by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher “Now you shall remember the whole way the Lord your God led you in the desert, to deal harshly with you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) “[F]light and making oneself distant from the causes of evil is a great and excellent help in the ascetic struggle…the labor of vigil and fasting is the beginning of every struggle against sin and lust…so fasting, vigil, and wakefulness in God’s service by resisting the sweetness of sleep through … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher Our Lord said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). He also said earlier before raising Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (Jn. 11:25-26). To the Jews in Capernaum, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus said, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher The phrase “Going to Church” is a common one in our society. Frequently the same idea is posed as a question: “Do you go to Church?” or, “What Church do you go to?” This manner of speaking is sometimes expressed a slightly different way, for instance, “We have Church tomorrow,” or some such version. What do we mean by “going to Church”? The answer depends on what we mean by “Church.” Admittedly in our society, this whole concept is an abstract one by which “church” can mean a wide variety of things. Most … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher The date of Orthodox Pascha, the Feast of our Lord’s Resurrection from the dead, is usually different than the corresponding feast of Easter in the Western Christian traditions of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Occasionally the dates will be the same, for instance, on April 20, 2025. Sometimes they can be more than a month apart, which will occur next year when Easter will be March 31 and Pascha May 5. Does the actual date of Pascha, or Easter, affect our salvation, especially when they are usually … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37) To this statement made by our Lord Jesus to the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, Pilate responded with a question, “What is truth?” Pilate was expressing a notion common among people of this world, namely, that truth is a thing, an abstract idea, to be manipulated and used according to one’s imagination, not something solid or absolute. Today … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher “And you will hear of wars and rumors of war. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matt. 24:6). “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army” (Rev. 19:11, 19). The subject of war so thoroughly pervades human … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher “Now this, ‘He ascended’ (Ps. 67:19) – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” (Ephesians 4:9-10) The Ascension of Christ necessarily assumes His descent. Christ’s change of place in going up to heaven only happened because He first came down from heaven to earth. But what does this mean, really? Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, one of the rulers of the Jews: “If … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher Many people who come to Confession confess the same, or very similar, sins every time they confess; furthermore, as a preamble to the confession, the person will admit they are just confessing the same things over and over every time they come to Confession. What can a person do to break this cycle of repetitious sin, if they are truly repentant and want to change? Consider these words from a true Orthodox spiritual guide. “Some say that we fall into the same sins because we have been unable to correct our … [Read more...]

by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…” (Eph. 3:14-15) Whenever we Christians speak of “family,” especially in this day and age and culture, we have to carefully define the term within a Christian context, particularly that of the Scriptures and practice of the Church. Taking the passage above, the context of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us such a definition, as follows. The recipients of the letter in … [Read more...]

by Fr. John A. Peck In the Bible, unleavened bread is called “unleavened bread,” whereas leavened bread is simply called “bread.” The Jews at that time would have understood this as would have the early Christians. It says that “He took bread,” meaning leavened bread; and the Christians, being first instructed by the Apostles and then reading in the Gospels some time later, implemented this. At the Mystical Supper, it is obvious that our Lord was changing things, to tie the Passover meal with its fulfillment, the Eucharist. One of those … [Read more...]