May 27, 2019 Spiritual Father’s Advice: Should We Pray Aloud or Silently Should I Pray Aloud Or Silently? Question: Father, do the Lord and his saints hear our prayers if we pray silently, not aloud? Should…
May 24, 2019 Which Movements Are Acceptable during Prayer? Orthodox worship is rich in liturgical gestures, i.e., specific hand and body movements. This rich repertoire is caused by the fact that being human…
May 23, 2019 What Is the Nous and How Is It Connected with the Soul? Question: “What do we mean by the “nous,” how is it distinct from the soul, and are the Orthodox the only ones who speak…
May 22, 2019 Nicholas the Wonderworker: How Could There Be Two of Them? The biography of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker incorporated the biographies of two saints: St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia and St. Nicholas of Pinara. The first…
May 21, 2019 Why Can’t We Have Panikhidas and Sorokousts for Non-Christians and Unbelievers? The question is imprecise: we may not pray for non-Christians in church; we may pray for unbelievers who were baptized, though. Let me explain….
May 17, 2019 What Is Enthronement in Orthodoxy? A bishop is a successor of the Apostles and the link between each Christian and the Church because the bishop is the chief priest…
May 11, 2019 Celibacy in Orthodoxy Question: “The Hebrew Bible nowhere thought celibacy praiseworthy (St. Paul was an exception). So why does Orthodoxy teach that monastic celibacy is the greatest…
May 4, 2019 The Origins of the Bright Week and the Mystagogical Catechism for the First Christians It is Bright Week now. We continue to celebrate Easter during these seven happy days. Why is this week called Bright? How did the…
May 1, 2019 Is Raising Hands Allowed during the Divine Liturgy? Question: Is it proper for laymen to raise their hands in prayer during the consecration of the Eucharist and the Lord’s Prayer? Answer:…
April 30, 2019 “A Great Tumpet Will Be Blown”: What Does It Mean and Why Trumpet? From the prophecies of Isaiah: “It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were…
April 25, 2019 About the Eucharistic Bread: Sould It Be Leavened or Unleavened? In the ninth century the use of unleavened bread had become obligatory in the West, while the Orthodox continued the exclusive offering of…
April 17, 2019 Why Is The Curtain of the Royal Door Half-Closed During the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts? The curtain of the Royal Door is half-closed – as opposed to being fully closed during other Liturgies – during the Liturgy of Presanctified…
