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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher Demons are real, and they’re scary.  We Christians know quite a lot about demons.  This knowledge is crucial for our spiritual well-being and for the salvation of would-be Christians.  The major, if not main, aspect of Jesus Christ’s ministry is the exorcism of demons and destruction of the power of the demons’ leader, the devil.  “[Christ] Himself likewise shared in the same [flesh and blood], that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil…For this purpose the Son of God … [Read more...]

Christ, the Son of God, gave us Himself and His holy life as a model, as we saw earlier: “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).  Let us picture in the eyes of our soul this pure mirror and see in it whether our life is in conformity with the life of Christ.  It is absolutely necessary that it be in conformity. ”As was the man of dust (the first Adam), so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man (the new Adam Jesus Christ), so also are those who are heavenly.  And as we … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher Believe it or not, Halloween originated as a Christian observance emerging from its western European, Roman Catholic cultural context.  Halloween is literally the eve of All Saints (Hallows) Day kept on November 1, a tremendously important day in the medieval western European Church calendar.  Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses on the Wittenberg church door on Halloween (October 31, 1517) because he knew most people would be in church to see them the next morning for All Saints Day.  Thus the Lutherans … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher The goal of the parish is to contribute to the salvation of souls.  Because there is a correlation between salvation and spiritual health, a parish is “successful” if it is conducive to spiritual health.   How much the people love God: how well they keep Christ’s commandments, and how strong their faith, prayer, humility, and reverence are;   How much the people love their neighbors: in the degree of unity in the parish so that “one soul is seen in many bodies” (St. Basil the Great), and in … [Read more...]

By Fr. Jonathan H. Cholcher This liturgical phrase occurs in the closing prayers of the services of sunset (Vespers) and early morning (Matins), and as a refrain in certain Canons (i.e., extended prayers based on nine Biblical songs).  It is both a statement and a petition for the Virgin Mary to help us. Consider that God is not the only subject of the verb to save.  St. Paul writes: “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).  To Timothy: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue … [Read more...]