Linguistics
Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Today the Church celebrates the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ by the Precursor, John. Liturgically, this is the final day of the Christmas season. In the East the feast is known as Theophany. This awesome and mysterious event in the life of Christ shows forth the divine manifestation of the sacred Trinity. As recorded [...]
Dormition of the Theotokos
Higher in honor than the cherubim, infinitely more glorious than the seraphim . . . The Dormition of the Theotokos is the Eastern title of the great feast celebrated today – in the West it is referred to as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dormition (falling-asleep) of the Theotokos (God-Bearer) is the [...]
Weltjugendtad Koln 2005!
Today marks the beginning of World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany. Today pilgrims will begin to arrive for a week-long festival of activities. If you sound out phonetically the German word Koln, you will notice that it sounds just like the English word “Cologne.” My lovely wife (of German ancestry) pointed this out to me. [...]
Thoughtful Sentiments, But . . .
I’ve been pondering recently things people say to make others (or themselves) feel better, yet are not necessarily true. For example: “I believe everything happens for a reason, God knows best.” – While God does know best, He doesn’t cause our actions. That’s why we have free will; to freely choose (which presupposes the ability [...]