Light of the East

God Himself took on flesh and submitted Himself to His own laws. What other response can we have except that of the Elder Simeon: "Now you may dismiss your servant, O Lord."

LIGHTEAST695 - Christs Incarnation Death and Resurrection

St. Anthony of the Desert said, "The great work of man is to always take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath." A fitting meditation as we look toward Lent.

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.

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.

The Liturgical life of the Church and the evnets and people of the Bible transcend time and always remain relevant. This is especially the case during the two Sundays before Christmas.

While the Eastern and Western expressions of the Church have their own respective identities, there are point of convergence between them. One such place is the event and icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Enroute to our Lord's Nativity we pass by the Feast of St. Nicholas and the Feast of the Conception of the Mother Of God in the womb of St. Anne, also known as the Immaculate Conception.

In the place where the Prince of Peace was born there is little peace and much persecution of the followers of the Prince of Peace. Our special guest will be: Juliana Taimoorazy of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council.

The 40 Days leading up to the celebration of our Lord are both days of expectation and repentance. Signposts along the way help us to live between joy and repentance.

The raging of the sea, the raging of nations, fire in the sky, just some of the warnings of the end times. Are the end times really near? The answer is both yes and we don't know. RE-BROADCAST.

During her appearances to the three children at Fatima, the Blessed Mother called the world to a conversion to her Immaculate Heart. Is this a foreign concept in Eastern spirituality or a familiar one?

The two lungs of the Church east and west, differ in their perspective expressions, traditions and theological emphasis. This is particularly true when it comes to the observance of saints and feast days.

While the Eastern Christian Churches have a long and intricate history, their legacy and spirituality remain vital and relevant in confronting today's modern world.

The Eastern Churches place primary emphasis on the seven ecumenical councils which established the true belief. Of these seven councils, the last one is set aside for special observance.

Pope Francis can both inspire and leave many faithful wondering. We will wander through the thoughts of Pope Francis in light of their implication for unity between both lungs of the Church, East and West.ancis

The raging of the sea, the raging of nations, fire in the sky, just some of the warnings of the end times. Are the end times really near? The answer is both yes and we don't know.

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.