hades Archives - Saint Sophia

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Resurrection of Christ

05/15/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Dr. Petros Vassiliadis, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theology at the University of Thessaloniki What is the reason for defining the event of the Resurrection of Christ as “Radiant”— “Lampri”? And what makes the faithful exclaim in the words of Saint John Damascene: “This is the day of resurrection, let us be radiant O people: Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha. For Christ our God has passed us from death to life, and

The Third Wednesday of Pascha. The Icon of the Resurrection

04/29/2026

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~Father Stavros N. Akrotirianakis Peter said, “Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was

The Great and Holy Saturday

04/11/2026

Introduction On Great and Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church commemorates the burial of Christ and His descent into Hades. It is the day between the Crucifixion of our Lord and His Glorious Resurrection. The Matins of Holy Saturday is conducted on Friday evening, and while many elements of the service represent mourning at the death and burial of Christ, the service itself is one of watchful expectation. Commemoration of Holy Saturday On Great and Holy

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent. The Ladder of Divine Ascent and Moral Improvement

03/20/2026

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 11, 2016 The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, is dedicated to St. John Climacus, the author of the ancient work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. It is a classic work describing “steps” within the life of the struggling ascetic. There is an icon associated with this work, picturing monastics climbing the rungs of a ladder to heaven, battling demons who are trying to pull them off. However,

The Ninth Day of Christmas. The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan

01/02/2026

Sophia Kafkopoulou On 6 January, our Church celebrates Theophany, one of the great feasts of the Lord. Jesus’ baptism is the event which formally confirmed the advent of the Messiah. Although the Lord Himself had no need of the remission of sins, He nevertheless came to John ‘to be baptized by him and to fulfil all righteousness’ (Matth. 3, 13-15). As regards Jesus, the Gospel stresses that, as soon as He entered the waters of

Pentecost and the Liturgy of Hades: Soul Saturdays

06/07/2025

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, June 21, 2021 Pascha (Easter) comes with a great note of joy in the Christian world. Christ is risen from the dead and our hearts rejoice. That joy begins to wane as the days pass. Our lives settle back down to the mundane tasks at hand. After 40 days, the Church marks the Feast of the Ascension, often attended by only a handful of the faithful (Rome has more-or-less moved the

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Boundaries We Draw and the Boundaries God Draws

05/23/2025

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Stephen Freeman, May 1, 2008 I pushed the envelope a little in my last post, intentionally pressing against what I understand to be false boundaries created by an inadequate understanding of Scripture and a view of the world that establishes limits at places they need not be. I am not an enemy of boundaries – indeed – without them we would not exist – at least not as Persons.

The Third Thursday of Pascha. St. Melito and Pascha – Hell Is Not the Last Word

05/08/2025

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Stephen Freeman, April 29, 2025 Among the most powerful meditations on Pascha are the writings of Melito of Sardis (ca. 190 AD). His homily, On Pascha, is both a work of genius as poetry and a powerful work of theology. Its subject is the Lord’s Pascha – particularly as an interpretation of the Old Testament. It is a common example of early Church thought on Scripture and the Lord’s Pascha. I

The Great and Holy Saturday

04/19/2025

The Sixth Tuesday of Great Lent: Good Friday and Unbelief

04/08/2025

~By Father Stephen Freeman, April 22, 2022 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 glowingly and with such

Archive

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Resurrection of Christ

The Third Wednesday of Pascha. The Icon of the Resurrection

The Great and Holy Saturday

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent. The Ladder of Divine Ascent and Moral Improvement

The Ninth Day of Christmas. The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan

Pentecost and the Liturgy of Hades: Soul Saturdays

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Boundaries We Draw and the Boundaries God Draws

The Third Thursday of Pascha. St. Melito and Pascha – Hell Is Not the Last Word

The Great and Holy Saturday

The Sixth Tuesday of Great Lent: Good Friday and Unbelief

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