Archive for March 2018

This weekend the Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. It is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, which even though it occurs during Great Lent, is celebrated with Divine Liturgy and a “lightening” of the fast. In other words, we eat fish. But that is not what I want to focus…

Today is the Fifth Friday of Great Lent, a day on which the Church commemorate the Akathyst Hymn to the Theotokos. The hymn has a historical and spiritual significance for Orthodox Christians. It recalls a time when the Church was under persecution, but never gave up hope. With faith in God, the Church called upon…

I was recently asked, “Can someone love their religion and not ever go to Church?” By religion, the questioner implied Orthodox. What a great time to address this question! During Great Lent our attention is on increased participation in Church activities and services. It is a clear implication that “good” members of the Church “do”…

During Great Lent, we Orthodox spend most of our time focusing on prayer and fasting. There are extra services offered daily accompanied by the sharing of various fasting foods and recipes. Some even accuse us of placing too much emphasis on fasting during Great Lent. In fact, many spend so much time reading food labels…

We are almost to the final stretch of Great Lent with only one Sunday remaining. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to grow closer to Christ as of yet, you may think it’s too late, but it’s never too late until it’s too late. Even a ninety-nine-year old man can begin a new journey with…

It is no secret that here at Be Transfigured Ministries we place a great amount of emphasis on living the life the Church has established. We do so with faith in the Church which has been guided by the Holy Spirit since the very first day of the Church. This year’s Daily Lenten Journey has…

During every journey we arrive at a crossroad which requires a decision, and our Great Lenten Journey is no different. Admittedly, our Christian life is filled with crossroad moments that are not limited to Great Lent, but every Christian comes to a point when we must choose, “Are we in this or not?” Are we…

On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent the Church commemorates Saint John of the Ladder, who received his name for the book he wrote about ascending the ladder to heaven. The first step, where if we are honest with ourselves we spend our entire life, is Renouncing the World. Saint John wasn’t the first to…

This week I’ve written about trust, charity, forgiveness, and even fatigue during Great Lent, all to express different understandings of the cross we bear for Christ. Today I wrap up our weekly theme with service to the Church. Service to the Church is different from charity because it involves those to whom you are eternally…

You read here on more than one occasion my advice to allow the Church to guide your life. I often comment that the rhythm of the Church (read The Rhythm of Great Lent) is mean to bring us closer to Christ. The life of the Orthodox Church is a life of feasts and fasts, a life…