"Alas, today there are Christians in name only, but not in deeds" By Robert Wiesner There exists a wide variety of particular expressions of monasticism, almost all of which arose in Eastern Christianity. One of the very earliest monks was St. Mark of Athens, one of the most obscure of all the pioneering Desert Fathers. In [...]
“I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen!” By Robert Wiesner St. Paul states in First Corinthians (15:17) “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” The resurrection of Jesus is the single most astounding and important miracle He [...]
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins By Robert Wiesner The history of water, beginning with Creation itself, provides a sort of unifying theme throughout salvation history. At the very beginning, we find the Holy Spirit brooding over the primordial waters, already prefiguring the vital role water is to play for humanity: water is [...]
"He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father" By Robert Wiesner For forty days the Apostles enjoyed the company of their beloved risen Jesus. This was to be the final training period for their ordained mission, the mission clearly stated by St. Matthew (20:19): “Go therefore and make disciples of [...]
By Robert Wiesner Saint Anthony, father of desert monasticism in Egypt in late 200s Many these days style themselves as “spiritual” and practice all manner of prayer techniques and forms of inner pacification. Outward calm, tranquility, and lower blood pressure seem to be the benefits of such practices. But the question must be asked, [...]
"The Trinity" by Andrei Rublev, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow The Trinitarian Icon The Trinity as depicted by Andrei Rublev is arguably the most famous and best-beloved icons of all time. Most iconographers would agree that no one has ever surpassed the unity of composition, the balance of color and the sheer spirituality of this image; [...]
Here, a 19th century painting of Christ walking with the two disciples on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, by Swiss painter Robert Zünd (1827-1909) The Road to Emmaus Whatever purpose the two disciples had in journeying to Emmaus, certainly their original plans were entirely disrupted by the company of the mysterious teacher who [...]
The icon of "Christ the Judge" Christ the Judge This month we highlight a famous and brilliantly executed icon dating from the 6th or 7th century. The icon was preserved during the time of the iconoclastic heresy simply due to the remote location of Saint Catherine’s Monastery at the base of Mount Sinai. Some [...]
We continue our series of occasional articles on the history and spirituality of the Orthodox and Eastern-rite Catholic Churches. Our hope is to deepen our understanding of the ties that bind us, and to slowly “build bridges” that may, at some future time, allow closer relations, and perhaps even full reunion, among our Churches. In that [...]
