Fifty years ago the great Russian Orthodox priest and theologian Fr. Alexander Schmemann wrote a marvelous book titled Great Lent: Journey to Pascha. Father Schmemann details how the Eastern Orthodox liturgy during Lent helps and enables this journey, this passage, this transition from one spiritual state into another. As Anglicans, we of course don’t have … [Read more…]
Lent is a 40-day period of spiritual preparation for the greatest feast of the Christian Year: the Sunday of the Resurrection, commonly known as Easter Day. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 6th this year) and concludes with the Easter Vigil on the Saturday evening (April 20th this year) before Easter. The great 20th-century Russian … [Read more…]
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is Wednesday, March 6. Ash Wednesday is one of the two fasting days of the year, the other being Good Friday. Jesus Himself recommended and practiced fasting (Matthew 6:16-18, Luke 4:2, Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29), as did the early Church and faithful Christians in every generation. The general … [Read more…]
February 10 was the last Sunday in the Epiphany season, as next Sunday begins the Pre-Lenten season. Lent and Pre-Lent are more somber in tone than the Epiphany season, and so some of the more joyful aspects of the Church’s liturgy, such as the Gloria in excelsis, are not used then. Anciently, this included dropping … [Read more…]
“O wondrous interchange! The Creator of mankind, taking upon him a living body, vouchsafed to be born of a Virgin; and proceeding forth as Man, without seed, hath made us partakers of his Divinity.” I have always loved this antiphon on the Psalms, used during Christmastide, which I know from The Prayer Book Office (1963), … [Read more…]
“The celebration of the birth of Christ hath been esteemed a duty by most who profess Christianity. When we consider the condescension and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, in submitting to be born of a virgin; and especially as he knew how he was to be treated in this world; that he was to … [Read more…]
St. John’s will observe the birth of our Lord and Savior this year with Masses as follows: Sunday, Dec. 23, Advent 4: 9:00 am Monday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve: 5:00 pm Tuesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day: 9:00 am
We have now begun the season of Advent, which lasts for four weeks and ends on the feast of Christmas. The word advent is from two Latin words meaning “coming to,” and during Advent the Church remembers the two great “coming to us’s” of Jesus Christ: his first coming to us as a baby in … [Read more…]
Saint John’s will once again this year celebrate an Advent/Christmas Service of Lessons and Carols with music by The Harbor String Quartet. Everyone is cordially invited to this free event and special service of Scripture readings narrating the history of our salvation in Jesus Christ and beautiful Christmas music.
What was the early church like? Look no farther than St. Ignatius of Antioch–who received his commission as bishop from the apostle John himself. While this video is used an apologetic for the Roman Catholic Church, all catholics (Eastern Orthodox, traditional Anglican Catholics, etc) should look up to St. Ignatius and his writings as one … [Read more…]
