Let the Deacons Respond!
The Divine Liturgy is the most important activity in our Orthodox Christian lives. It is the time when the people of God, the ekklesia, stand before Him in reverence, worship Him and entreat His mercy, and receive Communion with Him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Because of its importance, any changes to the Divine Liturgy must be studied with caution. I feel we are at the cusp of such a change relating – …
The Right to Really Die
On October 5, the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a new law that confers what is known as the “right to die” upon people living in this state. The media has done an exceptionally good job in distorting the meaning of this law for Christians. The Associated Press, for example, is careful to note that Gov. Brown is a “lifelong Catholic and former Jesuit seminarian” who signed the law after discussing the issue with – …
Cyprian, Justina, and our Relationship with Evil
At the end of the month of October every year, many Americans celebrate Halloween, a holiday that is oftentimes associated with the dead and the powers of darkness. There are, of course, defenders of Halloween who claim that it is fundamentally a wholesome holiday involving family, friends, and kids in cute costumes, but the reality is quite different. One cannot, for example, ignore the vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and other things from the occult – …
Bless the Crown of the Year
As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Nayrouz, which is the feast of the new year beginning on September 12 in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we cannot help but notice the phrase, “Bless the crown of the year with Your Goodness, O Lord,” which is repeated throughout the hymns of the Church. This phrase is actually a quotation from Psalm 64:12 (LXX; 65 in the Protestant Bible), which reads, “Thou shalt bless the crown of – …
No More Christian Baby Names?
When God blesses a married couple with a child, it is undoubtedly one of the most joyful moments of life leading up to intense preparation for the coming of the child. Among the many stressful activities involved in the preparation is choosing (or oftentimes agreeing upon) the name of the child. Many couples turn to the Internet for advice as to which name they should choose. In response, they may receive advice like this from FitPregnancy: – …
‘NSync, Losses, and Memory Eternal…
Kareem Elgawly: February 1, 1992 – September 5, 2014 Bye Bye Bye, baby, bye bye bye! blasted on the sound system as I entered Vons a few hours ago. Yeah, it was ‘NSync, a boy band that I never really got into, but they had a couple of big hits that stuck with me throughout the years. That one and “This I promise you”. A strange melancholy gripped me right away, but not the bad gloom, it was – …