In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus introduces the kind of life those who seek the Kingdom of God must lead. His homily could properly be• called, “The Righteousness of the Kingdom.” It can be divided into several sections. (1) The Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-16): The sermon begins with
The spirituality is an interdisciplinary science encompasses anthropology, arts, history, literary studies, medicine, neuro-physiology, psychology and theology. In the early centuries of Christianity, spirituality and theology were integrated and inseparable. With the rise of theology in western part of world, Christianity gradually became understood as a conceptual science distinct from
on Mar 5th, 2013
Mid lent is the 25th day of the Holy Lent and the Orthodox Tradition considers this day as a feast of extreme importance. What are the significances of Mid Lent? What shall we understand from the readings of Mid Lent? Does this have a bearing to the festival of Easter?
Subhkono or the Service of Reconciliation is normally performed in orthodox churches on the first Monday of the great lent usually after the noon prayers. But in some places they do it either on Sunday night or on Monday evening for convenient sake. Normally the service ends by 40 prostrations
The word ‘Catholicos’ means ‘the general head’ or ‘general bishop’. It can be considered as equivalent to ‘universal Bishop’. This title and rank is much more ancient than the title Patriarch in the church. In the ministry of the early church there were only three ranks namely; Episcopos (Bishop), Priest
“The Virgin has Begotten the Wonderful; Let us go and Behold Him” Reflections on the Nativity of Christ Introduction When the Creator saw that man, who He had made with His own hands, perish, He was so moved that, “He bowed the heavens and came down”. The Feast of Nativity
This author has often heard many a people, especially in the West, using the pejorative phrase ‘Doubting Thomas’ to address St. Thomas, one of the twelve Disciples of Christ. This sarcasm has often pained me for it refers to my forefather. The case in point is the outcome of the
To begin with, worship, prayer and liturgy mean not mere an intellectual exercise for the Orthodox, rather actions or activity where the body, soul and spirit are deeply involved in and totally engaged with. In other words, it is the total human being, as creation of God, involving him/herself in
The empty tomb of Christ is a historical reality for every orthodox. The four gospels were written by four different men on different occasions and for different purposes. All of them clearly certify that Jesus rose from the dead without any doubt. Recently a United Methodist bishop was reprimanded by
Since Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is rich in tradition of fasting and prayer, comments about the various fasts often appear on various internet forums and online exchanges between Church members. The word ‘lent’ is often seen in these communications as well. There were postings about ‘Advent Lent’ and ‘25-day Lent’
