An
ALMSGIVING
Opportunity
to help those impacted by Covid-19
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Reflections and Daily Inspiration
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The Liturgical Reality of the Church
Opens Paths to Freedom
In the divine mystagogy of Orthodox worship you find heaven on earth, not as a theatrical performance but as a liturgical reality. In that realm, the union without confusion or division of the divine and the human reigns and resolves all divisions; a gift of the presence of the Lord, the God-man, “who is the One who offers and is offered!” Here utter humiliation is identified with ineffable glory, divine love with inexpressible beauty, freedom with unity. There are no divisions. There is no Jew or Greek. All are one in Jesus Christ (cf. Gal 3:28).
Every feast of the Mother of God and the Lord in the Orthodox Church is a sacred festival and a vigil, bringing us out into the same day that knows no evening. It leads us to the Mother of God, “who inexpressibly conceived within time the One who is beyond time.” It reveals to us the full mystery of theology and the divine economy, leading up to the Divine Liturgy.
When the whole person thus passes consciously into the liturgical reality of the Church, the believer is initiated into states of inner certainty and peace, which cause him to hear within himself and say: “Yes!” And this “Yes” is a power of life which celebrates the mystery of ascension. This “Yes” is and is known as a light of knowledge, which opens up paths to freedom and life-giving unity. This is where the Christian who has entered into the Liturgy moves naturally. And he experiences this whole process as a blessing, both for himself and for others, with whom he feels part of an integral and indissoluble whole.
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Elder Vasileios
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An overview of the Divine Liturgy
Welcome to the Orthodox Church! Join Frederica Mathewes-Green, in this video series, on a journey into the Eastern Orthodox Church. Learn about Orthodox teachings and dogma, Orthodox architecture and terminology, and what it means to live an Orthodox life.
In this video, "An Overview of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy," Frederica explains why we do things the way we do in the Orthodox Church and what you might experience if you endeavor to visit an Orthodox Church for the first time.
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The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark
Mark was a traveling companion and assistant to the Apostle Peter, who, in his first Epistle, calls him his son—not a son according to the flesh but a son according to the spirit (I Peter 5:13). While Mark was in Rome with Peter, the faithful begged him to write down the saving teaching of the Lord Jesus, His miracles and His life for them. Thus Mark wrote his Holy Gospel, which the Apostle Peter himself saw and bore witness to as true. Mark was appointed as bishop by the Apostle Peter and was sent to Egypt to preach. And thus St. Mark was the first preacher of the Gospel and the first bishop in Egypt. Egypt was entirely oppressed by the thick darkness of paganism, idolatry, soothsaying and malice. With the help of God, St. Mark succeeded in sowing the seed of the teaching of Christ throughout Libya, Ammonicia and Pentapolis. From Pentapolis St. Mark came to Alexandria, where the Spirit of God led him. In Alexandria he succeeded in establishing the Church of God, in ordaining bishops, priests and deacons, and in firmly strengthening them all in the honorable Faith. Mark con- firmed his preaching through many great miracles. When the heathens raised accusations against Mark as a destroyer of their idolatrous faith, and when the governor of the city began searching for Mark, he again fled to Pentapolis, where he continued to strengthen his earlier work. After two years, Mark returned to Alexandria, to the great joy of all the faithful, whose number had greatly multiplied. On this occasion, the pagans seized Mark, bound him tightly, and began to drag him over the cobble stone pavement, crying out: “Let us drag the ox to the pen.” Wounded and blood- ied all over, Mark was cast into prison, where at first a heavenly angel ap- peared to him, encouraging and strengthening him. Then the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to him and said: “Peace be to thee, Mark, my Evangelist!” To this Mark replied: “Peace be to Thee also, my Lord Jesus Christ!” The next day the vicious men brought Mark out of prison and again dragged him through the streets with the same cry: “Let us drag the ox to the pen.” Completely exhausted and worn out, Mark uttered: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Mark expired and his soul went to the better world. His holy relics were honorably buried by Christians and, through the centuries, have given people healing from all afflictions, pains and diseases.
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