Light Of The East

On the 2nd Sunday of Lent, St. Gregory of Palamas will help us retrieve an indispensible virtue of the spiritual life, but one that is far too rare in today's modern world.

The Crusades is a highly explosive word that comes up from time to time. And it is of special interest to the Eastern lung of the Church. But what exactly does this word Crusades mean?

The journey through the Great Fast has begun. And, the liturgical life of the Church will fill our nap sacks with everything we need including a recipe from Theodore the Recruit.

The journey through the Great Fast has begun. And, the liturgical life of the Church will fill our nap sacks with everything we need including a recipe from Theodore the Recruit.

It is like a liturgical baton, the approaching season of repentance has already started running while the end of the season of Christ's Incarnation runs to catch up to hand off the liturgical baton.

Ahh, the good ol' days when people argued about something it was about who was the greatest saint or what was the true nature of Christ. To keep peace, the Church came up with an interesting proposal.

The very same churches that have the venerable custom of married priests are the same churches that gave the world celibacy. Marriage and celibacy are not diametrically opposed.

Mysticism, it's what keeps men sane and this is something the Eastern Churches have known for centuries. But, its sense of the mystical is not the only gift of the Eastern Church.

In the Eastern Churches, Epiphany is the observance of the baptism of Christ; it is called Theophany. And water is blessed on these days and is used to sanctify many things.

The coming of the Prince of Peace into the world was contrasted by violence and bloodshed for innocent children. But what is happening in our times make the bible story, indeed our story as well.

All families have their stories, from sinners to saints. So it is with the family of Jesus Christ. But God works out His divine plan which is the miracle of this season.

During the two Sundays before Christmas, we look into the family heritage of Christ which also becomes our own family heritage in which God works in mysterious ways.

During the liturgical season of conceptions and births, we will look at two issues that remain controversial between the two lungs of the Church, East and West... contraception and the Immaculate Conception.

As we approach the season of giftedness, the Eastern Catholic Churches are greatful for a gift from Pope Francis that will contribute towards ecumenical relationships.

The differences between the Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic Church are often a matter of perspective rather than theology as we will hear from Orthodox Theologian Metropolitan Timothy Kallistos Ware.

All baptized Christians have been given the mandate to preach the Gospel to the whole world. Father Thomas Loya and Father Joseph Loya together will discuss their thoughts on the necessity and techniques of effective preaching.

The Sacred Mystery or Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is known to both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. But there is another form of anointing that has healing properties as well.

As the Church spread throughout the world, it took on the character of the various cultures. This helps explain the nuances and tensions between East and West.

The story of Jonah and the Ninevites, just like all stories in the bible are not just history lessons. They are our stories today, our lived experiences. This is particularly true today.

Charity begins at home and so does ecumenism. A small parish in Pennsylvania took that to heart in a very big way!