communion Archives - Saint Sophia

Sermon on Gratitude

10/13/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 19, 2020 Metropolitan Anthony Bloom † 17 December 1989 In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Ten lepers came to the Lord; ten men who were ritually unclean and therefore, ritually rejected by their community, unable to attend the common worship of the Temple, unable to come near the habitations of men; and unclean also in the eyes of men because their sickness could be transmitted to

The Medicine of Immortality

10/02/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, September 9, 2025 Imagine that you’ve been brought into a hospital from a terrible wreck. You’re in the ER and there are a team of doctors and nurses standing by with their amazing array of medical equipment. Also standing nearby is a team of lawyers, specialists in accident litigation. Whom do you want to talk to first? I use this illustration to emphasize the nature of the human problem: we are

Ancestral Versus Original Sin: An Overview with Implications for Psychotherapy (Part IV)

09/25/2026

By V. Rev. Antony Hughes, M.Div., St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts The juridical approach that has predominated in the West can make pastoral practice seem cold and automatic. Neither a focus on good works nor faith alone are sufficient to transform the human heart. Do positive, external criteria signify inner transformation in all cases? Some branches of Christian counseling too often rely on the application of seemingly relevant verses of Scripture to effect changes in behavior

Love Never Fails

09/03/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on December 15, 2019 Fr. Andreas Agathokleous It can be readily understood that, when we get to know a person and our hearts combine, we are enthused at this and overjoyed. It’s the practical implementation of our reason for being, which consists in the image with which God has endowed us. This means that we can unite among ourselves in the same manner as the Triune God, Who is a communion of Persons, which

Love and Being

07/31/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, July 21, 2025 Perhaps the most intriguing statement in the New Testament is St. John’s simple, “God is love.” As mysterious and awesome as the revelation of the Divine Name (“I am that I am”) to Moses might be, St. John’s statement gives a content that echoes and enfolds the death and resurrection of Christ itself. Indeed, any other statement about God runs the risk of obscuring this essential revelation. More

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

06/24/2026

While we celebrate the lives of most of the saints on the day of their deaths, or rather on the day that they entered into the life to come, we also celebrate their birthdays in the church calendar: the birthday of Our Lord (on December 25th), of His Blessed Mother (on September 8th), and of St. John the Baptist (today, June 24th). Celebrating the gift of life, the goodness of life, indeed the sanctity of

The Sacrament of Humility – Part Two

06/16/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 26, 2024 In my earlier article, I described humility as “our willingness to receive with thanksgiving those things (of whatever size) that come our way.” This describes humility as a virtue, but the article’s title described it as a “sacrament.” Oddly, I seemed not to have unpacked what that means. There are several ways to think about sacraments. There are those actions within the life of the Church with which

Mystical Theology and the Orthodox Faith

05/25/2026

~By Father Stephen Freeman A turning point in my life took place in an unremarkable manner. In my college years, my best friend approached me in the university library and thrust a book into my hand. “Steve, read this!” He said. The book was Vladimir Lossky’s Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. The year was 1976. I did as he asked. I understood very little of what I read, though it changed my life. Interestingly, I

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

03/29/2026

Introduction On the Fifth Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt. The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, however, she is also commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance. Life of the Saint Our holy mother Mary was born in Egypt. She had left her parents at the age of twelve to go to Alexandria, where

The Second Monday of Great Lent. The Communion of Tradition

03/02/2026

~By Father Stephen Freeman, June 15, 2023 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life–the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us–that which we have seen and heard we declare to

Archive

Sermon on Gratitude

The Medicine of Immortality

Ancestral Versus Original Sin: An Overview with Implications for Psychotherapy (Part IV)

Love Never Fails

Love and Being

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Sacrament of Humility – Part Two

Mystical Theology and the Orthodox Faith

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

The Second Monday of Great Lent. The Communion of Tradition

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