The Gospels have told us today[1] about the exploits of the holy women who followed the God-Man during His earthly wanderings. They witnessed His sufferings and were present at his burial. The burial took place on Friday evening. While the Jews’ wrath was pouring out like the fiery lava of Aetna not only upon the Lord, but upon all of those close to Him; while the Holy Apostles were forced to hide or observe the extraordinary events only from a distance; while only John, the beloved disciple who leaned upon the breast of the Lord, feared nothing and remained always near the Lord, the secret disciple, Joseph of Arimathea, who had always concealed his heart’s allegiance due to persecution from the Sanhedrin, suddenly disregards all the obstacles, hesitations, and anxiety that had bound and worried him until then, and he appears before cold, cruel Pilate to beg the body of the One who was shamefully executed. He receives the Lord’s body and buries it with reverence and honor.
Culture
7-story monument to St. Symeon the Myrrh-streamer being installed in Belgrade
20. May 2020 - 15:04
St. Symeon the Myrrh-streamer, one of the most important and revered saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church, will soon be honored in the capital city of Belgrade with the largest monument in Serbia.
On Monday, May 18, the pedestal for the future monument was installed on Sava Square in the city, Deputy Mayor Goran Vesić reported on his Facebook page.
100 Years of Assyrian Genocides
11. May 2020 - 10:59
An article titled The Year of the Sword – The Assyro-Chaldean Genocide under the Ottoman Empire (1915-1918) appeared in the history section of the March-April issue (no. 103) of the French magazine Diplomatie affaires stratégiques et relations internationales. The article was authored by Joseph Yacoub, an honorary professor in political science at the Catholic University of Lyon.
Arvo Part – Stabat Mater
11. May 2020 - 9:56
A new and deeply moving expression of the Truth that sustains the Universe
Stabat Mater, the new CD recording of music by the composer Arvo Pärt, performed by the Choir and orchestral ensemble of Gloriae Dei Cantores under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, represents a new and fresh take on sacred music, and it also is a new level reached by the performing artists and the sound engineering team that recorded this disc.
Homily on the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women. On Spiritual Deadness
3. May 2020 - 13:25Coronavirus outbreak boosts Bible sales
28. April 2020 - 19:18
New sales figures indicate that the Bible has experienced a dramatic surge in sales as readers search for hope amid the current coronavirus pandemic.
Book sales data provider Nielsen BookScan said that Biblical and liturgical texts had been rapidly climbing the charts in recent weeks, noting that the clear uptick in purchases was an “unusual pattern in comparison to the same period in recent years.”
The Doubts and Faith of the Apostle Thomas
27. April 2020 - 19:21
Christ is Risen!
This Sunday is dedicated to the Apostle Thomas, who is popularly known as “Doubting Thomas.” What did Thomas not believe: That Jesus had risen from the dead? Or that the other disciples had seen Him risen?
The name Thomas is of Hebraic origin, meaning “twin” (תומא). It is quite possible that the Apostle was originally a fisherman (cf. Jn. 21:2). Thomas was called by Christ to become one of the Twelve Apostles (cf. Mt. 10:2-4, Mk. 3:14-19, LIk. 6:13-16). When Lazarus died, and Jesus, Whom the Jews were already hunting, headed for Jerusalem, Thomas expressed his desire to follow Christ and die with Him (cf. Jn. 11:16). During the Lord’s parting conversation with the disciples, Thomas asked: How can the Apostles know the way of the ascent of the Son of Man to the Heavenly Father? (cf. Jn. 14:5).
