Christopsomo: Christ-bread
An old Greek tradition, this bread is baked on Christmas Eve and eaten on Christmas Day. Baking this bread bestows a great blessing upon the family. The bread’s design The dough is divided into two pieces. The first portion, the largest, forms the main base. Using the second portion, the...
Christmas Music That Will Take You to Heaven
Although some people complain about Christmas music before Thanksgiving, Orthodox Christians have traditionally started chanting sacred hymns about Christmas in November. Fr. Alexander Schmemann explains: As Orthodox Christians, we begin the celebration of the Nativity of Christ — on December 25 — with a time of preparation. Forty days before...
Το μεγάλο δείπνο
“Η ευθύνη εισόδου η αποκλεισμού απο την Βασιλεία του Θεού θα είναι απόλυτα και αποκλειστικά δική μας υπόθεση. Θα αποδεχθούμε την πρόσκληση του Θεού η θα μείνουμε προσκολλημένοι στις δικές μας καθημερινές έγνοιες. Η επιλογή θα είναι υπόθεση ζωής” Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network. You can find the Orthodox...
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on the Jesus Prayer
A distinctive spiritual practice in Orthodox Christianity is the constant repetition of the “Jesus Prayer”: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner. St. Theophan the Recluse, a popular spiritual writer in 19th century Russia, wrote: The practice of the Jesus Prayer is simple. Stand before...
App Makes ‘Eye of Sauron’ Appear in Moscow
Proposals to place an “Eye of Sauron” in the Moscow business district were scuttled after protests from various groups, including the Russian Orthodox Church. But a Russian company called GiveAR has created an app that allows users to see the controversial image for themselves. See the video above for a...
Four Principles from Patriarch Kirill on Islam, Western Immorality, and Interfaith Dialogue
In a recent meeting with one of Turkey’s most important Muslim leaders, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow emphasized four things. 1. The Moscow Patriarchate looks forward to continued dialogue and strengthened relations with Muslim leaders, especially given the rapid decline of morality in the West. “It would be good...