The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the fortieth day after the feast of the Resurrection, always on a Thursday. In this feast we recall Him Who raises and lifts us up to sit with Him in heaven (Ephesians. 2:6). Quote: For after having gone down hence into Hades, and come up again to us, He ascended again from us into heaven, His Father addressing Him, and saying, “Sit on My right hand, until – …

My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Today, we rejoice in hope as we celebrate the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the midst of today’s culture of despair, which is prevalent throughout the world, we as Christians nonetheless rejoice in hope. The Feast of the Resurrection is a source of everlasting joy and hope in the midst of – …

The church celebrates the Holy Fifty Days after the Lord’s Resurrection from April 20 through June 7, 2009. Quote: But when our Lord rose from death and trampled it down, when He bound the strong man and set man free… He died to restore life to us; He was buried to raise us up. Quote Author: Pope Alexander of Alexandria (d. 326)

Over the past few decades the American society has been rocked by the revelation of corruption and immorality in our leaders on both the state and national levels. This has all reflected on the moral fiber of our society and how we view morals and ethics. The moral impropriety of our political leaders has not only shattered our confidence in our elected officials, but has flowed into the private lives of individuals. Of course, wrong – …

In our community, some believe that organization in ecclesiastical matters leads to loss of blessings. When a person is asked to organize a project, one of the answers commonly given is, "Don’t worry, leave it and it will be blessed." Usually, when a project is proposed, it is required to lay out a plan and estimate the cost. Yet some respond by saying, "God will bless it without the need to think and plan"; it – …

In the past few months, we have been shocked by the news of disasters and tragedies, which resulted in sudden death of many people. We lived through the disastrous news of the crash of the Egypt Air plane off the shores of the Northeastern United States. This resulted in the death of 217 persons, of whom many of us may have had social, friendly, or family ties. In less than a minute they changed from – …

Our Good Shepherd My Beloved, the Children of the Christ-Loving Diocese of Los Angeles, It is my pleasure to congratulate you on the Feast of the Nativity wishing you all a holy and blessed life, which befits the name of Emmanuel, Christ our Lord, Who loved us and, without sin, was incarnate and came to our world. We are happy today and our hearts are joyful with the birth of Christ, “The Good Shepherd”. In – …

In the Name of the Fr., the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen. In this booklet we present to you some answers which are related to certain questions about the Nativity, of which there are: The sequence of the genealogy, and the mention of some sinful women in it; the difference between the two gospels of Matthew and Luke in regards to the names and the ascending and descending order in that sequence. – …

All strife against sin and its desires is to be preceded by ‎fasting, especially if one is combating inward sin…Fasting is the ‎strengthening of all virtues, the beginning of the struggle, the ‎beauty of virginity and sanctity, the preservation of chastity, the ‎beginning of the way of Christianity, the father of prayer…, for as ‎soon as man begins to fast his mind will be desirous of intercourse ‎with God. Fasting is a storehouse of all – …

He is called the Spirit, according to the Scripture just now read, “For to ‎one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom.” [1 Cor. 12:8] He is called the ‎Spirit of Truth, as the Savior says, “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come.” ‎‎[John 16:13] He is called also the Comforter, as He said, “For if I go not ‎away, the Comforter will not come unto you.” [John 16:7]‎ But that He – …

I. Let Us Celebrate Christmas. Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him! Christ on earth, be exalted! Sing to the Lord all the whole earth (Ps. 96:1,11), and that I may join both in one word, let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for Him who is of heaven and then of earth. Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because – …

1. Our Behavior Inside and Outside of Church It is very noticeable that many people during Pascha Week are one thing inside church and completely different outside. In side church, black curtains, somber hymns, solemn readings, and concentrating on the suffering of Christ. Outside of church, we often laugh, joke around, socialize, think and talk about many worldly issues. We lose all the spiritual depth that we gained inside church. Let us concentrate our thoughts, – …