Light Of The East

Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon... the mention of these seem to strike fear in our minds today. However, these are places of great spiritual and biblical significance.

Pope St. John Paul II said that the church breathes with both lungs, East and West. But, why did this come to be? Are the tiny eastern churches still relevant in a modern world?

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

What times are your Masses on Sunday?" For an Easter Catholic parish, the answer is not quite so simple.

How could motherhbood preserve virginity and death be the herald of life? These are mysteries celebrated in the new beginning of the liturgical year of the Byzantine tradition.

A holy pilgrimage on a holy mountian and holy people doing holy things... the annual Labor Day Pilgrimage on Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Pope Benedict XVI taught that the role of the Church in regard to the state was to remind the state of the dignity of the human person. Recently, young students of Ukraine gave witness to this.

On top of Mount Tabor, Jesus Christ revealed the glory of His divinity and the splendor of His humanity. In doing so, He revealed that we ar made in the image and likeness of God.

Benediction, Eucharistic Adoration, daily Masses, the Rosary... do these same devotions exist in the Eastern Churches? The answer would be yes and no at the same time.

Christ is Risen! On this day, the Church joyfully breathes with both lungs, the canonization of two Popes and the 500th broadcast of Light of the East

Christ is Risen! This is the Day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!

We begin Great Week, the week of the Bridegroom where we unite our passion and suffering with that of Christ. This is especially true for the Eastern churches and faithful in the Ukraine.

Great Fast

This week, we bow to the ground and rise up The Ladder of Divine Ascent guided by our special masters: St. John Climacus, St. Andrew of Crete and St. Mary of Egypt.

On the Third Sunday of Lent, we venerate the Cross which stands in the middle between heaven and earth, but also in the middle of many Eastern Churches.

The first Sunday of Lent commemorates the vindication of the ancient practice of the veneration of icons. To appreciate this, we will turn to the writings of a pope from the Western Lung of the Church.

The Bright Sadness is now upon us as we repent and seek God's forgiveness. We will fast and ask forgiveness of one another in the very moving evening service of the Forgiveness Vespers.

It is the Sunday of Meat Fare. But, it is also the Sunday in which we sing, "The end draws near, the time grows short, the Judge is at the door, and the days of life pass swiftly."

We can always turn to the gift of the priesthood to experience God's mercy. But where do priests turn when they are in need of both God's mercy and ours?

On this Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, we will listen to the stirring in the hearts of a publican, a prisoner and a Catholic Cardinal, the young people of the Ukraine and the Church that breathes with both lungs.