Terminology -

AGGREGATES – According to the Slavonic Typicon, the different Canonical Hours (including Midnight Office and Typica) may be grouped together into aggregates so that there are three major times of prayer a day: Evening, Morning and Midday. This is to conform with Psalm 55:17, “Evening, morning, and noonday will I tell of it and will… Read More

LESSER SAINT – (sometimes called a “minor” or “small” saint) is not, of course, a saint who is less important, but rather one whose celebration is smaller or less than other ranks of saints.

TEMPLE –  1)Following the terminology of Orthodox service books and rubrics books, “church” refers to the community of the faithful, which is also called the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the New Israel, the People of God, and other titles; while “temple” — as in the Jewish faith from which our worship developed… Read More

PATRONAL FEAST –  Patronal feast of a temple is the celebration honoring the feast or saint in whose name the temple is dedicated. “Temple saint” or “saint of the temple” is the patron saint of a temple which bears the name of a saint. Usually a “temple saint” is accorded the same rank of liturgical celebration as… Read More

OFFICE –  A rite or service of prayers, hymns and Scripture readings.

NATIVITY FAST – (Advent) The Nativity Fast is one of the four Canonical Fasting Seasons in the Church year. This is a joyous fast in anticipation of the Nativity of Christ. That is the reason it is less strict than other fasting periods. The six weeks prior to Christmas (the Nativity of our Lord in… Read More

XEROPHAGY – (literally, “dry eating”) Vegetables cooked with water and salt (no oil), or uncooked dry food.

ANIXANTARIA – On major feasts, and especially at All-night Vigils, the closing verses of the Opening Psalm are often sung to a solemn and protracted melody. The verses are farced with short hymns of praise, such as “Glory to you, Holy One. Glory to you, Lord. Glory to you, heavenly King. Glory to you, O… Read More

The Lukan Jump

^{by Archbishop Peter}

What is the “Lukan Jump”? 

The annual cycle of the Gospels is composed of four series:  

1. With the exception of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the Gospel of St. Mark is read during the Lenten period on Saturdays and Sundays.
2. The Gospel of St. John is read [daily] from Pascha until Pentecost Sunday.
3. The Gospel of St. Matthew, divided over seventeen weeks beginning with the Monday of the Holy Spirit – from the twelfth week, is read on Saturdays and Sundays while the Gospel of St. Mark is read on the remaining weekdays.
4. The Gospel of St. Luke is read, divided over nineteen weeks, beginning on the Monday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross. From the thirteenth week of reading St. Luke, it is only read on Saturdays and Sundays, while St. Mark’s Gospel is once again read on the remaining weekdays.

Why, after the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross [in September], is the reading of the Gospel of St. Matthew [and  Saint Mark,] suddenly interrupted, and why do we start then with the reading of St. Luke? 

Prayer is essential to Christian life.

^{by Fr. Thomas Hopko}

Prayer is essential to Christian life. Jesus Christ himself prayed and taught men to pray. No one who does not pray to God can be a follower of Christ.

In the Orthodox Church all prayer is Trinitarian. We pray in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus the Son of God, and in his name, to God the Father. We call God “our Father” because Jesus has taught us and enabled us to do so. We have the capability of addressing God as Father because we are made sons of God by the Holy Spirit ^{(see Rom 8)}.

The Services of Christmas in the Orthodox Church

^{By Fr Alexander Schmemann}

The Nativity Cycle

As Orthodox Christians, we begin the celebration of the Nativity of Christ — on December 25 — with a time of preparation. Forty days before the feast of the birth of Our Lord we enter the period of the Christmas Fast: to purify both soul and body to enter properly into and partake of the great spiritual reality of Christ’s Coming. This fasting season does not constitute the intense liturgical season that is characteristic of Great Lent; rather, Christmas Lent is more of an “ascetical” rather than “liturgical” nature. Nevertheless, the Christmas fasting season is reflected in the life of the Church in a number of liturgical notes that announce the coming feast.

Within the forty days preparation the theme of the approaching Nativity is introduced in the services and liturgical commemorations, little by little. If the beginning of the fast on November 15 is not liturgically marked by any hymn, five days later, on the eve of the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, we hear the first announcement from the nine hirmoi of the Christmas Canon: “Christ is born, glorify Him!”

The Lord is my Shepherd

^{By Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South}

Psalm 22/23 which begins with the words, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” is probably one of the best known, most often quoted and memorized of all David’s beautiful hymns. It has always occupied an important place in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Christian, and is one of the Psalms included in the order of preparation for the reception of Holy Communion.

In the early Church the catechumens, especially as the time for their baptism drew near, were made familiar with its contents and were even obliged to learn it by heart. It seems, however, that its meaning was not fully explained to them until after they had received the grace of the All-holy Spirit in the mysteries of baptism, chrismation and the eucharist.

