Pascha Archives - Page 14 of 28

Palm Sunday. The Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem.

04/12/2020

Introduction On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of its most joyous feasts of the year. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem following His glorious miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Having anticipated His arrival and having heard of the miracle, the people went out to meet the Lord and welcomed

Sixth Monday of Great Lent. At the Heart of Lent

04/06/2020

By Fr Stephen Freeman, March 2, 2018 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! (Ps. 119:11) Years ago, I heard a statement from an American monk: “The contemplative need go no further than his own heart to find the source of all violence in the world.” It struck me as true then and has only seemed more so as the years have passed. At the time (not

Fifth Tuesday of Great Lent. Orthodox Christian Lent, Prayer, Fasting and Baptism

03/31/2020

By Fr. Patrick Reardon, March 13, 2005 The word “Lent,” now associated exclusively with the observance of the liturgical year, originally meant “spring” and had no directly religious significance. In English usage, however, its reference was gradually limited to the season of preparation for Pascha, a season that does, in fact, coincide with spring. In languages dependent on Latin, the word for Lent is some variant of “forty,” derived from the Latin *quadragesima*. This is

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent. As Lent Moves On—The Greatest Fast Awaits

03/23/2020

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 9, 2019 As Great Lent has passed its mid-point, attention begins to move towards Holy Week itself and its very intense focus. It has been an unusual time for me, having traveled on two successive weekends to lead retreats. Travel is always disruptive, and absence from your own community creates a break in the normal continuity of the Fast. I have great sympathies for those whose jobs involve frequent travel.

The First (Pure) Monday of the Great Fast.

03/02/2020

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, February 15, 2010 [Pure] Monday marks the beginning of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church (which liturgically begins at Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday). Though Great Lent is kept with rigor in Orthodox Tradition, there is nothing unusual asked of believers – nothing that we do not do on many days throughout the rest of the year. We fast; we pray; we give alms; we attend services, etc. But we do these

Theophany and the Gates of Hades

01/06/2020

By Father Stephen Freeman, January 6, 2015 For an Orthodox priest, the services of the Church involve many “comings and goings.” Part of any service takes place within the altar area, which is usually enclosed by an iconostasis, a wall on which icons are hung. The wall does not truly separate one area of the Church from another so much as it marks one area off from another – the space of the Church is

Put the Dickens back in Christmas

12/19/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, December 20, 2017 In the late 1600’s in colonial Boston, the celebration of Christmas was against the law. Indeed, anyone evidencing the “spirit of Christmas” could be fined five shillings. In the early 1800’s, Christmas was better known as a season for rioting in the streets and civil unrest.1 However, in the mid-1800’s some interesting things changed the cultural response to the feast and, in 1870, Christmas was declared a federal holiday

Praying with the Entire Church

08/08/2019

“O you apostles, assembled here from the ends of the earth, bury my body: And You, O my Son and my God, receive my spirit” (Exapostilarion of Dormition of the Theotokos) To be a genuine Orthodox Christian is to share in the joy of fellowship gathered around the holy Mother of God, Mary the ever-virgin one. Yet in America a hesitancy arises even with the Church among the faithful. What is so normal and self-evident

The Dormition Fast: Ending another Year of Grace in Our Lord

08/01/2019

The Byzantine Church since at least the 5th century has practiced a period of fasting prior to the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. This ancient custom has much to offer contemporary Christians. Christians of the East have always recognized the mystery of Our Lady’s Dormition, her ‘falling asleep’ at the end of her natural life. The passage of Mary the Virgin Mother of God from this life to life eternal is a cause

The Seventh Friday after Pascha. The Lord and Giver of Life

06/14/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 31, 2015 The opening verses of Genesis offer the mysteries of creation for our consideration. Of particular note is the primary role of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters… “Light and dry land are made to appear and then, the miracle of life: “Let the earth bring forth…” The earth is, above all, the planet on which life comes forth. For although we

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Palm Sunday. The Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem.

Sixth Monday of Great Lent. At the Heart of Lent

Fifth Tuesday of Great Lent. Orthodox Christian Lent, Prayer, Fasting and Baptism

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent. As Lent Moves On—The Greatest Fast Awaits

The First (Pure) Monday of the Great Fast.

Theophany and the Gates of Hades

Put the Dickens back in Christmas

Praying with the Entire Church

The Dormition Fast: Ending another Year of Grace in Our Lord

The Seventh Friday after Pascha. The Lord and Giver of Life

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