OrthoFlash - Saint George (Page 3)

Saint George

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OrthoFlash

A collection of 106 posts

AKATHIST

An Akathist Hymn (GR Akathistos "unseated hymn"; AR Madayeh) is a hymn dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The name derives from the fact that normally all participants stand while it is being prayed. When the word akathist is

THE SYNODIKON OF ORTHODOXY

THE SYNODIKON OF ORTHODOXY

The SYNODIKON of Orthodoxy is a text contained in the “Triodion” (OrthoFlash - Feb, 8, 2018) and read on the First Sunday of Lent: it celebrates the restoration of icons, after the iconoclast crises, and the triumph of Orthodox dogma over heretics and their heresies. It commemorates various Saints and

MEATFARE AND CHEESEFARE WEEKS

MEATFARE AND CHEESEFARE WEEKS

Before the bright joy of Pascha, the Church has prescribed a lengthy period of spiritual repentance, a period of preparation: the 40-day Great Lent. In addition, the Holy Church prescribed three weeks of preparation for the Great Lent itself: the Sundays of the Publican and the Pharisee; Prodigal Son; MEATFARE

HOLY SCRIPUTRE AND SACRED TRADITION

HOLY SCRIPUTRE AND SACRED TRADITION

The Holy Scripture is a collection of books - books of the Old and of the New Testament - written over multiple centuries - by those inspired by God to do so. They are divinely inspired and humanly expressed. The Scriptures are the word of God and are about the

CHURCHING

In the Orthodox Church, it is customary for the mother and her child to come to the church on the fortieth day after birth for a prayer service to reunite the mother and unite the child to their faith community. It is called the rite of churching. The child’s

CHRISTMATION and HOLY EUCHARIST

CHRISTMATION and HOLY EUCHARIST

The sacrament of CHRISMATION (confirmation) is always done in the Orthodox Church together with baptism. Just as Pascha (Easter) is fulfilled by Pentecost, baptism is fulfilled for the Christian by Chrismation which is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Chrismation is performed by anointing all parts of the person'

THE SACREMENT OF BAPTISM

THE SACREMENT OF BAPTISM

"For as many as been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27). The Sacrament of BAPTISM was commanded by our Savior, and has always been understood to be the entry of a believer into the Christian Life: ''Go therefore and make disciples of

THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE HOLY SPIRIT

"...and in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,..." (The Creed). THE HOLY SPIRIT is God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, who, from eternity, "proceeds" from

THEOPHANY

THEOPHANY (from GR theophania) means shining forth or manifestation of God. The Old Testament contains many stories demonstrating God’s immense love for His creation and the extent to which He is willing to go in order to bring human beings into fellowship with Himself (God manifested Himself to Abraham,

ST. JOHN CLIMACUS

ST. JOHN CLIMACUS

St. John CLIMACUS - The Greek word "klimakos" means "ladder." The name was given to John because he wrote a popular book on asceticism, titled The Ladder of Divine Ascent. The book is divided into thirty chapters, or "steps on the ladder"; each covers

THE CROSS

The CROSS is the central symbol for Christians, not only as the instrument of the world's salvation by the crucified Christ, but also as the constant witness to the fact that we cannot be Christians unless we live with the Cross as the very content of our lives

FASTING

The sacred and venerable discipline of fasting in the Orthodox Church is linked to both the Old and New Testaments. Fasting is not a monastic innovation; it is actually rooted in biblical tradition. This tradition was adopted and practiced by the early Church and continues to be practiced by the

MITER-STAFF

The Miter, also spelled Mitre is derived from a GR word meaning a "headband" or "Turban". Upon his head, the Bishop wears a richly embroidered headgear, called a Mitre symbolizing, as does a crown, the power bestowed upon a minister of the church. It olso symbolizes

FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

"For Orthodox Christianity the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul marks the end of the Apostles' Fast. Peter was the first of the disciples to clearly express faith in the Lord Jesus saying: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). His love

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

Apostolic succession is the tracing of a direct, continuous, and unbroken line of succession transmitted to the bishops of the Church by the Apostles. Orthodox teachings today are the same as that of the first Apostles, though their mode of expression has adapted over the centuries to deal with heresies,

Incarnation

(..) And He was INCARNATE of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man (...) As we get closer to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, a key term that is part of the vocabulary of all Orthodox Christians is Incarnation. The Nativity of our Lord is the Incarnation of the

The Icon of The Nativity of Our Lord

The icon of the Nativity of our Lord is packed with theology. It draws upon different sources: the Old Testament Prophecies, the New Testament Gospel accounts, and ancient narratives on the life of the Virgin Mary (The Protevangelion of James). It depicts the Creator of the universe entering history as

Our Own Santa Claus!

Our Own Santa Claus!

The real Santa Claus was an Orthodox Bishop. He came from Asia Minor, not the North Pole. And his real name is SAINT Nicholas the Wonderworker, ARCHbishop of Myra. Constantly at work and in unceasing prayer, the authentic Santa Claus distributed all his inheritance to the poor, and displayed great

The First Called

The First Called

The Holy Apostle ANDREW THE FIRST-CALLED was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ. St. John the Evangelist tells us that Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist and had heard how the latter called Jesus “the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). He straightway followed Christ,

Nativity Fast

We began on November 15th the forty day NATIVITY FAST, one of four Canonical Fasting Seasons in the Church year during which we are called upon to intensify our spiritual lives through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The purpose of fasting is to focus on the things that are above, the

Iconostasis

The most prominent feature of an Orthodox church is the Iconostasis (GR "an icon-stand") - a screen or wall which serves as a stable support for icons and marks the boundary, as well as the liaison, between the nave and the sanctuary. A typical Iconostasis consists of one

Eikona

The word ICON comes from the Ancient Greek word EIKONA (image, likeness, portrait). Since the early centuries of Christianity, the word "icon" was used to refer to images with a religious content, meaning and use. Christian art first appeared in the catacombs. When Christianity was recognized as a

Archangels

ARCHANGELS are messengers of great and wondrous tidings. They reveal prophecies and the mysteries of the faith. They spread faith in God among the people, illuminating their minds with the Light of the Holy Gospel. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with

Logos

LOGOS (GR Word). The Greek word logos already had a long history before it was used by St. John the Evangelist. Its three principle meanings are: " think, reckon, and speak". At its most profound level logos conveys: the meaning , the ordering, and reasonable content. It also came to

Typikon

TYPIKON (GR "following the order"; "that of the prescribed form") literally means "ritual" and in the context of the Church refers to the pattern of rituals in conducting worship. The Orthodox Church has numerous books filled with readings, hymns, prayers and worship services. However,