ON FASTING (Extracts from the Fathers)
The Abortion Issue
by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The practice of abortion continues to be an ever-present subject of society both ancient and modern. Much like the historically common practices of slavery and extra-marital sex (e.g., pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia, and pornography), the abortion issue is nothing new. In Western culture the issue is shaped by two opposing limits: the ideological justification to dispose of the inferior/weak for the good of the superior/strong; and the basic human instinct exemplified by the … [Read more...]
SCHISM (DIVISION) AND THE CHURCH
by St. John Chrysostom (d. 407; from Homily 11 on Ephesians 4:4-16) If therefore we desire to have the benefit of that Spirit which is from the Head, let us cleave one to another. For there are two kinds of separation from the body of the Church; the one, when we wax cold in love, the other, when we dare commit things unworthy of our belonging to that body; for in either way we cut ourselves off from the “fullness of Christ.” But if we are appointed to build up others also, what shall not be done to them who are first to make … [Read more...]
Water and the Spirit
by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher “Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.”’” (John 3:5-7) According to our Lord Jesus, water is the medium by which we must be born into the kingdom of God, that is, the spiritual dominion of eternal life and communion with God Himself. The alternative is to remain merely in … [Read more...]
The Sign(s) of God’s Enduring Presence
By Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) The unmistakable sign of God’s enduring presence is the Incarnation of the Son of God, namely, the eternal Son of God taking on human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The eternal God assumes a permanent, eternal dwelling in a human body in the Person of Jesus Christ our Savior. As Christ declared to His … [Read more...]
Four Lessons from the Real Santa Claus
by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher “You were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence…” (Troparion [hymn of the day] for St. Nicholas) Having just once again celebrated the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia (Dec. 6), it is crucial for us to reflect on the meaning of this great saint’s life in the Church. Though most depictions of St. Nicholas in our popular culture are mere caricatures of reality – e.g., Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, etc. – the fact that St. Nicholas … [Read more...]
Christmas Fables and Christmas Facts
The word “Christmas” literally means “Christ’s Mass,” Mass being the principal service of the Church commonly called the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Tradition; therefore, Christmas refers to the Divine Liturgy served on the Feast day of our Lord’s birth in the flesh from the Virgin Mary (December 25). One cannot technically or properly celebrate Christmas unless one prepares for and participates in the Divine Liturgy – by definition, receiving Holy Communion – on the Feast of Christ’s birth. Already in this simple explanation, we realize how … [Read more...]
Sanctify a Fast
by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The Orthodox practice of the Christian Faith includes fasting as an essential aspect of its tradition. The earliest Christian writing outside of the New Testament states: “And your fastings, let them not be with the hypocrites; for they fast on the second and fifth days of the week (i.e., Monday and Thursday; see Lk. 18:12), but you, fast on the fourth day and on the preparation” (i.e., Wednesday and Friday; Didache, 8.1; ca. 100 A.D.). Likewise, Christians always fasted for a season connected with the yearly … [Read more...]
Twelve Days of Christmas
by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher In the Western, Roman Catholic Christian tradition, the Feast of our Lord’s Birth on December 25 is followed by the Feast of Epiphany on January 6, sometimes called the Gentile Christmas as it commemorates the visit of the Magi to worship Christ (Matt. 2:1-12). Thus there are 12 days between these two feasts, the 12 days of Christmas. In the Orthodox tradition which precedes the Western reckoning, the Feast of Christmas is likewise followed by another great feast on January 6 called Theophany (also, Epiphany), or … [Read more...]
