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...]

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by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher For Americans, voting in elections is a fundamental right and duty of citizenship.  This duty is such a fundamental aspect of American government that American Christians, including the Orthodox, have incorporated voting into the routine management of their churches, for instance, at monthly Parish Council meetings, annual Voters’ Meetings, and church-wide assemblies.  Voting is an accepted tool for exercising the faith.  In the truest Christian sense, voting should be guided by faith because faith ultimately … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The first century Christian catechism called The Teaching (Gk., Didache) contains the following spiritual law: “Welcome activities occurring to you as good knowing that nothing happens apart from God” (3.10).  Our Lord says, “God the Father makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust”; then, later: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher “It was granted to [the beast] to make war with the saints and to overcome them.  And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.  All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:7-8) The Book of Revelation describes the spiritual condition of the world between Christ’s Ascension into heaven and His coming again in glory on the Last Day.  The spiritual condition of the world, … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher In Orthodox practice, the Dormition Fast is the two week-long fast beginning on August 1 which concludes with the Feast of the Dormition (lit., falling-asleep) of the Ever-Virgin Mother of God Mary on August 15.  The Dormition Fast is the fourth and final fasting season of the Church year (together with Advent/Nativity Fast [Nov. 15-Dec. 24]; Great Lent [40 days before Holy Week]; and the Apostles Fast [eighth day after Pentecost to June 29]); the Church new year begins on September 1. Saint Leo the Great, … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The term spirituality is not a traditional Orthodox term, although it is a popular term in religious and Christian thought today.  Orthodox Christian terminology tends to be concrete and specific, whereas the term spirituality is abstract, meaning something like “generic qualities of the spirit” which can be perceived or applied in any context.  For instance, we hear the common phrase: "I'm spiritual, not religious," together with various qualifiers like Eastern vs. Western Spirituality, or Indian Spirituality, … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The Orthodox Faith teaches that salvation is a process, that is, a continuous operation, or activity, advancing toward a certain end.  The end of the process is unbroken communion with God the Holy Trinity in the uncreated and eternal Kingdom of God.  The beginning of the process is our restoration to the divine life in Jesus Christ the Savior in faith, hope, and love.  The middle of the process is the gradual and ever-increasing separation from what is contrary to God (i.e., sins, evil passions, and death) and … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher Orthodox memorial services include all the services of the Church appointed for a person who has departed this life, that is, whose soul has departed from their body in the hope of the resurrection and eternal life.  These services begin before the departure of the soul from the body, and they continue well after the departure of a person’s soul from their body, expressed as the Church’s ongoing prayers for the departed (“prayers for the dead”).  As with all things Orthodox, the actual theology of dying, death, … [Read more...]