THE PASCHAL GREETING

The Paschal greeting is a custom among Orthodox Christians, consisting of a greeting and response. Instead of “hello” or its equivalent, one is to greet another person with “Christ is Risen!” The response is “Truly, He is risen!” (or “Indeed, He is risen!”). This greeting is used during liturgical services and informally at other times, […]

CHURCH ETIQUETTE

In the Orthodox Church, there are many customs and traditions that are an important part of our worship. Some are cultural and some are pious customs. Some are essential and some are not. From time-to-time, we need to address some of these various etiquette issues to better inform the faithful. LIGHTING CANDLES Lighting candles is […]

GIVE ME ONE REASON TO GO BACK TO CHURCH

OK I will… But first let me guess why you quit going in the first place. You weren’t getting anything out of it. The Christianity you tried wasn’t working for you‐‐you tried, but it didn’t produce. I’d estimate that 95 percent of the Orthodox Christians I talk to who stopped going to church did so […]

WHY DO WE LIGHT CANDLES?

The first thing anyone notices upon entering any Orthodox Church is the sandbox full of lit candles. We see people making an offering, taking the candle, lighting it, saying a prayer and placing the candle in the sand. So what is this all about? Christ said, “I am the light of the world; he who […]