Light of the East

In between the season of Christ's descending and His ascending, the Incarnation and the Resurrection. We turn to the great spiritual masters of the desert to serve as our guides.

From the birth of Christ through to his presentation in the Temple to his baptism, this time of epiphany of manifestation is ingeniously expressed through the prayer of the Church.

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.

The Sunday after the Birth of Christ calls us to examine and renew the relationships in our lives, beginning with Christ and those closest to us. We also turn our attention to the event and relevancy of the slaughter of the innocents.

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.

Get rid of it! Just get rid of it! The clutter in our closets, our souls and in our lives. God will come in the flesh on Christmas day to bring order out of the disorder of sin. Now is the time for us to do the same

LIGHTEAST 793R Are the End Times Near

When a special guest is coming to our home we prepare by getting things in order and the includes our interior disposition. Prayer, fasting and alms giving is how we get ourselves in order for the coming of Jesus Christ.

What Rite does a Rite have to be called a "Rite?" We will try to get this Rite by going Rite to the Rite sources especially in regard to the recent Amazon Synod. I think I got that Rite?

Many are concerned at the evangelizing methods surrounding the Amazon Synod. Evangelization is always a balance of culture with the Gospel and here the Eastern Churches can be very insightful.

There is something transformative and bonding that happens to us when we gather as a community in the liturgical worship of the Church. It is a mystical reality for which we have proof

The Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is a mystery central to our Faith and all of life. An opportunity is available to experience that mystery physically and liturgically.

We congratulate Bishop Nicholas Samra of the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church and look at how the Eastern Catholic Churches can respond to his plan of action for real evangelization.

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

Are daily Mass, daily Communion, and daily Rosary part of the devotion of Eastern Catholics? If so, how? If not, why not? The answer will reveal much about east and west.

Monastic spirituality was called by St. John Paul II, "The reference point for all of the baptized." Through their holy, ascetical lives, the Eastern monastics have bequeathed a wisdom relevant and urgent for our day.

The elaborate preparation for the reception of the Sunday Eucharist begins Saturday evening in the Eastern Churches and gives ample witness to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

The upcoming Amazon Synod is leaving many Latin Rite Catholics apprehensive about the possibility that Pope Francis may allow married priesthood in the Latin Rite. The Eastern Christian Churches can be very helpful in this discussion.

Publisher, videographer, and ecumenist extraordinaire, Jack Fiegel. of Eastern Christian Publications will join us to tell us about some historic events during his most recent Orientale Lumen trip.

The differences between the the theologies of east and west are more a matter of emphasis, perspective and expression than fundamental belief. In the end, east and west arrive at the same place but from different directions

Every Eastern Christian 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.

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."

There were may times when the gifts of the western lung of the Church were there to assist the Eastern Churches, Now, the Eastern Churches offer gifts to their Latin Rite brethren

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.

It is no secret the Latin Rite Church is experiencing some particularly confusing and painful times. In light of this, the Eastern Catholic Churches may have something to offer our Latin Rite brethren.

"Why do Latin Rite Liturgies have periods of silence and Eastern Rite Liturgies do not.? Why do Eastern Catholics stand and Latin Rite Catholics kneel? The answer lies in the question."

Eastern Catholics often wonder: What is our place in the world, the Church at large, and in ecumenical dialogue? The Holy Father's own representative provided an encouraging answer to those questions during a recent visit to the U.S.

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.

There is a hole in the very soul of modern western civilization and Eastern Christian spirituality with its sacramental liturgical world view and monastic rhythm can supply the healing balm for the modern world.

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.

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.

Are the services in Eastern Catholic Churches really very long? Can Eastern Catholic priests get married? Why are there different rites? We will give you the straight story on these questions and more on this Pentecost Sunday.

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.

Young adults can be the most vital population in the Church and the most elusive. Our special guests will tell us about a FIRST EVER opportunity offered by the Byzantine Catholic Church for young adults.

The Liturgical prayers and themes of the Church during the Pascal Season are rich and multi layered. Then seem to draw us into the Samaritan woman had with Jesus, a genuine encounter.

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

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!"

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Together with you and Luke the Regular Guy we will share and proclaim the joy of this Day of Days, the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the Dead.

The Week of the Bridegroom is upon us. It is preceded by the raising of Lazarus and Christ's entry into Jerusalem: two events that anticipate what will happen only one week later.

On the 5th Sunday of Lent in the Byzantine liturgical calendar, the example of St. Mary of Egypt is presented and it can help answer the question. often asked, of the place and role of women in the Eastern Churches.

Three great ascetics are put before our eyes as our guides at this point of Lent. As Pope Saint John Paul II said, "Monasticism is the reference point for all of the baptized."

The "Bright Sadness" of Lent becomes palpable as this Sunday of the Great Fast brings us to the convergence of the Veneration of the Cross and the Annunciation of the Mother of God.

I will call him the Patron Saint of Byzantine Lent - St. Ephram the Syrian. An ancient ascetic yet ahead of his time and relevant for all times through prayer and apostolic work.

Byzantine Iconography draws us into the very mystery of our Faith and provides us with the one and only honest vision of all of life. Lent, in turn, helps us to live according to that vision.

Jesus Christ said, " Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." During Lent we journey to regain a pure heart and the vision in sacred art can help us do just that.

We often hear the word, "Extreme," used today to describe certain experiences, beliefs and behaviors. While we might consider the desert monks to be extreme, they are actually the model for the NORMAL Christian.

We weep today by the Waters of Babylon. Like the Israelites of the Bible and the Prodigal Son, our sinfulness has us exiled from ourselves and from our Father's House.

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 composition and interior principles.

As we complete Christ's descension to Earth, Zacchaeus the tax collector ascends the tree and prepares us for the season of Christ's ascent to the Cross and to His resurrection.