Light of the East

Although the term "Icon" is being used more commonly today, Byzantine Iconography is a specific art form whose real value lies first in knowing the why behind the line, color and compostion and interior principles.

Both lungs of the Church, East and West, converge in their observance of the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross. A feast with historical significance, it is invaluable in its theological significance for the Church and for us personally.

Devotional practices between the Eastern and Western lungs of the Church are often different from each other yet they arrive at the same point. These differences are not deficits but rather, complements.

A pilgrimage is more than a journey with a destination. It is an essential aspect of prayer and spirtituality. A timely and urgent place of pilgrimage today is Fatima.

If a man made symbol, such as the flag of a nation can inspire people even in battle, how much could an image inspire which was not made with human hands.

Of all of the virtues that belonged to the desert spiritual masters of the Christian East, one virtue in particular is the most characteristic and far too scarce in our modern age - humility.

Like the Autumn season that approaches, we too have moments of dying away. Eastern Christian spirituality has something that can help us negotiate through the Autumns of our lives.

Living in the "real world" is not about living in pain and hardship. The Feast of Our Lord's Transfiguration is our immersion into the "real world" and it is a glorious one indeed.

As a child runs to Mommy for consolation, many in the Eastern lung of the Church pray the Paraklisis service, or the office of Consolation, in preparation for the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

When our Lord Ascended to Heaven the Apostles were gathered in unity to witness this event. That all might be one is still the desire of our Lord, the nature of Christianity and the mission of Light of the East.

The liturgical life of the Church calls us to something that is vital to both the rhythms of our lives and to worship. It is the spirituality of preparation which even has its very own rite.

A study finds that Ecumenism is not a pressing topic for many Catholic and Orthodox Christian faithful. Could this be because perpetuating the division between them is not important to them either?

Teenagers hold a special place in salvation history and in the Church. In ministering to teens the Eastern Catholic Churches do best through their own liturgical and ascetical traditions.

Words like Perichorresis, Kenosis, Theoria Theologica sound unfamiliar but together with the liturgical monastic tradition they make up the potpourri of Eastern spirituality.

For celibate priests east or west, everyday is about fatherhood in the spirit. We will hear form Jeremiah and Eric, who have been fathered in the spirit and who provide hope for the Church.

The Sunday of All Saints occurs in the Eastern Lung of the Church on the Sunday after Pentecost. From this observance we learn that to be human is simply to become a saint. A saint is just a normal human being.

We often speak of the gifts of the Eastern Churches on this program. Today we look at some of the ways in which the Latin rite Church is a gift to the Eastern Churches.

In many Eastern Churches, the Fathers of the First Council of Nicea are celebrated between the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost. The Creed established by these Fathers is a gem of truth and inspiration.

When our Lord Ascended to Heaven the Apostles were gathered in unity to witness this event. That all might be one is still the desire of our Lord, the nature ofr Christianity and the mission of Light of the East.

The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well was an evangelizer and ecumenist. This week we peak into the well of a modern evangelizer and ecumenist of the Eastern lung of the Church.

Story telling is the essential way that Our Lord and the Liturgy of the Church immerses us into the drama and message of the scriptures. Our special guest, Eric Groth tells stories through the medium of film.

It was Providential that women were the first to hear of Christ's Resurrection. In their example, together with Joseph of Arimathea, we learn much about our own relationship to the Body of Christ

The prayer of Eastern Liturgy takes us on a pilgrimage where through the doubt and proclamation of the Apostle Thomas we too will cry out, "My Lord and my God!"

This is the Resurrection day! During the Byzantine Matins service, the Church becomes the empty tomb and we become the women at the tomb who proclaim... Christ is risen!

The rich Liturgical experience of Holy Week, also known as the "Week of the Bridegroom" immerses us into the days of Christ's earthly life. Through the Liturgy, Christ's events become our events.

On the Fifth Sunday of Lent in the Byzantine Liturgical Calendar, it takes the story of desert woman and the priest that found her to to tell us about our deepest desires.

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God is never overshadowed even during the Great Fast. One parish named for this feast is a witness to the relevancy of Eastern Christian Spirituality.

St. John Paul II said that the Church breathes with both lungs East and West. But why did this come to be? Are the tiny Easter rite churches relevant in a modern western world?

St. Gregory Palamas, a 14th century Byzantine saint introduced the spirituality of inward stillness know as hesychism. To explain this word will require the introduction of other uncommon words from Eastern Christian spirituality.

If a photo can help draw us into the memory and reality of a loved one, then how much more so can a holy image draw us to God and all of the saints.

The Season of the Great Fast is upon us, It is the flowering of repentance. Prayer, fasting and charity well be our guides as we journey from exile back to our Father's house.

The Lenten disciplines of fasting along with the wisdom of spiritmasters and the art, prayer and liturgy of the Church can help move us beyond the passions of lust and addiction to pornography.

Are you having anger issues? The wisdom of the Eastern Christian spiritual masters and the best of modern psychology can help with this and other fallen passions.

Our guest, Jeff Gardner of the Picture Christians Project, will give us an unique and seldom seen vision of the deep human level of suffering of our fellow Christians of the Middle East

Passion and desires are commonly defined by their disordered condition. It is the rhythm and inner dynamism ot the Liturgical life that provides a more positive view of our passions.

Although the event of the Nativity of Christ has past, the Incarnational reality continues to unfold and it is through the Church that we do not just celebrate but actually experience this reality.

In the Eastern Churches, Liturgy and asceticism have their own respective evangelical power which must be continually rediscovered and unleashed as the way for the Eastern Churches to Evangelize and make a difference.

It's not enough to say that we attended Mass or celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The vision that litrugy gives ws must move beyond the walls of the church and affect all of life.

The great act of love and humiliation that our Lord took on by being born in a cave in Bethlehem will continue with submission to circumcision on the eighth day.

All families have their story from sinners to saints. So it is with the family of Jesus Christ. But God still works out His divine plan which is the miracle of this season.

During the Birth of Christ, the Eastern Lung of the Church puts emphasis upon the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled. the mystery of the Incarnation and the continuity between the birth of Christ and His Resurrection.

During the two Sundays before Chistmas, we look back to the people and events that came before Christ becasue there are lessons that are good for all times, especially our own times.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is known in the Eastern Churches as the Conception of the Mother of God in the womb of St. Ann. This has important implications for all issues of life.

LIGHTEAST635 - Pope Francis... Well He's Gone and Done It Again (1)

LIGHTEAST635 - Pope Francis... Well He's Gone and Done It Again

A significant advancement has just recently occurred in ecumenical dialog between the Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Learn all about it right here on Light of the East with the help of a special friend.

The Byzantine preparation for the coming of our Lord is beginning. It is called the Phillip's fast. Perhaps now, mor than ever this preparation period must be taken very seriously.

Angels - What do we believe about them and what do we do with them? Another question is, "How do responsible citizens vote in this election.

Civilization will go by way of the family and the family will go by way of marriage. The Mystical, Liturgical and Ascetical gifts of the Eastern Churches have much to offer for holy and happy families.

Let's face it. We all need to read the Bible more and to actually become the Bible. The Liturgy, art and architecture of the Eastern Churches can actually immerse us into the Bible.