Fr. Peter Alban Heers
Rating: 10|Votes: 2
The Orthodox Church’s understanding of heterodox baptism flows from and is determined by its self-understanding of being the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church,” which alone performs the one baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. This is so, for the Church is known in her mysteries. In and through the mysteries the Church exists and is continually formed, her borders are set, her members identified. “Those who live their lives outside the mysterial (sacramental) life are outside the body of Christ.”
Vincent Gabriel
Rating: 10|Votes: 5
When it comes to politicized, controversial, and otherwise binary issues in our world today, should Orthodox Christians pick sides? Or should we look deeper and live in a way that transcends the political divide?
"Every one of us is a member of the Body of Christ. And this gives me hope—hope in the beauty, goodness and kindness of humanity; hope in the potential of our Church to be a true witness to the divine beauty, goodness and kindness that is offered to all of mankind; hope that, by God’s providence, I stand before you as the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and that I am able to hear your concerns and hopes, your complaints and praises, your frustration and your encouragement.”
The Orthodox Church has been the greatest agent of human development in history. The story of the Church is the story of the world. However, not all chapters of this story are full of joy and celebration. There is often pain and suffering. After all, there is no resurrection without the cross, and the defeat of death and the descent in Hades go hand in hand.
Rod Dreher
Starting tomorrow, Father Matthew and his wife Anna are going to face the biggest challenge of their lives. Anna will be admitted to the hospital for a high-risk, extremely complicated surgery, to give birth to their fourth child, a daughter they will name Irene. Theirs is a clergy family, one that serves a very small mission church. We in the congregation are giving all we can, but it won’t be remotely enough to meet all the medical needs of the Harringtons. Friends of the Harringtons outside our parish have set up a GoFundMe for those who would like to help them.