by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher “And Jesus came and spoke to [the eleven disciples], saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’  Amen.” (Matt. 28:18-20; italics mine) What is a Christian?  How do we define that term?  What, if any, characteristics must a person have … [Read more...]

ON THE ENTRY INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES OF THE MOTHER OF GOD AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY (November 21) by St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica (1296-1357) [This extract of Homily 53 is translated by Christopher Veniamin, in Saint Gregory Palamas the Homilies (Mount Thabor Publishing, 2009)] If someone attempts to touch the stars with his hand, even though he is tall and stretches his arm further than the rest, he is almost as far away from those ethereal heights as men of much shorter stature, the difference not being worth … [Read more...]