SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week – We Christians are Not of This World and Should Not Adapt To It “We have one duty, to be Orthodox Christians, every day, not only on Saturday and Sunday. Every single hour. We must confess our faith everywhere throughout the length of our lives….” Excerpted from We Christians Are Not of This World and Should Not Adapt to It Adult/Family: “Q:—Different periods

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week – Here is a spectacle worthy of bitter lamentation: Christians who do not know in what Christianity consists! –St. Ignatius Brianchaninov “…St. Ignatius Brianchaninov… addresses mentalities and ideas that have only become more accentuated in our times. As Orthodox Christians, St. Ignatius calls us to cultivate our understanding, not on arbitrary ideas from the world but rather the everlasting Truth of Jesus Christ.

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week – On Where We Derive Our Peace and Security “A person who owns nothing — or, more precisely, who desires to own nothing, and regards nothing as a personal possession– in spirit owns everything. He can look at a beautiful valley, regardless of who the legal owner is, and rejoice in its beauty. He can look at any fine building, and

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: How Not to Forget Christ Among Everyday Cares  “The end of Lent is not an appeal to spiritual lassitude.  I think there is only one way to never forget Christ, and that is what the Old Testament calls “walking before God,” when a person dedicates his whole life to God.  It is as if we say, “Let us commit all our life

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification ___________________________________________________________ A Message from Maria Spanos I am passionate about our Orthodox Christian faith and seek to help others learn as much as they can about it. My purpose here is to share online resources that help strengthen our relationship with Christ and bind us closer to His Church. I believe they are invaluable in learning about our precious Orthodox Tradition, and are a great

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: Living Holy Week   “…Lent was a time to begin reorienting our lives around Christ and His Church. If Lent was the start, Holy Week is the culmination. It is the time when every Christian is called to put aside the things of the world and hit the pause button on their outside lives. The world is passing away. Only the Lord’s kingdom will

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: Our Duties for Holy and Great Week This very day is clothed with the bright robes of the first-fruits of the Lord’s passion. Come, then, all feast lovers, let us welcome it with songs.  (Kathisma, Great Monday) We have just arrived, my beloved, at the saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, at Great Week. This week is called Great, because

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: Are Our Efforts for Crowns That Decay or Eternal Crowns? “…We, as Orthodox Christians, are athletes and participate, as ancient Olympians, in a spiritual contest.  We are competing with the evil one to win by overcoming his evil snares and temptations. The reward is the crown “of honor and glory” bestowed by the Lord our God….” Excerpted from THE SPIRITUAL CROWN OF LIFE Adult/Family:   “Blessed

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: “May It Be Blessed” “…What is the meaning of and when do we say the well-known expression – I won’t call it magical, but so rich in content – “May it be blessed”? We hear this expression frequently; monastics say it, and now more and more people around the world, including laypersons, have become accustomed to saying it: “May it be blessed….” From the

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: Are We Vessels of the Holy Spirit, or Filled With Worldly Thinking? “…faith is not renounced overnight. Renunciation can happen bit by bit every day, and then a straw will be enough to break a camel’s back. Sometimes it is enough to remain silent so as not to stand out and be “like everyone else”, finding convincing excuses for your cowardice—and this will be a small