Saint Sophia Blog (All Categories) - Page 29 of 346

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Holy and Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer

04/23/2023

The great martyr George was the son of wealthy and pious parents, who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut at the foot of the Lebanese mountains. Having entered military service, George stood out among the other soldiers by virtue of his mind, valor, physical strength, military bearing and beauty. Having quickly attained to the rank of millenary, an officer in the Roman army in charge of a

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! BRIGHT FRIDAY: THE LIFE-GIVING SPRING OF THE THEOTOKOS

04/21/2023

Outside of Constantinople, towards the district of the Seven Towers, there was in ancient times a very large and most beautiful church named in honour of the Theotokos; it had been built about the middle of the fifth century by the Emperor Leo the Great (also called “Leo of Thrace,” he is commemorated on Jan. 20). Before he became Emperor, he had encountered there a blind man, who being tormented with thirst asked him to

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! BRIGHT THURSDAY: The Healing of Thomas

04/20/2023

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes at St. Mary Orthodox Church of Cambridge, MA on Sunday, April 15, 2018 In reading and interpreting Holy Scripture we must always remember to do so in the light of Christ whose preeminent message was, “Be compassionate as your Father in heaven is compassionate.” As the God-Man he sees our deepest needs and understands from his own incarnate experience exactly what cure to apply when, how, and where. Thomas

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Wednesday: The Senselessness of Suffering and Death

04/19/2023

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, November 11, 2017 I recently posted a note on social media in which I said that Christ’s death and resurrection changed the “senseless” character of death. Therefore, Christians need no longer fear it. I got a bit of push-back. What is senseless about suffering and death? There are two aspects of suffering and death that are particularly felt to be senseless. The first is suffering that seems to have no purpose:

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Tuesday: The Resurrection of Mankind

04/18/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on May 5, 2021 Archimandrite Elisaios, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras In the magnificent service on Great Friday, we sang the compelling and wonderful doxastiko from the ninth hour ‘Today he who hung the earth on the waters hangs upon the cross’, which ends ‘we venerate your Passion, Christ. Show us your glorious Resurrection’. Thereafter, in the doxastiko of Vespers on Great Saturday, the day ‘on which the only-begotten Son of

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Monday: When Death Dies

04/17/2023

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, February 22, 2022 Christianity is not reconciliation with death. It is the revelation of death, and it reveals death because it is the revelation of Life. Christ is this Life. And only if Christ is Life is death what Christianity proclaims it to be, namely the enemy to be destroyed, and not a “mystery” to be explained. Religion and secularism, by explaining death, give it a “status,” a rationale, make it

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Christ is our Pascha, the Resurrection of All!

04/16/2023

As we celebrate Pascha, we confess in Church that the Kingdom of God “has been already inaugurated, but not yet fulfilled.” In the light of the Resurrection, earthly things assume new significance, because they are already transformed and transfigured. Nothing is simply “given.” “Everything lies in motion toward eschatological perfection”, notes the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his Easter message. The Ecumenical Patriarch also stresses that “Holy Pascha is not merely a religious feast, albeit the

The Great and Holy Saturday: The Epitaphios (The Tomb of Christ)

04/15/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on April 30, 2021 Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou The service of Great Saturday is effectively a funeral service for Christ, and yet it is the most colourful service of Holy Week, because we have already begun to celebrate the Resurrection. The Epitaphios which represents the tomb of Christ, is adorned with an array of flowers, and is carried in a solemn and yet joyous procession outside the church. There is on Great Saturday a clear,

The Great and Holy Friday. Good Friday and Unbelief.

04/14/2023

Good Friday and Unbelief By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 16, 2020 Christmas and Easter are often difficult days for those who do not believe in God. Christians are more public about their faith than at other times of the year and this brings with it an annoyance. Christmas bespeaks the birth of God as a human being. Easter bespeaks a resurrection from the dead. For those who do not believe, such miracles, spoken of so

The Great and Holy Thursday: The Heart that is Open

04/13/2023

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, April 9, 2017 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Glory to Jesus Christ! It is important to remember as we celebrate Holy Week that it is not about recreating the past. It is about taking the time at this particular moment to open our hearts and minds to Jesus as his Passion is remembered. Few of us take the time to open our hearts and minds to

Blog

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Holy and Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! BRIGHT FRIDAY: THE LIFE-GIVING SPRING OF THE THEOTOKOS

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! BRIGHT THURSDAY: The Healing of Thomas

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Wednesday: The Senselessness of Suffering and Death

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Tuesday: The Resurrection of Mankind

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Bright Monday: When Death Dies

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Christ is our Pascha, the Resurrection of All!

The Great and Holy Saturday: The Epitaphios (The Tomb of Christ)

The Great and Holy Friday. Good Friday and Unbelief.

The Great and Holy Thursday: The Heart that is Open

Categories

Archives

View Our Live Stream Services

Keep In Touch

Stewardship Application

Daily Meditations

Worship Schedule

Light a Virtual Candle

Text-to-Give in 2 easy steps!

1) Text 202-899-7801 to include your donation amount

2) Follow the link to complete the one-time registration