This Sunday’s lectionary Gospel text is an odd one. Go read Mark 6:14-29 for yourself and let me know if you think so too. I’ll wait. Doo dee doo, dee dee dum … Okay, you’re back. Why is it an odd text? Here’s why I think it’s odd: Jesus doesn’t show up. Mark 6:14-29 It […]
Saint Basil of Caesarea — Theology in Worship
Happy New Year! In the Church’s calendar the year kicks off with the commemoration of one of my favorite saints: Basil of Caesarea (c. 329-379). He was a fourth century archbishop in Asia Minor, one of the “Three Great Cappadocians” who were influential in the development of core Christian doctrine. He is often pictured as […]
Recommended Reading: Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom
This week the Orthodox cycle of saints included not one but two of my favorites: Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. Both were Archbishops of Constantinople back in one of my favorite centuries: the fourth. The fourth century was the time of the biggest arguments about the biggest issues, and so became the time of […]
Celebrating the Birth of Jesus with His Mother
During Advent I went one Wednesday night to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh. I was surprised to hear a service that was new to me: Not the ordinary Vespers, but the “Advent Paraklesis.” As in so much of Orthodox worship, the hymns carry a huge freight of theology. As always there is much […]
On Memory and Creative Work (The Writer’s Inner Life)
These are bitter cold days in Pittsburgh where I live. At this latitude these are also short days; among the shortest of the year, with either gray gloom or low glaring winter sun. It can be hard to simply be. Add in the busyness of the ramp-up to Christmas and it can be very hard to […]
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