“We gave you the Psalm, beloved children who hurriedly approach the baptism of Christ, so that you might learn it by heart. But, it is necessary, because of its mystical, hidden meaning, that we explain it to you, with the light of divine grace.” ^{(From a sermon attributed to St. Augustine.)}

CLASSES OF FEASTS (RANKS) Feast of Feasts – The resurrection of Christ, being the center of the Christian faith, is the basis of the Church’s liturgical life and the true model for all celebration. A class of its own. I. Great Feasts – besides the Twelve Great Feasts and all the Sundays of the year, this… Read More

AKOLOUTHIA AKOLOUTHIA – Greek term for (a) the order of a service (Slavonic: chinoposledovanie), or (b) the service itself (Slavonic: sluzhba). When a new saint is canonized a complete akolouthia for that saint is written, including all necessary texts for hesperinos, orthros and the Divine Liturgy, and normally an akathist and paraklesis of the saint…. Read More

Church Typikon

The Typikon is the book which contains directions for the celebration of the daily cycle of divine services (Matins, Hours, Liturgy, Vespers, Aftersupper); for the weekly cycle (Octoechos); for the monthly cycle (Menaeon); for the divine services of Holy Lent (Triodion) and the Holy Pentecostarion; and also for the various rites when combinations are necessary as the result of the coinciding of feasts, etc.

The Ecclesiastical Typicon has been accepted by the Holy Church and has been in effect for more than a thousand years. All priests and deacons at ordination take an oath to observe it All Orthodox bishops at their consecration in the rite of the “Profession of Faith” take a solemn oath in the presence of bishops, clerics, and people faithfully to observe the Church Typicon.

RULE OF PRAYER Rule of Prayer – Many rules of prayer have developed in the history of the Church. At no place or time has there been a uniform rule. In 19th Century Russia, for example, the rule varied considerably from one monastery to another, though certain basic elements were found in all of them…. Read More

The Jesus Prayer

^{(by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom)}

Those who have read The Way of the Pilgrim are familiar with the expression “The Jesus Prayer.” It refers to a short prayer, the words of which are: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” constantly repeated…. The prayer is profoundly rooted in the spirit of the Gospel, and it is not in vain that the great teachers of Orthodoxy have always insisted on the fact that the Jesus Prayer sums up the whole of the Gospel. This is why the Jesus Prayer can only be used in its fullest sense if the person who uses it belongs to the Gospel, is a member of the Church of Christ.

DIVORCE – While extending love and mercy to divorcees, the Orthodox Church is grieved by the trag­edy and the pain divorce causes. Though marriage is understood as a sacrament, and thus accomplished by the grace of God and is permanent, the Church does not deal with divorce legalistically, but with compassion. After appropriate pastoral counsel,… Read More

PRAYER TO THE SAINTS – is encouraged by the Orthodox Church. Why? Because physical death is not a defeat for a Christian. It is a glorious passage into heaven. The Christian does not cease to be a part of the Church at death. God forbid! Nor is he set aside, idle until the Day of… Read More

ABORTION – is the termination of a pregnancy by taking the life of the baby before it comes to full term. The Scriptures teach, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 138[139]:13). When an unborn child is aborted, a human being is killed. There are at least two… Read More

PREMARITAL SEX – The Orthodox Christian Faith firmly holds to the biblical teaching that sexual intercourse is reserved for marriage. Sex is a gift of God to be fully enjoyed and experienced only within mar­riage. The marriage bed is to be kept “undefiled” (He­brews 13:4), and men and women are called to remain celibate outside… Read More

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – The Kingdom of Heaven is Christ Himself, not a physical place or location. It is within Christ that the Kingdom is to be experienced. For this reason, we cannot think of the Kingdom as something we are either “in” or “out” of. Through baptism and a life of repentance, we participate… Read More

Leavened versus Unleavened Bread

What’s the difference?

The purpose of this paper is to briefly discuss the use of leavened bread in the Eucharist of the Orthodox Church.  This is not necessarily a polemical work, and I have no intention of discussing other practices and their merits or shortcomings.  I will say, from the very beginning, that those who become fixated with ritual at the expense of the content of the Gospel have condemned themselves.  Any rite that distorts the Gospel is plainly evil, but so too is the obsession with a correct rite, since such a compulsion is a manifestation of deep spiritual rot.  While ritual should bring joy, since it speaks of the Gospel, our greatest joy should be in acting out the Gospel towards those around us.  We have not been called to just attend services, but to repent, convert and serve others.

First, let’s discuss the nature of leaven.  It is another word for yeast, a naturally occurring plant.  In ancient times, they didn’t know that.  What they did know is that if you took flour and water, kneaded it well and left it in a cool place for a long time, the dough would rise.   They also knew that this process would speed up if you saved a little dough each time you baked to add to your next batch.  This reserve is now called a ‘starter.’  It was a good way to preserve yeast that made good bread, versus leaving the dough out every night in hope that it would catch a good wild yeast versus a bad one.  Once the yeast gets into the lump, it spreads throughout the lump without noticeably changing its color.  Yeast is both invisible and yet visible, since it does change the shape and texture of the dough.

DIVINE REVELATION  – That which God himself has revealed to men, in order that they might rightly and savingly believe in him, and worthily honor him.  He has given it for all, as being necessary for all alike, and capable of bringing salvation to all; but, since not all men are capable of receiving a… Read More