Light of the East

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.

Every Eastern Christain church has its own ancient and indigenous chant which is sung by the faithful during liturgical services. This gives cantors a special place in Eastern Christian Liturgy.

We are going to throw our hat in the ring of the Presidential race and on the platform of the Eastern Lung of the Church to provide real solutions for our nation.

The very same churches that had the venerable custom of married priests are the same churches that gave the world celibacy. Marriage and celibacy are not diametrically opposed.

Fasting and penance is the way to prepare for any great feast. This includes confession which is similar yet different to the form practiced in the Latin Rite.

What is the difference between the Roman Catholic Church and an Eastern Catholic Church? This simple question cannot be answered simply. But there are some comparisons that can be helpful.

We go back to basics and answer questions like: What is an Eastern Catholic? Why are there Eastern Catholics, and are the Eastern Catholic services always longer than Latin Rite services?

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.v

Among the many gifts of both lungs of the Church, east and west, we here at Light of the East have our ten favorite gifts that the Eastern Churches offer to the whole Church and the world

Asceticism... a strange sounding word to our modern culture. I will take the desert monks of the Eastern churches to shed some timely light on the meaning and relevancy of asceticism.

The Feast of the Assumption, or as the East calls it, the Dormition is a magnificent event with beautiful liturgical customs. But why really do we have to go to Church on days such as these?

Two major feast days converge this week and they convey for us the true nature of our lives as human beings. An old but young friend will join us and give testimony to the process of divinization.

The question is often asked, "What is the place of Women in the Eastern Churches?" A perspective on this question itself and it's answers lies in the context of the Eastern Liturgy.

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.

The Eastern Catholic Churches are relatively small and few in America. There are ways to ensure their growth and vitality and the first place to look is to Liturgy.

As our nation celebrates the gift of its independence and freedom, we here at Light of the East are mindful of those whose story of persecution is not nearly enough.

Pope Francis made a few eye opening statements recently about the validity of many Christian marriages. The marriage ritual of the Eastern Churches can help us understand the Pope's message.

Fasting and Penance is the way to prepare for any great Feast day. This includes Confession which is similiar yet different to the form practice in the Latin Rite.

For the first time in 80 years the prayers of Islam will be permitted to take place in the mother of all Byzantine Christian Churches. This provides opportunity for awareness and enlightenment.

Our efforts extend to non-Christians such as the followers of Islam. Dialogue in thei area could be significantly determined by a single ancient building in the country of Turkey.

While the separation of Church and State has been enshrined in modern western culture there is one particular Eastern Church that can show us that this may not totally be a good thing.

The story of Jonah and the Ninevites like all stories in the Bible are not just history lessons, they are our stories today, our lived experience. This is particularly true today.

There is saint spelled with a small S and saint spelled with a capital S. The life of a baptized Christian is a journey toward turning the small S into a capital S

As we look forward to the Descent of the Holy Spirit, we will see how the Eastern Christian Churches are naturally charismatic.

Holy Days in the Church that occur within the week, it may be inconvienient to our schedules and other interests. But this is precisely why they are relevant to our lives.

The desire of Jesus Christ is that all might be one in Him. Our special guest will tell us of his own extraordinary efforts to bring about unity between the two lungs of the Church, east and west.

Do Eastern Catholics Pray the Rosary? The answer is a qualified "Yes." The Russian Saint Seraphin of Sarov passed down to us an Eastern form of Roseary which was lost and then recovered.

The question of the role and place of women in the Eastern Churches can be found, as always, in the liturgical life of the Church especially today, the Sunday of the ointment bearing women.

The remarkable events that we have witnessed in the life of Christ are not just history lessons. They are events of our own lives as the Church immerses us into the reality of the Scripture.

Before Christ resurrects from the dead, He first descends into Hell to defeat the power of death. Through the Jerusalem Matins service, we descend and ascend with Christ.

The Week of the Bridegroom has arrived and being further enhanced as this year the Feast of the Annunciation falls on the same day as the Death of Christ on the Cross.

The words of a young nun who was recently declared blessed provide insight and consolation for us during the times when we might experience dryness or desolation in our prayer.

The Byzantine Church will give equal time to men and women ascetics. Today we climb the Ladder of Divine Ascent with St. John Climacus and next Sunday we encounter a mysterious woman in the desert named Mary.