The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
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What do Orthodox Christians believe? Fr. George Konstantopoulos, Priest of 51 years,answers questions of the Orthodox faithful and all others who seek to know and understand more about the rich and beautiful faith that is Orthodoxy.
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
3d ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 25th of March, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates the ANNUNCIATION of Our Most
Holy Lady the THEOTOKOS and EVER-VIRGIN MARY.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Fourth Tone
TODAY is the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of
the mystery which was from eternity. The Son of God becometh the
Virgin’s Son, and Gabriel announceth the good tidings of grace; for this
cause, let us cry to the Mother of God with him: Rejoice, thou who art
full of grac ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
5d ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY: THE TRIUMPH OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
OVER HERESY.
"As the Prophets beheld; as the Apostles taught; as the Church received; as the Teachers dogmatized;
as the Universe has agreed; as the Grace has shone forth; as Truth has been proven; as falsehood has
been disproven; as Wisdom has been presented; as Christ has rewarded. This is what we believe; this
is what we declare; this is what we preach, Christ our True God, and we honor His Saints i ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
6d ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
HOLY LENTEN SERVICES: THE AKATHIST HYMN
The devotional hymns to the Ever-Virgin Mary are as ancient as the first Christian Church. The Byzantine Empire from its very inception, closely allied itself to the Ever-Virgin Mary and always sought Her protection. This we see from the Prayer Services to the Theotokos in the 5th, through the 8th Centuries. The "Akathist Hymn", which has more than one author, existed for the most part even before the established year of 62 ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
1w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
HOLY LENTEN SERVICES: THE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED
A distinctive fear of Holy and Great Lent weekdays is "the Liturgy of the Presanctified", celebrated on each WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY, but at one time on every weekday of Holy Lent. Strictly speaking, the term ‘Liturgy’ is a misnomer, FOR THERE IS NO EUCHARISTIC CONSECRATION AT THIS SERVICE; IT IS SIMPLY THE OFFICE OF VESPERS (ESPERINOS) FOLLOWED BY THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOLY COMMUNION FROM ELEMENTS CONSECRATED ON ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
1w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE CANON OF SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE
At the Compline on the first four days of Holy and Great Lent, the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is read, divided into four sections; on the fifth week it will be read again, this time in continuous form. With its constant refrain, ‘HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O GOD, HAVE MERCY UPON ME,’ the Great Canon forms A PROLONG CONFESSION OF SIN, AN UNREMITTING CALL TO REPENTANCE. At the same time, IT IS A MEDITATION on the whole body of ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
1w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
"AND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL FOR MY NAME’S SAKE"
[Luke 21:17].
"And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But
he who endures to the end will be saved" [Matthew 10:22].
He who believes in Jesus Christ and follows Him is one who lives only to do everything for His sake and glory. We are are δούλοι Κυρίου or slaves of the Lord, our God and Savior. When a slave was bought by his/her new master the first act by him was to shorn a lock of his/her hair to indic ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
1w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
JESUS SAID: "LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO
THE END OF THE AGE" [Matthew 28:20].
Since the Lord is sending His disciples out among the Gentiles (pagans) to face death and danger, He gives them courage by saying, "Fear not, for I will be with you until the end of the age." Saint Theophylact says, "See also how He mentioned the end so as to arouse in them disdain for these calamities. Do not be downcast, He says to them, for all things will have an end, boht wo ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
1w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE DESTRUCTIVE VICE OF ANGER
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil
speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ
forgave you" [Ephesians 4:31-32].
Saint Basil the Great recognized the loss of reason in anger,"it makes a man completely bestial…in fact, it does not even allow him to be a man at all, because he no longer has the lelp of his reason." Furthermore ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
2w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
PATHS OF HEALING
A NEW BIRTH
To live for the Divine Life, one must first be born into it: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" [John 3:5]. This refers TO BAPTISM and its necessity is therefore absolute. "In Baptism man is mystically born into spiritual life. In Chrismation he receives Grace which gives growth and strengthens. In Communion he is spiritually nourished. In Repentance/Confession he is healed of spiritual d ..read more
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos
2w ago
My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
REMAINING CONSCIOUS OF GOD’S PRESENCE AT ALL TIMES
AND EVERY PLACE.
"Where can I go from Your
Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your
presence?
I ascend into heaven, You are
there;
If I make my bed in hell,
behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the
morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me."
[Psalm 138[139]:7-10].
Each of us is known by the Lord. The psalmist wonders at the de ..read more