Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
How tragic today's story of the life of Christ is. A man had been paralysed for years. He had lain at a short distance from healing, but he himself had no strength to merge into the waters of ablution. And no one - no one in the course of all these years - had had compassion on him.
Archpriest Nicholas Deputatov
Rating: 7,4|Votes: 8
That piety so characteristic of all levels of society in Holy Russia. was rapidly evaporating from the 19th century high society intelligentsia when God raised up from its very midst a true ascetic and Church writer, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. In him was combined a rare eloquence of style and a profound understanding of the Christian life of struggle through which he was able to inspire many souls, blinded by Western "enlightened" ideas, to return to the saving enclosure of the Church.
Christopher Tripoulas
Rating: 6,3|Votes: 3
There are few opportunities like Holy Week to gain empirical knowledge and partake in the Philokalic (love of beauty) Hellenic tradition that masterfully comes to life each year in Greek Orthodox churches and homes all over the world. The Orthodox Christian mentality is expressed in our persistent focus on the Resurrection.
In the morning the sun chased away the mists shrouding the beach. And at that point everyone saw the boat returning… It contained not four but nine people. And then everyone gathered on the quay, — monks, prisoners, guards, — all crossed themselves and went down on their knees. “A Miracle, indeed! The Lord has saved them!” came cries from the crowd.
Dr. M. R. Brett-Crowther
The gospel reading shows the diakonia carried out for the body of the crucified Jesus. The anointing done by Mary in Bethany (John 12: 3-8) is now to be done for the actual burial. But the King of Palm Sunday has already become the King of Life. This reading tells the story from Joseph of Arimathea’s taking possession of the dead body by permission of Pilate and enshrouding it and burying it with a stone being rolled against the door of the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea, an admirer of Jesus, has declared himself, by taking a risk to help.