The Orthodox Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, as we confess in the Creed, i.e. in the Symbol of Faith. It is the communion (Gr. koinonia) of the holy since all its members are united in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. There exists a ceaseless unity in prayer between the visible, earthly, part of [ ]
It was St. Sava who introduced the ritual of the baptismal Slava, or Patron Saint’s Day, into practice on a liturgical basis. Since the time of St. Sava, this ritual and its accompanying customs gradually assumed the form it has today. The present aspect of this ritual was finally formed by Mihajlo, the Metropolitan of [ ]
The Great Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ – Easter or the Holy Pascha, represents the starting point of Orthodox understanding of the sanctification of time. It stands at the center of Orthodox liturgical life, at the center of that segment of time that the Orthodox Church calls a year. We are [ ]
Prayer is a conversation with God and it is the essence of the life of all angels in Heaven and all the saints. It is the very heart of all virtue – faith most of all. Without prayer it is impossible to conceive and understand mysteries of Orthodox faith, of the world we live in, [ ]
Divine Liturgy (meaning common work, common service, or common action in Greek), or Eucharist (thanksgiving), is the focal point of the life of the Orthodox Church. Holy Fathers define it as the Sacrament above all sacraments or as the Sacrament of the Church. It is the source of all, and it is the final destination [ ]
The theme of light stretches throughout the entire Bible. History of the world started when God separated light from darkness: And God said, ‘Let there be light’ (Gen. 1.3). The conclusion of history will cancel darkness completely. There will not be any need for the Sun or the Moon to shine, for God shall be [ ]
The Orthodox Church approach to life is fully sacramental. Sacrament is an act of transfiguration. Our transfiguration is the true goal of Lord God in his acts of salvation. It is in Christ that God not only redeems and saves, and forgives our transgressions, but He also transfigures our lives. Sacraments are such consecrating acts [ ]
The word Church with a capital C is used to name the Communion of Christians, while the same word with a small c serves to name the edifice were Church services are being held. This speaks clearly that the Communion of the faithful realizes itself as the Church of God, as a spiritual temple, in [ ]
Priestly service is the continuation of the apostolic service of the Church. The essence of priesthood or the Holy Orders is, by using the words of Saint Paul, ‘being all to all’ – being Christ to all. The priest, ordained as such by the laying of hands during Eucharist, is the one who makes Christ [ ]
Icon is a holy image that is primarily in use in conjunction with Church services. It is a product of art but its principal role is to connect that which is otherworldly with our own world. Icons and fresco paintings are called by some windows used by inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven to watch [ ]