Light of the East

There Pope and the Patriarch came together in their historic meeting in Cuba for an entire constellation of reasons. Most importantly they came together out of concern for Christians everywhere.

On what is the second Sunday of Lent in many Eastern Churches, St. Gregory Palamas teaches us about God's utter incomprehensibility and his knowability through his uncreated energies.

The 1st Sunday of Lent in the Byzantine Liturgical Calendar is a day of triumph for sacred art, the true faith itself and for those martyrs and monks who gave it courageous witness.

Many Eastern Catholic Churches will begin Lent this coming Sunday evening. Lent is also known as the bright sadness marked by intense fasting, deep prayer and increased charity.

It is Byzantine Mardi Gras, the Sunday of Meat Faire and we look forward to the feast of the encounter of Our Lord in the temple with Simeon.

With the growing awareness and appreciation of Byzantine iconography has come certain questions tha we will begin to answer such as, "Are icons 'painted' or are they 'written'"? And, can ANYONE paint an icon?

The Eastern Christian Churches, Catholic and Orthodox face similar challenges of both growth and survival. These challenges are best met by taking an honest look at the gifts of these Churches.

A new year in both the civil calendar and the liturgical calendar has us looking back in gratitude yet forward in the spirit of manifestation, illumination and renewal.

With the help of our special guest, we will look back on what has been accomplished in the area of ecumenism between the two lunges of the Church, East and West and where this new year might take us.

God is with us. But what does that mean for us personally? To help us answer that question the Byzantine Church puts three special people before our eyes on the Sunday after the Nativity.

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 this season of love and mercy, in this jubilee year of mercy, we will hear the merciful words of a Pope and prisoner and learn how we are indeed performing a corporal act of mercy.

Whether he is Santa Claus or St. Nicholas, the liturgical celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas is a witness to how Eastern Churches evangelize and live in the both-and.

Mysticism is what keeps men sane. This is something the Eastern Churches have known for many centuries. The sense of the mystical is not the only gift of the Eastern Church.

Periochoresis, Theoria Theologica, Apatheia, Theosis... strange and complex sounding terms that point to a very simple mystery. The spiritual life is about spiritual warfare and our own deification.

We have begun the penitential season in preparation for the Incarnation of Our Lord in the flesh. Known as Advent in the west and the Philip's Fast in the east, this preparatory period helps us become people of gratitude.

The penitential period of preparation for Our Lord's Nativity, known as the Phillip's Fast is coming upon us. To help our spiritual preparation we will turn to one of our best resources.

The health of a Church is measured by monasticism. In the Eparchy of Parma in the Eastern Lung of the Church a particularly healthy sign are the sisters at the Christ the Bridegroom Monastery.

The growing popularity of icons is a good thing in the Church today both east and west. This is all the more reason to preserve the integrity of how icons are seen, used and created.

People often make Pope Francis out to be what they want him to be. At the risk of doing the same, we will look at Pope Francis in light of Eastern Spirituality.

The Sacramental-Liturgical world view of Eastern Christianity can help the world understand one of the most controversial teachings of the Church in modern times. The author of a new book will help us understand how.

It is often asked if the Eastern Churches acknowledge things like Lourdes and Fatima. There is a particular way that the Eastern Churches do approach visions and revelations especially in regard to the Mother of God.

There are implications for the church and for civilization from the stream of refugees pouring into Europe from the Middle East. Our special guest will provide insight into the situation that will not be heard elsewhere.

It is not, "Go west young man! but, Turn east young man!" as one fine group of young men are doing and we will see how this can make a difference in the Church and for society.

As both lungs of the Church liturgically place the triumph of the Cross in full view, so too does the complementary nature of both lungs of the Church come into full view.

Moral relativism and the rejection of absolute truth is leaving many people of good will confused and restless. The Liturgies of the Eastern Churches, so ancient yet so relevant, can provide a constant for answers.

The history of the Eastern Catholic Churches should not remain just history lessons. The spirituality of the Christian East is also a reservoir to be tapped to confront the hot button issues of our day.

Are we beginning to prepare or preparing to begin? The prayer of the Eastern Churches models and reminds us of something essential for every endeavor of life, most espeially for proper prayer and worship

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.

The Feast of the Assumption or Dormition of the Mother of God is a sterling example of how the church East and West breathe together. Yet this feast is also profoundly relevant for our times.

On top of Mount Tabor, Jesus Christ revealed to his apostles and to us, not only his divinity but the true origins and destiny of the human person.

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

Throughout history when the teachings of the Church were challenged, it was always the work not of a single person, but of entire councils which established and preserve the true belief passed down to us today.

Marriage is the primordial sacrament. It is our sharing in the way God loves.To attempt to redifine this in any way will have disasterous effects for civilization and humanity to redefine marriage. We will see how and what we can do.

What do the words economy, ecumenism and ecology all have in common? We will find out with the help of a Byzantine theologian and the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch as he comments on the Pope's encyclical.

The Sacrament or Holy Mystery of Matrimony in the Byzantine spirituality is not so much a covenant between a couple as it is an entrance of the couple into the life of the Trinity and of the Church.

It is June, the lazy, hazy days of summer, those days of ordinary liturgical time, but also applying the Eastern liturgical version of what not to wear.

Summertime can feel like a desert. But, the desert is more than a hot, dry place. It is something we encounter on various levels and in every aspect of our lives.

People often look for that one book where they can learn more about the Eastern Churches. While this requires more than just one book, there is one particular place that has much to offer.

The examples of the saints point to our true human origin and our true human destiny. Among the many virtues of the saints are seven that can be particularly helpful to our own growth and holiness.

Our joy in the glorious feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit is yet tinged with a bit of sadness to see the conclusion of the Pascal season. None the less, the Spirit still breatheslife into the Church.

From our most glorious actions to acts of terrorism, all behaviors are ultimately determined by the correct or incorrect understanding of God and our relationship and his creation.

he question of which calendar ought to be followed to the date of our Lord's resurrection is a complicated issue. So we turn to a liturgical theologian of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church.

All baptized Christians have been given the mandate to preach the gospel to the whole world. Father Thomas Loya and Father Joseph Loya together discuss their thoughts on the necessity and techniques of effective preaching.

As this week of mid-Pentecost unites the Resurrection with the Ascention of our Lord, our special guest will unite Christians who are free with those who are persecuted.

The examples of Joseph and Nicodemus together with the ointment baring women call us to renew our own approach to the Body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

The Church, East and West breathes with the breath of mercy this day, Divine Mercy Sunday. For the Eaast, it is Thomas Sunday which springs from the side of Christ.

The fragrances of the the blessed foods collide the frangrance of incense. The faithful sing in jubilation; shout one to another, Christ is Risen, Indeed He is Risen!!

We have come to the week of the Bridegroom in which we witness not only Christ on the Cross, but individuals who themselves are willing, in their own time, to go to the cross on behalf of the Bride of Christ.

Pope Francis has called for a heightened emphasis and availability to the sacrament of confession and for us to have a deeper understanding of sin and to understand the relevancy of confession which can help us to confess the best and far surpass the rest