January 31, 2020 Where Did the Custom of Reading the Prayers of Preparation for the Holy Communion Come From? An Orthodox Christian is certainly well acquainted with the preparatory prayers for the Holy Communion. This prayer rule is important and highly recommended before…
January 30, 2020 The Marks of the Church: the Church as Holy Every Sunday we confess in the Creed that the Church is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic”. But what do we mean when we say…
January 26, 2020 History of Blessing of Water The rite of the blessing of water is directly derived from the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The Church…
January 24, 2020 How and Why Did the Entrance Prayers Come into Being? Everyone who comes to the church early enough to attend the Divine Liturgy may see the clergy doing the so-called entrance prayers. What are…
January 22, 2020 Holy Water as Treatment for Alcoholism Alcohol-addicts are recommended to drink holy water with prayer upon feeling the desire to drink alcohol throughout the day. From the book of priest…
January 21, 2020 Bethlehem: History of Devotion Bethlehem is the main center for Christian pilgrimages on Christmas days. In Jewish tradition, the “House of Bread” (as the name of the city…
January 19, 2020 The Meaning of Consecration of a House Many people have heard about the ritual of consecration of a house or an apartment, or even participated in it themselves. Not everyone, however,…
January 18, 2020 The White Vestry Depending on the day of the church year, we see vestments of a particular color in the church. On some holidays, the most significant…
January 15, 2020 Biblical Aromas Frankincense is probably the most famous of the fragrances mentioned in the Bible. The etymology of the word in Russian dates back to the…
January 10, 2020 What Is the Antimension For? An antimension (Greek: ἀντί – instead of, and lat. mensa – table, lit. “instead of the table”) is a special rectangular plate made of…
January 8, 2020 Why the Russian Orthodox Church Celebrates Christmas on January 7th Many people ask us why the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th. These same people may also have wondered why the Soviet…
January 5, 2020 Do All The Requirements of the Church Charter Have to Be Met? On the one hand, the church charter is a set of rules that an Orthodox Christian has to comply with. But, as Mikhail Skaballanovich,…
