Light of the East

The Sacred Mystery or Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is known to both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. But there is another form of anointing that has healing properties as well.

As the Church spread throughout the world, it took on the character of the various cultures. This helps explain the nuances and tensions between East and West.

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

Charity begins at home and so does ecumenism. A small parish in Pennsylvania took that to heart in a very big way!

Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon... the mention of these seem to strike fear in our minds today. However, these are places of great spiritual and biblical significance.

Pope 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 eastern churches still relevant in a modern world?

As the Church spread throughout the world, it took on the character of various cultures. The helpd explain the nuances and tensions between East and West.

What times are your Masses on Sunday?" For an Easter Catholic parish, the answer is not quite so simple.

How could motherhbood preserve virginity and death be the herald of life? These are mysteries celebrated in the new beginning of the liturgical year of the Byzantine tradition.

A holy pilgrimage on a holy mountian and holy people doing holy things... the annual Labor Day Pilgrimage on Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Pope Benedict XVI taught that the role of the Church in regard to the state was to remind the state of the dignity of the human person. Recently, young students of Ukraine gave witness to this.

On top of Mount Tabor, Jesus Christ revealed the glory of His divinity and the splendor of His humanity. In doing so, He revealed that we ar made in the image and likeness of God.

Benediction, Eucharistic Adoration, daily Masses, the Rosary... do these same devotions exist in the Eastern Churches? The answer would be yes and no at the same time.

Christ is Risen! On this day, the Church joyfully breathes with both lungs, the canonization of two Popes and the 500th broadcast of Light of the East

Christ is Risen! This is the Day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!

We begin Great Week, the week of the Bridegroom where we unite our passion and suffering with that of Christ. This is especially true for the Eastern churches and faithful in the Ukraine.

Great Fast

This week, we bow to the ground and rise up The Ladder of Divine Ascent guided by our special masters: St. John Climacus, St. Andrew of Crete and St. Mary of Egypt.

On the Third Sunday of Lent, we venerate the Cross which stands in the middle between heaven and earth, but also in the middle of many Eastern Churches.

The first Sunday of Lent commemorates the vindication of the ancient practice of the veneration of icons. To appreciate this, we will turn to the writings of a pope from the Western Lung of the Church.

The Bright Sadness is now upon us as we repent and seek God's forgiveness. We will fast and ask forgiveness of one another in the very moving evening service of the Forgiveness Vespers.

It is the Sunday of Meat Fare. But, it is also the Sunday in which we sing, "The end draws near, the time grows short, the Judge is at the door, and the days of life pass swiftly."

We can always turn to the gift of the priesthood to experience God's mercy. But where do priests turn when they are in need of both God's mercy and ours?

On this Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, we will listen to the stirring in the hearts of a publican, a prisoner and a Catholic Cardinal, the young people of the Ukraine and the Church that breathes with both lungs.

The just elder Simeon would never be the same after beholding Christ. Neither would the Eastern Catholics of Ukraine after beholding the freedom of their Church.

The high holy days are now passed and we are in the "dog days" of winter. But this is where the spirituality of the domestic church has something to offer us.

We visit Maximus the Confessor, sometimes known as the Father of Byzantine theology, and we'll also have a visit from an old friend of Light of the East.

We have entered the dog days of winter, so let us flee to the warmth of the desert to face our own demons, discover our most authentic selves and to encounter God.

Manifestation, illumination, incarnation continue to be the theme in the Church, East and West, and also in our individual lives.

Let us encounter the great mystery. The Creator becomes the creature while still remaining the Creator. God is with us!

It's the Sunday of the Holy Patriarchs and we'll look at the words of a recent Patriarch, Pope Francis, whose document is of particular interest to the Eastern churches, both Catholic and Orthodox.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, or as they say in the East, the Conception of the Mother of God in the womb of St. Anne. It's a different emphasis, but they both arrive at the same point.

Whether Santa Claus or St. Nicholas, this man of mystery and his universal observance has his origins in the Eastern lung of Church.

Shakespeare asked, "What's in a name?" We ask, “What's in a color?"... the color purple used in the Church, both East and West, during this preparatory season.

Morning Prayer belongs to the tradition of the Church, both East and West. But the development of Morning Prayer, called matins or orthros, in the Byzantine Catholic tradition, is rich, complex and meaningful.

Our special guest is Michael Warsaw, CEO and Chairman of the Board of EWTN who tells us about EWTN's challenge to the HHS Mandate.

We approach the season of the observation of Our Lord's Incarnation by preparing through fasting, charity and prayer. The Vespers service is the evening prayer of the Byzantine Catholic Church, an ancient prayer of Light, immersing us into the rhythm of s

The Eastern Churches and the Roman Catholic Church may differ in emphasis, style and expression, but they all ultimately converge at the same point. We will look at how this happens and some of the issues that divide.

The art of the Church breathes with both lungs, East and West. There is iconology in the West and iconography in the East, but they both arrive at the same point.

Father Thomas Loya and his cousin, Father Joseph Loya, discuss the moments of their priesthood.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma has begun a process to move forward from maintenance to mission, from survival to vision.

We discuss the Feast of the Protection of the Veil of the Mother of God and one of the Eastern Churches in need of protection.

What do you get when you take a bride, a groom, add 16 priests, a bunch of seminarians, a half dozen nuns, and a bishop? You get a very meaningful wedding ceremony.

For the Liturgy of the Eastern Churches, we come to see our observance of the Exultation of the Cross as so much more than just a history lesson.

The new liturgical year of the Eastern Churches is upon us, and we begin its many glorious holy days. The feast days of the Church are so much more than just an obligation.

We bring you an exclusive report on the situation and global significance of Coptic Christians caught in the middle of the current unrest in Egypt.

The Eastern Catholic Churches need to let their light shine from under their bushels. We look at how the Eastern Catholic Churches can look at their own gifts and gain greater confidence in their gifts.

We draw your attention to a couple of special events which are a testimony and a witness to the power and relevancy of Eastern Christian spirituality.

lOh come on, let's be a little more honest here. We examine an article that suggests the Eastern and Western lungs of the Church hold each other accountable to their Ecumenical histories.

As the summer winds down, it becomes a season of pilgrimage in the Eastern Catholic Churches as special guest Sister Barbara Jean talks about the pilgrimage at Mt. St. Macrina.