MOST CHRISTIANS KNOW that the books of the New Testament — the Gospels, the Epistles and the rest — were written in the first century ad. Some know that these books were compiled as the New Testament sometime in the next three centuries. Few know that the form of the New Testament which we use […]
ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR CHANTS in our Church is the kondakion of Christ’s Nativity, “Today the Virgin gives birth…” What many do not know is that this hymn is an excerpt from a much longer work and that it was written by St Romanos the Melodist. Who is This Saint? St Romanos was born […]
The passage from St Matthew’s Gospel describing the healing of the demoniac begins with the words, “When Jesus had come to the other side…” (Matthew 8:28). “The other side of what?” we may ask, raising questions of where Jesus went and what it meant for His ministry. How does knowing where He lived and where […]
Salt and Light TV – In May of 2014, Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church sent a letter to Pope Francis. In it he expressed his desire to establish a single date for all Christian Churches to celebrate Easter. Since the 16th century the Catholic and Orthodox churches have used different calendars to calculate […]
by Brent Kostyniuk I have just come from a spiritually uplifting, spiritually rewarding experience—Mass at Our Lady of Good Help Maronite church in Edmonton, presided by Msgr. Joseph Salame. The Maronite Church is one of 22 Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with Rome. Its spiritual head is His Beatitude Bechara Boutros A-Rahi Patriarch of […]
[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike many Ukrainian Greco-Catholics, I am pleased that Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill finally met in Havana February 12, even though the negotiations that preceded this encounter included some unseemly concessions. After all, for the last three decades such an encounter was always described as impossible because of the very existence of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic […]
“Who shall climb the Mountain of the Lord, who shall stand in His Holy Place…” by Hieromonk Theodosy In 2008, with trust in the Most High God Who calls us all to climb His Holy Mountain, and with the blessing and guidance of His Grace Bishop David, we set out on an adventure to practically […]
Two of the most frequently used prayers in our tradition are taken from the same Gospel narrative: the visit of the Holy Virgin to her older cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist (cf., Luke 1:39-56). Both the Angelic Salutation (“Hail, O Theotokos…”) and the Canticle of the Theotokos (“My soul magnifies the Lord…”) are […]
The twentieth anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II apostolic letter “Orientale Lumen” is an occasion to reflect on what can be learned from Eastern Catholics by Dr. Adam A.J. Deville Catholic World Report, July 2, 2015 Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, gives the homily during a Divine […]
ONE OF THE EPISTLE READINGS often heard at the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Council Fathers, Hebrews 13:7-16, begins with these words: “Remember those who preside over you, who have spoken the word of God to you. Follow their faith, considering the outcome of their conduct” (v.7). Clearly this passage was chosen for […]
