all the events of the New Testament can be explained only in terms of Christ’s resurrection. Until his resurrection, the Lord taught about eternal life,

All Things New in the Resurrection

04/12/2026

Published 4/11/04 ~Father Stanley S. Harakas The Resurrection of Christ is the one of the most important and central aspects of our Orthodox Christian faith. In three of the Gospels, an event is described in which Jesus Himself was challenged by the leading Sadducees, who rejected belief in the resurrection. Jesus countered their denials with an affirmation of resurrection (Mark 12:18-27); Matthew 22:23-33; Luke 20:27-40), saying “You are quite wrong!” (Mark 12:27). In John 5:29

Archive

The Second Wednesday of Pascha. Pascha in Orthodoxy: Why We Celebrate the Holy Season (Part II)

The Second Tuesday of Pascha. Pascha in Orthodoxy: Why We Celebrate the Holy Season (Part I)

The Second Monday of Pascha. Disbelief and Divine Compassion

Sunday of Thomas. The Doubt of St. Thomas

Bright Friday: Theotokos of the “Life-Giving Spring”

Bright Thursday. On Bright Week

Bright Wednesday. May ‘The Phos’ Be with You!

Bright Tuesday. New Martyrs Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene of Lesbos

Bright Monday. I am the Resurrection and the Life

All Things New in the Resurrection

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